“I told you before about meeting an old woman while delivering food, and how she asked me to help her throw away trash, and I received this scroll in return? This cat is the one she raised.”
Speaking of this, Liu Nanfeng also became serious. So everything was not a coincidence, but a meticulously arranged plan?
Liu Nanfeng picked up the scroll in his hand and looked at it carefully. The girl on the scroll was playful and lively, but judging from her clothes, hairstyle, and the material of the scroll, it did not seem to be from modern times.
“This scroll is old, it doesn't look like something from modern times. Although I don't know much about paintings, with just a few strokes, the person is depicted vividly. I don't know who drew it…”
Before Liu Nanfeng could finish speaking, Su Jinxiu reached out and rolled up the painting.
“Uh…”
“It looks like an antique. If it gets damaged, how will I compensate them? I’ll put it away for now,” Su Jinxiu said with a calm expression.
Then she got up and took the scroll to the room.
Wait, that’s not right.
Liu Nanfeng suddenly realized that if he could see so many issues, Su Jinxiu couldn’t possibly not see them.
“Hey, you know something, don't you?” Liu Nanfeng stood up angrily.
Su Jinxiu turned her head back, her beautiful eyes flickered, and she glanced at him lightly.
“I was just asking, in case someone with ill intentions tries to use it.”
Liu Nanfeng immediately deflated, scratched his face, and said weakly.
However, hearing Liu Nanfeng say this, she slightly frowned and looked at the black cat on the coffee table, saying, “Let’s keep a cat.”
“Ah…” Liu Nanfeng was a bit confused. Why did it suddenly jump to the topic of keeping a cat?
But Su Jinxiu went straight into the room.
Liu Nanfeng reached out and picked up the black cat onto his lap, gently scratching its belly. The black cat immediately lay limply on Liu Nanfeng’s lap.
“Your name is Moyu, right?” Liu Nanfeng asked.
He remembered that when he helped the old woman find the black cat, she had called out Moyu in the room.
“Meow.”
Indeed, hearing Liu Nanfeng call it Moyu, the black cat immediately responded.
Liu Nanfeng, however, frowned and began to ponder. The old lady had asked him to go downstairs to find Moyu, and had shown him a photo.
The photo showed a woman in a qipao sitting on a chair, with Moyu curled up on her lap.
Thinking about it now, it seemed strangely odd. If that woman was Moyu’s owner, then who was the old woman? After all, the age difference was too great, and Moyu couldn’t possibly have lived that long without changing at all.
Moreover, thinking back now, the woman in the scroll just now looked a bit like the woman in the qipao in the photo, though he had only seen it in a fleeting glance and didn’t have a strong impression.
“What are you thinking about?” Su Jinxiu came out of the room and saw Liu Nanfeng sitting on the sofa, deep in thought and petting the cat.
“Nothing much, but are we really going to adopt it?” Liu Nanfeng looked down at Moyu on his lap.
“Otherwise, should we drive it away? We don’t even know where its home is now, should we let it wander outside by itself?”
Liu Nanfeng fell silent at this. After he got the scroll, he had gone to look for the old woman the next day, but that house had been uninhabited for a long time.
“Let’s have breakfast first,” Su Jinxiu said.
Seeing her so calm, Liu Nanfeng asked with some doubt, “Do you know something?”
“She was an old acquaintance, I suppose. It’s been too long, I almost forgot,” Su Jinxiu said.
Is that so? Liu Nanfeng was a bit confused, recalling the news on TV last night, Su Jinxiu had also said it was an old acquaintance of hers.
“You have quite a lot of old acquaintances,” Liu Nanfeng couldn’t help but retort.
“When people live for a long time, they naturally know more people,” Su Jinxiu said suddenly, sounding a little dispirited.
Seeing her like this, Liu Nanfeng didn’t want to dwell on the issue anymore.
So he proactively said, “Let’s eat breakfast.”
The breakfast was very rich. Su Jinxiu also fried a few pieces of yellow croaker, which was also one of Liu Nanfeng’s favorites.
Su Jinxiu picked up a piece and gave it to Moyu, who was crouching beside her.
Cats can eat fried fish, but it’s best to eat it in moderation. Oil and salt are not good for cats.
“Come back a bit earlier this afternoon, and we’ll go buy cat food and a cat bed together,” Su Jinxiu said.
“Okay.”
“Let’s give it a name. What should it be called?”
“Its original name seems to be Moyu.”
“Moyu?”
“Meow meow…” Moyu immediately raised its head upon hearing its name.
“Then let’s keep calling it Moyu.”
“I heard Hong Jin say she doesn’t like cats. Will she be scared to tears when she comes next time?” Liu Nanfeng suddenly asked.
Su Jinxiu was startled for a moment, then chuckled, covering her mouth lightly.
“By the way, this Saturday, Zhan Zhongxiao and I agreed to go back to the countryside to see my parents. Do you want to come with us?”
“Go back to the countryside?”
“Yes, if you’re busy, then forget it.”
