Why Aren’t You Cultivating Immortality? (GL) Chapter 5

The little orange cat changed Bai Moqing’s life, which had been the same for a thousand years. When Bai Moqing woke in the morning and saw the little orange cat curled asleep on the carpet outside her bedroom door, she suddenly had the strange illusion that she had gained a guard dog.
The soft, beige, long-pile carpet made the little orange cat look thin and small. From size alone, no one would guess that such a tiny cat could transform into human form, even if she did not transform very well.
Sensing Bai Moqing’s gaze, the little orange cat lifted her head and stretched. Her white whiskers trembled. “Meow.” She greeted Bai Moqing.
Seeing golden light rise from the little orange cat’s body, Bai Moqing hurriedly cast a binding spell. “Don’t transform randomly!” She really did not want to see a naked body. After saying this, she removed the spell.
“Aow.” The little orange cat stood, stretched out her paws, scratched the carpet, and looked up at Bai Moqing. “Meowww.”
“I don’t understand.”
“I’m hungry. Do you have anything to eat here?”
She wanted a place to stay and food too? Bai Moqing glanced at the little orange cat and said decisively, “No.” Then she walked around the cat and entered the bathroom.
Soon, the sound of running water came from inside.
The little orange cat licked her paws clean, wiped her face, raised her tail, and walked to the bathroom door. Seeing Bai Moqing brushing her teeth, she sprang onto the sink. “Then can you make me something to eat?”
Bai Moqing’s toothbrushing paused. She turned to look at the little orange cat. “Sorry. I don’t know how. Go out and find food yourself.”
“Aow.” The little orange cat let out a low cry, turned, jumped off the sink, and left the bathroom.
Bai Moqing glanced at the place where the little orange cat disappeared and frowned. Last night, Feiyue had obediently slept outside her room without doing anything. Was she waiting for a chance, or did she have another purpose?
Tilting her head, Bai Moqing took a mouthful of water, rinsed the foam away, and finished washing up. When she went to the living room, she released her divine sense to look for the little orange cat, only to discover she could not find her.
She withdrew her divine sense and checked the time. With one divine thought, she arrived at an empty corner on a street near the company, then walked to work.
The office door was open. Bai Moqing frowned in confusion. She remembered that Sister An arrived exactly on time every day. But now, Bai Moqing looked at her watch, there was still half an hour before work began.
She walked to the door and glanced at Sister An’s desk. Sister An’s bag was there. Had the sun risen from the west today?
“Little Bai, morning.” Not far behind her, Sister An’s voice suddenly sounded. Bai Moqing turned back and saw An Huaigu walking over from the break room with a cup of coffee. The rich coffee aroma mixed with curling steam and drifted through the air into Bai Moqing’s nose.
“M-morning.” After saying that, Bai Moqing quickly entered the office and sat at her desk.
Soon after she sat, An Huaigu strolled into the office. She walked to her desk, turned, leaned against the edge, folded her arms, and took a small sip of coffee, her gaze falling on Bai Moqing.
The burning gaze made Bai Moqing lower her head even more. An Huaigu set down her coffee cup, flicked her hair, and asked, “Little Bai, have you noticed anything different about me today?” She signaled for Bai Moqing to raise her head and look.
Bai Moqing lifted her head. Earlier at the door, she had not dared to look closely at An Huaigu, afraid of causing a misunderstanding and making An Huaigu think she was captivated by her beauty.
Now, half-forced to study her, Bai Moqing looked carefully. A few days ago, “mature but still charming” had suited An Huaigu. After removing her makeup yesterday, she could be called stunning. And today, with delicate light makeup, eyeliner drawn just right to make her eyes bright, plus a fitted professional suit with clean lines, she had the full feeling of a goddess.
“Very beautiful.” Bai Moqing thought for a moment and said, “Sister An, you truly are a beauty who could topple cities.”
An Huaigu was very satisfied with Bai Moqing’s nearly entranced gaze and accepted the praise without guilt.
