Chapter 36: Wine, Moonlight, and a Beauty

Silver hair cascaded to the floor like moonlight spilling down. His clear, jade-like eyes were more transparent than the most precious gems. His snowy white robe with wide sleeves was exquisitely crafted, highlighting his flawless, stunning face, truly peerless in beauty.

Chen Xi froze for a moment, unable to look away. He had seen beautiful people before, but the one before him was extraordinary. After all, just a few minutes ago, he had been playing with glass beads alongside a large cat.

“Honored one…” Chen Xi hesitated to speak, unsure of how to address him. It felt like suddenly facing a stranger, and he subconsciously felt uneasy.

“You’ve been staring at me, but why aren’t you pouring the wine?” The Emperor Qing Yang furrowed his brows with a hint of disdain in his eyes. He had only transformed into human form, yet this contractor couldn’t even seem to speak properly. Also, why refer to him as Honored one? The jade pendant he had given him clearly had a name on it.

The Emperor Qing Yang’s mood grew darker as it became clear that his expectations were unmet. He had come here intending to make Chen Xi reflect on recent events, but instead, he found himself lost in a daze.

He’s really hopeless!

Ignoring the burning gaze on his face, Emperor Qing Yang’s ears, hidden beneath his hair, turned slightly red.

However, Chen Xi didn’t notice, and instead was shocked by his natural tone, even fleetingly wondering if he had seen this person somewhere before but didn’t recognize him.

Yet, the cat was still a cat, even after becoming a beauty. After eating and drinking, Emperor Qing Yang stretched lazily and then lay down on Chen Xi’s lap.

“!!!” The sudden closeness made Chen Xi tense up entirely.

But whether it was unintentional or deliberate, Emperor Qing Yang seemed dissatisfied with the sensation of his face against Chen Xi’s, and with a displeased expression, he removed Chen Xi’s outer robe, lying against the soft inner layer of his pants, then gently stroked them twice before finally settling down. His forehead rested against Chen Xi’s abdomen, and his unfamiliar body warmth slowly seeped through the thin fabric. His long silver hair, casually spread across his back, spilled over, some strands even touching the floor.

The fur is going to get dirty…

In a half-drowsy, half-awake state, Emperor Qing Yang thought to himself and immediately became irritated. Then, he expertly reached into Chen Xi’s pocket, took out a comb, and placed it in his hand, demanding to be groomed.

“This is…” For combing a cat’s fur. Chen Xi hesitated for a moment but didn’t say the rest of the sentence. Given Emperor Qing Yang’s too-casual attitude, he had no choice but to accept the comb and begin brushing Emperor Qing Yang’s hair.

The Emperor Qing Yang’s hair was long and of the finest quality. The sensation of running his fingers through it was like weaving through satin, utterly addictive.

As Chen Xi brushed, he became distracted, and couldn’t help but reflect that Goudan had been right—members of the Moonlight clan were all beauties. When he had seen Li Qianling, he thought he was handsome, but now, seeing Emperor Qing Yang, he was even more mesmerizing. He couldn’t help but wonder what Moonlight Celestial Beast would look like in human form.

Lost in thought, Chen Xi slowed his hand. In his mind, he envisioned a delicate, beautiful young boy with a pair of fluffy cat ears, frowning and looking disdainful.

How cute, Chen Xi couldn’t help but eagerly anticipate what Moonlight Celestial Beast would look like as a human.

However, sensing what was on his mind, Emperor Qing Yang smacked him across the face with a dissatisfied expression before once again lying down comfortably, this time wrapping both arms around Chen Xi’s waist.

Hmph, I’m right here, why are you fantasizing about a silly cat!

The familiar gesture, identical to how the Moonlight Celestial Beast would act when annoyed, made Chen Xi snap out of his trance and stop feeling tense. His interaction with Emperor Qing Yang became much more relaxed.

Wine, moonlight, and a beauty.

Such an atmosphere could easily make one lose their senses. As Chen Xi looked at the persistent silver cat on his lap, he couldn’t shake the feeling that he was being seduced. In the end, he vaguely recalled that the uninvited cat had, in fact, bitten him hard on the neck…

—

The next morning, it felt like a dream. When Chen Xi woke up, he was already lying in bed, and the Moonlight Celestial Beast was still sleeping in its usual position by his neck. As for Emperor Qing Yang, he was long gone.

A strange sense of dissonance settled in Chen Xi’s heart. He draped his clothes on and got out of bed, heading straight for the kitchen.

