Chapter 19: I Seem to Have Thought This All Too Simply

The westernmost edge of the garden featured a spire building that looked utterly unremarkable in the shadow of the towering castle. When Tong Yuwu pushed open the wooden door—clearly sealed away for many years—and led her inside, Meng Yiran finally realized this place held a hidden world of its own.

Shelves lined the walls, stacked high with bottles and jars in every color imaginable, reaching all the way to the ceiling. Strange hexagram patterns adorned the ceiling itself, painted in blue-purple pigments laced with some kind of mineral that gave off a faint glow from certain angles. The air hung heavy with the sharp tang of alcohol and acid, stinging the nose and eyes the longer one stayed.

The Little White Cat flicked out her tongue to lick her nose, clutching Tong Yuwu’s shoulder even tighter with her front paws. She didn’t dare move a muscle.

Tong Yuwu cracked open a window, and a fresh breeze rushed in, chasing away the stifling air.

The room was cramped, the wheelchair awkward to maneuver, so she cradled the black-covered book in her hands, stood up, and made her way to the back with slow, careful steps until she reached a waist-high workbench.

She set the black-covered book down on the surface and reached to lift the Little White Cat off her shoulder as well, but Meng Yiran refused. Human and cat stared each other down for a moment before Tong Yuwu relented with a helpless pat on her small ears. She turned her focus to the workbench instead.

This left Meng Yiran perfectly perched to watch from the best vantage point.

She recalled that this was a magic world. When Tong Yuwu began drawing a complex magic array on the workbench with several unfamiliar materials, the Little White Cat thrust her head forward in excitement, staring raptly. She’d leaned out too far and nearly tumbled from Tong Yuwu’s shoulder, but Tong Yuwu caught her swiftly and settled her back in place.

Meng Yiran couldn’t hold back a string of “meows,” her enthusiasm for the magic bubbling over.

Tong Yuwu tapped her nose lightly. “Hush now.”

The Little White Cat pawed at her face and let out a few protesting “awoos.” But she was sensible enough to clamp her mouth shut soon after.

For the final step, Tong Yuwu turned slightly aside and plucked a strand of silver long hair from the black-covered book, laying it at the center of the magic array. The elegant Noble Miss recited an incantation in a strange, rhythmic cadence. Before Meng Yiran could even process it, the silver hair ignited silently. Once it had burned completely away, a burst of orange light erupted from the magic array’s heart and detonated right in front of the woman and her feline companion.

“Meow—!” Meng Yiran jolted in fright, her tail shooting straight out stiff as a board.

When she blinked her eyes open again, Tong Yuwu had one hand extended in front of her, shielding her from every splashing fleck of orange light.

The Little White Cat froze for a beat, then clambered onto Tong Yuwu’s palm to inspect her for injuries.

The orange light evaporated from Tong Yuwu’s skin like water stains under the sun, leaving not even a hint of redness. Meng Yiran let out a huge breath of relief. But Tong Yuwu’s face was dark, her brows knitted tight as she stared pensively at the ruined magic array. She glanced at the black-covered book, her thin lips pressed into a hard line.

Meng Yiran licked her chin gently to pull her attention back. When Tong Yuwu looked her way, she nipped at her collar and tugged outward, urging her to leave this hazardous spot.

In truth, the light show had been dazzling enough. But it was like a skyrocket meant to burst high overhead exploding at ground level right beside you—anyone with a shred of sense would feel their heart skip, even without real damage.

For once, Tong Yuwu ignored the Little White Cat’s plea.

She bowed her head and began reconstructing the magic array. This time, she took deliberate care, slowing every step and triple-checking her work. It took several times longer to redraw it fully, at which point she cradled the magic book to her chest.

Only four strands of silver long hair had been gathered from the bed—one used up, three still clipped between the pages. Tong Yuwu selected two at once, looping them into a thin coil around her finger before placing them gingerly at the magic array’s center.

Even Meng Yiran, muddleheaded as she was, began to piece it together.

A bizarre and intricate magic array, paired with the silver long hair left over from that night…

Was Tong Yuwu pulling out all the stops just to track her down with it?!

The realization hit just as Tong Yuwu launched back into the arcane incantation.

Meng Yiran went wide-eyed, already knowing what came next.

Sure enough, the magic array activated. The silver hairs burst into silent flame, burning to ash in moments. Where they vanished, a larger, fiercer globe of orange light bloomed from thin air.

“Bang—”

“Meow—”

Accompanying Meng Yiran’s shrill scream, the orange light exploded fiercely once more right in front of the woman and the cat. Brilliant sparks scattered in all directions, the majority hurtling toward Tong Yuwu’s shoulder.

The hand Tong Yuwu had raised to her shoulder could no longer fully shield the Little White Cat. She spun around, scooped the Little White Cat into her arms, and used her own back to block the full brunt of the explosion’s aftermath.

When silence finally returned, Meng Yiran kicked her four legs and struggled to her feet. Tong Yuwu rose as well, sparing not a single glance for the control panel. Instead, she grabbed the Little White Cat by the scruff of her neck and rotated her gently, inspecting every inch of her body.

The Little White Cat’s eyes glistened with moisture. Her hind legs clamped tightly around her tail to cover her private parts, while a nonstop stream of “meows” poured from her mouth.

Once she confirmed the Little White Cat was unharmed, Tong Yuwu drew her back into her embrace and soothingly stroked the soft fur along her back.

She turned then, staring blankly for a moment at the magic array, now reduced to a ruined mess, before stepping over to it.

The black book beside the array—who knew what it had been made of—remained utterly unscathed, even as bottles and jars lay overturned across the table. Just a single, lonely strand of silver hair remained tucked between its pages. Tong Yuwu reached out to touch it. The yellowed pages, the black text, her own fair and slender fingers, and that barely noticeable strand formed a strangely static tableau.

It was a long while before Tong Yuwu withdrew her hand. She spoke suddenly then, as if to herself—or perhaps confiding her grievances to her sole beloved pet.

“I think I made all of this too simple.”

Meng Yiran understood at once. She kicked out with her hind legs and leaped from Tong Yuwu’s arms, landing squarely on the destroyed magic array. She positioned herself deliberately at the center, head held high in a silent plea for Tong Yuwu to connect the orange light with her.

It wasn’t your fault at all. The magic had succeeded!

The orange light had detonated right in front of us simply because the owner of those silver hairs had been standing there before your very eyes—perched on your shoulder just moments ago!

Tong Yuwu’s gaze softened ever so slightly. She bent down, lifted the Little White Cat back into her arms, and patted her paw pads to shake away the powder from the scattered materials.

Meng Yiran knew she had failed yet again—over and over. The entire cat went limp against Tong Yuwu’s arm, her tail drooping, too drained even for a sigh.

Tong Yuwu stroked the listless Little White Cat.

Only one silver strand remained, but she had no intention of wasting time on futile attempts. She closed the book with finality.

Before leaving, however, something occurred to her. She carried Meng Yiran up to the second floor of the building.

She dragged a box out from a dusty corner, brushed away the grime, and opened it to retrieve several sheets of stiff paper.

Meng Yiran didn’t recognize the writing, but from the content, they resembled admission notices from the modern world.

A faint smile curved Tong Yuwu’s lips. She tucked the papers away and departed with Meng Yiran.

The gate swung shut behind them once more. The unassuming spire building was sealed away again in its corner of the castle.