Looking around, the scene before her made her hold her breath. The entire Grassland seemed enchanted; every blade of grass was crystal clear, refracting a rainbow halo under light from an unknown source.
In the distance, a Heaven-Reaching Pagoda soared from the ground. The chains wrapped around the tower were not ordinary iron but condensed from flowing light, emitting ethereal musical notes as they swayed gently in the breeze. The Runes carved onto the bricks flickered, as if they were breathing.
"Someone, no, some cat, bring a mirror." She urgently needed to know if hitting the wall earlier had damaged her face. What if she ended up disfigured?
The Holstein cat on her chest perked up its ears upon hearing this. With a gentle flip of its Paw Pad-like paws, a silver mirror inlaid with moonstone appeared out of thin air. Instead of handing it over, the cat shoved the mirror right up to her face, the frame nearly bumping her nose tip.
"Phew, my face is fine." Yun Pianpian carefully examined herself in the mirror, suddenly noticing two scorching gazes.
Glancing sideways, the Calico Cat finally stopped grooming its fur, staring at her with an almost arrogant look. Meanwhile, the Holstein cat in her arms was shaking with laughter, its soft belly rising and falling.
She suddenly reached out and scooped up the Holstein cat, cradling its round body in her arms, her fingers sinking into its cloud-like fluffy fur.
"Quickly tell me who you are! What is this place? I warn you, confessing will earn you leniency, but resisting will be met with severity."
Saying this, she suddenly widened her eyes and put on an exaggerated expression of shock: "Could you two be the noble Cat Lords? Divine Beasts?"
The tip of the Calico Cat's ear twitched subtly. It continued licking its front paw, as if the human before it was less worthy of attention than its own fur.
The Holstein cat, enjoying the petting, let out a rumbling purr: "What's a Divine Beast? If I get the chance later, I'll catch a few for you to play with."
Yun Pianpian raised an eyebrow, suddenly pressing down harder as she rubbed the cat's belly: "Keep talking, keep bragging. You're not afraid of your boasts bursting, are you? Do you think Divine Beasts are dandelions on the street?"
She looked up at the giant tower exuding pressure. The coolness of the crystal Grassland seeped through her dress into her skin. "But since you could bring me to this place... you must be something more troublesome than a Divine Beast, right?"
The Calico Cat seemed unable to stand the Holstein cat's foolish glee any longer. It flicked its tail impatiently, its golden-green eyes sweeping over her coldly. Its tone was calm but carried unquestionable authority.
"My name is Xiao Qi, and that silly big one next to me is Xiao Jiu. We are the Artifact Spirits of the Heaven-Reaching Pagoda."
She paused, then elegantly raised a paw to point at the majestic giant tower in the distance. "The Heaven-Reaching Pagoda is an ancient divine artifact, consisting of eighteen Levels. You unlock one Level for every Realm you Breakthrough."
Xiao Jiu rolled over beside her, its round belly facing the sky, four paws kicking wildly, and chimed in cheerfully: "That's right! If it weren't for Master's Spiritual Power recovering, we wouldn't have woken up!"
Yun Pianpian narrowed her eyes, deliberately drawing out her tone to tease them: "Wait a minute, don't interrupt—what tower is this?"
Xiao Qi's ears instantly stiffened, and its tail slapped the Grassland with a "snap." It repeated slowly, word by word: "Hea-ven-Rea-ching Pa-go-da."
Yun Pianpian continued to play dumb, tilting her head and blinking: "Heaven-Reaching what Pagoda?"
Xiao Qi's fur visibly bristled, its claws slightly extended, adopting a posture that clearly meant, "Ask that again and I'll scratch you." Seeing she had pushed enough, Yun Pianpian quickly waved her hands: "Alright, alright, Heaven-Reaching Pagoda. Is it mine?"
Xiao Jiu finally finished licking its fur and scampered over happily, its fluffy head nudging her palm. Its voice was sweet and cloying: "To be precise, it has recognized you as its Master~ And—" it lowered its voice mysteriously, "we are inside Master's body, meow meow meow~"
"In-side my bo-dy?!" Yun Pianpian's eyes widened. She pointed at the towering giant structure, her voice rising, "Such a huge thing stuffed inside my body? Can you two try drafting your words first?!"
Xiao Qi snorted, elegantly curling its tail in front of it, delivering the finishing blow: "Moreover, you can't even open the First Level right now."
"Who says!" Yun Pianpian jumped up indignantly, but Xiao Jiu's weight immediately made her stumble, nearly sending her face-first to the ground. Both cats tilted their heads in unison and let out a synchronized "Meow~," as if mocking her overestimation of her own strength.
The morning breeze swept across the crystal Grassland, and tiny specks of light floated up like fireflies, illuminating the outline of the Heaven-Reaching Pagoda piercing the clouds. Yun Pianpian gazed at the unreachable spire and suddenly burst out laughing.
"Forget it, I won't mess with you two anymore." She patted the grass clippings off her skirt, preparing to leave, but after turning around several times, she couldn't find the exit. Finally, she returned, snatched up Xiao Qi, held it close, and revealed a dangerous smile: "I advise you to honestly tell me how to get out, or else—" She pinched the Cat Paw, narrowing her eyes, "Heh heh heh."
Xiao Qi stared back expressionlessly, its tail tip flicking lightly, and said calmly: "Try me?"
Seeing Yun Pianpian smiling with ill intent, it immediately bristled all over, its tail held ramrod straight, its four paws flailing wildly, determined to defend its feline dignity to the death. "Insolence! A mere Mortal dares to profane this Cat like this!"
However, the result of the struggle was—
"Hiss—!" Yun Pianpian gasped, looking at the fresh three red marks on the back of her hand, her mouth twitching. Xiao Qi hadn't fared well either; its originally smooth and glossy Calico fur was messed up beyond recognition, looking like a dandelion ravaged by a gale, radiating an aura of "Don't touch me."
"Alright, alright!" Xiao Qi finally conceded, flicking its tail irritably. "The secret phrase to leave is—'Misi Misi, slippery slidey, if you're not slippery, I won't Misi.'"
"..." Yun Pianpian was utterly dumbfounded.
This spell... why did it sound vaguely familiar? Like something she heard on a late-night children's show?
"Fine, fine, I got it. I'll be back later." She waved her hand dismissively and turned to leave.
Just then, Xiao Jiu's sinister voice drifted from behind her—
"If you don't come back..." it deliberately drew out the words, "I won't tell you that advancing to the Spirit Apprentice Realm is how you unlock the First Level of the Heaven-Reaching Pagoda, oh~"
Yun Pianpian stopped in her tracks.
"I won't tell you that it's piled high with ancient pill recipes, like Heart Calming Pills, Spirit Gathering Pills, Youth-Preserving Pills..."
Before Xiao Jiu could finish listing them, Yun Pianpian rushed back in a flash, scooping it up into her arms, her eyes shining terrifyingly bright. "Thank you! You two are truly my lucky stars! I promise to visit often!"
Before the words were even finished, she quickly recited the secret phrase—
"Misi Misi, slippery slidey..."
*Swish!*
The figure vanished instantly, leaving the two cats staring at each other.