Cultivating Immortality by Raising a Cat (GL) Chapter 37

Seeing that her paws were almost about to slap the door apart, while there was still no sound from inside, A-Bai was simply stunned. She could not hold back and sent a voice transmission in. “Yuan Zhaoyang! The sun is shining on your bottom! Get up!”
As cultivators’ realms rose, they gradually needed less food and even less sleep. Quiet cultivation methods, such as meditating and running spiritual energy through their methods, slowly replaced sleep. Unless they were extremely tired, on normal days, they only needed to calm their hearts and guide spiritual energy through a few great cycles, or close their eyes for a short rest, and that counted as enough rest for the day.
Yuan Zhaoyang had been stuck at perfect Foundation Establishment for a long time. In the past, even though cultivation did not loosen her realm, she still held the hope that dripping water could wear through stone. So over the years, she had grown used to replacing sleep with guiding spiritual energy. But today, for some reason, even though dawn was almost here, she was curled in the young girl’s warm arms, stepping on a certain soft place that could not be described, listening to the breathing beside her gradually become steady and light. Yuan Zhaoyang rarely had no desire to cultivate. For the sake of making it more comfortable for the young girl to hold her, Yuan Zhaoyang softened her body. After a while, she simply relaxed, closed her eyes, and slowly sank into a shallow sleep.
But Lin Mianmian had not been asleep with the cat in her arms for long when the sky brightened. The little animals outside woke up. They drank water, ate food, and chased each other around. It sounded somewhat noisy. Lin Mianmian had worked too hard these past two days looking for the cat. Now that her heart had loosened, she slept rather deeply. Those sounds did not wake her right away, but it was only a matter of time.
Yuan Zhaoyang, who had only been lightly sleeping, had already woken when the food basin outside made its first thump. The young girl beside her loosened her cat-holding hands and began turning restlessly. Her relaxed brows slowly tightened as the small noises outside grew more frequent.
Yuan Zhaoyang had seen the young girl’s earlier exhaustion and haggard state. It was impossible to say she did not feel guilty. Now that Lin Mianmian could finally sleep well, Yuan Zhaoyang felt she had a duty to help a little.
A soft white paw holding several small array flags reached out from under the quilt and gently waved a few times. The small flags flew to several corners of the room and sank deep into place. The room suddenly became quiet.
After a short while, Lin Mianmian, who had nearly been woken, relaxed her brows and fell back into peaceful sleep.
The little calico nodded with satisfaction, stretched out a paw to press the quilt corner around the young girl, curled up close, and closed her eyes.
Not long after Yuan Zhaoyang set up this simple soundproofing array in the little room, A-Bai, who wanted to come over and get breakfast, arrived.
A-Bai, who nearly knocked down the little wooden house, had never imagined that Yuan Zhaoyang, disguised as a little kitten, would actually set up an array inside the room. She had risked being seen through just to let a young girl sleep a little longer.
Just as A-Bai thought her voice transmission would sink like a stone in the sea, same as her knocking, Yuan Zhaoyang’s reply came back.
Simple and plain, only two words.
“Not getting up.”
The little white rabbit simply wanted to use her Core Formation strength to slap the house apart. “I worked myself half to death cleaning the courtyard at home. At least get up and make me breakfast before going back to sleep!”
“Have you ever seen a calico cat make breakfast?” Yuan Zhaoyang’s reply carried a bit of serious surprise.
A-Bai pressed one paw against the door, so angry her ears tilted. “What have you learned out here these few days? You are no longer the little calico who loved this rabbit most!”
Yuan Zhaoyang stretched lightly under the quilt. “All right. Help me do two things. Tomorrow morning, I will make you a breakfast…”
When Lin Mianmian woke, it was already dusk.
Unable to believe she had slept so long, Lin Mianmian quickly got up to add water and food for the little kitten and the little animals outside. She had no idea that one second before she woke, several small flags of different shapes had all flown back into the little calico’s paws.
As expected, after opening one layer of restriction, Yuan Zhaoyang could sense Lin Mianmian’s state at the time through the movement of the fragrance. Yuan Zhaoyang was very satisfied with how accurately she had timed it. Speaking of it, the more time she spent with Lin Mianmian, the more Yuan Zhaoyang felt she understood Lin Mianmian’s strange fragrance. It was not only the link between strength and emotion. Yuan Zhaoyang could even grasp a little of the tiny changes in the fragrance and Lin Mianmian’s current state.
This feeling was very strange. It was as if, without the other person knowing, Yuan Zhaoyang understood her state clearly.
Yuan Zhaoyang knew very well that this was not fair to Lin Mianmian. When she had decided to become a cat and borrow the fragrance, Yuan Zhaoyang had not expected things to become like this. Just as she had not expected… that she, all right, that her kitten image would be treasured and loved by Lin Mianmian so much.
With this Lin Mianmian… Yuan Zhaoyang hoped that what she was doing was borrowing, not using.
When she reached Core Formation, when she broke through the perfect Foundation Establishment realm that had blocked her for decades, she would never again open the restriction on Lin Mianmian’s bracelet. She would never again use the strange fragrance.
Yuan Zhaoyang had already decided that after she reached Core Formation, she would help Lin Mianmian more in cultivation as repayment for borrowing the fragrance during this time.
But Yuan Zhaoyang did not know that her cat life and Lin Mianmian’s grass life had long since become inseparable. The debt between them could no longer be counted clearly.
While Yuan-calico thought about great matters of cat life, Lin Mianmian was busy preparing food for the little animals inside and outside. By the time Yuan-calico had nearly finished making up her mind, Lin Mianmian returned with boiled chicken breast mixed with bun pieces.
