Little Pink Starfish

Chapter 103 – Nine-tailed Fire Phoenix Eleven

Chapter One Hundred and Three

The bait was all set—if the fish didn’t show up, it’d be a real disaster.

“Let’s wait a bit more,” said Zhang Yushui.

Zhang Qiu and the others hid further back. With Little Fei’s red mist surrounding them, nothing would go wrong. Not long after, they heard the sound of footsteps—it was indeed coming toward the main hall.

Bang.

The sound of the door being broken open.

This group was very rough. Once inside the hall, they hurriedly rummaged around. The place was decorated in a clean and grand style, allowing one to see everything at a glance. Whatever they were looking for obviously wasn’t hidden in this hall.

“Miss Du, there’s nothing here.”

Hiding, Zhang Qiu clearly saw what happened. After the thug spoke, Miss Du looked sideways at someone. Zhang Qiu followed her gaze. The person she looked at was dressed like the others—ordinary-looking. When she looked over, his gaze faltered slightly.

Something’s off. If he were just a regular thug, he’d be obedient when the employer looked over. The other thugs were all deferential toward Miss Du, but this one seemed deliberately trying to distance himself from her.

Zhang Qiu glanced at Second Brother. Zhang Yushui nodded—he noticed it too.

“Liu Xuan, go check the seat up front,” Miss Du said, pointing at the throne at the head of the hall.

“Ah?” Liu Xuan looked reluctant.

The thug leader beside him shoved him. “What do you mean ‘ah’? Just go! So much nonsense.”

Liu Xuan glanced at the gun in the thug’s hand and braced himself. He had figured it out by now—he was just bait. This place was full of traps, yet they had him test the way in. Now they wanted to use him to test again?

He walked forward, trembling. When he reached the seat, Miss Du said from behind, “Sit.”

“Is that a good idea? That’s the emperor’s throne, I don’t dare—”

Bang!

A burst of bullets hit the ground near Liu Xuan’s feet. He yelped and jumped into the seat. Zhang Qiu saw Miss Du glance at the man from earlier—as if signaling, “Everything’s fine.”

“Back there,” Miss Du commanded.

The thugs started moving toward the back of the hall. Then bang!—the two doors of the hall suddenly slammed shut. The thugs instantly panicked. This whole pit was strange and eerie to begin with, plus there were lines of ghost soldiers outside—what if corpses started jumping? Someone yelled, “Who the hell closed the door!”

“Not me.”

“No one touched it.”

“B-Boss, even the jade door outside is closed. It was open when we came in, I was the last to enter—I know…”

Everyone was shaking in fear. Someone stared ahead and stammered, “L-Liu Xuan’s gone!”

Pei Qing had pulled Liu Xuan up and signaled him to be quiet. Zhang Qiu noticed that the moment the doors closed, Miss Du had stepped in front of the thug. The thug’s eyes narrowed, and he suddenly said, “When did the righteous Shaohao Emperor learn such despicable tricks?”

“Despicable people only deserve such means,” Qi Xi jumped down first, grinning. “I love kicking people when they’re down.”

Qi Zhirong’s eyes flashed with concern, and he jumped down too. A dead camel was still bigger than a horse—who knew what tricks the opponent had left. As everyone dropped down, Li Shu had already appeared the moment the doors closed. The thugs jumped in fright as he appeared like a ghost, forming a protective circle around Miss Du. They fired a few rounds—bang bang bang—but Li Shu waved his hand, and all the bullets dropped to the ground.

Zhang Qiu was stunned. That’s too awesome!

Zhang Yushui gave him a knowing look, patting his dumb little brother’s shoulder. “After going through Nine Heavenly Thunder, do you think Li Shu is still the same as before?”

“Heaven’s will really did choose you.”

A voice spoke from the crowd, full of viciousness and resentment.

“Who the hell is that? Can’t even hide their jealousy,” Qi Xi turned to Qi Zhirong.

Qi Zhirong gave him a “you’re a moron” look and didn’t reply. Meanwhile, the thug in the center shoved Miss Du aside. She urgently said, “F-Father, you—”

“No need. This account must be settled,” the thug’s voice was hoarse and rough. Zhang Qiu noticed—it didn’t sound like Nine-tailed. Did they get the wrong person? Then black-red mist rose around the thug. As it cleared, the other thugs screamed “Ghost!” and scattered.

