Tang Dynasty: Starting with Dimo, he was targeted by Li Shimin.

Chapter 36 The Castle Guardian Beast and Grass-type Fragments

Lin Luo was awakened by a chill.

It's not that the weather is cold—it's summer in the third year of the Zhenguan era, and even after a rain, the nighttime temperature isn't low.

But his entire left arm felt as cold as if it had been soaking in ice water.

He groggily opened his eyes and looked down—

Little Pal somehow moved from beside his arm to his palm, curled up in his hand, its tail tucked around its nose, sleeping soundly.

However, it is unconsciously releasing a faint evil magical power.

That magic wasn't aggressive; it was more like... an instinctive aura spreading outwards.

Just like Dimo's body glows slightly when he sleeps, the temperature around Little Pal drops slightly when he sleeps.

The result was that Lin Luo's entire left arm was exposed to the "evil air conditioner" all night.

"…………"

He gently moved little Parr next to the pillow with his right hand.

Little Pal grunted and changed his position to continue sleeping.

He didn't even lift his eyelids.

Meanwhile, Abu on the other side—

Abu huddled on the far right of the blanket, a full foot away from little Pal.

Its body was curled up in a ball, its tail tucked tightly between its legs, and its fur stood on end slightly.

Clearly, even in its sleep, it could sense the malevolent aura emanating from Little Pal.

Dragon and Dark types do not have a direct type advantage/disadvantage relationship on the type chart—but on an instinctive level, young Abu has an extremely keen perception of "Dark".

This has led to a very awkward situation—

To Lin Luo's left is a little devilish furball with a built-in cooling function.

On the right is a dragon-type puppy that's cowering like a hedgehog because it's scared by the little devil ball of fur.

He in the middle looks like a slice of bread in a sandwich.

Good morning! This is the most outrageous wake-up scene in the third year of the Zhenguan era.

After washing up, Lin Luo went to the backyard.

Xiao Xiao is already making breakfast—today it's plain congee with pickled radish.

Good morning, boss.

"Um."

"How's the new one?"

"I slept through the night without moving. Aside from my left hand being frozen stiff, there's nothing seriously wrong."

"Oh." Little Owl glanced at the dark purple fur ball Lin Luo was holding. "It's still sleeping."

"Hmm. From yesterday afternoon until now, the total time I've been awake is probably less than the time it takes for an incense stick to burn."

"...He can sleep even better than me."

"You're comparing your sleeping ability to that of a legendary elf?"

"Why can't we compare?" Xiao Xiao yawned, looking completely matter-of-fact. "When it comes to sleeping, I'm second to none."

(ㆁωㆁ) You two do look quite alike.

Lin Luo placed Little Pal on the stone table in the backyard.

The dark purple fluffy ball curled up in the sunlight—

Then its body shrank slightly.

Sunlight.

Little Pal doesn't seem to like the sun very much.

Its fur darkened slightly under the sunlight, as if it were instinctively trying to conceal its presence.

Dark-type Pokémon naturally prefer shade and fear light—which is the opposite of Abu.

Although Abu is socially awkward, he is not afraid of the sun.

Dimo wished he could lie in the sun 24/7.

But Little Pal—

"Pa..."

It snorted, covered its eyes with its little paws, and buried its head in its tail.

The meaning is clear: It's too bright. Turn it off.

"The sun can't be turned off." Lin Luo propped up the umbrella on the stone table to block the sunlight.

Little Pal relaxed in the shadows and curled up into a ball again.

Go back to sleep.

Dimo flew down from the eaves and curiously approached the stone table to take a look.

"Hmm?"

It tilted its head, looked at Little Pal, and then at Lin Luo.

His expression seemed to say: Why does this new guy only know how to sleep?

"It's just been born," Lin Luo ruffled Dimo's hair, "Let it sleep a little longer."

"Mmm-mmm." Dimo ​​nodded, squatting down beside the stone table like a sensible older brother, as if helping to watch over little Pal.

And Abu—

Abu stood at the other end of the backyard, watching little Pal on the stone table from afar.

It did not come close.

But they didn't manage to climb onto the roof beams.

