Qi Ze was huddled on the couch, sewing little clothes, while Yan Junyu sat by his side, holding the sewing basket for him.
Li Ziqian and Meng Kui returned from outside. Seeing the items in the basket, they couldn't help but pick them up and ask, "What's this? Silk thread? Ah, ah, ah! Holy shit, it's moving! It's alive!" Meng Kui, the rough and tough man, was nearly frightened to death. He hastily threw away the black thread that was tightly wrapped around his fingertip, grimacing as he looked at it. The area it had circled had left a ring of wounds, with blood beads slowly seeping out. That black thread was actually a living creature, lifting one end and swaying around as if sniffing for something.
"Wrap up the wound, don't let it catch the scent of blood. Otherwise, it will immediately burrow into your body and suck your blood dry. This is Lustrous Twist, a type of Gu worm, it's very vicious." Qi Ze spoke calmly.
A'kui dared not delay, immediately rushing into the room to handle the wound. Li Ziqian felt a chill, hurriedly putting back a gray crystal stone he had been holding in his palm. Yet, he couldn't resist his curiosity and asked, "What is this?"
"This is Aoyin's inner core." Qi Ze explained while threading the needle, "Aoyin is a fierce beast that specializes in eating human brains."
Li Ziqian immediately took off his gloves, tossing them in the trash. He continued to ask, "What are these two little stones? Is this red cotton? I haven't heard of space farms cultivating colored cotton."
"This is the Soul Capturing Stone, it can absorb souls and create illusions; this is East Coming Twilight, a type of cloud." Qi Ze bit off the thread, tossing the finished little dress into the basket.
"A cloud? The kind that floats in the sky?" Li Ziqian cautiously avoided the Soul Capturing Stone and Aoyin's inner core, taking out the red cotton-like substance. He kneaded it in his hand for a while, then rubbed it against his cheek, enjoying it immensely. Compared to his chatter, Yan Junyu remained silent the entire time.
"Yes, the kind you're thinking of." Qi Ze snatched the East Coming Twilight, stuffing it into a cloth case he had made beforehand. Then he used the Soul Capturing Stone for the eyes, the Lustrous Twist for the hair, and the Aoyin's inner core for the heart. After half an hour, a doll was produced, only the size of a palm, yet its eyes were extraordinarily vivid. The black hair was tied on top of its head, bound with a rubber band.
"It looks a bit creepy." Li Ziqian gave a fair evaluation.
"What's creepy about it?" Qi Ze lifted the doll by its two little hands, examining it from left to right.
"It just feels creepy." Li Ziqian vaguely realized that what the Master crafted was far from an ordinary toy. Its hair, eyes, and heart were filled with dense black energy, making it appear sinister.
"It's supposed to feel creepy." Qi Ze placed the doll back in the sewing basket, standing up and saying, "I still need to work on it. It's only a half-finished product." Then, he returned to his room.
Yan Junyu immediately followed, supporting himself with one hand on the door frame. He slowly began, "You don't seem to have any secrets with Li Ziqian? You answer whatever he asks."
"Why can't I answer truthfully? I don't fear him knowing." Qi Ze looked at him, wondering why.
"And what about me? If it were me asking, would you answer?" This was the reason Yan Junyu had kept silent the entire time. To consider the teenager's emotions, he could refrain from asking anything, but he couldn't tolerate the other party sharing the secrets in his heart with others. They were the ones who had met first, so why did their relationship end up the most distant?
Qi Ze's expression was somewhat conflicted. He patted his pocket, casually taking out a few colorful stones and tossing them into the sewing basket. He winked, "If you had asked, I would have told you too. Go on, ask."
Yan Junyu stared at the stones in the basket, smiling helplessly. He pointed at the doll and asked, "What's stuffed inside this?"
Qi Ze's face said 'you're an idiot', but his mouth answered, "It's stuffed with East Coming Twilight and Aoyin's inner core. Didn't you just hear me?"
