Guo ShouQue remained unmoving.
From the moment he achieved self-transformation until now, he has been lounging on his rocking chair, lazily basking in the blood light, like an old man soaking in the sun.
Even if the world outside were falling apart, it wouldn't have half a cent's worth of impact on him.
Too lazy to move.
In the faint cries, he hummed old tunes intermittently, enjoying the brief respite between wakefulness and sleep.
Filthy blood light and malice surrounded him, then fled in terror, forming a faintly perceivable 'clear zone' around the courtyard.
Under the rocking chair, his shadow rippled like water, slowly writhing, shifting among various sinister shapes, subtly making a snickering sound. Compared to the evil thoughts and disasters tangled within him, the so-called self-transformation amounted to nothing!
At most, it was only comparable to today's heavy haze.
How should I put it? It's quite exhilarating!
As he swayed leisurely, he recalled the scene before departure.
That old customer and acquaintance who sought him out again after a long time.
"Going to Yingzhou?"
At that time, Guo ShouQue was casually preparing his pickled vegetables, "Chef Demon contest? Forget it, I'm getting old, and my body is stiff, I don't want to move."
"When it gets too quiet, one should move. Occasionally stretching your legs does no harm."
Xuan Niao plopped into his rocking chair, with a bowl of his refrigerated white fungus porridge in hand, and hadn't stopped talking since entering: "They should have something new there, perhaps even surprises. You shouldn't feel bored."
"Are you sure?" Guo ShouQue lifted his gaze, showing some interest.
He didn't fear Xuan Niao tricking him.
They had known each other for many years, dealt with each other extensively, and understood each other well. If Xuan Niao wanted to screw him over, there were countless ways to make him fail without being found, with no need for personal persuasion.
Moreover, this guy never makes pointless offers; he wouldn't strike without a rabbit in sight.
He had to admit that Guo ShouQue was slightly curious about the surprises Xuan Niao mentioned.
He pondered for a bit, then asked: "What do you need me to do?"
"Be a cook, of course. Otherwise, do you think I'd want you to fight?" Xuan Niao got up again, grabbed a spoon to fill himself another large bowl, continuing: "Just do what you want, treat it like a publicly funded trip."
"So eat hotpot and sing along, and then consider the job done?"
Guo ShouQue sneered: "Moreover, are you assuming that whatever I do will align with your intentions?"
"Aren't we familiars?"
Xuan Niao looked up, showing a loyal and kind smile—with a piece of white fungus from the soup Guo ShouQue made last night stuck on his beard.
The face practically screamed arrangements.
This old fellow may not be very adept at fighting or handling affairs. Among his contemporaries, the Sublimators, he never stood out, but his ability to sit on the King of Genealogy's throne depended on his stability and control—more than anything, it was about his grasp of the grand trend.
He could always place the right person at the right time in the right place.
To put it simply—whatever match-makings that guy handled, always worked out.
Something akin to using big data and vast information to produce matches in a cyberpunk world—almost heavenly, even more effective than Cupid's toy.
Thanks to this skill, he never had to contribute a dime at weddings, and would leave with a handful of thank-you envelopes, and of course always snagged two pig heads from Guo ShouQue for drinking.
Benefiting more than anyone else, yet still making others feel grateful.
Routines could be copied, and tricks learned, but this finesse in operation and vision was beyond imitation by anyone else.
Guo ShouQue shook his head, sneering: "Keep feeling you haven't come for anything good, might even cost me those two ounces of old cured meat getting caught in your trap... Heard Kua Fu, that silly kid, went out delivering for you last time and ended up pinned and beaten by Tier!"
"The troubles he stirred up have nothing to do with me!"
Xuan Niao widened his eyes innocently: "Can't blame me for him spitting randomly!"
"It depends on who took him to spit."
Guo ShouQue showed a 'like I don't know you' contemptuous expression, they were all old foxes for a thousand years, doing Chatting Liaozhai was unnecessary.
"Rest assured, rest assured, this time you'll definitely be smooth."
Xuan Niao patted his chest and assured.
To this, Guo ShouQue held no doubt.
These matters are like the sky being blue, like people die.
If Xuan Niao says you'll go smoothly, you'll certainly go smoothly, very smoothly. Just like if Bai Ze says you've good fortune, you are bound to have good fortune.
Take it slowly with stable steps, as long as heaven doesn't collapse, nine times out of ten you can achieve the desired result.
However, this feeling of working for nothing made him very uncomfortable. You work while I profit… Guo ShouQue hadn't been shortchanged by him often.
What made it even more frustrating was that Xuan Niao actually picked up the spoon again to fetch another bowl.
"Stop eating, old man! I've cooked a pot, and you're about to finish it! Are you Xuan Niao or Xuan Pig!" Guo ShouQue furiously snatched the spoon, stuffing the clay pot back in the fridge: "Get out, hurry!"
"Did you agree?"
Xuan Niao smacked his lips, looking around: "Just saw some pickled vegetables? Could you give me some to bring back? The kids need nutrition for growing."