“I’m going shopping, are you coming?” Huang Jinchen didn’t even knock. He simply opened the study door and stuck his head in. 

Kou Tong yelled, “What did you say?” 

Huang Jinchen was speechless. He went over and turned off the music he had turned up loud enough to shake the earth. He put both hands on his desk and glanced at the little chrysanthemum constantly spinning on his computer. “Didn’t you say that your house’s sound insulation was bad?” 

“The study is different,” Kou Tong said. “This isn’t the study from the old apartment where I lived when I was little. It’s in my home from later. The strongboxes and the safe are all here. The walls are thickened, with sound-absorbing material inside. There’s no need to worry when performing any experiments.” 

Huang Jinchen thought of some inharmonious things, looked the study over, rubbed his hands together, and gave a “heh-heh.” “Really? The walls are thickened…” 

Before he could finish, a four-page analysis result popped up on Kou Tong’s screen. The computer screeched, and the fan spun madly. Huang Jinchen looked. He saw a screen full of ghosts and goblins. Apart from the strange symbols, he basically recognized everything—there were letters and Arabic numerals. But put together, he had absolutely no idea what they said. 

He looked reverently at Dr. Kou. The latter was just reading through it quickly without any obstacles. 

Huang Jinchen bumped him with his butt. “How many planets’ languages do you know?” 

Kou Tong’s eyes didn’t leave the screen. He said, “I’m proficient in Lunar, Martian, and M 78 Nebulan. Of the seven stars of the Big Dipper, I know the languages of four, and I’m a beginner in two of the other three and preparing for a grade four test in the last one.” 

Huang Jinchen wrapped an arm around his neck from behind, put the other hand on the edge of the table, and leaned against Kou Tong. Drawing close to his ear, he said, “Bibi—nibabubabu gulutulu bang!” 

Kou Tong, smiling, turned his head to glance at him, and very cooperatively said, “Bibi—bulabula bang bulu.” 

Huang Jinchen considered, then planted a resounding kiss on the side of his face, returning to a terrestrial manner of speech: “You agreed! It’s settled. Darling, you’re so nice!” 

Kou Tong once again had an ominous feeling. “What did I agree to?” 

Huang Jinchen said, “I just said, why don’t we have a go in the study tonight, and you can shout as loud as you want to. You said that one go isn’t enough, it won’t scratch the itch if we don’t go all night.” 

Kou Tong: “…” 

Huang Jinchen smiled smugly. 

Kou Tong woodenly shifted his gaze to the screen. “Comrade Er-Pang, since meeting you, I’ve finally understood the saying ‘how can regrets be avoided in life?’” 

Huang Jinchen played dumb. “Huh? I don’t understand. How about we keep talking in our native M 78 Nebulan?” 

Kou Tong said, “…It’s nothing, I was calling you a genius.” 

As he finished speaking, he had already finished reading the analysis report from the computer. He stretched and leaned back, his bones cracking. Since he had broken his leg and experienced a whole series of events, it had been a long time since he had exercised. He felt lacking in calcium.

“How’s the analysis?” Huang Jinchen pressed on Kou Tong’s shoulder with his elbow, making him lie on the desk, then steadily gave him a massage. “This won’t do, Dr. Kou. Such elderly arms and legs at your age?” 

Kou Tong gave an “ow.” “That feels good, left, left, yeah… I can’t compare to a beast like you, we aren’t of the same breed. I’m a beast in human clothes.” 

Huang Jinchen felt that one of Kou Tong’s greatest advantages was that he knew himself rather well. 

Kou Tong closed his eyes and slowly said, “I’ve made twenty-six parameters. I’m just straightening out their relationships to see whether I can calculate the final equation, but I think there shouldn’t be a problem—ah…gentler, gentler…yeah…much better—using already existing methods. I’ll see whether I can set up a coordinate system, link it in, and try one by one. If that works, it’ll simplify matters.” 

Huang Jinchen asked, “No pressure this time?” 

“There is,” Kou Tong said, “it won’t necessarily work. Then I’ll have to think of some other way.” 

