Just then, a woman’s shout came from the end of the alley: “Those are the scoundrels who nearly assaulted me! Officers, arrest them!”
The men realized their crime had been exposed, but it was too late to flee. In an instant, they were captured by the constables the victim had brought.
Dongfang Yan looked at Lin Qingyue in astonishment. “You actually understand cat language?”
This woman never ceased to amaze him!
Lin Qingyue offered no explanation. She lifted the severely injured kitten for inspection and inwardly scoffed: With your spirit weakened to this extent, you still have the mind to meddle in others’ affairs?
The victim was a sixteen-year-old flower seller returning home after closing her stall when she was cornered and harassed by those ruffians.
At her most desperate moment, when heaven and earth seemed deaf to her cries, a kitten unexpectedly descended from above, clawing and biting at the three assailants.
The young woman seized the chance to escape, but the rescuing kitten was quickly overpowered, beaten to the brink of death.
Now held in Lin Qingyue’s hands, the cat lingered with only a faint breath remaining.
The grateful yet heartbroken victim reached to take the kitten for treatment.
Lin Qingyue said, “You cannot save it. Better leave it to me.”
The woman compliantly agreed.
But when Lin Qingyue prepared to board the carriage with the dying cat, Dongfang Yan coldly declared, “Not allowed.”
Lin Qingyue responded, “Its injuries are too severe to endure more exposure.”
“Absolutely not. How could you expect this prince to share a carriage with such filth?”
Dongfang Yan particularly disliked furry creatures, especially this blood-soaked cat that made him deeply uncomfortable.
“Oh, then Your Highness may ride a horse.” With those words, Lin Qingyue stepped into the carriage with the cat and ordered the coachman, “Depart!”
The coachman glanced uneasily at Dongfang Yan, torn between conflicting orders.
Only after Dongfang Yan spat out “Go!” did the carriage dare to move.
The cold wind whipped against Dongfang Yan’s increasingly grim expression. He felt he must have been insane tonight—accompanying that woman all evening, even momentarily possessed by the whim to gift her jewelry.
Any other woman receiving such treatment would have been overwhelmed with flattered gratitude.
But Lin Qingyue?
Not only did she show no pleasure, she actually abandoned a prince on the street for a mere cat!
The next day, a madman appeared on the streets, face so grimy his features were unrecognizable.
The lunatic accosted everyone:
“Do you enjoy hitting people? Hehe, I love being hit most of all, especially when they beat me.”
“Hit me, please hit me!”
Some women fled in terror with shrill screams.
Idle young masters, finding amusement, shouted: “A fool begging for a beating! This gentleman always enjoys helping others—men, give him what he wants!”
While the madman lay vomiting blood from the beating, one young master suddenly noticed his familiar features.
Leaning closer for a better look, he gasped: “Young Master Lin? How did this happen?”
Returned to the Marquis residence, Zhou Shi wept at the sight of her son covered in filth and blood.
Lin Rufeng giggled foolishly, grabbing his mother’s hand to slap his own face:
“Hit me, hit me! Hehe, I love being beaten—the harder the better…”
Zhou Shi fainted on the spot from fright, causing the maids and servants to cry out in alarm.
The entire Hou estate was thrown into chaos.
Lin Xiao was also flustered for a while until an old servant cautiously remarked, “The young master’s condition resembles an encounter with unclean spirits.”
This comment jolted him awake. Lin Xiao urgently ordered, “Quickly go to the Xuanjing Office and invite Lord Xie!”
In contrast to the chaos at the Hou estate, Lin Qingyue spent the day and night in peaceful solitude.
With nothing else to do, she dismissed the servants to cultivate and meditate.
Oh, and during this time, she incidentally saved a peculiar cat.
The cat didn’t wake until nearly evening.
Its head was still wrapped in several layers of bandages, revealing only one furry pointed ear, looking both adorable and comical.
Though pain lingered at the wound site, its spirits were much improved. Upon opening its eyes, they darted about restlessly.
When its gaze shifted to the nearby armchair and settled on Lin Qingyue sitting there, its eyes deepened with intensity.
“Awake?”
“Meow, meow.”
The tabby cat let out two weak meows, then pretentiously prepared to lick its paw.
Lin Qingyue said, “No need to pretend. I know you’re human.”
The cat froze mid-action, its eyes instantly revealing astonishment.
It suddenly recalled the last moment before losing consciousness—she had seemed to understand its words.
Could it be because of this that she saw through its identity?
Since the truth was out, there was no need to keep up the act.
The tabby cat wobbled to its feet and solemnly stated, “Thank you for saving me. Someday, if…”
It paused, thinking empty promises lacked sincerity, and left the sentence unfinished.
Lin Qingyue asked, “Tell me, why is your soul trapped in a cat’s body?”
The cat’s eyes dimmed slightly as it shook its head. “I don’t know either. About a year ago, I accidentally fell off a cliff. When I woke up, I found myself in this cat’s body.”
Initially, its soul and the cat’s body rejected each other, and its consciousness remained muddled.
Only after several months did its human awareness gradually become clear, allowing it to skillfully maneuver the cat’s body.
After numerous searches and a journey spanning over half a year, it finally arrived in the capital.
However, a human soul and a cat’s body could never fully harmonize. Forcibly bound together, its soul grew increasingly frail.
Tonight’s severe injuries should have been fatal.
Fortunately, Lin Qingyue’s cultivation had recently advanced, enabling her to harness spiritual power and repair its damaged soul.
The tabby cat leaped onto the dressing table, gazing at its reflection in the bronze mirror, momentarily dazed:
“Though I rely on this cat’s body as a temporary vessel, my soul grows ever more entwined with it. I wonder if I’ll ever regain my human form in this lifetime.”
Hearing this, Lin Qingyue found the coincidence striking.
She herself was a lone soul, revived by borrowing a human body.
Yet this being before her faced a similar plight, albeit less fortunate—trapped in a cat’s form.
“Don’t lose heart just yet. Let me ponder a solution. Perhaps one day, I can help you regain your human body.”
The tabby cat’s eyes widened in surprise. “You have a way?”
“If your original body remained intact, it wouldn’t be difficult. But according to your account, you’ve been dead for over a year—your body must have long since decayed.”
The tabby cat froze again upon hearing this: How could its body possibly remain intact after more than a year?
“So, who exactly are you?” Lin Qingyue asked.
The tabby cat curled its feline lips in self-mockery: “Does it matter who I am?”
If the physical body no longer existed, no matter how distinguished he had been as a human, it would all be meaningless…