424: 8.24 Leave It To Me Meow!

8.24 Leave It To Me Meow!

"I am…" she muttered under her breath, seemingly lost in thought. And then her breath suddenly hitched on her throat. She caught Lu Yizhou off guard by suddenly pulling away to stare at him with those pair of golden eyes he loved the most. Just that, instead of smiles and affection, those golden eyes were filled with apprehension and doubt. "I–I am not supposed to say that. Sister said… not to tell anyone. Otherwise I will be punished. I will be punished again…" She repeated the sentence over and over, panic overtook her features as her body started to fade away.0

Lu Yizhou's eyes widened in surprise at the sudden change of events. Something was wrong. Something was very wrong here. She looked so tiny, so afraid and fragile. And who was the 'sister' she was talking about? Was there not only one daughter in this family?

Taking a split second decision, Lu Yizhou clasped her small hands before she could totally disappear. She startled, huge eyes peering up at him like a spooked animal. Oh, how Lu Yizhou's heart ached for her. "Nobody will punish you anymore, I will make sure of it," he said as quickly and firmly as he could. "If your sister gets mad at you again, tell her to come find me. Find Irene, the one whose room is in the corner of the hallway on the second floor's left wing. I will take the brunt of her ire in your place. Understand?"

Shock painted over Ella's eyes. "Irene, you—"

Lu Yizhou never heard what she wanted to say in the end because she had disappeared, her body melting into the moonlight spilling in through the floor to ceiling window. 

In her place was a single pure white feather. It swayed gently in midair before landing on the ground, and when Lu Yizhou picked it up, another notification rang in his mind.

[[Skill Card 'Silver Shield (rare)' obtained! 

Young Miss Ella has always been the apple of her father's eyes. Now that Ella has acknowledged you as a dear friend, you can use this card to nullify Master Knox's wrath and save your life! Remaining uses: 1/1.]]

The white feather glowed softly and transformed into a simmering card. It was similar to the one Ji Yan had, but in place of the guardian angel was a silhouette of a little girl who was holding onto a gigantic feather above her head as if sheltering herself from the rain. Lu Yizhou smiled softly and brought the card to his lips as though he was pressing a kiss to the little girl's forehead.

He knew Ella might not be able to hear, but he still said it nonetheless, "Thank you very much, Miss Ella. It's my utmost pleasure to be considered as a dear friend." 

After he saved the card to his storage, Lu Yizhou stood up and scanned his surroundings. Without Ella, somehow the glow of the moonlight became a tad dimmer, making the atmosphere look gloomy and depressing.

He decided to search around a bit. His feet carried him to the piano which was covered in white cloth. Slowly, Lu Yizhou tugged it off and coughed at the dust that flew in the air. He couldn't afford to play it because he might draw some unwanted attention here, hence he merely grazed his fingertips along the black and white keys as though he was caressing something delicate and precious.

And that's just how Ella was, right? So fragile, yet endearing all the same.

Lu Yizhou couldn't get her stricken look out of his mind. The genuine fear toward her so-called sister, the dots of bruises on her arm, the way she said 'trapped' and 'punished' with a trembling voice. At first, he had thought that the 'sister' she was talking about was referring to the black gothic version of his lover he had met a few times before… but Lu Yizhou knew his lover. 

She was not the kind of person who would harm someone, especially a harmless little girl. Lu Yizhou immediately crossed the possibility that she was the one who inflicted such fear on Ella. Could it be… Ella's fear had been directed toward another person? Who?

Ella's favorite song… was it the one which she was humming on previously? If Lu Yizhou played it on this piano, what would happen next? Would she appear again? As much as Lu Yizhou wanted to try it, there was too much uncertainty. What if he was wrong and it wasn't Ella's favorite song? In the end, he would just end up alerting the people on the floor below. Not to mention that he did not even know the full song. 

Lu Yizhou shook his head to disperse the tangled idea. Not good, he was getting hasty now that he knew his lover was under some kind of threat. No matter what, he should always calculate his moves precisely and move with caution.

[Can you still access your Admin God's library?]

[666: Oh thank Admin God, 666 can do it!]

[Analyze the song we have heard outside the door, also the one Ella was humming before. Get me the full version.]

[666: Aye, aye Host!]

'Daddy, are you going to search this floor?' Ozzie butted her head against Lu Yizhou's leg. 

