As in many classic tales—when a gentle and obedient heiress is forced by her father into marrying someone she does not love—what course does the story take?
Grandma Chiung Yao taught us: rebel, rebel with all your might, flee home if necessary… and then, you shall encounter your destined prince, and live happily ever after.
Alas, reality is no Chiung Yao drama. Rebellion often yields no results, and running away only leads to vagrants and villains.
So, upon learning of her father's arranged engagement, all Lei Ying could do was weep helplessly and await the fabled descent of a guardian angel…
But in the end, no angel came. Instead, a pig did—an old pet, long lost in her childhood, now miraculously returned… and transformed into a demon.
Upon hearing of his master's plight, the pig stepped forward without hesitation, taking it upon himself to orchestrate and perform this ludicrous charade.
Indeed, the plan might have gone perfectly—if it weren't for the unexpected arrival of the demon-hunting enthusiast, Xiao Xun'er…
"Mr. Chen, I am truly sorry. I'll confess everything to my father!" Before the dumbfounded audience, Lei Ying bowed deeply in remorse, her delicate figure trembling in the night breeze.
Nestled in her arms, Pighead Three's eyes brimmed with tears. Suddenly, he squealed in indignation, "No! Absolutely not! Mistress, that Liu Yuan is fat as a hog, vulgar, pretentious… marrying him would be worse than marrying a pig!"
Hearing Pighead Three insult Liu Yuan by comparing him to a pig, Chen Mo couldn't help but roll his eyes—And what exactly are you then?
Yet just as Lei Ying turned to leave, Chen Mo's heart stirred unexpectedly. He raised his hand gently, barring her path. "Miss Lei, I don't recall saying you had to explain anything to your father."
In an instant, Lei Ying froze where she stood, her sorrow and despair suddenly suspended in time.
Moments later, as she looked into Chen Mo's gentle smile, her voice trembled with disbelief: "Mr. Chen, if I heard you correctly, you mean to say…"
He nodded with a soft smile, sharing a knowing glance with Jiadi, the two exchanging a look of mutual understanding.
In fact, Nuonuo had already leapt forward, announcing in a tone of self-assured camaraderie: "Xiao Ying, just leave it to me! As one of Fortune Street's Four Great Mascots, I absolutely won't allow something as vile as a forced marriage to befall a beauty like you!"
Clearly, it was the last line that carried the most weight. Had it been Sister Furong in her place, the nearby appliances might've been cheering Liu Yuan on.
Unfortunately, Lei Ying knew nothing of Nuonuo's inner workings. Touched by the gesture, she cast a cautious glance at Chen Mo. "But... Mr. Chen and I are complete strangers. How can we possibly…"
"Aren't you acquainted now?" Before Chen Mo could reply, Nuonuo cut in proudly, tail swaying. Then, with a flourish, he upgraded his tone, "Ying'er, relax! Our boss is a fine fellow. Aside from being shameless, caustic, and mercilessly sarcastic, he's basically a good—Ah!"
Before finishing, Nuonuo was reduced to a streak of light, vanishing into the night for speaking too much truth.
Chen Mo clapped his hands contentedly, then turned to Lei Ying's imploring gaze and offered a faint smile. "Don't worry. I'm no saint, but I'll lend a hand when I can. Still, I'm curious—how did your pet pig become a demon?"
"That's all thanks to those researchers!" Pighead Three sniffled indignantly. "With all their tampering! I was perfectly content as a pampered pet, until they started implanting god-knows-what into me…"
Thus began his tale—a lazy, pampered pig who had no desire for grandeur, recounting in painful detail the strange twists of his life.
After straying from home, he passed through several hands before finally ending up in a mysterious laboratory.
Over the next few years, he underwent numerous bizarre modifications and was implanted with unknown substances, which gradually gave him intelligence—and demonic power.
This went on until an earthquake damaged the lab's containment systems, allowing Pighead Three and many other specimens to escape.
"That lab was somewhere in the western mountains," he grunted, shaking his head. "It took me ages to find a road and make my way back to Mistress."
With a long sigh, Pighead Three seemed to reminisce about his odyssey, all while nestling himself pitifully against Lei Ying's chest.