"No, I just wanted you to know that I yearn to understand everything about you, yet I won't pry into your privacy, unless you're willing to tell me on your own." Yan Junyu paused, sighing deeply, "But today I realized that perhaps doing so was a mistake, only putting me in a passive position. I was too cautious, being restrained, making me even more unsure of how to interact with you. How can this situation be changed? Could you tell me?"
He slightly bent over, staring intently at the teenager.
After a moment of struggle, Qi Ze waved his hand and said, "What's the big deal? If you have doubts, just ask me. I'll naturally say what I can say, and remain silent about what I can't. We'll interact as we always have, why complicate things?"
Yan Junyu smiled, speaking in a hoarse voice, "Is that so? I understand. I will choose a more direct way to interact with you."
Qi Ze breathed a sigh of relief, about to close the door, but the other party stuck his long leg in the doorway and asked word by word, "Then, can I give you a goodnight kiss?"
"Huh?" Qi Ze was stunned, his eyes wide in shock. How did their conversation come to this strange conclusion? What had just happened? Aliens had too many tricks, he felt like he had been caught in a trap!
"Can I kiss you?" Yan Junyu repeated word by word, "You said I should be more straightforward, and speak my desires."
"But wasn't our discussion not about this?" Qi Ze slowly retreated, his cheeks flushed.
The normally restrained Yan Junyu, however, now seemed to have taken the wrong medicine. He stepped into the room, locking the door behind him. He pulled the teenager into his arms, lightly pressing a kiss on his cheek and forehead. His lips were thin, yet hot, his slightly heavy breathing revealing his inner tension.
"Goodnight, dear." He spoke in a husky voice.
The man had already left for a few minutes before Qi Ze came back to his senses. He wiped his forehead and rubbed his cheek, slowly whispering, "Goodnight..."
---
Ming Rui sat in a chair, her two short legs swinging leisurely as she waited for her aunt to serve her oatmeal. Her cousin, Zhao Da, held a rubber band in his hand, clumsily tying her hair. Compared to the uncles, aunts, and mother's relatives on Yage Star, Ming Rui clearly preferred the atmosphere at her uncle's home. They genuinely liked her, setting up a special room for her, contacting the best schools for her, and preparing the healthiest meals for her. The best of everything in life was piled in front of her.
But Ming Rui was, after all, a super brain ability user, even if she was moved by her uncle's family, she didn't lose her last shred of reason. Taking the hot porridge, she absentmindedly stirred it, speculating when the Master would finish the detector. Exposing her identity last night did carry some risks, but she feared the Master wouldn't take the job, so she had no choice but to do so. Children always made people lower their guard. If the Master questioned further, she could take the opportunity to tell her own story, gaining his sympathy and increasing the likelihood of getting help.
But she never expected that as soon as she revealed her intentions, the Master agreed, his attitude couldn't have been more straightforward. The Master was a divine-level crafter, capable of getting anything easily, why would he covet her meager assets? Thinking of this, Ming Rui couldn't help but feel relieved, her nose a little stinging. She realized that after her parents' death, her relatives had all turned into wolves and tigers, not as trustworthy as a stranger.
"Oh God, please bless my father and mother, let them live peacefully and happily in the next life." Ming Rui clasped her little hands together, praying devoutly.
"Well, when did our Ruirui learn to pray before meals?" Uncle Zhao Chenggong came down the stairs, tying his tie, a kind smile on his face.
"Good morning, Uncle." Ming Rui greeted him obediently.
"Morning," Zhao Chenggong patted his niece's little head, pinching her chubby cheeks. He called to his busy wife, "You should eat as well, don't fuss. I'll take Ruirui and Xiao Da to school later. Xiao Da, take good care of your sister."
"Dad, you don't have to worry. With me around, no one dares to bully my sister." Zhao Da finished tying Ruirui's bun before sitting down to eat. Just then, the doorbell rang, and the robot butler came in with a small box, "Master, this is Miss Ming Rui's package. I have already signed for it on your behalf."
