Jiang Zhiyu sat upright on the couch with his legs crossed. Behind him, a white cat sat just as formally, channeling its qi to heal his injuries.
"Master, what... what did you say to Yaoyao?" His breath was still weak, yet he could not help but ask.
"Shut your mouth, you brat!" The white cat's whiskers twitched, its eyes full of both annoyance and helplessness.
"You are hurt this badly, and yet you only care about worrying over that girl. One after another, why are all your hearts tied to women? If you confine yourself to romantic entanglements all day, how will you ever achieve great things in the future?"
Though its tone was stern, the movement of channeling qi remained steady and continuous. "It is fortunate that I did not use my full power when setting up this barrier, otherwise all your cultivation from these past years would have been ruined! I released that nine-tailed beast only to cooperate with your little act. If that brat had not sensed true danger, he would never have believed this trap within a trap."
"To think you couldn't even sense your master's aura, and forcefully broke the barrier, suffering the backlash. Why make yourself suffer like this?"
In truth, he had detected a subtle, familiar aura at the time, but it was ultimately overshadowed by his anxiety.
Jiang Zhiyu's lips were pale, the qi inside his body surging like a tide. He simply replied in a low voice, "They are my friends. I absolutely could not stand by and watch them fall into danger."
"Friends?"
Ji Bai slowly pondered the word, but the young man's stunningly beautiful face surfaced in his mind, and a trace of hidden worry swept across his heart.
How could they look so similar...
But the scouts sent to investigate had clearly reported that the Holy Maiden was executed by her clansmen, and they never mentioned her leaving behind an heir.
Besides, the Lord had always been frail, and the doctors had asserted it would be extremely difficult for him to have children. That was why he and the Lady had adopted Yu'er from the Jingming Platform.
How could that woman have been pregnant?
Perhaps it was just a coincidence.
After all, there are many people in this world who look alike.
Just like that little girl. Looking at her features, she actually bore some resemblance to his own disciple.
Those who didn't know better might even think they were brother and sister.
After Ji Bai finished healing his disciple's qi, he had just stepped out of the room when he ran into that little girl.
"Greetings, Mystic Ji."
The little girl was squatting at the door with her arms wrapped around her knees, looking at him at eye level, smiling obediently and politely.
The white cat blew at its whiskers and snorted twice, raising its proud head. Its cat eyes sized her up. "Do you need something from me?"
Truly a noble feline.
The plot briefly mentioned that Ji Bai's original body had been destroyed, leaving only his primordial spirit. As it happened, his astrological data matched this white cat perfectly, so his sect had settled his soul inside the cat's body.
This also caused him to inadvertently inherit some feline traits.
Chai Xiaomi smiled faintly. "Word across the lands says that the mystics of the Jingming Platform are upright and often perform righteous deeds. Among them, you, Mystic Ji, have the most chivalrous heart. Your magic is profound, yet you never boast. Wherever you go, evil spirits scatter and the common people find peace. What is even rarer is your compassion—"
"Stop, stop, hold on a minute!"
Although Ji Bai felt elated from the praise, a shred of reason still remained.
He flicked the tip of his tail, his whiskers curling up slightly. "Little girl, flattery won't work on me. If you have something to say, just say it directly."
Chai Xiaomi reined in her exaggerated compliments and stopped beating around the bush. "Then does the Mystic know how to treat someone who has suffered internal injuries, severe enough to... cough up blood?"
"Oh?" The white cat lazily swished its tail, rolling its eyes. "Who is it? Male or female? Old or young? Handsome or ugly?"
"What does being handsome or ugly have to do with it?" Chai Xiaomi was puzzled. Did healing someone require a face check?
"Of course it matters. If they are ugly, they aren't afraid of scars. But if they are handsome, it's different. They are exceptionally precious about their skin, and might even be afraid of being seen by their beloved. Tsk, tsk, tsk."
As it spoke, it shook its head and sighed to itself, as if recalling a certain scene.
Then, it raised a front paw, spreading open its soft toe beans facing upward.
A crystal-clear orb of light, like a water droplet, slowly emerged, trembling slightly in its palm and swirling with warm spiritual energy.
"This is a drop of Jade Dew, condensed from the spiritual energy of heaven and earth. Internal injuries often attack the heart and meridians. You just need to place this on the injured person's chest and gently rub it into the skin."
