Chapter 95#

He Has Another Cat#

The clear, cold clatter of horse hooves trotted into the border capital. The repaired city was noticeably cleaner, the bloodstains on the ground long washed away, and the stinking corpses dragged to Kunlun for burial. The shattered houses had been restored, and the moss-covered stone buildings now formed the main dwellings of the border capital. In the distance stood the majestic palace city, with the faint light of dawn, the North Star Hall silhouetted against the light, towering like a mountain. Demonic citizens walked the streets, while the surviving mortals, gaunt and haggard, had become their pets and slaves, wearing heavy pig-iron collars.

Wearing Yan Jinyu’s face, Su Ruhui rode past them on his horse. Looking at the scene of humans and beasts everywhere in the border capital, Su Ruhui sighed inwardly. Behind him followed Yan’s guard corps, of course fake—monks wearing wigs and thugs stripped of their stage makeup made up this team. Inside the carriage sat “Zhou Xiaosu.” If someone lifted the curtain, they would find her sitting with legs apart, a furious expression on her face. This unseemly sitting posture was certainly not elegant; Zhou Xiaosu would never be so crude. “Zhou Xiaosu” was played by Han Ye, while the real Zhou Xiaosu had become his maidservant.

“Keep your legs together,” Zhou Xiaosu kicked his foot.

Han Ye shot her a vicious glare.

Zhou Xiaosu was the crown princess of the Yan family and had to accompany Su Ruhui into the palace city. As a Vision Fire Realm healing secret arts practitioner, only she could dispel the effects of the “Spirit Heart Telepathy” technique, so she couldn’t be put in danger. Sang Chiyu had likely been ensnared by “Spirit Heart Telepathy” and needed Zhou Xiaosu to perform the technique to rescue him. If Su Ruhui fell under Luo Fu Wang’s spell, Zhou Xiaosu outside could still save him. If Zhou Xiaosu also got caught, then they were completely done for. After much deliberation, they finally decided that Han Ye would cross-dress as a woman to pretend to be Zhou Xiaosu. Though Han Ye was extremely unwilling and nearly hanged himself.

“None of you can say a word about today!” Han Ye gritted his teeth.

Zhou Xiaosu rolled her eyes. “Who cares to talk about you?”

The carriage stopped. They had reached the entrance to the palace city. Zhou Xiaosu got out first, then helped down Han Ye, who was lifting his skirt with a fierce face. Once inside the palace city, the guard corps could not follow; only Su Ruhui and Han Ye would walk the remaining path. Han Ye took a few stiff steps forward, and Zhou Xiaosu smacked his butt with her scabbard, whispering, “Swing your hips!”

Han Ye was burning with anger. He took several deep breaths and finally swallowed his pride, twisting his hips as he walked toward Su Ruhui. Han Ye’s hip movements were incredibly stiff, like a full-body convulsion. Seeing his snake-like appearance, Su Ruhui’s shoulders shook with laughter.

“Su Ruhui,” Han Ye said darkly, “laugh again, and I’ll kill you.”

Su Ruhui’s laughter abruptly stopped. Han Ye hadn’t expected him to obey so obediently and stop so quickly. Turning his head, he saw Bai Ruoye and Xia Jing arriving belatedly. It turned out that seeing Bai Ruoye had wiped the smile off Su Ruhui’s face.

It had been a few days, and Su Ruhui felt he could hardly recognize Jiang Xueya. She seemed different from before. Though still tall and crane-like, her crimson duanhua robe blazed like fire, and her features were still as bright as ever. Yet her demeanor had become much sharper. The way she stood with her hands behind her back, looking over, carried a unique authority of a superior.

Back when Su Ruhui was still her junior disciple, she never used her aura to intimidate him. It was probably only now that he had become Yan Jinyu that he saw how she treated others.

There were two types of characters in the Transcendent Domain. The first batch were generated by the system based on real-world figures he had input, such as his parents. The later batches were freely created by the system—whenever the Transcendent Domain needed a character, one would be automatically generated.

