Chapter 872: The Gluttonous White Cat, The Mutated God of Greed

"It quieted down..."

After that shout, the murmurs from the Xu Bang crowd instantly ceased. Only some irrelevant whispers remained, along with the fading footsteps of the retreating group.

Xu Xiaoshou knew well that Xiao Wanfeng couldn't control this bunch, so he deliberately waited a moment longer to steady their morale.

The notification from the Trial Jade Pendant had reached Xu Xiaoshou immediately.

Originally, he had been waiting for that crucial midnight hour as well.

But now, nothing was more important than the matter with his junior sister!

However...

Before leaving, Xu Xiaoshou needed a backup plan.

On his junior sister's side, there was still Liu Changqing. While Liu Changqing didn't know his limits, Wuji Laozu certainly did.

If it were just a minor incident of losing contact, Xu Xiaoshou wouldn't abandon all the arrangements at Tian Shang First Tower for some absurd, ridiculous outcome.

"Enter Yuanfu!"

The Yunlun Mountains were under surveillance, so Xu Xiaoshou only sent his thoughts into Yuanfu, found his own "hua ti," and possessed it.

"Little Chicken, come here."

He beckoned from afar to Xu Xiaojiji, who nervously scurried over.

Now, the Yuanfu world was much livelier than before. Basically, everyone Xu Xiaoshou had met in his life had their clones here.

Shou Ye, Shuo Shu, Ba Zun An, Sang Lao...

Even the crippled Ai Cangsheng had one here.

With the situation urgent, Xu Xiaoshou wasted no words. As soon as Xu Xiaojiji arrived, he got straight to the point: "I'll speak, you listen, and just remember it."

"Oh."

Xu Xiaojiji nodded woodenly, looking like he was used to being exploited. The only thing he found regrettable was that Xu Damo Wang's tone still sounded just like the real him.

How could this guy be so reckless and not get possessed by someone else yet?

Xu Xiaoshou began giving instructions: "I'm letting you go out and have a wild night, same as before—you play me, do whatever feels good—but once you're out, everything follows Xin Gugu's lead."

Xu Xiaojiji: "..."

So this is what you call doing whatever I want? Isn't it still being controlled?

And this old routine...

Last time you let me out, you acted like you were giving me freedom, but you just threw me into chaos, almost getting me exposed and killed.

Now, things outside are probably not peaceful either, right?

Of course, if the outside world were calm, Xu Damo Wang wouldn't think of me at all.

Xu Xiaojiji was lost in random thoughts.

Seeing no response for a while, Xu Xiaoshou frowned and asked, "Any problems?"

"N-no problems..." Xu Xiaojiji snapped back to attention and replied nervously, "I've got the acting down to a fine art now. Last time, I was just overwhelmed by the big scene, but I've got experience this time—no accidents for sure. So, should I play as Young Master Xu or as Xu Xiaoshou?"

Xu Xiaoshou had already briefed Xu Xiaojiji on the details for the two identities—"Xu Xiaoshou" and "Xu Desai"—including key items, signature skills, and precautions.

"Xu Shao."

Xu Xiaoshou answered.

"No need for the 'Ban Sheng Jie Dao' state? That thing's like a restriction—it ties me up more than being in Yuanfu." Xu Xiaojiji still had some trauma from it.

"No need." Xu Xiaoshou shook his head.

"What about fighting? I'm great at bluffing, but if it comes to a real fight, I can only muster some Wangzuo-level combat power, and not for long."

"No need for that either! Your position is solid— if there's a fight, you've got plenty of subordinates to handle it." Xu Xiaoshou was being unusually patient, since he needed Xu Xiaojiji's help.

"Sounds pretty good..." Xu Xiaojiji pretended to stroke his chin, but inwardly added: Looks like the situation is really critical—Young Master Xu is even starting to deceive people.

"Good, then get ready—we're switching." Xu Xiaoshou pressed on without delay, pulling out the prepared clothes as he explained, "Things are a bit different this time. After you go out, there'll be big shots watching from the shadows. Remember, don't talk recklessly, don't meet people unnecessarily, keep quiet and do less to avoid mistakes. If unsure, ask Xin Gugu. And remember, if you mess up, you're done for."

Xu Xiaojiji was scared half to death.

He could understand the first part—since Young Master Xu was calling on him, it had to be an extremely dangerous situation.

But on a matter of life and death, you're telling me to "ask Xin Gugu if unsure"?

"Mo girl?" Xu Xiaojiji asked, since he trusted Mo Mo more.

He'd seen Xin Gugu's personality before—that guy had been in the Yuanfu world for a while, training under Xu Xiaoshou, and Xu Xiaojiji remembered his way of speaking and acting clearly.

Asking Xin Gugu... might as well pray to the gods!

Xu Xiaoshou knocked Xu Xiaojiji on the head with no good humor and scolded, "If I had anyone smarter around, would I send you to ask Xin Gugu?"

"Oh."

Xu Xiaojiji lowered his head in grievance.

So, things had really reached the worst possible state!

"Hurry up and change clothes."

