Chapter 112: Not Calling It Out

If she had known once how hard it would be to coax her own little Pallas’s cat after truly making it cry, Zuo Yuanxi definitely wouldn’t have brought up that matter that day.

Whenever the Pallas’s cat at home made a mistake or wanted something from her, it might put on a fake crying act with its “wu wu wu” sounds. She could tell the difference between real crying and fake crying, but even fake crying sometimes made it hard for her to stay firm. How much more so when she had truly made it cry.

The Merman Clan Chief had a terrible headache, both physically and mentally.

The aftereffects of viewing Fu Jun’s memories were even greater than she had imagined. After those strange emotions nearly affected her, she felt her head aching again. Then, she caught glimpses of a few odd scenes.

But her top priority right now wasn’t to investigate what those things were. It was to coax the one who was crying. So she could only suppress those bizarre thoughts for the moment.

In order to figure out how to comfort Nian Zhi’an—who had stopped crying out loud but was still silently shedding tears—Zuo Yuanxi even set aside her pride and asked the merfolk in her clan, despite how undignified it was.

It wasn’t that she wanted to spread it around. It was just that her butler was useless in this area, with no experience whatsoever. The butler’s suggestions hadn’t helped at all, forcing Zuo Yuanxi to borrow the wisdom of her clansfolk.

Her clansfolk revered their clan chief greatly, but even they couldn’t hold back when Clan Leader Zuo asked them how to coax a girl she had made cry. Zuo Yuanxi picked a few clansfolk she was closer to and asked them, not caring if they would stare at her with curious eyes in the days after she went out.

One family’s child said in a childish voice, “Cats live on land. Is it maybe not used to being in the sea? Could it have that thing… what’s it called… right, thalassophobia! Isn’t that cat sister from Clan Leader’s house afraid of water? Has she been in the sea too long, so her mood is bad?”

Although the underwater world had specially set up a spiritual barrier for Nian Zhi’an so she could live as freely as on land, this was still the seabed. Looking up, there was no sky or sun—just the mysterious, silent sea. People from the land might feel dizzy seeing such a sight.

So Zuo Yuanxi immediately carried the Pallas’s cat back to her Ocean View Villa. She also added many novel and fun cat toys for it. Nian Zhi’an, who had once been a cat demon, was influenced by her body’s instincts and couldn’t resist the temptation of those toys. But after turning into a Pallas’s cat, she was much better at resisting them.

But she hadn’t expected the bold cats kept in Zuo Yuanxi’s home to dare steal its little toys. Only after Clan Leader Zuo promised to give away all the cats in her home for others to adopt did Nian Pallas’s cat gradually stop shedding its golden tears.

If not for her keenly sensitive perception of emotions—still feeling the little one’s sadness even now—Zuo Yuanxi might have suspected Nian Zhi’an was using the chance to get rid of these potential rivals for affection.

Zuo Yuanxi sat on the edge of the bed and gave Nian Zhi’an a slight smile. “Since I’ve sent all those little ones away, what am I supposed to do when I want a fluffy hand warmer?”

Nian Zhi’an instantly understood her wife’s meaning. She immediately turned into a long-haired fluff ball and jumped onto Zuo Yuanxi’s lap, pulling her hands under its belly to warm them.

“Good girl,” Zuo Yuanxi praised in a low voice laced with amusement. The words made Nian Zhi’an’s heart itch, causing her fluffy ears to twitch uncontrollably.

“The spiritual energy here isn’t as rich as at the seabed, but it might improve your mood a bit. Later, I’ll set up more spirit stones in your room to keep conditions close to those in the Sacred Ground.”

“It’s fine. My injuries have mostly healed, so no need to go to such trouble. There’s still more than half a dragon bone left. I think nibbling half of another one will fully restore me.” Nian Zhi’an hurriedly shook her head. She estimated the treasures she had consumed during these days of injury—if she took them out now, she’d probably be glared to death by jealous gazes from all the human and demon cultivators in the world. These were more than enough to heal her wounds, not to mention the system’s help.

Any more would be a waste. It even made her feel a bit heartbroken just looking at it.

“That’s good, then.” Zuo Yuanxi stroked the Pallas’s cat’s head. The fluffy texture made her unable to stop petting it over and over. If her little Pallas’s cat demon ever went bald because of it, she would admit her mistake. Zuo Yuanxi’s eyes curved slightly.

“Can you tell me now? Why were you crying?”

Nian Zhi’an didn’t notice her fur instantly puffing up, turning her into an even bigger furball.

“Can you tell me?” Zuo Yuanxi’s tone was consultative, not pressing.

“I-I just thought… what if something unexpected happens and I can’t come back? What if the future turns out like in Fu Jun’s memories…” Before she finished speaking, Nian Zhi’an felt the hand messing with her head pause. Then the force suddenly increased, and she felt like her scalp was about to fly off.

“What unexpected this, unexpected that… You know accidents can happen, so try doing something dangerous next time and see!” Zuo Yuanxi rubbed the certain Pallas’s cat until it squealed for mercy.

“I won’t dare! I really won’t dare anymore! A Xi, wifey, spare me! I feel like I’m going bald. If I go bald, I won’t look good anymore! You’ll hate me!”