It paused. "Not only can it heal internal wounds, but it can also dissolve bruises and remove marks. It won't leave a single scar."
"Thank you so much, Mystic Ji!" Chai Xiaomi was overjoyed, carefully cupping the warm, glowing light with both hands and bringing it to her chest.
As a thank-you gift, she turned around and took out a handmade cat teaser wand she had prepared earlier.
"Mystic, this is a small gift I made myself to thank you for your generous medicine. I hope you won't despise it."
Ji Bai raised his eyes and glanced at it: a spotted, dark brown feather was tied to a thin bamboo pole. Judging by the color and texture, it looked like a falcon's feather.
This was clearly a toy for teasing children. With his age and level of cultivation, how could he possibly like such a thing?
"What is this?" He sat perfectly still, his whiskers twitching reservedly.
"This is a whisk," Chai Xiaomi said without blinking an eye, looking utterly sincere. "Look at your immortal aura and Daoist grace, how could you be the same as an ordinary cat? You simply must be equipped with a whisk to better show your celestial demeanor."
Saying this, she gently raised her wrist, slowly waving the whisk in front of Ji Bai.
What was going on?
Ji Bai's gaze involuntarily followed the feather. The fur all over his body seemed to quietly stand on end. His paw pads tickled, and his heart tickled too.
It was as if a voice was jumping around in his head: Pounce on it! Catch it!
He liked it.
He liked it incredibly much.
He tensed his body, holding back again and again, but the tip of his tail was already swishing uncontrollably from side to side.
Finally, when the feather slowly swept past his eyes once more—
"Whoosh!"
He leaped gracefully, reaching out his paws toward the swaying stream of light.
The moment he landed, he coughed awkwardly. "Since it is a token of your goodwill, I shall accept this gift."
As he said this, his gaze swept over the Qiankun bag at the young girl's waist.
He cursed inwardly: That brat, he's certainly generous to his friends. The spatial pouch that took his master a month to refine, he just gives it away like that!
He hasn't even finished cleaning out the monster cores inside. I'd like to see how this little girl deals with the trouble inside when the time comes.
*
Chai Xiaomi returned to her room.
Her gaze drifted unconsciously toward the folding screen in the corner.
This screen was originally one of four in the main hall downstairs. It was only because she wanted to take a comfortable bath today that she had temporarily borrowed one from Zhu Yu and carried it upstairs.
Usually, when washing up or changing clothes, she and Wu Li always had a tacit understanding to stagger their times in the room. But taking a bath took a long time, and it wouldn't be right to make the other person wait outside indefinitely. If others saw, it would inevitably arouse suspicion.
She just didn't expect it.
After she finished her bath and freshened herself up, Wu Li actually took his time to start soaking in the tub as well.
Chai Xiaomi was getting a bit bored waiting.
One moment she was leaning on the table, carefully stacking several cups into a tottering pyramid; the next moment she moved to the head of the bed, idly twirling the bed curtains around her fingers; and a moment later, she leaned against the window, looking up to count the scattered stars in the night sky.
Her gaze couldn't help but keep drifting toward that folding screen.
Through the bamboo-patterned silk screen, the hazy outline of a bathing tub could faintly be seen, along with a human silhouette. Two arms were resting idly on the edge of the tub, and the contours of a side profile looked gentle and graceful in the dim, yellowish light. It could not be seen clearly, yet that only left all the more to the imagination.
"Lili," she finally could not help but ask softly toward the other side of the screen, "how much longer are you going to be in the bath?"
It was completely quiet behind the screen, without even the slightest sound of splashing water.
The silhouette was not moving, either.
She waited for a moment, but there was no reply.
Having no other choice, she raised her voice a little and called out, "Lili."
Only then did the figure behind the screen suddenly stir, accompanied by the faint, rippling sound of water.
"...Mmh."
The young man's voice drifted over from the other side of the mist, laced with heavy exhaustion. A hint of hoarseness clung to the end of his tone, making him sound unexpectedly like a small beast whimpering as it was roused from a dream.
Dazed, and surprisingly soft.
...Had he fallen asleep?
Chai Xiaomi felt her heart inexplicably and fiercely tugged by something.
Lord save her!
Was that really the villain's waking voice just now?
Such a massive contrast!?
It was a far cry from his usual cool, arrogant, and icy tone!
So dazed and soft, he was unintentionally capturing her heart...
