In real life, many people dye their hair, turning gray to black, or black to other colors. So, it's normal to see all kinds of hair colors on the street.

But in front of this very popular hair salon, every single customer in line had black hair.

People who didn't dye their hair usually meant they rarely went to salons or just couldn't be bothered to care for it. Those kinds of people wouldn't waste time lining up. They would just find the nearest place for a quick wash, cut, and blow-dry.

Looking at this row after row of black-haired backs of heads was like staring at a row of faces, only without features. But after staring too long, Ming Rui started to feel like these smooth backs of heads were slowly forming faces and smiling at him.

Fu Gui: "Should we line up too?"

Ruan Xing glanced at him, a little surprised. "Why should we?"

With that, he took Ming Rui and walked straight to the front of the line.

As they moved ahead, the entire line turned to stare at Ruan Xing with their pale faces and glassy eyes. Every one of them silently locked onto him.

Among them, he spotted the same girl from the elevator.

The line extended all the way into the salon, with the people near the front packed tightly. Ruan Xing found a spot where he could cut in and slipped himself in.

Behind him was a burly guy with a tattoo on his neck.

When he saw Ruan Xing cut in, the man stiffly opened his mouth, which was pitch black inside. "Hey kid, cutting the line isn't cool."

Ruan Xing looked up at the guy's head. "If you're bald, maybe you shouldn't be taking up a spot in the first place."

The guy was not fully bald, and in fact, he was envious of other people's hair. Ruan Xing's words instantly filled him with rage.

"F*** off! I need scalp care too, alright?! Who said bald guys don't go to salons?!"

Ming Rui stood by nervously, stunned by how bold Ruan Xing was. But right after came admiration. So cool. He wished he could one day talk to pollutants like that.

Ruan Xing ignored the alarm going off on his wristband. He just gave a mocking smile. "Why don't we let everyone judge? Would they rather let you go first, or me? At least I look like I actually need a haircut."

The pale-faced residents behind them started murmuring. The once-silent line grew noisy.

The guy shouted, "Screw you! What if I just want to line up for a damn haircut?!"

Ruan Xing said, "Teacher Tuo is busy enough. Why waste his time? What if the people in the back don't even get their turn?"

That hit a nerve. The people in line behind them grew louder.

[Spirit Speaker]

The man lost it. Black hair came pouring out of his mouth, ears, and nostrils. The strands seemed sentient, lashing out toward Ruan Xing, stirring the air with a loud whoosh.

Ruan Xing tilted his head and dodged. "Should've said you were here for a nose-hair trim."

Ming Rui panicked and instinctively reached into the air to draw his gun, but Ruan Xing moved even faster.

That was when Ming Rui noticed that he was using some kind of ability. Sparks appeared out of nowhere and rushed toward the balding man.

In that moment, the guy was like a pile of kindling. With a whoosh, he burst into flames with smoke pouring from all his orifices.

He screamed, flailed, and collapsed to the ground, twitching. The fire burned away the hair, and under his skin, there was more hair. His body shriveled like dried-out skin, gradually collapsing inward.

The whole place fell silent.

Ruan Xing smiled cheerfully. "I will stand here. Does anyone object?"

No one said a word. The crowd was as quiet as chickens.

Ruan Xing looked ahead. Some pollutants flinched and quickly raised their hands. "You can cut ahead of me!"

Ruan Xing declined. "I don't like forcing people."

Fu Gui: "Can you hear yourself? Do you even sound human?"

Therefore, Ming Rui, carrying his unconscious teammate, and Luo Yiyi followed behind Ruan Xing. Behind them, the line of pollutants kept a considerable distance, as if deliberately avoiding them.

The whole thing felt so surreal that Ming Rui had no idea what expression he should make.

Meanwhile, the young man just casually played with the crow on his shoulder, completely unaware of how absurd his behavior was.

Even a Major General probably couldn't handle things this easily. Ming Rui swallowed nervously as his thoughts swirled.

The line moved quickly. Maybe Teacher Tuo had sensed something was happening outside and sped up. In about ten minutes, several customers had already been processed.

Ruan Xing noticed that no one come back out from the salon.

Could it be that the people who finished their haircuts were leaving through a different door?

He crossed his arms and tapped his finger against his arm.

Outside the shop, a rotating neon light caught the eye. The big scissors icon had been painted gold, matching the salon's name. Even before entering, the smell of shampoo wafted out, mixed with dampness and some strange, indescribable scent.

Posters were stuck to the glass wall: some were ads, and some were for model recruitment.

Ruan Xing studied them closely.

[Golden Scissors Salon is now hiring models. 

Requirements:

1. Female, age 18–30

2. Hair must be undyed, preferably long (short is acceptable)

3. Neat appearance, no bad habits, non-smoker

4. Unmarried, no children, single, flexible schedule. Applicants with special family situations will be prioritized.

Salary: 6k–9k per session]

Fu Gui: [That last requirement is really weird.]

