Pretending To Be A Boss

The master of the Li family seemed to age ten years overnight.

People realized that the second young missus was nowhere to be seen, although it was rare for her to go out in the first place.

Meanwhile, the formerly idle third son became increasingly diligent, as if possessed.

...

...

The mining area, a place of the unknown.

Tang Xian lay on the beach, listening to the faint sounds of the tide, sunbathing face-up with a satisfied expression.

However, the posture he assumed was like that of a dead man. He was motionless, as if dead.

Not far away in the underbrush, Tang Xiaojiu lay prone, anxiously watching Tang Xian.

Seagulls circled overhead in the sky.

Tang Xian adopted a spread-eagle sleeping pose.

His eyes fixed on the seagulls, he silently counted the numbers in his mind.

"45 now. It'll be 46 soon!"

"Eh, it jumped to 49 in an instant!"

"I bet that at 52, it'll definitely come down."

The data in his eyes reflected the seagull's current needs.

[Eat the unidentified creature on the beach (51%)]

[Probe the unidentified creature on the beach (44%)]

[Other (5%)]

Three seconds later, the massive seagull could no longer resist. After circling three times, the need to eat the unidentified creature on the beach rose to 52%.

Changing its flight direction, it dived like an arrow toward Tang Xian.

In the moment the seagull was about to succeed,

Tang Xian shouted, "Now!"

The seagull halted abruptly. Such a bird typically moves in flocks, but for some reason, its companions had vanished one by one these days.

Faintly, it sensed danger!

It immediately tried to change direction and ascend.

But then, it saw a blast of fox fire heading its way.
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The brief bird life came to an abrupt end.

Tang Xian, frowning at the bird smoking from being scorched, said,

"Xiaojiu, next time you need to hold back a bit, that fire was too strong. I've told you before, a high flame is suitable for stir-frying; 'grilling' implies a slow cook, not meant for high heat."

"But Tang Xian, if I make it any smaller, I can hardly spit it out," said the humanoid gas stove, Xiaojiu.

"Would you rather eat a charred seagull or a fresh, juicy one that isn't burnt?"

"A fresh, juicy 'duck'!"

"Then try to make your fox fire a bit gentler."

Tang Xian looked at the seagull pityingly.

If Tang Xiaojiu didn't get a handle on her fire control soon, the sword-beaked gulls would all be burnt to a crisp.

Not long ago, a flock of sword-beaked gulls had passed by. After days of eating vegetarian, Tang Xian and Tang Xiaojiu finally saw the chance for meat.

But the birds could fly.

Whether it was a calamity-level or an apocalypse-level event, the two of them, wingless, could only watch helplessly as the sword-beaked gulls flew away.

Tang Xian collapsed in a fit of self-abandonment, but to his surprise, a sharp-eyed sword-beaked gull spotted him and took him for food.

Sword-beaked gulls are elite-level creatures, and Tang Xian couldn't subdue one barehanded; he might even be dragged into the sky.

Thus, he devised the ploy with Tang Xiaojiu that had just unfolded.

This bird species, the most sociable among all creatures in the mining area, would fly back to the island when they noticed a companion had fallen behind, searching for their missing member.

Tang Xian and Tang Xiaojiu were touched to tears. As the saying goes, a token gift sent from afar conveys deep regards.

But given Xiaojiu's fiery blasts, after peeling off the outer charred layer and removing the innards, there wasn't much meat left to eat.

Tang Xian looked at the sky and calculated the time. It was the hour when monsters on the island became active.

He stroked his chin, contemplating,

"How about we don't eat this bird and instead use it to bait something bigger?"

"Can I have a bite first? Just one bite, and then I'll give it back to you," Tang Xiaojiu pleaded, her eyes fixed on the sword-beaked gull, saliva dripping.

Last time, Tang Xiaojiu had said the same thing. After mastering her fox transformation and relying on her large body, she gobbled down the whole seagull in one bite.

Tang Xian watched, flabbergasted; duped by the little girl before, he was fooled yet again.

Tang Xian shook his head and retorted, "Not even one bite is allowed."

Tang Xiaojiu reluctantly nodded, her face the epitome of obedience to Tang Xian's wishes, looking like nothing more than a pitiful child deprived of meat.

"Don't worry, you'll have meat soon, guaranteed to taste better than bird meat," Tang Xian reassured with a chuckle, gazing towards the distant woods.