“You seem a bit more sentimental since coming back.” After venting her frustration, Zuo Yuanxi finally eased her hand’s strength. She petted gently, nearly lulling the Pallas’s cat to sleep from the comfort. “Am I not perfectly fine right here? You’ve come back too. Everything is different from Fu Jun’s memories. Don’t cry over this sort of thing again like a silly cat.”

She had even acted like an idiot asking her clansfolk for help. Her lifetime of prestige might be ruined. And who knew if, after her death, when the clan erected a monument for her, those kids would add this incident to it. Hmm, it seemed she needed to give them a talking-to later.

Nian Zhi’an wanted to protest that she wasn’t a silly cat, but thinking of Fu Jun’s memories made her feel her wife was right. Wu wu wu… she was starting to dislike herself!

“A Xi… I swear, as long as I’m alive—as long as I’m alive—I’ll definitely come find you. So don’t be afraid of being left behind.” Nian Zhi’an sniffled. She knew her wife’s heart was still uneasy, fearing she would run off or disappear again. She had once rushed toward death with a heart seeking mutual destruction with s-232. Fortunately, that dog system had been destroyed. Fortunately, she was still alive.

Only by living did she have a chance to change everything.

Zuo Yuanxi felt the furball in her arms trembling uncontrollably. Perhaps the little one hadn’t even noticed. She frowned slightly. Long ago, she had known Lin Ying’an was hiding many things from her. When Lin Ying’an said she had nearly been struck dead by heavenly lightning and her soul had shifted to a safe place, she hadn’t believed it.

Especially since she had probed later, mentioning that past. The Pallas’s cat’s eyes would always flash with uncontrollable hatred first. It hid it well, but who had it met but her.

“An’an, were you bullied out there?” Zuo Yuanxi’s voice involuntarily turned cold, though her tone was certain.

Of course there was—that dog system! But Nian Zhi’an couldn’t accuse it. She could only shake her head and say no one dared bully her.

But she underestimated how keenly her wife perceived emotional changes in others.

She had lied.

In front of Zuo Yuanxi, Nian Zhi’an’s lies only came in two flavors: ones she wanted to believe and ones she didn’t.

“An’an.” Zuo Yuanxi lowered her gaze and pondered for a long time. No one knew what she thought of, but she suddenly covered Nian Zhi’an’s eyes and revealed a pained expression. “If one day, an accident separates us, no matter what, put your own safety first. Even if you can’t come back…”

She hid the sadness in her eyes. “Even if you can’t come back, it’s fine. Just stay safe.”

Nian Zhi’an’s heart jolted. She nearly thought Zuo Yuanxi knew something. But she had always been careful and never revealed anything about the System Space. It should just be a coincidence—right, a coincidence. Her wife probably didn’t mean that. She was overthinking out of guilt.

“That day won’t come.” Nian Zhi’an said softly. As long as she was alive, such a thing wouldn’t happen.

“I hope that day won’t come either.” Zuo Yuanxi smiled faintly. “I hope the silly cat has silly luck, and the foolish demon gets a bit more good fortune than others.”

Sensing this silly Pallas’s cat’s mood plummet straight down after being called silly, she helplessly scooped up the furball and planted a kiss on its head.

“Alright, even if you’re silly, I won’t mind. Just be good.” Zuo Yuanxi comforted her.

Nian Zhi’an stared blankly at Zuo Yuanxi, her tail going rigid. She nearly evolved into a new species, “rabbit-dog.” After several seconds, she snapped back to herself. She then shifted to human form and sat on Zuo Yuanxi’s lap, using action to tell her wife that she had kissed the wrong spot.

Zuo Yuanxi indulged her, letting her lightly nip at her lip.

“Happy now?” The Pallas’s cat in her arms no longer felt so bitter. Zuo Yuanxi didn’t forget her original intent and stroked her head. The texture was just as good as in Pallas’s cat form.

Like an old married couple across two lifetimes, Nian Zhi’an nodded without a trace of shyness.

Zuo Yuanxi let out a soft chuckle. She truly had no clue what to do with this Pallas’s cat Demon.

“Don’t rush…” Behind Zuo Yuanxi’s smile lurked thoughts that Nian Zhi’an couldn’t read.

Her body still needed more time to recuperate—it was too weak right now, so they couldn’t hurry; they had to wait.

Perplexed, Nian Zhi’an nodded, and before long, she cast aside that faint odd sensation lingering in her mind.

~~~

The ownership of the Dragon Vein was settled after winter set in that year. Fu Jun hadn’t managed to escape successfully again. Ever since he swore an oath to the Heavenly Dao, severing his path to Ascension and leaving his Dao heart in that wretched, shattered state, the qi luck—or protagonist halo—clinging to him was gradually wearing away. Consequently, he no longer possessed that stroke of fortune capable of thwarting Zuo Yuanxi.

The Dragon Vein’s emergence predictably sparked a fierce melee. The crafty old foxes from both sides unleashed their dirty tricks, and in the end, the Demon Alliance eked out a narrow victory, securing the majority of the control rights. Zuo Yuanxi claimed a share as well, but ever since winter began, she had been utterly listless. With Nian Zhi’an staying by her side the whole time, they simply hadn’t had a chance to go collect it.

It wasn’t until the weather warmed and spring arrived that Zuo Yuanxi’s condition showed some improvement. Nian Zhi’an had figured out a treatment for the backlash from the Secret Technique and had been relentlessly pursuing the reluctant Zuo Yuanxi, eager to put her medical skills on display.