Zhang Qiu now clearly saw—this was Nine-tailed.

His whole body was covered in feathers, a decaying aura clinging to him like an aging man near death. The black-red mist constantly poured out. He stared at Li Shu with hatred. “Why? In what way am I worse than you? Since the day you were born, I’ve had to follow you, flatter you, fight alongside you—but all people remember is your glory. You stood at the top, basking in ultimate power, even Heaven chose you. Why do you become a god, and I, who bled and suffered, have to stay in your shadow?”

“I don’t think he forced you to follow,” Li Shu calmly met Nine-tailed’s mad gaze.

Nine-tailed laughed sarcastically. “Right, just like now—you’re so annoying. Always looking down on everything, high and mighty. Makes me want to destroy you. And Zǐ liked you too. All I had meant nothing next to a glance from you. So when the Nine Heavenly Thunders descended, I didn’t hesitate—I wanted to take your place. If I couldn’t have it, then I would destroy it.”

Li Shu didn’t know who this Zǐ was, but he could guess—it was probably the purple phoenix among the five that were destroyed.

“Once I took your divine power, I became unimaginably strong.” Nine-tailed reveled in those early days. He had never felt so powerful, standing at the top. A long life—even as an emperor—what was that? He could toy with them all.

“Some things don’t belong to you. If you steal them, you’ll pay—sooner or later.” Zhang Yushui saw the mist seeping from Nine-tailed’s body. At first, he thought it was the fiery color of the phoenix, but now he understood. The red mist was Li Shu’s divine power. When Zhang Qiu had Little Fei, there had been divine essence involved, so Little Fei inherited some of Li Shu’s power—hence he could command the red mist freely. Nine-tailed’s red mist now looked black—probably being rejected.

Nine-tailed, who had just been gloating, seemed stabbed in the heart. He glared venomously at Zhang Yushui as if wanting to skin him alive. But Zhang Yushui didn’t flinch and shrugged. “Isn’t it true? You’ve lived this long relying on dark arts. Good and evil can’t coexist. Li Shu’s divine power and your dark magic are incompatible.”

“Shaohao, do you want to kill me?” Nine-tailed raised an eyebrow and laughed crazily. “Fair enough, fair enough. I’ve killed you many times—if I die by your hand today, it’s worth it.”

That’s what he said—but Zhang Qiu didn’t believe he’d go down so easily. Sure enough, in the next second, a black shadow flashed by—bang! Zhang Qiu stumbled back a few steps. A faint red mist wrapped around him. Little Fei let out a low “Daddy” cry. Zhang Qiu checked his pocket—his son had passed out. Then he realized—someone had just attacked him, and Little Fei took the hit for him.

“Little brother, Daddy, Little brother!”

Zhang Qiu carefully held his son. Zhang Yushui glanced over and said, “He’s fine, just passed out.”

Zhang Qiu put him back into the pocket and looked ahead. Li Shu had just skinned Miss Du—his eyes full of red light. Zhang Qiu finally saw—Miss Du had attacked just now. Now she was skinned, and what emerged was black mist—it formed into Du Qiao.

“Careful, Nine-tailed is escaping,” Pei Qing warned.

Zhang Qiu looked around—Nine-tailed was already gone in the chaos. That bastard had bolted. Li Shu coldly crushed Du Qiao into a ball and tossed him to Zhang Yushui. “Destroy the soul completely.”

“Got it. Don’t worry.”

Li Shu was already gone. Zhang Qiu and the others quickly followed. As soon as they exited the hall, they heard a terrible screech—it was Nine-tailed. In the sky, Nine-tailed had revealed his true form. Compared to the time they saw him in Japan, his feathers were even more patchy.

“You touched someone you shouldn’t have. Seeking death.” The red mist in Li Shu’s hand formed a blood-colored ancient blade. He slashed straight at Nine-tailed’s wing.

Nine-tailed tried to flee in panic but couldn’t escape. As the blade descended, he screamed, “Shaohao, you can’t kill me! No matter how many years, I’ll kill you eventually!”

