Wang Peng's eyes turned red; he didn't care about anything else and was about to come down and fight Ren Jie on the spot.
No one should be so insulting! What the hell is 'don't litter in the river'?
This is very un-river-like!
Ren Jie, on the other hand, was amused, because in that short time, he had already gotten a lot of white mist from Wang Peng.
But as luck would have it, a strong crosswind swept across the bridge. Wang Peng's legs were already weak, and with the wind, he slipped, lost his balance backward, and fell straight off the bridge.
"Ah!!! Help..."
This sudden scene startled everyone!
"Tsk~" Ren Jie's eyes widened, and he dashed forward. Almost instinctively, several dazzling Mars bloomed from the soles of his feet.
With a "boom," his shoes exploded on the spot, and even the asphalt road showed black marks.
Using this propulsion, Ren Jie rushed forward like lightning, reaching out to grab Wang Peng.
As expected, he grabbed Wang Peng!
...'s phone!
"Ah ah ah! Beast attack, my beast attack! Don't look at my browser history!"
However, Ren Jie did not give up. Clinging to the railing, he reached out towards Wang Peng, who was falling towards the river.
The next moment, his left palm detached directly from his wrist, ejected, and his entire left hand shot out.
With extreme precision, it firmly grasped Wang Peng's handle, locking it tightly.
"Aiya!"
A pig-like scream echoed.
Wang Peng was seen dangling in mid-air by the mechanical hand, his eyes bulging, tears streaming, struggling violently!
"Let go! You damn well let go! Where are you grabbing?!"
Now, his entire body weight was concentrated on that tiny bit.
The Si Yao Official and the onlookers swarmed around, looking down at the bridge below with terrified expressions, shivering violently.
Too brutal!
Can it still be used?
Ren Jie was also stunned for a moment; his mechanical arm actually had this function?
"Don't worry, I'll pull you up now."
As he spoke, he retracted the mechanical hand.
Wang Peng: ???
At once, his screams grew even more tragic.
Pull him up? Wouldn't that snap it off?
"Ah ah ah! Let go! I beg you, let me go down! I'd rather die by falling, don't save me!"
Ren Jie looked serious:
"Nonsense! A fresh life is right before me. As a Si Yao Official, my duty does not allow me to let go!"
Wang Peng was already rolling his eyes:
"Then can't you pull a little more gently?"
Ren Jie chuckled awkwardly:
"Sorry, I'm new to this and not very skilled yet. I'll be quick, just bear with it."
At this moment, Wang Peng truly experienced what it meant to be worse than dead...
Even the Si Yao Official covered his face.
What the hell is a novice?!
Are Si Yao Officials always so rough when saving people?
So, amidst the horrified gazes of the crowd and Wang Peng's screams, Ren Jie eventually pulled him up.
During this time, the production of white mist never stopped, all of it flowing into the Mirror Lake Space.
Wang Peng was curled up on the ground like a large shrimp, glaring at Ren Jie with resentment, but he had already been helped up by the Si Yao Official.
"Don't let me find out your name!"
Ren Jie smiled:
"My name is Ren Jie! You're welcome, brother. As someone personally saved by me, Ren Jie, you can certainly be considered an outstanding youth. Live well, forget the past, and embrace tomorrow!"
After speaking, Ren Jie turned and left with a flourish.
As the saying goes, having accomplished the deed, he brushed his sleeves and left, concealing his flaws and virtues.
If it weren't for one shoe being blown apart, and his dark soles, making him walk with a limp, he would have looked quite Xiao Shuai.
Wang Peng was furious!
What kind of outstanding youth?
Is that how an outstanding youth is defined?
Don't let me run into you again!
"Come! Return to the Si Yao Hall with us for a statement!"
The outstanding youth, Wang Peng, was exasperated:
"To the hospital first!"
If he didn't go to the hospital soon, he might become Wang Peng without the 'g'!
...
On the way back, Ren Jie was a bit happy; he finally understood what that white mist was.
It should be the power of emotion.
That's why the Demon Spirit Fruit kept devouring the Emotional Mist!
The reason he hadn't been affected by the devil's original sin was most likely due to the Emotional Mist.
As long as he continuously supplied it, maintaining the total amount of Emotional Mist on the lake surface so it wasn't completely swallowed by the Demon Spirit, he should not be affected by any kind of devil's original sin.
As for collecting Emotional Mist, it was also very simple.