“What about the wounds on your arm?” 

“They aren’t better or worse,” Kou Tong said. “Hey, that feels so good. Er-Pang, I love you so much.” 

Huang Jinchen said, “Then repay me with your body!” 

Kou Tong answered, “Fine.” 

Huang Jinchen pressed heavily on his back with his elbow and lowered his voice. “I wasn’t joking.” 

Kou Tong half-opened his eyes, looked at him for a while, then said, “All right, we can try that, too.” 

Huang Jinchen asked, “Didn’t you say the rabbit doesn’t eat next to its warren?” 

Kou Tong laughed. “There’s not enough space next to my warren. When I get out, I definitely won’t be able to plant…heavyweight grass like you.” 

Huang Jinchen firmly pinched his waist. “You’re just jealous.” 

The weak points on Kou Tong’s waist were very obvious. He was of the super ticklish sort who needed a long time to adjust when hugged. He immediately jumped out of the chair. Huang Jinchen looked at him disdainfully. “You’re like this, and you can still manage to top? I guess you can get by relying on your mouth in this day and age, huh?” 

Kou Tong was irate. “That’s because Red Bull men who can lift cauldrons one-handed aren’t popular anymore!” 

Huang Jinchen was full of self-confidence. Without any stress, he raised his arms and flexed his muscles. Then he looked at Dr. Kou’s long arms and long legs with a provocative gaze and reached out a hand to rub his chin, just asking for it. 

Then, before Dr. Kou could erupt, he caught him around the shoulders. “Let’s go, let’s go, you’re about to start growing mushrooms like that little boiler in your strongbox. I need to replenish my munitions, come to the supermarket with me.” 

Kou Tong was dragged out. He turned and considered what he had just said, feeling that there was something a little off about it…

Go to the supermarket to replenish munitions, indeed…

When they opened the door, Yao Shuo was just walking out of his room carrying a small notebook. Seeing how cozy the two of them looked, he frowned instinctively. “Among everyone who’s ever been under my command, there was never been anyone as undisciplined as you two.” 

Huang Jinchen rolled his eyes and patted Kou Tong on the shoulder. “Come, darling, give me a kiss and show the old chief a peep show.” 

Kou Tong covered his face, having a premonition that between these two there would be an irreconcilable conflict between extreme discipline and perfectionism on one side and unruliness and lack of discipline on the other. He turned Huang Jinchen’s approaching face away with his hand. Putting on a mild and proper smile, he said, “We’re just on our way out. Would you like to come along, sir?” 

Yao Shuo raised his eyebrows. Two seconds later, he nodded and said, “OK.” 

Then he went back into his room to put on his jacket and walked out ahead. 

Huang Jinchen pinched Kou Tong’s butt—That’ll teach you to run your mouth. 

Kou Tong maintained his slightly stiff smile—In all honesty, I was really just…being polite. 

There’s always a third wheel in a threesome—Huang Jinchen, watching Yao Shuo walking ramrod straight in front, ground his teeth, thinking that this was his first time going on a date, strolling through the streets with so-and-so, holding hands, whispering sweet nothings, and then along came this fellow, and even his great treasure Kou Tong, who was like a basket full of nonsense, was silent. This Yao character was worse than a third wheel—he was a tank tread! 

The three of them, in an atmosphere heavier than if they had been going to a funeral, arrived at the magical supermarket Huang Jinchen had spoken of—it was at the end of the candy street. There was a very, very narrow passage there that only just allowed a single person to go through turned sideways. It was blocked by the surrounding colorful vegetation made of candy. Without looking carefully, you would have thought it was a dead end. 

Kou Tong took a couple of looks. “It really is Manman’s projection.” 

Yao Shuo looked back at him. Kou Tong immediately explained, like delivering a report: “The little girl was born strange, at odds with everything around her, just like this bizarre road. When she’s in the outside world, though she doesn’t speak, she must constantly use some method she thinks will work to try to communicate with others, but she’s always been ignored and never understood.” 

