Meeting Lin

[Why Can't I Be an Octopus? 😭]

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A hundred years after being sealed away, just as it was about to form a contract, a frail, ordinary boy lifted a stone. With a thud, the one destined for it collapsed right in front of it.

The boy held out his hand to it without expression.

It should have been furious. Instead, it felt a little excited.

Destiny? To hell with that!

This king likes this one!

Then came the tragic realization: it had chosen wrong, and all its magic power was gone!

Break the contract! Break it! This king wants a refund!

As it chased after someone else in circles, the once-docile boy scooped it into his arms.

"He'er, where are you going?"

"You're my spirit beast."

The boy was named He Yinglan. He gave it a name based on his own surname, calling it "He'er."

Unhappy with this, it swept the food bowl over with one paw and raced around the room.

He Yinglan only smiled without a word and cleaned up the mess himself.

It was so furious that it bit his arm until it was covered in blood.

He Yinglan didn't even furrow his brow. He simply switched hands and continued stroking its fur.

He doted on it, cooked delicious meals, and even revealed his true nature to save it.

He'er was quite satisfied with this servant.

Fine. It had picked him, so it might as well make do!

Until it was tested and ranked as an ordinary-grade spirit beast.

"It's only a low-grade spirit beast! That good-for-nothing He Yinglan treats it like a treasure!"

As the hall erupted in laughter, He Yinglan stood at the edge of the crowd, his face as calm as ever.

That night, He'er lay on He Yinglan's lap as usual, feigning sleep and enjoying its servant's gentle strokes. The next instant, that hand suddenly clamped around its throat!

"Why are you low-grade?"

"He'er... You made me look like such a fool..."

He'er narrowed its eyes and raked three bloody scratches across his face with its claws. When it opened its eyes again, it was in an underground black market, surrounded by iron cages, bloodstains, and roars rising and falling all around.

It lazily swished its tail, watching the excited, twisted faces beyond its cage.

Then a familiar figure appeared, drenched in blood, like a shattered butterfly.

In a panic, it burst out of its cage amid a storm of lightning and caught him safely in its arms.

Someone cried out, "The legendary ferocious beast, the Qilin!"

"Am I seeing things? How did a spirit beast turn into a person?"

As everyone stared in terror, it lowered its head and licked the bloody scratches on his face. Then it snapped in exasperation:

"I didn't make those marks! The nerve of them, letting someone else hurt you!"

He Yinglan closed his eyes and turned his head aside. "...Put some clothes on first."

But too much stood between a god and a human.

Restraint and attachment, the abyss and surrender, twisted together and consumed them.

In the end, neither could defy fate. They found themselves on opposing sides.

Separated by the edge of a blade and the difference in their identities, they held on to their reason and gazed at each other from afar.

He Lin said self-deprecatingly, "I'm an ill omen, a sin, a calamity..."

"Shut up."

"I raised you."

"That's your only identity."

[Reading Guide]

1. Entirely original fantasy setting!

2. All character details are made up!

3. Main pairing: 1v1, only. Please don't switch the roles or break them up.

4. Both are powerful; no particular character preference. The leads are both flawed.

5. Every character acts according to their own will. If anything makes you uncomfortable, please leave right away. Thanks!

5. Plot-heavy stories are exhausting. I only wanted to write romance, but the outline went off track. I'm exasperated.

Synopsis finalized on 8/8, revised on 10/8.

Theme: You are my first exception, and my lifelong favorite.