Unintended Immortality-Chapter 417: The Domineering Cat

Lady Calico had indeed set out before dawn.

The main reason?

Sleeping next to the Daoist last night had been far too comfortable. The salty-sweet sea breeze, the rhythmic crashing of the waves—combined with the Daoist’s soothing voice, which lingered in her mind—had woven a dreamscape so beautiful that she could hardly resist.

She had dreamt of the shoreline teeming with fish.

Even the smallest ones were as wide as her paw pads and as long as a cat’s tail. They swam back and forth in the shallow waters, darting playfully through the waves. She had waded into the water, paws splashing as she reached out—every grab yielded a fish, another, and another, an endless bounty.

Even the Daoist had been stunned, showering her with praise, calling her incredible over and over again.

There were so many fish—far too many to finish.

With such an excess, Lady Calico had no choice but to dry them on the small boat she had just bought with a great sum of money, turning them into fish jerky. A rough estimate told her that there was enough to last half a month—even the Daoist would eat it.

The bad news? Just as she had laid the fish out to dry, the dream ended.

The good news? She woke up by the seaside.

How could she possibly go back to sleep?

Though the sky was still dim, the early morning beach was as bright as day in her eyes. After quietly observing the Daoist to make sure he was still asleep, she slipped out of the blanket and stepped onto the cool, damp sand, walking along the shoreline.

At first, she had been skeptical about the Daoist’s words—after all, he had never been to the seaside either. Could this really be like Lanmo County under the rampage of rat demons—a cat’s paradise?

Even in that so-called cat’s paradise, the rats still darted about at high speed, and only her exceptional skills allowed her to catch them. How could the beach possibly be littered with fish and shrimp, free for the taking?

It would be lucky if things were even as good as her dream.

But the moment she stepped out and stretched her neck to look ahead, she saw it—a silver fish lying right there on the darkened shore, its scales glimmering like they were glowing.

Stunned, Lady Calico padded closer for a better look.

It was at least as wide as a cat’s thigh, its body plump and round, noticeably thicker than the fish found inland. Both ends tapered to a point, and it was about the length of an entire cat. It was even bigger than the little fish in her dream.

The fish’s mouth opened and closed weakly, its eyes locking onto hers. For a moment, it almost looked like it was speaking to her.

She widened her eyes, leaned in for a closer look, sniffed carefully, and confirmed that it was indeed a real fish—something dreams could never capture in such detail. Without hesitation, she grabbed it in her mouth and headed back.

After dropping off the small fish, she dashed out again, this time sprinting across the beach.

Following the coastline, she didn’t have to go far before spotting another large fish. This one had buried itself in the sand, trying to hide. But to Lady Calico’s sharp eyes, it was as obvious as the bright moon in the night sky.

This fish was as wide as a cat.

In rivers and lakes, whether catching fish by hand or fishing with a rod, it was rare to come across one this large—let alone actually catch one. Yet here, she could simply pick one up from the roadside?

Lady Calico was utterly stunned. For a moment, she even wondered if she was still dreaming—if she had simply entered another dream.

To confirm, she pressed her paw against the fish, rubbing it back and forth, checking it from every angle, sniffing and sniffing again. Only after thorough inspection did she finally accept that it was real.

She then put in the effort to drag the fish back, but even as she did, her mind was still reeling. Unable to suppress her excitement, she rushed out once more in search of more.

Soon, she found several crabs hiding in shallow pools among the rocky shore. These crabs foolishly tried to fight her—but a single puff of her yellow smoke was enough to make them surrender. One by one, she picked them up in her mouth and carried them back.

Taking advantage of the Daoist’s deep sleep, she then quietly woke the little swallow and had it help her build a small pool—where she could keep all her effortlessly obtained prey fresh.

At this point, her entire understanding of the world had been overturned.

What kind of place was this seaside? This wasn’t just the coast—this was a paradise!

If only she and her mother had been born here...

As she reveled in these thoughts, the sky gradually brightened.

The villagers arrived early.

At first, Lady Calico worried they would pick up everything on the beach before she could, and for a moment, she felt a wave of panic. But then she realized—the treasures of the beach far exceeded what she had initially seen.

So, she fully embraced her spirit of learning—

When she saw a man digging beneath the raised bumps and uneven spots on the sand and pulling out sea snails, she tilted her head in thought, secretly observing his technique. After analyzing his method, she imitated his actions—and sure enough, she dug up a fine, plump sea snail herself.

She even copied the man’s process of rinsing and squeezing out the water, mastering every step to perfection. Not a single detail was missed.

With that, she found herself locked into the rhythm of digging for sea snails. She dug and dug, wandering further and further without realizing it.

Then, suddenly, she straightened up.

Her sharp eyes caught sight of a tiny person sneaking around, frequently peering under the cracks between rocks. Curious, Lady Calico temporarily halted her snail-digging to follow him.

Before long, she copied his actions as well—searching under the rocks’ crevices—and soon managed to catch several crabs, a fish, and one strange-looking “bug”.

“Look...”

Lady Calico lowered her head as she spoke, reaching into her pouch and rummaging around. After a brief search, she pulled out a “bug” and held it up for the Daoist to see.

It was, in fact, a scalloped spiny lobster[1].

Though it was called scalloped spiny lobster[2], it was still thicker than Lady Calico’s own arm. Her hands were tiny, fair, and delicate, making it quite a challenge to grip the wriggling creature. But she held it firmly, her grip unyielding despite its relentless struggle.

She didn’t even blink—her wide eyes remained locked onto the Daoist as she proudly presented her find.

