After helping An Ning finish her work, Ren Jie tiptoed back to his room…
The house was a ground-floor shop with living quarters on the second floor, two bedrooms and one living room. An Ning had one room, and Ren Jie and Tao Yaoyao shared the other.
The room was about ten square meters, separated by a curtain in the middle. Ren Jie slept on the left, and the right side, by the window, was Tao Yaoyao's territory, where she was currently sleeping soundly.
Ren Jie, exhausted after a day of running around, threw himself onto the bed. Just as he was about to rest, his phone vibrated wildly.
Ren Jie quickly covered his phone and burrowed into his blanket. He saw that it was a barrage of messages from Nuo Yan.
Her username was Lao Siji, and her profile picture was a cool, high-displacement motorcycle.
Lao Siji: (Red orangutan reaching for money emoji).gif x 10
The red orangutan looked self-righteous, and the words 'Ten Films' were clearly Photoshopped onto its hand.
"Send them, send them! Long night, no desire to sleep, waiting online, urgent!"
Ren Jie covered his face. 'You still remember.'
His profile picture was a short-haired, black T-shirt-wearing, shifty-eyed bespectacled man, and his username was Elder Brother Jie.
Elder Brother Jie:
【Outdoors… • mp4】
【Home Tutor… • mp4】
【Office… • mp4】
【Tenth Anniversary…】
…
Ren Jie didn't waste any time and directly shared a bunch with Nuo Yan. After all, they had already agreed on it, and he, Ren Jie, had always been a good child who granted every request since he was young.
Lao Siji: (ʃƪ⁰̷̴͈꒨⁰̷̴͈) "Oh-ho! Oh-ho-ho~ Young man, you have quite a collection~ My spiritual sustenance for the future depends on you!"
Elder Brother Jie: "Young people should still pay attention to Temperance~"
(Elder Brother Jie pushing up glasses with an evil smile emoji) • gif
Lao Siji: "Mind your own business? But since you're so cooperative, I'll give you some more information."
"Demon Contractors usually hide their identities, disguising themselves as ordinary Gene Warriors. If you don't want to be dragged off by the Heaven's Gate Church to be hanged, burned, or sacrificed, it's best to keep a low profile."
"Study mode, do not disturb!"
Ren Jie smiled bitterly. She had still guessed...
However, it was true. Various factors made the identity of a Demon Contractor sensitive.
If one didn't want to cause trouble, it was best not to expose their identity.
The black fragments came from Jin City's Class A Devil Disaster ten years ago. The events of that year might not have been so simple. Ren Jie was still young then and couldn't remember many things. He had to investigate it when he had the chance…
There were many messages on his phone, 99+ in 206 part-time job groups, as well as concerns from Wei Pingsheng and Tian Yu, who also asked Ren Jie when he would come to scold the old lady…
Ren Jie replied to each message one by one.
……
In the Huatian Laboratory living quarters, Nuo Yan had just finished showering, wearing nothing, and humming a little song:
(ง⁼̴ꇴ⁼̴)ว "In a tiny garden, dig, dig, dig~ Hehe~"
Just like that, wiping her wet hair, she lay back on the bed…
Her eye mask had been removed. Her left eye wasn't blind, nor did it have a mechanical eye; its pupil was simply imperial purple, appearing exceptionally eerie…
Nuo Yan excitedly burrowed into her blanket, licked her lips, and opened her phone…
"Heh~ I'll watch this 'Outdoors' one first~"
As soon as she clicked on the video, a lively sound came out.
"Makka Pakka~ Ah Kawaka~ Mikka Makka~ Mm~"
Watching several Teletubbies happily clapping and dancing in an outdoor garden, Nuo Yan's expression instantly froze.
"(ºmouthº*)...
This was 'Outdoors'? Collector's Edition?
Nuo Yan gritted her teeth, refusing to believe it, and clicked on each video one by one. 'I refuse to believe they're all like this!'
"It's him~ It's him~ Our friend, Little Scamp~"
"You lead the burden, I carry the horse~"
"Young man~ Do you believe in Holy Light?"
"Through wind and rain, unafraid~ La! La la la~"
"Ding dong ding dong, ding dong~ Welcome to the News Live Broadcast, prosperity! Democracy! Friendship! Unity…"
Nuo Yan: !!!
(งᵒ̌dishᵒ̌)ง⁼³₌₃ "Ren! Jie! You old bastard~ Makka Pakka? I'll makka pakka you! And you got this girl's hopes up!"
And I even bathed and changed, full of anticipation.
Furious, Nuo Yan grabbed her phone and unleashed a torrent of messages.
……
At home, Ren Jie looked at the message chat box and silently put his phone on do not disturb mode.
Lao Siji: 【⁾⁾) 60″ 】 •
【⁾⁾) 60″ 】 •
【⁾⁾) 60″ 】 •
(งᵒ̌mouthᵒ̌)ง⁼³₌₃ Ah ah ah ah!
Clearly, sixty seconds was only the limit for Feixin voice messages, not Nuo Yan's limit.
Ren Jie's lips couldn't help but curve into an arc, a look of satisfaction on his face. He wondered if his videos had cured Nuo Yan's fallen soul.
