Becoming an Evil God and Stealing His Wife - Chapter 8

Li Jiu echoed neutrally, “…Killed by a monster?”

The old man’s lips curled into a pleased smile, and he nodded with satisfaction. “Precisely. You are highly perceptive vastly more intelligent than those stubborn fools who refuse to open their eyes to the truth. I knew the moment I saw you that you were different.”

“Tell me, young man… do you wish to learn how to safeguard yourself against such a gruesome, tragic fate?”

Li Jiu offered a solemn nod. “I do.”

“Faith,” the old man declared, his chest swelling with profound conviction. “Only those who harbor true faith can receive divine sanctuary within this filthy, perilous world.”

The exact moment the word faith left the stranger’s lips, a massive crimson flag went up in Li Jiu’s mind. His internal scam-radar triggered immediately, but he maintained a perfectly blank expression, playing along. “What exactly would I need to do?”

“Through continuous suffering and righteous devotion, you shall trade your worldly attachments for our Lord’s divine protection…”

Li Jiu cut to the chase: “By ‘devotion,’ do you mean I can secure this protection by donating a substantial sum of money to the cause?”

A flash of absolute greed crossed the old man’s face. “Of course! A financial sacrifice is a highly efficient—”

“I don’t have any money,” Li Jiu stated flatly.

The old man’s smile froze. He knit his brows in irritation.

“Not a single cent,” Li Jiu added for emphasis.

The stranger’s face lengthened into a severe scowl. “Well… trading through suffering is an entirely acceptable alternative path.”

“My life is already an absolute nightmare of suffering,” Li Jiu countered, his voice dripping with dry sincerity. “I literally survive on nothing but roasted grey taros every single day. Exactly how much more miserable do you expect me to get?”

“All of your present earthly miseries are merely an investment for the future!”

“Is this future also going to consist of eating grey taros every single day?”

The old man choked on his words. “…”

“Do you eat grey taros every day?” Li Jiu pressed, staring intently at the man’s frame.

The old man’s jaw twitched. In truth, he wouldn’t touch a dusty taro with a ten-foot pole. But since his entire theological sales pitch revolved around the virtues of enduring poverty, he had to pretend to lead by example. “Yes. I consume them daily.”

Li Jiu let out a pitiful sigh, shaking his head. “How tragic. No wonder you look so terribly scrawny and malnourished.”

“If that’s what the future looks like, I think I’ll pass on the divine sanctuary.”

Before the fraudulent missionary could recover his composure, Li Jiu offered a dismissive wave, quickened his stride, and left the stunned grifter eating his dust as he accelerated toward the commercial sector. Today marked his very first official shift at the noodle house, and he refused to let a street-level cult recruiter make him late.

Securing a stable livelihood was his absolute priority. The second that old man had uttered the word faith, Li Jiu knew he was either angling for his wallet or his vital organs.

Not a chance.

The old man stood frozen on the pavement, completely speechless. “…”

The morning shift at Xiangxiang Noodle House progressed with absolute smoothness. Once the chaotic lunchtime rush finally subsided, the dense crowd of patrons thinned out, leaving the dining room peaceful.

Li Jiu sat down to share a staff meal with Hu Xiangxiang. He exercised deliberate restraint over his appetite, ensuring he ate at a completely normal, modest pace so as to not raise any eyebrows about his sudden caloric demands.

“Xiao Li,” Hu Xiangxiang noted kindly, setting her empty bowl down. “Once you finish up, head into the back kitchen and get some rest. There’s a designated break room right next to the pantry with a small cot. Take a proper nap before we reopen for the evening rush.”

“Understood. Thank you, Auntie Hu.”

Auntie Hu wiped her hands and departed the shop to rest at her own residence, which was located just a short walk away from the commercial block, making the commute incredibly convenient.