An icy voice suddenly sounded at the doorway. “Topple cities?” Xiao Xing had appeared soundlessly at the office door. Her face held no expression, and her eyes held no warmth. She looked at Bai Moqing once, then at An Huaigu. “Come to my office.” Then she turned and left.
The moment Bai Moqing saw Xiao Xing, she thought of last night’s spying. Her hands, hidden under the desk, clenched nervously. An Huaigu was used to Xiao Xing’s temper. She said, “All right,” picked up her coffee, took another sip, threw Bai Moqing a flirtatious wink, and followed her out of the office.
Her heartbeat was messy with guilt. After the two left, Bai Moqing let out a long breath. She could not resist using divine sense again to spy on Xiao Xing and An Huaigu.
Xiao Xing stood before the floor-to-ceiling window, tall and graceful. Her long hair fell casually behind her. Her left hand was in the pocket of her trench coat, her right hand held her phone, and her eyes looked into the distance.
An Huaigu stood behind her with a bright smile, arms folded. “President Xiao, you didn’t call me here just to have me stand with you and look at the scenery, did you?”
“Why did you tell Huaijian that I came back?” Xiao Xing turned to face An Huaigu. Warm yellow sunlight slanted through the window and fell across them.
An Huaigu spread her hands. “She likes you. As her sister, of course I have to help her.” She smiled with delight at another person’s trouble.
Xiao Xing’s eyes cooled. Her fair skin was covered by sunlight and seemed plated with gold, but the sunlight could not warm her.
When Xiao Xing called An Huaigu to the office, this was not actually what she had first wanted to say. It was only because hearing Bai Moqing praise An Huaigu as a beauty who could topple cities made her uncomfortable.
“You should make her give up on that thought sooner.” Unable to say what she truly wanted to say, Xiao Xing turned and walked to her desk. On the three-meter-long mahogany desk, several neat stacks of documents were arranged. Xiao Xing took one from the pile, turned, and handed it to An Huaigu.
An Huaigu accepted it and opened it. On the white A4 paper, names, positions, and the companies they had worked for before joining Xiao Group were printed. “These people?”
“Sort out their personnel files for me. Also, investigate whether they have done anything unusual these past two months.”
An Huaigu raised an eyebrow. “No problem.” She closed the file and said confidently, “Three days.” She turned to leave. Her hand had just touched the door handle when Xiao Xing’s cool, even voice came from behind. “Do not date in the office.”
An Huaigu looked back. “I remember the company doesn’t have that rule.” She smiled. Judging by her expression, she really was going to pursue Bai Moqing.
Bai Moqing saw the two standing before the window and soon withdrew her divine sense. She did not want to become a lecherous eavesdropper.
Thinking of Feiyue, who was staying at her home, she searched online for cat food. Looking at the dazzling selection of brands, she hesitated. Feiyue was a little orange cat, but…
No. As long as she was a cat, she would definitely eat cat food. Asking Bai Moqing to buy groceries and cook was absolutely impossible.
An Huaigu returned to the office and saw Bai Moqing frowning at the computer screen. She quietly walked over. “Hey, what are you looking at so seriously?” Bai Moqing jumped in fright.
An Huaigu bent down and leaned in to look.
When Bai Moqing raised her head, beneath the shirt with two buttons undone, An Huaigu’s fair chest was half hidden and half revealed. Bai Moqing saw the valley there, and her ears reddened. She turned her head toward the screen and said, “I’m choosing cat food.”
“You have a cat?” An Huaigu noticed Bai Moqing’s reaction. Instead of straightening, she deliberately squeezed a little closer. Lowering her voice, her lazy, sexy, teasing tone sounded beside Bai Moqing’s ear. “Your personality is very much like a cat. Quiet, silent, and it makes people want to rub your head.”
Just as her desire-filled hand was about to reach out, knock, knock, knock. A knock sounded at the door.
Tang Yue stood at the doorway in a navy-blue professional suit, holding several files. “Bai Moqing, President Xiao wants you in her office.”
Her gaze swept over An Huaigu’s round, lifted backside. She pushed up the round, gold-rimmed, vintage plain-glass glasses on her nose and curved her lips faintly.
