Chapter 161 - System vs. System (11): Raising a cat, sleeping together, and counter method
Translator: kiribold
editor: yoantlers
Chi Xiaochi said sadly, “Shifu said he liked me. I didn’t expect that he only liked my body.”
061: “k2026;”
He was at a loss for words, so he chose to shut up.
But a teacher for one day was a father for life. This father asked his son to go in and serve, so Chi Xiaochi could only go in with the plate.
The kitten on the couch tucked in his paws and tilted his head to look at him, his eyes looking like precious jewels submerged in clear water.
…The color of his pupils was a languid and warm gray-blue.
When Chi Xiaochi slightly froze, the white cat bowed and slowly stretched, then crouched and obediently tilted his head to look up at him.
Compared with the pure black Boss Coal, his Shifu was on the opposite extreme. There wasn’t even a single gray hair. Except for the plum blossom-shaped black paw pads, his whole body was pure white without any color variegation.
Only the eyes were the same. Even the gentle light inside was exactly the same.
If it weren’t for his rationality, Chi Xiaochi would probably believe that Boss had been reluctant to let him go and followed him from the last world.
Chi Xiaochi dismissed his useless thoughts. He picked up the cat and put him on his lap. He carried him for a bath, cleaned his body, then took a soft towel to wipe his body and used cleansing techniques to make his fur warm and fluffy. He fed him hot goat’s milk and then gently took a cork comb to groom his long, soft fur.
The kitten was very obedient. He didn’t make a fuss and didn’t even try to scratch people when bathing. He only tamely treaded water to play, acting dignified and not forgetting to tidy up his own milk mustache carefully when brushing. He was a self-reliant and self-sufficient good cat.
Chi Xiaochi performed filial piety for his Shifu, combing his fur while muttering to 061 in his heart, “Liu-laoshi, is this really a spiritual beast? If he runs into a bigger dog, he wouldn’t even make a rich dessert.”
061 said, “…He knows swordsmanship.”
Chi Xiaochi quickly remembered. “Oh yeah, that’s right.”
After a while, Chi Xiaochi took his hand to measure the kitten’s length again and said sadly, “Liu-laoshi, Shifu is only so big, I’m afraid that someday I might accidentally trample him to death in the night.”
061: “That won’t happen, don’t worry.”
Chi Xiaochi: “Would this count as a teacher-cide?”
061: “…No.”
Chi Xiaochi was quiet for a while.
After about two minutes.
“Liu-laoshi.” Chi Xiaochi continued to worry, “Shifu is too small, how did he survive before he cultivated into a human form? When he went out and b.u.mped into bigger spiritual beasts, they might have been afraid of losing hair over a toothpick.”
Unable to bear it and not needing to endure any longer, the Shifu on his lap opened his mouth and nibbled a bite as a warning.
This, in turn, confirmed Chi Xiaochi’s concerns. “Look, Liu-laoshi, his bites don’t even hurt.”
061: “…”
061 already really regretted it.
He only considered that cats were comfortable to hold, non-threatening, and easy to get close to. At the same time, they belonged to the same cat family as the black panther in the last world and had a similar temperament, just enough to hint to Chi Xiaochi about Boss Coal.
But after all his calculations, he somehow missed Chi Xiaochi’s brain’s ability at taking a thousand turns.
If he had known this, he would have turned into a white tiger and gone to the pond every day to catch fish.
…Too infuriating.
On the other hand, Chi Xiaochi hugged the cat and thought, this is good.
When Wen Yujing’s Shifu traveled around the world, he met Wen Yujing and brought him back to the mountains, giving him a home where he could run wild. But Chi Xiaochi couldn’t make decisions for his Boss.
He wondered if Boss was still following Ding Qiuyun, or if he had left the team and found a female panther?
He thought about Wen Yujing’s elegant and peerless appearance. Taking advantage of the kitten squinting in pleasure from being combed, he rebelliously pinched the little white cat’s ears lightly and said to 061, “I wonder what Boss would like as a human?”