"What is it?" Zhao Chenggong took the box, noticing it wasn't sent from the Yage Star. His tightly furrowed brows relaxed. He handed the box to his niece and said gently, "Ruirui, open it and see for yourself."
Ming Rui pressed the button on the box, and the sliding cover opened on its own. Inside lay a palm-sized doll, with black hair and black eyes, no ears or mouth, dressed in a little black skirt. The craftsmanship wasn't exquisite, but not bad-looking either. In its arms was a small note, with a line of words - Input your mental force.
"Who sent you this gift?" Zhao Chenggong's heartstrings relaxed slightly.
Ming Rui input her mental force, her eyes involuntarily flashing. Then, she quickly picked up the doll, looking very happy. She asked in confusion, "Isn't this the birthday gift Uncle bought for me? I like it so much! I love it!" As she spoke, she buried her face into the doll's belly, snuggling like a little pig.
"Huh? We didn't buy that. Ruirui's birthday is the day after tomorrow, it might be from a friend of yours from before." Aunt Fang Yuan said nonchalantly, "If Ruirui likes it, keep the doll. I'll call the delivery company later to confirm if they made a mistake. Even if they did, we won't return it. At worst, we'll pay a high price to buy it."
"Okay, as long as Ruirui likes it, it's all good." Zhao Chenggong smiled and nodded.
After the family finished breakfast, they each went out. After being sent to the classroom by her cousin, Ming Rui secretly slipped out and hid in the toilet cubicle. She bit her index finger, dripping blood onto where the doll's lips should be. The blood slowly spread, forming a slightly curved red line, it looked like a mouth at first glance.
Ming Rui waited for a long time, but didn't see any other movements from the doll. She couldn't help but feel a little dejected. She had to hug it and skip back to the classroom to attend class. By the time evening came, she hadn't found any abnormalities. When the bell rang, the children rushed to the school gate in a swarm. Ming Rui was the last to leave, seeing her cousin Zhao Da standing with a beautiful girl, chatting cheerfully.
The girl was named Ou Xu, Zhao Da's girlfriend, who was very good to Ming Rui, often bringing her exquisite little gifts, like candies, ribbons, and marbles.
"Brother, Sister!" Ming Rui was about to run over when the doll in her pocket suddenly stood up. Its two little hands gripped the edge of the pocket, revealing only its pitch-black eyes, staring straight at the two. At the same time, an extremely deep, suppressed, and hateful emotion flooded into Ming Rui's mind, nearly making her fall.
This feeling only arose when she saw her cousin, and when her gaze shifted to Ou Xu, it immediately dissipated, turning into fondness and joy. Ming Rui tried several times, the color draining from her face. She wasn't a fool, she didn't need to think to understand what this meant, moreover, Master Qi Ze had already explained the situation on the little note: When the owner's blood and mental force merged with the doll, the owner could see the world through the doll's eyes, the ugliness hidden beneath the beauty would be revealed one by one.
In other words, Ou Xu's kindness to her was genuine, but her cousin's kindness was feigned.
What did I do wrong? Why are you treating me like this? Ming Rui wanted to cry in her heart, but her chubby face squeezed out a smile, running over to the two like usual and tugging on her cousin's pant leg. The feeling of hatred instantly intensified, followed by deep suppression. Ming Rui couldn't bear such malevolence and quickly took the doll out of her pocket, putting it in the Interspatial Button.
The world became quiet. Looking up, her cousin was still the sunny and cheerful cousin, no different than usual. He bent down, picking up Ming Rui and weighing her in his arms, teasing, "Lazy little pig, what did you eat at school today? You seem to have gained weight again."
"Where's the fat? Children should look like this to be cute!" Ou Xu peeled a candy and stuffed it into the little girl's mouth, pinching her soft cheek at the same time.
"Thank you, Sister." Ming Rui thanked her with the candy in her mouth, feeling her cousin's arms were like thorns, pricking her all over. But she didn't dare show any abnormality, she had to reach out and hug her cousin's neck, pretending to be close to him.
