Chapter 70.1 Chip Chip Chip Chip Chip Chip Chip Chip~
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The northeastern region of the Di Dynasty consisted mainly of flat plains. Further east, treacherous mountains loomed, rarely visited by people.
The presence of mountains served as a natural barrier, safeguarding the northeastern region of Di Dynasty from any invasion or disturbance by the Jiao Kingdom. The people there could farm and enjoy the harvest seasons without worry.
In the previous dynasty, an altar for celestial worship was established atop the towering Mount Yuan, symbolizing the Emperor’s divine connection.
However, in the past, every time a celestial ceremony took place, the entire procession had to set off from the capital city, marching for months. The counties along the way faced great hardships in preparing to welcome the Emperor’s procession. After the founding of the Di Dynasty, the sacrificial site was relocated to the outskirts of the capital city, rendering the altar on Mount Yuan obsolete.
Traveling from the capital city to Mount Yuan required passing through three or four counties, making it a long and distant journey.
The black cat, carrying Li Jinyu, left the capital city and traveled throughout the night before finally stopping in a small town.
Perched on the black cat’s back, Li Jinyu resembled a small bun on a big piece of black bread. He raised his head with curiosity and asked, “Why did we stop here?”
The black cat made a disapproving ‘hmph’, and said, “You don’t actually think we’re going all the way to Mount Yuan, do you?”
“…Oh, we aren’t?”
“We can rent a carriage. Why should we run on our own?” The black cat shivered, causing Li Jinyu to tumble off its back. “Let’s go find a carriage to rent.”
Li Jinyu rolled on the ground, feeling a bit dizzy. He shook his head and asked, “But how can we rent a carriage like this?”
The black cat didn’t respond. It stretched its body and, in a flash of black light, transformed into a human form right there.
It was the first time Li Jinyu had ever seen the black cat take on a human form.
Unlike the ordinary appearance of Prime Minister Ye, who looked to be in his early thirties, the human form of the black cat seemed to be only about sixteen or seventeen years old. He had jet-black short hair, a youthful face, and a strikingly handsome yet rebellious look. His eyes were a vibrant emerald green, reminiscent of a cat’s. He had a slim and agile physique, with long legs that gave off an aura of flexibility.
Li Jinyu felt a bit dumbfounded until the black cat lifted him up from the ground, and he asked uncertainly, “Chonky?”
The teenager squinted his eyes and his tone carried a subtle threat. “If you call me that again, I’ll crush you.”
Having spent a long time with the black cat, Li Jinyu knew about its tsundere nature—sharp with words but actually soft-hearted. Ignoring the threat, he curiously asked, “How were you able to transform into a human? Didn’t you lose your magical powers?”
“Of course, I recovered quickly after retraining,” the teenager snorted sarcastically. “I’ve been practicing every day while I had nothing else to do. What have you been up to?”
Li Jinyu replied, “…I’ve been handling state affairs.”
“That’s why I stopped bothering with anything after becoming the Prime Minister. It’s much better to focus on enjoying life,” the teenager scoffed. “Enough talking. Let’s go find a carriage to rent.”
“Are you sure about going like this?” Li Jinyu glanced at the cat ears on the boy’s head and the long tail behind his back. “Won’t we be kicked out?”
“I’m saving spiritual energy. I can only maintain this human form for a short time. I’ll change back when we meet other people later.”
Li Jinyu: “…”
Seeing the black cat’s earlier confidence, he had thought the cat had transformed back into that influential and powerful demon. It turned out they were quite alike—both were little demons who needed to be frugal with their energy.
Having a human form made things much easier. The black cat quickly rented a carriage in the town and bought plenty of food, generously paying a handful of silver coins.
Li Jinyu lay on the black cat’s shoulder and quietly asked, “Where did you get the money?”
“I conjured it.”
Li Jinyu: “…Isn’t that a bit inappropriate?”
“Don’t worry,” the teenager’s lips formed a gentle curve, with a slight coolness in his smile. “Just wait and see.”
In the evening, as Li Jinyu huddled inside the carriage, happily biting into a piece of yellow corn cake, he suddenly heard faint footsteps, as if someone was stealthily approaching.
