"Hiss~"
The white snake's vertical pupils opened for a moment.
A hint of cool indifference and speechlessness showed in its eyes.
What an idiot.
But it wasn't going to remind the idiot.
Between Lord Xiao Xiao and that idiot, its choice was obvious.
The white snake lazily closed its eyes.
Mm.
It was starting to crave something sweet, too.
Come to think of it, human pastries really were delicious.
It liked them.
Because of this unexpected interruption, Xiao Xiao arrived at the mall much later than he'd expected.
"Awoo~"
The sweet, fragrant smell made Taotie restless.
Closer.
Closer...
Its pastries...
Taotie grinned.
Happy notes hummed in its throat.
Xiao Xiao raised an eyebrow.
That tune...
It sounded like a song that had been really popular lately...
Little Taotie was becoming more and more immersed in human life.
A hint of amusement surfaced in Xiao Xiao's eyes.
He'd never imagined that one day he'd hear Taotie humming a tune composed by humans.
He'd already seen so many incredible things.
Yet somehow, this little thing still struck him as quite marvelous.
"You're going to have bad luck."
That voice was...
Xiao Xiao paused slightly.
He turned his face toward the sound.
The Heavenly Maiden was hovering above his shoulder.
"Heavenly Maiden."
Xiao Xiao's eyes curved into a smile.
Then he thought of what she'd just said.
Bad luck?
Just as he was about to ask her more, his expression froze.
He knew what the Heavenly Maiden meant...
The shop with its doors firmly shut... was the very place he'd come to visit.
The shopkeeper seemed to have left in a hurry.
The curtains were only half drawn.
Through the display window, he could see the cakes inside.
But there were only a few.