“Of course I remember, it was due to aging circuits.” Xu Ji answered slowly, “I was on duty that night and only came over after receiving the call. You were very sad that the study had been burned down. I remember you crying so hard it was heartbreaking.”
Wen Zheng asked again, "Did you really go to work your shift?"
This time, the sound from the other side stopped for even longer, long enough for a kitten to limp over to Wen Zheng's feet, its furry body rubbing against him, sending a chill through him.
“Yes,” Xu Ji said, “What do you want to ask?”
Wen Zheng took a deep breath, and a huge wave of anger surged towards him like a tsunami. A moment of dizziness made him lean back against the windowsill.
"...I want to ask, what exactly do you want to do?" Wen Zheng's voice was hoarse: "Why do you want to burn down my study?"
Xu Ji smiled.
Wen Zheng knew Xu Ji's normal reactions and speaking habits, and he had already given himself away when Xu Ji paused for the first time.
Xu Ji wasn't sensitive to time and would habitually ask questions to reinforce his memory. Wen Zheng remembered that whenever he asked Xu Ji questions like what to eat tomorrow or what date the teacher needed to pay for materials, Xu Ji would always start with a sentence like "Tomorrow?" or "The 15th?" and he would respond very quickly.
When it comes to a specific point in the past, he has never escaped this habit.
If it were the normal Xu Ji, his first response would be—"Thirteen years ago?"
However, he skipped this step and said of course he remembered.
Of course I remember.
Wen Zheng slammed his fist against the wall, his throat bobbing as he thought, "You didn't even come that night."
The fire broke out before midnight, but Xu Ji arrived at dawn the next day.
Those tender memories instantly transformed into menacing black vines, suffocating Wen Zheng. All he could ask was, why?!
"Silly child," Xu Ji said slowly, "because I want you to come home with me soon."
“I truly raise you as my son. If you continue to live with your parents, you will never be able to break free from your dependence on them. You are too weak. A warrior cannot be weak. I am your family. You should listen to me attentively and follow the course plan I have set.”
"It turns out I was right. I taught you very well, and you are living a good life now. You are healthy and respected, and your personal abilities are among the best of your batch of young soldiers... All of this is because of my teaching."
Wen Zheng couldn't hold back any longer.
He threw his phone aside, rushed into the bathroom, and vomited into the toilet. The acid reflux burned his esophagus, his whole body convulsed, and his legs were too weak to stand. After vomiting twice, he collapsed to the floor by the time he came to his senses.
That's disgusting.
The nausea was persistent and couldn't be relieved at all; my stomach would churn again after sitting for less than ten seconds.
There was nothing to vomit. Wen Zheng's vision blurred, and tears streamed down his face. He braced himself on the ground with one hand, gasping for breath between gulps. As the next wave of nausea hit, he suddenly felt a warm sensation on the back of his hand.
Immediately afterwards, a large hand pressed down on my back.
"What's going on?!" Bei Sining exclaimed in shock. "You're... hey!"
Wen Zheng really didn't want to greet Bei Sining in such a disheveled state, but he couldn't control himself. He gripped Bei Sining's arm tightly, and heard the cat spirit's voice tremble as she asked in alarm, "Why are you crying?...Did you eat something wrong?"
Wen Zheng shook his head vigorously and pushed him.
The cat spirit completely misunderstood him, suddenly reaching out to grab his chin and forcing him to open his mouth. Wen Zheng was powerless and didn't react before being fed something quite large, which painfully slid down his throat into his stomach.
Then, Bei Sining pressed her palm against his stomach.
A strange warmth spread from his stomach, down his limbs, and slowly reached his fingertips. The spasmodic nausea was almost immediately soothed. Wen Zheng breathed heavily as the cat spirit held him in its arms, its soft hair, as black as its own fur, brushing against his ear.
"It's alright, don't be afraid," Bei Sining said. "Was it poisoning? My companion stone can cure poisoning. You'll be fine after eating it, you're all better..."
