Chapter 78: Can’t Grow Tall? She’ll Wear Stilts
"Keep it down. Don’t wake Master up," Xiao Lu whispered to his two companions.
Little Huang and Little Black shot him a look. "Like we need you to tell us?"
The last thing they wanted was to be kicked out right after becoming her apprentices.
’Then again, it’s not like Master ever actually said she’d accept us...’
The three of them tiptoed, terrified of making any noise that might wake Gu Zhao.
The journey of a few short steps to Song Jina’s side took them an eternity as they dawdled and shuffled along.
Once they reached their target, Little Huang gestured for his two companions to lift the person and get going.
The trio carefully lifted Song Jina, completely oblivious to Gu Xulin, who was supposed to be asleep, watching them with wide-open eyes.
The surrounding animals shot them disgusted looks.
’Making such a racket. Don’t animals have rights, too?’
The two Hast Eagles stared unblinking as the trio carried the person away.
Once Gu Xulin saw they were a good distance away, he immediately woke up Gu Zhao and the others.
Everyone who hadn’t drunk the soup woke up. But those who had, like Ye Zuiyi, couldn’t be roused no matter what.
Yu Zimo, however, had escaped this fate. He hadn’t drunk the soup; in fact, he hadn’t eaten anything at all.
Rudely awakened, Yu Zimo clutched his incessantly growling stomach, looking utterly pitiful.
He regretted it now. ’If I had known, I would’ve drunk it too... Being drugged unconscious is better than starving.’
But no one paid him any mind.
Gu Xulin held the half-awake Gu Zhao, completely exasperated. "Wake up. You can sleep when you’re dead."
Gu Zhao opened her eyes and glared at Gu Xulin resentfully. "Bro, if I die, I won’t be sleeping. I’ll be haunting you every day."
Gu Xulin was completely unfazed. "Sure. When you die, I’ll open a haunted house. You can be the main attraction, and I’ll charge people to hang out with you."
Little Zhong Mingrui, standing nearby, was floored. He turned to his older brother, Zhong Siqi. "Brother! Brother Gu is a genius! When I run out of money, can you die and become a ghost for me?"
"I could open an exhibit! See a real ghost for just ten bucks!"
The more he thought about it, the more brilliant the idea seemed! He became visibly excited. "Tons of people would come to see it!"
Zhong Siqi’s face grew darker and darker until he finally snapped. "Zhong Mingrui, what do you take your brother for, something disposable? Do I really have to die?!"
Song Zhe stifled a laugh. ’Thank god my brother doesn’t spend all day plotting my death.’ "Ahem, Brother Qi, kids say the darndest things. Just let it go."
The words were barely out of his mouth when he heard Song Yi’s deadpan voice. "Well, two male ghosts would probably be even more popular. My brother could die too. He could keep your brother company."
"Plus, my older cousin loves watching two guys get all cuddly. Every time they hug, she screams her head off. We could collaborate! For an extra buck, they’ll hug!"
Now Song Zhe’s face darkened.
Zhong Siqi deadpanned into Song Zhe’s ear, "Kids say the darndest things. Just let it go."
Song Zhe: "..."
Zhong Mingrui, however, looked like he’d found his soulmate. He grabbed Song Yi’s arm excitedly. "My man! Let’s get rich together! Then we can afford to keep a few more boy toys for Big King!"
Now Gu Xulin’s face darkened.
Gu Zhao was delighted. ’My little bros are so talented!’
The viewers couldn’t see what was happening, but they could hear everything.
This meant that the fans who were pulling an all-nighter in the live stream chat were in for a treat.
[OMG LMAOOOOO WHAT IS THIS UNHINGED CONVERSATION!!]
[Little Zhong Mingrui, are you for real? Putting your dead brother on display? Ten bucks a pop? Your brother’s gonna want to beat you up when he hears this!]
[Song Yi is even more ruthless! Not only is he killing off his brother, he’s shipping him with Brother Qi for profit? An extra buck for a hug, what kind of diabolical business sense is that LMAO!]
[Zhong Siqi: ’Kids say the darndest things,’ huh? Song Zhe, why don’t you say that one more time? I want to hear just how ’darndest’ we’re talking!]