Jiang Xueya must have been one of the latter, because Su Ruhui didn’t remember inputting a figure named “Jiang Xueya,” though he always found her very familiar. When Jiang Xueya cut his throat, he shouldn’t have felt sad. Whether she was Jiang Xueya or Bai Ruoye, she was essentially his creation. The system had shaped her personality, which in essence meant Su Ruhui had shaped her. He should look down on her, just as a doctor observes bacteria in a petri dish. Even if the bacteria infected the doctor, causing injury and illness, the doctor couldn’t fault the bacteria.

Su Ruhui smiled bitterly to himself. Perhaps he was just being too sentimental.

“Your Highness, may you be well,” Su Ruhui said politely, cupping his hands.

Bai Ruoye was not particularly warm toward him, even somewhat disdainful. She had never liked Yan Jinyu, but since Luo Fu Wang needed to use this fellow, she was willing to put on a superficial act.

She turned her head to look at “Zhou Xiaosu” beside her. “Xiaosu, long time no see.”

Earlier, Su Ruhui had discussed with Han Ye that if they ran into acquaintances, it would be best for Han Ye to speak as little as possible.

Han Ye said nothing. Following the etiquette Zhou Xiaosu had taught him before, he gracefully performed a curtsy.

Seeing that she didn’t speak, Bai Ruoye smiled self-deprecatingly. “You resent me too, don’t you? Whether you resent me or not is up to you, but you must live your own life well. I used to be busy, and Youzhou is far away, so I couldn’t look after you. Father will station an inspector in Youzhou. If Yan Jinyu mistreats you in the future, just go to the inspector, and I will know.”

“No need,” Su Ruhui said. “I treat Xiaosu well. I won’t trouble Your Highness.”

Bai Ruoye’s expression turned cold and sharp. “If you treat her well, why do you have so many concubines? Why can’t she even say a word in front of me?”

Seeing the tension, Xia Jing stepped in to mediate. “It’s time to go to the North Star Hall. The King is waiting.”

Bai Ruoye looked at Zhou Xiaosu again, as if about to say something more, but suddenly her forehead throbbed with pain. It flared up again. Lately, she had been having frequent nightmares, and when she woke up, she would forget what she had dreamed. Her headaches were becoming more frequent too. She furrowed her brows slightly, coldly said she wouldn’t disturb them further, and went to a quiet spot to take a Lingxi Pill. Perhaps she had been working too hard lately. Recently, she had been shuttling between the front lines. She heard that humans had formed an alliance in Lizhou two days ago, so the demon clan needed to find a way to break the situation—hence today’s banquet in honor of Youzhou and Yunzhou.

Weary, she straightened up and headed toward the North Star Hall. But suddenly, she heard children’s laughter like bells from around a corner.

“Brother, I stole a Dharma gate talisman. How about we go to the Snow Realm and take a look?”

“Absolutely not,” said another child’s cold voice.

“Why not? I heard the Snow Realm is much bigger than the human world. Why should we hide in a corner? Maybe beyond the Snow Realm, there’s another paradise!”

She frowned. Whose children were causing a racket here, and so audacious as to want to sneak into the Snow Realm? If they encountered a blizzard, even an elite demon troop could be completely wiped out—let alone children.

She quickly walked around the corner to stop the ignorant children.

“Whose child—”

She stopped mid-sentence.

Because the corridor was completely empty. Only the hanging bamboo blinds swayed slightly in the chilly spring breeze.

There was no one here.

Was she haunted? She was slightly stunned. Or was it an illusion?

Su Ruhui followed Xia Jing toward the North Star Hall, sighing inwardly. Last time, Xia Jing had also led him to the North Star Hall, but then it was to see his uncle, Dan Tai Jing. The banquet was about to begin, and demon ministers were gradually entering the palace. These monsters were all grotesquely shaped, yet they were meticulous about grooming, making their fur glossy and sleek. Su Ruhui surreptitiously looked for Sang Chiyu. He searched for a long time, until he reached the entrance of the North Star Hall, without even a single cat hair in sight.

