Chapter 104: Evil-Faced Cat Official (Part 2): Should I Change Back at a Time Like This?! Part 1

Li Biyuan said, “Ah, never mind what it is, Sister Tan, you… you should just go along with her a bit. Don’t forget she said she wanted to leave a few days ago. You can’t let her go now; the capture plot is coming up next.”

“You see her like that? Does she look like she needs coaxing?” Mu Qian Tan glanced over. The girl’s profile as she picked fish bones was focused and serious. “She can convince herself to stay. Anything I do would just be superfluous.”

As for the strategy content that followed, the ultimate goal was to deceive Shang Shan, luring her into the Sacrificial Formation without a hint of suspicion, willingly offering up her body and soul.

Mu Qian Tan had always done things without regard for method, only caring about the result. She now believed that even without the so-called “strategy guide,” tricking this stupid dragon in would be a piece of cake. Since the goal was already achieved, she just needed to maintain the status quo until that day arrived. No need for any extra effort.

After a moment of silence across from her, Li Biyuan’s voice rustled in. “Sister Tan, you’re way too smug.”

Smug?

Was she smug?

Mu Qian Tan was momentarily stunned. After a few seconds of self-reflection, she realized, yeah, she was.

In the original book, after learning Shang Shan was of the Dragon Clan, Yao’e Immortal had put in a lot of effort to get along with her and build their relationship. But that lovey-dovey female protagonist could play happily with anyone. So Yao’e wasn’t sure where to draw the line or how far she needed to go. And since she wasn’t great with words, she’d worked at it for a long time.

Now, Mu Qian Tan hadn’t done much of anything. She even often ignored this stupid dragon. But looking back at Shang Shan’s behavior, she seemed to treat Mu Qian Tan as special.

Mu Qian Tan didn’t particularly care for that special treatment, but she loved how she’d effortlessly accomplished what others had struggled with for ages. That sense of achievement made her smugger than any personal success.

Yeah, smug.

It even made her think those other people were nothing special.

Li Biyuan said, “Sister Tan, people can’t withstand constant neglect. You can’t keep brushing her off like this every time. Sooner or later, that kid will lose heart.”

“Losing heart is nothing; she’s got to plunge into lava and turn to ash anyway,” Mu Qian Tan said irritably. “Instead of worrying about that, go check the book for a way to lift the Curse.”

Knowing her stubborn streak—once she tuned out, she wouldn’t listen—Li Biyuan changed the subject. “Probably not, but Xiao Xian’s dead, so the Curse should lift soon enough. Just wait a bit. And isn’t this pretty good? Little Goose Tan remembers.”

“…” Mu Qian Tan said, “Li, you deserve to die…”

“You never told me before when you were hurt, or when you felt unwell. This time was the same, but I didn’t think about you and said those harsh words. Sorry.” After picking out the bones, Shang Shan piled the fluffy white fish meat on the edge of the plate and said softly, “Eat up, Master.”

Mu Qian Tan snapped back to attention. Seeing the fish meat by the plate’s edge, she could no longer ignore her hunger. She lowered her head and ate, finishing it in a few bites. When she looked up, she saw Shang Shan testing the water temperature in the wooden basin with her fingertip. “Use this to bathe.”

She instinctively glanced at herself. Her feathers were clumped in several places, hiding dust within. After running wild outside for so long, it was a miracle she was only this dirty. She had only a mild cleanliness obsession—nothing that kept her from sleeping filthy—but once aware of it, the idea of crawling into bed like this was hard to stomach.

Mu Qian Tan eyed the wooden basin. The water level reached about her chest—perfect for her. She tested the temperature with her wing; it felt just right.

Since she didn’t know when she’d change back, washing now was fine. As for bathing in front of someone… strictly speaking, she’d already been running around naked in front of people as a penguin. This was nothing.

Human skin really did thicken.

She clung to the basin’s edge and slipped into the water, wetting the top of her head first. Just as she was about to rub her face, her right wing was tugged. “Master, this one’s injured. Don’t get it wet.”

She rested the injured wing on the basin’s edge. Penguin Tan rubbed her face with her left wing, stood straight in the warm water, narrowed her eyes, and felt her soul lighten by a few grams, on the verge of dissolving into the water. Seeing her settled in, Shang Shan started peeling shrimp, then suddenly said, “Xiao Xian killed herself.”

Mu Qian Tan thought: Why bring this up while someone else is bathing?

“That eyeball jumped off my head,” Shang Shan said, bringing the shrimp meat to Penguin Tan’s beak. “She turned back into Qi Xiaoxiao, killed Xiao Xian, and then they both vanished.”

Mu Qian Tan naturally ate the shrimp meat. She hadn’t seen it herself, but the original had described it. A quick recall brought it back.

In the dire moment, Dingxiang tried to take Xiao Xian and flee, saving her life. But Xiao Xian roared, “I suffered so much to climb to the Heavenly Palace—why should I leave?!” She flew into a frenzy, ignoring all reason.

Meanwhile, after the female protagonist struck her hard, Qi Xiaoxiao’s eyeball fell from her forehead, regenerated a body, and successfully killed the stubborn, unyielding Xiao Xian. As the blade sank into her flesh, her final words were, “So in the end, it was me… and I… who killed me.”

