Chapter 38: The Cat Owner Will Always Love Their Cat

“Come out!” The Moonlight Celestial Beast’s voice, which had always been sharp and cold, became even more chilling. There was even a hint of threat in its tone.

At that moment, it hesitated because of Chen Xi being present, so it refrained from using the immortal technique it had in hand. Otherwise, it would have long since turned the daring black shadow that had snuck into Chen Xi’s arms into a charred mess.

However, the little black shadow in Chen Xi’s arms seemed to have grasped its weakness. Not only did it remain unmoved, but it even deliberately rubbed against Chen Xi’s chest.

Chen Xi’s outer garment was thin, so even though the shadow was small, it was still very noticeable, and the provocation was unmistakable.

Damn it! The Moonlight Celestial Beast’s fur stood on end. It immediately leaped onto Chen Xi’s body, slashing his belt with a paw and, in the moment his outer robe loosened, pulled the black shadow out of his clothes.

This time, the once-mighty black shadow was finally caught in the Moonlight Celestial Beast’s mouth, revealing its true form.

Contrary to Chen Xi’s earlier imaginative guess of a beautiful spirit bird, the creature now revealed itself as Li Yin, who had turned back into its original form. It had no brilliant tail feathers, its entire body was a dull gray-black, and it had a deceitful-looking face. Without needing any system help to identify it, Chen Xi could tell it was a crow.

“Wow!” The captured Li Yin made a timely noise, further confirming Chen Xi’s guess. But in the Moonlight Celestial Beast’s eyes, this was evidence that Li Yin was trying to seduce Chen Xi with its voice. It immediately clamped down harder, aiming straight for Li Yin’s neck.

“Moonlight!” Chen Xi quickly shouted to stop it. However, for the Moonlight Celestial Beast, this only sounded like a defense for Li Yin. It not only refused to let go but also bit down harder.

“Moonlight!” This time, Chen Xi’s voice was even harsher, and there was a trace of anger. “I told you to let it go!”

Usually a gentle person, Chen Xi’s anger was far more frightening. Especially considering he had always been obedient to the Moonlight Celestial Beast.

Now, even the Moonshadow Celestial Beasts that had followed them were stunned, and they looked at Chen Xi with confusion in their eyes. As for the Moonlight Celestial Beast, it was completely dazed. It had gotten so used to Chen Xi’s pampering that it never imagined he would scold it for a foolish bird they had just met.

But Chen Xi didn’t seem to have any intention of soothing the Moonlight Celestial Beast. Instead, he anxiously cradled Li Yin in his hands, turning it over and over, inspecting it for any injuries. Only when he confirmed there were no wounds did he finally relax.

“Wow!” Li Yin arrogantly lifted its head on the stone table, looking quite pleased with itself.

Yet the always proud Moonlight Celestial Beast did not respond. Instead, it seemed unexpectedly deflated, its eyes filled with hesitation and confusion as it looked at Chen Xi.

The usually chatty Goudan had unexpectedly become serious. It silently floated in midair, watching the standoff before him, and a faint worry began to rise in his heart.

Unlike the other Moonshadow Celestial Beasts, the Moonlight Celestial Beast had no past. When it was still an egg, it mysteriously appeared in the Moonlight clan. When it hatched, it was still unclear who its parents were. The only way to tell was by the ancient divine beast bloodline on its body, which made the Moonlight Celestial Beast the purest in the clan.

But Goudan understood that, although it seemed very similar, the Moonlight Celestial Beast’s bloodline was not from the Bi’an (a legendary creature), but rather from the even more mysterious true origin.

Despite its noble lineage, the Moonlight Celestial Beast still had no family, and very few friends. The only one who was different was Chen Xi.

Although Chen Xi was a mere mortal, he always treated the Moonlight Celestial Beast like a baby. He would constantly prepare delicious meals for it, let it smear food on his face, use him as a mattress or a climbing frame, and he did all of this with joy. At any time, he would put the Moonlight Celestial Beast first, always thinking about it and keeping it in his heart. These were things the Moonlight Celestial Beast had never experienced before.

Thus, Chen Xi’s gentleness and love became like a deadly poison for the Moonlight Celestial Beast—something it couldn’t give up or escape from. It could only fall deeper and deeper, even to the point of seeing Chen Xi as its everything.

It had never considered that Chen Xi might stop loving it because of someone else.

So, if Chen Xi starts to dislike me… what should I do?

The thought suddenly chilled the Moonlight Celestial Beast’s heart. It gazed at Chen Xi, its eyes clouded with sorrow. It even felt like it couldn’t stay a moment longer, wanting to quickly leave and avoid seeing any situation where Chen Xi cared about someone else.

This time, even Li Yin realized something was wrong, and it began to panic a little. Originally, it had planned to tease the Moonlight Celestial Beast, which had shrunk in size, but it didn’t expect this to lead to a rift between it and Chen Xi.

“Uh, Master Chen…” Li Yin hesitated to speak, attempting to mediate. But before it could finish, it was cut off by Chen Xi’s voice, which was tinged with anger.