This is already progress.

When we first met yesterday, it was stiff all over, but today at least it can stand in the same yard.

Lin Luo glanced at Abu but didn't force it to come closer.

Some things can't be rushed.

ʕ·ᴥ·ʔ

After finishing breakfast, Lin Luo opened the system panel.

Daily check-in.

[Daily Check-in Rewards: Cocoa Fruit x1, Magic Dust x3.]

ordinary.

Daily lottery.

Lin Luo took a deep breath—

Starting today, Grass-type Pokémon Fruit Fragments have been added to the prize pool.

Based on my previous experience collecting water-type fragments, it would take about ten to fifteen days to collect ten.

But everything is difficult at the beginning.

He clicked it.

[Daily Lottery - Congratulations on winning: Grass-type Pokémon Fruit Fragment x1!]

1/10.

It came out on the first day!

"A good omen." Lin Luo's lips curved into a smile.

The last time I was collecting water-type shards, the first gacha pull I got was also a shard.

It seems this system's prize pool has a hidden probability bonus for "newly unlocked content"—

It's especially easy to get something new the first time you draw it.

From now on, it all depends on luck.

But it's okay.

He's not in a hurry right now.

The drought has been resolved; the grass-based shelter is "icing on the cake," not "a lifeline."

Take your time.

morning.

Lin Luo made the rare decision to open for business.

It wasn't that he wanted to make money—it was just that lately, there had been people curiously peering over the wall.

Since the rain, the popularity of "Magic Wonders Shop" in the West Market has skyrocketed.

Although most people don't know exactly what this shop sells, they have all seen the "water spirits around the shop" and the "water seepage from the ground."

Some people say the owner of this shop is a deity.

Some say he was a Taoist priest.

Some say they are sorcerers from the Western Regions.

Some people even confidently claimed that the shop kept a "blue water sprite"—

It probably refers to the blister shell.

Poor Bubble Shell has been mistaken for a "water monster." It's currently munching on its fifth cocoa pod in a small puddle outside the courtyard wall.

(˙▿˙)

Lin Luo lifted the curtain at the front door and sat down behind the counter.

Dimo perched on his shoulder.

Little Par was placed in a corner behind the counter, in a small, dark basket lined with a soft cloth and covered with a thin veil—

It doesn't like light, so Lin Luo made it a "mini dark room".

Little Pal was sleeping soundly inside.

Shui Lanlan was on duty next to the water tank.

Abu was on the roof beam in the backyard—even though no strangers came today, it still habitually stayed on high up.

Xiao Xiao leaned against the back door frame and dozed off.

Business as usual.

until--

"Knock knock knock."

There is a knock on the door.

Lin Luo raised his head.

There was a person standing at the door.

It's not Cheng Yaojin.

It's not Yuchi Gong.

It wasn't Li Shimin.

It was someone he had never seen before—

young people.

He was probably in his early twenties, wearing an elegant but understated gray-blue robe, with a fine jade pendant tied around his waist.

He had a handsome appearance, refined manners, and a perfectly timed smile.

They look like they come from a wealthy family.

"Excuse me—is this the Magical Artifacts Shop?"

Her voice is also very pleasant. Gentle, polite, and neither arrogant nor servile.

Lin Luo glanced at him.

"Yes. What is it?"

The young man walked in and his eyes swept around the shop—

I saw the sketches on the wall.

I saw various elf props displayed in the counter.

He saw Dimo ​​on Lin Luo's shoulder—his pupils contracted slightly the instant he saw Dimo, but quickly returned to normal.

"My surname is Cui, and my given name is Yuanting." He cupped his hands in greeting.

"I live in the south of the city and run a small business."

"I recently heard about a very interesting shop in the West Market, so I came to visit."

His attitude was very sincere.

The smile was very natural.

Everything was very proper.

Lin Luo leaned back in her chair and sized him up for a few seconds.

His surname is Cui.

South of the city.

Running a business.

These keywords together—

After Cui An was sprayed by a swallow-tailed otter in the imperial court and eleven powerful county magistrates were executed—

The name "Cui" no longer carried the same weight in Lin Luo's ears as it had before.