After showing him the scalloped spiny lobster, she stuffed it back into her pouch, rummaged again, and pulled out a fish. The fish flopped and thrashed in her small hands, but she remained as steady as ever, once again tilting her head up to stare straight at the Daoist.

“This is a scalloped spiny lobster.”

“Scalloped spiny lobster!”

“Yes.”

“Lobster!”

“Yes.”

“Then why doesn't it have claws?”

Her voice was soft and delicate, with a faintly clipped intonation.

“Some lobsters have claws, some don’t. But ocean crustaceans come in endless varieties—far more than those in rivers and lakes. They come in all shapes and sizes.”

“What about this fish?” As she spoke, she prepared to pull the grouper out of her pouch again to show him.

“No need to take it out again.”

“I have to take it out!” The little girl stubbornly pulled it out once more. “Look!”

“I see it. That’s a grouper.”

“Grouper...”

“Yes.”

“Look how big this fish is!”

“I see it.”

“It’s bigger than a cat!”

“I see it.”

“And really fat, too!”

“I see it.”

“I just picked it up!”

“Lady Calico, you’re incredible.”

“Of course!”

Finally satisfied, Lady Calico continued her storytelling. Then came the part about the woman digging for razor shells.

This technique seemed a bit more complicated. Lady Calico couldn’t figure out how the woman knew which way the razor shells would move, so she had followed her for quite some time. According to her own claims, she had now mastered the skill.

“These things are so dumb—they don’t even know how to run. Even an idiot could catch them,” the little girl declared. “And there are so many.”

“All the food you’ve gathered so far... it should be enough for two days, right?”

“It’s not enough!” Lady Calico strode ahead, speaking without a second thought, “We’ll be heading out to sea soon, and we don’t know how long we’ll be out there. We need to store as much food as possible. Otherwise, we’ll starve to death.”

“But we have a fishing rod, and the sea has an endless supply of food.”

“It’s not enough!”

“...Alright then.”

Song You didn’t argue with her. Instead, he simply smiled and asked, “Then, may I join you?”

“You can.”

“Then I must thank you.” Song You paused for a moment before asking, “But why did you summon a wolf?”

“Because I’m a little human. If ordinary people see that I’m small, they’ll think I’m weak and easy to bully. Then, they might try to steal my fish. But if I have a big wolf like this beside me, they won’t dare steal anything.”

“Lady Calico, you’re truly a genius.”

“That’s right!”

As she answered, the little girl crouched down, using her blade as a makeshift shovel. She lightly traced the surface of a small hole in the sand, determining its general direction. Then, with a sudden burst of energy, she began digging furiously just behind the opening.

In the blink of an eye, a deep pit appeared, filled with a murky mixture of sand and seawater—completely obscuring whatever lay beneath.

“And besides, with a wolf around, I can ask it to help carry all the things I catch.”

“Then why haven’t you asked the wolf to help yet?”

“I want to carry everything myself!” she spoke while digging with full concentration.

“Aren’t you tired?”

“Not at all!”

No sooner had she answered than she pulled her hand out of the sand.

Clutched tightly in her grasp was a razor shell. Though her face remained serious, her eyes shone brighter than ever before. She immediately jumped to her feet, lifting the clam high above her head for the Daoist to see.

“Daoist priest, look!”

“You’re amazing.”

“What is this?”

“It should be a razor shell[3].”

“Wazer chells!”

“Mm.”

“Do you eat razor shells?”

“I do. And I like them very much.”

“...!”

The little girl’s expression immediately stiffened. Her eyes grew even brighter, her face even more serious.

Without hesitation, she stuffed the razor shell into her pouch. Even as she did so, her head had already turned, her sharp eyes scanning the beach like an eagle, searching for the next razor shell hole.

“Follow me.”

“Do you need my help?”

“No.”

“Should I carry the pouch for you?”

“No.”

“Then what should I do?”

“Follow me! And watch me catch them!”

“...Alright.”

This domineering cat was truly overwhelming. Song You couldn’t help but smile.

He followed behind her, watching as she tirelessly dug hole after hole in the sand—easily over a dozen. Out of every ten attempts, she successfully unearthed razor shells seven or eight times.

The ones that got away? Those were met with a furrowed brow and a defeated “It ran away...” from Lady Calico. Meanwhile, Song You’s only job was to reassure her that “That hole was probably empty to begin with.”

Aside from that, he had no other responsibilities.

But having nothing to do didn’t mean he was useless—at this moment, his role was essentially that of an environmental enhancer, elevating Lady Calico’s sea-foraging experience.

Before long, her pouch was nearly overflowing. The razor shells had to be crammed into whatever tiny gaps remained. Seeing this, Song You quickly called out, “That’s enough, that’s enough...”

“Hmm?”

“There’s already enough for a big pot,” Song You said helplessly. “Eating only one thing isn’t good either.”

“Oh, that’s right...”

Only then did Lady Calico finally spare the remaining razor shells.

Yet, she still wasn’t willing to head back. She continued walking forward, her head turning left and right, eyes darting everywhere. By now, she was completely immersed in the thrill of foraging—utterly unable to stop herself.

1. Panulirus homarus, or more commonly knowned as the scalloped spiny lobster, is a species of spiny lobster that lives along the coasts of the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It lives in shallow water, and feeds on the brown mussel Perna perna. It typically grows to a length of 20–25 cm (7.9–9.8 in). ☜

2. Its Chinese name 小青龙 translates to “little green dragon”. ☜

3. Solenidae, commonly called "razor shells", is a family of marine bivalve molluscs in the unassigned Euheterodonta. ☜