Chapter 271: Extra (8)
Su Lü tilted his head back and gazed at the sky, now finally clear after the storm. A faint sense of relief washed over him.
With the rain clouds gone, the rising water levels in the rivers would gradually recede, and it wouldn’t be long before order was restored.
Lowering his gaze, Su Lü looked at the little boy clinging tightly to him, burying his face in Su Lü’s chest. For once, Su Lü felt a rare twinge of exasperation.
Zhou Zhou was a fragment of the Heavenly Dao’s spirit, and his emotions could directly influence the natural order… As this thought crossed Su Lü’s mind, a vision of a young man with short platinum hair appeared.
Recalling the bright, smiling expression from their last encounter, Su Lü involuntarily pressed his lips together.
Zhou Yan… this must have been intentional, right?
Unlike Su Ci, Su Lü didn’t possess such rich and delicate emotions. He had no need for companionship.
Yet, as he looked at the little boy, who continued clutching his robes even in sleep, Su Lü could only sigh. Gently, he scooped the boy up into his arms.
The connection between heaven and earth ran too deep. To maintain balance in the world, he couldn’t simply ignore this child.
“Duang Duang Duang~”
A peculiar bouncing noise echoed through the bamboo forest. Su Lü turned his head and saw a translucent blue sphere hopping energetically into the grove, exuding waves of excitement and joy.
While the continuous half-month downpour had worried everyone in Base 24, the water spirit was utterly delighted.
Ten years had passed, and it still retained its form as a little water droplet.
Since it had been turned into a cub by Zhou Yan’s rules, it would likely remain in this state unless Zhou Yan lifted the restriction.
The water spirit didn’t mind anymore. With humans and demons now residing on Earth, most irrigation systems had been mechanized, leaving it with little to do. This newfound leisure suited it just fine.
When Lu Jiao was still around, the water spirit used to frequent the Water Cultivators’ Sect, playfully teasing the trainees. But now that Lu Jiao had left with the young cub squad for off-world missions, leaving the sect in its care, the water spirit found itself less inclined to visit.
Who wanted to babysit a bunch of wet-behind-the-ears rookies? Sure, Lu Jiao was technically a kid too, but it loved playing with him—so what?
Now, with Base 24 submerged in rain for half a month, the water levels had risen significantly, flooding rivers and spreading further.
The water spirit was ecstatic.
The wood clan members had even sought its help, asking it to stop the rain, but it ignored them entirely.
Why would it stop? If the whole planet turned into a water world, that would be the ultimate dream come true!
Just the thought of it filled the water spirit with glee, its emotions radiating pure delight.
Even though the rain had temporarily stopped, it wasn’t the first time the downpour had paused, so the water spirit continued indulging in its grand fantasy.
But it didn’t stay happy for long.
As the little water droplet hopped into the bamboo forest, ready to brag to the spirit bamboos, it caught sight of a familiar figure standing by the pond, holding a child.
The sight made the water spirit freeze in shock.
Wasn’t the Earth Spirit taken away by the Heavenly Dao’s spirit?
Why was he back?
And why had he dyed his hair and started wearing colored contacts?
The water spirit, who always found encounters with the deities emotionally scarring, immediately tried to make a hasty retreat. It turned to flee but was too late.
Su Lü raised his hand, and the little water droplet, which had been bouncing toward the edge of the forest, was pulled back by an invisible force. It landed in Su Lü’s palm, securely trapped.
What was this about? It hadn’t done anything wrong lately—why was this powerful figure holding it captive?
The water spirit fumed internally but didn’t dare show it outwardly. Trembling in Su Lü’s hand, it put on its best pitiful act.
Now that it was up close, the water spirit could sense that the man holding it, though similar to the Earth Spirit in aura, felt somehow different.
What was going on?
Why was it being captured? It was just a weak, helpless, innocent little water spirit cub!
“Water Spirit?” Su Lü asked softly.
“Plop…” The water droplet responded weakly.
“Go deal with the flood,” Su Lü said casually before tossing the water spirit out of the bamboo forest.
Regaining its freedom, the little water spirit bounced and splashed angrily through the floodwaters outside the grove, letting out indignant plops.
Why should it clean up the flood? It wasn’t the one who caused it! If anything, it wished the whole planet could become a water world. Why should it stop?
Su Lü’s golden-red eyes swept over it coolly.
The water spirit froze. What are you looking at? So what if you’re the Earth Spirit? Big deal!
Grumbling, it reluctantly began its task.
Watching as the water spirit vanished into the waters and the flood levels, already over a meter high, began rapidly receding, Su Lü finally felt a sense of relief.
Then he sensed something and lowered his head.
The boy who had caused all this remained blissfully unaware, sleeping soundly in his arms. In his dreams, he smacked his lips and snuggled closer to Su Lü’s chest, full of dependence.
After crying for so long, the boy’s eyes were red and swollen.
Su Lü raised his hand to gently stroke the child’s chubby cheeks. His thumb lightly brushed over the boy’s puffy eyelids, and the redness and swelling gradually faded away.
The boy’s tightly furrowed brows relaxed at last.
He snuggled closer into Su Lü’s arms, feeling secure and comfortable, and drifted back into a deep sleep.
