“I wouldn’t underestimate her just because she’s a civil servant,” whispered Xiao Qing to Xu Yintang, “Her heart may be red, but her blood is black. To use an inappropriate metaphor, even though we’re all followers of that Red Specter, the difference in combat power between regular believers like me and fervent believers like Kama Zuozi is as vast as the gap between a Pomeranian and a wild wolf.”
Xu Yintang seemed to understand Xiao Qing’s meaning. He glanced at Kama Zuozi, who was also looking their way, and whispered back, “I think she can hear us.”
“I know,” Xiao Qing continued in a hushed tone, “but she can pretend not to hear. Kama Zuozi was about to join their conversation with Qiao Ou, but she seemed visibly choked by something. She pursed her lips and then curved them into a smile, a smile that was both charming and dangerous. For a moment, Third Flora was stunned, and the butterflies around Kama Zuozi sensed the impending danger and scattered.
Kama Zuozi: “Hehe.”
However, Xiao Qing didn’t even spare a glance at her. He continued his small talk with Xu Yintang persistently, “Tsk tsk, even though she’s grown up, she bullies children.”
Xu Yintang patted Third Flora, who was on the verge of tears, and agreed, “Indeed, she’s all grown up but doesn’t understand a bit of reasoning.”
“Right, right,” Xiao Qing linked arms with Xu Yintang, completely ignoring the dense shadow cast by Kama Zuozi’s smiling face. “Alas, is the Blueon like that too? I heard he’s quite fierce. I’m really worried that our little one will be bullied.”
“Not really,” Xu Yintang chuckled at the thought of their child’s interactions with Shi Yuebai, “They get along quite well. If anything, it’s Second Treasure who bullies him more.”
“Oh dear, then our Second Treasure has really grown up,” Xiao Qing praised happily.
“You should lay off the praise,” Xu Yintang sighed helplessly, “you’ve already made its tail curl up to the sky.”
“You don’t understand; it’s called encouraging education, very trendy nowadays. Kids praised like that become confident and lively…”
As they walked towards the square, discussing whether to talk to Old Duolin or investigate the missing traveler at the police station, Xiao Qing continued his livestream without any restraint. Even though the audience couldn’t grasp the specifics of their conversation, the radiant and bright sunlight, coupled with Xu Yintang and Xiao Qing strolling through the town’s streets, created a picturesque scene that could be considered beautiful wallpapers.
“My smile is flying high just like my mouth’s corners; my mood is side by side with the sun~”
“Wow, my wife on vacation is so carefree and happy, like a bird flying out of its cage prprprpr.”
“Wife’s heart! My heart! Hehehe!”
The behind-the-scenes manager manipulated the platforms, boosting their own anchor’s sense of presence across various websites, skyrocketing the viewership back above the million mark.
Kama Zuozi observed from the sidelines for a while, realizing she couldn’t join the conversation about parenting or intrude into the close-knit world of the other two. She didn’t rush it; she played the role of a strongly present background, waiting until Xiao Qing couldn’t take it anymore and initiated a conversation herself.
—That’s just how Xiao Qing is, habitually ensuring everyone’s inclusion, ensuring no one is left out of the conversation.
Being understood by Kama Zuozi undoubtedly left Xiao Qing feeling unwell; he pouted subconsciously, which attracted Kama Zuozi’s openly curious gaze. Without hesitation, she reached out and pinched his cheek, earning an indignant stare from Xiao Qing.
Rubbing her fingers together, savoring the feeling, Kama Zuozi leaned in and smiled, “Why not let me pinch you back? My sense isn’t bad, you know.”
Smelling a faint fragrance emanating from her, Xu Yintang glanced around, experiencing an enlightening moment in interpersonal relationships—one where the observer sees things clearly. Giving Kama Zuozi some space to maneuver, he said, “Let’s move out first. You two can head to the police station to investigate the missing person case, and I’ll go talk to Old Duolin.”
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
“Rb…” “Vegf.”
Bjwj Iebhl abbx jvnjcajuf bo tfg tfluta ab ugjy Wljb Hlcu’r rtbeivfg, qgbwqalcu tlw ab gbii tlr fsfr, “Mlcf, klat sbeg tfluta jvnjcajuf, jgf sbe agslcu ab erf Veujg ab ajix ab qfbqif?!”