The blanket gently patted his back as Wen Zheng hugged him tightly.
After a long pause, he asked quietly, "You gave me stones to eat? Were they washed?"
Bei Sining: "...Hmm?"
Author's Note: Ningning: I'm back!
Wen Zheng: (spits out)
Ningning: ? ? ?
(Oh my god, what kind of dog is this? Master is so mean! I'll add an extra chapter tomorrow to celebrate, so check it out at midnight, my darlings!)
(This stone is so dirty, and it's been scratched by Koko. Ugh, cats are so unhygienic.)
Chapter 108
Bei Sining angrily rebuked him: "That's my birthstone, how could it be dirty?!"
Insulting his companion stone was like calling him dirty, which Bei Sining found completely unacceptable, and she launched into a long explanation.
Wen Zheng's limbs went weak, but as he listened, he couldn't help but laugh. His voice was initially muffled in his throat, but quickly rose again, filling the small bathroom.
Bei Sining punched a cotton ball, shut her mouth in annoyance, and picked Wen Zheng up by the knees.
"Don't sit on the floor. Why are you making me worry so much? I've only been gone for two days and I've already eaten all sorts of random things and I'm throwing up like this." He carried Wen Zheng to a chair in the outer room, bounced him a few times before putting him down, and asked in surprise, "Why have you lost weight?"
Wen Zheng didn't want to talk to him at all. He took the water that Wen Zheng handed him and drank it all in one gulp.
My stomach, which had been churning, was gently soothed, and the fatigue and worry of the past few days vanished completely. The moment I saw Bei Sining, my heart finally settled and began to beat strongly in my chest again.
He took a wet wipe and wiped his face, his voice still hoarse, watching Bei Sining wander around the cubicle, her gaze following him.
"Is everything going smoothly?"
Bei Sining had just taken a box of cookies out of the cupboard when she heard this and replied, "Of course it went smoothly. Don't you even know who I am?"
The cookie box was opened, releasing a rich, buttery aroma. The cookies were soft and crumbly, bought from the snack shop downstairs. But he would never tell Wen Zheng, instead feigning a complaint: "Ye Yubing and the others have hidden snacks here with me again. You should eat more."
Wen Zheng had no appetite, but he wouldn't refuse the food. After eating the soft pastries, the heartburn gradually subsided.
"Take the demon core back first," Wen Zheng said. "Besides, people can't eat stones. Won't there be a problem if you feed it to me like this?"
Bei Sining dragged a chair in from outside and said casually, "No, I will guide it into your dantian."
Wen Zheng was taken aback.
“This is something that can aid in cultivation. The Fate Cat can do it, and humans should be able to too. I heard my elders in the clan say that years ago.” Bei Sining said, “Didn’t you want to chop up that guy? Once you’ve cultivated to a certain level and can withstand the gale in the spatial rift, you can come back with me and chop him up together.”
"…………" Wen Zheng remained silent for a long time before sitting up in shock: "What!?"
The cat spirit dropped a bomb, blasting his damn master and stupid classmates to smithereens.
"Is it that hard to understand?" Bei Sining asked curiously, pressing him down so he could lean back. "It's just cultivation, immortal cultivation, true cultivation. Don't you have similar novels here? Talent determines the speed of cultivation. As long as you have resources, so-and-so... could still be alive today. Animals can't cultivate without developing intelligence, but humans have innate wisdom. Why not use it? It's great."
Wen Zheng was stunned.
"..." Seeing that he hadn't spoken for a long time, Bei Sining asked impatiently, "What, you don't want to come back with me?"
The cat spirit was displeased. On his way back, he had already imagined three rounds of this: once Wen Zheng's cultivation was complete, they could go wherever they wanted. They could visit the company here, have the kitten take care of things, and then go back to the other world to see their relatives and friends, travel around, and have a wonderful time.