Su Ruhui walked over to Xia Jing, making small talk as if catching up. “Minister Xia, I hear the King recently found the Holy Son?”

Xia Jing nodded. “The Holy Son has been in the spotlight lately. Even Ruoye can’t compare.”

Su Ruhui put on a bitter expression. “You may not know, Minister Xia, but I have some past misunderstandings with the Holy Son. May I ask where the Holy Son is now? I need to visit him and apologize.”

“The Holy Son resides in the Youbie Villa, the former residence of Princess Suwu of the old dynasty.” Xia Jing patted his hand, offering advice. “The King sent many cat girls to the Holy Son yesterday, and he accepted them all into his residence. The Young Prince could also select some beauties to offer him. Surely that will mend the relationship.”

Upon hearing this, Su Ruhui’s vision went dark.

Sang Chiyu had married another cat!?

In the past, Su Ruhui wouldn’t have worried about Sang Chiyu cheating—after all, the kid cultivated an ascetic lifestyle, more celibate than a monk. But now, with Luo Fu Wang’s Spirit Heart Telepathy, he couldn’t be sure. Sang Chiyu hated him now, so wouldn’t physical cheating be perfectly normal?

Su Ruhui maintained a smile, but inwardly it felt like a stone had settled. If Sang Chiyu was just physically cheating, he could accept it, since it was the fault of Spirit Heart Telepathy—the cheating wasn’t Sang Chiyu’s true intention. He was only afraid Sang Chiyu might fall in love with some other wild cat. If he saw Sang Chiyu tenderly grooming another cat, he would vomit blood on the spot.

Su Ruhui stopped talking. Xia Jing’s peripheral vision caught Han Ye striving to swing his hips, walking with great difficulty.

Xia Jing kept turning back, hesitated, and then asked tactfully, “Is the Lady having trouble with her legs?”

Su Ruhui answered for him: “He has a boil on his butt. A big one.”

Xia Jing: “…”

Han Ye took a deep breath, suppressing the urge to kill Su Ruhui.

As soon as Su Ruhui finished speaking, a demon minister with a shifty rat-like face passed by Han Ye and slapped him on the butt.

“Nice hip swing,” the rat-faced demon said lecherously.

Then he squeezed.

Han Ye’s brow instantly darkened with fury. Flames gathered in his palm, about to erupt, strands of smoke flickering faintly.

Xia Jing, horrified, said, “This is Lady Zhou, the Young Prince’s wife of the Yan family. General Gui Ya, please mind your manners.”

Gui Ya let go, looking as if he’d just realized. “My apologies, Young Prince Yan. I thought she was a servant. I just touched your wife’s butt. Surely you won’t hold it against me.”

Before the North Star Hall, other demon ministers stopped to watch, clearly anticipating a good show.

Gui Ya was acting on Luo Fu Wang’s orders to humiliate Yan Jinyu. Yan Jinyu had offended the Holy Son, and Luo Fu Wang considered himself a doting father, so naturally he wanted to vent on the Holy Son’s behalf. But Luo Fu Wang hadn’t specified how to humiliate him. Seeing the elegant young woman twisting her hips nearby, Gui Ya couldn’t help staring at her butt for a long time. Demon daughters were mostly fierce, but these human women were delicate and gentle—a different flavor. After he tired of one, he ate her. Gui Ya had already ravaged many women. He figured a little touch wouldn’t get him punished; on the contrary, the King might commend him.

Xia Jing was sweating profusely, inwardly cursing these demons for their reckless lust. He tried to mollify Su Ruhui: “Young Prince, please calm down. Don’t let this harm the harmony between Youzhou and the border capital.”

Su Ruhui said calmly, “Why would I be angry? My humble wife being liked by General Gui Ya is her blessing. General, how does she feel? She’s rather thin—I hope she didn’t hurt your hand?”

After Su Ruhui finished, Xia Jing was dumbfounded, almost thinking he’d misheard. The North Star Hall fell silent. Even Gui Ya didn’t know how to respond. To have a husband as spineless as Yan Jinyu—even the demons found it astonishing.