“What’s there to be busy about? I can just leave the shop matters to others. It’s good that you told me in advance. We can prepare the gifts for my parents this afternoon.”
They chatted and ate, but most of the breakfast went into Liu Nanfeng’s stomach. Even so, he only felt about eighty percent full, and his whole body felt warm and comfortable.
“I’ll make more tomorrow,” Su Jinxiu said, seeing Liu Nanfeng’s lingering desire.
“Make more high-calorie food.”
“Aren’t you afraid of getting fat?”
“I don’t think I can get fat right now.”
Liu Nanfeng lifted his shirt. His abs, which were previously only vaguely visible, were now clearly defined.
“I’ve gained a new ability. I can strengthen myself by eating,” Liu Nanfeng said.
Su Jinxiu had guessed something, but hearing Liu Nanfeng say it still surprised her greatly.
This was a very remarkable ability. Usually, the simpler the ability, the more powerful it was.
These simple abilities were actually closely related to human instincts.
This meant that the channel to break through human limits had been opened, signifying the possibility of evolving into a higher form of life.
Whether it was humans, demons, or monsters, they were all striving on this path, all for the sake of breaking through to a higher level of existence.
Obtaining energy from food was inherently a human instinct, but it had limits. Humans couldn’t eat endlessly, nor could they absorb food energy endlessly; it would be lost, or accumulate and lead to obesity.
This ability seemed to have been castrated by the creator, closed off.
But now Liu Nanfeng had reopened the channel for evolution. As long as he could provide enough food, his path forward would be smooth.
Therefore, while surprised, Su Jinxiu was also very happy. This meant that Liu Nanfeng had a way to become stronger quickly, and it meant she saw more hope.
After breakfast, Liu Nanfeng still went out to deliver food.
Anyway, he accepted orders with a Buddhist attitude. If an order was canceled, he wasn't worried; he would eat it himself, never wasting it. It was truly killing multiple birds with one stone.
“Ride slower, it’s hot, drink more water.” Su Jinxiu carefully helped Liu Nanfeng put on his helmet, then pecked his lips.
“Got it, I’m leaving now,” Liu Nanfeng said, taking his car keys and heading out the door.
After seeing Liu Nanfeng leave, Su Jinxiu turned back to look at the black cat crouching in the living room, watching her, and gave a smile.
“Moyu, will you come to the shop with me today? But don’t run around, okay?”
“Meow.”
Su Jinxiu turned and went back into her room. She didn’t immediately grab her backpack. Instead, she took out her phone and sent the picture of the beautiful woman from the scroll she had just taken to Su Huamei.
“Do you know this woman?”
Then she sat in front of the dressing table and applied a simple, light makeup. In reality, she was already beautiful without makeup.
Before she could finish her makeup, Su Huamei’s message came.
“Yang Ruoyun, daughter of the prosperous merchant Yang Siqing of Kaifeng Prefecture, also known as Yang Ruyi. Everyone envies her for not only being born rich, but also for her beauty, gentleness, virtue, and extensive knowledge. She can be said to be as she wishes in all things, and the sixteenth beauty in the Hundred Beauties Painting.”
“You little thing…”
After reading the information sent by Su Huamei, Su Jinxiu cursed faintly, then deleted the message.
“Sister, why are you suddenly asking about her?” Su Huamei quickly sent another message.
“It’s nothing. By the way, at the bottom of the box in my room, there are a few ginseng roots. Arrange for someone to send them over.”
“Wow~, Sister, do you need hundred-year-old ginseng to replenish your energy? You should be more restrained, don’t exhaust your husband. Relying solely on external things won’t last long.”
“Pfft~, what nonsense are you talking about? I have my uses. Just send it to me,” Su Jinxiu said speechlessly at this.
After thinking for a moment, she sent another message to Su Huamei.
“By the way, Nanfeng recently learned a skill to enter dreams, so we can meet in dreams.”
“Oh?”
Su Huamei sent back a happy expression.
But this time, Su Jinxiu didn’t reply. Instead, she put her phone in her bag, picked up the bag, and went out of the room.
Moyu was lazily lying on the chair, leisurely flicking its tail.
“Let’s go.”
Su Jinxiu walked over and picked it up. It didn’t struggle, appearing very obedient.
“Moyu, where did your owner go?” Su Jinxiu murmured as she stroked its fur.
…………
Lanhu Plaza, Block C, 1208
Liu Nanfeng glanced at the food delivery information on his phone, then at the elevator in front of him.
Three elevators had already gone up, but he still hadn’t managed to get on.
There were two more elevators that had not come down at all.
It was lunchtime, and the office building was full of people going up and down in elevators. He just couldn’t squeeze in.
Liu Nanfeng thought for a moment and decided to take the stairs. The 12th floor was not too high, and his physical fitness had improved a lot, so climbing a few floors was not a burden for him.
In fact, many people on the lower floors could walk the stairs, but many people preferred to wait for a long time, and not a single person was willing to take the stairs.
So the entire building’s stairwell was quiet, except for cigarette butts dropped at some turns. They were probably left by people smoking during their breaks in the office building. He could still smell a faint scent of smoke.
