The third day since Rice Cake left, and he missed him.
Never had he met such a gorgeous, adorable ball of fluff that would simply lie flat and let him pet it, never throwing a tantrum no matter how much he stroked it. Having tasted this sweet experience, Qingmo was left sighing heavily every day at home while facing the overbearing little hairball.
A fox and a cat were simply different after all. Without comparison, there was no harm done; despite the little hairball being so tiny, its texture just wasn’t as comforting as Little Rice Cake’s, always feeling a bit too stiff.
Of course, he didn’t dare tell the little hairball this.
All the stray cats outside had suffered his torment and now bolted the moment they saw him, let alone letting anyone pet them.
At this moment, Chi Ying was once again offering Qingmo a terrible idea from the side. “Lord Pavilion Master, I know of a magical herb. If you soak it in water and apply it to your body, little cats will proactively throw themselves into your arms.”
“Really?” His monotonous, tasteless life instantly reignited with hope.
No sooner said than done, Qingmo went up the mountain that very day to pick the magical herb, and then, according to Chi Ying’s instructions, brewed two cups of water using different recipes to test which one possessed a stronger attraction to cats.
After a night of steeping, the water had taken on a faint tint, and before the scent even fully drifted out, it attracted a large cat.
Having aggravated his chronic illness and forced by Liu Ze to rest at home for a few days, Suyu once again set foot in the Smoke and Cloud Pavilion. Upon entering, he only saw Qingmo with his hair unbound and clothes in disarray, propping his chin up as he stared blankly at two cups.
“What are you doing?” he asked out of curiosity.
Unfortunately, Suyu was not Rice Cake, and Qingmo had zero interest in him. Staring fixedly at the two cups of water, Qingmo said in a gloomy tone, “I’m concocting a poison. It’s best if it kills you in a single drop, and then I can take your place as Elder Liu Ze’s child.”
“Cough, there’s really no need.”
There were plenty of ways to enter his house; there was no need to resort to the most troublesome one.
After hesitating for roughly two quarter-hours, Qingmo picked up the cup with the stronger scent, splashed it over himself, and headed out to the back alley to catch a cat.
“Meow, meow-wu.”
“It really works!” An orange cat caught the scent and immediately lingered by his ankles, rolling around playfully. Excitedly, Qingmo called Suyu over to take a look.
The latter furrowed his brow tightly. Something within his body seemed ready to burst forth, and even with all his might, it was difficult to suppress.
He suddenly realized what the water Qingmo had just splashed on himself actually was.
While those ordinary cats were fine, he possessed a demonic physique and also experienced normal human reactions. Stimulated by that scent, Qingmo looked no different from trapped prey in a cage right before his eyes.
Desire surged in his gaze like a predator slowly approaching the person squatting on the ground, completely oblivious and entirely focused on teasing the cat.
His heterochromatic eyes were stained with a dangerous color. Staring greedily at the slender, fair stretch of exposed skin on Qingmo’s neck, Suyu swallowed hard, his voice deepening as he murmured, “Qingmo.”
He wanted to stain this brand-new scroll with colors of his own.
This person rightfully belonged to him.
Unconsciously, his mind conjured the image of Qingmo with tears glistening in his eyes. When the endurance grew too intense, Qingmo would bury his face in Suyu’s shoulder and bite him, not particularly painful, leaving only a faint set of tooth marks.
Having practiced asceticism for so long, it was inevitable to yearn for red candles, a warm canopy, and spending a night of spring intimacy.
Qingmo was still busy cuddling and petting the orange cat. “Every time, you’re the one who runs the fastest, but I finally caught you today!”
Suyu licked his dry lips, his hand hovering less than an inch away from Qingmo, when suddenly, an indescribable din burst from the wide-open window next door.
Those who knew would recognize someone playing the zither inside; those who didn’t would think someone was sawing through a block of wood.
Frightened by the screeching, discordant zither music, the orange cat let out a meow and bolted away, ignoring all of Qingmo’s calls and enticements, leaving in the most resolute manner possible.
At the same time, Suyu snapped back to his senses.
He shook his head vigorously. What on earth was he thinking just now, actually wanting to do that sort of thing to Qingmo in broad daylight?