Han Ye smiled without warmth. “Are you asking for death?”

Su Ruhui pressed his shoulder down to keep him from exploding in rage.

“I know you’re very excited,” Su Ruhui said earnestly. “I’m really envious of you, dear wife, being liked by General Gui Ya. It’s a pity I’m not a woman—I’m sure General Gui Ya wouldn’t be interested in my butt. Dear wife, don’t get too carried away. Calm down.” Su Ruhui emphasized, “Calm!”

Han Ye understood Su Ruhui’s implication. Fine—for that kid Sang Chiyu’s sake, he would bear it. Han Ye forcibly unclenched his fist, and the smoke in his palm dissipated.

Gui Ya never expected this bastard to have a face as thick as a city wall, impenetrable. The humiliation Luo Fu Wang had ordered seemed not to have worked. Gui Ya was silent for a long moment before speaking. “Young Prince Yan is indeed magnanimous.”

“Overpraise, overpraise,” Su Ruhui said modestly.

“Magnanimous, my foot—clearly a coward,” a demon scoffed. “General, why not just ask him for the little lady? I’m sure he’ll gladly hand her over and even clean the bed for you.”

Just as Su Ruhui was about to respond, the mocking whispers around them suddenly stopped. All the demons’ gazes shifted to the bottom of the white jade steps. A tall, straight black figure appeared there. Su Ruhui looked over and almost stopped breathing. Only a few days apart, but it felt like years. He walked up the steps against the light. Looking closely, his face was much paler, translucent like ice and snow, as if about to melt into the blinding white light. Was he sick? Su Ruhui thought he looked a bit thinner.

He reached the top of the steps and walked straight toward the North Star Hall. His stride carried a cold murderous aura. Though winter had clearly passed, he was surrounded by a chill like snow. The crowd parted of their own accord, bowing respectfully, “Holy Son.”

He stopped a few steps short of Su Ruhui. They were close enough that Su Ruhui felt he could reach out and touch his hand. Su Ruhui felt a pang of sadness. Sang Chiyu, have you fallen in love with another cat?

Xia Jing bowed to him. “Holy Son, this is Young Prince Yan. I believe you’ve already met. The Young Prince says there were some misunderstandings between you. Now that you are both ministers serving our King, perhaps you could let bygones be bygones?”

“Let bygones be bygones?” A young cat maid stepped out from behind Sang Chiyu. “Our Holy Son suffered countless grievances in the human world in the past. It can’t simply be swept under the rug. I heard that Young Prince Yan once caused the Holy Son to be trapped in the Wolf Greed Mine, nearly costing him his life. The Holy Son is magnanimous and doesn’t hold grudges, but can Young Prince Yan pretend nothing happened?”

Su Ruhui studied the young cat maid. She had golden hair and green eyes—probably a golden tabby cat.

Xia Jing wiped his forehead continuously, sweating profusely. “Then… what do you suggest?”

The cat maid’s eyes flickered, then fixed on “Zhou Xiaosu.”

“I heard that Lady Zhou is a Vision Fire Realm healing secret arts practitioner. Our Holy Son happens to be injured. How about inviting Lady Zhou to be a guest at Youbie Villa for a few days to treat the Holy Son’s wounds?”

She said “inviting” Zhou Xiaosu to treat wounds, but whether Zhou Xiaosu could return to the Yan family after that was debatable.

“Well… this…” Xia Jing stole a glance at Sang Chiyu. Sang Chiyu stood silently to the side, showing no intention of stopping the cat maid’s presumptuous words.

This cat maid was extremely rude—practically stomping on “Yan Jinyu’s” head in public. Su Ruhui didn’t actually mind, since he wasn’t Yan Jinyu. He only slightly frowned. Sang Chiyu was injured?

Xia Jing tugged at Su Ruhui’s sleeve, whispering, “This little cat maid was personally selected by the King and the Council of Elders, and was just given to the Holy Son yesterday. We can’t afford to offend her. Young Prince Yan… perhaps…”

He trailed off.

