Saying Weird Things Without Anyone Noticing

Once people got positive reinforcement, they became remarkably motivated.

For instance, Fang Xian had only gone to bed after four in the morning, but the thought of Zhu Shuang's [Stars 15 Pro Max] still sitting out there sent him springing up and heading out in the dark.

When he reached the location shown by [No One Calling], Fang Xian happily claimed Zhu Shuang's phone.

He also found a bottle of something that looked like [spray].

[Urban Legend Alert].

[Urban legend item obtained: Pest Spray (one use remaining)].

[Pest Spray: After use, greatly reduces the chance of attacks by wild urban legends below the Heart-Pounding level.]

An unexpected bonus?

Fang Xian's eyes lit up.

The Urban Legend Compendium had mentioned this item before.

So that was what it did.

No wonder Zhu Shuang had used the Assembled Paper Figure to lure out the paper figure, yet the urban legend hadn't attacked him.

"But... why did Zhu Shuang have an urban legend item? That's the question."

Fang Xian picked up the Pest Spray and put it in his Treasure-Trove Backpack.

The backpack was getting so full he could barely fit anything else inside.

With everything taken care of, Fang Xian returned to the guesthouse for a proper rest.

He woke after a good sleep.

Fang Xian opened his eyes and looked out the window.

The sun was shining, and a gentle breeze was blowing.

Why did the weather feel better after he caught an urban legend?

Fang Xian stretched and checked the time.

[9:57] a.m.

An excellent time.

It had been a very productive weekend: two urban legends, a phone, and an urban legend item.

He'd made out like a bandit.

Lying in bed with a goofy grin, Fang Xian opened the Urban Legend Compendium.

[Super Deals! Everything you want is here! Double Eleven year-end sale!]

[Tremble—show the world who you are!]

When he was in a good mood, even watching ads felt easy.

Huh? Why the hell was the ad forty-five seconds now? Hadn't it been thirty before? Could they just keep making it longer?

Fang Xian patiently sat through the ad.

Then he began browsing his urban legends.

Xiao Jiu could wait. She was still asleep beside him, covering her eyes with both hands to keep out the sunlight.

Little Baldy still looked like a sleazy chibi. Disgusting. Fang Xian would deal with him sooner or later.

The Human-Faced Fish... Fang Xian noticed that it looked even more grotesque in the Urban Legend Compendium than it had last night. The human face on top of its head had grown darker and more terrifying. The actual fish, by contrast, was gradually losing the horror it had possessed that night.

No One's Phone was a pretty good-looking chibi pixel phone. It would have been better without that man's memorial portrait.

"Time to get up!"

Fang Xian sprang out of bed. He could finally take it easy today. The weekend had been exhausting.

Then he noticed that Song Yizhou had sent him a message at around [8:00] that morning.

[Silence Is Zhou: Image].

Fang Xian opened it.

Huh?

What was this?

Fang Xian frowned.

The photo showed a stunning woman with medium-length hair and wispy straight bangs.

She wore glasses and looked straight at the camera with an earnest gaze.

Her pink lips were gently pressed together, and her flawless oval face looked so serious it was almost adorably guileless.

Wasn't this a selfie of Song Yizhou?

What was she up to?

So this was how it started, huh?

Fang Xian was extremely wary of this sort of honey trap.

"What's she trying to do?"

"Is she grateful because I saved them yesterday?"

"Even so, there's no need to send me something like this. I don't even like it."

Fang Xian saved the photo and immediately replaced the black-and-white memorial portrait that had stubbornly taken over his phone's lock screen.

After thinking for a moment, he sent a message on WeChat.

[Fang Xian: Looks good.]

[Fang Xian: Don't send any more.]

Song Yizhou was beautiful, but Fang Xian didn't particularly like girls like her.

If she could send him a photo like this out of nowhere, she could send one to anyone else.

Zhang Yuhang or Wang Dashan would probably fall for it on the spot.

But Fang Xian was different.

After sending the message, he got up and hurried downstairs to the backyard to see the Human-Faced Fish.

The owner was feeding the fish. He looked distinctly nervous when Fang Xian arrived.

Last night, he had taken a few photos of the Human-Faced Fish. When he checked them that morning, he nearly died of fright.

Every photo in his phone's gallery had turned into a black-and-white memorial portrait of a man.

The middle-aged owner had immediately deleted them all.

"This fish..."

Fang Xian frowned slightly.

Just as I thought.

The urban legend's power was fading.

The fish had originally looked sinister and uncanny, its eyes brimming with intelligence.

Now it looked vacant, no different from an ordinary fish.

More importantly, the unmistakably abnormal, misshapen human face on top of its head now seemed to have become a pattern on its skin—something science could plausibly explain.

It's because I caught the urban legend.

Fang Xian was certain of it now.

Catching an urban legend also brought about Urban Legend Conversion.

That meant Fang Xian could convert an urban legend he possessed into something called an Urban Legend Factor.

Urban Legend Factors could extend his life or be applied directly to urban legends to raise their levels.

Honestly, Fang Xian wanted to convert Little Baldy, but Following might still prove useful, so he spared him for the time being.

After checking on the fish, Fang Xian headed straight to the guesthouse dining area, ready to demolish breakfast.

As it happened, Song Yizhou and Yao Hui were eating breakfast too.

"Hey, good morning."

Fang Xian waved.

Yao Hui greeted him with the easy composure of a grown woman. "Fang Xian, you're up! Come on, sit down."

Fang Xian didn't stand on ceremony. He served himself a bowl of congee, grabbed a fried dough stick, and sat down.

Song Yizhou, the literary girl, seemed unusually quiet and awkward.

She ate her egg, glanced up at Fang Xian, then lowered her head again.

She thought back to what he had sent her on WeChat.

[Fang Xian: Looks good.]

[Fang Xian: Send more.]

Song Yizhou felt a little embarrassed.

She had always been someone with firm boundaries.

She had never met anyone like Fang Xian.

Sending him one selfie had already pushed her to her limit.

There was no way.

She would never send another.

Fang Xian watched Song Yizhou out of the corner of his eye.

How calculating. She's putting on such a sweet, innocent act.

He didn't dwell on it and focused on devouring his breakfast.

Yao Hui narrowed her eyes and leaned toward him. "Fang Xian, are you doing more research for work today?"

Fang Xian thought for a moment. "No, I'm done. I was going to ask if you could give me a ride back to school when you leave."

Huihuizi smiled. "Then let's have a meal together today. I'll treat you—and you can count on me."

"It's not just for what happened last time. It's for this time too."

Fang Xian saw no reason to turn down free food. "Then I want something good. I'm a picky eater."

Yao Hui clapped her hands. "Eat whatever you want. I can afford it."

Well, that was what people who drove a Sky Steed X7 were like.

Ding-dong.

Just then,

a WeChat notification popped up.

[He Qi: Brother Xian, I just talked to Qi Qi.]

[He Qi: She said He He seems a little different from before, and she's willing to give it a try.]

[He Qi: Smiling face.]

Fang Xian remembered that He Qi and the others were going into town today.

Not bad. That's it—you've got to be as bold as you are when you go fishing.

[Fang Xian: Keep it up!]

[Fang Xian: Make yourself strong enough that no downpour can drench you. She'll notice you! You've got this!]

Meanwhile,

in Changzhao Reservoir Town,

He Qi stared at his phone with an odd expression.

[Fang Xian: Keep going!]

[Fang Xian: Force yourself on her! You've got this!]

He Qi: "Huh?"