Bottle Immortal

Soon, Liu Bo had arranged over a dozen sheets of paper in a circle around everyone. Each sheet bore a different word:

"Yes."

"No."

"I don’t know."

"Present."

"Absent."

"Allowed."

"Not allowed."

"Angry."

"Happy."

"Warning!"

"Danger!"

......

Su Yang leaned down to examine them one by one, curiosity piqued. "What do these words mean?"

Liu Bo chuckled. "Once we summon the Bottle Spirit, we’ll ask it questions, and these words will be its answers."

"Summon it? How?" Zhang Ziming looked utterly baffled—clearly, he’d never played this kind of game before.

Liu Bo wasn’t sure how to explain either. He sat down and said, "Don’t rush. Everyone, sit properly and hold hands in a circle."

As he spoke, he reached out to Liu Meng and Liu Wenxin beside him.

Liu Meng laughed. "I have a strong suspicion you’re using this game as an excuse to cop a feel."

"How is holding hands copping a feel?" Liu Bo took Liu Meng’s hand with his left and grasped Liu Wenxin’s with his right.

Liu Wenxin, her face tense, asked, "Why do I feel a little creeped out already?"

"We haven’t even started yet. Don’t worry, I’ve got plenty of yang energy."

The others followed suit, linking hands with those beside them. Su Yang, seated between Pan Ning and Tang Ziyun, naturally took their hands.

Everyone sat on the circular sofa, hands joined, staring at the slips of paper on the table.

Liu Bo cleared his throat. "Alright, let’s begin. Everyone, repeat after me: ‘Bottle Spirit, oh Bottle Spirit, you are my past life, I am your present. If you wish to reconnect our fate, reveal yourself now!’"

After reciting it, Liu Bo glanced around. "Why are you all just sitting there? Say it with me."

"Ugh, can we not do this? It’s so creepy!" Xia Keke protested.

"No, we’ve already started. We have to finish the ritual. Come on, repeat after me."

Together, they chanted, "Bottle Spirit, oh Bottle Spirit, you are my past life, I am your present. If you wish to reconnect our fate, reveal yourself now!"

Once the chant ended, Liu Bo stood up and spun the black beer bottle placed at the center of the table.

Swish, swish, swish.

A few seconds later, the bottle stopped, its neck pointing at the slip that read "Present."

"The Bottle Spirit is here!" Liu Bo exclaimed.

Su Yang smirked. "You arranged the papers in a circle—no matter where it stops, it’ll always land on something."

Liu Bo shot him a stern look. "Brother Yang, don’t speak carelessly. The Bottle Spirit has manifested."

He spun the bottle again, asking aloud, "Bottle Spirit, oh Bottle Spirit, we’d like to ask you some questions. Can you answer us?"

The bottle stopped, its neck aligned with "Allowed."

"Holy shit!!" Zhang Ziming shot to his feet, eyes fixed on the bottle.

"Coincidence, right?!"

The girls shuddered, goosebumps rising on their skin.

Ignoring Zhang Ziming, Liu Bo spun the bottle once more. "Bottle Spirit, oh Bottle Spirit, will I find a girl to love deeply in the future?"

Su Yang rolled his eyes. "Could you ask something more serious?"

But the bottle was already slowing down. Moments later, it pointed again to "Allowed."

"What the hell?! This is too freaky!" Su Yang stared in disbelief.

Liu Bo beamed. "Thank you, Bottle Spirit!"

"Let me try." Su Yang stood and took the bottle, giving it a spin. He tossed out a casual question: "Bottle Spirit, oh Bottle Spirit, am I handsome?"

The bottle slowed, then stopped at "Yes."

"No way!!" Su Yang shuddered, the hairs on his arms standing on end.

Meng Wenzhou frowned. "There’s no way it’s this accurate. There are so many slips on the table."

"Want to test it yourself?" Liu Bo handed him the bottle.

Meng Wenzhou grinned. "Sure, why not?"

"Bottle Spirit, oh Bottle Spirit, are you inside this villa right now?"

"Ugh, don’t ask stuff like that!" Xia Keke cried out.

But Meng Wenzhou had already spun the bottle.

Ten seconds later, it landed on "Present."

"Ahhh!! I’m done, I’m not playing anymore!!" Han Xiaoyu scrambled onto the sofa, curling into a ball.

"What’s there to fear? The Bottle Spirit is friendly." Liu Bo spun the bottle again. "Bottle Spirit, oh Bottle Spirit, we’re all good people. How are you feeling right now?"

The bottle pointed to "Happy."

Liu Bo laughed. "See? The Bottle Spirit is happy. It means no harm."

The sight of the "Happy" slip eased the girls’ nerves slightly.

Zhang Ziming grabbed the bottle. "This is insane. My turn."

"Bottle Spirit, oh Bottle Spirit, is there anything unclean in this villa? Answer yes or no."

He spun the bottle.

As it slowed, everyone held their breath.

The neck came to rest on "Yes."

"Ahhh, stop, stop! We really can’t keep playing!!" Xia Keke yelped.

Tang Ziyun, frightened, clung to Su Yang’s arm.

"Come on, I still have so many questions!" Zhang Ziming scowled. "I don’t believe this! Bottle Spirit, are you messing with me? This is a five-star hotel—there’s no way anything unclean is here!"

He spun the bottle again.

This time, it landed on "Angry."

"What the—?"

Pan Ning instinctively moved closer to Su Yang.

Tang Ziyun whispered fearfully, "Did it actually get angry?"

Su Yang smiled faintly. "Relax. Probably just Liu Bo rigging it. No way every answer could be this precise."

Liu Bo quickly pulled Zhang Ziming back. "What are you doing? You pissed off the Bottle Spirit!"

"Then what do we do?"

"Now we have to send it back."

"You do it. You’re the one who summoned it."

"Bottle Spirit, oh Bottle Spirit, we were disrespectful earlier. Our questions are finished now. Please return to your realm!" Liu Bo solemnly spun the bottle one last time.

Su Yang took a deep breath, watching the table.

After more than ten seconds, the bottle stopped—pointing straight at "Warning!"