Back home, Ming Rui immediately ran into her bedroom, locking the door. She opened the chat channel: "Brother Qi Ze, will Xiaohei make a mistake?"
"What's Xiaohei?" Qi Ze had been paying attention to the little girl's situation.
"It's the doll you sent me." Ming Rui took out the doll from the Interspatial Button, tossing it far into the corner of the bed. Her eyes were tearful, pitiful to the extreme.
"It won't, its eyes can capture souls." Qi Ze thought for a moment and added, "If I were you, I would trust the weapon in my hand more than the kindness and sympathy of strangers."
"But my cousin isn't a stranger." Ming Rui hid in the blankets, wiping away her tears.
"You can choose to believe Xiaohei, or not to believe. I only sold this doll for one hundred million, our transaction has ended, I have no responsibility to you." After saying this, Qi Ze closed the chat channel. He had done all he could, if the little girl didn't want to face reality, there was nothing he could do.
"Brother Qi Ze? Brother Qi Ze?" Ming Rui waited for a while, seeing the other party didn't respond. She came out of the blankets, staring at Xiaohei in a daze. The sounds of engines gradually echoed from downstairs, it should be her uncle and aunt returning. The robot butler was bustling in the kitchen, the aroma of the meal faintly wafting through the door.
Ming Rui rolled around on the bed with her little quilt, hearing her cousin call her to dinner. She dawdled for a long time before opening the door and slowly walking down the stairs. She stood in the corner for a while, stomping her feet, patting her head, then ran back and stuffed Xiaohei into her pocket. Xiaohei automatically adjusted its posture, its two little hands gripping the edge of the pocket, its pitch-black eyes looking outside.
Ming Rui didn't dare to directly pounce into her aunt's arms like usual, instead, she hid by the entrance of the dining room, peering inside. Xiaohei in her pocket also stretched its neck to peek, the blood-dyed little mouth splitting into an eerie smile.
Secret joy, suppressed eagerness, this kind of emotion shouldn't be considered malevolent, right? Ming Rui secretly exhaled, only then did she walk over to her aunt's side, habitually stretching out her hand for her to lift her onto the chair. Her aunt asked if she had fun at school, and if she was getting used to it, while wiping her fat little claws with a damp towel. She then adjusted her askew bun.
In that instant, a shocking killing intent pierced her heart, nearly making Ming Rui moan in pain. Her face was deathly pale, her eyes bloodshot, her hands tightly covering her mouth, afraid she would vomit on the table. Was this the family that she deeply loved, trusted, and was preparing to live with? How disgusting, really disgusting! She struggled off the chair, running into the toilet and spewing out.
Her aunt and cousin rushed over immediately, one patting her back, the other feeding her water, their faces showing anxious expressions. Her aunt was genuinely anxious, she seemed to want to kill her, yet worried about her health. Her cousin, besides impatience and disgust, only had the urgency to get rid of her.
What kind of family was this? Ming Rui was completely regretful, looking through her hazy tears toward the door. She noticed her uncle arrived, reaching out her hand to him for help.
"What's going on?" Her uncle picked her up, asking worriedly, yet his heart was calm, almost cruelly so.
"I, also, don't, know." Ming Rui blocked her mouth with her small fist, her body trembling uncontrollably. Compared to her aunt's killing intent and her cousin's hatred, her uncle's calm heart made her even more scared. This meant that in her uncle's eyes, she wasn't treated as a life, but as something dispensable. Killing her was like throwing away a bag of garbage, no big deal.
"It should be food poisoning. Let's go to the hospital immediately and have a look." Zhao Chenggong immediately carried his niece onto the flying car, rushing away. In his haste, he forgot to change out of his loungewear and slippers. Aunt Fang Yuan and cousin Zhao Da were the same.
