Chapter Six: Caught

The young master’s words left Qiaoyu and Lingxiang no room for hesitation. Almost at the same moment, both girls stretched out their delicate hands, gathering the bed net and lunging at Xiao Wenzi with determination. In their eyes, at such close proximity, catching a tiny mosquito should be an easy feat.

In truth, the little mosquito did not move at first. Only when Qiaoyu’s hand was about to touch the knot in the young master’s hair did it suddenly beat its wings and dart away with astonishing speed.

“Master, I caught it!”

Because Xiao Wenzi used his demon spirit power and moved too swiftly for the maids to see, and because of her own certainty, Qiaoyu believed she had snared the culprit tormenting the young master. She spoke excitedly, eager to please.

“Very good. Open it and let me see,”

Wang Sheng turned, just as delighted, and balled the mosquito net tightly in his hands before instructing Qiaoyu. Yet he failed to notice that on the back of his robe, a tiny mosquito was fanning its wings, waiting for a chance to escape; when he gathered the net, a gap had opened at the bottom, leading outside.

Qiaoyu slowly loosened her grip. All three pairs of eyes fixed intently on the fist-sized bundle of netting, but inside it was empty—no trace of the demon mosquito.

Damn it! Sensing something amiss, Wang Sheng looked down just in time to see a small mosquito slipping out through the gap in the net. In a rush, he flung the net aside and slapped at it.

He was a step too late. The crisp sound of his palm striking the air rang out, but the mosquito had already escaped the net.

“Curse it!”

The perpetrator had gotten away. Furious, Wang Sheng leapt from the bed, not bothering to put on his shoes, and chased after it, swatting the air.

Qiaoyu and Lingxiang, the two little maids, would not stand idly by. Both darted forward, reaching out to catch the mosquito, and the room instantly devolved into chaos.

In this era, doors and windows were made of wood, covered on the outside with thick parchment. In poor households, the construction was simple, leaving large gaps through which insects could come and go—thus the need for gauze covers over oil lamps to keep moths away.

But the Wang family was no ordinary household. Their doors and windows were finely crafted, the joints too small for even a mosquito to slip through easily.

So, after Xiao Wenzi flew out of the net, he darted straight under the wooden bed. In the shadows below, other restless mosquitoes lurked—truly hiding in plain sight.

“Damn it, it’s all your fault!”

After several failed attempts, his hands aching from slapping, Wang Sheng could only watch as Xiao Wenzi vanished beneath the bed. Lifting the sheet, he found several more mosquitoes, all identical. He knew he would never pick out the right one now and, unable to contain his anger, turned to scold Qiaoyu.

“I’m sorry, young master, I’m so sorry, it’s all our fault…”

With a thud, Qiaoyu knelt and bowed her head, her face pale with fear at his rebuke. Lingxiang, anxious not to be implicated, immediately followed suit.

“Enough, get up. Go find a conical hat and a pair of gloves for me. And bring plenty of mugwort—burn it and smoke out every last one of these damn mosquitoes…”

Although the two maids had served him for some time and he felt some affection for them, Wang Sheng quickly calmed down and waved them off.

There were no insecticides, electric swatters, or mosquito coils in this world, but there was still mugwort and other herbs whose smoke mosquitoes disliked. Wang Sheng knew mugwort might not kill the demon mosquito, but he could not let it go.

As for the gloves and hat, in two days he would travel a hundred miles to Green Mountain Gate. If he didn’t heal the welts on his face and wrists, he would be mocked. If he openly sought medical attention, he would never hear the end of it in the village.

“Yes, young master!”

Relieved not to be blamed further, Qiaoyu and Lingxiang hurried out.

Smack!

While waiting, Wang Sheng vented his frustration by swatting another mosquito that had flown out from under the bed.

Xiao Wenzi hid in the darkness, mingling with the other mosquitoes, in no hurry to leave. The maids had closed the door tightly behind them. As for the threat of mugwort, he was unbothered; once the smoke filled the room, he would have ample chance to slip away.

Time passed. Soon the door opened and the two maids returned. Qiaoyu carried a black conical hat and a pair of white silk gloves; Lingxiang brought a large bundle of mugwort.

“Smoke them thoroughly,”

Wang Sheng snapped, donning the hat and gloves before leaving the room.

Even then, he did not realize that the mosquito who had turned his face into a pig’s head could understand their conversation and had already planned its escape. All their efforts were in vain.

A spark flickered from Lingxiang’s fire striker, soon setting the mugwort alight. Acrid smoke began to rise from beneath the bed.

To deal with the “demon mosquito,” they deliberately held the burning mugwort close to the bed, intending to suffocate every mosquito within.

Neither noticed as a tiny mosquito sped along the floor and landed on the back of Qiaoyu’s trouser leg while they bent over, covering their noses.

Having studied medicine in his previous life, Xiao Wenzi knew that smoke naturally rises. By staying low, he could avoid the worst of the burning mugwort’s fumes.

The ordinary mosquitoes, however, weren’t so lucky. Inhaling the pungent smoke, they flew about in confusion, some quickly dropping unconscious.

At last, when the mugwort had nearly burned out and the room was thick with smoke, the two maids—despite covering their faces with damp towels—found it hard to breathe. They rushed out and quickly shut the door behind them.

Breathing in the fresh air outside, Xiao Wenzi took flight from Qiaoyu’s trousers and slipped unnoticed into a nearby flower bed.

It was still hot and rainy this season, and the flower bed’s lush growth harbored even more mosquitoes. Blending in among them, Xiao Wenzi felt safe from discovery and was in no hurry to leave.

Of course, he remained at the Wang household because he intended to collect more blood in exchange for system currency.

The coins he had painstakingly acquired the previous night were nearly spent—just two remained. A single drop of Rock Spirit Essence required twenty coins, and if he wanted to advance his cultivation, he needed to exchange for more blood.

Though turning Wang Sheng’s face into a swollen pig’s head had earned him over a hundred coins, training had been exhausting. The red heart lost to the toad still hadn’t been replaced; he needed more coins to replenish it.

A single red heart meant a single life. For safety’s sake, he needed all nine hearts restored.

There were many servants and maids in the Wang household, not to mention the delicate wives and children of Old Master Wang. Xiao Wenzi felt no guilt about harvesting a little of their blood.

Still, people were alert during the day. Even if he kept silent, feeding might be risky. It was better to wait for the deep of night before making his move.