As expected, everything in the kitchen was as clean as if nothing had been used. The only evidence that last night had actually happened was the missing ingredients and the disappeared wine jar. Every other trace had been carefully wiped away. Even the bite marks on his neck were gone.

So, what exactly did Emperor Qing Yang mean by this? Did he not want the Moonlight Celestial Beast to know?

Chen Xi instinctively thought of Emperor Qing Yang as an elder, sneaking in to take care of the Moonlight Celestial Beast but being too awkward to speak about it. Plus, the Moonlight Celestial Beast was rather proud. He felt that if the two were ever together, they would likely just ignore each other at first, then awkwardly end up together, grooming each other.

He couldn’t help but smile at his own imagination, and in a good mood, he moved more quickly as he prepared breakfast.

Meanwhile, the Moonlight Celestial Beast, just waking up, was immediately surrounded by the Moonshadow Celestial Beasts.

“Master, you secretly cooked a special meal with Xixi last night!” The Moonshadow Celestial Beasts, sensitive to the smell of crab roe soup dumplings in the air, complained in childish voices.

Hmph, Chen Xi is my contractor, isn’t it normal to make him a special meal?

The Moonlight Celestial Beast shot a disdainful glance at the younger ones and stretched out its front legs for a lazy yawn. But then it suddenly realized something seemed off.

It hadn’t woken up last night. So, who had Chen Xi been sharing the special meal with? It sniffed the lingering scent in the cave, and the same smell from the jade pendant triggered the Moonlight Celestial Beast’s fur to stand on end.

Damn it, how dare he chase me all the way to the Zefeng Cave! Its ears perked up, and it circled the cave three times, inside and out, but found nothing, not even a single stray cat hair.

Furious, the Moonlight Celestial Beast knocked Goudan from the air and scratched it, its mood growing darker.

At that moment, Chen Xi, who had just come out of the kitchen, saw the scene and quickly explained.

“Don’t worry, he’s not a bad person. He’s probably one of your elders, just checking on you.”

But the same sentence, when heard by both Emperor Qing Yang and the Moonlight Celestial Beast, provoked strikingly similar yet completely different reactions.

“I would never shamelessly come to a junior’s home to mooch food! (I am not that kind of immature and petty cat’s elder!)” 

“Pfft,” Chen Xi couldn’t help but laugh softly. Although he could only hear the Moonlight Celestial Beast’s voice, his morning guess was proven right.

In Chen Xi’s eyes, the Moonlight Celestial Beast was always too proud to speak nicely. But the more it disliked something, the more it actually cared. After all, this little kitten, though usually mature and composed, secretly enjoyed being cuddled and groomed by the big cat.

Chen Xi’s heart softened even more at the thought. He leaned down and kissed the Moonlight Celestial Beast, tidying up its messy fur on its head. “Don’t be mad, I’ll make you a delicious breakfast.”

It was the same tender pampering as always, but for the Moonlight Celestial Beast, this familiar scene still made its heart race uncontrollably.

In the gentle morning sunlight, Chen Xi’s smile was warmer and more genuine than any earthly fire. His gentle and elegant demeanor made his features seem almost unreal, as if he were a painting.

It felt as though, just looking at him like this, one could gaze forever.

Without thinking, the Moonlight Celestial Beast softly purred, flattening its ears behind its head and secretly hiding the red tint on the inside. Meanwhile, in the immortal palace, Emperor Qing Yang, also not enjoying his meal, absentmindedly recalled the sensation of Chen Xi’s fingers brushing through his hair the night before.

In this morning, Chen Xi, the one who always teased his cat, once again made his feline lord fall for him.

—

Chen Xi’s days were going smoothly. During the day, he pampered the little cat, and at night, he teased the big cat. Aside from occasionally still not being quite used to Emperor Qing Yang’s human form, everything could truly be described as perfect.

Only Goudan, looking at him in this state, couldn’t help but sigh a few times.

However, these were not the main points. What really mattered was that the live streamed weapon forging event that Chen Xi had been preparing for a long time was finally about to begin. At the same time, in order to differentiate this live stream from the original Celestial Beast Cuisine, Chen Xi had deliberately given it an interesting name—Thank You, Benefactor.

The term “benefactor,” as the name suggests, referred to those who paid the bills. Now, the Xianji Immortal Domain lacked resources, so using weapon forging to attract immortals was quite fitting. However, when heard by others, it took on a different meaning.

