He was only fifty meters from home.
Zuo Xiaoduo lightened his footsteps and crept furtively forward, hugging the wall.
I'm carrying a fortune right now. I've got to hide it, fast!
If Mom and Dad find out, having it confiscated will be the least of my worries. They'll definitely dig down to the roots, and then a savage beating will be inevitable, followed by written pledges, solemn vows never to do it again, and all that. Just thinking about it is terrifying.
But I broke through this time, with brilliant results. Mom and Dad will definitely be delighted. Once I get home and tell them... hehehe...
Imagining his parents' expressions of disbelief and delight, Zuo Xiaoduo inexplicably felt happiness already overflowing in his heart.
"I, Zuo Xiaoduo, can finally make Mom and Dad happy for once, proud for once!"
Zuo Xiaoduo walked along, lost in his fantasies, his face brimming with joy.
He had crept another seven or eight meters when his vision suddenly went black. Heaven and earth began spinning, and he felt as though he had entered a tunnel through time and space.
Zuo Xiaoduo immediately let out a shriek. "Zuo Xiaonian, I hate you! ..."
A moment later, light returned to his vision, but he was already flying through his own window into the living room as though riding clouds and mist.
With his feet back on solid ground, Zuo Xiaoduo swayed dizzily for a moment before his head cleared. Then he flew into a rage. "Zuo Xiaonian! Are you itching for a beating?! How dare you toy with the great Lord Xiaoduo like this!"
Those words were like a rock-shattering thunderclap, shaking heaven and earth.
Zuo Xiaoduo, who had always been the family's eternal punching bag, had actually raised his voice today!
And he had even called himself "Lord Xiaoduo." Not only was this utterly unprecedented, it was downright unbelievable!
Zuo Changlu, who was drinking tea and reading the newspaper, abruptly looked up and regarded his son as though he were a revolutionary fighter.
Wu Yuting, who was cooking in the kitchen, poked her head out at once and asked, her eyes filled with shock, "Who was shouting just now?! Why did that sound so much like Xiaoduo? But since when did Xiaoduo have that kind of guts!"
Zuo Xiaonian had also been stunned senseless by that shout. With one hand still extended, fingers curled like an eagle's talons in the pose she had used to seize him through the air, she froze on the spot and remained motionless for a long while.
After a moment, Zuo Xiaonian slowly turned her neck with an almost stiff motion. Her beautiful eyes fixed on Zuo Xiaoduo, carrying a measure of doubt and disbelief, as she murmured, "Did something happen to Doggie today? Has he gone mad?"
Zuo Xiaoduo continued his aggressive bluster. "Zuo Xiaonian, consider this a solemn warning! If you dare call me Doggie again, I'll definitely beat you up someday! I'll beat you beyond recognition, until you don't dare show your face or walk down the street!"
"Huh?!"
Zuo Xiaonian slowly circled Zuo Xiaoduo twice, examining him from the crown of his head to the tips of his toes. A look of complete enlightenment spread across her face as she murmured, "The sun must have risen from the wrong direction today..."
Zuo Xiaoduo steadied himself against the table, then actually slapped it with brazen arrogance.
"Dad! Mom! Nian Nian Cat!"
All three members of his family were utterly stunned!
What on earth was wrong with this brat?!
This was...
Getting carried away!
And outrageously carried away at that!!
Not only did he dare slap the table, he actually dared open his mouth and call her "Nian Nian Cat" outright!
Duo Duo Dog and Nian Nian Cat were nicknames Zuo Changlu and Wu Yuting had given Zuo Xiaoduo and Zuo Xiaonian when they were little.
They had originally been meant as playful names that rolled off the tongue, but the two children had known no better and answered whenever they were called. After laughing themselves into fits, Zuo Changlu and his wife had simply kept using them.
But as Zuo Xiaonian gradually grew up, and since she was a girl, the name Nian Nian Cat had long since left the stage of history. These days, only Wu Yuting still used it occasionally; her father, Zuo Changlu, had practically forgotten the name existed.
Zuo Xiaoduo's Duo Duo Dog, on the other hand, had stuck all along. Despite his repeated protests, he had lost in the face of an overwhelming three-to-one vote.
Not only had it remained in use, it had also spawned endless variations.
Now that the name Nian Nian Cat had suddenly come out of Zuo Xiaoduo's mouth, all three of them felt that the sun must have risen from the wrong direction today.
"Dog Egg!!"
Having been called "Nian Nian Cat," Zuo Xiaonian finally recovered her senses and roared, "What did you say?!"
Zuo Xiaoduo's knees shamefully went weak, and his imposing air drained away like a torrent plunging a thousand miles. Barely suppressing the waves of panic and helplessness in his heart, he steeled himself and ignored her, striving to turn back the raging tide as he declared loudly, "I have some good news to announce! And some bad news to announce, too! Dad! Mom! Nian Nian... Sis..."
Faced with Zuo Xiaonian's fierce glare, Zuo Xiaoduo wisely changed the "Nian Nian Cat" on the tip of his tongue to "Sis Niannian."
Zuo Changlu frowned suspiciously. "You... good news? Did you... finally find some money?"
Wu Yuting looked expectant. "Perhaps his teacher praised him. That would be the first time in six years!"
Zuo Xiaonian wore a mischievous smile as she waited for a certain someone to continue.
Zuo Xiaoduo drew a deep breath and did his best to puff out his chest, making himself look tall and imposing. With his hands clasped behind his back, he struggled mightily to maintain a reserved air. "The good news I want to announce is... I broke through to Martial Warrior today! And I've finished tempering my right leg. My right leg is as hard as iron now! I've officially entered the Martial Warrior Class. What's more, in my very first lesson, I fought my way from thirty-sixth place all the way up to thirtieth! Truly soaring straight into the blue clouds-who but me could do it! Sweeping through like rotten wood and withered grass, sending everyone fleeing at the mere sight of me!"
At this point, a certain someone deliberately put on an act and heaved a theatrical sigh. "I wanted to keep charging ahead, but human strength has its limits. I really had nothing left, so I lost that bout against number twenty-nine. No fault of my fighting, no fault of my fighting!"
At this explosive news, Zuo Changlu froze, and so did Wu Yuting.
Zuo Xiaoduo finally lost his composure and burst out laughing. He rushed forward, wrapped his arms around Wu Yuting, and lifted her into a spin. "Mom! Are you happy? Are you happy? Hahahaha... I broke through! I'm not useless anymore! I'm a genius! I can cultivate now! I can cultivate!"