Liu Nanfeng climbed up to the eighth floor in one breath. Just as he was about to continue climbing, he heard a woman’s soft sobbing. In the silent stairwell, it sounded particularly jarring.
Liu Nanfeng slowed his pace and heard the other person seemed to be on the phone.
“Dad, I really don’t want to do this anymore. I work twenty-seven days a month, and this month I’ve only had three days off, and I’ve never gotten off before ten o’clock.”
“I really can’t take it anymore.”
“I do the most work, but I get paid the least. They criticize me in front of everyone during meetings.”
“It’s clearly not my fault, I didn’t delay the progress, so why are they criticizing only me?”
“It’s clearly not my job, but they have to hand it over to me…”
Liu Nanfeng went upstairs and saw a girl wearing glasses, crying while talking on the phone.
She kept pushing up her glasses and wiping her eyes, but the tears flowed uncontrollably, and she couldn’t wipe them all away.
“Dad, I know it’s hard to find a job, can’t you, can’t you…”
The girl looked up and met Liu Nanfeng’s eyes. For a moment, she even forgot to cry, her cheeks visibly reddening, the blush spreading all the way to her ears.
She turned around awkwardly, facing the wall, not daring to look at Liu Nanfeng.
Liu Nanfeng also pretended not to see her and ran upstairs past her. As he passed by her, he quickly reached out and pinched the back of her head.
The girl seemed to sense something and turned her head, only to find that Liu Nanfeng had already gone upstairs.
Liu Nanfeng naturally didn’t pinch her for no reason. It was because there was a mosquito-like monster on the back of her head, the size of a palm, with six strong legs covered in barbs, and two pairs of wings on its back as sharp as blades.
This was a very strange Human Demon. It was not large, and its information was also quite peculiar.
Name: 41
Race: Human Demon
Cultivation: One year and sixty-seven days
Identity: Embodiment of Greed, deceives thoughts, enslaves by it
Previous Cause: Currently untriggerable
This was the first time Liu Nanfeng had encountered a Human Demon that was untriggerable, but he couldn’t think about it anymore. He directly collected it into the scroll.
He reached the remaining floors in a few breaths and encountered no further incidents along the way.
“Delivery,” Liu Nanfeng knocked on the glass door of 1208.
The receptionist, who was eating, looked up.
Then she pressed the intercom, and Liu Nanfeng pushed the door open and walked in.
“You can just put it here.”
The receptionist pointed to an empty table next to her, where some food deliveries were already placed. Liu Nanfeng placed his delivery on it as well.
Then he instinctively glanced inside, and was stunned.
The company was not large, with only about forty to fifty people, but almost every person had a Human Demon, like the one he had just captured, hovering above their heads.
They all looked identical, the only difference being their names.
22, 32, 17, 45…
They looked like serial numbers.
“Is there anything else?” At this moment, the receptionist asked.
She was trying to usher him out.
“Nothing.”
Liu Nanfeng turned and walked towards the door. With so many people, he couldn’t possibly barge in and capture them one by one. He estimated that before he could collect all these Human Demons, he would be kicked out.
However, as he stepped out the door, he suddenly remembered something. He looked back at the receptionist. Why didn’t she have one on her?
The girl at the reception was paying attention to him. Seeing him turn his head back, she immediately widened her eyes and glared fiercely at him.
A delivery person actually had improper thoughts about her. How arrogant!
Thinking of this, she quickly took out her mirror to touch up her makeup.
Liu Nanfeng was a bit puzzled by her glare. He glanced at her. Was it that necessary? She really thought she was a celestial maiden, not even a third as beautiful as his wife.
Seeing the elevator coming down, Liu Nanfeng decided not to take the stairs.
But at this moment, the girl with glasses from earlier came out of the stairwell.
Upon seeing Liu Nanfeng, she froze for a moment, then rushed into 1208 with a blushing face.
Are they from the same company? But what kind of Human Demons were those, and why did those names look like serial numbers? And what was the way to “seal” them?
While thinking, the elevator arrived, and he was swept into it by the crowd.
However, by the time he was ready to finish work and go home in the afternoon, he hadn’t come up with a good solution. He couldn’t just barge into someone else’s company.
The only feasible method he could think of was to wait downstairs for them to get off work.
But after hearing the girl with glasses earlier, their usual quitting time was no earlier than ten o’clock. He decided to forget about it for now and study the sealed Human Demon 41 in the scroll after returning home.
Riding his electric bike along the riverbank, he passed by the place where he had met Feng Hongjin and subconsciously glanced down at the embankment.
Then he saw Feng Hongjin being held in mid-air by a young, long-haired girl with one hand.
She was struggling hard in mid-air, trying to break free.
“Hongjin!” Liu Nanfeng exclaimed in shock, and quickly shouted.
Feng Hongjin also saw Liu Nanfeng, her face lit up with joy, and she shouted loudly, “Help! Help…”
She thrashed even more violently.
Liu Nanfeng threw his electric bike to the side of the road and rushed down towards the embankment.