A Card In Hand

Chapter 76: Are You Blind?

Fuxi arrived at Xinguang Village and, upon settling down and joining the community, immediately fell in love with the place.

The people here were sincere, enthusiastic, and content.

They were satisfied with even the slightest positive change in their lives, enjoying meals together that were not particularly lavish yet filled with incessant laughter that echoed throughout the village.

Not to mention, even Li Ao’s two guard dogs, who got a few bones to chew on, were so happy that they wagged their tails and happily followed their master around.

This reminded Fuxi of his own pet dog back home, a lazy creature that had access to top-quality meat but hardly showed any interest.

The dog was so overweight that its fat jiggled all over.

The comparison pained Fuxi’s heart!

One could excuse themselves for not being as successful as others, but being worse off than a dog was quite another issue.

“I’ve decided, I’m going to stay here!”

Fuxi resolved not to return home where there was little appeal; the village was much better. Here, people warmly called him “Young Master Fuxi” and welcomed him with smiles everywhere he went.

This was not mere politeness but genuine respect.

At meals, they insisted he take the seat of honor and made sure to prepare the best dishes for him, apologetically concerned that he might not find the food to his taste.

Such treatment was something he could never expect in his own family, not even in another lifetime!

Fuxi was most delighted that the local children were not afraid of him.

A three-year-old toddler dared to climb onto his shoulders, pulling his hair and pretending he was a horse to ride.

This was unheard of in Silverlight City, where the children behaved like little adults, extremely polite and proper, showing none of the typical childlike behavior…

“You are so awesome, Uncle Fuxi!” the toddler admired greatly, especially fond of Fuxi’s giant metal rhino war beast.

“Haha, I am pretty awesome! But you should call me ‘brother,’ not ‘uncle’!” Fuxi patiently corrected the little one.

“Why?” the toddler asked, biting on his finger, puzzled.

“‘Brother’ is for unmarried men!” Fuxi explained with confidence.

“Really?” the toddler took his word for it.

“Of course!” Fuxi nodded.

“Then why do we call Li Ao ‘Uncle’?” the toddler still wondered.

“He looks like your uncle, right? Yes, that’s why!” Fuxi offered what he thought was a very reasonable explanation.

Elsewhere,

Li Ao was busy giving haircuts to the youngsters.

For the boys, he cut their hair short, making it uniform but with a touch of style to bring out their vibrant energy.

For the girls, he was even more meticulous, designing hairstyles based on their face shapes—some had tiny braids sticking up on top, some had twin ponytails at the back of their heads, and others had pigtails on either side of their heads. Each child had a unique style tailored for them.

For example, the toddler had a bouncing ponytail that was incredibly cute.

“It’s my turn now, Brother Li Ao! I’ve been waiting!”

Ling Yin had been eagerly waiting her turn.

“Pop! Pop!”

A huge, incredibly cute, and chubby giant sparrow hopped around her excitedly.

Fuxi gave himself a fierce punch over the heart.

It hurt once again!

Both were similarly chubby.

Why were the chubby animals at Li Ao’s place so adorable?

When he thought of the immobile yet terrifying meat mountain of fat at his own home, Fuxi suddenly felt like finding a secluded place to cry his eyes out.

Oh heavens, how unfair! Why did all the good things happen to Li Ao?

Wasn’t it said that being fat ruins everything?

Here he was, a man of talent, yet just a bit of chubbiness, a slight layer of flesh on his face that did not at all detract from his handsome looks, had ruined him by half. Only his exceptional talents kept him from falling completely!

How come the chubbiness at Li Ao’s place didn’t affect their appearance?

Aunt Niu Shui, chubby and incredibly affable, had a laugh that was particularly hearty.

The little chubby baby looked adorable no matter how one looked.

Even the war beasts.

The chubby Popo Sparrow, with merely a few dozen combat power points, was a weak mess but also incredibly cute!

This simply defied the normal rules of how things should be…

“Let’s cut a neat fringe in the front, leave two strands of straight hair at the sides—this will look both cute and dynamic, full of vitality. The hair behind the ears should be gently gathered and tidied up a bit, just beautiful! And finally, the ponytail, let’s lift it slightly higher, trim it a bit, there! Perfect!”

Li Ao quickly finished trimming Ling Yin’s hair.

Ling Yin stood up, excitedly twirling around.

Fuxi felt like she was literally glowing.

He couldn’t help himself.

He rubbed his eyes.

This wasn’t a human; this was clearly a shining white elf!

“So beautiful, so cute, I wish I had a sister like that too!”

Fuxi despondently shed tears. Why was Li Ao’s sister so adorable? His own sister was twice his weight!

The most despairing part was that his sister believed she was the most beautiful in Silverlight City! Oh heavens, I can accept not matching up to Li Ao, but you could at least compensate me with a sister like his!

“Thank you, Brother Li Ao! Buzz!”

Ling Yin gave Li Ao a crisp kiss.

“Eh?”

Fuxi watched, eyes wide.

There was such a move?

Why doesn’t my sister ever… wait, if my sister grabbed me and forcibly kissed me, would my face swell up for half a day?

Fuxi scared himself with this thought, breaking out in a cold sweat. Perhaps it was better that such terrifying things never happened!

Luckily, they hadn’t!

That was a close one!

The chubby Popo Sparrow chirped “Popo, Popo” at its completely refreshed owner.

Its chubby body bounced around her rhythmically dancing.

From its mouth.

Came the sounds of “Popo, Popo.”

Seeing this, Ling Yin joined in light-heartedly and joyfully, her delicate body bouncing and swaying along.

Fuxi looked expectantly at his own Iron Rhino, which gazed back innocently. “Can you blame me for not dancing? What if my dancing causes an earthquake?”

