Chapter 4: Master and Three Pets Munching on Melons
As Si Xu left, the grand drama slowly came to an end, and everyone was still savoring it.
The gossip had been intense—and the main characters were each more handsome than the last, their voices more pleasing than the last. It was practically a triple feast for the eyes, ears, and mind.
And best of all, it was free.
Once again, the crowd turned expectant gazes toward Si Er. The young man finally lifted his head. Though the strands of hair on his forehead were slightly messy, a good-looking youth would still carry a certain chaotic charm even with a disheveled hairstyle.
Si Er swept his gaze around. After confirming that Si Xu was nowhere in sight, he let out a sigh of relief.
Those who had accidentally been glanced at quickly lowered their heads, afraid that Si Er would discover they were the chosen ones capable of hearing his inner thoughts.
When they looked up again, they saw that Si Er had somehow produced a small watermelon. With a hand chop, he split it neatly into two even halves and handed one to the rabbit in his arms.
The rabbit hugged the watermelon, climbed onto the red ostrich’s neck, and then, together with Si Er, produced a small round spoon patterned like watermelon rind. The two began scooping out large mouthfuls in perfect sync.
Man and rabbit moved in identical rhythm, like copy and paste. It was oddly amusing.
The weather wasn’t hot, yet watching them eat made everyone else crave a bite. The melon in the boy’s hands looked especially sweet.
Ignoring the longing gazes of others, Si Er only noticed his ostrich’s eager look. So he pulled a fresh, crisp green cucumber from his system space and stuffed it into the ostrich’s beak.
His system was extremely practical—a genuine Soul Pet Cultivation System.
Whenever they encountered an uncontracted soul pet, the system would pop up notification messages. Si Er could click on any of them to view the pet’s status panel.
For already contracted soul pets, the panel was even more detailed, tracking their health and mood.
The system also contained a farm space. As long as there were seeds in storage, it would automatically plant, harvest, and store crops—more convenient than any farming idle game.
At present, all the seeds came from a beginner’s gift pack. There weren’t many types, but each was useful: Power Watermelon Vine, Diamond Pumpkin Vine, Whirlwind Cucumber, Soul-Boosting Hami Melon, and Refreshing Bitter Gourd.
Power Watermelon increased strength.
Diamond Pumpkin enhanced defense.
Whirlwind Cucumber improved speed.
Soul-Boosting Hami Melon raised soul power.
Refreshing Bitter Gourd cleared the mind—one bite could last a whole day, and one whole gourd meant no need for rest for half a month.
These melons worked on both humans and soul pets. Except for the bitter gourd, Si Er fed the other four types to Rabbit Guagua and Ostrich Benben three meals a day.
Even his Jade-green lingzi mushroom, Cui Cui, could share the juice from those fruits.
Si Er felt that although this world was exciting, it was also extremely dangerous. They had to eat more melons and boost every aspect of their strength.
He became immersed in eating, his mind blank yet not entirely empty.
At this moment, his emotions were calm and steady, so those around him could no longer hear his thoughts.
He was still thinking about Si Xu.
When reading the novel, he had always liked Si Xu and sympathized with him. The man was excellent in every way, yet saddled with a black-hearted fake brother, schemed against until nothing remained of him—innocent and pitiful.
Seeing him in person had sent that fondness soaring.
First, Si Xu was handsome—completely his type.
Second, perhaps it was the bloodline of this body at work. The moment he saw Si Xu, he felt an instinctive closeness.
But the Si family was a huge trouble for him. He didn’t dare rashly approach.
After all, the protagonist of the book was Si Ran—naturally opposed to him.
Si Ran was a pure villain-type protagonist whose principle was simple: those who block me die.
Before even learning of his true parentage, he had already felt that his fire-attribute elder brother Si Yi was an obstacle, taking up too many resources. So he designed a scheme to cripple Si Yi’s legs.
After a brief period of decadence, Si Yi became unpredictable and elusive.
When the City Lord began focusing on training the second son, Si Xu, Si Ran developed ambition.
If crippling the eldest brother made Father cultivate the second… then what if the second were crippled too?
Two years ago, he orchestrated the loss of Si Xu’s Central City entry pass, preventing him from taking the Four Great Academies’ exam at the optimal age.
Later, he successfully sowed discord between Si Xu and Yu Feiqing, prompting Yu Feiqing to repeatedly disrupt Si Xu’s cultivation.
After discovering he wasn’t the City Lord’s biological son, Si Ran schemed one by one to eliminate the City Lord, Si Yi, and Si Xu.
He had even been glad that the original Si Er died early, sparing him another kill.
Si Er believed Si Ran’s protagonist halo was incredibly strong.
No matter how powerful cannon fodder characters were in the original setting, once targeted by Si Ran, they could not escape death.
Si Er didn’t think he could overcome that protagonist halo, so he chose to lie low.
After finally transmigrating into a world he loved, he wanted to live another five hundred years.
And in this world, that wasn’t impossible.
He had even drafted a plan on how to survive longer—yet Si Xu had smoothly broken off the engagement?
So decisive. So clean.
Did that mean the plot could be changed?
Or was this merely a parallel world sharing the same background as Black-Hearted Lotus Dominates the Soul Pet World?
Perhaps the characters here had awakened self-awareness, and the storyline was already deviating from the novel’s trajectory.
If that were true, that would be wonderful.
But Si Er wasn’t sure. He decided to keep observing.
After finishing a watermelon, he pulled out a Hami melon. This time he chopped it into three equal pieces, giving one to Ostrich Benben. Man, rabbit, and ostrich ate with great satisfaction.
Watching the detestable Si Ran and Yu Feiqing walk into the city arm in arm, Si Er found the melon even sweeter.
Just then, a low, pleasant voice suddenly sounded beside his ear.
“What kind of melon is that? Can you sell me one?”
Si Er looked up.
A youth dressed entirely in black—black clothes, black hair, black eyes—was smiling at him. In his hand, he held the leash of a massive wolf, sleek and glossy black from head to tail.
The whole combination was pitch-dark, yet the youth’s skin was cool white, his eyes bright and sparkling. He looked handsome and vibrant.
Si Er was momentarily dazzled by the smile before reacting.
[My heavens… did I just run into the final big villain?]
Big villain? What melon was this now?
Those who could hear Si Er’s thoughts immediately turned to look at the black-clad youth. Well… dressed like that, he did look somewhat villainous.
But when he smiled, he showed little tiger fangs.
The youth arched a brow slightly, inwardly puzzled.
He was such a pure and kind person—how could he possibly be the final villain?
Did this lively-thinking beautiful boy have some misunderstanding about him?
