Chapter Nine: Teasing the Divine Lord

“Wait, no—hold on...” Nan Xian tilted his head at a forty-five-degree angle, gazing up at the starry sky. “Why do I feel this name sounds familiar?”

“Do you know her?”

“Ayi, Ayi...” He stroked his chin thoughtfully. “Isn’t she the divinely chosen heroine appointed by the Arbiter of Fate?”

“Oh, that’s your sister, then. When the Arbiter created this human, he stayed up all night flipping through eight hundred storybooks…”

“The actual count is seven hundred ninety-nine, and the last one was the one you, Divine Lord, read.” Before Nan Xian could finish, Liu Jiu interjected promptly.

“No, little wraith, don’t listen to its nonsense. I have nothing to do with Xu Yi. I…” Nan Xian was about to clarify but turned his head to see Xu Si picking up his phone again.

“Hello, is this Si Jincheng?”

“No, little wraith, you wouldn’t still have feelings for him because of your condition, would you?” Nan Xian hurriedly stepped forward.

Xu Si turned away and said, “Give me an address. I’m coming right now.”

“Heh, that young master wants to see what tricks you can play.” Si Jincheng’s face darkened. For some reason, he felt that Xu Si’s tone today was off.

In the past, Xu Si was his most loyal admirer. She would even take out loans to send him money when he said he was broke. Now, she had the nerve to hang up on him?

His phoenix eyes glinted with malice as a cruel smile curled at his lips. “Xu Si, do you really think a student blacklisted for credit would be allowed to graduate?”

After saying that, as if reclaiming his pride from being hung up on, Si Jincheng quickly ended the call. The cold aura surrounding him silenced the other privileged heirs in the room.

Xu Yi felt awkward. She gave everyone a smile more painful than tears and tugged at Si Jincheng’s sleeve.

“Brother Jincheng, maybe we should just forget it? It’s right that my sister hates me and despises me. Besides, I’m doing fine now. And, well, moreover—moreover…”

“Moreover what?” Si Jincheng suppressed the strange feelings inside him and gently stroked the red marks on Xu Yi’s face with concern. “What else did she do?”

“She… she…” Xu Yi’s eyes reddened as she threw herself into Si Jincheng’s arms. The softness of her body dispelled the unease in his heart.

Feeling his hand rubbing her back, Xu Yi’s lips curled slightly. “She actually tried to lock me up in a mental hospital. Boohoo.”

“How dare she!” Si Jincheng’s anger twisted into a sinister laugh, like a devil whispering. “Looks like the lesson I gave her before wasn’t enough.”

...

“Little wraith, has he taught you enough lessons? Are you really going to apologize to Xu Yi?” Nan Xian watched as Xu Si put her clothes back on.

At last, he understood what it means to shoot oneself in the foot.

“Move aside.” Xu Si brushed past Nan Xian, who was flailing. “I’m just here to collect the debt. What are you thinking?”

“Collect debt? Not because of lingering feelings?”

“Tsk—why would I have feelings for him? If I had any feelings…” Xu Si’s eyes roamed over Nan Xian as if teasing.

“For you, that is. Look at him—at best, a rich second-generation heir. You’re divine lineage. He lives a life of debauchery, his whole body covered in fat, but you…”

Xu Si hissed playfully, “Divine Lord, want to see the abs?”

“You—you…” Nan Xian stammered for a long moment, until the door opened and he lowered his head, cheeks flushed. “How dare you!”

“Come on, Divine Lord, don’t be so reckless. If we get the money back today, we’ll go have barbecue together tonight.”

Xu Si grabbed Nan Xian’s collar and tugged him outside.

With a creak, the old iron gate slammed shut behind them.

“Is barbecue tasty?” Nan Xian, familiar with the routine, pinched his collar between two fingers.

“Better than instant noodles.”

“Better than instant noodles?” Nan Xian savored the thought, licking his lips unconsciously.

Then his eyes brightened as he suddenly connected the dots and spoke to Liu Jiu inside his mind.

“Divine Artificer, check—what does it mean when a human invites you to barbecue?”

Liu Jiu replied, “I’ve found six thousand seven hundred reasons, the most probable being: the human wants to deepen the relationship.”

“Deepen the relationship!” Nan Xian’s ears turned red again. “She still loves me after all.”

Xu Si, sitting close by in the car, saw Nan Xian still dazed and quickly poked her head out.

“Hey, let’s go!”

“Coming.”

Nan Xian fidgeted, floated up to the car roof, blushing, and whispered shyly, “Actually, it’s not so bad to look at abs.”

“Beep!”

The car horn drowned out the voice. Xu Si rubbed her ear. Did someone just say something?

Nan Xian thought, “What are you staring at? No more looking!”

No more sounds came from inside the car, and Xu Si immediately pulled out her phone.

She searched: “Most effective debt collection methods? What to do if the debtor won’t pay?”

Answer: “Professional debt collection agencies, no payment no service.”

“Professional?” Xu Si clicked in.

“Whoosh!” Her eyes lit up again and again. This isn’t debt collection—it’s a love attack on my heart. “Tsk tsk, crew cut, abs, cute butt, so perky!”

“No way! This isn’t debt collection; this is the South Wind Pavilion collecting money. Little wraith, this won’t do, won’t do.” Nan Xian gritted his teeth, sticking his head out from the roof.

Xu Si’s eyes were calm, her heart steady. “Hmm, I think it looks fine.”

She zoomed in on the photo. “Strong and powerful, doesn’t look fake. When necessary, use force to suppress!”

“Hey, wipe your drool.” Nan Xian’s neck flushed red with anger. “Is collecting debt not hard enough? They can’t see me; I’ll just pretend to be some spirit and point, and they’ll obediently hand over the money.”

“Really?”

“Of course. Guaranteed. Have you read ‘Awakening Occult Talents, Big Shots Beg for My Favor’? Let me tell you, little wraith, these rich people are extremely superstitious.”

“By then, don’t just get your money back, make them kneel and beg for forgiveness!” Nan Xian was full of confidence.

Xu Si was speechless.

Only after getting out of the car did she look at Nan Xian with complicated eyes.

“Divine Lord, you should read fewer storybooks. It affects brain development.”

“Do storybooks have that much power?” Nan Xian was puzzled but nodded obediently. “Alright, I’ll listen to you.”

The divine being’s face showed no emotion, but inside it was a storm.

“Liu Jiu, Liu Jiu, listen! The little wraith is concerned about me. What does human concern mean? It means love, you know?”

Liu Jiu paused for a moment. “Divine Lord, humans say the more you have nothing, the more you try to prove something!”

“Nonsense!” Nan Xian’s face flushed. He muttered, “Little wraith doesn’t like storybooks. Before making the contract, burn all the treasured storybooks.”

Liu Jiu: “...”

Following Si Jincheng’s instructions, Xu Si reached the opulent gates of the Palais Royale. Before she could even tell if the gold decorations were real, a butler who had been waiting for some time ushered her inside.

The Palais Royale, the city’s most notorious den of iniquity, was known for its extreme privacy—and its mysterious, unfathomable owner.

“Miss, we’ve arrived.”

“Mm.”

Xu Si nodded and knocked on the door.

Inside, the crowd just getting lively all turned to grin wickedly.

“She’s here.”

Si Jincheng’s voice was laced with amusement.

No sounds came from inside, so Xu Si pushed the door open without hesitation.

“Bang!” A bottle smashed against the door, shattering glass shards that grazed Xu Si’s cheek, blood welling up.

“Kneel!”