As long as people around him experienced intense emotional fluctuations, whether it was sadness, sorrow, anger, or even happiness, he could collect it.
As long as there were intense emotional fluctuations beyond the everyday, he could collect them.
Whether it was his sudden appearance from the crematorium or his heroic rescue of the man jumping off the bridge, this point had been verified.
He just hadn't figured out how large the collection range was yet.
He didn't know if other Demon Contractors had this ability, but Yan Jie said that Demon Contractors seemed to feed their Demon Spirits with their own emotional power.
She hadn't mentioned collecting other people's emotions?
Having figured out the principle, Ren Jie also breathed a sigh of relief. As long as he continued to collect Emotional Mist, he would not be affected by the devil's original sin.
After all, he didn't want to become a big pervert like Nuo Yan!
Moreover, collecting Emotional Mist didn't seem to be very difficult.
Thinking of this, Ren Jie's eyes burned with fighting spirit. Once he officially Awakened and gained stronger power, he would surely be able to work more jobs and earn more money, right?
...
South Mountain Road, Outer Ring, District 69. The dim light of the streetlights illuminated a slightly messy street, with old residential buildings squeezed together, airtight...
Balconies were full of drying clothes, colorful, and a strong scent of life permeated the air!
This was where Ren Jie had lived for 10 years, an old, dilapidated residential area...
Ren Jie walked to the bottom of an old residential building where the wall paint was peeling off.
There were many storefronts on the first floor, such as "Shuang Manyi Supermarket" and "Gangzi Breakfast," but they all had their roller shutters down at the moment...
Only one shop still had its light sign on and was not closed...
It had several large characters written on it:
"Anning Laundry"
Ren Jie stepped inside. The storefront was about twenty square meters, appearing extremely cramped. On both sides were rows of old washing machines, roaring hoarsely at the moment...
Drying racks were covered with clothes and quilts that had already been washed and cared for...
"Aunt An Ning isn't resting yet?"
Ren Jie sighed, then skillfully pulled down the roller shutter and turned off the light sign.
This door... was left for him.
He walked inside, went up the stairs to the second floor, and his gaze passed through the narrow corridor.
He saw a thin woman wearing an apron, hand-washing clothes at the laundry sink.
Her hands were cracked from constant exposure to water, her fingertips wrapped in many pieces of tape, and a fine layer of sweat beaded on her forehead.
There were still many clothes in the laundry basket that hadn't been washed.
Although the woman was thirty or forty years old, her appearance was beautiful, but her face was full of the hardships of life!
As if hearing the sound, An Ning turned to look at Ren Jie, a gentle smile appearing on her face.
"Xiao Jie, you're back? I left dinner for you in the fridge; eat it yourself later~"
Ren Jie's heart tightened, and his nose felt a little sore.
"It's so late, why aren't you resting yet? Where's Yaoyao?"
An Ning smiled: "She's asleep. She went to bed quite early today."
Ren Jie said as he walked through the corridor, taking clothes from the laundry basket and starting to wash them!
An Ning's eyes were full of helplessness: "Don't bother helping out; go to bed early. The Si Yao Hall training must be very tiring, right? Did Uncle Wei take good care of you?"
Ren Jie smiled: "The sooner I finish washing, the sooner I can rest. Uncle Wei takes great care of me; becoming a full Si Yao Official is only a matter of time~"
At the mention of this, An Ning's eyes dimmed, then she pretended to casually mention: "Xiao Jie~ Today I received admission letters from three famous universities again. Tsinghua and Peking University even called and said they could waive university tuition fees..."
"Summer vacation isn't over yet, and the reporting date hasn't arrived. Are you really not going to reconsider? Or go to school..."
Ren Jie shook his head and smiled: "Aunt An Ning, please don't try to persuade me anymore. I'm 18, and I have the right to decide my own life. I can still learn without going to university..."
"And being a Si Yao Official isn't without prospects; the salary is quite high too~"
An Ning's eyes were a little red: "But being a Si Yao Official is too dangerous. This family is already a burden to you. I can't let your life be affected by this family..."
But before she could finish, Ren Jie interrupted:
"If anyone's a burden, it should be me burdening you and Yaoyao..."
"Xiao Jie..."
"Alright, Aunt An Ning, let's not talk about this. I heard Old Man Wang next door is having a second child?"
Late at night, the two chatted about daily life, their casual voices drifting far, far away through the window.