061 listened to his tone, his heart softening, and just as he was about to speak, he heard Chi Xiaochi say to himself, “Probably a big man with a lot of chest hair.”
061: “…”
Chi Xiaochi: “Huh, Liu-laoshi, why aren’t you speaking?”
061 took a deep breath.
Life is a drama, and we meet because of fate.
I am not angry when others are angry, and no one will help when I get sick from anger.
The little white cat in Chi Xiaochi’s arms adjusted his mentality and twitched his ears. When he moved his hand away, the kitten gently held his index finger with his front paws, put his head in his palm, and rubbed it gently.
It was an act of trust and dependence. Something Boss often did when he was a baby panther.
Chi Xiaochi was surprised and looked down at him, but he seemed very sleepy. He turned his head to Chi Xiaochi’s waist and stomach, climbed up and down with his tiny paws, and finally chose to set up camp on Chi Xiaochi’s chest. As if he had found a nest that would make him feel at ease, he squatted and laid down, looking like he was planning to sleep peacefully.
The action just now shocked Chi Xiaochi, who didn’t say anything else.
He laid down flat on the soft couch, his fingers gently caressing the soft head of the kitten.
The kitten fell asleep quickly, pressed against his heart.
It seemed like he wouldn’t be able to leave tonight.
Fortunately, the bed was large enough and quite soft. When Chi Xiaochi laid flat on it, even his bones went soft.
He sighed, “This bed is quite comfortable.”
061 thought, it’s specially prepared for you, comfortable is good.
Chi Xiaochi lowered his eyes and looked at the kitten in his arms.
He asked 061, “If he’s sleeping with me, will he dream of eating a whole fish feast?”
061 smiled lightly.
He thought: I’ll try my best to dream of you.
A man and a cat, each with their own thoughts, fell into a deep sleep.
But this night was destined to be sleepless for someone.
After Yan Jinhua returned to Yuguang Pool, the more he thought about it, the angrier he became, and the more he thought about it, the more depressed he became. A mouthful of blood blocked his heart, and even if he wanted to swallow, he couldn’t, and even if he wanted to vomit, he couldn’t.
He carefully recalled everything that happened, trying to find the human manipulation factor. Besides the paG.o.da forest, when Duan Shujue broke the barrier on his own but didn’t call him, which was slightly abnormal, there was no logical flaw.
He logically lost the destiny that should have belonged to him.
This was even more annoying than being robbed directly.
If he was robbed, he could still find excuses, such as the other party playing mind games so that he couldn’t be victorious.
But things happened step by step according to the original plot, and all the efforts Yan Jinhua made before turned into a joke. He was like a green-headed gra.s.shopper. No matter how he hopped, he couldn’t get around people, and his final ending was to be stomped to death.
For Yan Jinhua, this feeling was more disgusting than eating flies.
Duan Shujue was still the elm head. It was all following the original plot, from clearing the formations, taking the sword, and then to his apprenticeship. He hadn’t broken his character setting, and the only variable was the man named Wen Yujing. He not only took away his precious pearl, but also stole away the fish he had raised for ten years.
But at that time, Wen Yujing had taken the lead and asked to claim Duan Shujue as his disciple, blocking him from speaking.
Was he supposed to open his mouth at that awkward moment and say, please give me back my precious pearl?
If he pulled out the sword in the stone, he might have some qualifications to bargain with Wen Yujing. Now, the result was the chicken flew away, and the egg broke. In everyone’s eyes, he would be a clown who picked up the pearl in vain but didn’t know its value. Even if he said that the pearl belonged to him, would anyone believe it?
The system ignored Yan Jinhua’s gnashing of teeth and asked, “Host, what are your plans for the next step?”
It didn’t care about how the host got the progress value but only how much progress value could be obtained in the end.
When Yan Jinhua heard these words, he could only endure the pain and take stock of his losses.
