Chapter 105: In the Name of Madame Wang

Wangchuan smiled and brushed his index finger against the bridge of my nose.

I hate it when he does that, because every time he touches me like that, I start squinting and purring.

In the end, I forgot what question I had even asked. I was too focused on pooping.

A long while later, Wangchuan put away the ice cream and warned me never to eat it again. I paced around the room with my tail held high, trying and failing to remember what I had just asked. I even began to suspect that Wangchuan had used some kind of magic on me.

Finally, while I was peeking out the window to watch the excitement, I suddenly saw a cat standing at the door, rolling around, and happily licking its fur!

"Right!" I turned around, looked at Wangchuan, who was lying on the bed basking in the sun, jumped onto his chest, and batted his chin with my paw. "I asked you where Rebecca went."

Wangchuan rolled over again, grabbed me, pulled me by my two front legs, and pinned me down on top of him. Then, his whole body shifted into his half-human, half-cat form!

"What are you doing!"

"Heh heh—" Wangchuan squinted at me, smiling. "Let's play. You were the one who said we hadn't 'done it' enough earlier."

"I never said that! Hey—"

I cannot provide a live broadcast of what happened next, because it was too violent! I’m suffering from diarrhea, for goodness' sake! He had absolutely no mercy! And I’m carrying his cubs! I—!

Regardless of my excuses, I ended up pinned down by Wangchuan, unable to get up. The babies didn't seem to protest their father’s rough behavior. If Wangchuan hadn't told me there was something inside me, I probably wouldn't have known at all.

Why was there no reaction? I touched my belly, truly unable to understand. Didn't small animals get born pretty quickly? Like Xiaomi’s?

Wangchuan laughed at me, explaining that Xiaomi was carrying a spirit beast, whereas gestating a fierce beast took much longer. If it moved after only half a month, that was just a low-level animal from the human realm.

I nodded and nodded. Well, it’s better if the pregnancy lasts longer; it just proves my son is powerful! He teased me for being stupid, so I started biting him in annoyance. Eventually, we rolled together and lay by the edge of the bed, basking our tails in the sun.

And so, I forgot about it again.

It wasn't until two days later that Wangchuan seemed to be heading out. He told me he would be back soon and that I was free to go outside to sunbathe, but I was not to leave the Rift.

I nodded and nodded, agreeing quite happily! After what happened the past two days, I knew that Wangchuan simply didn't want me asking about Rebecca; as soon as I brought it up, he would change the subject!

Since that was the case! Something fishy was going on!

Thus, sunbathing time became the day for Detective Cat to strike! After several investigations, I discovered that Rebecca really hadn't been seen for a long time. No matter which cat I asked, they all shook their heads saying they didn't know. It seemed that even the lower-level cats were unaware that Rebecca was missing.

I had no choice but to ask the guardian cats.

"Xiaoyun, do you know where Rebecca has gone recently?"

"Don't know."

"What about Xuanxuan?"

"Lost."

"How did she get lost?"

"Not sure."

"Hey—don't walk away! Xiaoyun!"

"Yaya, I'm busy, Qianqian! Watch your paws! Sorry! I'm off—"

Shut down!

Under my questioning, Xiaoyun ran away at top speed. Even while running, she seemed incredibly awkward when I asked those few questions. She didn't seem to want to talk to me at all; she ended up stepping on my paw with all her might, tripping me, and then slipping away!

I stood there holding up my paw, feeling heartbroken. It didn't matter; I could still ask Yubao!

So, I ran to Yubao. I saw him in human form, sitting in front of a small basin, wearing an apron and picking beans.

"Yubao? Picking beans?"

"Yeah, Xiaomi wants to eat fried beans."

"Can I ask you something?"

"Go ahead."

"Do you know... where Rebecca went?"

"Oh!" With a clatter, he tipped over the whole basin of beans. Yubao scrambled to pick them up. "Oh man, I have to wash these! I'm leaving, Qianqian, see you!"

Then that guy disappeared without a trace, carrying a basin of beans!

What was wrong with everyone?

After that, I went to ask Yue, Keluoning, and the few new guardian cats. They all just held their tails high and ran off, making all sorts of excuses to ignore me! Some of them even treated me like I was invisible!

