Long Aotian awoke to see the two people he least wanted to see. He tried to babble as usual, but only a faint squeak came out of his mouth.
When he looked at the table full of his kind, he instantly lost his voice. Watching the two people eat with gusto, Long Aotian felt as though every bone in his body ached.
Jun Jiuli: "This rabbit is quite perceptive, possesses a bit of spiritual energy."
Long Cangjiu: "I think it's scared; its whole body is trembling, just like a sentient being."
"Haha, humans can't turn into this. Little Jiu is overthinking."
"That's right, it will soon become a delicacy on the table. Mom, eat more; this rabbit meat is numb and spicy with firm flesh." As he spoke, he used serving chopsticks to give Jun Jiuli a piece.
"Mmm, it's really good."
Long Aotian felt like an eternity was passing, watching the two chat and laugh while discussing his whereabouts. He truly couldn't remain calm and desperately shouted for the system in his mind.
"System, system, I want to take out another 20 white slips." He yelled for a long time, but the system ignored him.
Anxious, Long Aotian could only use his teeth to gnaw at the iron cage. Jun Jiuli found it disgusting and moved it to the ground. Long Aotian broke two teeth, but he couldn't even gnaw off a single fragment of the cage.
After eating, Jun Jiuli asked Long Cangjiu to wait for her in the private room and headed to the back kitchen with the cage.
Upon entering, she saw a man in a white chef's uniform and hat, wielding a large cleaver. With a swift stroke, he split the rabbit head from the body on the chopping block.
The cage Jun Jiuli was carrying wobbled, and Long Aotian curled into a ball. No matter how frantic he was, he couldn't stop Jun Jiuli's advance.
"Master, this is your rabbit, isn't it? It ran out just now, so I caught it and brought it to you."
"Yes, yes, thank you. Just place it over there, and I'll deal with it later." The master then pointed to a spot for Jun Jiuli.
After the cage was placed down, Long Aotian used all his might to run. He wanted to escape the kitchen with the entire cage, but Jun Jiuli quickly and accurately stepped on the cage.
"Master, this rabbit is too disobedient, and I don't know how to kill it. Since you're busy, can I throw it into hot water to scald it first? Once it's dazed, it won't run anymore."
"How can I trouble you? Little Niu, quickly place that cage into the hot water."
"Okay." The young apprentice came over and took the cage from Jun Jiuli. He likely hadn't been there long and also didn't know how to kill rabbits.
Jun Jiuli: "Hold it tightly, lest it jump up and scald you with the hot water."
"Don't worry, it won't."
Little Niu threw Long Aotian into the boiling water and covered it with a large lid. After a short while, he pulled out the cage and took out the dazed Long Aotian to pluck his fur.
Soon, Long Aotian was successfully de-furred. Jun Jiuli saw that he was still breathing and his eyelids kept twitching. This black-hearted fellow was faking death.
Jun Jiuli directly paid to buy Long Aotian. Little Niu wiped the cage clean, put Long Aotian in it, and handed it to Jun Jiuli.
"Mom, you bought this cleaned rabbit. Are you going to have Auntie cook it for us to eat?" Long Cangjiu asked curiously.
"It's still alive; I think it's really lucky. I bought it to tease it for fun."
"Mom, are you buying it for Ah Wang to play with?"
Ah Wang was the Tibetan Mastiff kept by the Long family. "That's a good idea; let him play with Ah Wang."
Long Aotian, who had heard everything clearly, wished he were already dead.
Ah Wang was a fierce creature that had once killed a leopard. He wasn't even enough for two bites for it. This woman, Long Yi'er, truly had a heart of stone.
Jun Jiuli had tried to infiltrate the system, which was full of good things for Long Aotian. However, she could never find a way. Even Shui Wa often couldn't sense its existence.
Therefore, she decided to keep Long Aotian captive and torment him. He would be unable to complete the tasks assigned by the system, which should force the system to reveal its true nature.
Before the system could be successfully eliminated, Long Aotian could not die carelessly. Thus, Jun Jiuli had a round cage built for him.
This way, he could escape with the cage in Ah Wang's territory and wouldn't have to worry about being bitten to death.
However, it would still cause him significant psychological torment and pressure. She hoped Long Aotian could last a bit longer, as he still had centuries to live.
Ah Wang was very pleased with his new toy. Every day, he could be seen in his yard teasing a hairless rabbit.
Long Aotian felt his soul was about to be scared away. A gaping maw lunged towards him. He was plunged into darkness, and when he opened his eyes again, he could only see Ah Wang's scarlet tongue.
He patted his chest. Thankfully, there was a cage. Otherwise, his life would have been forfeit. However, his skin was still scratched by Ah Wang's sharp teeth.
Long Aotian felt that he would soon die of illness. "System, System, what on earth are you doing? If you don't issue a task soon, your host will die."
"Beep beep~"
Long Aotian was almost so excited he could faint. He had called the system multiple times in the past few days. Now, finally, there was a response. His chance had arrived. Long Yi'er, just you wait.
He thought resentfully, but his words were fawning: "System Master, you've finally arrived. You have no idea what kind of life I've been living these past few days. Hurry up and issue a task."
"Protect the safety of your parents and ensure they live good lives."
"System, please don't joke. In my current state, how can I possibly protect them?"
"The system never jokes. Please complete the task seriously, Host."
After speaking, the system fell silent, leaving Long Aotian alone in his impotent rage.
Shui Wa: "Pfft, is this system serious? He can't even protect himself right now, and his parents are probably suffering in some forgotten corner."
"Your focus is truly unusual. Try to see if you can establish a connection with his system. Let's inject some viruses into it."
Shui Wa operated on the light screen in front of him. "Uh, I can't. The furthest I can go is to receive its radio waves and know its messages."
"What a useless system."
"Are you a useful host then?"
"More useful than you. I've handled all humans myself. You can't even handle your own kind."
"Alright, stop CPUing me. Woman, I've seen through your scheme. Youcanyouup." smug_face.jpg.
"I think you're hopeless. Do you feel his radio waves getting weaker?"
"They really are. How did you know?"
"He only appears after such a long time, he must be low on energy. In the original plot, the male lead had already completed many tasks. Now, there's no progress at all. It must have some effect on him."
"So what do we do next?"
"Just keep an eye on the male lead."