Of course, it could just be a coincidence.

There are countless people in the world with the surname Cui.

But Lin Luo's intuition told him—

This person is not simple.

He smiled, showing no sign of anything amiss.

"Welcome. What would you like to see, Mr. Cui?"

"No rush." ​​Cui Yuanting sat down in the chair in front of the counter, his posture composed.

"Let me have a cup of tea first, and chat with the shopkeeper."

"Okay." Lin Luo winked at Xiao Xiao.

Xiao Xiao yawned and slowly went to make tea.

Cui Yuanting took the teacup and took a sip—

"Good tea."

"The tea here is quite good."

"Is the shopkeeper's skill a family tradition?"

"It was made by my assistant."

"An assistant?" Cui Yuanting raised an eyebrow slightly. "The girl from earlier?"

"Um."

"She looks young, but her skills are excellent."

He chatted while drinking tea, the conversation ranging from tea to the market prices in the West Market, and then to the recent weather—

"It's strange," he said, putting down his teacup with a hint of wistfulness in his voice.

"There was a drought for two months a while ago, and I thought this year's harvest was completely ruined."

"Then a few days ago, a sudden downpour relieved the drought immediately."

"Does the shopkeeper think this rain is strange?"

Lin Luo picked up the teacup and slowly took a sip.

"What's so strange about it? It's just raining. Who can predict what will happen in the weather?"

"That's true." Cui Yuanting smiled.

But when his eyes smile—

It didn't move.

Those eyes, hidden behind a smile, quietly observed every detail in the shop.

The painting on the wall.

The items in the counter.

The golden, moving "cat" on Lin Luo's shoulder.

as well as--

The small, dark-colored basket covered with a thin veil in the corner behind the counter.

Lin Luo noticed his gaze.

But he didn't say anything.

He just took another sip of tea.

Then I said something to myself in my heart—

Xiao Xiao is right.

The peaceful days, as expected, did not last long.

(´-ω-`)

Cui Yuanting sat for about half an hour.

We talked a lot—about the weather, about business, and about the latest happenings in the West Market.

We talked about everything.

They didn't get to the point at all.

Before leaving, he stood up, took a small silver ingot from his sleeve, and placed it on the counter.

"Tea fee."

"A bowl of tea isn't worth that price." Lin Luo glanced at the silver ingot—it was at least five taels.

"Consider the extra money as a way to make friends," Cui Yuanting smiled.

"I frequent the West Market, and I'll likely be bothering you quite often in the future."

"The shopkeeper doesn't mind, does he?"

"I don't mind." Lin Luo accepted the silver. "Guests are always welcome."

"Then I shall take my leave."

Cui Yuanting cupped his hands in a respectful gesture, then turned and walked out.

His figure disappeared into the crowd in the West Market.

Calm, refined, and flawless.

Lin Luo looked in the direction he had left.

There was a moment of silence.

"Little Owl."

"Um……"

What do you think of this person?

Xiao Xiao walked over, his eyes half-closed, carrying a teapot.

"You speak so sweetly."

"Then what?"

People who speak too sweetly—

"Either they are truly well-mannered."

"Or they're here to get information out of me."

Lin Luo nodded.

"I think so too."

He glanced down at the small, dark-colored basket behind the counter—

Beneath the thin veil, Little Pal's dark red eyes had opened at some point.

It didn't move.

She simply watched quietly in the direction Cui Yuanting had left.

Two dark red eyes gleamed faintly in the shadows.

Like two cold rubies.

"Pa."

It cried out.

It's very light.

But Lin Luo understood the meaning behind it—

That's not "I'm hungry".

It's not "I want to sleep".

Yes--

I don't like that person.

Dark-type Pokémon's perception of "malice" —

More perceptive than any human being.

Lin Luo reached out and patted Little Pal's head.

"I know."

"But there's no rush."

"Let him come."

"The more you come in—the more you show."

Little Par glanced at him.

Then she closed her eyes again.

Go back to sleep.

But this time—

Its ears were not fully down.

One is standing upright.

Listening.

(⊙ω⊙)

……