Something fishy! Very fishy!!

What happened to Rebecca? Did she die?!

Just then, I saw Yubao coming toward me again! I rushed straight at him!

"You stop right there!"

"Uh—" Yubao, holding the freshly washed beans, stood there at a loss.

"That, that, that! In the name of Mrs. Wang, I order you to answer my question!"

"Pfft—" Yubao burst into laughter. "Hello, Mrs. Wang."

I froze, then raised my paw to curse him. "Get lost, get lost—"

"Yes, Mrs. Wang, getting lost right now." Yubao bowed and immediately tried to leave!

I blocked him again. "Don't change the subject. Don't think that just because you're distracting me, I don't know—"

As I was speaking, a sleepy, sticky voice called out from behind.

"Yubao... where did you go..."

"Talking to Mrs. Wang—" Yubao still wouldn't let it go, grinning from ear to ear.

"What are you talking about?"

"What are we talking about..." Yubao scratched his head, looking a bit embarrassed!

"Asking where Rebecca went!" I roared angrily.

"Oh." Xiaomi replied with a yawn. "Didn't she go to the stinking forest? Master said not to let Bai Qianqian know... ah... so sleepy... who is Mrs. Wang..."

"My god..." Yubao clutched his head and quickly waved at me. "No, no, that's not it, listen to me..."

I watched as Xiaomi yawned dazedly, then opened her eyes and looked at Yubao, then back at me.

"Oh, Qianqian, you're here." She shook her ears in confusion.

"Pregnancy brain! Absolute pregnancy brain!" Yubao reached out and picked up Xiaomi. "What she said is wrong! None of it is true! Don't believe it!"

But I blinked.

He wanted me not to believe it?

Wangchuan said not to let me know? Why not? If Rebecca went to the forest, I would be happy, so why hide it? Why did everyone know except for me?

Seeing my darkening expression, Yubao awkwardly ushered me into the room and sat me on the bed. With Xiaomi on one side and me on the other, he began to explain.

"Listen, you two ancestors, let's put it this way: This wasn't the first time Rebecca had stirred up trouble. She deserved to die, but... *ahem*... Master was still merciful and sent her to the forest, sparing her life."

"You have a way with words. You could have just said Wangchuan is ruthless."

"That... well, actually, it's like this."

Yubao began to explain what happened the day Wangchuan woke up. When I first arrived at the Rift, I knew Wangchuan didn't like cats with too much independence; that was the reason he rejected that resentful ghost. But seeing Rebecca acting like a Queen Mother, ordering other cats around, I didn't quite understand it. So I asked for the details.

Rebecca claimed that on the day I was soul-shaping, I had suddenly disrupted the order—perhaps out of spite—and she had taken advantage of the chaos to escape. Later, she claimed she had someone capture me and intended to keep me in the forest until Wangchuan woke up to pass judgment. But she hadn't expected Youluo to break into the forest, rescue me, and swear never to return.

That was Rebecca's explanation.

Wangchuan had been skeptical. After he regained a bit of strength, he went to look around the guardian cats' quarters. He had noticed my spirits were low that day and that I was always dazed, assuming it was just the depression of being abandoned. But after entering my den, he caught the faint scent of "Soul-Dulling Powder."

When he went outside, he ran into the new cat, Xuanxuan, who also carried a trace of the powder—the scent she must have picked up when she drugged me! Furthermore, Xuanxuan carried Rebecca’s scent!

Wangchuan knew Rebecca’s personality well; she was too proud to ever associate with a low-level newcomer like that. So, he understood exactly what had happened.

Hearing this, I couldn't help but sigh in admiration. It’s great to have a husband with a sharp nose! No need for explanations; one sniff and all illnesses are cured! No misunderstandings at all!

And so, Wangchuan didn't even ask what had happened. While Rebecca was still dreaming about how she had saved her master again, Wangchuan had already sent her into the forest. As for that cat Xuanxuan, Wangchuan had simply erased her soul.

His reasoning: She didn't cherish karma and didn't know who her master was.

But still, why couldn't he tell me?