Cultivating Immortality by Raising a Cat (GL) Chapter 36

After Yuan Zhaoyang decided to return to Lin Mianmian in the form of a little kitten, wait until she grew into an adult cat, and then look for a chance to leave, she spent the whole way back thinking about how Lin Mianmian would react when she saw the kitten.
She would definitely be very happy. Then she would hug her at once, pet her, and lift her high, right? She would probably also come close and try to kiss her again and again…
During the few days Yuan Zhaoyang had been the little calico, she had been a kitten with principles. If Lin Mianmian touched her fur now and then, she endured it. But whenever Lin Mianmian tried to kiss her, Yuan Zhaoyang blocked her with a little paw every time. After all, Yuan Zhaoyang was a cat demon at perfect Foundation Establishment. With Lin Mianmian’s mortal-world speed, she had never once succeeded in kissing the cat’s paw or face.
But… Yuan Zhaoyang thought that if she went back this time and Lin Mianmian saw the little kitten that had been “missing” for several days, then if Lin Mianmian became too excited and wanted to kiss the cat’s paw, Yuan Zhaoyang would… endure it once. But the face was not allowed!
Yuan Zhaoyang had thought it out very well along the way. She had not expected that when Lin Mianmian saw the little kitten again, this would be her reaction.
Where were the happy hugs, fur strokes, and paw kisses they had agreed on? Yuan Zhaoyang, who had specially washed and dried all four little paws before entering the room, froze as she faced the girl on the bed who was quietly staring at her without blinking.
How was she awake? When had she woken up? Why was the fragrance still faint? Should it not have become very thick all at once? Why had there been no warning from the fragrance?
Yuan-calico, who had just entered the room and had not yet closed the three layers of restriction on the jade ring, had a string of questions slide through her mind.
The tiny calico cat stood obediently beside Lin Mianmian’s pillow, tilting her fluffy little head and staring foolishly at her, just like… those few days before.
Lin Mianmian felt that she might be dreaming. Or perhaps, because she had not eaten or slept well these past days and missed the kitten too much, she was seeing things.
It was like when she bent over and walked along the dirt road, parting the weeds on both sides. She always felt that in the next moment, she would see little Rice Ball crouching in the grass, lazily glancing at her before walking out in tiny steps and stepping across the top of her foot. At that time, Lin Mianmian would definitely grab her and lift her at once, and never lose her again. But in every patch of grass, there had been no Rice Ball.
It was also like earlier, when she was half asleep and half awake. She kept feeling that she had heard a weak cat cry, low and uncomfortable, making her heart tighten at once. She had wanted to rush outside and snatch her little Rice Ball back from the dark night. But that had only been another disappointing imagined sound. Of course it was. Even if she had very sharp hearing, what use was it? She had never heard Rice Ball meow before.
The area where people could move in the outer valley was only this small. These two days, Lin Mianmian had almost seen every little animal in every place she could walk. None of them were Rice Ball. None of them.
Lin Mianmian had wanted to ask Senior Sister Zihui, who came to the square every few days to hand out food. But for some reason, Senior Sister Zihui seemed to have other matters. Lin Mianmian had gone to the square early, but she had only seen piles of food and a recorded image left by Senior Sister Zihui.
It was as if everything was fate.
After a sudden family disaster, the cruel apocalypse, and many lonely years as grass, Lin Mianmian deeply understood the saying, To gain something is my fortune. To lose it is my fate. Even Lin Mianmian herself did not know why she cared so much about this little kitten, as if no other little animal in the whole world could compare to her.
Many, many years later, when Lin Mianmian had already reached an unshakable position among cultivators and thought back on the panic and heartache of losing the cat for those two days, she seemed to understand a little. The little calico had appeared at just the right time. It was when she had just stepped into the cultivation world and was at her weakest and most confused. It was liking, it was care, and it was company. It was the joy of a lonely heart from another world, after many years, finally finding a place to land. It was the true beginning of accepting this world.
Because she cared too much, she could not believe it.
When Lin Mianmian carefully reached out and truly touched the little ball of fur, her palm felt only a warm tickle. Yet it was so real it seemed like a prairie fire, melting her cold heart all at once.
The girl on the bed had reacted so strangely to their reunion that Yuan Zhaoyang could not make sense of it. To be safe, she only stood there straight as a cat and silently stared at the girl.
Only when Lin Mianmian took her hand out from under the quilt and touched the cat’s back did Yuan Zhaoyang let out a breath. Although this girl’s earlier reaction had been a little strange, it was fine. At least Lin Mianmian had not been scared silly by her sudden return.
Unfortunately, Yuan Zhaoyang relaxed far too soon.
Almost the moment Lin Mianmian’s palm landed on the cat’s back, it was as if a hundred compressed bags of strong fragrance had exploded in the air. Even though Yuan Zhaoyang was not cultivating at the moment, she was still caught off guard and struck so hard she staggered back a step, sneezing twice in a row.
Even worse, before Yuan Zhaoyang could close the bracelet, her whole cat body was scooped up and stuffed under the quilt.
“Haven’t you had enough playing outside? Trying to run again so soon?” Lin Mianmian had nearly broken into a cold sweat when the little kitten stepped backward. When she spoke now, there was a resentful, gritted-teeth edge in her voice.
She was not trying to run. It was because the young girl was too fragrant, so fragrant the cat could not bear it!
The little calico struggled in Lin Mianmian’s arms. She worked hard to use the tip of her tail to close the restriction on the bracelet, while also being careful not to use more strength than an ordinary kitten should have. It truly tired her heart.