But Wen Zheng doesn't want to go with him? Then... what should we do!
Does that mean he'll have to stay here forever?
The fragile human had been poisoned after being left here for just two days. It broke his heart to see him like this. How could he possibly leave him alone again?
A thought flashed through the cat spirit's mind like an electric shock—could this be what it feels like to be trapped?!
“No,” Wen Zheng realized, “I want to go.”
Bei Sining snorted.
“I’ve said it before, wherever you go, I’ll go,” Wen Zheng said. “And I really do want to go.”
He paused, then asked in a deep voice, "Is that person dead?"
Bei Sining's back hair bristled.
After explaining all afternoon, Bei Sining, parched, went to have dinner with Wen Zheng.
As Fan Lingrou left the office, she was so startled by her elusive boss that she jumped up on the spot—spending too much time with cat spirits had become somewhat contagious.
"When did the boss arrive?!" She patted her chest for a while to calm herself down, and handed each of them a box: "Perfect timing, samples of the new snacks have arrived, you two try them."
Wen Zheng: "Us?"
"Oh right, this one is designed for both cats and people to eat together, it's a small cookie. Less oil, less sugar, and three times the milk flavor, no cat can resist it—the boss must like it too, right? I've seen you buying butter cookies downstairs at the company for three days in a row."
Bei Sining's face darkened: "…………"
Wen Zheng smiled, opened the cookie box, and took a bite.
He testified that the cats really did like to eat it. That afternoon, the cats in the company had already sniffed out the aroma and taken turns coming into the office to share Bei Sining's secret stash of cookies. Even now, Wen Zheng's palms still retain the feeling of being gently licked.
Wen Zheng scratched Bei Sining's chin: "Alright, let's take it back and try it."
For dinner, they chose a retro noodle shop. The second-floor railing was decorated with antique-style red lanterns, and the lighting was dim, yet the place was bustling with people. Bei Sining wasn't used to it.
"Why are you eating here?" Bei Sining picked at the chunks of beef in her noodles. "Have you suddenly developed a liking for noodles? Or is your stomach still upset?"
Wen Zheng ordered a light chicken noodle soup. After taking a few bites, he said, "I'm here to wait for someone."
"?"
Just then, a familiar-looking big dog came roaring up the stairs and headed straight for Wen Zheng's table.
It jostled several waiters, nearly knocking over the tray, and then quickly and accurately found the spot where Wen Zheng had placed the box of cookies, opening its mouth wide and twisting its tongue in a hissing manner.
A young woman chased after him, apologizing profusely: "Oh, I'm so sorry, my dog smelled the aroma... Oh, hello, I'm so sorry... Oh, that's great, would you mind sharing a table?"
The dog ate its biscuit, strangers chatted and laughed, and true human kindness was evident. Diners and servers alike turned their attention away from that corner, and the place became lively again.
"Wendy?" Bei Sining was completely confused, looking at Wen Zheng and then at Wendy: "What are you guys doing?"
Wendy mysteriously made a shh gesture towards Bei Sining and said, "Wow, you're so handsome, can I add you on WeChat?"
The box of incredibly potent biscuits had completely captured the dog's attention. Wen Zheng rummaged through his bag, opened the biscuits, fed them to the dog, and handed his phone to Wendy.
Wendy carefully put her phone away, took the box of cookies with her, said goodbye, and quickly left the noodle shop.
"What exactly are you doing?" Bei Sining asked, puzzled. "What kind of riddles are you playing?"
Wen Zheng finished his noodle soup before saying, "There's news about Xu Ji."
Wendy is a top-notch hacker who can find clues from the usage patterns of a mobile phone. Wen Zheng used this phone that afternoon to make a phone call with Xu Ji for a full eight minutes and forty-six seconds.
He doesn't even need to record audio or use other location tracking software; Wendy can extract useful clues on her own.
"You called Xu Ji? And he answered?" Bei Sining asked incredulously. "Wasn't he missing?"