Arlo landed in Hua Buxie's universe with a soft thud, appearing in a narrow alleyway.
Even here, the world refused to slow down.
Merchants lined both sides of the street, shouting at the top of their lungs, trying to drag every passerby into their little schemes. The air was thick with the smell of fried food, spices, and unchecked capitalism.
A woman immediately leaned in.
"Hey, mister, you look like a traveler. Want to taste the tastiest frog in all of Lingyue? Only for ten coppers."
Arlo didn't even blink.
"Nice scam, lady," he replied flatly.
The woman smiled wider, unbothered. Clearly this wasn't her first rejection—or her first fraud attempt.
Not far away, an old man lifted a silk robe like it was a sacred artifact.
"Young man, why not take this dress made of pure silk? Only one silver coin."
Arlo stopped. His eyes narrowed like a predator spotting weak prey.
"Old man, six hundred coppers. And I'm not giving a single copper more than that."
The bargaining war began.
"Six seventy-five. It's a silk robe."
"Six twenty-five. Final offer. And I'm already being generous."
The old man squinted.
Arlo squinted back.
Arlo turned and started walking away without hesitation.
The old man panicked.
"…Okay, okay, young man. Take it."
A satisfied grin appeared on Arlo's face.
He tapped his temple.
"Oi, Loki, are you there? Send me the copper coins."
Inside the shared telepathic link, Loki responded instantly.
"Okay, bro."
He snapped his fingers.
The next second—
Arlo froze.
"…Huh?"
Something surged inside his throat.
"Wait—what the f—"
"—Ghk…?!"
His eyes widened.
"Give me a bucket, old man!" he screamed.
The merchant panicked and shoved a clay pot into his hands.
And then—
Arlo began vomiting copper coins.
Clink. Clink. Clink.
A literal rain of money poured out of him.
A thousand copper coins.
Silence fell over the street.
Arlo wiped his mouth, staring at the pile in disbelief.
"Loki… you're kidding right now, aren't you?" He growled mentally, "You absolute psychopath… you could've just sent ONE silver coin."
But the connection had already gone dead.
In another space—(Arlo's office room)
Just laughter.
Loki, Raga, and Yama were laughing so hard one of them almost fell off a chair.
Arlo sighed, still standing in the middle of chaos.
"Here's your money. Now give me my clothes."
He immediately began stripping in the middle of the street.
Down to his underwear.
The street exploded.
"Ahhh, what is this insolent person doing?!"
"Someone stop this idiot!"
Some people screamed. Some laughed. Some simply gave up on reality.
Arlo didn't care in the slightest.
He calmly put on his new silk robe like nothing had happened.
He adjusted the sleeves.
He rolled his shoulders.
A satisfied look crossed his face.
"Fits like a glove."
After walking for a while, he was confronted with reality once more.
Then—
He froze.
Hua Buxie.
Right.
He had a mission.
He grabbed his head.
"Oh shit. I have to find her."
"But how will I find her?"
He started thinking hard.
Too hard.
Then his eyes lit up.
An idea.
A terrible idea.
He grabbed his old shirt, flipped it over, and used a copper coin like a pencil, sketching furiously.
Time passed.
Slowly, a face formed.
"It's finished… but how do I draw her red hair?" he muttered, scratching his head.
Loki's voice returned immediately.
"Boss, I know you like art and stuff, but you know you can just ask us to print her image."
Arlo paused.
Then deadpanned.
"…Then send it, smartass."
Then immediately threw the shirt away.
A photo materialized in his hand.
Arlo stared at it for a second.
Then nodded seriously.
Problem solved.
His investigation began immediately.
He walked up to a random passerby.
"Sir, have you seen this woman? She's an old friend of mine."
"Sorry, I haven't."
Next person.
"Miss, have you seen this woman? She's an old friend of mine."
This time—
"Oh, that lady? She sells vegetables and fruits. Her name is Mei, right? She's quite popular."
Arlo nodded slowly.
"Yes, yes…"
He turned slightly.
"She's probably living under a fake identity," he murmured.
"What did you say?" the woman asked.
"No, nothing! Just asking for directions!" he quickly corrected.
She suspiciously explained the way to the vegetable shop.
Arlo left.
A few minutes later, he arrived.
And stopped.
The stall was crowded.
Too crowded.
Young men packed the place like moths circling a flame.
Whispers floated around.
"My son has been buying vegetables like he used to sleep all day. Not anymore, all of a sudden."
"My husband as well."
"I heard that woman is a demonic cultivator."
Arlo narrowed his eyes.
Demonic cultivation?
But—
He didn't sense anything like that.
Instead, her presence felt… calm.
Warm.
Almost sweet.
Something was off.
He sighed.
Waiting in line? Not happening.
A plan formed instantly.
He slipped into a nearby bathroom.
Moments later, he stepped out.
Completely different.
He now looked like the one person Hua Buxie hated the most.
Wei Tianpeng.
Arlo rolled his shoulders.
"This body… it's hard to move."
Then he started running.
Slow.
Heavy.
Pathetic-looking.
Right in front of the stall.
And as expected—
She noticed him.
She froze.
For half a second.
Then—
She moved.
Fast. Too fast.
She chased him instantly, but something was wrong.
Even with her terrifying speed, she couldn't catch a fat, sluggish man.
Because it wasn't just a disguise. Arlo was using Loki's power layered over multiple illusions, even affecting Immortal Realm perception.
And worse—
Her emotions were spiraling.
Fear.
Confusion.
Something else she didn't want to admit.
Arlo, meanwhile, was screaming internally.
"Oh shit, this is scary. Help me."
"She got me."
Suddenly—
She grabbed him.
Arlo stopped instantly.
He slowly turned around.
The disguise dropped in mid-moment.
His real face returned.
"Miss, are you okay? Do you need something?"
Hua Buxie blinked.
Then looked down slightly.
"Oh… sorry, sir. I thought you were someone I knew from the past… yeah, from the past."
Silence.
Arlo smiled awkwardly.
"Oh, I know you. You're the owner of that famous vegetable shop. I wanted to buy something, but the line is too long… and I've got urgent work."
He scratched his head, forcing a laugh.
"But… I'll drop by in the evening."
He turned away.
Started walking.
"Okay. And… sorry for chasing you."
Her voice was quieter now.
Arlo waved without looking back.
Then—
He paused.
Turned his head slightly.
"Miss, don't forget to give me a discount!"
A brief silence.
Then—
She smiled.
Not a forced one.
Not a guarded one.
A real smile.
Genuine.
Both went their separate ways.
Or so it seemed.
Back in the bathroom—
Arlo transformed again.
This time into a child.
His younger self.
In a distant office, three figures watched everything unfold on a screen. (Arlos Computer)
"What are we even watching? A rom-com? And why did he turn into a kid?" Raga frowned.
"He's bored. He thinks sitting in that chair makes him a sack of potatoes. So now he's roleplaying." Loki leaned back and smirked.
"Yeah. It's like he's on a stage… and he's both the puppet and the puppet master." Yama laughed.
A pause.
Then Loki's smile deepened.
"Yeah… I can feel it. He turned into a kid because he's about to do something evil."
"Good to see him in action again."