Chapter 85: Captured

Nian Zhi’an wandered around the huge villa for half a day without finding anyone, and she couldn’t sense her aura either. After all, she was a merfolk, so on a night like this, she might well be out in the sea.

With a mindset of giving it a try, Nian Zhi’an sneaked out and made her way to the beach. She left a string of dainty footprints in the sand. In her current form, she only dared to venture out at night—if anyone spotted her in the daytime, she’d be shipped off to a zoo in a heartbeat.

As it turned out, she really was deceptively chubby; that plump, pudgy look was all just fur! She had even squeezed through the narrow railings at the gate.

Under the System’s guidance, she gradually drew closer to the coast. But at that very moment, a faint, ethereal song drifted in from the distance.

She instinctively clapped her paws over her ears. The sight of her short little claws cupping her head was adorably ridiculous, and the System couldn’t help snickering beside her.

【Host, pfft… What kind of performance art is this?】

“You don’t know shit!” Nian Zhi’an crouched warily for a moment before daring to release her paws. The singing merfolk had no intention of attacking. Such a voice could only bewilder ordinary, unprepared humans at most. “That’s Zuo Yuanxi’s singing.”

【Her singing how…】 The System fell silent in astonishment. The songs of the merfolk clan were their weapons. Even the blessed singing ability of its Host could disrupt the mind—what more could be expected from a true merfolk?

As the strongest of the merfolk clan, Zuo Yuanxi had been born with the pinnacle of Illusion Technique talent. Now, her mastery of illusions had reached perfection. If she wished it, even Nian Zhi’an could fall into one with a single careless moment and drown herself in the sea.

Nian Zhi’an had suffered many losses from it in the past, enough to leave her with a psychological shadow. In the end, she had been forced to counter it with her voice like a broken gong, fighting poison with poison. But Zuo Yuanxi still held the upper hand. She had simply bestowed upon Nian Zhi’an a singing talent of her own, sparing her ears from further pollution.

Sigh…

Nian Zhi’an let out a soft sigh.

The System stayed quiet for a long while, probably off researching. After grasping Zuo Yuanxi’s fearsomeness, it obediently floated by Nian Zhi’an’s side and asked, “So, do we still go now?”

“Go! We have to go!” Nian Zhi’an shook out her fluffy fur. “If Zuo Yuanxi heads into the sea, she probably won’t be dressed so conservatively. This is a golden opportunity.”

【…You’re planning to peep on her bathing?!】

“Get lost! What do you mean peep on her bathing? Do I look like a pervert?” Nian Zhi’an swatted the System into a muddy puddle with one paw. “I just need to confirm her identity!”

It wasn’t as if she deliberately wanted to peep. Circumstances had forced her hand. If it was her wife, then looking all she wanted was fine. If not…

Nian Zhi’an’s expression dimmed slightly.

If not, then adding it to what she already owed her, she would give Zuo Yuanxi an ascension gift package to help her become this world’s final Immortal.

Whatever. No need to overthink it.

Nian Zhi’an shook her head, trying to fling out all those messy thoughts. Better to focus on the positives. The Main System’s looky-loo attitude made it plain as day that something was up in this world. The only one who could threaten her had to be her wife, right?

Yes—there was a ninety-nine percent chance her wife was in this world. Even if she wasn’t Zuo Yuanxi, she could be someone else. Worst case, Nian Zhi’an would just spend a bit more time searching!

She rallied her spirits anew and toddled off along the sound of the singing, taking small steps.

There were no lights on this stretch of beach at night. The merfolk had set up a Barrier here, keeping ordinary humans from entering. So at night, the merfolk would sometimes come ashore to frolic in these waters. But if the Clan Leader was present, they all kept a respectful distance.

Under the moonlight, the silver-white fish tail and rippling waves reflected each other, outshining even the stars overhead. The pure white gauze dipped into the water but emerged without a single drop clinging to it.

The silver-haired merfolk leaned against a reef, her song now silenced. The illusion she had conjured for herself vanished along with it.

In this mortal world, no matter how you sliced it, she was the unrivaled master of illusions. Tragically, no one else could weave a lifelike dream for her, so she could only pitifully craft fake ones for herself—illusions she knew full well were false.

The Heavenly Ladder to Ascension had vanished, trapping demons and humans alike at the mortal pinnacle, with no further progress allowed. And so, over these past few centuries, she had poured all her efforts into refining her Illusion Techniques, seeking one that could even deceive herself.

She seemed on the verge of success, for she was starting to lose track of where reality ended and the Illusion Realm began. She teetered on a very dangerous precipice.

The silver merfolk gazed at the vast, profound starry sky, where threads of fate hid beyond her ken.

Suddenly, her eyes narrowed slightly. She turned to gaze at a nearby rock, behind which poked a fluffy tail.

“Swoosh!”

The fluffy tail vanished.

A cat?

“Come over.”

Nian Zhi’an heard Zuo Yuanxi’s voice—and more than that, she felt the mental compulsion laced within it.

Did she really need to pull out those tricks on a mere little kitty—or rather, an ordinary Pallas’s cat? Nian Zhi’an was tense as could be. She hadn’t expected Zuo Yuanxi to be so prim, still wrapped in Merfolk Gauze even while soaking in the sea alone. Well, that was just great—she hadn’t gotten a glimpse of the woman’s back, and now she’d exposed herself!

Luckily, she had prepared a backup plan and hidden her power beforehand.