Su Ruhui pondered. Han Ye being by Sang Chiyu’s side would actually be convenient for passing messages to Su Ruhui. But this golden-haired cat maid was annoying. Su Ruhui’s heart ached. Had Sang Chiyu really fallen for another cat? This cat maid chattered incessantly—didn’t Sang Chiyu find her headache-inducing? Calm down, Su Ruhui told himself. Sang Chiyu was influenced by Spirit Heart Telepathy, so he wasn’t cheating on purpose.

Just as he was about to offer “Zhou Xiaosu,” Su Ruhui suddenly noticed a strand of golden cat hair on Sang Chiyu’s shoulder. Sang Chiyu himself was a pure white long-haired cat. Su Ruhui had seen every inch of him, even knew exactly how many hairs were on his butt—there was no golden fur whatsoever. This cat hair almost certainly came from the golden-haired cat maid.

Unless he’d had close contact with a golden cat, how could fur stick to him? Maybe they’d already groomed each other.

The composure he’d barely built up immediately collapsed. Su Ruhui could no longer remain calm.

“I’m afraid that will disappoint the Holy Son,” Su Ruhui said.

A demon chuckled. “Oh? Has Young Prince Yan suddenly grown a backbone?”

“Handing over my wife depends on who I’m handing her to,” Su Ruhui said slowly. “General Gui Ya is majestic, handsome, and dashing. Naturally, I would prefer to oblige General Gui Ya.”

The demons looked at the ferret-faced Gui Ya, then at the elegant Sang Chiyu.

All demons: “…”

Gui Ya roared with laughter. “Young Prince Yan, you’re not only magnanimous—you have excellent taste!”

Sang Chiyu slowly frowned. This fellow’s nonsense sounded very much like Su Ruhui.

He had long known that Luo Fu Wang intended to humiliate Yan Jinyu. This morning, a palace servant had specially come to Youbie Villa, asking him to come to the North Star Hall to watch the show. If the result was humiliation by a demon general, followed by forcibly taking his wife, Yan Jinyu would never be able to hold his head up again. Zhou Xiaosu was Su Ruhui’s junior sister. Su Ruhui was soft-hearted—even if Zhou Xiaosu had cut ties with him, he surely couldn’t bear to let her die. Having Zhou Xiaosu come to Youbie Villa would at least guarantee her safety, so Sang Chiyu tacitly approved of Luo Fu Wang and these demons’ petty games.

The only thing he hadn’t expected was that Yan Jinyu no longer seemed to be Yan Jinyu.

Just then, a dignified voice suddenly called out:

“Young Prince Yan.”

The great doors of the North Star Hall swung open. Inside the dim hall, Luo Fu Wang sat enthroned on a high dais.

All the demon ministers and humans bowed low, right fists over their hearts, symbolizing that they offered their hearts and loyalty to Luo Fu Wang.

“My King,” Su Ruhui saluted.

“Since my son desires her, you shall gift your woman to him,” Luo Fu Wang said. “As compensation, I will grant you even more women. What say you?”

Su Ruhui smiled composedly. “In that case, how dare I spoil the Holy Son’s pleasure? Even though I deeply love my wife, I can only reluctantly hand her over. Parting with my wife is like a knife twisting in my heart, my liver rending, my intestines breaking, pain beyond living.”

His words sounded so heartfelt that the assembled ministers almost believed he truly loved Zhou Xiaosu.

He paused, then continued. “Unless my King grants me eighty-one women, only then can I barely endure the sorrow of losing my beloved wife. If I am to forget her entirely, please add another eighty-one men.”

By this point, Sang Chiyu could be certain. This rambling fool was indeed Su Ruhui.

He had come to the border capital—as lonely and brave as when he had stormed the Wolf Greed Mine alone.

But unlike before, he seemed to be angry.

Sang Chiyu couldn’t help glancing at him. Hadn’t he come to rescue him? Why was he angry?