With that, Xiao Xian’s story was truly over.

“And Dingxiang—she got caught. Everyone wanted to kill her. Good thing I woke up early and stopped them.” Shang Shan sounded a bit lucky as she said it.

Mu Qian Tan rolled her eyes. Was this stupid dragon going all saintly again? Sparing her was one thing, but preventing others from killing her?

But then Shang Shan said, “I asked her about the Infant Spirit Manor fire.”

Mu Qian Tan was slightly stunned.

Shang Shan explained. The woman was locked in a cell, bound by iron chains, with no chance of escape. Outside, a mob shouted for her blood, but she was listless, moping over Xiao Xian’s death, utterly indifferent to her own fate. When asked the question, she just smiled and said one thing: “I’d do anything for her.”

Shang Shan didn’t quite get it. She cracked the crispy shell of a red shrimp. “I don’t really understand the tone she used… I can’t even describe it. It was just weird. I asked why she could go that far, and she said Xiao Xian saved her life.”

Digging deeper revealed that during Qi Xiaoxiao’s ten years of ascetic cultivation in the mortal world, she’d casually saved Dingxiang, who had been abused at home and sought death.

To Qi Xiaoxiao, it was probably just a helping hand, nothing more. But to Dingxiang, it planted the seed of faith. Later, when news of Qi Xiaoxiao overthrowing the Three Venerables spread, that admiration intensified beyond control.

Shang Shan asked a lot and listened for a long time. Dingxiang shared years of details about accompanying Xiao Xian—all the good parts. She never mentioned the “Infant Spirit Manor” past. Press her directly, and she’d just lower her head in silence.

After a while, Shang Shan got her some food. When she returned to the cell, Dingxiang had already taken her own life.

The truth about Infant Spirit Manor would probably remain a secret.

Mu Qian Tan thought: Still too green. Worrying about feeding her? If it were me, straight to torture. No way she wouldn’t spill.

But on second thought, someone who’d rather die than be questioned probably wouldn’t crack even under torture.

“I don’t know exactly what happened, but I know Xiao Xian wasn’t a good person. And Dingxiang, who followed her despite knowing that, isn’t either,” Shang Shan said, shaking off the shrimp shell and offering the meat. “So their words can’t be trusted. I think the truth about burning Infant Spirit Manor is definitely different from the rumors. I trust you more than them. Too bad you lost your memory; otherwise, you could debunk them.”

Mu Qian Tan ate the shrimp meat. The amnesia was a ruse, but she had some ideas now.

That Xiao Xian clearly ate human flesh. The old hag probably found newborns not tasty enough. Dingxiang’s blind faith bordered on obsession—maybe she’d stolen loads of babies to offer Xiao Xian in exchange for a servant spot by her side.

But Yao’e Immortal found out. To avoid tarnishing Xiao Xian’s reputation, she pinned the blame on herself and made a wish on the Protective Talisman. Seeing such “loyalty”—defying an immortal to help her—Xiao Xian naturally promoted her to little immortal servant.

As for how Dingxiang knew Xiao Xian ate people…

Mu Qian Tan pondered, then chalked it up to seeing demons devour humans or some other horror. The truth died with Dingxiang. No point speculating without proof; better to drop it.

“Master,” With the plate empty, Shang Shan gazed at the monster bird in the basin and murmured, “The world is so vast. All sorts of things happen.”

Mu Qian Tan looked up and met her gaze.

Vast was an understatement.

The older people got, the taller they grew, the broader their knowledge—the more they realized how immense and complex the world was, almost frightening. They became cautious, hesitant, weighing every step, until they grew weary. Those who could let go soared free; those tangled in the past crashed down. That was how it worked.

Xiao Xian had made so many statues in the Heavenly Palace, none identical. Even after reaching that height, she wasn’t free of regret. Those varied likenesses reflected her inner confusion about her true self. She was lost, anxious, unsure who she should be.

This world was chaotic enough that even evildoers wandered bewildered.

Shang Shan rubbed her temples, pushing the headache aside for later. She smiled. “Let me wash you.”

She took the towel draped over the basin’s edge, folded it into a thick square, wet one corner, and leaned in. Penguin Tan raised a flipper to block her but lost balance, sat down hard, and coughed from the splash.

Shang Shan expertly patted her back, wiped the white down on her face with the towel, and said, “Master, they dug up an Ice Hut from the Playdream Pavilion.”

Mu Qian Tan was about to kick her but froze at the words. Ice Hut? Her doing?

Shang Shan continued, “The ones locked inside are those friends of mine from the village.”

She’d finally remembered. They’d come to Pot City because the female protagonist was looking for friends—and those friends got frozen by Mu Qian Tan on day one.

After all this time, they hadn’t starved?

Her face down wiped even whiter, paired with those two black glass-bead eyes—cute to an infuriating degree. Shang Shan swallowed, switched the towel corner, and kept wiping her belly. “Did Master do that?”

No wonder her attitude had shifted so much; she’d learned about it. Mu Qian Tan had nothing to say and didn’t really want to answer.

She didn’t even know why she’d done it back then. Maybe the filthy talk grated her ears?

Yeah, that must be it.