Zuo Yuanxi watched as a round-headed, chubby little creature emerged from behind the rock, its entire body covered in luxuriantly fluffy fur that looked heavenly to the touch.

She watched the furry child halt at the water’s edge, its front paws pressing down on its plump tail. Then it let out a few sneezes.

The seaside air was cold—not from the natural chill, but from the faint aura of frost Zuo Yuanxi had just released.

“Meowr~” Nian Zhi’an opened her mouth and nearly stuffed her own fluffy paw inside to shut herself up.

Damn it—this past stretch of time spent meowing had conditioned her into a reflex!

“You’re… a Pallas’s cat, right?” Even so, the worldly-wise, elder Merman Clan Chief had seen it all and spotted it instantly: Nian Zhi’an wasn’t a cat, despite the fact that this Pallas’s cat could meow.

“Did you escape from a zoo?” Zuo Yuanxi lost interest and released her hold on the little creature.

Unexpectedly, the little thing simply sat there on the shore instead of bolting away at once.

Her fish tail shifted into a pair of pale legs, which were promptly draped in light gauze.

Zuo Yuanxi rose from the water and walked to the shore. To her surprise, the round-headed, somewhat dopey little creature kept tilting its head to watch her the whole time, showing no wariness or other emotions.

Pallas’s cats didn’t roam wild in these parts; a zoo was the only likely source. Pets raised in zoos often lacked survival instincts, so that tracked.

“Can Pallas’s cats make cat sounds too?” Zuo Yuanxi reached out and ruffled the little creature’s head. The thing didn’t resist, letting her tousle it freely.

Anyone would probably like a well-behaved little animal. Nian Zhi’an figured as much too. However, Zuo Yuanxi’s petting grew gradually heavier. A sense of crisis spread through Nian Zhi’an, and the medium-sized furball puffed up into a massive one.

“What if you’re as hard to tame as a cat? Look at that fawning posture—it’s just like certain cats…”

Zuo Yuanxi’s hand settled on the big furball’s unseen neck. It was a dangerous sign, and Nian Zhi’an’s mind raced with countermeasures.

Back in the day, there had been a cat like this one—ignoring her dislike, it had rubbed up against her every day. She couldn’t kick it away no matter how she tried, and it had the gall to call it “building affection.”

But when it left, when it betrayed her… it hadn’t spared a shred of thought for their past bond. It was as if she’d been the only one acting in that farce, monologuing to herself—utterly laughable.

She didn’t know why, after trying so many cats, none had felt like that Cat Demon. And yet now, this Pallas’s cat dredged up those painful memories. Zuo Yuanxi’s mood soured. Anything tied to that history always threw her emotions into disarray.

Zuo Yuanxi didn’t even know if her own illusions had ensnared her, but the big furball before her eyes gradually morphed into that long-haired tortoiseshell.

An ordinary little Pallas’s cat couldn’t withstand Zuo Yuanxi’s power running rampant.

But before that could happen, the fluffy Pallas’s cat stood up. It limped forward and nuzzled against Zuo Yuanxi, naturally drawing her eye to its injured leg.

It was a wound from a heavenly thunderbolt. The System had rushed emergency treatment after Nian Zhi’an took over the body. But since those two merfolk had spotted her, she hadn’t let the System heal the external injury much—it might arouse suspicion.

The bloody scent wafting from the freshly torn wound snapped Zuo Yuanxi back to her senses. For an instant, her expression betrayed a flicker of panic that Nian Zhi’an couldn’t comprehend.

In her daze, Zuo Yuanxi once more “saw” herself killing her by hand, blood splattering everywhere.

She was on the verge of being consumed by her own Illusion Technique backlash.

“Awoo?” Nian Zhi’an sensed something was off. She warily placed her front paws on Zuo Yuanxi’s leg and had the System analyze the woman’s condition.

Zuo Yuanxi had gotten into the habit of holding cats many years ago, so when the Pallas’s cat draped a paw over her, she instinctively scooped it up.

She lowered her head to glance at the ugly-cute Pallas’s cat cradled in her arms, then shifted her gaze aside with some disdain.

Nian Zhi’an felt a pang in her heart. The Pallas’s cat… it did resemble a meme a bit, but it had its own unique charms. The longer you looked at it, the cuter it actually seemed.

“…You’re injured and want me to help you out?”

“Ao~”

To be fair, this little thing had a uniquely silly charm, but it grew on you the longer you looked—pretty adorable, really. Keeping it around could be a fun diversion. Zuo Yuanxi smiled. “I’ve often been suckered by cats faking injuries for sympathy, but getting played by a Pallas’s cat is a first for me.”

“I can take you home, but once your wounds heal, you’ll have to go back to the zoo.”

“Ao…” Going to the zoo was out of the question, but Nian Zhi’an figured that by then she should have confirmed Zuo Yuanxi’s identity. Once this body recovered a bit more spiritual power, she could shapeshift into human form and reemerge under a new identity.

“System, has the check-up result come out yet?”

【It… it’s come out partially.】

“…Is it bad?” Nian Zhi’an’s heart tightened involuntarily at the system’s tone.

【Not just bad—to be precise, from the data I can access so far, it’s very bad.】 The system transmitted the partial check-up report it had just produced to Nian Zhi’an.

【The mission intel says Zuo Yuanxi went berserk and severed the Dragon Vein, cutting off what was also her last shot at Ascension in this world. Her current physical state is likely the root cause. Host, think of something quick to save her!】