Xlnfc We Tlcajcu’r fnfg-lwqfmmjyif xcjmx obg rafqqlcu lcab RUJ wlcfolfivr veglcu mbcnfgrjalbcr, rfcvlcu tlw ab ujatfg lcafi ogbw Yiv Gebilc wluta gfreia lc atfw ufaalcu xlmxfv bea jcv kjcvfglcu atf ragffar abcluta!
Xu Yintang rubbed his nose, trying to redeem his conversational skills, “I’ve learned a bit from BlueMoon recently, so I’ve made some progress…”
His training with Shi Yuebai wasn’t always hardcore combat; during stretching breaks and meals, Shi Yuebai incidentally imparted some conversational techniques to Xu Yintang.
Actually, Xu Yintang’s ability to survive indicated a decent base in conversation skills. The problem lay in the lack of common sense and a misjudgment of normal human psychology, causing the focus to deviate. After several days of intense scenario-based training, Xu Yintang felt he had made tremendous progress.
“If that’s the case, let him give it a try,” Kama Zuozi heard BlueMoon’s name mentioned for the second time from Xu Yintang’s lips, and a pensive glint flashed in her eyes. “If we really get kicked out, we can seek shelter with Qiao Ou. I had a good chat with him just now. His family is big and his business is prosperous. He probably won’t mind taking us in for a few days.”
Before Xiao Qing could roll his eyes at her again, Kama Zuozi had already handed the livestream device to Xu Yintang, picked up Xiao Qing’s belongings, and slung them over her shoulder, not giving him a chance to refuse.
Xiao Qing sighed inwardly, being led forward while still cautioning Xu Yintang over his shoulder, “If anything happens, call me immediately—I’ll be right there—”
Xu Yintang waved at him, watching the barrage of comments floating across the livestream and asked with a smile, “Are you all brave enough?”
[Wife, I’m extremely brave!]
[Horror movie enthusiast reporting from the front row!]
[Haunted house level ten, sparkling entrance! Wife, look at my majestic chest!]
[Front row laughing so hard, do you have half the courage as my wife to show off? Hahaha]
…
“Well, it seems like everyone isn’t afraid,” Xu Yintang observed the comments and made a judgment, turning the camera toward a nearby shadow. “You can come out now; they’ve all left.”
[????]
[Wh-what’s coming out?????]
Before the audience in the livestream could comprehend the severity of the situation, they saw a pale, white figure slowly rising from the shadow, resembling a human form yet with blurred and contorted features, much like a monster from a horror movie.
[IYAAAAAAAHHH!!!!]
[Ahhhhhhhh, my goodness!!!!]
Not to mention how many viewers were scared out of their wits, Xu Yintang, unsurprised, gazed at the statue standing within the shadow. Its posture was somewhat different from what he saw last night, leaning awkwardly as if bound by ropes.
Upon closer inspection, this object couldn’t exactly be called a statue. It had a rough, blurry outline and wasn’t crafted from refined, pristine marble. Its rough texture resembled a mold made from mud, even less refined than the mud figures Xu Yintang used to make in his childhood.
However, the craftsmanship was oddly exquisite, with vivid and highly tensioned limbs and a faintly distinguishable facial outline under the headgear, sparking eerie associations.
It was as if this was a living person encased in a shell made of cement and mortar.
[Help, what in the world is this?!]
[Please don’t zoom in!]
[It’s fake! It’s all fake! Sob, wife, save me!!!!]
Under the scrutiny of millions behind the camera, the statue seemed to be under immense pressure. Even though Xu Yintang deliberately averted his gaze, it remained frozen in place—Third Flora confirmed it was different from the statue last night, pulsating beneath the lifeless stone exterior.
It wasn’t that it couldn’t move, but rather, it was too petrified to move, scared by the multitude of onlookers.
After all, the population in this small town hadn’t exceeded twenty thousand since its inception.
Glancing at the screen, Xu Yintang noted over two million concurrent viewers, with more rushing in, the barrage of comments obscuring the screen completely. Some curious viewers who turned off comments in fear rushed back to warn newcomers, urging them not to disable the comments, as they’d be scared silly by what they’d see.
Fascinated by the intense and almost tragic atmosphere, Second Treasure emerged, peering at the statue. Countless eyes in the dreamland simultaneously locked onto the target—
*Click.*
The faint sound didn’t escape Xu Yintang’s ears. Looking back, he noticed several small pebbles, each the size of a grain of rice, had fallen from the statue’s feet, seemingly cracked by the overwhelming scrutiny it received on the spot.
Xu Yintang: “…”
It seemed like some peculiar way of unlocking something?