[I’m dead. Now all I can think about is ten bucks to see a ghost, plus one for a hug... and why does that pricing seem so damn reasonable?!]
Because Gu Zhao’s three worthless apprentices had just abducted someone, Zhong Siqi and Song Zhe were both desperately suppressing the urge to beat their own little brothers.
After all, saving the victim was the priority. Fratricide could wait for a dark and stormy night.
The group headed in the direction Little Black and his crew had gone, the two Hast Eagles following Gu Zhao like a pair of bodyguards.
Hearing that the guests were on the move, the camera drones grew anxious.
They began to fly about erratically, wobbling and weaving, before crashing into each other.
One drone even fell onto a wild boar’s head.
The boar didn’t stir, continuing to sleep as its snores thundered through the night.
[That’s what you get for flying around like that. Enjoy the snoring.]
[I’m outta here. Switching to another stream for now. Silence is better than these snores.]
Gu Zhao and the others were oblivious to the chaotic drone pile-up.
They had already spotted Gu Zhao’s three worthless apprentices.
And incredibly, the three worthless apprentices were arguing!
Little Black said with a grim expression, "Let’s just kill him and be done with it."
"The client said they want him alive," Little Huang retorted, dissatisfied.
"But the problem now is how to deliver him alive. I’m not doing it. You guys can go if you want. I need to stay and learn from Master," Xiao Lu said, his face etched with annoyance.
Little Huang sneered. "They’re missing one of their guests. You think they won’t figure out it was us?"
"We blocked the camera when we made our move. Who’s to say it was us? Isn’t it perfectly normal for a naughty kid to wander off in the middle of the night? Or to run into a wild animal and get eaten? Or, failing that, to fall into a flash flood?"
Xiao Lu had no desire to leave. Master was so powerful. If they could just learn a fraction of her ability to control animals, they’d never have to take orders from anyone ever again.
They continued to argue.
Gu Xulin shot Gu Zhao a complicated look. "Your apprentices sure are devoted to you."
Gu Zhao: "..."
’Is he trying to get me thrown in jail with them?’
"Who’s their master? Not me. I never accepted them. I just said they could tag along."
Gu Zhao quickly had Little Eagle order the animals to surround the worthless apprentices.
Better to do it now before they actually offed Song Jina.
The three, still bickering, had no idea they were already surrounded by a pack of animals.
Pairs of glowing eyes stared them down from the darkness.
Suddenly, Little Black seemed to sense something. "Stop arguing... Don’t you guys think it’s a little too quiet...?"
Xiao Lu and Little Huang immediately raised their guns, scanning their surroundings warily.
"Huh? They noticed," Gu Zhao said, a little surprised.
The moment they heard Gu Zhao’s voice, the trio spun around.
They froze the instant they saw Gu Zhao. "Master?"
"No! Stop calling me that! You can go to jail, but don’t you dare drag me down with you."
"Master, just pretend you didn’t see anything. Go back to sleep," Xiao Lu, the most respectful of the three, urged. He didn’t want to raise a hand against his new master.
"Kids who don’t get enough sleep won’t grow tall," Little Huang added earnestly.
Big Eagle translated for Gu Zhao. When she heard it, she flew into a rage. "You’re the ones who won’t grow tall!"
’I’ll never admit I’m not growing because I stay up late. Reading novels at night is ’nighttime study,’ not ’staying up late.’’
’Such an ugly phrase.’
’Even if I really don’t grow any taller... I’ll just wear stilts whenever I go out!’
’It’s definitely not because I’m short. My feet just have mysophobia; they don’t like touching the ground.’
"Who sent you?" Gu Xulin’s gaze was piercing as he stared at the trio.
The three exchanged a look. "We have our professional ethics. Even if you’re the Master’s brother, we can’t tell you."
"Not talking?" The corner of Gu Xulin’s mouth lifted, but his eyes blazed with fury.
Zhong Mingrui couldn’t understand their chirping, but he could tell that Big King and Brother Gu were not happy.
Zhong Mingrui and Song Yi exchanged a look. "Big King, after you capture them, let us do the interrogating!"