Left alone, Li Jiu navigated toward the rear break room. The severe lack of sleep from his overnight ordeal with Shen Guan was finally catching up to him; he desperately needed to recharge his battery to ensure his motor functions wouldn’t slip during the demanding evening shift.

As for his grand plan of espionage?

He and Auntie Hu were still in the infancy of their professional relationship. Launching into random, probing questions regarding the Quality Inspection Department or Ling Xiao would be incredibly reckless and highly likely to compromise his cover. He needed to map out the general environment first, taking things one deliberate step at a time. For now, stabilizing his employment and gaining an absolute grasp on his Stealth capability were his core objectives.

Entering the break room, Li Jiu turned the iron deadbolt, locking the door firmly from the inside before drawing the heavy curtains across the windowpane to block out the harsh afternoon sun.

Assessing the modest layout of the floor space, he focused his consciousness and internally commanded: Stealth.

Instantly dissolving into the ambient shadows, he practiced his trajectory, limiting his output to exactly two rapid laps around the room before actively disengaging the trait to return to his normal state.

He dropped onto the small cot, panting heavily as sweat beaded along his brow. Though fatigued, the controlled exertion felt manageable. He closed his eyes, and within moments, drifted into a deep sleep.

The boundary of his consciousness dissolved, pulling him back into the familiar, liquid dark of his reoccurring nightmare. He opened his eyes within the subterranean vault, surrounded by a suffocating expanse of stagnant blood and severed anatomy.

Don’t look. A voice echoed.

Li Jiu’s mind throbbed with a heavy, disorienting vertigo. Where am I? Wasn’t I just resting in the break room?

Don’t look.

Crackle… Crunch…

A sickening, rhythmic crunching sound reverberated off the walls, accompanied by an absolute, putrid stench of decay. What is making that noise? It smells horrific!

Don’t look.

Defying the internal warning, Li Jiu forced his chin upward. Once again, the towering, grotesque manifestation of absolute cosmic terror loomed directly over him.

But the exact millisecond the suffocating panic threatened to break his psyche, countless massive, jet-black tentacles erupted from the darkness directly behind his shoulders. They swarmed forward like an armor plating, completely enveloping his form and shattering the grotesque nightmare into a million fragments of harmless glass.

Don’t fear.

Li Jiu’s eyes snapped open.

The ambient light inside the break room remained dim. He had plunged back into the exact same nightmare, yet the structural ending of the dream had fundamentally shifted. More importantly, as he sat up on the cot, he realized the lingering terror and paralyzing panic that usually accompanied his waking moments were entirely absent.

Remembering the undulating black tentacles that had intervened to shield him, Li Jiu knit his brows in deep confusion.

Previously, his nightmares had merely concluded with the distant, auditory echo of Shen Guan’s voice. This time, the dream had literally manifested the man’s anomalous appendages to destroy the threat.

What exactly is happening to my subconscious mind?

A series of muffled, aggressive voices echoing from the front dining room broken his chain of thought.

Li Jiu swung his legs off the cot, unlatched the door, and stepped out into the main shop. Auntie Hu had already returned, but the evening service had just been abruptly derailed by two highly unwelcome guests.

Li Jiu stepped into the dining area, grabbing a cleaning rag to clear a nearby table while casting a calculating look toward the counter. “Welcome. Please, take a seat wherever you like.”

The male intruder sneered, completely ignoring the hospitality. “Where is the proprietor of this establishment? Call her out here immediately.”

Hu Xiangxiang emerged from the kitchen pass, balancing a steaming bowl of noodles destined for a waiting patron. Hearing the hostile tone, she maintained a polite demeanor. “I am the owner. Is there something I can assist you with?”

The confrontational duo consisted of a middle-aged man and woman, both bearing highly aggressive, predatory expressions.

The man shot a sharp look at his companion, prompting the woman to step forward, her voice piercingly loud: “Our nephew, Zhang Li, contracted a chronic, debilitating disease while working under your roof! He has to remain on expensive medication for the rest of his natural life, and you are going to take absolute financial responsibility for it.”

