While Gu Nian was asleep, he unwittingly became Xu Xingyuan’s “Talent.”
Sure, a healthy Talent brings joy to the body and mind, but a cat-shaped Talent is also delicious.
Shi Shu looked at the black cat held high above Xu Xingyuan’s head and squeezed a sentence through his teeth:
“The holy fire burns bright, the holy fire shines… All my disciples go meow meow meow meow?”
Xu Xingyuan nodded heavily and repeated: “Meow meow meow meow.”
Shi Shu rubbed his chin, eyes full of curiosity, and couldn’t help asking:
“Does this black cat know Newton’s laws? Can it use a single paw to move the entire Earth?”
Xu Xingyuan defended Gu Nian: “It can’t. And why be so cruel to the kitty?”
“Then can this black cat turn into light and summon Ultraman to beat up little monsters?” Shi Shu remained curious.
He didn’t believe Xu Xingyuan’s Talent was just a simple little kitty.
And from their meeting until now, the kitty had been sleeping without any sign of waking up.
Could the kitty have other forms?
Shi Shu’s luck was indeed good! He actually guessed right!
If the kitty reverted to its true form, this dungeon wouldn’t need to exist anymore; it would shatter into debris on the spot.
“Turn into light?” Xu Xingyuan thought carefully. “Perhaps the kitty can’t do that.”
“Then can the kitty read minds? Can it shape-shift like Sun Wukong? Failing that, has it eaten Monk Tang’s meat?!”
Shi Shu grew more outrageous as he spoke, his imagination practically running to the West Coast of the Pacific to rap.
“It’s just a simple, cute little kitty that likes to sleep.”
Xu Xingyuan hugged Cat-Nian back into his arms. To prevent Shi Shu from saying more terrifying and bizarre things, he actively added:
“Its Talent is sleeping.”
“I thought my [Fortune] was pretty useless at times, but turns out the experts always show up last!”
Shi Shu’s gaze toward Xu Xingyuan was already filled with pity, automatically putting himself in the protector’s role.
“Xingyuan, don’t be afraid! Although I’m also pretty powerless, protecting one of you is more than enough!”
Shi Shu forcibly pressed Xu Xingyuan onto the safest bed in the room and said with super responsibility:
“Bro’s luck is cracked. You sleep worry-free, I’ll keep watch! If anything happens in the middle of the night, I’ll wake you up immediately!”
Hearing this, before Xu Xingyuan could even be moved, he was stuffed under the covers by Shi Shu.
Shi Shu himself sat on the bed near the door, arms crossed, seriously guarding the door.
Looking at his back alone, he actually gave off a sense of security.
One minute later.
Shi Shu’s upright posture shifted.
Three minutes later.
Shi Shu was half-leaning on the bed.
Five minutes later.
Shi Shu, who promised to keep watch, was sprawled out on the bed in a “大” shape.
By the looks of it, he was already dead to the world.
Xu Xingyuan slowly opened his eyes, listening to the rhythmic snoring beside his ear, and sat up resignedly.
He turned his head to face Shi Shu’s sweetly sleeping face, his lip twitching as he let out a long breath.
When Shi Shu woke up tomorrow, Xu Xingyuan definitely had to ask him:
“As a veteran player of several dungeons, how exactly did you survive?”
Just as Xu Xingyuan was contemplating, there was a sudden knock on the door.
He opened the door a crack and saw the butler standing there holding a candle.
“My Lord, excuse the disturbance.”
With no outsiders present, the butler no longer wore that distant, unapproachable face but revealed a sincere smile.
The status of a Ferryman was “below one person, above ten thousand,” like an ancient prime minister on a private visit.
The butler took a small step back and continued smiling:
“I have prepared a better room upstairs for you, along with a sumptuous meal. Let me take you there.”
Xu Xingyuan was a bit flattered. He hesitated for a few seconds but finally agreed.
He hadn’t taken many steps when his shoulder suddenly felt heavy.
Xu Xingyuan looked back and met a pair of blood-red cat eyes.
To let Cat-Nian sleep more comfortably, he hadn’t held him just now but placed him on the pillow.
Unexpectedly, after losing Xu Xingyuan’s body heat and scent, Gu Nian groggily woke from his deep sleep.
While Gu Nian was currently a cat, for some reason, Xu Xingyuan still understood the emotion in his cat eyes.
It was a silent condemnation.
As if Xu Xingyuan was a “scumbag cat-lover” who petted and ran after taking liberties with Cat-Nian, he dumped him on the pillow and left!
“Um,” Xu Xingyuan couldn’t help feeling guilty.
He immediately scooped Senior Gu Nian into his arms and stroked his back soothingly.
Returning to the familiar embrace and smelling Xu Xingyuan’s scent, Gu Nian slowly closed his eyes.
Xu Xingyuan let out a long breath, thinking the matter was over.
Who could have guessed that the senior opened his eyes again and smacked his paw onto the back of Xu Xingyuan’s hand?
“Meow.”
Xu Xingyuan understood Gu Nian’s meaning.
“Senior, I swear I absolutely won’t leave you alone as a cat again.”
To ensure Gu Nian believed him, Xu Xingyuan obediently held up four fingers, widened his round eyes, and said very earnestly:
“I swear!”
Gu Nian stared at Xu Xingyuan for three seconds, his upright left ear twitching gently twice.
Confirming Xu Xingyuan wasn’t lying, he kneaded Xu Xingyuan’s chest with his paw pads, found the most comfortable position, and curled up motionless.
Xu Xingyuan called out softly, “Senior?”
The black cat in his arms didn’t react, having fallen back into a deep sleep.
Xu Xingyuan exhaled, hugged the fluffy Gu Nian tight, and followed the butler up to the fifth floor.
Sure enough, as the butler said, the moment he pushed open the door, Xu Xingyuan was stunned!
The room was furnished luxuriously, the air scented with a faint, relaxing rose aroma.
The table was laden with a large spread of overly exquisite and delicious food, making one’s mouth water.
The butler led Xu Xingyuan over, respectfully pushed the chair under him, and stood aside to help serve food.
If Xu Xingyuan looked at a dish for a second too long, the next second, that food would appear on his plate.
“I-I can eat by myself!”
Facing malicious targeting from others, Xu Xingyuan could maintain peace of mind and turn a blind eye.
He had faced too much direct malice and cursing since childhood. To protect himself, he forced himself to become dull to it.
Faced with kindness and active care from others, Xu Xingyuan was at a loss.
The butler shook his head. “This is my duty.”
Just eating wasn’t enough. From the moment Xu Xingyuan arrived, the butler had prepared to host him wholeheartedly.
“I have also prepared other programs for you.”
The butler clapped his hands, and soon three nervous-looking male servants entered.
“To welcome you, I gave them two hours of intensive training. Guaranteed to entertain you.”
The first one excelled in playing and singing.
In the middle of the night, holding an erhu, he frantically played a DJ version of The Moon Reflected in the Second Spring, with a suona in his mouth.
Like smashing cucumbers with preserved eggs in a cold dish, this servant used the suona version of Hundreds of Birds Paying Homage to the Phoenix as the base and frantically stirred The Moon Reflected in the Second Spring into it!
For a moment, Xu Xingyuan couldn’t tell who was the Second Spring and who were the Hundred Birds.
The scene before him was too abstract, like a fish and a bicycle.
Yes, fish and bicycles are two completely different species. Either can live without the other, having no influence on the other.
However, friends—
Don’t you want to see a fish ride a bicycle?