“Can’t kill you?” Li Shu sneered. “Then let your head try my blade.”

The blade glowed with a sharp red light. With a swing, it came down on Nine-tailed’s head. There was a short, sharp cry—and then silence.

Nine-tailed was dead.

Zhang Qiu wasn’t sure. This guy was so tricky—what if it was fake? Suddenly, Black Money appeared and said, “You guys made quite the scene—even the Hao Yue Blade showed up.”

“Hao Yue Blade?”

Black Money looked at the blade in Li Shu’s hand, eyes full of envy. “A legendary divine weapon—way better than my scythe. It can kill not just ghosts and monsters but also immortals. Though technically, that’s not allowed.” He glanced at Nine-tailed, now turning to ash. “Completely dead, and no reincarnation. Dying under the Hao Yue Blade makes you a legend too.”

Zhang Qiu: ……

Why does it feel like Black Money is becoming more like Bai Shengsheng?

Li Shu, having slain Nine-tailed, still had red eyes. He hugged Zhang Qiu and kissed him. Zhang Qiu was a little embarrassed—so many people—but feeling the strength in Li Shu’s arms, he realized it was probably the ambush by Du Qiao. He quickly said, “I’m fine. Little Fei too.”

“Mm.” The red faded from Li Shu’s eyes. He tossed the soldier’s talisman to Black Money.

Black Money caught it and said, “I didn’t come for this. Whenever a world-shaking divine weapon appears, someone has to check it out.” When Li Shu brought out the Hao Yue Blade, it was like a bomb went off. His uncle and uncle’s partner were fooling around. It was like he didn’t want to get affectionate with Bai but had to come see. Thinking of Bai’s cold face, Black Money grinned, “Alright, everything’s fine. I’m off.”

Then he vanished. Qi Xi pouted, “I don’t buy that Black Money is so dedicated—he clearly just wanted an excuse to visit Bai Shengsheng.”

“You’re useless when it matters, but when it comes to gossip, your dog nose is amazing.” Zhang Qiu was in awe.

Qi Xi didn’t feel ashamed and grinned, “Can’t help it. I’m a celebrity—I’ve had to deal with paparazzi.”

Returning from the Heavenly Palace, with Nine-tailed truly gone, they could finally enjoy a peaceful New Year. Pei Qing, Lingdang, and the Qi brothers planned to head back to Beijing. Zhang Qiu didn’t ask them to stay but made sure to stay in touch.

“Little Jiangshi, next time handsome big bro will take you to the set—there are lots of pretty ladies there.” Qi Xi then turned to Qi Zhirong, “Look at how plump—I mean handsome!—Little Jiangshi is!”

Qi Zhirong gave a cold look. Qi Xi wilted, and Qi Zhirong said flatly, “You giving birth?”

Qi Xi’s face turned constipated. “But I want a Little Zhirong…”

After sending everyone off, it was the third day of the New Year. Zhang Qiu and Second Brother decided to fly back to their hometown in Jiangsu on the fourth. Li Shu had visited before, but it was the first time for the two kids. Little Fei had rested for a day and was doing better, but Zhang Qiu felt his son looked pale—just as well to have Grandpa take a look.

Little Jiangshi lay on the couch and asked sweetly, “Daddy, is Grandpa’s house fun?”

“Very,” said Zhang Yushui. “And there’s a big brother there—my big brother’s son. Just started university this year. He worked a summer job last year,” he added to Zhang Qiu.

Zhang Qiu figured it made sense. Big Brother Mao was over forty—having an eighteen/nineteen-year-old son was normal. Zhang Yushui continued, “Sister-in-law is a great cook. Little Jiangshi will love it.”

Sure enough, Little Jiangshi’s eyes lit up—he was thrilled.

They packed that day. By noon the next day, they were in Jiangsu. The small town had a stronger holiday vibe. Couplets hung at the gate, red lanterns lit the courtyard. Before they even entered, Little Jiangshi bounced and yelled, “Grandma! It’s Grandma!”

Inside, Zhang Mom seemed to sense it. “Did I just hear my sweet grandson Jiangshi’s voice?!”