Su Lü silently watched him for a while. In the end, he didn’t leave the boy behind but carried him and disappeared from the spot.
When Zhou Zhou woke again, he found himself lying on a small bed made of intertwined vines and flowers, covered with a tiny blanket.
Rubbing his eyes with his little hands, he sat up in a daze and sneezed softly, the thick fragrance of pollen tickling his nose.
The sneeze startled him fully awake.
“Brother Su Lü?”
He quickly looked around. The place was a clean, cozy cave dwelling, exuding a timeless elegance with no trace of modern technology.
It was a beautiful place, but… Brother Su Lü wasn’t here.
Zhou Zhou’s little mouth began to tremble, and his eyes welled up again. Just then, a slightly exasperated voice rang out.
“I’m here. Don’t cry.”
Zhou Zhou blinked, quickly climbing down from the little bed and running toward the voice. His short legs propelled him as fast as they could until he finally emerged outside the cave.
There, sitting at the edge of a cliff, was a familiar figure.
The man’s long, golden hair cascaded down his back, and his red robe radiated an air of elegance and magnificence. Seated beneath a pine tree, he was focused on a chessboard laid out before him, surrounded by misty clouds. His serene and graceful presence was like that of an ethereal immortal.
Zhou Zhou stared in awe for a long moment before snapping out of it.
“Brother Su Lü!”
He joyfully ran over and threw himself onto Su Lü’s legs. His soft, chubby face was lit up with a dazzling smile, his crescent-shaped eyes still glistening with tears.
Su Lü looked at him and felt a faint headache return.
“Why do you cry so much?” he asked, wiping the tears from the boy’s eyes.
Zhou Zhou blushed a little, but the gentle touch of Su Lü’s fingers at the corners of his eyes filled him with joy.
“Because… I cry when I’m sad…” he mumbled softly.
Hugging Su Lü’s arm, Zhou Zhou clung to him like they had known each other forever. He liked Su Lü so much that it felt natural to act this close and playful around him.
“Brother Su Lü, please don’t ignore me anymore. I really, really like you.”
The little boy’s soft voice was filled with sincerity. “If I did anything wrong, just tell me, and I’ll try my best to fix it.”
Su Lü closed his eyes briefly to suppress his irritation. Finally, he said, “Sit properly.”
Zhou Zhou nodded, but even as he sat down, he remained pressed tightly against Su Lü. When Su Lü glanced down, Zhou Zhou beamed up at him, flashing his little teeth in a cheerful grin.
“Sit across from me,” Su Lü ordered, unwilling to indulge him further.
However, the boy—who had just promised to behave better—pouted and shook his head stubbornly.
“No, I want to sit next to Brother Su Lü. I like being by your side.”
His platinum eyes shone with pure joy and affection. In this world, few could resist such genuine, untainted feelings.
But Su Lü thought he might be the exception.
Of course, he admitted he wasn’t well-versed in dealing with clingy children, particularly one who happened to be a fragment of the Heavenly Dao’s spirit, capable of altering the weather with his emotions… and persisting for a very long time.
It felt like this boy was naturally designed to challenge him.
Even someone as logical and detached as Su Lü couldn’t help but feel a trace of resentment toward the boy’s true form.
Turning his palm over, he conjured a small, translucent blue water droplet.
Zhou Zhou’s attention was immediately drawn to it.
“Brother Su Lü, what’s that?” he asked curiously, his gaze fixed on the trembling water droplet.
Su Lü didn’t answer. Instead, he extended his hand and offered the droplet to the boy. “It’s for you to play with.”
“Wow!”
Zhou Zhou’s eyes sparkled like stars. His expression was full of excitement and gratitude. Su Lü had given him a gift! Did this mean Su Lü finally accepted him?
“Thank you, Brother Su Lü! You’re so kind to me!”
“…”
The little water droplet, now reduced to a plaything, was utterly speechless. Was there no respect for spirits anymore? It had worked itself to the bone managing the floods and even destroyed its dream of turning Earth into a water world, only to end up being handed out like a toy?
Though it resembled a ball, it wasn’t an actual ball!
Faced with Su Lü’s indifferent gaze, the water spirit could only grumble internally. It dared not show any resistance outwardly.
Fine. It would just play dead.
Zhou Zhou, oblivious to the water spirit’s turmoil, happily cradled it in his arms. Sitting beside Su Lü, he watched him play chess with fascination.
He had never encountered chess before, but with just one glance, he instinctively understood how the game worked.
Seeing Su Lü playing alone, Zhou Zhou sweetly suggested, “Brother Su Lü, I know how to play. Can I play with you?”
Noticing that the boy was finally willing to move a bit further away, Su Lü nodded. He took the white pieces while Zhou Zhou took the black, and the two began playing beneath the pine tree at the edge of the cliff.
Unlike Zhou Zhou, who seemed to understand the game innately, Su Lü carefully considered each move before playing.
Though Zhou Zhou was newly born, he proved to be a formidable opponent. As the game progressed, Su Lü found himself increasingly absorbed in the match, forgetting the world around him.
Zhou Zhou, cradling the little water droplet, gazed at Su Lü with a bright smile, his heart filled with joy.
As long as he could stay by Brother Su Lü’s side, it didn’t matter what they did—everything felt wonderful.