However, he sensed that, at least for the moment, the statue harbored no ill intentions toward him. It might have appeared here specifically to find him. Once its intimidation had reached its limit, he turned the camera away, tucked Second Treasure against his chest, covering his eyes, while Little Darling and Third Flora prepared for a sudden attack. He blinked his slightly sore eyes twice.
In the span of a blink, not even half a second, the statue silently moved from a few meters away in the shadow to right in front of him. Its rough, flat face hidden under the headgear exuded a damp, icy deathly aura. With another blink, Xu Yintang felt a touch on his shoulder, and he found himself transferred from the street to the entrance of a cave on the outskirts of town.
The lush greenery and melodious birdcalls surrounded them. Not far from the town, one could see the outlines of houses from amidst the trees. A path snaked from the foot of the mountain to the cave where he was. The entrance was barricaded by a wooden fence, showing signs of being untouched for a long time. A chilly, damp wind blew out from the cave.
The statue stood a bit inside the cave, seemingly urging Xu Yintang to enter quickly.
Third Flora’s butterflies fluttered into the cave first, followed by Xu Yintang climbing over the wooden fence to enter. The cave was deep, sloping downwards, the ground getting increasingly damp and muddy the further in they went, with small puddles forming in some places.
In this pitch-black environment, Xu Yintang only turned on a small flashlight. The light flickered, casting a stark, stiff shadow. Even before anything substantial happened, his live audience was already on edge, almost suffocating with tension.
Initially, the comments were clean, filled with bewildered question marks from new viewers. However, those staying in the live stream for more than thirty seconds were also overwhelmed by the eerie silence and horrifying atmosphere, too frightened to speak. They clung to their keyboards, eyes wide, watching the trembling flashlight beam, sweating coldly.
As Xu Yintang continued, suddenly he chuckled, relishing in the simultaneous screams from the statue and the barrage of comments.
While the sounds couldn’t be heard, the overwhelming sense of terror that nearly stopped hearts perfectly transmitted. Second Treasure even snored while having snacks as his dessert.
Xu Yintang didn’t intend to laugh; he genuinely found the scene amusing, the audience and the statue frightening each other. He had tried hard to suppress his laughter all the way but couldn’t hold it in any longer.
More small fragments fell from the statue, this time resembling pearls in a bubble tea.
After a seemingly endless journey in the darkness for everyone, the sound of trickling water echoed. At the deepest part of the cave, a stream flowed by.
The statue stood silently in the water. Xu Yintang aimed his light towards it and saw a skeleton submerged, half-buried in silt, half-exposed bones glistening vividly under the light, reflecting a diamond-like sparkle.
However, this didn’t change the fact that it was a skeleton. The moment the flashlight illuminated it, who knows how many viewers jumped out of their beds or chairs in fright.
The energy within the statue became extremely agitated, as if urgently trying to convey something to Xu Yintang, but its voice was trapped within the stone shell, unheard by him.
Thinking for a moment, Xu Yintang said, “Wait here.”
Since he, as a living person, couldn’t hear the statue’s voice, he decided to find a deceased person to try it out.
He created an opening resembling a hospital entrance—this was much more challenging than in reality. After a while, a small black mist reluctantly oozed out, instantly causing a strong blood scent to permeate the air, and a grim, distorted figure with blood flowing from seven orifices appeared fleetingly, accompanied by a chilling, eerie sound.
“Are you… looking for… me…?”
Author’s Note –
Statue: Are you polite? Are you polite? Are you polite???
Statue: I’m cracking open!
“Kama Zuoziotsu” is actually the name of a bat-like creature in Mayan mythology, known for kicking heroes’ heads around like a ball. [secret]
Sugar Daddy found a new, broader way to terrify passerby~ nut why am I finding this statue and audience mutual accidental bullying so cute?!
*but
I love that the statue screamed in fright 🤣🤣🤣 Hopefully the statue and the audience will come together and realize that as a group they have the perfect support society!
Also, I love the running trope of mama xu terrifying the evil spirits without needing any help from the babies
The visuals are scaring me, thank goodness I have the lights on 😭
Thank you for the chapter! ❤❤❤
Thank you for the chapter!!
Fear fest, everyone gets spooked! Hahahahaha. Thanks for the update 🤣❤️🤣
Lmao love it
Maya myth is the best, they’ve got some really neat stuff. I can almost never pronounce the names correctly without help though😭
Thank you for the chapter!!🧡🩷
Thank you for your translation 💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