Bai Xiaonian tossed his head back. “Meow…”
He was just a defeated underling anyway, if not for his own death, there was no way this Demon Lord’s seat would have ever fallen to Chong Yin.
Chong Yin let out a short, quiet laugh. “Not bad. Why don’t I give you a name?”
Bai Xiaonian kept shaking his head. He had no interest in whatever name Chong Yin wanted to give him, he was the mighty Demon Lord, he didn’t need one.
But Chong Yin ignored the kitten’s resistance entirely, pinching the soft tip of its ear and rubbing it slowly as he said, “Xiao Niangao (Little Rice Cake), how about that?”
“Meow!”
The kitten swatted Chong Yin’s hand away with one paw, his fur bristling all over, teeth bared.
He absolutely would not answer to such a ridiculous name, it did nothing to reflect his, Bai Xiaonian’s, former glory.
Chong Yin paid no mind whatsoever to the kitten’s feelings. Having bestowed the name, he lost interest in the cat altogether and strode out of the hall in his flowing crimson robes.
Bai Xiaonian was washed clean of the mud, scooped up by a servant, and dried with spiritual energy. Afterward, that same servant found a cage and locked him inside.
Bai Xiaonian meowed in protest, but he was too weak from hunger to put up much of a fight, otherwise he would have darted out long before the door could be shut. Now all he could do was watch helplessly as the cage door was locked.
After Chong Yin left, no one else entered the hall. Xiao Niangao grew so faint from hunger that his head spun, and he lay sprawled weakly in the cage.
By the time Chong Yin returned, it was already nighttime.
A man in black combat attire followed behind him.
Chong Yin settled unhurriedly onto the couch. A servant soon brought tea, and the man pinched the delicate teacup between his long, well-defined fingers, sipping it in a leisurely manner.
Bowing his head respectfully, the man in black said, “Your Excellency, the various sects are jointly hosting a Youth Trial Tournament, and they’ve invited you to attend.”
The Youth Trial Tournament was a martial arts competition held among the younger disciples of the major sects. In this world, strength was everything, placing well in the tournament could elevate one’s status by leaps and bounds, bringing with it a wealth of cultivation resources and the courting favor of various factions.
Both Bai Xiaonian, the previous Demon Lord, and Chong Yin, the current one, had once won first place in the Youth Trial Tournament.
Chong Yin raised an eyebrow, made a thoughtful sound, then asked, “Will Liuyun be attending?”
“Immortal Lord Liuyun will be representing the Everlasting Sect in the competition.”
Chong Yin smiled with satisfaction. “Then I must go pay my old friend a visit.”
The moment they mentioned Immortal Lord Liuyun’s name, the listless kitten in the cage in the corner suddenly pricked up its ears, its drooping tail giving a small twitch.
Immortal Lord Liuyun had been Bai Xiaonian’s only friend among the so-called righteous sects, and once, the man he’d pined after for a long time.
That’s right. Hundreds of years ago, Bai Xiaonian had been fond of men. It was just unfortunate that Immortal Lord Liuyun had been wholly devoted to the pursuit of the Dao and had no room for romantic feelings. After several rounds of disappointment, Bai Xiaonian had let go of his feelings for him.
Still, the man had been someone he’d admired for so long. Hearing his name now stirred something within Bai Xiaonian.
As for why Bai Xiaonian had once liked Immortal Lord Liuyun, first and foremost was his looks, among the entire cultivation world, in terms of appearance, Immortal Lord Liuyun ranked first… aside, of course, from that otherworldly beauty Chong Yin.
Beyond that, Immortal Lord Liuyun was gentle and attentive, unlike Chong Yin, who only ever seemed intent on provoking him.
While Xiao Niangao’s mind wandered, the man in black had already left the hall.
Chong Yin finished his tea and was about to rise and leave as well.
In the corner, the kitten, his stomach hollow with hunger, scrambled to the bars of the cage and cried out pitifully to Chong Yin. “Meow, meow…”
Chong Yin feigned surprise, turning to look at the cat in the cage. “What are you doing there?”
Chong Yin’s voice was always cold and flat, with barely any inflection, but Bai Xiaonian could still detect a note of gloating in his tone.
Still, the kitten was simply too hungry to care. Swallowing his fiery temper, he straightened up, pressed his two short front paws together, and bowed toward Chong Yin, his kitten voice coming out soft and pleading. “Meow~”
Please, sir, have mercy. Xiao Niangao is about to starve to death.
But no matter how long the kitten pleaded, Chong Yin had no idea what he was trying to say. Besides, having abstained from food for hundreds of years, Chong Yin had all but forgotten what eating even meant, it never once occurred to him that the kitten might need to be fed.
At the moment, Chong Yin only found it amusing that this cat, who had been so unruly and defiant just a while ago, was now suddenly begging him so earnestly.
Seeing that Chong Yin couldn’t understand what he meant, Bai Xiaonian fumed and paced a circle inside the cage. Swallowing his own hot temper, the cat reached out a paw and scratched at the lock on the cage door.
Only then did Chong Yin raise an eyebrow. “You want out?”
The kitten nodded eagerly, then pressed his paws together again in the same pleading gesture.
Chong Yin let out an amused laugh, condensed a thread of spiritual energy at his fingertip, and flicked it toward the lock. With a click, it sprang open.
The little white ball of fur immediately shot out, circling around Chong Yin’s feet, looking up at him with a wheedling expression, meowing softly.
Chong Yin snorted. “Well, aren’t you obedient all of a sudden.”
The kitten froze mid-step, then anxiously reached out a paw to tug at the hem of Chong Yin’s robe.
Chong Yin glanced down at the kitten, a flicker of impatience crossing his face. He stepped back and looked down at the cat, his voice turning slightly cold. “I have no interest in playing games with you.”
Bai Xiaonian: “…”
Wait, had Chong Yin always been this slow-witted? He didn’t remember him being this dense before.
The cat was thoroughly furious now, his claws sliding out, glaring daggers at Chong Yin.
Chong Yin raised his eyebrows, done with the troublesome kitten, and turned to leave with a swish of his sleeve.
But he hadn’t taken more than a couple steps before he felt a sudden weight tugging at the back of his robe.
Chong Yin looked over his shoulder to find the palm-sized ball of fur hanging directly from the hem of his robe, its two little paws hooked into the fabric so tightly it was nearly tearing the cloth.
Chong Yin’s brow twitched. “You foolish cat, what exactly are you trying to do?”
The kitten clung to Chong Yin, tilting its fuzzy little head up, its round black eyes darting anxiously, gazing at him with a pitiful, urgent expression.
But Chong Yin simply couldn’t figure out what the cat wanted. He turned in a circle a couple of times but couldn’t shake the cat loose. Taking a deep breath, he finally reached down impatiently and pulled the cat off, dangling it in front of his face for a moment before his phoenix eyes narrowed. With a flick of his wrist, he tossed the kitten onto the floor, brushing off his hands. “I’ve told you, if you want to live, stop bothering me.”
The little ball of fur was flung mercilessly to the ground, letting out another round of pained yowls.
Bai Xiaonian was simply too hungry. He struggled to get up but found himself utterly drained of strength, so he could only lie there, playing dead.
Chong Yin studied the kitten for a moment, then turned to leave. But just as he was about to step over the threshold, an exceedingly faint, pitiful meow sounded from behind him.