Especially for the sect artifact refiners, it was seen as a sign of their degradation.

Throughout history, artifact refiners held a prestigious position. Even the useless ones in the Xianji Immortal Domain should still adhere to basic principles and not embarrass the artifact refiners. To call themselves “servants” was nothing short of an insult to the craft!

Thinking of how these artifact refiners couldn’t even bear to throw away a scrap of material, their disdain for Chen Xi and the Xianji Immortal Domain only grew stronger. Some even went so far as to declare, “Anyone who seeks a forger from the Xianji Immortal Domain will never cross my door again.”

Once this harsh statement was made, others quickly followed suit, claiming they would never accept anything from the Xianji Immortal Domain and that the people there weren’t worthy of calling themselves artifact refiners.

However, facing this situation, Chen Xi remained unfazed. In the live stream, he boldly retorted, “What’s wrong with being a benefactor? You artifact refiners, wasn’t your glory all paid for by your sect? Aren’t you all selling yourselves in one way or another? Just because you pick and choose doesn’t make you nobler. It’s the same everywhere—mock the poor but never the whore. Only you hypocrites could say something like that.”

With this, he insulted all the artifact refiners who looked down on him. What he said was so reasonable that those who had criticized him had no way to refute it and could only stew in their own anger.

And finally, Chen Xi didn’t hesitate to provoke them further, saying, “If you’re not convinced, then watch my live stream three days from now!”

“At that time, the artifact refiners from the Xianji Immortal Domain will use reality to slap your faces and show you that there’s nothing we can’t forge!”

“Good, good! This kid’s sharp tongue will be the end of him!” The artifact refiners, furious upon hearing Chen Xi’s words, were seething. But none of them dared to leave comments on Beast Island to retaliate. After all, Chen Xi’s status was different now. Not only was he the Master of Beast Island, but he was also ranked first among the Lower Three Immortal Realms on the Heavenly Dao Rankings. By protocol, they would still have to respectfully address him as “Master” if they met him. Moreover, the incident with Ling Yun, the sect master, who had been verbally abused during a live stream, was still fresh in their minds.

Therefore, even though they were angry, they didn’t dare to confront him directly, for fear of becoming the next target.

In this tense atmosphere, the live stream finally began.

Early in the morning, as special guests, Li Yin and the Immortal Juan’er had already arrived. Li Yin was easy to recognize, dressed in a colorful, rainbow-colored robe, small and delicate in stature. From his appearance and voice, it was clear that his true form must be a very beautiful bird-type creature.

However, the Immortal Juan’er was harder to describe.

He was an extremely handsome man with a cold and intimidating aura, similar to Li Qianling’s temperament. But unlike his cold exterior, he was polite and answered any questions asked, making him seem approachable despite his appearance.

Although they shared similar traits, Immortal Juan’er was quite different from Li Qianling’s gentleness. He resembled someone from a prestigious family, his manners and etiquette ingrained into his bones with elegance and discipline.

“Master.” Like Li Yin, despite his own high status, Immortal Juan’er was still very respectful in front of Chen Xi.

“No need to be polite.” Chen Xi responded with a smile, intending to have the Daoist Ming Ling handle their reception. But before he could turn around, Xu Miao quickly apologized, explaining that Daoist Ming Ling was feeling unwell and had gone back.

Gone back?

Chen Xi was a bit confused but still took Immortal Juan’er to the prepared celestial residence for a rest.

As for Daoist Ming Ling, Chen Xi planned to ask about him after the live stream. Thinking about it, Li Yin was a bird-type, and it was understandable that Daoist Ming Ling might be afraid of him. But why would he avoid Immortal Juan’er as well?

After thinking for a moment, Chen Xi remembered what had happened with Li Qianling and suddenly felt like he had figured something out.

Sure enough, Goudan, who had come along, immediately rushed forward upon seeing Immortal Juan’er for the first time. It then transformed into the shape of a dried fish and swung around in front of him, proudly saying, “Yo! This little guy has grown so big!”

“…” Chen Xi immediately felt a bit embarrassed and didn’t want to admit that Goudan was his artifact.

However, Immortal Juan’er seemed unconcerned. He instead carefully looked around. Upon realizing that Xu Miao and the others had already gone back to prepare and that only he, Chen Xi, and Li Qianling were left, he casually tilted his head, transformed, and changed into a large cat with tortoiseshell-colored fur.

Chen Xi watched for a while, thinking to himself, The Moonlight Clan’s naming style really is too casual…