Chapter 54: Aro, the Master of Words

"Ah—ah!" After nearly three minutes of Charles' screams in varying pitches, both Ou Xiaolu and Arrow were growing irritated. Ou Xiaolu rolled his eyes and interrupted Charles.

"I think you've screamed enough. If you keep going, you'll bring the whole school here."

"But—but there's a tiger!" Charles pointed at Arrow, who lay beside Ou Xiaolu.

"So what? It didn't bite you." Ou Xiaolu shot Charles another glare, then gestured at Arrow. "His name's Arrow. He's my pet, just arrived today."

Charles' imagination ran wild. He assumed Ou Xiaolu must hail from some grand Eastern family, the kind who could keep tigers as pets. Arriving today likely meant Arrow had just passed through Ameriki Lighthouse Country's customs, or some similar ordeal. But to have a tiger delivered—well, that was a victory in itself.

Charles, careful now, greeted Arrow. Arrow didn't even lift his head, merely cast Charles a disdainful glance.

That reassured Charles further. Clearly, Arrow was well-behaved, so Charles nervously asked, "Can I pet Arrow?"

Ou Xiaolu's face twitched. I call Arrow my pet and you really believe he's just a pet? If I said Arrow was your grandpa, would you kneel?

"Talk it over with Arrow yourself."

Charles didn't dare; he wouldn't even approach, staying at a safe distance to observe.

Meanwhile, Arrow lifted his head and gazed into the void, where Zhong Kui stared back at him.

Arrow spoke first. "Your skin doesn't fit your body in several places. It doesn't show in daily life, but it will affect you in combat. If this continues, your growth will be limited."

Zhong Kui was well aware of his predicament. He borrowed the Zhong Kui form painted by the Liu family, but within, he wasn't Zhong Kui himself. Discrepancies between inside and out were to be expected, but he had little recourse—he could only barely maintain control over the body.

Arrow continued, "I imagine your plan is either to assimilate Zhong Kui's skin from the inside out, or let the skin assimilate you entirely."

Zhong Kui was taken aback. He hadn't expected the big cat, suddenly appearing at Ou Xiaolu's side, could see through him so easily. It had been a long time since anyone had spotted his dilemma—not even Wayne could solve it.

"Your problem is simple," Arrow said with a sneer. "You want to please both sides, and end up pleasing neither. Either you are yourself, the ghost beneath Zhong Kui's skin, or you're Zhong Kui—the ghost beneath is just a shell. Wanting both, you end up with nothing."

Zhong Kui blinked at Arrow and glanced at Ou Xiaolu, who had heard it all but looked utterly bewildered. What did Arrow mean? Was he teaching Zhong Kui how to grow?

Zhong Kui pondered Arrow's words for a long moment, then nodded decisively. "Sir, I have five ghosts under me. Could you help me manage them for a few days?"

Even Ou Xiaolu was startled, raising his head to look toward Zhong Kui.

Zhong Kui, embarrassed, looked at Ou Xiaolu and hesitated. "Um, do you still have any of that potion you gave me before? It doesn't have to be the best, just the kind you gave me. I need at least two bottles."

Ou Xiaolu said nothing.

Zhong Kui added, "If you're willing to support me with these two potions, I'll help you for free for two years once I succeed."

Ou Xiaolu studied Zhong Kui for a while, then nodded at Arrow.

Arrow opened his mouth, and two bottles of mysterious, plain white potion appeared, delivered to Zhong Kui.

Zhong Kui accepted the potions, nodded to Ou Xiaolu, and vanished into thin air.

Watching Zhong Kui depart, Ou Xiaolu was speechless. What was this? Did Arrow have some hidden talent for persuasion?

At this point, Charles, who had no idea what had just transpired, finally calmed down. Perhaps seeing that Arrow truly had no intention of attacking, he slowly began to edge closer.

Bang!

Suddenly, the door swung open, and the room fell silent once more.

Ou Xiaolu slowly raised his head, just in time to see Miguel enter with a girl in tow. He rolled his eyes, feeling he really shouldn't have let them corner him in the room. If he'd left earlier, none of this trouble would have happened.

Before Ou Xiaolu could even finish his internal complaint, Miguel and the girl both shrieked in unison, louder than Charles' earlier screams.

Charles, now seated beside Ou Xiaolu, commented, "Say, Xihu, aren't they a little cowardly? It's just a tiger—what's there to be afraid of?"

"Indeed," Ou Xiaolu replied, casting Charles a glance. You weren't scared, after screaming for three minutes?

Miguel and the girl heard Charles' remark and retreated to the doorway. Miguel called out, "Is that tiger yours?"

"Of course not. It's Xihu's pet. Scared, aren't you?" Charles said smugly, completely devoid of his earlier fright.

The girl who came with Miguel grew more interested the longer she looked at Arrow. If Miguel hadn't held her back, she would have tried to pet Arrow herself.

Seeing the situation, Ou Xiaolu realized if he delayed any longer, the whole day would be lost. He stood up, circled Charles, and headed for the door.

Arrow didn’t need a call or a glance; the moment Ou Xiaolu stood, Arrow rose and followed, moving at a measured pace.

Miguel, seeing Arrow so obedient, started to believe Arrow really was Ou Xiaolu's pet. Still, fear of large predators kept him from approaching.

Charles, emboldened, called out loudly from behind, "Xihu, where are you going?"

"To Chinatown, to buy a few things," Ou Xiaolu replied without looking back.

"I'm coming too. I know the area well—I can help carry stuff," Charles said, following behind Ou Xiaolu, though he kept his distance from Arrow.

Ou Xiaolu didn’t object. When they reached the ground floor, his car was already waiting.

Ou Xiaolu slid into the driver's seat; the rear door opened automatically, and Arrow hopped in with ease.

Charles hesitated, then finally settled into the passenger seat.

Ou Xiaolu pulled a camera from the dashboard and snapped Arrow’s photo, confirming the identity of his fellow passenger.

As for Charles, Ou Xiaolu had no intention of granting him any permissions.