Chapter 145: The Master

Clang!!!

A floor directly above Li Changluo’s head was suddenly split open, and something fell out, rolling across the ground before coming to a stop...

A golden doll, its body still covered in incense ash...

It was grinning widely...

The smile was unnerving.

Li Changluo picked up the doll...

And bit into it...

"Damn it! You guys, with all your wealth and status, you’re still counterfeiting..."

Li Changluo was furious. He had thought this golden doll was made of solid gold, but it turned out to be merely a gold-plated ceramic figure.

In a fit of rage, he slammed the doll onto the ground.

The golden doll shattered into countless pieces...

But strangely, the moment Li Changluo crushed it with his foot, a fragrant smoke rose from the fragments...

The smoke swirled around Li Changluo...

No matter how he waved it away, it wouldn’t dissipate...

Eventually, it even entered his nostrils...

A cool, almost refreshing sensation spread through him, clearing his mind. Li Changluo felt comfortable, even enjoyed it, but the doll looked ominous...

He kept picking at his nose anxiously...

Could this smoke have side effects?

Hell, could it...

Make him pregnant?

Li Changluo quickly dismissed such absurd fears. First, he needed to find Zhang Zhiqiang and rescue that pig demon...

So...

He found a stool and climbed up through the crack overhead...

When he reached the top, he realized the room before him was unusual, completely out of sync with the European style decor he’d seen earlier...

Inside were rows of clay figurines in various colors—blue, red, their faces twisted into grotesque shapes that made him uneasy...

Incense burners were placed in front of each figurine...

Only then did Li Changluo recall that when he last chased the monster to the twenty-fourth floor, he had caught a whiff of incense...

At the time, he’d wondered how a European-style room could smell of Chinese sandalwood...

Now he knew the source...

Seeing this room full of clay statues, Li Changluo realized that this Mr. Zhang must dabble in some fringe, superstitious practices...

Likely something like witchcraft or voodoo, rituals aimed at cursing people...

Driven by a desire to uphold social harmony and eradicate superstition, Li Changluo smashed every clay statue and all the miscellaneous items...

The room quickly filled with a choking cloud of dust and smoke, making him sneeze violently...

---

But just as he lifted an object to smash it, he suddenly froze...

"You..."

Li Changluo looked down at what he held with a mix of surprise and panic...

Happiness had come too suddenly—the little pig with the straw hat, Piggy, was somehow back in his grasp...

"My beloved master, what are your commands?"

The straw-hatted Piggy spoke to Li Changluo in a soft, childish voice, its gender indistinct...

It fluttered its ears since Li Changluo held it silently for a long moment.

"Master, why are you constantly wiping my body?"

Finally, the little pig could no longer contain its curiosity and asked.

"This is how it’s done on TV. Wipe three times, and it helps me grant wishes..."

Li Changluo kept rubbing the chubby little body, wiping its ears, then its nose...

"…"

Piggy.

"Oh divine pig, please help me fulfill my..."

"Ahem, ahem! Be serious. Don’t be so frivolous. Don’t think you can run into my hands and be forgiven just like that. What kind of demon are you exactly?"

Li Changluo stared solemnly at the silly smiling pig, gripping it firmly with one hand, while the other was behind his back to appear more authoritative...

"That’s not important. What matters is you broke that ancient child talisman, freeing me. My soul now belongs to you; you are my master, and I am your loyal servant..."

"You’re my loyal servant?"

"Yes!!!"

"Then what are you doing?"

Li Changluo fixed his gaze on the little straw-hatted pig, which suddenly transformed into a submachine gun pointed right at him...

Damn, a loyal servant is terrifying...

A gun pointed at you by your loyal servant—are you afraid or not?

"Oh, sorry, that was my selfishness. I just wanted to kill you and gain freedom. Don’t mind my immature thoughts, master. Mwah..."

The straw-hatted pig immediately morphed back into its pig form and winked at Li Changluo.

"…"

Li Changluo.

"Don’t take it away, I beg you..."

At that moment, Mr. Zhang suddenly burst into the room holding a kitchen knife, pointing it at Li Changluo with a resolute expression.

"I’m really begging you, master, don’t take it away, okay?"

Mr. Zhang threw down the knife and immediately knelt before Li Changluo, pleading.

Only then did Li Changluo notice Mr. Zhang’s wife peeking nervously at the scene from the doorway...

This usually arrogant woman was now like a frightened quail, hiding outside and silently watching...

---

"Look over there..."

Li Changluo suddenly pointed outside, surprised, speaking to Mr. Zhang.

"Hey, take another look, please..."

Li Changluo was annoyed...

He had planned to knock Mr. Zhang out with a single strike, like he had with Xiao Qing...

But when Mr. Zhang turned to look, Li Changluo ended up striking his neck twice...

Mr. Zhang looked at him bewildered, as if nothing had happened...

What’s the point of being so strong if you can’t even be knocked out?

Embarrassed, Li Changluo covered his face...

The atmosphere grew awkward again...

...

Bang!!!

But in the end, Mr. Zhang did collapse...

The straw-hatted pig transformed into a large iron hammer and lightly struck his head...

Mr. Zhang groaned and fell into a pool of blood...

Li Changluo rushed over, checking his condition...

Fortunately, he was only unconscious...

Downstairs in the courtyard, Li Changluo walked ahead, followed by a small pig wearing a hat...

"Master, don’t you want to know who my previous owner was?"

"Mr. Zhang’s wife!"

"You already knew?"

Li Changluo smiled in response.

In truth, there were many suspicious points about Mr. Zhang. He wasn’t short of money, yet he stole from his own family, which brought no benefits...

It only shifted the family’s suspicion onto him. After all, he was an outsider, a live-in son-in-law...

Only an outsider would steal...

Having Piggy wander around in Mr. Zhang’s shoes right in front of him was clearly meant to mislead him into thinking Mr. Zhang was the demon...

Also, performing rituals late at night with Li Changluo’s clothes and curse powder—was that meant to curse him?

Everything was illogical...

So the only person who could be directing Piggy to do all this was Mr. Zhang’s wife...

As for the motive, Li Changluo didn’t want to bother thinking. Human hearts are unfathomable; who can truly see through them?