It wasn’t as if he had never been exposed to catnip water before; occasionally sniffing a little was just a way to relax, but it had never triggered a reaction like this.
Perhaps his obsession with Qingmo ran even deeper than he realized.
Pouting in annoyance, Qingmo grumbled, “The fat cat I had in my grasp just ran away! Whoever is playing the zither so terribly, I’m going to dock all their wages!”
Holding his breath, Suyu silently retreated out of the alley to avoid losing control of his feline nature, offering a kind warning, “You’d better go change your clothes.”
“Why?” Qingmo had no idea what he had just narrowly escaped.
“Because…” Suyu changed his mind, deciding to teach him a slight lesson. He suddenly stepped close, lightly resting both hands on Qingmo’s shoulders, and deliberately leaned in right beside his ear to scare him. “Do you want to know what this scent means to a cat?”
Instantly, Qingmo no longer wanted to know.
Gulping down hard, he had a premonition that he might have brought trouble upon himself. Ducking low, he slipped away from under Suyu’s arms and obediently scurried back to his room to change his clothes.
Having successfully achieved his scheme, Suyu let out a low chuckle.
The Smoke and Cloud Pavilion had a less-than-stellar reputation, but its attendants were all extraordinarily pretty, making it quite a scenic spot. Under the subtle, ongoing influence of their Pavilion Master, they had also developed the bad habit of beating up customers. Although the zither playing was atrocious, the musicians were good-looking, so certain patrons simply loved coming over to endure some self-inflicted torment.
Qingmo changed into a clean moon-white long robe and conveniently had Hanzhao help him tie up his hair.
The pavilion’s musician who had just seen off a customer beamed with self-satisfaction. “This is a new tune Sister Xuaner taught me. She said I played it wonderfully.”
Fiddling with the catnip water, Qingmo gave a perfunctory reply. “Mmh, mmh, mmh, wonderful. Later I’ll take Xuaner to see a doctor about her ears.”
It seemed the catnip water was indeed effective, and luring one or two cats wouldn’t be an issue, though from now on he would have to stay away from Suyu. Though he didn’t know what the exact consequences might be, Qingmo guessed it certainly wouldn’t be anything good.
After letting the breeze cool him down until that wave of restless heat subsided, Suyu regained the gentleness in his eyes. “Qingmo, I remember your zither skills are exceptional. Today, I’ll play the role of a customer and request a tune from you, how about that?”
A long, long time ago, Qingmo used to play for him frequently. Back then, before the two of them reached a state of utter rupture, even if Qingmo disliked him, he would still comply with certain requests.
Times had changed, however, and the Ghost Fiend was certainly not going to pamper him.
“No.” While hiding away his precious catnip water, Qingmo replied with supreme disdain, “There are plenty of people waiting in line to hear me play. Get in line first.”
Suyu asked with surprise, “How long is the wait?”
“Three hundred years minimum.”
And no upper limit.
Anyone wishing to hear him play probably wouldn’t even live long enough; this was clearly an act of sheer unreasonableness.
The weather was warm and the sun was just right. For once in a good mood, the little hairball dragged its little bedding right up to the front doors to bask in the sun.
Mainly because Rice Cake had disappeared, leaving no one to threaten its position as the official head wife, it felt free to be this leisurely.
Cats truly were wicked creatures, using adorable appearances to deceive mortals while harboring bellies full of schemes.
Burying its head into the soft bedding, the little hairball let out a content, tiny sigh, its nine long, fluffy tails blooming like a flower and swaying back and forth to entice passing mortals into petting it.
It never once considered that it was just as wicked as any cat.
The little hairball was raised openly in the Smoke and Cloud Pavilion without ever hiding from people. Ever since the imperial exorcist from the Illusion Spirit Department had come to cause a scene last time, the mysterious identity of the Smoke and Cloud Pavilion’s owner had spread far and wide through every street and alley. Some said he was a member of the imperial family backed by the imperial court, while others claimed he was the Demon Lord’s favorite paramour, making it entirely unsurprising that he kept a nine-tailed fox as a pet.
Mortal gossip wasn’t nearly as explosive as news from the Lingyao Palace, so Qingmo had little interest in it, completely unaware that he had become the protagonist of the gossip himself.
