Chapter 117: Youluo’s Flip-flopping

Days pass quickly; winter is a time when all animals hibernate.

Except for humans.

As for a half-human, half-cat creature like me, I naturally just collapse to sleep whenever I feel like it, or else I stare into the void with my pair of ghostly green eyes until dawn.

Wangchuan sometimes keeps me company for a while, and other times, he impatiently swats my backside to make me sleep. After this happened enough times, I learned how to struggle, reason with him, and make demands—my fallacies were still plentiful. Eighty percent of the time, I would succeed; as long as I acted spoiled enough, there was nothing I couldn't achieve.

However, when life is too smooth, it becomes quite dull. Being with Wangchuan, I was constantly teased by him, and whenever I wasn't in heat, I naturally felt a bit of resistance, so I would find things to occupy myself. Later on, I fell in love with nature documentaries. Watching those little animals felt like watching myself. Especially when it came to the segments on felines, I went from being a curious bystander to a serious researcher, much like a scientist. After all, we have a purebred big cat in our home; although he has long surpassed the category of mere felines and can be deadly when he gets ferocious, he is, in any case, an animal!

So, after careful study, I began to realize: the males in the animal kingdom are the type to grow stronger when faced with adversity. For the sake of a female, they will often fight, keeping a close watch on her, brawling until they are bloodied and broken. This couldn't help but remind me of the days I was tethered to the side of the bed—truly pathetic.

There are also males who fight for food, the reason being that the female needs plenty of sustenance to raise her young, and the male must bring it back. Moreover, the stronger the male, the more he chooses a mate according to his own heart. That is to say, when a male believes he has reached a certain level of power, he will naturally choose the one he deems best, even if the female he picks is quite inferior. Yes, it is the classic "beauty is in the eye of the beholder." Even if she is much smaller or weaker than other females, his intense patriarchal instinct ensures that his sense of responsibility keeps both the female and their offspring well-cared for.

In this light, animal males truly shoulder much more than human men; the females, aside from breeding, don't have to do anything at all. Just like me. Some males even take the initiative to share in the care of the young, doing no less—and often more—than human males. I sighed, wondering if God had let me be reincarnated into the wrong species. It would have been better to be an animal centuries ago... I never imagined that being an animal could be such bliss. Humans are always fussing about things like gender equality. It may seem equal, but compared to a group of animals, it is truly inferior to the animal way of life. But now, I am half an animal myself—not too late, not too late.

Winter passed and spring arrived. I don't know when it started, but the sun within the Rift began to appear more and more. Little cats all love the sun. I remember when I first arrived here, the Rift was dark and gloomy; after I lost my tail, I had to be dragged far away just to find a spot to sunbathe and recover. I would go out to bask in the sun, and at that time, there was still no reaction in my belly while in human form.

But after transforming into a little cat, my belly was visibly slightly rounded. It’s been over half a year! My little cub! It has finally grown a bit! Otherwise, I was starting to suspect I might be pregnant for hundreds of years! After all, that big cat daddy is a ten-thousand-year-old fierce beast—who knows how long it takes to gestate a monster? Still, finally having the feeling that there was something inside me, I naturally went about with a smile on my lips every day, and I spent most of my time outside in my cat form. Although I couldn't compare to Xiaomi, who waddled about with her legs spread wide, looking like she was about to give birth any second, the sense of accomplishment I felt while sunbathing together was much greater than before!

I thought life would just go on like this. Who knew that fate wouldn't let us have any peace!

When the Rift exploded again, I was deep in sleep in Wangchuan's arms. I needed so much sleep lately, but once I woke up, it was hard to drift off again! So, that "boom" of the explosion sent me flying out of bed! Wangchuan, naturally, reacted faster than I did, wrapping me in the quilt and holding me tight. He didn't rush out; he only waited for me to calm down, wiped the sweat from my forehead, kissed me, and told me to wait.

"Don't go," I tugged at him, inexplicably afraid.

