As it was getting dark, Mo Yu came back.

He returned to the courtyard carrying a green fish in his mouth.

Nobody knew where the fish had been caught, and he had gotten a bit wet, as if from having been in the water.

The Tabby Cat walked over, saw that Mo Yu was soaking wet, and said, “You’re all wet again.”

“Yup.”

Mo Yu made a sound, then lay down, adding, “I’ll be dry in a bit.”

He shook the water off his body.

The Tabby Cat cried out, “Ah! You splashed Lihua! Stop shaking! Lihua will blow on Mo Yu.”

So she started blowing on Mo Yu.

Mo Yu gave her a look and said, “Stupid, eat your fish.”

“You look down on me.”

“I do not.”

“Yes you do!”

Mo Yu glanced at her, stretched out a paw, and tapped the Tabby Cat on the head.

“No back-talk. Eat the fish.”

“Oh…”

The Tabby Cat rubbed her head, then squatted nearby and started eating the green fish Mo Yu had brought back.

Mo Yu sighed and announced, “I’m tired, going to sleep.”

“Okay,” said the Tabby Cat.

Chen Changsheng sat watching this from beneath the tree in the courtyard the whole time.

The Tabby Cat only ate half her fish.

She looked up at Mo Yu and called out, “Mo Yu? Mo Yu?”

The black dog didn’t respond; he had genuinely fallen asleep.

Seeing that Mo Yu was still wet, the Tabby Cat moved close and started blowing on him again.

It seemed she was building all her strength.

She kept blowing on him. Though the difference it made was tiny, it was still better than having no breeze at all.

Seeing it wasn’t helping much made Lihua a bit unhappy.

She remembered in the past he dried quickly with just a little blowing.

But now he wasn’t drying.

She walked around him, then lifted her paws and pressed them against Mo Yu’s back.

The Tabby Cat seemed very careful, afraid of waking Mo Yu up.

She even forgot the half-finished fish.

Watching this, Chen Changsheng felt an inexplicable sense of envy.

Was he envious of Mo Yu? Or of Lihua?

It seemed that individually, neither was particularly enviable. But the two of them together? That was something special.

Never leaving each other, clinging together in life and death.

There were probably countless people in the world who weren’t as good as this one cat and one ‘dog’.

Chen Changsheng closed his eyes and fell asleep.

Night deepened.

Mo Yu awoke to find warmth on his back. Lihua had climbed on top of him and fallen asleep there.

With a slight stir, Lihua woke up.

She seemed still drowsy.

“Mmm…”

Lihua sleepily climbed off Mo Yu but immediately snuggled close, pressing against his chin before settling down again and falling asleep.

Mo Yu asked, “Why didn’t you finish the fish?”

“Lihua…”

“…forgot.”

The Tabby Cat mumbled softly and quickly sank into deep sleep.

Mo Yu looked at her and couldn’t help but sigh softly.

He lifted his head and saw the green-robed man sleeping under the tree.

Mo Yu felt this person was a strange cultivator.

At least very different from ordinary cultivators.

It reminded him of one person from long ago; this cultivator named Chen was somewhat similar.

He recalled the Phoenix Flower he had seen in Chen Changsheng’s sleeve that day.

Speaking of which, why was that Evil Phoenix here again?

Mo Yu didn’t understand exactly what this cultivator named Chen wanted with capturing these spirits. Not killing them, just keeping them… why?

The Ghost Sword Immortal was here too, plus a familiar aura.

For now, Mo Yu couldn’t guess what this Cultivator Chen’s purpose was. He couldn’t deny, however, that staying near him felt at least relatively safe.

‘Why bother thinking about it…’

Mo Yu shook his head slightly, then placed his paw on Lihua’s back. This way she’d be warmer. He closed his eyes and went back to sleep.

He wasn’t actually very sleepy; Lihua just liked sleeping pressed against him.

He really only cared about Lihua.

………

In the early morning, thin mist rose over the mountain behind Yun Manor. As the morning sun climbed, the mist slowly lifted, revealing the mountain’s true shape.

A thick quilt of clouds covered the long mountain range. The sight made one appreciate nature’s beauty. The cloud-covered mountains formed a line; it was a rare sight.

“So much cotton!”

“That’s cloud.” 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝒆𝔀𝒆𝙗𝓷𝒐𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝓶

“Ohhh…”

“Stupid.”

The Tabby Cat and the black dog bickered as usual. Chen Changsheng had woken early and was reading.

Before long, Yun Li came rushing up urgently.

“Mr. Chen, we have a lead!”

Chen Changsheng went with Yun Li out of Yun Manor once he heard.

Yun Manor disciples had detected traces of Corpse Qi within the Ten-Thousand-Mile Mountains during their patrols the previous night, narrowing down the search area. That’s why Yun Li had come first thing in the morning.

After Chen Changsheng left,

The Tabby Cat in the courtyard looked outside. She nudged the black dog with her paw and asked, “Mo Yu, are we really not going tell Good Human Chen?”

“Tell what?”

“About the hand.”

Mo Yu thought for a moment. “Likely that Evil Hand can’t truly harm him. If it proves too much for him… well, then we should make an early escape.”

“That’s not good.”

“Lihua doesn’t want to?”

“Nope.”

“We have no choice,” Mo Yu said. “Right now, there’s nowhere else for us to go.”

“Lihua understands.”

Mo Yu stretched out his paw and gently stroked Lihua’s head. Silence fell in the courtyard.

………

Brush crowded the Ten-Thousand-Mile Mountains.

When Chen Changsheng arrived, the jungle blocked his view of the ground.

A Yun Manor disciple saw Yun Li and clasped his hands respectfully. “Greetings, Deacon Yun.”

The disciple’s gaze turned to Chen Changsheng, a questioning look seeming to form as he looked at Yun Li.

“This is Mr. Chen,” Yun Li stated.

Hearing this, a realization dawned on the disciple.

This was most likely why the family head had issued that order.

“Greetings, Mr. Chen.”

Chen Changsheng gave a slight nod. “You’re too courteous.”

Yun Li asked immediately, “The Evil Hand is confirmed to be inside?”

“Two Guardians came to investigate last night. They confirmed it’s in a cave about three miles further in.”

“Good!”

Yun Li acknowledged, then turned to Mr. Chen. “Last time I fought it, I got wounded. If not for you, Sir, I wouldn’t know when I’d have recovered. Please let me take the vanguard this time? I want another crack at this Evil Hand.”

“If you find yourself unable to match it, I will step in.”

“Thank you, Sir.”

After that, Yun Li and Chen Changsheng entered the area. The other disciples kept watch outside, remaining vigilant.

The disciple who had spoken to Yun Li pondered privately about the green-robed gentleman.

‘Even Deacon Yun refers to himself as a junior before him and calls him Sir?’

‘Just how important must this person be?’

He couldn’t help but sigh; his experience was still rather shallow.

As they ventured deeper, both Chen Changsheng and Yun Li felt the increasing concentration of Corpse Qi.

Chen Changsheng suddenly stopped Yun Li.

Yun Li glanced down and frowned.

Ahead lay the carcass of a mountain deer. It looked drained of life.

Chen Changsheng said, “Looks like I wounded it pretty badly last time. Now, to heal, it’s even resorting to sucking the life from these mountain spirits.”

“Let’s move forward.”