Bai Moqing quickly pushed her chair back and followed Tang Yue out. An Huaigu stroked her chin with interest, watching Bai Moqing and Tang Yue leave. Ah Xing, don’t blame me. She picked up her phone and sent An Huaijian a message.
Inside the president’s private elevator, which could fit thirteen people, only Bai Moqing and Tang Yue stood. One was in front, one behind. Bai Moqing turned her head slightly toward Tang Yue. “Assistant Tang, why is President Xiao looking for me?”
Tang Yue glanced at Bai Moqing from the corner of her eye and said in a businesslike tone, “You’ll know when you see President Xiao.”
After bringing Bai Moqing into the office, Tang Yue left without waiting for President Xiao’s instructions and closed the door.
Facing Xiao Xing, Bai Moqing’s heart grew uncontrollably flustered. As a cultivator, she feared only Heaven and Earth. To her, mortals were like ants. But Xiao Xing was the exception.
The aura released from her body made Bai Moqing want to kneel and submit.
Across the long years, she had encountered only one woman who gave her this feeling. That person had been an empress.
Memories flowed backward. Things she thought she had forgotten slowly came from the depths of her heart. She remembered that the empress had fallen in love with a general. The general secured the country for her and returned victorious while dragging along a badly wounded body. In the end, the general died in her arms…
Seeing Bai Moqing lose focus, Xiao Xing frowned unhappily and tapped the desk lightly with the fountain pen in her hand. Hearing the sound, Bai Moqing immediately returned to herself and raised her eyes to Xiao Xing. “President Xiao.”
“Come here.” Her tone allowed no refusal. Xiao Xing nodded toward the chair, signaling for her to sit.
The soft leather seat was comfortable. Bai Moqing sat down stiffly, legs together, hands on her knees, sitting upright and proper.
Xiao Xing pressed her lips together and studied Bai Moqing for a while. “Do you think the archive room needs two people?”
Bai Moqing froze. President Xiao suddenly asked such a question. Was she planning to fire her? No, if Xiao Xing wanted to fire her, why would she call her here?
“President Xiao, do you want to transfer Sister An to your side?”
Xiao Xing narrowed her eyes. “More or less.” Just as Bai Moqing secretly felt happy that she would no longer be teased by Sister An, Xiao Xing continued, “I am transferring you to my side. I lack a secretary.”
The sunlight was warm. The air was cold. Bai Moqing forgot how she left Xiao Xing’s office, returned to her own office, and sat in a daze at her small workstation for the entire day.
Only when she heard the noisy voices and footsteps outside did Bai Moqing return to herself. It was time to get off work. She glanced at the seat across from her. Since she returned to the office, Sister An had disappeared somewhere and still had not come back.
Thinking back to what had happened in the president’s office, Bai Moqing touched the space between her brows. She had refused President Xiao’s request for her to become a secretary. Tomorrow, she probably did not need to come to work.
After thinking again, she felt President Xiao should not be that kind of person.
Night fell, and Bai Moqing returned home. The little orange cat was sitting properly on the sofa watching television. Hearing movement, she turned back and meowed at Bai Moqing, then picked up a jade slip in her mouth, jumped off the sofa, and walked toward her.
Clack. She spat the jade slip onto the floor and pushed it toward Bai Moqing with her paw.
“What is this? A jade slip?” Bai Moqing bent down and picked it up.
The jade slip was about three centimeters wide and twelve centimeters long. It glowed with a cold light, but when her fingers brushed over it, threads of warmth came through. The jade surface was uneven, as if words had been carved into it with a blade. Bai Moqing held it up to the light. The marks were twisted and crooked, like seal script and also like talismans.
Bai Moqing turned it over several times and confirmed she did not recognize the words on it. Confused, she asked, “What is written on this? Why are you showing it to me?”
The little orange cat gave an aow. “It records a law of the Heavenly Dao. How cultivators in this world can become immortals.”
Bai Moqing’s expression changed. Shocked, she asked the little orange cat, “What did you say?”
The little orange cat proudly raised her head, turned, and jumped back onto the sofa. “Take good care of me, and I’ll tell you.”