Chapter 14: The Happy Cowherd Every Day_1

At dawn, dew condensed on the bow, and wet streaks appeared on the cello case.

In such humid weather, under normal circumstances, one should take good care of them, but Huai Shi just didn't have that on his mind now.

Following his routine, after practicing the cello for two hours and accompanying it with meditation, he sat idly on the garden steps.

And naturally, he felt a chill on his buttocks.

"I should put a cushion here another day," he murmured.

Unable to sit any longer, he stood up, patted off the dust on his trousers, and wandered aimlessly around the bare garden.

The stitches marking the wound on his arm still throbbed with pain as he moved his arm.

It served as another reminder of just how dangerous last night had been for him.

No, rather, it deeply reminded him of the predicament he currently found himself in… He was far from being able to guarantee his own safety.

Although he often felt that there was no point in continuing such a poor and difficult life, anyone alive wouldn't prefer death.

Moreover, Huai Shi's life hadn't truly begun yet.

How good it was to be alive.

He wanted to hold on to life a bit longer.

"Daydreaming in the garden again?"

Suddenly, he heard the Raven landing on the fence, "Can't you find another spot?"

"What's wrong with liking it here?" Huai Shi retorted.

"Then at least make an effort, Huai Shi, your Sublimation is almost complete," she sighed with frustrated compassion, raising her wings slightly, "Just a little more to go."

To this, Huai Shi couldn't muster any enthusiasm: "What's the use even if Sublimation is complete? Will I be able to throw more chili powder? No matter how powerful it is, it won't compare to that thing last night, right?"

"How many times do I have to tell you, the Apocalypse is just a byproduct of your soul's attributes. Once Sublimation is complete, your soul's power will undergo a transformational change. Besides, do you really think that monkey yesterday relied solely on his own abilities?"

"Huh?"

"Nue, the Stigmata from Yingzhou's Genealogy, is an outcome of the Third Stage·Ether transformation."

The Raven looked at him meaningfully: "Sublimation is only the beginning, Huai Shi. Sublimators with huge potential usually awaken around the age of eleven or twelve. You are already behind. Don't slack off.

You might hope to return to peace after this is over, but you must understand something first—the owner of the Book of Fate is doomed to embark on the supreme path in this world. Power, wealth, beauty will all be within easy reach, but a calm and peaceful life is precisely what you cannot have."

Huai Shi remained silent for a long time, then gripped the notebook in his hand:

"… Is it still possible to just toss this thing away now?"

The Raven thought for a moment, then suddenly got excited: "Although I wouldn't recommend it, this has never happened in history. I'm curious what would happen then. Why don't you give it a try?"

Huai Shi rolled his eyes.

"So, if there's no resistance, I should just enjoy it, huh?" The Raven extended her wings sympathetically, patting his shoulder, "At least the life you have now can still be considered quite peaceful in a way."

Indeed, ignoring that he was so poor he was about to collapse and had to work at the Cowherd Club, encountering corpses on the street and inexplicably being hunted down, now living with a bald Cowherd, and even being used as bait…

For some reason, as he thought about it, Huai Shi suddenly recalled the Teenage Girl in a wheelchair that he had only met twice, who seemed just two or three years older than himself.

Ai Qing.

It felt like he had seen her somewhere before, but upon reflection, there was no such memory in the first half of his sparse and hollow life.

Anyway, who wouldn't remember a Miss as pretty as her, sitting in a wheelchair?

Scratching his head, no matter how he pondered, he couldn't recall.

It wasn't until the sound of a car horn at the door reminded him it was time to go to work that he reluctantly shouldered his cello case and shuffled outside.

The mediocre Cowherd Huai Shi faced yet another torturous new day...

And then, as if it were destined, he stirred up trouble.

.

.

"Aren't you just selling yourself by working here? What's with the act, pretending to be holier-than-thou?"

In front of Liu Dongli, the skinny woman old enough to be Huai Shi's mother pointed angrily at him, suddenly splashing a glass of wine in his direction:

"I've opened over a dozen Champagne Towers at your club, and you're telling me he can't come over and keep me company for a few drinks? Who does he think he is, an angel? Get your manager out here, I don't believe this bullshit..."

In the midst of chaos, Huai Shi stood behind snickering helplessly, unsure of what to say, and eventually, he was frantically ushered out.

After a while, Liu Dongli finally sorted out the trouble and took a long time to find Huai Shi at the back door of the club, waiting for his pancake lunch at a street stall.

Ever since receiving a daily allowance of eight hundred, this guy had become inflated with pride, daring to add two extra sausages to his pancake and looking as happy as could be. This left Liu Dongli, who was originally in a terrible mood, unable to resist marveling, "Six complaints on your second day of work, how do you manage that?"

Huai Shi thought seriously for a moment before tentatively asking, "Could it be because I'm good-looking?"

"You know, Huai Shi," Liu Dongli sighed, "you got splashed with a face full of wine and scratched up pretty badly, but you act like nothing happened?"

"What else could I do?"

Huai Shi looked at him blankly, "Go back and kick her in the behind, telling her fortunes can reverse in thirty years so don't bully the poor just because you're rich?

Besides, all of this was expected, so what's there to be angry about? If I got angry about this sort of thing, I would have died of rage four or five years ago."

"..."

Liu Dongli was speechless. He had to admit, this guy always had some unexpected strengths in the strangest aspects.

From the semi-tough task of taking Huai Shi to work, countless irritating incidents had occurred, yet he had never seen this fellow lose his temper or flip a table. Even when splashed with wine, he just laughed it off and moved to the side, never fighting back or retorting.

Although he constantly spewed nonsense in private, his patience was so great that it left one speechless.

His indifferent optimism was at such an extent that one couldn't tell if he was foolish or something else.

Watching his cheerful anticipation for the pancake, Liu Dongli, for some reason, felt irritable. He felt as if he were exploiting an honest person, his conscience was severely compromised.

"Stop waiting, let's go."

Liu Dongli pulled him back to change clothes, "You're not working this afternoon. I'll take you out for something good to eat."

"For real? Have you finally found your conscience?" Huai Shi was delighted, "Then when will you pay the electricity bill too?"

Liu Dongli, in the midst of climbing the steps, almost strained his back, turning and glaring fiercely, "It's enough that I've been your unpaid bodyguard, but why should I also pay your electric bill?"

"You're the one who wanted to use the water heater."

Huai Shi stated, "Isn't it okay to just wash with cold water?"

"Hey, do you have no conscience at all? I got hurt yesterday trying to save you, and besides, cold showers can damage the skin, you know!"

"...Right, they can damage your hair too," Huai Shi added from behind.

Visibly, Liu Dongli staggered on the steps, nearly tumbling down.

When changing clothes, Huai Shi specifically wore sunglasses and a huge mask, covering his face, appearing as though he was a delinquent ready to cause trouble at any moment.

There was no choice; working at the Cowherd Club was one thing, but being seen by a classmate and photographed was another matter altogether.

He barely managed to bluff his way out of it last time, and this time he couldn't let anyone recognize him.

Unfortunately... things often don't operate according to one's will, and Huai Shi, who has been consistently unlucky, had barely stepped out the door when he heard a call from behind.

"Is that Little Shi? It's got to be Little Shi!"