Chapter 2

Xie Wei stared hard at me.

Meow Sprite covered its little screen.

[Host! He’s angry!]

I raised an eyebrow and was about to say something else.

Then Xie Wei suddenly opened his mouth and took the lychee from my fingers.

Something soft brushed my fingertips, then was gone.

I drew in a breath. I had no idea what possessed me, but I held out another.

He was perfectly obedient: whenever I fed him, he ate. His expression was just rather strange.

I happily fed him an entire plateful.

In the end, Meow Sprite had to grab my hand and hold on for dear life.

[Enough, Host, enough! This is far too extravagant. Besides, Xie Wei can’t absorb the energy fast enough. Eating more won’t do him any good.]

I withdrew my hand with some regret.

The people around us were looking at us strangely.

I glanced at them.

“Enjoying the show?”

They all looked away.

I snorted and pointed at Xie Wei.

“Don’t stop. Keep peeling.”

And so he peeled lychees all the way to the entrance of the secret realm.

I put the peeled fruit into my storage ring.

The realm hadn’t opened yet, but people were already crowded all around it.

Their expressions varied. Members of the lesser clans looked the most solemn.

I wasn’t particularly worried. With the overpowered hero right beside me, how could I possibly miss out on good fortune?

Sure enough, within four hours of entering the realm, we’d all found some excellent opportunities.

Meow Sprite reported in my ear.

[Crimson Blood Fruit. Tempers the body. Middle-grade Mystic tier.]

[Chaos Stone. Spatial formations. High-grade Earth tier.]

[…]

[Ancient Ocean Scroll. Legacy scroll. Heaven tier.]

Meow Sprite said the Ancient Ocean Scroll was one of the treasures the hero would later obtain from the Ying clan.

It was also a crucial inheritance for Xie Wei’s cultivation during the middle part of the story.

Holding the tattered scroll, I asked Meow Sprite in my head,

“This scrap of paper?”

It nodded.

[That’s right, Host. Its true form will only appear once Xie Wei activates it.]

I glanced around.

Everyone was sorting through the treasures they’d found.

Only Xie Wei stood alone to one side, waiting.

I casually tossed the scroll into his arms.

“A scrap of paper. You can have it.”

He blinked, then picked up the scroll and looked at it.

His eyes lifted to me in surprise.

“You’re really giving this to me?”

I deliberately frowned.

“Throw it away if you don’t want it. I don’t even want that scrap of paper taking up space.”

It was going to be his sooner or later. What was wrong with giving it to him early?

As we went, I picked through our finds and casually tossed him a few unremarkable-looking things.

They were all items Meow Sprite said would eventually end up in Xie Wei’s possession.

After playing generous benefactor for a while, I stretched and decided it was time to make trouble.

I pointed to two people fighting up ahead.

“Xie Wei, those two are fighting over that merfolk pearl. Get it for me. It matches my clothes.”

Meow Sprite had assessed them. Xie Wei could beat the pair, though it would take some effort.

The pearl wasn’t even especially valuable. The two fighting over it simply had a grudge.

Xie Wei probably thought it wasn’t worth the trouble either.

But that was exactly what I wanted. I was supposed to be a spoiled brat.

When he didn’t answer, I immediately turned and pointed at him.

Before I could launch into a tirade, he nodded.

“All right. I’ll get it.”

I hadn’t expected him to be so decisive.

Meow Sprite touched its little antennae.

[Host, why do I feel like something’s off?]

I said nothing. He was its protagonist. How was I supposed to know what was going on?

Xie Wei certainly lived up to his role. Even with both of them attacking him, he managed to get out in one piece.

He had taken a few injuries, though.

The fight had left him a little dirty. Only the pearl in his hand was spotless.

He held it out to me.

“Here.”