Auntie Hu froze in her tracks. She carefully delivered the hot bowl to her customer before turning back, her brow furrowing. “Excuse me? Who exactly are you?”

The man crossed his arms. “I am Zhang Li’s uncle, and this is his aunt.”

Before Auntie Hu could offer a defensive retort, Li Jiu smoothly stepped into her personal space, lowering his voice to a discreet murmur: “Auntie Hu, it might be best to politely clear the remaining patrons out of the dining room first. If a physical altercation breaks out, it’s going to ruin their meals and destroy our reputation.”

“You’re entirely right,” Auntie Hu whispered back, surveying the tense room. She turned toward the dining tables, her face shifting into a deeply apologetic expression. “Valued customers, I am terribly sorry, but an unexpected personal matter has arisen that requires our immediate attention. We cannot properly facilitate the rest of your dinner service tonight. This round of noodles is entirely on the house, and your next bowl will be completely free of charge. I apologize for the inconvenience.”

Though a few patrons murmured in mild annoyance, one look at the hostile posture of Xiao Zhang’s relatives convinced them that staying would be a massive headache. Satisfied with the generous compensation, the customers quickly gathered their things and filed out.

Within minutes, the dining room was completely empty, though a dense ring of local onlookers immediately bottlenecked outside the glass storefront, eager to watch the drama unfold.

Hu Xiangxiang turned her full attention toward the uncle, her voice firming up. “I am well aware of Xiao Zhang’s unfortunate medical condition, and I deeply sympathize with his situation. However, his sudden illness has absolutely zero structural correlation with his duties at this noodle house. Furthermore, I have already extended every possible bit of financial assistance within my power, I granted him an entire extra month of severance pay out of my own pocket and personally covered his initial hospital admission fees…”

The uncle aggressively cut her off, his voice rising to ensure the onlookers outside could hear every syllable. “Zero correlation?! His health was absolute perfection before he stepped foot in this shop! He fell ill precisely because of the labor conditions in this establishment. If the employer refuses to take responsibility, who will?”

“And don’t get me started on your pathetic ‘assistance’! Zhang Li slaved away in this kitchen for years. The moment you discovered he was sick, did you grant him paid leave to recuperate? Did you offer him a single shred of genuine compassion? No! You terminated his contract, threw him to the curb, and immediately replaced him with this new kid! Where is your basic human conscience? You honestly think a miserable pit of severance pay is going to make us disappear?”

Auntie Hu’s face flushed with indignation. “What absolute nonsense are you spewing?! Xiao Zhang submitted his resignation voluntarily—”

“He faces a lifetime of mandatory medical bills!” the uncle bellowed, slamming a hand onto a nearby table. “That is an astronomical, unending financial burden. Why on earth would an honest, vulnerable boy voluntarily terminate his only consistent source of income? Even if the resignation paperwork bears his signature, you obviously coerced and intimidated him into signing it! Just because our boy possesses a gentle, timid disposition doesn’t mean his elders are going to sit back and let you trample over our family!”

“You bear total accountability for his condition. Moving forward, you will not only cover the exact cost of his monthly prescriptions, but you will also remit a monthly stipend to compensate for his lost wages. Alternatively, you can write us a single, lump-sum check right now, and we’ll consider the matter settled!”

“Otherwise, we are going to make your life an absolute living hell!”

“Are you people entirely devoid of basic reason?!” Auntie Hu gasped, completely out of her depth. Her entire life had been defined by polite, amicable community relations; she had absolutely zero experience handling aggressive, bad-faith extortionists.

Li Jiu leaned closer, his voice a barely audible whisper near her ear. “Auntie Hu, should we contact the local police prefecture?”

Auntie Hu offered a helpless, dejected look. “The regular police force won’t waste their resources intervening in a minor civil dispute like this.”