After the sword in the stone incident, it meant that the great destiny of the sword in the stone couldn’t be obtained. His original progress had been deducted seventy to eighty percent. Plus, the loss of his precious pearl meant no Duan Shujue. The more Yan Jinhua took inventory, the more he felt like his flesh was slowly being cut by a knife, shivering with pain.
He resolutely said, “The Dinghai Pearl has to be returned.”
The system asked, “How?”
The system couldn’t provide detailed data on this Wen Yujing person, couldn’t understand his nature, and had no way to strike.
Yan Jinhua said, “Isn’t Duan Shujue by his side? I am his benefactor, so he’ll definitely help me.”
The system thought about it and found it reasonable. It continued to ask, “Then what?”
Yan Jinhua gritted his teeth. “I’ll read the book!”
Yan Jinhua briefly summed up the reasons for this failure and finally concluded that he suffered a loss from his lack of education.
The past ten years had been too smooth for him. He had already planned the script for the sword-drawing counterattack, so he ignored the progression of the plot in the original book.
After all, when he successfully drew the sword, all of the original book’s settings would have to stand aside, so it was unnecessary to read it carefully.
Unexpectedly, with Heaven’s will to move people coupled with the other’s protagonist’s halo, he was forced to sc.r.a.p his script completely. Apart from meticulously studying the book The Mermaid Immortal, he couldn’t think of a better chance to turn the tide.
He lit a lamp, studying hard all night, revisiting all the previous settings he despised, even pinching his nose to take notes.
He went to Huishou Peak the next day, where Wen Yujing lived, to find Duan Shujue. Who would have thought that after searching up and down the mountain in a large circle from dawn to dusk, he couldn’t even enter through the door? Instead, he received big lumps from being bitten by mosquitoes.
Yan Jinhua went to Chi Yunzi, put on a bitter look, and said that Duan Shujue had left something in Yuguang Pool, so he wanted to send it to him. Ever since they met, the two had a deep friendship, but now they parted abruptly. Yan Jinhua really missed him. He didn’t know if Duan Shujue was doing well or not. He hoped Shifu would fulfill his wish and let him secretly have a glance at Duan Shujue.
After Yan Jinhua finished his lyricism, he stared hopefully at Chi Yunzi.
Who would have thought that Chi Yunzi said, “Your little Shishu likes to guard his mountain by himself. He’s at ease and hates being disturbed by others. How could I know where he chooses to cultivate? You can go back with peace of mind and cultivate. Also, Liu-shixiong’s temperament is gentle; Duan Shujue will not suffer any grievance, much less be bullied.”
Yan Jinhua touched his grey nose and was scolded by Chi Yunzi, telling him to keep quiet, cultivate well, and not waste his talent in vain. He was so angry that his liver hurt. He went out and murmured curses all the way.
If it wasn’t for the accident when obtaining the sword, would that old thing dare talk to him like that just now?
Impossible. Yan Jinhua had to return to Yuguang Pool and continue to study The Mermaid Immortal. He was a little more impetuous, and he couldn’t help cursing when he saw the plotlines he hated in the past.
Finally, his spirit was lifted after getting through what he thought was the rotten and long treasure-hunting stage. He quickly turned a few pages. His dusty memory finally recovered a little bit.
…It was the Mountain of Time and Rain!
Right, there was still this opportunity!
In the original book, Duan Shujue worshiped Chi Yunzi as his Shifu, devoted himself to cultivating, and digested the sword skills left by his ancestors. About three months later, when there was a ghostly disturbance in the Mountain of Time and Rain, Chi Yunzi didn’t care and initially sent his eldest disciple. He led three inner disciples, including the original Yan Jinhua, and thirty visiting cultivators.
However, these thirty or so people disappeared in the Mountain of Time and Rain.
Chi Yunzi also sent his third Shidi with a hundred cultivators to investigate the situation and pick up people, but they also left and never returned.
In the end, Duan Shujue, who had the sword in the stone, volunteered to go.
And it was there that Duan Shujue met the future Black Jiao Demon Lord.
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