Fuxi realized that it was indeed so; he had never taught it, so why blame it?

Yet, seeing the equally enormous Rock Bear twisting its butt and even dancing along with the little children, Fuxi started to doubt his own life choices…

Luckily, Li Ao was his junior brother; otherwise, he would have died a hundred times over from spitting blood!

Fuxi rubbed his heart, full of metaphorical holes.

He took a deep breath.

It’s okay.

Li Ao is my junior brother, after all. Why should I, a big boss, care?

Besides, isn’t his sister my sister too? His Rock Bear is smart, but I often feed it too; I’ve made significant contributions!

Having such a strong junior brother, such an adorable sister, and such a clever war beast to feed, what else is there to complain about?

With this thought, Fuxi felt his life was complete and without regrets!

Releasing all his inhibitions, Fuxi joined in the joyous farm feast.

He picked up a bowl of wine and challenged everyone to a drinking contest.

Until he collapsed, utterly drunk.

At this moment, he felt he was no longer alone, but the center of attention, the heart of laughter, the source of joy… All he had longed for was easily attainable here.

It was only today that Fuxi realized he had been wrong in the direction of his efforts. If he changed his goal, he was outstandingly good and incredibly popular beyond imagination!

“Why does this guy come here? Shouldn’t these young masters be living it up in Silverlight City?”

Ling Yin was curious.

“He probably wants to change his lifestyle!”

Li Ao told her not to worry about it.

“Should we move him back to his room?” Aunt Niu Shui wondered how to handle Fuxi.

“Let him sleep in the courtyard!”

Li Ao waved his hand.

A yard full of drunkards.

How many can you manage?

Besides, isn’t it closer if they sleep huddled together when drunk?

With the Iron Rhino and the Great Horned Ox guarding, there wouldn’t be any trouble.

“Li Ao, you should rest early too; I’ve prepared the bathwater for you.”

Aunt Niu Shui was particularly caring toward Li Ao; today, he was the main toastee, but luckily, his physique had strengthened, and so had his alcohol tolerance; otherwise, he would end up drunk like Fuxi.

“Alright!”

Li Ao hadn’t gotten drunk partly because his physical condition had improved a hundredfold, and partly because he’d poured most of his wine into his Native Card space.

Fuxi, relying on his robust body, drank wildly.

His spirit was enormous.

And he was genuine.

When others toasted, he drank a bowl.

With the entire village’s men and women, young and old surrounding him, it was no wonder he eventually collapsed!

After bathing and before going to sleep, Ling Yin suddenly peeked out from behind the door: “Brother Li Ao? Are you leaving tomorrow?”

Li Ao walked over and gently patted her on the head: “I’ve decided to go to the capital in two days because I’ve already made arrangements with my classmates. Ling Yin, your strength isn’t enough yet, I can’t take you on an adventure…”

Ling Yin’s face fell, and her big watery eyes looked like they were about to cry.

Li Ao thought for a moment: “How about this! You practice hard at home starting tomorrow, and I’ll teach you some secret techniques. If you practice hard and meet the standards, I’ll come back and take you to the capital to watch my graduation performance! Remember, there isn’t much time for practice, just over two months, so you must work hard to meet the standards!”

Upon hearing this, Ling Yin immediately jumped up in excitement.

As long as there was a chance to strive.

She would definitely chase after her brother relentlessly, not letting him leave her too far behind.

“Go back and sleep for now. Rest well, and I’ll teach you more tomorrow!” Li Ao pinched her cute little nose, encouraging her to get some rest early.

“Goodnight, brother!”

Ling Yin threw her arms open and lunged forward, giving Li Ao a full embrace before fleeing back to her room with a satisfied yet slightly shy smile.

Li Ao shook his head with a smile.

He lay on his bed.

Motionless.

His breath gradually deepened, and the energy fluctuations around his body began to conceal themselves bit by bit.

The Stone Bear noticed the unusual changes in its master and hurried to the door, continuing to stand guard diligently.

It did not know what its master was about to do, but it knew it needed to protect the room and the home while its master was away.

Meanwhile.

A thousand kilometers away.

Two Void Fish had been traveling toward this area from the cover of nightfall and were now above Windstorm City.

Upon arriving above Windstorm City.

As instructed by their master.

The two Void Fish began to construct a brand new spatial vortex.

Li Ao’s body slowly slid into the shadows on his bed, flashing through the Shadow Path, and appearing within the spatial vortex a hundred meters high in the sky.

Passing through the spatial vortex.

He instantly traveled thousands of miles.

Li Ao materialized next to the two Void Fish.

As he slowly descended from the sky, the Shadow Halberd, capable of morphing at will, had already transformed into a silver cloak filled with densely packed weapons hidden inside.

Dressed as a mysterious figure in a silver cloak, Li Ao walked into the shadows, appearing and disappearing intermittently. With each step, he advanced over a hundred meters.

Until he reached the ancient castle gates of the Windstorm Black Cross Summoner’s Association.

He then stopped.

Li Ao walked normally.

Stepping onto the stairs leading to the front door of the Windstorm Black Cross Summoner’s Association.

However, standing at the door was a tall guard who, with a disdainful expression, tapped on the prominently hanging Black Cross badge on the wall: “Listen, bumpkin, are you blind? Do you not know what this symbol means? Use your sober, dog eyes to see clearly. This is the Windstorm Black Cross Summoner’s Association, open only to members, unwelcoming to outsiders! Leave immediately, or I won’t hesitate to hang your bumpkin self alive on the stakes at the street corner!”

“The password response is incorrect,” Li Ao said, his voice devoid of any human emotion, mechanical in tone: “You have one more attempt.”