Li Jiu paused, a stark reminder washing over him: Right. This isn’t my original world. The standard legal protections he took for granted didn’t apply to the vulnerable citizens of this bleak reality.

“What about… Ling Xiao?” he probed gently.

Auntie Hu instantly shook her head, a flash of severe reluctance crossing her features.

Li Jiu narrowed his eyes, pivoting his focus toward the uncle. “Does Zhang Li actually know that the two of you have marched into this establishment today?”

The uncle scoffed derisively. “Whether he knows or not is entirely irrelevant! His biological parents are long dead. We are his sole remaining blood relatives and his legal elders. He obeys our counsel, period.”

“If you refuse to meet our demands regarding his care, we simply won’t leave. Every single day you withhold our funds is a day we spend occupying these seats. Let’s see how much business your precious noodle house pulls in then.”

With an air of absolute entitlement, the aunt and uncle dragged out two wooden chairs and sat down firmly, anchoring themselves in the center of the room.

Auntie Hu was practically trembling with rage. “How can they possibly pin Xiao Zhang’s illness on my head?”

Li Jiu watched them closely, his mind analyzing the chess pieces. So, Xiao Zhang is completely in the dark about this extortion scheme.

But looking at the aggressive, domineering posture of these two relatives, it was glaringly obvious that even if the timid young man were to rush into the shop right now to plead with them, his soft nature would carry zero weight against their greed.

In theory, resolving this issue should have been an absolute cakewalk. Based on Xiao Zhang’s prior remarks regarding his inability to afford medication, combined with the heavily worn, frayed quality of these relatives’ garments, this family possessed absolutely zero systemic power or social standing.

Auntie Hu was a direct blood relative of Ling Xiao—an elite operator within the state’s most powerful, covert official department. If she simply made a single request, squashing a pair of low-level extortionists would take less than a minute of official intervention.

Yet, Auntie Hu seemed desperately intent on avoiding anything that might involve or trouble Ling Xiao.

Why is she so terrified of looping her own family into this? Li Jiu mused.

“I never would have guessed the proprietor of this shop was such a cold-blooded monster,” the uncle began shouting toward the open door, his voice dripping with theatrical malice.

“With an owner this corrupt and black-hearted running the books, do you honestly think the food they serve is honest? Who knows what kind of rotten, cheap ingredients she’s throwing into those pots! Who would ever risk their lives eating here?!”

As their loud, defamatory slurs echoed into the street, the gathering crowd of onlookers outside grew progressively larger. Primed by the malicious narrative being spun, the neighbors began pointing fingers at the storefront, whispering aggressively among themselves.

If this public relations disaster wasn’t mitigated immediately, the reputation of the noodle house would be permanently destroyed before the week was out.

The building social pressure finally broke Auntie Hu’s resolve. She grits her teeth, her posture slumping as she prepared to capitulate to their demands.

Sensing her shift, Li Jiu leaned in close, his whisper sharp and direct: “Auntie Hu, you aren’t actually considering agreeing to their terms, are you?”

“We can’t just allow them to occupy the dining floor indefinitely, Xiao Li,” she replied in a hushed, defeated tone, her eyes welling with stress. “Our entire trade will dry up. I’m thinking… perhaps it’s best if I simply agree to their secondary condition. I’ll write them a lump-sum check and let them leave.”

Li Jiu cast a cold glance toward the smirking uncle. “Auntie Hu, the figure they demand isn’t going to be a small sum. It will likely empty your reserves.”

“Furthermore, there is absolutely zero guarantee that a single payout will solve your problem. The exact moment that lumps sum is drained by their personal spending, what’s stopping them from marching right back into this shop to trigger another scene for more cash?”

“Then… what on earth am I supposed to do?” she murmured, completely frantic.

Li Jiu seized the absolute perfect window of vulnerability, casting his net to reel in the critical information he needed: “Auntie Hu, why are you so utterly resistant to contacting Ling Xiao?”