Xu Xiaoshou urged, dressing the person in front of him to look exactly like himself, then solemnly handed over a ring. "Remember, if you run into an unsolvable problem and even Xin Gugu can't figure it out, call me."

"Call you?" Xu Xiaojiji probed the ring, finding it empty, and was confused.

"Yes, call me." Xu Xiaoshou nodded affirmatively. "Call the current me."

With that, he transformed into a beam of light and entered the ring.

Even though he knew this was just a hua ti, watching a living, speaking person enter a spatial ring meant for inanimate objects still startled Xu Xiaojiji.

"Xu Xiaoshou?" He called into the emptiness.

But the hua ti in the ring had become an inert object, no longer able to speak.

Xu Xiaoshou's thoughts entered Ba Zun An's hua ti, and he quickly walked over, adapting to the memories and adjusting his voice as he went.

"I've placed a wisp of spiritual thought into my hua ti. If things go wrong, take it out of the ring to activate it—I can multitask and check your situation at the same time..."

Xu Xiaojiji finally breathed a sigh of relief. That works—then I won't have to think on my own.

"But!"

Xu Xiaoshou added a big twist, saying gravely, "If I can't free up on my end, even if you take out my hua ti, it'll just be a limp puppet with no use at all."

"Urgh!" Xu Xiaojiji froze on the spot.

"Don't worry, I believe in your abilities—you've never disappointed me before." Xu Xiaoshou gently patted Xu Xiaojiji's shoulder, speaking earnestly, "Once this is over, I'll give you a vacation. I forgot last time—it was my fault."

Xu Xiaojiji: Hah, men!

He only dared to complain inwardly.

"Received some silent disdain, passive value +1."

Xu Xiaoshou ignored it and said, "No other issues, right?"

He was eager to switch and get going—his mind was already with his junior sister, and delays could lead to changes. He had no patience for minor matters.

"I don't have any problems..."

Xu Xiaojiji had nothing else to prepare—he was always ready—but then he glanced at the side, where Tan Shen was diligently working on alchemy, and said, "It's just that Xu Shao's cat might have run into some trouble..."

"Tan Shen?"

Xu Xiaoshou was startled and turned to look.

The little white cat was extremely well-behaved. Besides being visibly fatter—its belly was as round as a human head—there was nothing unusual.

It was working hard and enjoying its blessings.

This was great!

"What could be wrong with it?" Xu Xiaoshou said, but suddenly felt uneasy.

Tan Shen working so hard was already abnormal.

Ever since he came in, he hadn't seen Tan Shen sneakily slurping up any pills or spiritual liquids, not even once!

Something was off!

Any abnormality must have a cause!

"What happened to it?" Xu Xiaoshou asked seriously.

Xu Xiaojiji opened his mouth and mumbled, "You see, this guy didn't even come over to meow when you arrived..."

"Get to the point!" Xu Xiaoshou interrupted.

Xu Xiaojiji shuddered and immediately switched to a rapid-fire mode: "A few days ago, during the time you weren't here, Tan Shen seemed to get tired of refining pills and started wandering around, not being as dedicated as I am..."

As soon as he changed the subject, Xu Xiaoshou's expression shifted.

Xu Xiaojiji didn't dare add any filler and continued straight: "It ran into that broken tower and chewed on something, like it mutated!" He pointed in a direction.

Broken tower?

Xu Xiaoshou was shocked and looked toward the other side.

That was the broken tower he'd brought from Zhang Fu in Tian Sang City with a single sword strike.

After sending it into Yuanfu, he'd only flipped through some of the techniques inside and, finding no real use, treated it as a milestone of growth and used it as a treasury.

All the impressive treasures he'd gotten from outside were stored there, since he didn't fully trust his spatial ring.

But...

"Didn't I set up a barrier? How could Tan Shen get in?" Xu Xiaoshou quickly asked.

In Yuanfu, he was the master, with spatial separations and spiritual arrays sealing it off. Not even someone like Zhan Dao or Tai Xu could necessarily enter, let alone Tan Shen.

Xu Xiaojiji pouted and muttered, "Xu Xiaoshou, haven't you noticed Tan Shen has gotten a lot fatter?"

"The Yuanfu world is newly formed, with abundant spiritual energy and life force, plus the nonstop feedback from growing great dao rules. This guy's growth speed is insane."

"You have no idea—in the time you were away, it's gotten bold enough to swallow chaos mist!"

Xu Xiaojiji hadn't vented in a while, so once he started, he couldn't stop.

Chaos mist... Hearing that, Xu Xiaoshou was truly stunned.

He'd tried the chaos mist himself, and even with his current realm, he could only withstand it for a few breaths at most.

All his passive skills would still get corroded away if the exposure lasted long enough.

Had Tan Shen already grown to the point of swallowing chaos mist?

How much time had passed?

From when he picked up the cat to now, it hadn't even been a few months!

Xu Xiaojiji added, "It can't swallow it normally yet... Last time, it floated over and took a big gulp of chaos mist, then spat it out for ages, but it recovered pretty quickly."

"When was that?" Xu Xiaoshou frowned.

