Spoiled by Eight Uncles (Lily)

Seeing everyone tense, Cloud quickly explained.

Originally, he intended to mention that Lilly was chased by a black-robed man, and he sought reinforcements but ended up being chased and falling into the evil eye...

However, as he thought that this might worry them, he explained, "Lilly took me to cultivate, but | ended up falling into the evil eye... She must be looking for me, and | was just worried that she couldn't find me, so | asked if she had come back." Zachary breathed a sigh of relief and shook his head, saying, "No." After all, they were in the underworld, and Lilly probably didn't expect Cloud to accidentally land in the Human Realm.

Josh rummaged through the Bag of Holding and retrieved a set of paper clothes. He waved his fingertips, inscribed Cloud's full name and birthdate onto it, and proceeded to burn the clothes in front of him.

In no time, Cloud had a set of clothes in his hands. After putting them on, he said, "Good timing. I've got a hood to cover up." He wore the hood to conceal the left side of his face.

The uncle and nephew chatted for a while, and Cloud briefly explained what happened inside the ghost beast's belly, causing Josh to become extremely anxious.

Bettany made chicken soup, brought it in, and shut the door. Everyone stopped talking.

"Eat quickly!" She placed the soup down and said, "A few more dishes are coming. Wait here; I'll get them for you." Josh offered, "Grandma, I'll go get them!" Zachary stood up and accompanied Josh downstairs to fetch the food.

Cloud caught a whiff of the familiar aroma and immediately picked up the soup. He felt much better.

"This is..." he exclaimed.

Bettany explained, "This is a local specialty left by Lilly. There's still some remaining." No wonder, Cloud thought in his heart.

Suddenly, Bettany reached out. Cloud dodged a bit, but she gently touched his cheek lightly.

Her voice choked up as she asked, "Cloud, does it hurt?" Cloud smiled, his eyes welling up with tears as he replied, "No, Mom. Ghosts don't feel pain.” Bettany murmured, "That's good, that's good..." Just as Cloud was about to say something, she asked again, "What about the wound on your chest? With such a big hole, did you think you could hide it from me? With tears in his eyes, Cloud realized that she had seen everything.

He slightly opened his clothes and said, "It isn't so bad. This is something used to block it..." With that, he took out Nephele and explained, "This is a friend | encountered along the way. She saved me but got into trouble herself." Bettany stared blankly at the small cluster of bad aura in his hand. It resembled a grayish wool ball.

She was taken aback. How could something so small be a person? Cloud continued, "She should be in a deep sleep, and | was afraid she might fall off halfway, so | stuffed her in here..." He pointed to his chest.

Bettany felt her heart pounding and suggested, "It's truly thanks to her. When Lilly returns, ask her if she can help with anything..." Cloud nodded.

Just as Josh and Zachary were coming in with food, they asked, "Help with what?" Cloud pointed to Nephele.

Josh placed the food down and examined it closely. He exclaimed, "It's incredible. She must be a beautiful one. Although she has transformed into a ball of bad aura, it's still a good-looking ball.

Cloud was puzzled.

He looked down to look at it. How could one tell that it's a good-looking ball of bad aura? Josh retrieved a small bag that looked like a sachet, adorned with several small patches sewn onto it.

"Place her inside here. Lilly mentioned that overly weak spirits in the Human Realm will gradually dissipate. I've thrown in loads of soul-nourishing talismans in this bag." Cloud nodded and carefully placed the ball of bad aura into the bag.

He tied the bag securely, held it in his hands, and considered putting it down but worried he might accidentally drop it.

"Hurry up and eat!" Bettany took the small bag and requested Zachary to fetch some needles, threads, and red strings.

She took the pouch and weighed the option of using needles and threads. Eventually, she opted for a red string to extend the tied part and wove it into a bracelet.

Cloud savored his meal while Josh bombarded him with questions. Bettany's face eased into a peaceful expression as she silently crafted the bracelet.

The scene became heartwarming. The ordinary days were often overlooked by people. However, when recalled later, they were rare moments of simple happiness.

When Cloud finished eating, Bettany completed weaving the bracelet.

The bracelet, woven with the red string, had a small sachet hanging from it securely. The tied part was wrapped with several rounds of red string, and it was connected to the bracelet, making it impossible to come loose.

Cloud reached out and allowed Bettany to tie the bracelet around his wrist.

"Do you want me to tighten the knot a bit?" she asked.

Cloud pondered for a moment and replied, "Mom, can you tie a tight knot?" Bettany glanced at him with a hint of a smile in her eyes. "Sure." She untied the knot in the red string, re-wove it into a tight knot, and securely tied it around Cloud's wrist.

Cloud beamed a childlike smile, shook his wrist, and nodded. "This time, it won't get lost.” Bettany smiled warmly and reassured him, "Don't worry, I've securely tied it for you. It won't get lost.” Meanwhile, Drake, Josh, and Zachary exchanged puzzled glances.

Seems there's more to the story, huh?