Ruan Xing nodded.

The first three made sense. No smoking could be explained for health reasons. But the last one? For a model, that was way too much.

Hair models should be part-time workers, right? Hair doesn't grow long enough every day to keep cutting it. Yet this sounded like they wanted someone whose schedule only revolved around getting haircuts.

"Welcome to Golden Scissors Salon, dear guest."

Ruan Xing looked around. The place was small.

Right across from him was a large cabinet filled with all kinds of shampoos. The smell from earlier came from there.

On the bottom shelf were several plastic mannequin heads. They looked extremely lifelike, but on closer inspection, they were obviously fake. Each one had black hair styled in different ways. From a distance, it looked like actual severed heads on display.

Behind the cabinet was a footrest, probably the hair-washing area.

The four stations were set up on the left and right walls, with large mirrors facing each other, creating an infinite reflection effect that made the space look huge.

Above the mirrors were photos of past work, likely Teacher Tuo's creations. Nearly all were girls, showcasing a wide variety of hairstyles in an explosion of vibrant colors, far brighter than in real life.

Beneath the chairs, clumps of hair were everywhere. The place was filthy. The cut hair had built up into an absurdly thick carpet, and stepping on it felt like stepping on a plush wool rug.

And since all the customers had black hair, the "hair carpet" was entirely black too.

Teacher Tuo was a young man with slightly curly medium-length hair, wearing a loose T-shirt and baggy hip-hop pants. He looked lazy but stylish.

When he saw Ruan Xing, his eyes lit up. "Such a beautiful hair."

The mycelium, acting as a hair tie, squeaked twice in agreement.

Fu Gui: [Wow, this guy reacts to anyone who praises you. Total simp.]

Ruan Xing did not comment.

Teacher Tuo tried to reach out and touch Ruan Xing's hair, his eyes glowing like he had spotted a rare treasure. He completely ignored the half-finished customers around him.

Ruan Xing dodged instantly. "I don't like people getting too close."

Teacher Tuo stared at him without blinking, full of greed. "Would you consider selling your hair?"

Ruan Xing's hair was smooth, thick, glossy, and free of split ends. It would definitely fetch a high price.

Ruan Xing: “No.”

Teacher Tuo looked disappointed. "Then, would you be interested in becoming a model for the salon? I'll pay you per photo. How about 5k per shot?"

Ruan Xing found it strange. This pollutant was truly bizarre. He had never heard of such ridiculous requests.

Ruan Xing shook his head and pointed at Ming Rui. "I brought my little brother to get a haircut. You do his."

Ming Rui, who had just set his teammate down on a chair, was confused. "Huh?"

He was shoved into the seat. Teacher Tuo looked disappointed but did not force Ruan Xing to cut his hair. Instead, he studied the boy who had taken off his pilot cap, his eyes a little crazed. "Your scent… smells very familiar. I had a customer once who had the same scent. So intoxicating."

Ming Rui froze.

Ruan Xing noticed the teen had suddenly gone pale, his lips trembling.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

"N-nothing." Ming Rui forced a smile, trying to stay calm. But to Ruan Xing, he looked like he had just seen his mortal enemy.

Teacher Tuo was highly skilled. He didn't even bother to wash the boy's hair. He just got to work, and his scissors went flying.

It was a pair of golden scissors. Ruan Xing noticed what looked like dried blood on them, but the movements were so fast he couldn't be sure.

He stared at the man's hands, carefully watching both the scissors and Ming Rui's expression.

Teacher Tuo worked silently, completely focused on his craft. 

Bit by bit, a work of art took shape. Ming Rui's head was trimmed into a smooth, rounded style: not stiff, but playful and light.

Say what you will. But his technique was certainly top-notch.

"Done!"

Teacher Tuo shouted excitedly. His pupils turned into beast-like slits as his chest started heaving.

"Sorry, got a little carried away. This young man reminded me of… happier times, hehe~" He grinned as he brushed the clippings off Ming Rui and gently blew on his shoulder.

Ming Rui shivered and immediately jumped out of the chair with wary eyes.

Now that he had a fresh haircut, his whole vibe had changed. He used to look like a stray. Now he looked more domesticated.

Ruan Xing was fairly satisfied.

Teacher Tuo: "Eight percent off if you get a membership card. Interested?"

Ruan Xing took out a red bill and slapped it on the table.

Teacher Tuo smiled. "Guest, you must not understand how things work here. If you refuse to become one of my models, then you'll have to pay with something else..."

Ruan Xing looked at the mirror behind him. As Teacher Tuo spoke, something on the back of his head twitched suspiciously.

Ruan Xing replied, "Looks like you don't understand my rules either. If things don't go my way, then maybe this shop shouldn't exist at all."