He didn't feel the Emotional Mist increasing, so it seemed this thing indeed had a collection range.
And just then, Ren Jie was startled to find that the mist on Mirror Lake began to increase in wisps.
The source was not Nuo Yan, but from his side.
From behind the curtain, a muffled groan came, and Tao Yaoyao, wrapped in her blanket, moved restlessly.
Clearly, these Emotional Mists came from Tao Yaoyao. At this moment, she was enduring extreme pain.
Ren Jie quickly went over and pulled back the blanket, only to see Tao Yaoyao, dressed in a pink bunny cartoon pajama, curled up in a ball, the bedsheet soaked with sweat.
Both her legs, plus one arm, were covered in bandages. Faintly, at her shoulder, he could see the Demon Mark, like a black python.
The skin at the Demon Mark was as if corroded by sulfuric acid, becoming dark, hard, and even cracked, forming something like black scales…
This was the demon mark disease, an incurable illness that appeared after the Space-Time Magic Abyss emerged.
To this day, humanity still hasn't found the cause of the demon mark disease; it seems to be random. With current human medical methods, the demon mark disease still cannot be overcome.
It can only be suppressed, and the pain of an attack can be lessened.
Currently, there are no successfully cured cases. The demon mark disease is like an unshakeable nightmare, clinging like maggots to the bone, tormenting the patient until death.
Tao Yaoyao was diagnosed with the demon mark disease when she was five, and that year was also the year her father, Tao Ran, sacrificed himself to save Ren Jie…
When it rains, it pours. Misfortunes never come singly…
At fifteen, she should have been in the prime of her youth, but Tao Yaoyao had been tormented by illness…
Her legs and arms were covered by Demon Marks, making movement difficult, so she could only use a wheelchair.
She was like a canary trapped in a cage, and this small, cramped room was her entire world…
"Is it acting up? Why didn't you say anything? Did you take your pain medication?"
Ren Jie stepped forward, carefully helped Tao Yaoyao up, and positioned her comfortably…
Then he turned to get the medicine.
Tao Yaoyao was very beautiful, with a round, somewhat chubby face that had the unique childishness of a young girl. Her large eyes were full of Spiritual Qi, and her cherry lips and small nose gave her the impression of a harmless, adorable little sister.
However, at this moment, Tao Yaoyao's large eyes were filled with tears, her soft black hair soaked with sweat. She clutched the bedsheet tightly with one hand, looking at Ren Jie's back…
"Brother~ Don't eat it. I can bear it. That pain medication is very expensive, and there's not much left. How many part-time jobs do you have to do? How many clothes does Mom have to wash, to…"
Ren Jie didn't care. He poured out the pain medication and put it into Tao Yaoyao's mouth.
"It's just pain medication. Brother can afford it. Just take it. As for the inhibitor, wait a bit longer. We can gather the money."
Tao Yaoyao was already in the third stage of demon mark disease. If she didn't take the inhibitor, the Demon Mark would spread very quickly, and they couldn't delay any longer.
However, the price of the inhibitor was even more expensive than Gene Warrior potions.
Tao Yaoyao shook her head, her eyes red, and said:
"Brother~ How about… don't take it? The demon mark disease can't be cured. Taking the inhibitor is just a waste of money."
"I'm going to die sooner or later. If I die, you can go to university, and Mom won't be so tired. I…"
The more she spoke, the softer Tao Yaoyao's voice became…
Ren Jie stood by the bed, staring at her expressionlessly, his gaze very serious.
Tao Yaoyao knew Ren Jie was angry.
She couldn't help but say timidly, pitifully:
(๑ᵒ̴̶̷̥́～ᵒ̴̶̷̣̥̀) "Brother, don't be angry. I… I won't say it anymore, okay?"
Only then did Ren Jie sit on the bed, pulling Tao Yaoyao into his embrace, gently patting her back.
"Brother knows you're hurting, but you have to be strong. I will cure you, no matter what it takes!"
"When you're better, you can take care of me and Aunt An Ning, okay~"
"Don't worry about the inhibitor. Once I become a full-time Si Yao Official and enter Si Yao Hall, I'll enjoy the benefits of a Si Yao Official. If a Si Yao Official's family member is critically ill, Si Yao Hall will issue medical subsidies…"
"It will get better, everything will get better, I promise…"
Ren Jie kept comforting Tao Yaoyao, and even more so, comforting himself.
This was also why Ren Jie gave up the opportunity to go to university and insisted on entering Si Yao Hall.
Gene Warrior potions were secondary; obtaining medical subsidies was the real goal.
"Brother~ Hold me while I sleep~"
"You're so big, hold what? Brother and sister should keep their distance~"
(๑◔◡◔ิ) "Mmm~ (pouting) We're not related by blood, are we?"
"No holding. Go to sleep!"
"Then holding hands is okay, right? If you don't hold my hand, I'll tell Mom you hid the Holy Light Secret Tome under the bedside table! Three volumes of Absolute Domain, two volumes…"
(•́ω•̀٥) "Oh~ My dear sister, may I ask if you would like to hold my left hand or my right hand?"