Lu Yizhou nodded and scooped her up in his arms. 'I plan to.' He looked at the closed doors around who would lead him to somewhere unknown. An ominous premonition suddenly filled him. The doors… couldn't be locked, could they? He tentatively walked to the closest one, placed his hand on the handle and pressed down.

…It was indeed locked.

The corner of Lu Yizhou's lips twitched. Blame his crow's mouth. 

A sigh of frustration escaped his lips. He did not need to test the other doors to know that they would definitely be locked. Was it because he had not met the requirements needed to open these doors? If he completed the side quest of playing Miss Ella's favorite song, would he acquire the key as the reward? The more Lu Yizhou thought so, the more likely it was.

He was slowly getting a hang of the game. It was similar to leveling up. He needed to complete more side quests to obtain rewards. They included but not limited to potions, skill cards, clues and many others. Only then would he slowly unlock the unexplored area and reach the heart of the game. 

Lu Yizhou sighed again. It seemed like he had to wait until 666 found the song…

'Wait, wait, Daddy, I think I can do something meow!' Ozzie suddenly exclaimed, her tail slapping Lu Yizhou's arm again and again. 'I can find a way inside through the fireplace!'

'You can?' Lu Yizhou eyed the unlit fireplace with doubt. It was covered in soot, ash and cobwebs. A huge spider was dangling from the web connected by a thin string of thread, swaying gently in midair. Who knew what would become of Ozzie's pure white fur if she climbed up there? The feline did not even walk on the ground if she could ride on Lu Yizhou's arms or shoulder!

Presumably thinking of the same thing, a disgusting look crossed Ozzie's face but in the end, she nodded with a firm look. "I can! Leave it to me! Because I am your familiar, Daddy, I can share my vision with you, but the time will be very short because it will drain my energy quickly! I will go in and see if we can find something important meow!'

Lu Yizhou scratched the back of her ears. 'Then I will be counting on you.'

'Leave it to me meow!'

Ozzie jumped down from Lu Yizhou's arms and made a beeline to the fireplace, her tail swinging lightly. Amidst the dark, she looked so white and fluffy, practically glowing. The more Lu Yizhou thought about it, the more distressed he was. 'When you return later, I will draw you a nice bath, okay?'

Ozzie turned sideways to give him a look. Her crimson eyes sparkled like precious jewels. 'In that bathroom of yours? I don't want to meow! It's okay, Daddy, I am not that weak. Trust me!'

If she put it like that, how could Lu Yizhou say anything more? He could only show a helpless look and nodded. Ozzie stopped in front of the fireplace and glanced around. And then in one agile movement, she jumped up, latched onto the wall and began to climb up. In a blink of an eye, she disappeared from Lu Yizhou's sight.

Fortunately, their mind link was connected like usual. Lu Yizhou waited anxiously, accompanied by Ozzie's occasional comments. 'Ugh, gross!' 'My paw, my precious toe beans are so black!' 'Gosh, I will never do this again!' It took a few minutes for Lu Yizhou to hear a soft thud from the other room. Knowing that Ozzie had safely landed, only then could Lu Yizhou let go of the breath he did not know he was holding. 

'Lucky! It seems like the living room's fireplace is connected to the bedroom. Wow, it's so spacious… it's so full of pink and lace! Even my childhood bedroom wasn't this tacky. Goodness, there are so many dolls, so creepy! Why do I feel like they are looking at me? Oh… the bed is so soft meow!'

Lu Yizhou cleared his throat, 'Have you found something? Should we activate the shared vision now?'

'Ooops, wait a moment,' she sounded a little sheepish. 'Oh, oh it seems like I have indeed found something, Daddy!'

Lu Yizhou hummed and closed his eyes. In the next second, the darkness behind his eyelids gradually blurred to form images. It took him a while to get used to Ozzie's perspective. He couldn't quite describe it. Everything was… magnified a few times over. There was also a strange haze covering his eyes, it was as if he had put on a filter. All colors dulled but in exchange, the image became sharper. 

'What have you found?'

'Look at this meow!' Ozzie's dirty paws landed on the table. There were a few pieces of blank paper, a dried bottle of ink, and a quill pen whose tip had been stained with flaked ink. A leather cover book was placed in the middle. On the first page, there was a word that was crossed out haphazardly before a single 'Ella' was scrawled above it.

'It is Small Mommy's diary meow!'

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