Due to his sharp hearing, Li Jinyu raised his head in alertness. Just as he was about to warn the black cat, he witnessed the cat lying on the carriage’s carpet swiftly transforming into a human form. The ears and tail were tucked away, resembling someone deep in slumber.
The carriage door opened without a sound, revealing the coachman whose once honest face now appeared sinister. He held a sharp knife, ready to strike at the black cat teenager lying in the carriage.
As the sharp knife touched the black cat’s body, it suddenly froze. The teenager sat up, opened his eyes, and stared intently at the would-be attacker. His emerald eyes emitted a cold smile. “Funny, I happened to be hungry.”
The coachman stared in horror at the seemingly harmless boy. Two cat ears sprouted from his head, his teeth grew elongated, and his eyes transformed into feline pupils. The coachman’s fear was so intense that he dropped the knife with a clatter and desperately fled, running even faster than his horse. In the darkness of the night, only his agonizing cries could be heard.
“There’s a demon—”
Finally, Li Jinyu witnessed a scene reminiscent of “Journey to the West” in reality. He was so captivated by the spectacle that he forgot to eat his yellow corn cake. After a moment, he shifted his gaze to the teenager, who had already transformed back into its cat form.
The black cat raised its chin proudly. “Now, are you still worried about the money being fake?”
The man was so scared that he abandoned his cart and horse. There was no need to worry about money anymore.
Li Jinyu asked with uncertainty, “… How did you know he had evil intentions?”
“I’ve come across many humans with malicious intent,” the black cat coldly chuckled and disdainfully spat. “Selfish, greedy, and cruel. They would harm others for a little wealth. They can be found anytime, anywhere.”
Li Jinyu fell into silence.
“I’ve always been curious, how lucky are you to have never encountered such disgusting people?” The black cat suddenly shifted its gaze to Li Jinyu, its emerald eyes unblinking. It carried a faint sneer on its lips. “Don’t tell me you believe they can sympathize and understand.”
“Well, not really,” Li Jinyu scratched his ear with a hind paw, pondering for a moment. “Actually, I’ve come across owners who treated hamsters poorly, keeping them only as playthings without caring about their life or death. To them, hamsters are just inexpensive toys. That’s why they don’t care if they die.”
“You can endure that?”
“Well, if I come across them, I do get a bit angry, but usually, I just play dead and then return to the pet shop to wait for the next owner,” Li Jinyu hesitated for a moment and quietly expressed his thoughts. “Hamsters don’t have a strong sense of kinship… and I think encountering terrible people is already upsetting enough. Wouldn’t it be more distressing to constantly dwell on them?”
“And it’s not like I haven’t encountered very good owners. The owner I had when I became a spiritual hamster was a kind-hearted person. They took care of me with great patience and attention,” Li Jinyu reminisced, adding with enthusiasm, “They owned a dessert shop and would sometimes share a little treat with me. It was incredibly delicious.”
The black cat stared at him for a while and suddenly spoke, “Do you know what happened to the human who broke my leg and abandoned me in the wilderness?”
Just the thought made Li Jinyu’s legs ache. “Did you eat him?”
“If I had eaten him, I would’ve been afraid of getting an upset stomach,” the black cat made a disgusted gesture. “After I became a spiritual cat, the first thing I did was break his legs too and left him in a desolate mountain ravine to watch him crawl until he starved to death. Even if it meant carrying the burden of killing, I wouldn’t care—who knows what the future holds? There’s no point in living cautiously, hesitating at every step.”
Li Jinyu flinched in fear.
The black cat had a vengeful nature, so Li Jinyu wasn’t surprised by this outcome. As long as the black cat didn’t affect him or the people he cared about, Li Jinyu wouldn’t interfere with the black cat’s values.
However, he also had concerns for this fellow villager.
If one didn’t practice cultivation, it would be fine, but since they had embarked on the path of becoming a demon, killing would bring about consequences, and overcoming Heavenly Tribulations would become extremely difficult.
The black cat used to be so powerful, but it was struck down to this world by a Heavenly Tribulation, right?
However…
“If that’s what you say, why didn’t you just kill that person directly earlier?”
The black cat’s movement subtly paused, then it raised its head and said, “Considering he provided the horse and carriage, I spared his miserable life.”