“Rice Ball, eat while it is warm. I am cooking bun soup for the little animals outside. I will come back later and check whether you ate everything.” Lin Mianmian picked up the little calico, placed her on the table beside the food bowl, and stroked her small head. She was about to leave, but seemed to remember something. She turned back and hung a little stone around the little calico’s neck. Satisfied, she scratched the cat’s nose. “Hmph. Let’s see you go wandering outside again.”
So naive.
Yuan Zhaoyang watched Lin Mianmian slowly back away and carefully close the door. She crouched and waited a little while, then waved a paw. The food bowl was empty.
This kind of tasteless food that did nothing for cultivation…
Yuan Zhaoyang placed one paw on the empty bowl. It seemed she would have to clear out the jade cabinet in her storage bag that was specially used to hold Qingxin Hall food and use it for these things instead. Yuan Zhaoyang did not want to eat these foods, but for reasons she could not explain, she also could not simply throw them away.
A little white paw hooked out the small stone Lin Mianmian had just hung around her neck. Yuan Zhaoyang lowered her head and sniffed it. It seemed to carry the smell of scorched bear fur. A bear… Xiong Lanlan?
The little calico jumped down from the table, opened the room door with familiar skill, and walked into the courtyard. As expected, Lin Mianmian’s courtyard was covered with a faint barrier. The barrier was rough, but it was a little interesting. It had no other use. It only stopped living things wearing this kind of small stone from leaving the courtyard. It was somewhat like the methods used when raising spirit beasts, to prevent them from running around. Of course, this kind of method could only stop spirit beasts.
The little calico laughed softly. Xiong Lanlan, was it? Heh.
“How about it? You cannot get out now, can you?” Lin Mianmian watched with great interest as the little calico walked in circles around the courtyard. The little kitten’s confused face, then silly little smile, was simply too cute.
Yuan Zhaoyang: “…”
Fine. She did not want to say anything to a fool.
The next day was another day to collect food at the small square. Lin Mianmian “happened to meet” A-Bai and was dragged by the little white rabbit into talking for a long while.
Yuan Zhaoyang took the chance to look at the kitten A-Bai had placed in Xiong Lanlan’s courtyard early that morning. It had gray fur and a white belly, and it looked good. It was indeed about the same size as Yuan’s current form. With this kitten, Yuan Zhaoyang only needed to release a little divine sense in the courtyard to observe how she should slowly grow each day. Yuan Zhaoyang, who had transformed early and had no experience growing from kitten to adult cat, gave A-Bai full marks for completing the task.
When Lin Mianmian returned with A-Bai, a rich breakfast had already been set out in the courtyard.
A large pot of thick rice porridge steamed hot. A whole sea bowl of golden scrambled eggs sat beside it. Freshly baked flatbreads were stacked into a small hill on the table, with many sauces for dipping the bread.
Lin Mianmian stood at the courtyard gate in a daze. She looked left and right and saw the food basin, the water basin, and the familiar little animals in the courtyard. Only then did she confirm that she had not walked into the wrong courtyard.
Since when did she have a snail girl living in her room?
Someone from outside had come into the courtyard!
Lin Mianmian thought first of her little Rice Ball. She quickly ran a few steps and opened the room door. Only when she saw the little calico lying perfectly fine on the bed did she relax.
“Come eat! The weather is cold, and food cools quickly!” A-Bai kindly called to Lin Mianmian from outside. Then she hopped onto the table, grabbed a flatbread in her mouth, and began eating.
“Where did this food come from? You just eat it like that?” Lin Mianmian picked up the little calico and walked to the table. She looked down at the breakfast, then used chopsticks to lift some dipping sauce and smelled it. “Senior Sister Yuan made this?”
“…Are you part dog?” A-Bai looked shocked.
“The sauce smells familiar.” Lin Mianmian looked as if she did not understand. “Why would Senior Sister Yuan come here and make breakfast?”
A-Bai glanced at Yuan Zhaoyang, who was nestled in Lin Mianmian’s arms as if she were only a cat. She took a big, proud bite of flatbread. “Because I am cute.”
The little calico silently lifted one paw. With a shnk, five claw tips appeared.
“…” A-Bai buried her head in the porridge bowl.
“Rice Ball, your nails need trimming.” Lin Mianmian reached out, held the kitten’s paw, and pinched it.
“Pfft…” A-Bai sprayed out the porridge in her mouth.
“If you do not eat properly, do not eat in the future.” Yuan Zhaoyang, whose paw was being held, sent a cold voice transmission.
“Hmph! I will go home and eat!” A-Bai glared at Yuan Zhaoyang. With a wave of her paw, all the food on the table went into her storage bag.
Yuan Zhaoyang glared back.
Unwillingly, A-Bai left Lin Mianmian one bowl of porridge, two flatbreads, and three pieces of scrambled egg.
“Goodbye!” The little white rabbit hopped away in anger.
“Uh…” Lin Mianmian, who could not hear the voice transmissions, was a little confused. “What happened? Does she want her nails trimmed too?”
The little calico raised her head. She truly was not deliberately trying to roll her eyes. Truly.
A-Bai sulked and did not want to play with Yuan Zhaoyang, Lin Mianmian, or any of these bad people anymore. But she could not disappear for many days. Because winter was coming, the work of catching the Red Essence Five-Scale Fish was officially placed on the schedule. The newly entered Five Elements Sect disciples were also required to go and watch.
On that day, net after net of Red Essence Five-Scale Fish were pulled ashore. Among the new disciples, the first person drew spiritual energy into the body. And Lin Mianmian finally discovered a major matter, one that could affect her road of cultivation.