The daily life of the crew of "Beasts".

Chapter 107 (An Encounter with a Pixiu)

People came and went on the streets, hurrying about, while roadside stall owners called out their wares.

Cars whizzed by on the road, their exhaust fumes billowing into the sky.

Neil was rushing to work, looking anxious. Earlier, a traffic jam had forced him to get out of his car and walk the rest of the way. The pet store where he worked should be opening soon, and if he didn't hurry, he would miss his train.

"No, we'll definitely be late this way. Let's take a shortcut!"

Neil took out his phone and glanced at the time. Realizing he was about to be late, he panicked and rushed into the alley.

Neil ran wildly through the slightly dark alley. As he turned a corner, he bumped into a strange man holding a dog-catching net.

"Uh, I'm so sorry! I was running too fast and accidentally bumped into you!"

Neil bowed repeatedly, sweating profusely as he apologized. Although he was in a hurry to get to work, he couldn't just walk away after hitting someone.

The strange man steadied himself and looked Neil up and down, a hint of doubt in his expression.

"What are you doing here? You don't seem to be with us."

Upon hearing this, Neil, realizing he was about to be late, became anxious and quickly said...

"I was taking a shortcut to work, I'm so sorry to have bumped into you, but I'm going to be late and I need to hurry!"

After hearing this, the man didn't argue, but turned around and stepped aside, while also offering a reminder.

"Be careful, there are other people in the alley, don't bump into them again."

Neil, feeling relieved, readily agreed and hurried on his way. However, this time, thanks to the man's reminder, he dared not run too fast and slowed down every time he encountered a corner.

Along the way, Neil encountered many strange people, each carrying various capture tools, which puzzled him greatly, but he didn't think about it too much because he was in a hurry to get to work.

After turning another corner, an F-shaped alley came into view, and on the closer side road, there was a large amount of garbage and a trash can.

Neil jogged through the alley, and as he passed the fork in the road, he caught a glimpse of the trash can moving out of the corner of his eye.

Without thinking much, he ran across the fork in the road and turned the corner, but then he stopped.

"Could that be some kind of stray animal?"

With this thought in mind, Neil couldn't take another step. Even though being late would result in a pay cut, he couldn't bear the thought of the poor little animals starving and having to scavenge for scraps in the trash.

After hesitating for a moment, Neil convinced himself.

"It's just a little bit of time, it shouldn't matter, right?"

He backed up to the corner, turned his head to look at the fork in the road.

Just then, the trash can stirred again. It shook twice, and then the lid opened a crack, and a small dog with horns on its head, resembling a Pekingese, crawled out of it in a disheveled state.

Because of the angle, the puppy didn't see Neil. He jumped off the trash can and shook his body vigorously to get rid of the dust and trash.

A bit of its white fur was visible, but it was still grayish, and the golden markings were dull and lifeless, adding to its pitiful appearance.

"What an adorable little guy!" Neil's eyes lit up.

After shaking its fur, the little guy cautiously looked around. Only then did it see Neil and their eyes met.

The air suddenly went quiet, and Neil could clearly see the puppy's body stiffen.

A moment later, the puppy suddenly turned and ran into the depths of the fork in the road.

"Hey, hey, don't run away! I'm not a bad guy!" Neil quickly chased after him upon seeing this.

Rushing into the fork in the road, he realized it was a dead end, and the little dog was scratching at the wall, futilely trying to climb it, looking weak, pitiful and helpless.

"that……"

Neil hesitated before speaking. The little dog, which was trying to climb the wall, trembled and turned around in an instant, baring its teeth at him in a threatening manner. However, it was not strong at all and seemed rather cowardly.

"You're a Pixiu, aren't you? Don't worry, I'm not a bad person. Look, I'm not carrying any tools to catch it!"

Neil hurriedly explained, while raising his hands to indicate that he hadn't taken anything.

Because the pet shop where he works has many mythical creatures from the Classic of Mountains and Seas, Neil has specifically studied the Classic of Mountains and Seas, so he can recognize the identity of the beast in front of him.

Thinking back to the capture tools those people had used before, he immediately understood what was going on.

Pixiu eyed Neil warily, and after observing for a while, it confirmed that the guy neither brought any tools nor seemed to call for help, as if he really didn't want to catch it.

After a brief standoff, the Pixiu finally hesitated before uttering its first words since they met.

"You goat spirit, you're really not here to capture me?"

Bai Jie, a Pixiu, is believed to bring wealth, ward off evil spirits, dispel all evil, and exorcise curses. As a result, it is being hunted by humans and is currently on the run.

