Chapter 275: Collecting the Cat

Hearing this, Mu Zixi, who was standing behind Xu Xiaoshou, curved her eyes into a smile, her twin pigtails involuntarily bouncing up.

Jiaotangtang took a deep breath, suppressing the urge to kick. Pointing at Glutton God, she declared, "It cannot die!"

"Don't worry." Xu Xiaoshou smiled. "Leaving everything else aside, I, Xu Xiaoshou, have always been well-behaved and never sought trouble. With me, it's guaranteed to live a life of luxury!"

As he spoke, the young man produced a portion of cooked beef from his ring and coaxed, "Little kitty, want to eat this?"

Jiaotangtang nearly exploded. She immediately snatched the meat from Xu Xiaoshou's hand.

"There's one more condition you must agree to: you must not feed it raw meat!"

"Why?" Xu Xiaoshou was startled.

"Don't ask. Some things are not for you to know."

Xu Xiaoshou deftly grabbed the cooked beef back, muttering, "I wasn't actually going to feed it to the cat; it wasn't meant for it anyway."

He turned around. "Here, for you."

Mu Zixi's face instantly bloomed into a smile, all traces of her temporary anger vanishing.

"What is it?"

"Just bought it."

"Oh, excellent!"

The young girl took the packaged cooked beef, grinning as she stepped back. She obediently hid it behind her, quietly waiting for Xu Xiaoshou's conversation to conclude.

Jiaotangtang withdrew her gaze, thinking that perhaps this truly was a good choice.

If this boy could treat Lord Glutton God the same way he treated this young girl...

"Meow!" A yowl snatched her from her hopeful reverie. Jiaotangtang watched, aghast, as Xu Xiaoshou roughly shoved Lord Glutton God into his embrace, utterly discomfiting her.

"Xu Xiaoshou, can't you be a little gentler?!"

"Don't worry, I have it under control."

"You have no control whatsoever! I swear, I could just kick you dead right now!"

Jiaotangtang's eye twitched, speechless with anger.

Xu Xiaoshou laughed lightly. "Alright, I've generously agreed to your request. Now, it's time for you to show your sincerity."

"What sincerity?"

"Are you reneging? We just agreed that I'll look after this cat for you, and you'll pay me regularly!"

Jiaotangtang clenched her fists, then silently loosened them.

Fine, it's just payment, right? Even though Glutton God had nearly emptied them both, they still had a little scattered savings.

"How much do you want?"

"What 'how much'...? I'm not interested in money." Xu Xiaoshou raised an eyebrow and calmly stated, "Give me your contact details!"

Before Jiaotangtang could reply, a resentful cry came from behind her. "Xu Xiaoshou, what are you doing?!"

Mu Zixi was furious. 'So a portion of beef is enough to placate me, huh? How dare you ask for another woman's contact details right in front of your junior sister?'

"What do kids know!" Xu Xiaoshou pushed her away with a gentle slap, pinching the young girl's cheek and sending her back.

Jiaotangtang's expression was peculiar. She teased, "You want my communication jade slip?"

"Of course!" Xu Xiaoshou replied, as if it were the most natural thing. "Otherwise, how would I contact you if I needed you to kill someone or something later?"

Jiaotangtang was bewildered. "That's all?"

"What else?" Xu Xiaoshou looked utterly confused, then suddenly recoiled, hugging himself. "What are you implying?!"

Jiaotangtang's beautiful eyes instantly widened. This kid... How could he ask for someone else's communication jade slip and then act like the victim?

'You're the one who asked! Why are you making it seem like I'm about to do something to you!'

"Here!" She huffily tossed the jade slip and turned to leave.

"Locked. Passive Value: 1." Xu Xiaoshou snatched the jade slip, his eyes immediately catching the latest update on the information bar.

As expected, the woman, despite her seemingly carefree demeanor, had secretly set something up against him.

A lock... Was it to prevent him from doing anything out of line?

What a joke! I, Xu Xiaoshou, am upright and dedicated to keeping a low profile; how could I possibly cause trouble!

