Chapter 16: The Stray Cat

On the other side, Tang Wan's team was also dividing up their resources. Among them, Meng Yangxing had gathered the most, and he spoke loudly to Tang Wan, "Tang Shimei, although you didn't collect the most this time, you were meticulous in helping us find herbs and spirit stones. Many of the spiritual herbs were first discovered by you, yet you gave them to us instead."

"You are the daughter of the City Lord, yet you treat us no differently, always generous and supportive to your fellow disciples. I admire you for that, and would like you to have first pick." His words were clearly loaded with meaning, and he spoke loud enough for everyone to hear.

Quite a few people couldn't help but glance at Tang Yue. Tang Wan also looked her way, wanting to see how she would react.

Unfortunately for her, Tang Yue had long since developed a built-in filter for ignoring the voices of Zixiao Sect disciples. She hadn't heard a word Meng Yangxing said, too busy chatting with her senior brother and sisters about what they should do for fun during their rest break in Lanquan Town.

Meng Yangxing's expression soured. This was the first time someone of the same generation had completely ignored him.

Tang Wan withdrew her gaze and said politely, "Thank you, Senior Brother Meng. In that case, I won't stand on ceremony." To Meng Yangxing, those resources weren't much, and turning him down might've seemed ungrateful.

At that moment, Meng Yangxing happened to be standing beside Tang Yue's team, and she noticed the bracelet on her wrist glowing faintly. She thought to herself: So it was you, Meng Yangxing.

The bracelet she wore was inlaid with a Heartstone, commonly used by disciples of the Taiping Sect to identify offenders. The Heartstone could detect spiritual energy—each cultivator's spiritual signature was unique.

To use it, one needed to inject residual spiritual energy from a scene into the Heartstone. Then, when brought near the suspect, if the person had indeed used spiritual energy at the scene, the stone would glow.

Heartstones were convenient, reusable, and had a pretty, icy-white appearance with high clarity—very fitting for a girl's accessory. Tang Yue had originally worn it because it was beautiful, not expecting it to actually come in handy.

She wasn't completely indifferent to almost being ambushed. She'd collected some of the residual spiritual energy from the site where she'd fought the Saber-Toothed Tiger. If the tiger had been summoned, it would carry the summoner's energy—this would be the proof.

And now, with everyone gathered at the end of the event, it was the perfect time for a test. Just a small risk, and sure enough—it lit up around Meng Yangxing.

She didn't have solid evidence, though. There were no witnesses when she killed the tiger, and she couldn't prove that the energy in the Heartstone came from the scene. So she couldn't arrest Meng Yangxing yet, but laying a few traps, stirring up some trouble later—definitely doable. She'd wait and see.

This first field activity for Qi Refining cultivators hadn't been easy. Sorting through the collected materials, identifying what was useful, and keeping them intact was tiring work. So, as a kindness, the academy allowed them to stay another night near the Lanquan Ravine and even linger the next day to rest. They'd return the evening after that.

Tang Yue's team was very interested in sightseeing, and she herself wanted to find a shop to preserve the Saber-Toothed Tiger pelt for crafting a fur coat for Shui Yingrou.

On the way to Lanquan Town, the group chatted casually. The young junior brother spoke excitedly, "Senior sisters, I met the Kunwu Patriarch!"

The two senior sisters, except for Tang Yue, were shocked. "You're so lucky, Junior Brother! Did the Patriarch say anything to you?" Normally, meeting him meant getting a gift—something small to him, but very valuable for a Qi Refining disciple.

The boy bragged, "The Patriarch said I had a natural sword bone, just like him, and taught me three moves of the Taiyi Sword Technique. He told me to come find him again once I master them!"

Tang Yue's eye twitched—she'd only gotten a body-strengthening pill, while the junior brother got the patriarch's family sword art. What did that say about her sword skills?

Feeling dejected, she decided she'd go back and improve her swordsmanship, maybe even explore the Sword Array the patriarch mentioned.

Suddenly, she remembered—her junior brother never had a sword with a sword spirit in the original novel, nor had it mentioned him learning the Taiyi Sword Technique. Maybe the broken sword got restored and renamed, but why didn't he use that technique in the story?

He'd lost duels in the book—there was no way he would've held back such a powerful sword art. So, was this divergence because of her? Had her presence given him a new opportunity?

Tang Yue sighed. Comparing yourself to others is a surefire way to make yourself miserable. Still, she wasn't really jealous—just annoyed at her own luck. She'd missed a golden chance. But she wasn't too upset either. After all, Shui Yingrou was her greatest cheat code—handing her rare manuals and pills, even supplementing her innate energy. No fortuitous encounter could compare to a wealthy, powerful mom.

When the moon is full, it begins to wane. You can't have it all—unless you're the original male or female lead.

The four of them stored their extra gear at the inn and headed out to explore the night market. Security was decent in the cultivation world, and towns often ran night markets to earn more spirit stones, staying open deep into the night.

