Chapter 183: The Old Almanac

"Hello!"

Lin Hao's sudden appearance made Yu Xueqing feel afraid and tense.

Their attire was utterly bizarre—it was August, and temperatures in Xia Dong could reach as high as forty degrees.

But Lin Hao and his five subordinates were all dressed in suits: Lin Hao wore a wine-red shirt, dress pants, and leather shoes; the others wore uniform black shirts and dress pants.

They emitted an aura that made Aqing instinctively feel deeply uncomfortable—a ruthless intensity.

"What do you want?"

Aqing lightly rested her hand on the fox's belly, swept her gaze over the men surrounding her, and spoke directly with caution and warning: "This is Zhangxizhen—our village!"

Aqing was a little afraid, but not overly so.

Because this was Zhangxizhen; even if they were powerful outsiders, in a village bound by kinship and shared surname, if Aqing cried loudly enough, these thugs before her with menacing expressions would face a righteous mob.

"."

Lin Hao looked at Aqing but said nothing—until the hedgehog grandmother on the cutting board greeted the cruel, ferocious Fuli across from her, then turned to Aqing and spoke:

"Hello! I'm Lin Hao. My father is from Hao Village in Xia Dong; my mother is from Xue Township in Xia Dong. The creature I'm holding is our family's protective immortal: the White Immortal."

Lin Hao's expression was subtle: "Our White Immortal and your Fuli Master are old acquaintances."

Aqing, holding the fox on her shoulder, gazed at the hairless hedgehog seated on the cutting board, silent, then glanced sideways at Xiao'an on her shoulder: "Do you know each other?"

"Ying ying."

An Sheng nodded slightly, glaring at the golden-rimmed hedgehog, signaling it to keep its mouth shut and not say anything inappropriate near Aqing.

He could be wild outside, but he never brought outside matters home.

"Zhi zhi zhi."

The hedgehog grandmother lifted her head, pointed to the tea table beside her, and spoke to Lin Hao.

Though Lin Hao couldn't understand hedgehog speech, there was still some mutual understanding between them.

Lin Hao placed the cutting board and small nest on the empty tea table; An Sheng leapt onto the table, crouching in place, and stared at the hedgehog.

"Our White Immortal met your Fuli while washing his feet not long ago," Lin Hao said to Yu Xueqing with a smile, drawing her attention:

"It was just an accidental encounter, but who knew we'd meet again here? Our White Immortal seems to really like your Fuli Master."

"Can a hedgehog and a fox be friends?" Aqing looked confused, sensing something off—wasn't foxes' diet supposed to include...

"We're all sentient mammals—why can't we be friends?"

Lin Hao sat down, and as he did, the ruthless aura and physical dominance he carried faded. With their pets as a bond, they unconsciously began chatting.

Except.

Aqing raised pets.

Lin Hao raised mounts.

…………

As the hedgehog and Fuli settled, Lin Hao's subordinates hurried to the tea table, unfurled an umbrella, and shielded the hedgehog grandmother from sunlight and prying eyes.

"Ding—"

As the hedgehog grandmother extended her hand, the subordinate quickly handed her a hand-rolled cigarette, pulled out a gold-and-silver-inlaid lighter, and lit it for her. He then took out a disposable ash bag to catch the ash.

"Speak up! What do you want? Didn't Bai Bai explain it clearly enough?"

An Sheng sat crouched on the table; with the hedgehog grandmother's subordinates holding the umbrella, he unhesitatingly revealed his three tails and asked the hedgehog directly:

You blocking my door had better be for a reason!

Otherwise, don't blame An for being ruthless—I'll send you to a research institute's dormitory, where you'll read biology textbooks every day.

"Why are you glaring so hard? I wouldn't dare ask where you live—last time, in that dark parking lot under the moonless sky, I saw how formidable you were."

The hedgehog grandmother flicked ash, firmly denied ever seeking out Fuli, and continued:

"I'm here only as a sponsor, invited by the tea duel organizers. Every year I spend hundreds of thousands just to borrow their reputation for local advertising—it's a very profitable deal, isn't it?"

The hedgehog grandmother spoke with logic and evidence.

Their Xin Hao Entertainment Group had indeed invested in famous tea duels in the past.

But the hedgehog grandmother never attended those meaningless lectures before.

She came here specifically because she knew An Sheng was here, riding on Lin Hao's back.

"We happened to meet here—let me tell you, the safe-cracking hammer you wanted has been forged by a master on Baodao. When will you go pick it up?" The hedgehog grandmother stuck her cigarette butt into her ash pouch and sat upright:

"I don't know what you plan to do with it, but as someone who's been there, I feel compelled to warn you."

"In human cities, petty theft is fine."

"Humans don't care, and they don't want to make a fuss over trivial matters—but they don't want spirit beasts' affairs turning into town-wide scandals. Your current troop-stocking behavior is like dancing on their bottom line."

"Better to stop now—I can introduce you to paths that guarantee wealth and comfort in Xia Dong and overseas."

The hedgehog grandmother had risen from her nest, her eyes sharp with caution as she stared at Fuli; her previously relaxed muscles had now tensed.

She waited for Fuli's reply, equally wary of the cruel and cunning Fuli Master.

The existence and actions of Fuli Master made the hedgehog grandmother feel uneasy.

Added to Bai Bai's repetitive behavior, she had no choice but to risk coming herself.

"I'm stockpiling troops?"

An Sheng froze, clearly sensing the golden-rimmed hedgehog's deep fear of humans—he asked her: "Have you seen something? Your expression changed."

"I was born in Xi Xi. I've witnessed nuclear explosions and missile strikes wiping out entire areas," the hedgehog grandmother waved dismissively. "It's all ancient history now, but that's how spirit beast villages end."

"As human technology advances, once-taboo nuclear contamination is now increasingly 'eco-friendly.' You may not know what a nuclear explosion is, but imagine the sun falling to earth—a flash of light, and everything within its reach turns to nothing."

"Do you remember the year?"

"1983?"

An Sheng: "."

Friend, I think what you're describing might be something called a hydrogen bomb.

". I suddenly feel that if you're rich, you really do need to buy a house in the city."

After a moment of thought, An Sheng couldn't help but complain about the golden-rimmed hedgehog's description:

"Fucking live in the mountains and risk getting nuked?"

"I'll buy a house already! Is that really necessary?!"

(End of chapter)