"Just recently, between your last appearance and this one—otherwise, I would've told you right away." Xu Xiaojiji quickly showed his loyalty.

Xu Xiaoshou fell silent.

He suddenly understood why Tan Shen was so attached to him and why Jiao Tangtang had insisted on giving this white cat to a stranger.

It turned out his own vitality and Yuanfu space were such a huge benefit to Tan Shen!

"Is this how ghost beasts grow?" Xu Xiaoshou suddenly felt inferior even to a cat. He was busting his butt to earn passive values, while Tan Shen was catching up in growth during its alchemy breaks.

"Come here!"

Xu Xiaoshou shouted harshly at Tan Shen in the distance. He wanted to know what this little thing had swallowed and why it had mutated so much that it wouldn't even come over.

"Meow."

Tan Shen had already overheard their conversation. Now summoned, it had no choice but to turn its plump body, squint one eye, glare at Xu Xiaojiji, and pounce affectionately toward Xu Xiaoshou.

Xu Xiaoshou grabbed Tan Shen by the scruff of its neck, lifted it up, and focused on the cat's "abnormal" eye, ordering, "Open it!"

Tan Shen's eyes were usually beautiful, like large gemstones with an eerie purple color.

Normally, this guy loved staring at people with those eerie purple eyes, so why was it keeping one eye shut?

What had it swallowed to make it this afraid... A bad premonition crept into Xu Xiaoshou's mind.

"Meow." Tan Shen whined pitifully in its owner's arms, refusing to obey.

"Open it!" Xu Xiaoshou demanded again. "If you don't, I'll boil you along with the pills!"

"Meow!" Terrified, Tan Shen's white fur stood on end, and it flung open its left eye.

In that instant, Xu Xiaoshou and Xu Xiaojiji, the first to meet its gaze, both felt their spirits sway, as if their souls were detaching and being controlled.

But Tan Shen was scared of death—it opened its eye for just a moment before slamming it shut.

The fleeting illusion vanished for both, and cold sweat broke out on their backs.

Then...

Xu Xiaoshou stood frozen in place.

As Tan Shen's eye opened and closed, the moment he snapped out of the daze, his scalp tingled.

"San Yan Tong Mu!"

That brief flash of gray-white pupils with three swirling patterns—wasn't that the San Yan Tong Mu he'd forcefully taken from the two masked figures under Yan Wang, planning to use as leverage later?

"You little troublemaker!"

Realizing this, Xu Xiaoshou lost his composure.

This was the Lei family's eye, tied to massive karma. He hadn't even figured out the truth behind the Lei family tragedy and hadn't dared to touch it carelessly.

And this fat cat had swallowed it???

"Have you lost your mind?!"

"Why did you eat that thing?"

"Does it look like a pill? Does it smell like medicine? You're a cat that refines pills, and you can't even tell the difference between an eye and a pill?"

Xu Xiaoshou swung Tan Shen wildly, trying to shake the eye out.

But to no avail...

The little white cat just meowed pitifully, offering no resistance whatsoever, completely devoid of the dignity it once had as the Greedy God in the Xu Yue Gray Palace.

Xu Xiaojiji, standing nearby, thought seriously about what Xu Damo Wang had said.

Well, now that he mentioned it, it really did resemble a pill...

"Can you spit it out?"

After venting, Xu Xiaoshou calmed down and gently held the "little darling," asking.

"Meow."

Tan Shen meowed pitifully: Are you dreaming?

"I'll kill you!"

Xu Xiaoshou was so angry he almost strangled the cat, his hand tightening...

Fortunately, he still had some sense left and knew this "little darling" was also a big karma he couldn't mess with.

"Dammit, you've turned everything upside down! I've got a pile of messes to deal with, and now I have to clean up yours too?"

Cursing, Xu Xiaoshou flew toward the broken tower: "Out with it—besides San Yan Tong Mu, what else did you eat?" He whipped the little white cat's backside with a vine strip.

"Meow."

"Meow."

Tan Shen had grown strong enough that it barely felt the pain from its owner's restrained strikes, but that didn't stop it from wisely wailing in response.

Nothing else!

Besides that pill, it hadn't swallowed anything else!

Stop hitting, please—hit it anymore, and the cat's really done for!

Xu Xiaoshou's thoughts connected with Tan Shen's, grasping the general meaning, but he didn't believe it. He rummaged around with the cat in tow.

Most of the spiritual medicines were gone.

But inedible items like Ji Luo Diao Pian, Xiao Shen Qiang, You Si Jian, Yan Mang, etc., were still there.

"You little swindler..." Xu Xiaoshou's face turned ashen with anger, and he raised the vine to strike harder.

But then he thought of something, his heart skipped a beat, and he dashed to the central point of the world where Hong Meng Purple Qi had once emerged.

That small puddle...

He'd hoped to grow one of the nine ancestral trees, the Bodhi Ancient Tree, there, so he'd planted the Bodhi tree roots.

Later, he got the Blood Tree Yin Branch and casually planted that too.

These two ancestral spiritual medicines, supreme treasures—surely Tan Shen hadn't swallowed them too?