Fortunately, her tail was long enough. Fortunately, Lin Mianmian only hugged her tightly at the beginning. Very quickly, she carefully loosened her hands, as if afraid of hurting the kitten, and only lightly circled her.
As the bracelet’s restriction closed, the thick fragrance in the air slowly faded. Only then did Yuan Zhaoyang truly let out a breath.
Lin Mianmian had already loosened her grip the moment the kitten struggled hard. Once the kitten was no longer moving so fiercely, she immediately lifted her out and began checking whether the little cat who had spent two days wandering outside had any injuries.
Yuan Zhaoyang was deeply grateful that she had closed the fragrance restriction just now. Now she could put all her attention into handling Lin Mianmian, who for some reason had started acting like a rogue again.
What are you looking at? If you keep doing this, I will roast you!
Yuan-calico could not understand at all why Lin Mianmian kept tirelessly trying to part the fur on every inch of her body. Did she, such a clean cat, look as if she would have fleas? Did she?
The grass and the cat each had their own thoughts. A lively battle began under the quilt. Because Yuan Zhaoyang felt guilty and went easy, Lin Mianmian successfully checked the kitten’s head fur, back fur, and leg fur first. Then, under Yuan-calico’s embarrassed and furious strict defense, Lin Mianmian did not touch even a bit of the kitten’s belly fur.
Lin Mianmian finally understood completely. Rice Ball was truly a little kitten who cared a lot about personal privacy. Now that she thought about it, when this little one had run away from home, could it have been because Lin Mianmian had wanted to use a wet cloth to wipe her little bottom? But had they not agreed that demons were born as demons, and animals could not become spirits?
After playing around under the quilt for a while, Lin Mianmian still had not checked the cat’s belly. But seeing how nimble the little calico was, it did not look as if her belly was injured. In order not to scare away the newly returned kitten, Lin Mianmian temporarily surrendered.
There was still some time before dawn. Lin Mianmian got up and checked the door lock. Then she pushed the large wardrobe in front of the window.
Yuan Zhaoyang lay quietly on the bed and watched Lin Mianmian work busily. She knew Lin Mianmian was afraid she would run away. Without realizing it, she thought again of that day when Lin Mianmian had searched beside the road with messy hair and dust all over her body, and of the way she had rushed out under the moonlight without even putting on shoes.
She had clearly only come to rub against some fragrance. How had she instead rubbed out a whole chest full of guilt?
When Lin Mianmian returned to the bed, scooped up the cat, and stuffed her back under the quilt, the little calico did not struggle at all for once.
The quilt was warm, and there was a faint pleasant fragrance.
The girl’s chest was a little soft… Had she started developing? The little calico in Lin Mianmian’s arms awkwardly wanted to move away the paw she had not meant to place there. But in the next moment, Lin Mianmian thought the kitten was trying to struggle and escape again, so she pressed her back.
Little girl, was this not a little improper? I stepped on your chest. Are you silly?
Yuan Zhaoyang awkwardly drew back her paw, but trapped by Lin Mianmian’s arms, she had nowhere to avoid it. In the end, she could only accept her fate and put it back.
As a cat demon at perfect Foundation Establishment, small in body and nimble in movement, Yuan Zhaoyang could think of one hundred and eight ways to break free from this young girl’s useless hug without even trying.
But she could not…
Of course, she also did not want to…
Perhaps because they were so close, even without the warning of the changing fragrance, Yuan Zhaoyang could still sense from Lin Mianmian’s strange posture, wanting to hold tight yet afraid to press the cat, and from Lin Mianmian’s somewhat stiff and faintly trembling arms, that Lin Mianmian still cared deeply about the kitten being lost before. She was still afraid.
Yuan Zhaoyang opened her mouth, but did not know how to comfort her.
At this moment, she was only a little calico who could not speak.
While Lin Mianmian held little Rice Ball and sank into the wild joy of regaining what she had lost, she suddenly felt the kitten, who had been trying to crawl out earlier, move. Then the kitten turned and leaned into her arms.
Soft little cat paws rested on her chest. A furry little head leaned close. Under the quilt, something moved lightly, and a little cat tail stretched over and curled around half of her wrist.
It was a posture of complete trust and dependence.
The resentment from those two days away collapsed in an instant. Lin Mianmian slowly and gently stroked the little kitten, who had already closed her eyes and begun to sleep. Tears almost fell from her eyes.
“Little bad thing…” Lin Mianmian murmured softly. She lowered her head and kissed the kitten’s forehead.
Who was the bad one?
When Yuan Zhaoyang heard that whisper, faintly carrying a sob, she stopped the paw she had wanted to raise to block Lin Mianmian.
The young girl’s kiss was light and gentle, like a falling leaf brushing across her forehead. It also carried a trace of pleasant fragrance.
It was not… as unacceptable as she had imagined.
There was still a little time before dawn. Yuan Zhaoyang did not open the bracelet’s restriction. She let Lin Mianmian hold her like this until the young girl’s breathing became steady and slow.
She always had a feeling that perhaps, even after she grew into an adult cat, leaving might not be as smooth as she imagined.
When the sky was fully bright, A-Bai, who had spent the whole night cleaning and finally made the courtyard somewhat presentable again, thought about it from left and right and still felt Yuan Zhaoyang had gotten off too easily. So, seeing that it was almost breakfast time, she brought a pile of ingredients to ask for compensation and cooking.
But when A-Bai arrived at Lin Mianmian’s courtyard and knocked on the room door for a long time, no one opened it.
She clearly released her divine sense and could feel a person and a cat inside. Yet A-Bai, one rabbit, knocked many times and still received no response.
Bang, bang, bang! Bang, bang, bang!
So sad. There was a feeling of being abandoned.