"Rest assured, Youyan will not come again."

"I know..." Xiaoyun said Youyan keeps his word, "but..." I just didn't want him to leave.

"I'll be back in a moment." He kissed me again. Outside, the little cats had already begun to howl. I knew that if I held Wangchuan back, it would be equivalent to gambling with the lives of the other little cats, forcing them to suffer unnecessarily. So, I pitifully let him go, telling him to turn on all the lights in the room, and then I huddled into the blankets, gritting my teeth.

Why had Youluo come again! Didn't he agree with Wangchuan last time that he wouldn't return? Why was he being so unreasonable and showing up once more? I had heard Wangchuan mention it once: he had gone to the Immortal Realm to fetch something for Youluo, as a trade for me. The big cat is a reasonable person; he knew there was a prior betrothal, so they had put their heads together and decided to try trading for my freedom. Truly animalistic—they used the primitive, wild method of trading goods for a bride. But I had also heard that the item was much harder to obtain than the "sacrificial offering" (which was me), and Wangchuan had gone to great lengths to get his hands on it. Youluo had accepted it on the spot and promised not to come and snatch me away again.

But why go back on his word! Why come again?!

I bit the corner of the quilt in hatred. There was simply no peace to be had. If I could bite him to death, I would definitely charge out and do it! Why must I be some damn Third Princess of the Underworld! Why must he attack the Rift so many times! Is he looking down on my Wangchuan, or is he just showing off the power of the Underworld?! To break a promise like that—he is no gentleman! He is a villain! A villain!

I cursed with such resentment for a long time. Outside, I saw the evil spirits still baring their fangs, trying to fly in and bite me! I bared my teeth and snarled right back at them in defiance! I knew Wangchuan had cast a barrier outside; those evil spirits couldn't get in. But at that moment, my hatred for Youluo was redirected toward those disgusting creatures leaking green smoke!

The ghosts roared at a cat, and the cat snarled at the ghosts. It was just like a small dog barking at a large, chained dog—dashing away the moment it got close, making the big dog huff in anger. I was that infuriating little dog. We snarled at each other across the barrier for a long time. Seeing them rush forward in a rage only to be burned and twisted in agony gave me a twisted sense of satisfaction!

Until all the little ghosts dispersed at once, and the sunlight shone back down. I darted to the edge of the bed, waiting for Wangchuan to return, watching his expression nervously. I knew he wouldn't give me up, but I was afraid he would be enraged. Youluo might be unreasonable, but if the big cat got angry, I would start worrying about whether the little cats would be hurt, or if the big cat himself would be injured. The latter worried me even more; no matter how powerful my man was, I couldn't help but worry when he went out to fight.

Wangchuan didn't look very well; his body was radiating a heavy, dark aura. I hadn't seen him like this in a long time. I watched him enter the room with a heavy heart, until he crouched down and began rummaging through the cabinet. I stared blankly, not daring to ask, speak, or move.

Finally, he found the bead Han Mingxuan had given me—a brilliant, reddish gem. He brought it over, gestured for me to reach out, and after I did, he slipped it onto my wrist. I flinched, not daring to move, but still feeling a bit of resistance. What did he mean by making me wear something from Han Mingxuan? Was he planning to send me to him?! Was there going to be a war?!

"Master... are you going to war with Youluo?" I asked, my voice trembling. I was so worried!

Wangchuan glanced at me, sensing my fear, and answered in a muffled tone: "No."

"Then you..." I looked at the bead. Why make me wear something from Han Mingxuan? I knew the big cat's possessiveness; he wouldn't let me wear something from another man unless he had a purpose for it. Just like the clothes Han Mingxuan had bought for me—all brand new, and he had destroyed every single one of them.

After a moment, Wangchuan spoke in a low voice: "Wear this bead and wander out into the human world. Pretend you know nothing, and go have a 'chance encounter' with someone from the Underworld."

I widened my eyes in shock: "A—chance—encounter—with the—Underworld—?!"