"If it weren't for a kind person reminding me when I first descended to earth, I might already be locked in a cage."

Bai Jie poured out his grievances to Neil. After running away for so long, he had finally met someone who would sit down and listen to him. He really couldn't hold back his desire to confide in him.

"These people are despicable! Don't worry, I will definitely help you," Neil said indignantly.

Bai Jie was taken aback: "Aren't you going to work?"

"How could I possibly stand by and do nothing when something like this happens?!"

Neil said firmly, then paused for a moment before looking resolutely at Bai Jie.

"I'll help you, we can escape!"

Bai Jie stared blankly at the person in front of him, deeply moved by this timely help, and nodded vigorously.

"um. Thank you."

Soon after,

Neil jogged through the alley, carrying Bai Jie wrapped in his coat in his arms.

They encountered a man with a harpoon gun. Neil swallowed hard and forced himself to keep running, his forehead already covered in beads of sweat.

"Don't shake, be natural, be natural."

Bai Jie's eyes were covered by his coat, so he couldn't see the outside world, but he could clearly feel Neil's hands trembling and his breathing quickening due to tension.

Noticing this, Bai Jie reached out a paw and gently touched Neil, whispering a reminder, afraid that it might inadvertently expose itself.

Neil took a deep breath and forced himself to calm down, trying his best to remain expressionless as he brushed past the person walking towards him.

Just as Neil thought the matter was over and breathed a sigh of relief, a man's voice suddenly came from behind him.

"Hey, wait a minute."

The voice froze Neil instantly, like a spell, and Bai Jie in his arms tensed up, ready to escape at any moment.

Have you found any trace of that Pixiu?

Upon hearing this, Neil's body relaxed, and he answered with a forced calm, his forehead covered in cold sweat.

"I was taking a shortcut to get to work in a hurry, and I didn't see any Pixiu on the way."

"I see. Then you'd better hurry up and go, or you'll be late."

The man waved his hand, then turned and disappeared around the corner.

After seeing him leave, Nilton immediately broke down, panting heavily, looking terrified.

"Are you serious? I'm the one being chased, not you."

Bai Jie peeked out from under his coat, his eyes filled with bewilderment.

Neil was both embarrassed and ashamed: "I'm sorry, it won't happen again."

After several close calls, Neil, carrying Bai Jie, successfully walked out of the alley, and both man and beast breathed a sigh of relief.

"Thank you so much, you've been a great help," Bai Jie said.

Neil smiled sheepishly, "It's nothing, just a small favor. By the way, you have nowhere to go right now, why don't you come stay at my place?"

"No need, I still need to find my brother. Uh, but I need some clothes to cover my identity."

Bai Jie awkwardly turned his gaze away. He felt it wasn't right to make demands of someone after just refusing them.

"Put it on me."

Although disappointed that Baijie wouldn't come to stay at his house, Neil still patted his chest and assured her that he needed help.

Bai Jie looked at him, his eyes flickering slightly, and then suddenly spoke.

"Touching this will bring me wealth and good fortune. Go ahead and touch it; I really don't have anything else to give you."

"Really?!"

Neil was pleasantly surprised. He didn't care much about things like bringing good fortune, but who could resist such a lively, furry creature that was willing to let him touch it!

"Mm." Bai Jie nodded.

Neil and Bai Jie finally arrived at the pet store, but they were still late. After sincerely apologizing to the owner, he started working seriously, picked out a pet outfit for Bai Jie, and saw him off.

Time passed, the sun began to set, and the pet shop was doing exceptionally well today, with its turnover almost equal to the total for the entire week.

As Neil walked home, reflecting on the day's events, he couldn't help but sigh.

"The Pixiu is really amazing! Just touching it made the shop's business so much better. The owner must be very happy."

A gentle breeze stirred, causing the plants in the roadside flowerbeds to sway slightly.

The wind swept over his body, carrying away some of the heat, and brought a touch of coolness to Neil's body in the early summer weather.

Suddenly,

A piece of paper was blown by the wind and hit Neil squarely in the cheek. He frantically removed the paper from his face and took a closer look, only to find that it was a hundred-dollar bill.

"Money blown in by the wind? Is the Pixiu really that good at attracting wealth?" Neil was stunned.

In the following days, he seemed to be blessed with good fortune. Finding money on the roadside was commonplace for him, he almost always won big prizes in lotteries, and his pet shop business got better and better every day. He seemed to be blessed by good luck.

It wasn't until more than a week later that the effect gradually subsided, and Neil's luck returned to normal. If it had stayed that way for a while, Da Mao might have grabbed him by the collar and demanded to know the secret to changing his luck.