A few shy young maidens hiding at the street corner had been staring at the little hairball for quite a while. Finally unable to resist their itchy hands, they shuffled up to the front doors and asked Chi Ying timidly, “Hello, um, can we pet it?”
Since Qingmo was confident enough to leave the little hairball out here, Chi Ying had even fewer worries; whenever this little fellow came out, plenty of people always wanted to pet it.
Nodding in permission, he said, “Go ahead, just don’t startle it.”
Excitedly, the maidens surrounded the little hairball, nervously and restrainedly brushing against its soft tails. Hearing the commotion, the little hairball lifted its head. Seeing they were pretty young ladies, it let out a few joyful barks and generously bloomed its tails into a flower for them to admire.
Witnessing the entire process, Qingmo twitched his brow. “I had no idea this little creature was such a flirt.”
Just yesterday, a male customer listening to music had accidentally brushed against it and gotten bitten on the spot.
“Like owner, like pet,” Suyu remarked with pointed implication.
Years ago, he himself had relied on this very face to win Qingmo over.
“Hmph, it was raised by Guiyu.”
Qingmo neatly deflected the blame.
The maidens understood propriety well and left as soon as they had their fill, without continuing to disturb the little hairball. Counting on Qingmo being at home and knowing the little fellow wouldn’t run into any trouble anytime soon, Chi Ying went off to tend to his own tasks.
Spring was the most comfortable season of the year. The demon realm lacked seasonal changes and didn’t have temperatures this pleasant, so the little hairball was quite fond of settling down in the mortal realm and had no desire to go back.
Right in the middle of a pleasant dream, a young woman wearing a veil walked past across the street. Dressed in a long skirt that concealed her legs completely, she came to a halt right in front of the soft bedding.
“Ying?” Blocked from the sunshine, the little hairball opened one eye. Seeing it was another pretty sister, it didn’t mind too much and proactively swished its tails.
Now that you’ve finished petting me, hurry along and don’t disturb my sunbathing.
Beneath her veil, the woman curled the corners of her lips, extending a slender, delicate hand toward the snow-white nine-tailed fox.
“Ah!”
Suddenly, she let out a shrill scream.
When they looked again, that hand had already dropped to the ground, severed cleanly at the wrist with a neat cut, dripping fresh red blood.
A few droplets of blood splattered onto the bedding. Startled awake by the sudden turn of events with its fur standing on end, the little hairball scrambled up in a streak and ran back to Qingmo’s side.
Casually retracting his zither strings, Qingmo said unconcernedly, “You’ve got some nerve, trying to steal things right in front of me.”
“My calculations failed. I didn’t expect you to be here.” Things having been exposed, the woman laughed chillingly, lifting her veil to reveal a bewitching face, though the voice was unmistakably that of a man.
“What? Even a fish has learned to walk like a human now.” Qingmo eyed the water-stained hem of her skirt. Upon closer inspection, one could easily tell that what was hidden underneath weren’t legs, but a fish tail.
As her rouge-painted lips parted, Yihua clutched at the collar of her robes to expose the brand on her neck. “The Ghost Fiend always loves meddling in other people’s business; in that regard, you’re not nearly as quiet as the Lord Demon Lord.”
Yihua was none other than the leader of the rebellious mermaid clan from back then. After Suyu and Qingmo captured her together and branded her, Suyu had spared her life out of old ties to the clan, yet here she was returning to exact revenge.
She was in league with the people from the auction house, sharing the same aura, which triggered the little hairball’s unpleasant memories and caused it to tremble under the table.
Recalling this, Suyu remembered Guiyu’s words about having no choice.
Guiyu had been threatened by someone.
Yihua was probably trying to snatch the little hairball back now to use as a hostage. The rest of the nine-tailed foxes were hidden safely inside the heavily guarded Ghost Fiend Manor close to the Lingyao Palace, where they dared not venture, making the little hairball the easiest target to exploit.
“None of your business! I’m going to turn you into grilled fish!”
Too lazy to waste words with her, Qingmo sent his Seven Absolute Strings soaring into the air, weaving them into an airtight prison net.