So they wandered around eating and shopping, happily chatting. They were now sitting at a vendor's stall eating sweet tofu pudding. It was quite good, especially to the childlike palate of Mu Chongyun.

Suddenly, Tang Yue felt something furry brushing her leg and heard a soft "meow~." She looked down and saw a beautiful Ragdoll cat with snowy white fur and big blue eyes gazing up at her.

She was instantly smitten. She scooped the kitten up and started petting it. The cat even stuck one paw into her hand.

Her junior brother exclaimed, "Senior sister, this cat is gorgeous! It looks nothing like the usual cats we see!"

Ragdoll cats were stunning, like little celestial maidens. Tang Yue had never seen one in the cultivation world—most were black or orange cats. This was truly rare.

She decided to adopt it right then and there. In her modern life, she'd always wanted a cat, but had been too busy to care for one properly. Now, time was all she had. And with such a beautiful kitten? She had to fulfill that dream.

She pulled out a glittering pet collar and said, "If you want to come with me, wear this collar."

The Ragdoll understood, and stuck its head right into the loop. A golden flash appeared and the collar vanished into its fur. This spirit beast collar was designed for taming animals that hadn't developed intelligence yet. Without spiritual awareness, they couldn't undergo blood-recognition.

In the distance, Shen Jinbao glanced over and sneered, "Tang Yue's so spoiled—she used a top-grade spirit beast collar on a stray cat. Such waste."

Tang Wan murmured, "Indeed. We're both daughters of the City Lord, and even I don't have such a good collar. She only gets it because she's the First Madam's daughter."

Shen Jinbao felt something was off about that statement but didn't dare speak further. He quickly changed the subject and steered Tang Wan elsewhere.

The four returned to the inn with their new cat. The little junior brother stayed by Tang Yue's side the whole time, playing with the kitten. A cute child with a fluffy cat—it was an adorable scene. He didn't go to bed until very late.

Tang Yue, however, couldn't sleep. This was her first night outside since arriving in the cultivation world.

The Ragdoll meowed and jumped out the window.

"Ragdoll, don't wander off! You might get lost!" she called, too lazy to name it anything else. After all, this world had no concept of Ragdoll breeds.

She followed the cat out to a corridor. On one side was a pond; on the other, a lush peony garden in full bloom.

Amid the flowers stood a white-robed man with silver hair bound by a jade crown. He turned toward her, tall and elegant, looking like an immortal under the moonlight.

Tang Yue thought, Oh my god, the Ragdoll cat turned into a handsome man to repay my kindness?!

But the next moment, a soft "meow" came from the man's arms, shattering her fantasy. It turned out he was just a regular cultivator—holding the cat.

"Apologies, Daoist brother. My cat wandered off and disturbed you," Tang Yue said, seeing that he didn't seem to dislike the cat, so she didn't rush to take it back.

This young man was none other than Yu Yuan, the Young Lord of Kunlun Palace. He looked toward the corridor and saw a young girl—so she was the cat's owner. "Little friend, would you consider giving this cat to me?"

Kunlun Palace specialized in raising spirit beasts. Yu Yuan had come to Liuzhou partly to acquire rare creatures and also to check on some business ventures.

He had never seen a cat like this before. It looked ordinary, yet seemed to contain great power. Its eyes held traces of Dao intent. He tried probing—it hadn't awakened intelligence yet, wasn't even a true spirit beast. Curious indeed. He wanted to take it back for study.

Tang Yue refused without hesitation. "That would be inappropriate. This cat is my beloved companion—she's like family to me. I could never give her away."

Yes, she had already decided to become a cat slave. How could she sell off her feline master?

The kitten seemed to understand and meowed as it jumped from Yu Yuan's arms and ran back to her. It simply liked the man's clean aura—nothing more.

Yu Yuan didn't press the issue. He could study the cat in other ways. "Your cat is quite special. I merely wished to observe it, not steal it. It likely won't eat ordinary spirit beast food. If you're interested, visit Wanshou Residence in Kunwu City—they can make custom food based on your beast's traits."

Tang Yue was surprised. Could this cat she'd picked up really be that rare?

"Thank you for the advice. Are you affiliated with Wanshou Residence?"

"I know the person in charge. I've done some research into spirit beasts." Yu Yuan didn't want to reveal his identity to a young girl, though he could tell she was no ordinary person by her clothing and bearing.

In truth, he had thought of simply snatching the cat. But if he injured her, the backlash might be more trouble than it was worth. Who knew who she had behind her? If word got out, it wouldn't be good for his reputation. He wasn't a kind person—but he did try to appear like one, to avoid unnecessary problems.

"Thank you, Daoist brother. It's getting late—I'll head back now." Tang Yue took her leave. A man with such poise and looks definitely had great power. She didn't want to risk staying longer and getting into trouble.