Xu Xiaoshou scoffed inwardly with disdain, not truly concerned about this energy lock.

At most, it was merely a contingency left by Jiaotangtang. Even if they came looking for him after he left, what could they really do?

With Glutton God in his possession, those two were certainly not daring to harm him. On the contrary...

Xu Xiaoshou smiled as he looked at the jade slip in his hand. This was surprisingly smooth; he'd gone to kill someone and, incidentally, picked up two highly powerful, albeit unknown, enforcers.

All he had to do was send a message... and would those two dare not show up?

If he were to be killed, or if he needed to kill someone, a mere activation of the jade slip would ensure he had backup.

"Heh, I never thought I, Xu Xiaoshou, would one day become such a big shot, capable of casually summoning two underlings." Xu Xiaoshou chuckled.

Truth be told, these two were hardly 'underling' material; calling them big shots among big shots wouldn't be an exaggeration.

Xu Xiaoshou watched Jiaotangtang's retreating figure, then looked down at the cat again, his thoughts swirling. "Are they similar to the Grey Mist people?" "Is this cat... truly worth it?"

Among the onlookers, the Three Swordsmen had already sensed trouble and left the area. The rest, seeing that the two ultimately didn't come to blows, also dispersed, disappointed.

As Jiaotangtang handed over a jade slip, the crowd gathered at the main entrance of the Duojin Commerce swiftly dispersed.

Clearly, there was no more good show to watch here.

In Tiansang City, it wasn't uncommon, and even frequently occurred, for crowds to gather, seemingly poised for a fight, only for no brawl to break out. For the perpetually busy City Lord's Mansion guards, such incidents were merely commonplace trifles.

In fact, if Spirit Refiners truly engaged in combat, those with a sense of propriety would instinctively move their battles to the sky. At such times, as long as no one died and no innocents were harmed, and the Imperial Guards were conveniently preoccupied, even a killing might pass without incident.

Of course, a massive explosion like the one Xu Xiaoshou just caused was another matter entirely.

Xing Gugu, his staff resting across his shoulders, followed closely behind Jiaotangtang. Only when they had walked a considerable distance did he dare to ask, "Is it really fine to just hand Glutton God over to that kid like that?"

"Theoretically, no, it's not appropriate," Jiaotangtang said without turning her head, leaving no room for further discussion.

Xing Gugu was momentarily speechless. Yes, he agreed it was inappropriate. But when considering the practical situation, even if Xu Xiaoshou was a bit erratic and his thought process was unusual, it seemed...

He was also the best choice at the moment.

There was actually another option! "His junior sister could work too, right?" Xing Gugu probed.

Jiaotangtang's lips curved. After truly stepping back from her encounter with Xu Xiaoshou, she looked back at the young man and, surprisingly, perceived some subtle differences. Indeed, for an enemy, such a person was incredibly troublesome. But as an ally...

"No need. If Xu Xiaoshou hadn't appeared, then that would have been different. But since we now have the best option, why choose a lesser one?" "That young girl is capable, but she's simply too weak!"

Xing Gugu's steps faltered. "Xu Xiaoshou is also..."

"Have you forgotten how he snatched Glutton God from your hands?" Jiaotangtang's cold eyes flashed with a hint of menace as she glanced at Xing Gugu, making him instinctively pull his neck back.

"That was just... he caught me off guard!"

Hearing this, Jiaotangtang sneered, "While this kid is undeniably eccentric, try to overlook his biggest flaw. His strength, intellect, and reactions... they're all top-tier!"

Xing Gugu rested his head in his hands, deep in thought. After a long silence, he finally looked up. He hesitated, then said, "But I can't remove that flaw of his..."

Jiaotangtang's expression froze. She slowly exhaled, then pulled her robe open, revealing her fair thighs. "You just *had* to be this dense, didn't you?"

"Stand still!"

"What for?"

"I said... stand still!" Jiaotangtang raised her long, straight leg.