“Warehouse scavenger hunt…?” The two of them stared at me blankly.
“Exactly, exactly…” I turned around, opened the iron door, and stepped inside. “Right now, there’s a ‘Dao’ hidden in this room. If you can find it within… uh… five minutes, it’s yours!”
“Oh…?” The pretty sister stroked her chin thoughtfully and said, “Little mouse… are you sure this is okay? This ‘rule’ sounds like you just made it up.”
“H-How could it be made up…?”
This sister is so sharp!
“T-This rule… my ‘challenge’ has always followed this rule…”
“Alright, alright…” The pretty sister nodded with a smile. “Today’s really unusual—I’ve never seen a ‘Zodiac’ like this before.”
She turned to the exceptionally beautiful sister and asked, “Xiao Yao, what do you think?”
“We’re just here for the strategy, so what the ‘Zodiac’ looks like doesn’t matter,” the sister called Xiao Yao replied. “Little mouse, what’s the price of admission?”
“Ah… admission…” It suddenly occurred to me that Uncle Tiger had told me every game has an ‘entry fee.’ “M-Mine… this ‘challenge’ costs two dollars.”
“Two dollars?” Sister Xiao Yao looked puzzled.
“Two ‘Dao’!” I quickly corrected myself.
“Two ‘Dao’ still doesn’t make sense…” the other pretty sister said. “If we give you two ‘Dao,’ but your game only rewards one, who would even play? Little mouse, are you really okay?”
Oh no, I think I messed up.
“I… I meant the two of you together only need two ‘Dao’… Actually, each of you only needs to pay one ‘Dao’…”
“That still doesn’t add up…” Sister Xiao Yao frowned. “Wouldn’t that mean we still don’t gain anything?”
“Pfft…” The pretty sister covered her mouth and laughed. “What’s going on? Why are you so adorable, kid?”
Oh no, oh no… I really messed up.
Sister Xiao Yao shook her head and said to the pretty sister, “Ruo Xue, do you think this game is worth playing? Isn’t this just a waste of time?”
“But don’t you find it interesting? One ‘Dao’ for another ‘Dao’… This kid designed such a peculiar game,” Sister Ruo Xue said. “Don’t you want to give it a try?”
“You call it ‘peculiar’?” Sister Xiao Yao pondered for a moment. “Is the ‘Dao’ in her warehouse really that hard to find?”
“Not sure, but I think it’s fun. I’m going in.” Sister Ruo Xue took out a ‘Dao’ from her pocket. “Here, little mouse. Consider this your first sale today.”
“Ah! Thank you, sister!” I felt incredibly happy as I took the ‘Dao.’ I’d earned one for Brother Aries.
“What’s this…?” Sister Ruo Xue laughed again. “What do you mean, ‘Thank you, sister’? Do you even realize what role you’re supposed to be playing right now?”
“Ah, I… I mean… Admission fee received! The challenge can begin!” I turned and opened the iron door. “Five minutes—I’ll count to three hundred in my head.”
“Got it.” Sister Ruo Xue actually reached out and patted my head.
I’m the referee here!
After closing the iron door, I started counting silently in my head—I didn’t even have a watch.
Around the one hundred and fiftieth count, I heard Sister Ruo Xue knocking things over inside.
She seemed to be searching really hard. I almost felt guilty for tricking her.
Then, Sister Xiao Yao spoke up, “Little mouse… how long have you been a ‘Zodiac’?”
“Ah, I… this is my first day.”
“First day?!” Sister Xiao Yao froze, then fell into thought. “So this game really was just made up… right?”
“Ah… yes.” I nodded. “Sister, you—”
“Stop calling me ‘sister’…” A flicker of sorrow passed through Sister Xiao Yao’s eyes, though I couldn’t tell what she was thinking.
I didn’t dare say anything else—everything I did seemed to be wrong.
“Don’t forget to keep counting,” Sister Xiao Yao reminded me. “You haven’t lost track, have you?”
“Uh…”
Finally, I reached three hundred and opened the door again.
Sister Ruo Xue had indeed turned the warehouse upside down.
“What’s going on? Is there even a ‘Dao’ in here?” Sister Ruo Xue let down her tied-up hair, looking exhausted. “It’s so cramped and stuffy—I almost passed out from the heat.”
“Oh…?” Sister Xiao Yao hesitated. “No way, Ruo Xue… Even you couldn’t find it?”
“Haha.” Sister Ruo Xue chuckled. “I didn’t use ‘Echo.’ I just wanted to see what kind of game this kid designed.”
“T-Then, sister, you might’ve failed the challenge,” I said. “P-Please step out first. I need to tidy things up…”
Sister Ruo Xue glanced at the messy warehouse and said apologetically, “Little mouse, do you clean this up yourself every time?”
“Ah… I guess so…” I nodded.
“With your tiny frame, wouldn’t it take you the whole day?”
“Stop asking,” Sister Xiao Yao interjected. “This kid’s first day as a ‘Zodiac,’ and you’ve already turned it into a disaster.”
“What?” Sister Ruo Xue gasped. “First day…”
She thought for a moment, then grabbed my hand.
“Ah?” I flinched. “What are you doing?”
“Don’t move.” Sister Ruo Xue spoke firmly. “Little mouse, listen carefully. This might be a magical warehouse.”
“Magical warehouse…?”
“Don’t interrupt.” She continued, “I used to dream of having a magical room—no matter how messy it got, the moment a friend came over, it would clean itself up instantly.”
I didn’t quite understand what she meant.
“So you need to grasp the logic…” I noticed sweat trickling down Sister Ruo Xue’s forehead—this explanation seemed difficult for her. “Little mouse… if someone comes looking for you… then the warehouse is spotless… Understand?”
“I understand… I definitely wouldn’t leave it this messy…”
“Good.” Sister Ruo Xue nodded in satisfaction and let go of my hand.
She still looked exhausted as she waved weakly and said, “Xiao Yao, your turn.”
Sister Xiao Yao eyed her suspiciously. “Ruo Xue… I don’t get what you’re doing.”
“I’m just helping this kid,” Sister Ruo Xue replied. “What’s wrong with that?”
Sister Xiao Yao narrowed her eyes. “From where I stand, you’re not helping the kid… We’re both ‘participants,’ yet you’re aiding a ‘Zodiac’…”
“Hmm…” Sister Ruo Xue pondered briefly. “Doesn’t matter. Even if she’s a ‘Zodiac,’ to me, she’s just a kid. Isn’t that what you like about me?”
Sister Xiao Yao paused, then reached out and opened the warehouse door. I peeked in alongside her.
To my shock, the inside was completely clean—everything had been neatly placed back on the shelves.
Tai Sui Yellow Amulet Paper FuLu Taoist Love Talisman Traditional Chinese Spiritual Charm Attracting Love Protecting Marriage