Chen Mo and Jiadi exchanged glances, the shock in their eyes unmistakable—Demonic beings forged through science? And successfully so?
At once, they turned their gazes to Pighead Three.
Startled, the poor creature squealed, "No! Please don't dissect me! I can sing, I can dance, I can work and earn money—I'm useful, I swear!"
"I never said anything about dissection," Chen Mo replied innocently, shrugging and pulling Jiadi beside him with a smile. "All I want to know is—what did they implant in you?"
Pighead Three let out a long breath of relief. Without waiting for another question, he obediently opened his mouth and spat something out. "What else? It's this…"
Under the hazy moonlight, a fragment of jade tumbled into the dust, glowing with a misty, ethereal light.
Chen Mo's smile froze—The fragment? The very piece I've been seeking… appearing now, like this?
Overwhelmed with a sudden surge of joy, he reached toward it—but moments later, his hand halted midair.
"Something's not right. Why can't I sense it? I should feel its presence even from hundreds of meters away."
To confirm, he produced two other fragments from his person. As expected, he could sense both clearly—yet the one Pighead Three produced remained utterly inert to him.
"I understand now." In the eerie silence, Jiadi furrowed her brow and pointed at the fallen shard. "Mo, look closely. Compared to yours, its color is dull, its clarity murky. It's as if—"
"A counterfeit?" Chen Mo blurted, studying the difference. Indeed, the imitation's hue and transparency were poor—nothing like the real thing.
"Pandora's Box!" Jiadi suddenly declared, her expression grave. "Mo, I see now. They're using Pandora's Box to forge fake jade fragments! According to the temple records, the artifact of the gods has manufacturing capabilities!"
And so, the clues aligned: centuries ago, someone infiltrated the Greek temple, stole Pandora's Box, and used it to craft fake shards, conducting countless experiments.
But the true question remained—who was this person? How did they uncover the jade's secret? What did they want? Was it power? Revenge? The old, familiar tropes of domination and vengeance…
For a moment, all was silent. Even the rowdiest appliances exchanged wary looks.
But just as Jiadi frowned in thought, Chen Mo sighed softly. "Forget it. Let them do whatever they want."
Under everyone's bewildered stares, he shrugged nonchalantly. "Let them conquer the world or avenge whatever—what does that have to do with me? I'm just a food delivery guy."
"Ugh…" Jiadi reluctantly put away her staff. She had to admit—this wasn't exactly his mess.
"Exactly! Boss, as long as we've got food, money, and women, who cares!" the appliances chimed in.
"But how do we deal with Liu Yuan?" one asked. "Should we just take him out?"
"We must be harmonious! Violence solves nothing!" Chen Mo glared, then scooped up Nuonuo and pulled a business card from his pocket.
Once the call connected, he cheerily greeted, "Old Li! Still awake? I've got a big job for you… address is East City Villa District, follow the strongest demonic aura. Hurry!"
"You're not actually thinking—" the appliances exchanged wary glances.
Chen Mo smiled and looked toward the wild expanse beyond. "Just wait. When this god-tier conman arrives, everything will be fine. He should be here soon."
In truth, he was only half right—for forty minutes later, just when everyone had begun to yawn, a taxi screeched to a halt.
"Sorry! I'm really sorry!" A disheveled Li Zhi rushed over, bowing profusely. "I live in the sticks—no taxis there!"
"Truly the Scrooge of the cultivation world…" Chen Mo rolled his eyes. Saving spirit power doesn't mean saving on cab fare too, does it?
As if to confirm, the taxi driver shouted from behind, "Hey! You haven't paid—twenty-six yuan!"
"Oh come on!" Chen Mo barely steadied himself against a pine tree before collapsing—tree and all.
Li Zhi, after patting his pockets in vain, grinned sheepishly. "Well… I rushed out in a hurry. Forgot to bring money."
"I'll cover it," Chen Mo growled, blood pressure spiking as he handed over thirty yuan.
"Thanks!" Li Zhi took the change without hesitation and pocketed it, without a second glance.
Lei Ying and Pighead Three watched in stunned silence—Is this man a sage or a shameless rogue? His face is thick enough to dam a river…