Li Jinyu didn’t believe this reason. He was unusually astute at the moment and cautiously looked at the black cat, asking, “Is it because of Chi Zhongming?”
The black cat narrowed its eyes, and its tone became somewhat dark. “What does it have to do with him?”
The current Chi Zhongming hadn’t experienced the tragic events from the novel. He maintained a cheerful and optimistic nature, seemingly having nothing in common with the murderous creature.
But Chi Zhongming happened to like the black cat.
Li Jinyu noticed that ever since he transmigrated, he had been gradually changing— Huo Caiyu was influencing and altering him little by little.
He didn’t know whether his transformation was beneficial or detrimental for a demon. However, at least for “Li Jinyu” himself, he really enjoyed his current self.
Was it the same for the black cat?
Initially, the black cat harbored disgust and aversion towards humans because Prime Minister Ye’s call for exterminating a demon led to his own demise. However, now the black cat was willing to spare the carriage driver who intended to harm others for personal gain.
The black cat turned around in place twice, suddenly feeling a bit agitated for some unknown reason. It clenched its teeth and changed the subject, “By the way, I haven’t settled things with you yet.”
Li Jinyu paused, puzzled. “What things?”
“You’re the one who sneaked ‘The Secret Techniques of Long Yang’ into my cat’s nest, right?” The black cat gnashed its teeth in anger. “Damn it! Were you intentionally trying to trick me?”
Bringing up this matter made Li Jinyu genuinely feel a little guilty.
When Huo Caiyu returned on New Year’s Eve and slept on the grand dragon bed, Li Jinyu belatedly discovered that “The Secret Techniques of Long Yang” was still beneath his pillow. Feeling anxious at the time, he hastily hid that “educational material” in the black cat’s nest.
Afterward, he simply put that matter out of his mind.
Later, during the palace coup, Chi Zhongming was appointed as the Prince, and he brought back the black cat and everything associated with it to the Prince’s Mansion, including the nest where the book was concealed.
If the black cat hadn’t brought it up, Li Jinyu would have nearly forgotten about this incident.
He awkwardly twitched his ears. “Sorry, I only intended to hide it temporarily, but then I forgot… Did it cause any trouble for you?”
The black cat initially revealed a menacing expression, almost considering taking a bite out of this dim-witted hamster. However, upon hearing Li Jinyu’s final question, the entire cat suddenly froze, and in a stiff manner, it said, “Of course not.”
“If there wasn’t any trouble, why are you so angry?” Li Jinyu tilted his head, struck by a sudden realization. He jumped up and exclaimed, “Ah, you and Chi Zhongming—”
“Smack!”
A jet-black cat paw extended, firmly covering the little hamster’s mouth. Along with the black cat’s exasperated voice, it said, “Alright, stop talking! Nothing happened between Chi Zhongming and me last night!”
Li Jinyu: “…”
Oh, it was just last night.
Mentioning last night and the “The Secret Techniques of Long Yang,” Li Jinyu couldn’t help but reminisce about the experience of “sleeping on the dragon bed” with Huo Caiyu last night, and his face subtly turned red.
The black cat, for some unknown reason, also fell silent and slowly loosened its claws.
After a brief pause, the two demons exchanged glances and suddenly lost interest in causing harm to each other.
The black cat sullenly hopped off the low table. “Let’s sleep, we have to continue the journey tomorrow.”
Li Jinyu found a relatively comfortable spot on the low table and laid down.
Resting on the rough wooden surface of the carriage table wasn’t pleasant, and the spring night had a slight chill, intensifying Li Jinyu’s yearning for the soft dragon bed in the palace and the comforting warmth of Huo Caiyu.
Unfortunately, now he was a small hamster, barely the size of a palm… Li Jinyu felt that there probably weren’t many people as peculiar as Chi Zhongming, who could dare to kiss the black cat.
Li Jinyu wondered what Huo Caiyu was currently doing. He had left a note, so hopefully it wouldn’t cause Huo Caiyu too much worry, right?
Li Jinyu shifted his legs and curled up into a small dumpling, letting out a yawn.
He really wished to resolve his spiritual power issue quickly and return to find Huo Caiyu…
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Awww I’m kind of hoping they are followed by their humans xD can’t wait to see Huo Caiyu’s reaction when he realizes the truth