Zhang Qiu, tossed aside now that there’s a grandson: ……

The grandparent-grandchild hug was full of love. Zhang Qiu trailed behind, sulking, when Li Shu hugged him and chuckled softly, “Daddy spoils you.”

Zhang Qiu: ……

Get lost!

Big Uncle was healthy and lively. He was delighted to see Little Jiangshi—no trace of his past seriousness. Zhang Qiu hurried to say, “Uncle, this kid’s heavy, don’t tire yourself out.”

“Holding a kid won’t wear me out.” Zhang Sanlian laughed and gave Little Jiangshi candy. The boy clung to his great-grandpa’s neck, showing his little tiger teeth, and said, “Thank you, Grandpa! Little brother too!”

“Of course, of course.” Zhang Sanlian patted his head and turned to Zhang Qiu, “Well raised—not stingy. A real Zhang family kid.” Then asked, “Where’s Little Fei?”

Zhang Qiu pulled him from his pocket—still wrapped in red mist and asleep. A bit worried, he explained the situation. Zhang Sanlian frowned slightly and said, “He’s just a child, but the power he got was too dominant. And with half-human blood, it’s normal. Mao, bring my box—the one with the blood jade.” He patted Little Jiangshi’s head. “Great-grandpa won’t play favorites. You get something too. Want to learn from Second Uncle?”

Little Jiangshi nodded. Zhang Sanlian noticed the bell hidden in his sleeve and said cheerfully, “That’s great. Jiangshi has to visit Great-grandpa more. I’ll teach you everything.”

That shocked everyone. The Zhang family had two secret arts: fengshui and talisman making. Zhang Sanlian once said a person only had so much energy—better to focus deeply. That’s why his two sons each learned one. No one expected he’d teach both to Little Jiangshi.

“This kid’s got great fortune. No one can suppress him,” Zhang Sanlian laughed.

Little Jiangshi didn’t understand any of that. He was just happy to learn—so he could make lots of money like Second Uncle and buy candy for his little brother.

The Zhang Qiu family of four spent their time there doing little, but the two kids were pampered. Little Pink Egg wasn’t born yet, so the two boys were spoiled by the whole family. Red envelopes were endless. Especially Little Jiangshi—no social skills, but just so lovable. Big Mao’s son played with him every day.

They stayed until the Lantern Festival on the fifteenth before heading back to Xi’an. Zhang Qiu had flunked nearly all classes last semester, so this year he had to behave if he wanted to graduate.

“Let Jiangshi stay a bit longer,” said Zhang Sanlian, reluctant to part with his grandson.

Zhang Qiu asked Jiangshi—and was surprised the boy didn’t mind. In just ten days, he’d gotten super close to everyone. He tilted his head and asked, “Daddy, can little brother stay too?”

“Sure.” Li Shu answered before Zhang Qiu could. Zhang Qiu felt something was off. Then Li Shu said seriously, “With your parents here, it’s good for the kids to spend time with them. And the air here is good for Little Fei’s health.”

Zhang Qiu thought about it—it made sense. He agreed. Big Mao’s son even promised to take care of the kids. Zhang Qiu wasn’t too worried and just told Jiangshi not to tire out Great-grandpa.

“Daddy, I love Grandpa. I won’t tire him out!”

That made Zhang Sanlian beam with joy. Zhang Qiu raised an eyebrow—didn’t expect this little rascal to be such a sweet talker now.

So the two returned to Xi’an. As soon as they got home, Zhang Qiu took off his shoes and headed for the shower. “I’m taking a bath first. I’m exhausted.”

When he came out, Li Shu had already cleaned the whole house—clearly using divine power to cheat. Before Zhang Qiu could say anything, Li Shu curled his lips into a smile and said, “Coward, we haven’t done it in the living room, on the dining table, on the balcony…”

He listed off all the corners of the house. Zhang Qiu was confused. “What about those places?”

“We haven’t done it there.” Li Shu bared his teeth and slowly approached. “Now this place is just for the two of us—excited?!”

WTF. Zhang Qiu finally realized why Li Shu had so eagerly agreed to leave the kids at Great-uncle’s place!!!