Chapter 867

"Oh? That idea of yours is really devious, tsk tsk tsk..."

"Parker, stop looking at me like that, as if I were some devil." Subaru spread his hands, "If we don't do this, we can only hope someone else eliminates Botio—but the problem is anyone who can eliminate Botio would be even tougher to deal with than Botio, and Lu Ka certainly isn't a match."

——

"Just as Xing walked out of the lounge, Huohuo sent her a string of messages."

"Xing, are you free lately? Weiba Ye is insisting on seeing you."

"Weiba Ye said he wasn't insisting on seeing you."

"Actually, he did."

"Through the screen, Xing could almost see the two of them fighting for control of the phone."

"Huohuo had already arrived at the Jingfeng Warship, and Xing soon found them. Upon meeting, Xing jokingly asked, 'Are you also here to participate in the martial arts demonstration?'"

"Yo ho! Little girl, are you the roundworm in my stomach?" Weiba Ye glanced at the matcha cake beside him, chuckled, "I saw you coaching the contestants in the martial arts demonstration. Besides, I also want you to give our Huohuo some good training, let her get on stage and fight a few bouts—this is better than watching any horror movie for building guts."

"Eh? You actually have that in mind?! No, no, no, no!" Huohuo waved her hands and shook her head, "If I get punched, I'll probably cry for a long time... sob... please let me off!"

"Xing, that kid you were training… uh, called Lu Ka, he just got defeated, right? This is a perfect seamless handover to our Huohuo— isn't there a better timing than this?"

——

"Offering blessings to a beautiful world."

"Is this the wall-digging wisdom cultivated by an old sui yang who's lived who knows how many years?"

"Inside the tavern of the Akuseru Adventurers' Guild, Hezhen rested his cheek on one hand; compared to watching Huohuo on stage, he still preferred seeing Huohuo cry. Moreover, if they really had to fight, Weiba Ye possessing Huohuo might even earn a decent score."

"How could Xing possibly be poached? Besides, the most important thing now is to help Lu Ka regain his confidence." Aqua lay on the table, rubbing her face against the beer-filled mug, "As the goddess, I can actually give them some ideas! Suppose… suppose… ah, I got it! Suppose Lu Ka doesn't compete against Botio, but against someone weaker than him— wouldn't his confidence just 'whoosh' back?"

"Ah, yes, yes, what you say makes perfect sense— no wonder you're a dumb goddess." Hezhen gave Aqua an annoyed glance, "If everyone thought like you, there'd be no need to improve; when you can't win, you'd just find an excuse to face a weaker opponent, right?"

"If you tell Lu Ka, 'Actually you're already strong, stronger than the water goddess of other worlds— our goddess could even lose to a frog, huh? Winning so many opponents means you're stronger than our deities,' what expression do you think he'd have?"

"Dackenesis wore a troubled expression: 'I guess they'd think we're super weak…'"

"To ants on the ground, humans are gods with supreme power. But can you, after a loss, go compare yourself to ants?"

——

"By the way, how is Mr. Lu Ka doing? I saw on the news he could barely stand when he left the field. No worries, Mr. Lu Ka is very popular; he'll definitely return to the arena through 'popularity revival'! Please cheer him on!"

"Whoa… what cheer‑up, you little coward, just changing the subject because you don't want to fight in the martial arts demonstration, eh?"

"Xing pressed his forehead and let out a deep sigh."

"Tail: 'Oh my goodness, your sigh is about to blow me away!'"

"'Why are you sighing? Is something wrong…'"

"Xing explained to Huohuo and Tail the increasingly severe hallucinations Lu Ka was experiencing, as well as his current loss of fighting spirit."

"'Hallucinations? I think that's an excuse! Getting beaten up and then giving up on the match?' Tail immediately laughed, 'Extra! Extra! We finally found a coward weaker than our Huohuo!'"

"'You can't really say that, Weiba Ye… realizing the insurmountable gap between himself and his opponent, he's definitely going to take a heavy blow.'"

"'Is that why you don't want to compete?' Tail waved at Xing, 'Since this kid gave up the match, Xing, you should just train Huohuo properly and stop worrying about these trivial matters.'"

"Huohuo desperately tried to change the subject: 'Actually… hallucinations… aren't completely hopeless. As long as there's a sui yang skilled at helping people with psychological issues and also kind-hearted, they could help…'"

"Huohuo winked at Xing, hinting at a moral blackmail together."

"Xing pretended not to notice, then cleared his throat: 'Huohuo, what's wrong with you? Are your eyes dry?'"

"'Eh… I don't have…'"

"The two stared at Tail in unison; Tail likewise stared blankly at them, and after a moment realized: 'I know what's wrong— there's a claw in her eye.'"

"'…Don't look at me like that! Do I look like a psychiatrist?'"

"Xing and Huohuo didn't speak either, just kept staring."

"Staring and staring, Tail finally couldn't take it and blurted: 'Really can't deal with you guys… Don't you think I'm especially useful? Next time I'll charge a fee.'"

——

"Miss Kaguya wants me to confess."

"Weiba Ye's ears are really soft~"

"Chika Fujiwara looked up at Tail's somewhat reluctant yet helpless expression when facing Huohuo, 'I really want to keep a Tail~ Who wouldn't like someone who usually acts a little domineering, constantly bickers, but deep down is actually devoted to their sui yang?'"

"But in fact, Tail only responds to Huohuo's ways." Ishikuni Yu said lightly on the side, "You see if others come, it might work? Maybe they've already been taken over by Tail. However, sui yang feeds on people's desires, and Fujiwara-senpai doesn't seem to have any strong desires."

"Nonsense! If we must talk about desire… becoming the prime minister of Blossom Country counts? If being possessed by a sui yang could help me run for prime minister, I think that's pretty good— but the premise is that afterwards they have to give my body back!"

"Ishikuni Yu pursed his lips: '…That's tough, but there are also sui yang that enjoy teaching others how to govern a nation; if Fujiwara-senpai were possessed by such a sui yang, maybe they could actually solve our country's low birthrate problem in one fell swoop.'"

"Exactly!" Chika Fujiwara chuckled, "Once I'm in office, I'll enact a law— everyone must date! fall! in love! Or else pay a fine~"

"……" Ishikuni Yu's left cheek twitched slightly: "Um, putting your love‑brain on the ballot is truly a national disaster…"