“Moonlight! How many times have I told you, it’s fine to play, but you can’t put everything in your mouth! Do you know what crows usually eat? Some even scavenge in the mortal world! Although the Celestial Beasts here are taken care of, they’re still birds, and parasites are to be expected. Plus, it’s small, with hard feathers and delicate bones. What if you bite it and choke? I told you to let go, but you didn’t listen…” The more he spoke, the angrier he became. Not only did Chen Xi fail to realize that his beloved cat was on the verge of despair, but without waiting for a response, he gave the Moonlight Celestial Beast a light slap on the rear as a warning.

Chen Xi’s slap wasn’t hard, just slightly stronger than when he petted it. Yet, the precise spot made the dazed Moonlight Celestial Beast snap back to reality.

You… bastard! How dare you disrespect me like this in front of everyone? All the frustration from earlier vanished with this intimate action from Chen Xi. The Moonlight Celestial Beast quickly broke free from Chen Xi’s grasp, growling at him and showing its teeth.

But Chen Xi, still concerned that it might go after Li Yin again, casually turned Goudan into a birdcage and placed Li Yin inside.

“!!!” Li Yin was completely stunned by Chen Xi’s actions.

Goudan, however, took the opportunity to comfort him, “Chen Xi is the Moonlight Celestial Beast’s contractor.”

“…” As expected, no matter what, the cat owner only has eyes for the cat. Li Yin, who was now safely locked in the cage, felt like a complete fool for having been so worried earlier.

—

After this little incident, the first live session of weapon forging finally ended perfectly. Undoubtedly, the energy unleashed by the long-suppressed blacksmiths of the Immortal Realm after centuries of silence was astonishing, leaving everyone in awe.

As for Juan’er and Li Yin, though they originally came just to help, they ended up receiving two fine immortal weapons.

Juan’er, as expected, had no qualms. When Li Qianling sought him out, he practically offered all his assets, wanting nothing more than to live on Beast Island. Li Yin, who originally thought he was just providing a helping hand, now felt like he had gotten the better deal. As for the other immortals who watched the live broadcast, their emotions were a mix of many different feelings, some of them even quite complex.

However, Chen Xi had no time to consider their reactions. After sending Li Yin off, he was exhausted from the day and just wanted to return to his cave, hold his cat who had gotten upset and run off earlier, and get a good night’s sleep.

—

Zefeng Cave Mansion

As soon as Chen Xi entered, he saw the Moonlight Celestial Beast lying on the bed, its back to him. It seemed to still be upset about the slap he gave earlier, and even though it had heard him return, it kept its back turned, not looking at him.

“Still mad?” Chen Xi took the initiative, snuggling up and burying his head in its back, affectionately rubbing against it. The Moonlight Celestial Beast didn’t respond, but it didn’t pull away either.

Seeing this, Chen Xi guessed it was just throwing a little tantrum, so he wasn’t in a hurry. Instead, he took the opportunity to rub against the Moonlight Celestial Beast even more.

The little kitten, who was only a little bigger than when they first met, couldn’t bear Chen Xi’s weight. Under his pressure, it collapsed onto the bed, turning into a somewhat ridiculous shape. Chen Xi didn’t lift his head but continued to complain with a teasing tone.

“You’re getting more and more spoiled, making me wait for so long after a single word.”

“Nonsense! You said several things, and even slapped me… slapped that place.” The Moonlight Celestial Beast swiped a paw at Chen Xi’s face, its expression stern, its eyes narrowing dangerously.

“Then you slapped me back, so we’re good now, right?” Chen Xi smiled, grabbing the small paw on his face and leaning down to kiss the top of the Moonlight Celestial Beast’s head.

“…” The Moonlight Celestial Beast, who had been angry just moments ago, found itself losing all its temper in the face of Chen Xi’s affectionate actions. Still, it wasn’t ready to let it go so easily, and silently began to entertain itself by pulling at the corner of the pillowcase, tugging the threads absentmindedly.

Seeing this, Chen Xi stopped speaking and simply lay next to the soft, warm fur of the Moonlight Celestial Beast, closing his eyes to rest.

After a long while, Chen Xi’s breathing steadied, and the Moonlight Celestial Beast finally let go of the pillow, which had been snagged by its claws. It turned to look at the sleeping Chen Xi.

Under the candlelight of the night, Chen Xi’s originally warm and elegant features were further illuminated, his lips still curling in a smile, the kind of smile the Moonlight Celestial Beast adored most.

Carefully, the Moonlight Celestial Beast wrapped its arms around his neck and nestled the entire cat into his embrace. The worry that had hung in its heart for so long finally settled.

This was perfect—Chen Xi was still its Chen Xi, not someone else’s…

—

However, in the immortal palace of the Nine Heavens, things were quite different. Unlike the Moonlight Celestial Beast, which had finally relaxed, Emperor Qing Yang was still fuming with anger and had made up his mind to go down immediately to find Chen Xi and discuss the events of the day.

How could the contract partner of an esteemed Emperor be taken advantage of by a foolish bird, and then be publicly mocked like that? It was absolutely disgraceful!

He… He had to return the favor and show him the same disrespect!

—

That night, everything was quiet in the Zefeng Cave Mansion. Chen Xi was deep in sleep.

Yet, in his hazy state, he felt that something was off, as if a hot breath was constantly circling around him…