Chapter 63 - 61: The Crow Afraid of a Shattered Dao Heart

Chapter 63: Chapter 61: The Crow Afraid of a Shattered Dao Heart

Jiang Chaosheng felt the Evil Crow was a little different tonight.

Ever since it came to Antique Shop Zero, it had always acted so flighty.

’What’s wrong with it tonight?’

’Did something set it off?’

Jiang Chaosheng nodded slightly.

"Alright."

The Evil Crow flapped its wings and flew up, using its talons to grab two teacups and place them on the counter.

It flew up again, went to the counter, grabbed a bottle of liquor from the Qing Dynasty, and landed back on the counter.

With a peck of its beak, the bottle’s seal was broken. Its talons grabbed the bottle and poured the liquor into the two cups.

The rich aroma of the liquor instantly filled Antique Shop Zero.

Jiang Chaosheng watched the Evil Crow do all this with a blank expression.

’Does it have any idea how expensive this bottle is?’

The Evil Crow grabbed a cup and said attentively to Jiang Chaosheng:

"Master, let’s have a drink."

Jiang Chaosheng didn’t have the heart to refuse the Evil Crow, especially since it had called him Master.

He picked up the cup.

Jiang Chaosheng knew how to drink.

When he was a child, his family was poor, and the winters were very cold.

When he couldn’t bear it, his mother would get him a cup of white liquor to warm him up.

The mother mentioned here wasn’t his later adoptive parents, but his mother from before he went to the orphanage.

The Evil Crow downed the liquor in one gulp and sighed.

"Look at Elder Dragon and Daji. They’re so lucky."

Jiang Chaosheng raised an eyebrow.

"You call going mad lucky?"

The Evil Crow shook its head bitterly.

"Going mad is better than being clueless."

Jiang Chaosheng waited for the Evil Crow to continue.

The Evil Crow raised its head and looked at Jiang Chaosheng.

"Tonight, you used the Triple Roshomon.

One of those gates looked so familiar. The one to the Underworld."

The Evil Crow gave a miserable smile.

"When I was young, I used to hang out by that gate with Ox Head and Horse Face, flirting with the female Ghosts."

Jiang Chaosheng pressed his lips together.

’That does sound pretty tragic.’

’He wakes up one day and the Underworld is gone, and the poor bastard still doesn’t know what happened.’

The Evil Crow poured another cup of liquor down its throat and said dejectedly:

"Master, I’m homesick."

The word "homesick" seemed to strike a nerve with Jiang Chaosheng.

Jiang Chaosheng lowered his gaze.

"From now on, this is your home."

The Evil Crow was stunned. It stared at Jiang Chaosheng, as if trying to see right through his expression.

The previous Managers had all treated it like a tool, like just another Taboo Item.

This new Manager was actually saying this place was its, the Evil Crow’s, home?

’Is he... treating me like family?’

The Evil Crow grabbed its cup, its avian eyes filled with sincerity.

"Next time we run into a monster like Daji, I’ll definitely stand in front of you. What happened tonight won’t happen a second time."

Tonight, the Evil Crow had been scared stiff by Daji, completely unable to use any of its tricks against her.

Jiang Chaosheng scoffed.

"After all that talk, it turns out you’re just apologizing."

The Evil Crow laughed awkwardly.

"No, it’s... I want to ask a favor of you."

Jiang Chaosheng said:

"Speak."

The Evil Crow gazed at the dark night outside, its eyes full of longing.

"When Luoyang Slope still existed, I was free.

I slept when I was tired, ate when I woke up, and flirted with female Ghosts when I was bored.

I was very comfortable in my little nest.

A thousand years ago, Luoyang Slope disappeared, and the first Manager caught me and brought me here.

I was stuck here for nine hundred years.

After that, I spent another hundred years as the Guardian God for the Wang Family.

For a thousand years, I haven’t been free.

Perhaps one day in the future, my spirit will break, and I’ll become the third lunatic in this place."

As it spoke, the Evil Crow looked at Jiang Chaosheng.

"Master, can I go out for a walk now and then?

Not far, just around these few streets.

I... haven’t breathed fresh air in a very long time."

Jiang Chaosheng pondered for a moment, then looked at the Evil Crow, saw its eyes filled with anticipation and longing, and said:

"Alright. You can come and go from the antique shop as you please, and wander around within South Sea City."