If this had happened in the past, Ming Rui would have been very moved, but now, she felt like she had fallen into an ice cellar, lying in her aunt's arms. To absorb some warmth, she had to drag Xiaohei out of her pocket and hug it tightly. Xiaohei hugged one of her fingers, caressing it imperceptibly, its black eyes emitting an eerie light.
The doctor naturally couldn't detect any problems, only arranging for a full body checkup for the little girl. Two hours later, Ming Rui walked out of the scanning room, her complexion already back to normal. She clung to her uncle's leg, obediently saying, "Uncle, I'm fine, don't worry."
"Good thing, you scared your uncle half to death just now." Zhao Chenggong picked up his niece, playfully scraping her small nose. Fang Yuan settled the medical fees, then ran to the supermarket to buy a pile of expensive tonics. Zhao Da followed her, carrying them, with no impatience on his face. He even frequently tossed snacks that his cousin liked but her parents didn't allow her to eat into the shopping cart, winking playfully.
Uncle saw it but acted as if he didn't, pointing at the two children, mouthed silently, "Don't let it happen again."
To outsiders, this was a warm and harmonious family of three, wasn't it? Ming Rui used to think so too, but now, she felt a chill down her spine. Her uncle, who seemed so loving, was actually an emotionless and bloodless creature; her aunt, who appeared gentle and kind, was actually a devil full of killing intent; her cheerful and sunny cousin had only darkness inside.
They were calculating, using, and even attempting to kill her, but why? Ming Rui was a very strong child, she could come out of the grief of her parents' death, naturally, she could adapt to this perilous environment. Her developed brain was analyzing the purpose of her uncle's family:
Before bringing her to the capital, her uncle had presented a contract, indicating that he would leave the inheritance of her sister and brother-in-law to a third party, which the court would determine. He would not interfere in any way. After arriving in the capital, he even suggested to his niece that she draft a will, stating that after her death, all her assets would be donated to public welfare organizations, which would maximize her safety. Unfortunately, the news leaked, angering the relatives on Yage Star, who filed a collective lawsuit against her uncle.
Thus, her uncle's approach to her should not be for the sake of the inheritance, otherwise, his heart would be filled with greed. Ming Rui crossed off the first motive of 'killing for wealth'. She then crossed out 'killing for revenge'. Her uncle didn't hate her, nor did he hate her father and mother, she could feel this through Xiaohei.
Then why? Ming Rui was thoroughly lost.
After returning home, she hid in her room, opening the chat channel, writing a long paragraph of apologies and thanks to Qi Ze, and detailing today's events. Other than Xiaohei and Qi Ze, she found no one she could trust, no one she could seek help from.
"If not for money, what else can they get from you? What aspect of you do they covet?" Qi Ze gave her a clue. In the Qianyuan Continent, such things were not uncommon, especially for those born with special physiques. They were easily caught to be refined into pills.
Ming Rui bit her thumb, thinking seriously, hesitatingly saying, "In addition to the inheritance, the most valuable thing I have might be my brain. Super brain ability users are very rare, especially those with a brain domain development of over 40%, in the empire, there's probably only me. Dr. Oren, the builder of the Star Network, was a super brain ability user, he was very powerful. When I grow up, I'll be even more powerful than him!"
"So recently, pay attention to your brain, don't let someone dig it out and eat it. If you want to surpass Dr. Oren, you have to stay alive first." Qi Ze didn't comfort the little girl with kind lies. He had to make her realize the danger she was in.
Ming Rui was frightened, quickly hugging Xiaohei and rubbing against it. From fear and rejection, to trust and dependence, her feelings for Xiaohei had developed rapidly. "What should I do then?" She said with a frown, "Call the police? Without evidence, the police won't handle the case, and my uncle will kill me in advance."
"Do nothing, wait for your uncle to make a move." Qi Ze slowly typed, "Xiaohei will protect you, don't be afraid."
Ming Rui stared at these words, really not as scared anymore. Brother Qi Ze was a divine-level crafter, he wouldn't lie.