His Meihua Swan | Cultivation World Series 1 (BL)

C H A P T E R 5 2

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Chapter 52: The Sea Serpent's Trial, Part 2

"Huh? Octopus guy?" Liu Xiao called out in shock as he approached the writhing creature.

The octopus paused its wild tremors, its grumpy eyes shifting to glare down at him. Then, its gaze darted towards Wu Qingge, and it started to quiver even more intensely. "YOU!!! YOU PETTY DEMON!!! HOW DARE YOU CHOP MY SACRED TENTACLES?! THIS VENERABLE ONE'S TENTACLES?! HMMN?!"

Liu Xiao gasped silently. "That thing's sacred?! But that tentacle is the best to make a bunch of sushi, though," he thought to himself.

Wu Qingge glanced at Liu Xiao, then indifferently looked up at the octopus as he replied, "We ate it."

The octopus's eyes widened in disbelief, and it began to growl furiously. "YOU!!! HOW DARE YOU-TO THIS VENERABLE ONE'S TENTACLE!!!"

"NO, DON'T LISTEN TO HIM! OF COURSE WE DIDN'T EAT IT!" Liu Xiao interjected hastily, attempting to pacify the enraged creature. He shot a glare at Wu Qingge, who was looking away, pretending innocence.

The octopus raised an eyebrow suspiciously. "ARE YOU SURE? YOU'RE NOT LYING TO THIS VENERABLE ONE?!"

Liu Xiao nodded vigorously. "YES, YES!!! HOW DARE WE EAT YOUR SACRED TENTACLES, RIGHT? IT'S THE MIGHTY SEA KING'S TENTACLE! WE HAVE NO RIGHT TO EAT NOR TOUCH IT!"

"Humph!" The octopus took a step back, its demeanor slightly mollified. It cast a disdainful glance at Liu Xiao. "Good thing you know your place."

Liu Xiao awkwardly laughed and nodded in agreement. He knew that the Sea King octopus was a high and mighty creature, prone to boasting about its status. Therefore, he had no choice but to indulge in its self-aggrandizement and lower himself in its presence. The octopus continued to praise itself while Liu Xiao nodded along until Wu Qingge stepped forward to address it from behind.

"Gege, what are you doing?"

Liu Xiao glanced back at Wu Qingge and immediately quipped, "Oh, this is how you handle grandpas."

Back when he was in the modern world during family reunions, his grandpas would engage in a peculiar form of one-upmanship. One would boast, "Hey, I caught a big fish!" Then the other would chime in, "You caught a fish? Well, I caught a shark!" This banter would escalate as they each tried to outdo the other with increasingly outlandish claims until they were bragging about owning the entire ocean or being reincarnations of ancient gods or nobles.

(These anecdotes are based on my own family experiences - during our reunions, the grandpas always engaged in this kind of humorous boasting!)

Forced to endure these tall tales, Liu Xiao would offer obligatory compliments like, "Oh, wow! You did it?!" or "How amazing! I'm envious of you, Grandpa!" or "Wow! You're awesome, Grandpa!" Meanwhile, he'd be internally cringing and wishing the reunion would end.

Back in the present, the octopus laughed heartily and playfully patted Liu Xiao's head with its remaining tentacle, exclaiming, "YOU! I LIKE YOU, CHILD! COME LIVE WITH ME!"

Wu Qingge's expression darkened, and he quickly pulled Liu Xiao away, interjecting, "No. Gege doesn't like wriggly things."

The octopus snapped at him, its eyes narrowing in a deep frown. "HOW DARE YOU BUTT IN?! WHO ARE YOU?! HIS HUSBAND?!"

Wu Qingge simply nodded indifferently and replied, "Mmn. That's right."

The octopus was taken aback, momentarily stunned. "THEN I WILL NULLIFY THIS CHILD'S MARRIAGE ON HIS BEHALF! YOU'RE NOT GOOD FOR HIM! I DON'T LIKE YOU!"