The Evil Crow’s eyes turned red. It grabbed its cup.

"Thank you for your great kindness, Master."

Jiang Chaosheng put down his cup and headed upstairs.

He used to love liquor. It made him feel warm after drinking.

Later, the liquor didn’t taste right anymore. It wasn’t fun.

He quit.

Suddenly, he heard the sound of the door opening.

He turned his head and saw the Evil Crow hurriedly flying out.

Jiang Chaosheng smiled and shook his head.

’Who doesn’t love freedom?’

’Once my Curse is broken, I’ll be free too.’

’Yang Xiao should be about done setting up the Taboo Association’s Cleaner Fish System.’

’Then the Taboo Association will have a powerful tool for containing and retrieving Taboo Items.’

...

「The next day, at Antique Shop Zero.」

Jin Meiting came downstairs in a daze.

She hadn’t slept all night; she’d been thinking all night.

How could she become someone useful to her master.

Her master didn’t lust after her body, so she couldn’t help him satisfy his physiological needs. She had to find another way.

’Become an envoy?’

’Don’t be ridiculous. If Yang Xiao wasn’t so busy setting up the Cleaner Fish System lately, the envoy position would definitely be his.’

’Last night, Yang Xiao fought that powerful Seimei Misawa to a standstill for a long time.’

For now, all she could do was be an excellent maid and tidy up Antique Shop Zero.

Jin Meiting walked to the shelves, took a rag to wipe away the dust, and suddenly saw something.

The Evil Crow was hugging a pile of silk stockings and women’s underwear, sleeping soundly.

Jin Meiting snatched the Evil Crow up and shrieked:

"You stinking Crow! You stole my things again!"

The Evil Crow woke with a start.

"Who stole your things?!"

Jin Meiting angrily pointed at the women’s clothing in the bird’s nest.

The Evil Crow said furiously:

"Look closely! Are these yours?!"

Jin Meiting froze.

The Evil Crow grabbed a pair of blue panties.

"Do you own anything this cute?"

The Evil Crow then grabbed a pair of white stockings and sneered.

"You nympho, would you own white stockings, a symbol of purity?!"

Jin Meiting was completely stunned.

’Where did the Evil Crow steal this stuff from?’

"What’s all the noise?!"

The calm voice, laced with terrifying killing intent, came from the top of the stairs.

Jiang Chaosheng had been woken once by Daji last night, and now, first thing in the morning, he was being woken up by the Evil Crow and Jin Meiting.

It was annoying. Really, really annoying.

The Evil Crow pointed at Jin Meiting and screeched:

"She’s slandering me! She’s slandering me!"

Jiang Chaosheng saw the women’s clothing in the Evil Crow’s nest, and his face instantly darkened.

The Evil Crow felt a terrifying killing intent, shrank its neck, and looked cautiously at Jiang Chaosheng.

Jiang Chaosheng walked over, his expression blank.

"Homesick?"

Jiang Chaosheng advanced step by step.

"Spirit breaking?"

The Evil Crow laughed awkwardly and backed away.

Jiang Chaosheng stood before the Evil Crow. Seeing the pink panties hanging from its wing, his eye twitched.

"Want to go out for a walk?"

’So all that heartfelt emotion last night was just so you could freely leave Antique Shop Zero to do this, was it?’

’Are you sick in the head?’

The Evil Crow cowered at the very back edge of its nest, not daring to say a word.

Suddenly, Jiang Chaosheng heard a sound.

Rain!

He turned to look outside.

It was raining.

He had already retrieved and contained six Taboo Items. The Curse was halfway broken.

As long as it was raining, he could walk outside.

...

「Afternoon. South Sea. A torrential downpour.」

Winter had already set in. Normally, it rarely rained in the South Sea at this time of year.

This rain wasn’t nature’s sweet dew, nourishing all living things, but an official lie to cover up an abnormal incident.

A hurricane had appeared in the old district last night. Many people had seen the bizarre, giant tornado, and the public needed an explanation.

A once-in-a-century natural phenomenon would serve as an explanation.

Official accounts would guide marketing accounts to explain this "natural phenomenon" together, quickly covering up the truth of the supernatural event that occurred in South Sea City.

In a special office, Li Mingyue stared blankly at the rain outside.

On the computer in front of her, a document was open. It was titled: Anomalous Creature Report.