Chapter 19: Free-Riding the Evil God?

The moonlight, clear as water, bathed the two figures—one tall, one small.

The grass was filled with the persistent chirping of insects. By the side of the pond, Li Mu-chi stood next to Zhou Quan and whispered, "The other you looks exactly like you, only he is shrouded in thick, black smoke."

Li Mu-chi struggled to recall the appearance of the shadow. However, he had been trapped inside a magic circle at the time, and the brilliance of the circle combined with the dark mist surrounding the figure left him with no clear details to recount.

"Where is he?" Zhou Quan asked.

"He is inside your body, but he left just a moment ago. I am not sure where he went," Li Mu-chi replied obediently.

*Inside my body?*

Zhou Quan frowned, a flicker of anxiety rising in his heart. *What on earth is that thing? An evil god? My own shadow self? A clone? If such a monstrosity resides within me, even if I lift the curse on my parents, I may never escape the control of this evil god...*

At this thought, Zhou Quan’s expression darkened. That entity had surely gone to kill Weng Lin, and it was highly likely that it had already succeeded.

Zhou Quan took a deep breath and spoke slowly, "How do you know he is inside my body?"

"I have a special ability to slip into shadows," Li Mu-chi whispered. "I slipped into the other you’s shadow and followed him into your body. For the past few days, I have been staying inside you along with him."

Zhou Quan’s expression shifted slightly.

Li Mu-chi continued, "It wasn't until today, when he left your body, that I followed him out."

"What did you see while inside me?" Zhou Quan asked calmly.

Li Mu-chi shook his head. "I was in the other you’s shadow, and he was inside your body. With two layers separating us, I couldn't see anything."

*Is that so...* Zhou Quan felt a slight sense of relief, though he did not fully believe him. His connection to the evil god was his greatest secret, one that must not be leaked—at least not until he had cured his parents. This boy would have to stay by his side.

Zhou Quan took a deep breath and asked, "Did you see the other me kill the Old Director?"

Li Mu-chi remained silent for two seconds before giving a small nod. "I did," he said, his expression dimming.

Zhou Quan sighed softly. "The Old Director was very kind to all of you, wasn't she?"

"Yes," Li Mu-chi nodded, his eyes filled with profound sorrow. Grandma was kind to every child. But why? Why did Grandma kill everyone? Why did she treat Ah-chi that way? What did we ever do wrong?

"Do you not hate me?" Zhou Quan paused, then continued, "Even though I didn't pull the trigger myself, it makes no difference." It was true; he hadn't killed the Old Director, but had he not performed the divination for the evil god, she would not have died. This was his sin, and he would not shirk it.

Li Mu-chi shook his head, his mood heavy. "You gave me a chance to live. I am grateful to you." At his most desperate and helpless moment, it was "God" who had appeared in his world and saved him.

Zhou Quan turned to gaze at Li Mu-chi’s face, feeling perplexed. *This child... does he have Stockholm Syndrome? I merely didn't kill him—compared to the Old Director's kindness in raising him, what does that count for? Did the evil god brainwash him?*

"Do you really not hate me?" Zhou Quan asked, enunciating every word.

"Yes," Li Mu-chi replied, his eyes reddening, his voice choked with emotion.

Zhou Quan fell silent. He had wanted to ask about the specific details of that night, but before he could, the child began to cry. In truth, there was nothing to ask. The dead were gone; there was no need to reopen the child's wounds. Instead, the next time he performed a divination, he could try to intervene on the scene and stop the monster inside him from killing. It would be difficult, but what if he succeeded?

"From today on, you will stay by my side," Zhou Quan said slowly. "I will provide for you, but you must also prove your worth."

The reason the evil god hadn't killed this boy was likely due to his supernatural ability. *Slipping into shadows...* If cultivated properly, he would make an excellent scout, assassin, or guard. He needed such an asset. If he had a capable supernatural user helping him against the Gray Night Society, he could take the initiative rather than cowering in the villa, waiting for them to find him.

Fortunately, the Gray Night Society was coming soon. If they hadn't, he would have been forced to stay in this villa to protect his family, effectively placing himself under house arrest.

"Whatever you ask of me, I will do my best," Li Mu-chi said, wiping away his tears, his youthful face set with immense sincerity.

Zhou Quan nodded slightly. He turned and walked toward the villa, with Li Mu-chi hurrying to keep pace.

Back inside the villa, Ni Hao was on the floor, working diligently to scrub the wood. Zhou Quan could tell that this woman had never done such a thing before; every movement was clumsy. Fortunately, he had already moved the furniture like the sofa. The living room was now empty, and cleaning the floor was nearly finished.

The only thing left was the rocking chair. He had torn a man apart in front of it, and it was inevitably splattered with blood.

"Stop scrubbing. The floor is clean enough," Zhou Quan commanded.

Ni Hao, though clumsy, had been very thorough; the gaps in the floorboards were gleaming. She placed the rag into a basin and stood up submissively.

"Move the rocking chair to the back of the house, cover it with a cloth, and then take me to Chen Ang-xi," Zhou Quan instructed.

Ni Hao nodded like a bobbing chicken. "Understood."

She walked over to the rocking chair, gripped one of its struts with both hands, and lifted it with ease, her slender frame contrasting sharply with the massive chair.

Zhou Quan raised an eyebrow. "I forgot to ask—what is your supernatural ability?"

Ni Hao offered a bitter smile. *Only now do you ask? The boss really never put me in his eyes.*

"My supernatural ability is 'Femme Fatale.' It’s related to merfolk. I can use my natural scent to bewitch men. The closer the distance, the more effective it is," Ni Hao answered without reservation. In truth, she had no room to hold anything back, as this was her only ability.

"Bewitch men?" Zhou Quan frowned.

Ni Hao lowered her head, embarrassed. "The longer the contact, the better the effect. At first, I can make a man feel affection for me. Eventually, I can make him so infatuated that he would willingly die for me."

"However, the effect also depends heavily on the target. If it's a simple-minded male college student, it might only take two or three days for me to make him fall madly in love with me. But if it's a veteran with a strong will, my ability is greatly diminished—it might not work at all, or even backfire."

Ni Hao paused, then added in a small voice, "I rarely use my ability. I usually just followed those two idiots around, just putting on a show..."