Yao Shuo’s steps paused. Then he squeezed in. 

Kou Tong rubbed his nose and sighed—some people were like Yao Shuo, very good at using their own emotions to hijack those around them, making everyone extremely unhappy. As time went on, if a person had a weak nature, they would always automatically check his reactions, carefully regulate their speech, constantly analyzing his reactions, behaving in accordance with his thoughts. 

Based on Yao Shuo’s record and the information he had received from others, Kou Tong knew that Yao Shuo was actually a person who understood techniques of social interaction, so his performance now was most likely deliberate—due to stress, he had perceived his own powerlessness; with his slight tendency towards perfectionism and strong self-respect, he wouldn’t acknowledge this powerlessness and switch to other means to seek control. 

Humans…were sometimes truly not very lovable things. 

Dr. Kou wasn’t an immortal. However much of an expert he was, associating closely with Lao Yao all day, not fighting back when hit, not talking back when cursed, he would also develop a bit of an unhappy mood; he suppressed it very quickly—but it still existed. 

At the end of the little road was a little door—it really was very small, just large enough for a child to pass through. An adult had to bend down to struggle in. 

After squeezing in, they did indeed come to a small supermarket. Huang Jinchen was familiar from experience and enjoyed the other two’s dumbfounded expressions—due to the cashier. He…or she or it was a gorilla wearing a suit and tie. 

The gorilla was holding a newspaper and wearing glasses on its nose, looking cultured—though the newspaper was held upside down. 

Huang Jinchen went in himself to replenish his munitions, and Kou Tong strolled around at random, feeling that he did indeed have no imagination. Like Granny Liu visiting the Grand View Gardens¹, he thought everything he saw was a novelty. The gorilla cashier looked up at him a couple of times. Kou Tong felt that he saw naked disdain in the looks. 

He saw Yao Shuo hesitate for a while, then pick up a small water pistol. On the label, a child’s crooked handwriting said: Elephant's Bane. 

Kou Tong: “…” 

It was completely unintelligible. 

Yao Shuo raised the little water pistol, his expression softening a little. After a long time, he said, whether to Kou Tong or to himself, “My son loved one of these things when he was little. He was always messing up the house. Later, his mom threw it out, and the brat cried a face full of snot.” 

Kou Tong didn’t speak, listening in silence. 

“Later, I bought him one in secret, and he hid it away like a treasure. It was just about like this one…” Yao Shuo seemed to want to smile, but a trace of a smile appeared on his face, then quickly dimmed. 

Then he realized something and, as if nothing had happened, put the pistol back in its original place, recovering his solemnity. Changing the topic by force, he said to Kou Tong, “We’ve dealt with two cards now, but I’ve looked at the materials, and never mind the rest, there are twenty-two in the so-called Major Arcana, including the Moon, the Sun, the Stars, Power, unimaginable things like that. What are you planning to do?” 

Kou Tong thought about it. “Take whatever measures are called for. I’m completely ignorant about mysticism. We can only depend on you now.” 

Yao Shuo for once acted out of character and didn’t pursue an attack against a shirker and good-for-nothing like him. After a while, he finally said, “I’ll try.” 

The corners of Kou Tong’s mouth turned up, but he resisted, doing his best to maintain a solemn expression. 

Huang Jinchen quickly picked out the things he wanted, filling up a little cart and placing it in front of the gorilla. The gorilla didn’t even look up, grabbing a little basket. Huang Jinchen stuffed money into it. The business process was very solemn—it was as if they both knew how much money needed to be paid! 

Then the gorilla found a big sack. With extraordinary strength, it put the whole little cart’s worth of things inside and handed it to Huang Jinchen. The latter, like a hairless gorilla, put the big sack over his shoulder. 

Kou Tong witnessed this scene and at last couldn’t resist turning up the corners of his mouth. Using even greater strength, he finally held back and followed Huang Jinchen, who had replenished his munitions, in squeezing out through the little door they can come through. 

The moment they turned off the candy street onto a normal street next to it—there was another mishap.