Chapter 10

When Mu Sui returned, he saw Meng Ruji sitting on the ground, looking pale and weak. He was taken aback. Suddenly, he remembered Meng Ruji's words in prison about her lack of spiritual power and physical strength. She had asked him not to stray too far from her because she couldn’t keep up.

Realizing this, the color drained from Mu Sui’s face. He hurried to Meng Ruji's side. 

"What's wrong, Meng Ruji?" Mu Sui's voice was hoarse.

Meng Ruji was now fine, but she saw the thief, who had been dragged by Mu Sui, stumbling and falling to the ground before being pulled to her side. His face was smeared with dirt.

Meng Ruji was speechless.

"Oh..." Miao Miao winced, covering her face. "That must hurt."

The thief, beaten and subdued, remained silent.

"I'm fine," Meng Ruji said, trying to stand.

Mu Sui immediately threw the thief aside and helped Meng Ruji up. Feeling the sweat on his palms, he was overwhelmed with self-reproach and unable to speak.

The thief, now free, dared not flee. He crouched nearby, covering his face and remaining still. 

Fuming, Miao Miao berated him: "You didn’t just rob anyone—you targeted me for my wages! You deserve to be thrown into the Naihe River!"

The thief remained silent, enduring the scolding and beating.

Meng Ruji, brushing off her clothes, asked, "Is there a reward for turning him in to the authorities?"

"Yes," Miao Miao replied enthusiastically. "TheYamen of Wuliudi is very fair, with clear rewards and punishments. You can get a reward for catching a thief, though there are rarely any thieves around. I’m not sure how much the reward will be." She hit the thief again in frustration. "Why are you so audacious, robbing money?"

"I... I stole... I didn’t intend to rob..." The thief said weakly before being beaten again into silence. Meng Ruji’s eyes sparkled as she realized she might have found a way to make money.

Mu Sui, seemingly detached, was filled with guilt and sorrow. He stared at Meng Ruji, his eyes brimming with sadness. 

"I shouldn't have left you behind," he said.

"It's okay," Meng Ruji comforted him. "You chased the thief and recovered the lost items. In this world, perfection is unattainable. Don’t blame yourself too much."

Mu Sui’s expression remained troubled. His lips trembled as he pulled Meng Ruji into an embrace. She was momentarily confused, as were Miao Miao and the thief.

Miao Miao quickly moved the thief away, continuing to scold him.

Meng Ruji felt the coldness of Mu Sui’s embrace, contrasting with her own warmth. Although surprised, she didn’t struggle and let him hold her. His breath fell gently on her hair.

"Next time, I’ll carry you on my back while chasing thieves," Mu Sui said earnestly.

Meng Ruji was taken aback. "Thank you, but that won’t be necessary."

She was concerned that Mu Sui’s stubbornness might hinder his ability to catch thieves in the future. So, she gently stroked his back, like petting a large cat, and said, "It’s okay. Aren’t you relieved that I’m fine?"

Her voice was softer than ever before. 

"We caught the thief and can claim the reward. We can buy food and save money, which will help us return to the human world soon."

Feeling Meng Ruji’s gentle touch, Mu Sui’s tension eased, and his muscles relaxed.

"Are you really okay?"

"I’m fine," Meng Ruji assured him, pushing him away gently. "You helped Miss Miao Miao, and she helped me. The stolen items are recovered, and I’m fine too. Everyone is happy."

Mu Sui felt relieved and handed the cloth bag to Miao Miao. "Thank you for helping Meng Ruji."

His thanks were awkward and unfamiliar, as if he had never expressed gratitude before.

Miao Miao, still scolding the thief, was momentarily stunned by the bag handed to her. "No, no, no, you’re welcome."

She glanced at Mu Sui, whose imposing presence made her a bit intimidated. 

Meng Ruji reminded Miao Miao, "Let’s check if anything is missing."

"Yes, yes," Miao Miao replied, inspecting the ground. "Everything is here, including the wages! Oh, and... I don’t have anything here, so... here!" She handed a small medicine bottle to Meng Ruji. "This is for you. You just arrived in Wuliu Land and probably don’t have much. There are a dozen pills in this bottle. Use them."

Meng Ruji gratefully accepted the medicine, acknowledging the favor.

The three then took the thief to the yamen. Unlike before, Meng Ruji sent him off with dignity. Miao Miao reported the case, and the thief was taken away by the black-clad soldiers.

In a small, sparsely furnished room with two wooden tables and a few chairs, the black-clad soldiers took notes while Meng Ruji, Mu Sui, and Miao Miao sat across from them. Miao Miao praised Meng Ruji and Mu Sui enthusiastically, wishing she could honor them.

The soldiers muttered among themselves, recognizing Mu Sui: "These two look familiar."

"Didn’t they just get out of yamen?"

"Ah, no wonder... they caught a thief after getting out?"

One soldier was startled by Mu Sui’s cold glance and leaned back nervously.

Meng Ruji knocked on the table, catching their attention. "We’ll be meeting often. Let’s settle today’s reward first."

After receiving the reward, Meng Ruji, Mu Sui, and Miao Miao left. 

The soldiers watched them go, with one wiping sweat and sighing, "He doesn’t look very old, but his eyes are intimidating. I’m afraid he’s been a gangster."

Another soldier pondered, "He seems familiar..."

"I told you he had prison food for three days."

"No, not from yamen. I feel like I’ve seen him somewhere else."

The reward amounted to ten coins. Meng Ruji found the copper coins in Wuliudi heavier than those in the human world.

"What can you buy with ten coins?"

