The owner poked his head out, looking utterly exasperated. "All you do is blame me! What am I supposed to do if our son doesn't like reading? He's your son too. If you're so capable, you deal with him!"
The owner's wife glared, her brows bristling, and was about to storm inside.
Then she suddenly spotted Wen Xiancheng and Xue Ruigao coming in, and her face blossomed into a smile. "What would you like to eat today?"
Xue Ruigao smiled. "Two dishes, please. Braised fish and stir-fried seasonal vegetables."
The owner's wife hurriedly called out, "Old Huang, one braised fish and one stir-fried seasonal vegetables!"
As she spoke, she led Wen Xiancheng and Xue Ruigao inside, found an empty table, and said, "Sit here!"
Xue Ruigao thanked her, stopped Wen Xiancheng from sitting down, and pulled out a few tissues. Only after wiping the stool and table did she let him sit. "Would you like something to drink?"
Wen Xiancheng shook his head.
His gaze fell on a little boy of about six nearby, sprawled over a stool with his eyes practically glued to a phone!
Noticing his gaze, the owner's wife pointed at the boy, looking rather embarrassed. "That's my son. Just like that good-for-nothing father of his, he doesn't like reading. Ask him to read a book, and he cries."
"Honestly, he's this old and doesn't know a thing. I can't hit him, and scolding him is a waste of breath. How is he any different from some stray cat or dog?"
"He's worrying me to death!"
Xue Ruigao merely smiled.
Wen Xiancheng's gaze dropped to One Thousand and One Nights in his arms.
This was the result of an entire afternoon spent applying illusion techniques.
"Let me try." Wen Xiancheng stood and walked toward the little boy.
The owner's wife shook her head. "You? He isn't even afraid of me. He's a stubborn rock!"
Wen Xiancheng went over and crouched in front of the boy. "Hey, little guy?"
Just as the owner's wife had said, the boy completely ignored him.
Xue Ruigao propped her chin on her right hand and watched Wen Xiancheng with a smile.
Xiancheng really was different now.
He was actually taking the initiative to talk to a stranger outside, even if it was only a child.
Wen Xiancheng wasn't upset that the little boy ignored him.
Resting One Thousand and One Nights on his thighs, Wen Xiancheng pressed his hands together and shook them. "Spirits of heaven, spirits of earth, let all things obey my command-transform!"
As he drew his hands apart, three large floating characters appeared eerily, hovering in front of him.
Xue Ruigao stared at the three large characters in astonishment-Wen Xiancheng.
This was...!
An illusion technique!
She had seen students who studied illusion techniques perform at the academy!
It was the lowest-level kind of illusion technique.
But Xiancheng had no talent for cultivation, and he stayed home all day, barely ever going out. How did he know illusion techniques?
The owner's wife also let out an "Ah!" Her face was full of shock.
The little boy, who had been staring at the phone all this time, raised his head at the commotion.
When he saw the three large characters spelling "Wen Xiancheng" hovering between Wen Xiancheng's hands, curiosity flickered across his face. He reached out his little hand to poke them.
Wen Xiancheng chuckled and twirled his right index finger.
The three characters spelling "Wen Xiancheng" began spinning around the finger the little boy had reached out.
"What's this?" The boy's eyes went wide. "What do these words say?"
Wen Xiancheng smiled. "That's my name, Wen Xiancheng. Is it fun?"
"It's fun!" The boy nodded like a rattling pellet drum and poked one of the characters with his right hand.
But the instant his finger touched it, all three characters spelling "Wen Xiancheng" vanished without a trace.
The little boy hurriedly said to Wen Xiancheng, "Again! Again!"
With a chuckle, Wen Xiancheng took One Thousand and One Nights off his thighs and placed it on the stool, covering the phone.
"Close your eyes. It's time to witness a miracle!" Wen Xiancheng said mysteriously.
The little boy eyed him doubtfully.
Wen Xiancheng said, "Close your eyes first, and I'll show you something even more fun right away!"
Only then did the little boy say, "Okay," and cover his eyes with both hands.
Slowly opening the first page with both hands, Wen Xiancheng said, "I'll count to three, and then you open your eyes. Three, two, one!"
When Wen Xiancheng reached "one," the first page was fully open.
The little boy opened his eyes.
Under the astonished gazes of the little boy, Xue Ruigao, and the owner's wife, countless characters flew out of the book, fluttering and dancing like butterflies!
"Wow! Wow! What's this? What's this? This is so fun! So fun!" The boy clapped excitedly.
Wen Xiancheng stood up with a smile and popped the first character with his finger. "This is One Thousand and One Nights. It has lots and lots of stories. These stories have all come to life and turned into butterflies, waiting for you to play with them. Little guy, would you like to play with them?"
"Yes! Yes! I want to play! I want to play!" The boy hurriedly poked at the characters.
The characters promptly vanished one after another without a trace.
The little boy stared at the empty air in bewilderment.
Wen Xiancheng closed the book, then opened it again.
At once, countless characters flew out again!
The little boy lit up with delight once more!
Just then, the owner came over carrying the braised fish. "The braised fish is ready!"
Wen Xiancheng closed the book and told the boy, "Little guy, that's all for today's show. I'm going to eat now, so I can't play with you anymore."
With that, he took the book over to Xue Ruigao and sat down opposite her.
Struggling to contain her excitement, Xue Ruigao asked, "Xiancheng, when did you learn to do that?!"
Wen Xiancheng teased, "None of your business! Anyway, I can do all sorts of things. You'll find out little by little."
The little boy, however, wasn't having it.
He ran over, stood beside Wen Xiancheng, and reached for his book.
Wen Xiancheng shook his head. "Little guy, this is mine. I paid a lot of money for it, so I can't give it to you."
Clutching the book, the little boy looked pitifully at the owner's wife. "Mommy, I want it! I want it!"
The owner's wife looked at Wen Xiancheng with an ingratiating smile. "Um, young man, what is that? It's so amazing!"
Wen Xiancheng seemed to hesitate for a moment before saying, "It isn't really anything especially valuable. It's just a children's book. A friend of mine gave it a special treatment, and it's particularly suitable for children. I was originally going to give it to a relative's child, but if you'd like it, I can sell it to you and buy another copy myself."
The owner's wife looked delighted. "Wouldn't that be imposing?"
Wen Xiancheng laughed. "Not at all. I only moved here recently, and I'll definitely be coming here to eat from time to time. Consider it making a friend."
The owner's wife hurriedly thanked him. "Thank you! Thank you so much! So you two just moved here. I was wondering why it felt like yesterday was the first time I'd seen you. How much is the book?"
Wen Xiancheng said, "I bought this book from the Xinhua Library for one low-grade spirit stone. My friend spent a whole afternoon treating the entire book with a special technique to make it look like what you just saw. He normally sells a book he's treated for eighty low-grade spirit stones. Since we're friends, he only charged me fifty low-grade spirit stones. I won't ask for anything extra. Just give me fifty low-grade spirit stones."
The owner's wife readily agreed. "All right. Thank you, young man! Once you've finished eating, we'll deduct the cost of the meal from that."
Wen Xiancheng released the book and told the little boy, "Here, it's yours now."
Beaming with happiness, the little boy hugged the book and hurried back to the stool. He opened it, then closed it again, having the time of his life.
(End of chapter)
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