Miao Miao answered enthusiastically, "A lot. The medicine I gave you can buy two bottles. One pill a day will last two months. Noodles from our stall cost half a coin per bowl."

"Half a coin?" Meng Ruji was astonished. "Can this copper coin really be split in two?"

"Of course," Miao Miao said, demonstrating by splitting one of her coins with a “pop” sound.

Meng Ruji, finding it strange, tried breaking her own coin. With a similar “pop,” it split into two pieces.

Meng Ruji was amazed.

Miao Miao continued, “This one can be closed.” She then placed the two broken copper coins together, and with a “whoosh” sound, the two coins fused back together.

“Interesting, interesting,” Meng Ruji said, fascinated. She played with the coin for a while, then suddenly realized, “This copper coin must contain some sort of spiritual power.”

Miao Miao looked at Meng Ruji, confused. Meng Ruji said nothing further but kept her observation in mind, planning to find a quiet place later to study it.

At that moment, a loud “cuckoo” sound interrupted them. Meng Ruji and Miao Miao both glanced at Mu Sui’s abdomen. Miao Miao, catching Mu Sui’s frowning and displeased expression, quickly averted her gaze.

Meng Ruji stared at Mu Sui’s belly, hesitated for a moment, then turned to Miao Miao and asked, “Miao Miao, you said you work at the noodle stall in front of the market?”

Miao Miao nodded.

Meng Ruji hadn’t spoken like this for years, but she felt compelled to ask. After waking up and doing many things she rarely did or had never done before, she decided to voice her request.

“If we eat a lot... could we get one cent for three bowls?”

Miao Miao, noticing Meng Ruji’s bright smile, answered without hesitation, “How much can you eat?”

Meng Ruji replied awkwardly, “A bit much…”

“Our noodle stall has large portions for workers. Since you helped me, one bowl for three cents is fine; the boss will agree,” Miao Miao said.

Meng Ruji, seeing Miao Miao’s cheerful grin, smiled weakly. “One cent for three bowls—surely the boss won’t lose money…”

Miao Miao beamed, “No loss, no loss. Follow me.”

As Miao Miao mentioned, the noodle stall owner, pleased that they had helped catch the thief, agreed to the price of one cent for three bowls and even added more noodles to Mu Sui’s bowl.

However, as Mu Sui ate more and more, Miao Miao and the stall owner began to feel uneasy. One cent for three bowls, but Mu Sui ate ten cents’ worth...

Actually, it was more than nine cents; Meng Ruji finished the remaining bowl.

Mu Sui stopped not because he was full, but because the noodle stall had run out of noodles. The owner stared at the high pile of empty bowls, scratching his head in confusion. Although he didn’t lose money, the noodles seemed to disappear without a trace in Mu Sui’s stomach.

Onlookers had gathered around the noodle stall, and when Mu Sui finished, some clapped in admiration.

Miao Miao was even more astonished. Forgetting her fear, she pulled Meng Ruji aside as Mu Sui ate the last bowl.

“Sister... what kind of magical power does this young man have?”

Meng Ruji rubbed her temples, looking at the purse she had just received from the yamen. It was almost empty. Her temples throbbed with a bit of pain.

“He... he just eats a lot,” Meng Ruji said. Besides, it seemed that after chasing the thief today, Mu Sui had developed an even greater appetite.

Meng Ruji realized that this “money-making tool” had a fatal flaw—he consumed more than he earned! It might be better for her to catch the thief herself rather than relying on him.

She was full after one bowl, but Mu Sui had eaten twenty-nine bowls! And he still wasn’t full!

As they spoke, Mu Sui finished the last bowl, wiped his mouth, and looked up at Meng Ruji.

Meng Ruji rubbed her temples again, pressed her throbbing veins, and thanked Miao Miao. “Thank you for today and thank your boss. We’ll leave now.”

“Wait,” Miao Miao called out. “You just arrived. Do you have a place to stay?”

Meng Ruji was taken aback and shook her head. “I’ve troubled you enough. I don’t want to impose further.”

“No, no, no,” Miao Miao insisted. “My house is too small, and there’s no room for you. But I know of a cabin in the woods outside the city. No one lives there year-round. I can take you there to settle in for now, and you can gradually make a living. Everyone has to start somewhere.”

Touched by Miao Miao’s offer, Meng Ruji thanked her and, together with Mu Sui and Miao Miao, went to the cabin.

The cabin was very shabby, but it offered shelter from the wind and rain, much better than sleeping outside in the woods.

On the first night after moving in, Meng Ruji thought about how catching thieves could earn rewards. The larger the thief, the bigger the reward. Although Mu Sui ate a lot, finding a big thief and catching him could balance their expenses.

“If I can play the role of the demon king, then what’s impossible?” Meng Ruji vowed. “Making money—how hard can it be? Didn’t everyone face this challenge?”

However...

In the blink of an eye...

Half a month had passed.

In the rundown wooden house, the cold wind blew through at night. Mu Sui, sleeping on Meng Ruji’s legs, curled up slightly, as if shivering from the cold.

Meng Ruji fumbled around, searching for a quilt, but there was none. She had only managed to gather some hay, which she had dried and cut a few days earlier. Without it, there would be no grass.

The financial difficulties and poverty had made Meng Ruji sigh constantly over the past month.

Making money! How hard can it be?

But reality proved that, without resources, opportunities, and a stroke of luck, making money was the hardest thing in the world.

Question: What is your goal?

Meng Ruji: To make money...

Question: How is that going?

Meng Ruji: Not well, mainly because the ideas aren’t good enough...

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