Chapter Twenty-Nine: The Invisible Gleam

I stared in shock at the scene before me. At first, it seemed like Ningning had simply exploded out of nowhere, but only now did I realize—a golden spear was gleaming brilliantly in the darkness! It was that spear piercing through Ningning’s body. Because she was a black cat, we hadn’t seen it clearly at first. When the shaft of the spear revealed its color, all the black fur and red blood poured out from her body.

Then, from the distant shadows, a man in his twenties emerged. He had fair skin and a tall, slender frame; his eyes were bright and lively, his lips a bit pale yet curled gently at the corners, as if he were smiling even when motionless. The aura he exuded was complex—a mix of coldness and tenderness. His face seemed indifferent, but the smile on his lips softened it.

He wore an ordinary white short-sleeved shirt, trimmed with a black checkered pattern at the sleeves. There was a pocket on his chest, pinned with a brooch shaped like a majestic eagle in mid-flight. On his lower half, he wore simple black slacks, a silver chain with ringed links dangling from his belt, glinting with a cold light.

He was approaching us, step by step, his gaze gentle as water, his smile elegant and handsome. But what was the use of a good figure, or a gentle appearance? No matter how ordinary his clothes, he was definitely the one who killed Ningning! Who knew why he had come?

Terrified, Xiaoyun and I retreated several steps, nearly bumping into a streetlamp. The man reached out, and the spear leapt from the ground into his hand with a whistling sound! The spear flickered with red and yellow light, then vanished into thin air, leaving only a golden bead, which he slipped into his pocket.

"Hello, little cats." The man’s smile grew even gentler as he greeted us, stretching out his hand in a gesture of goodwill. "My name is Youluo."

I looked at his long, elegant fingers—hands that, like Wangchuan’s, clearly belonged to someone who had never done a day of hard labor. Xiaoyun replied, trembling, "H-hello."

"Are you still afraid?" he asked, turning his palm up as if to pet us.

I dodged his hand, glancing at Ningning’s exploded corpse on the ground—she’d been blown to pieces, flesh and bone indistinguishable. Even a soul-guarding cat couldn’t recover from this; she was truly dead, with no chance of rebirth.

And there was something else strange—even if she could be reborn, her soul would have to be recollected, like last time when we all plunged into the molten steel and our master restored our bodies. But now, her soul was gone entirely; who knew whether it had drifted away or exploded with her?

Confused, I wondered—no matter what, Ningning was one of us in the eyes of outsiders. We were all cats serving Wangchuan. Why would he help Xiaoyun and me? Was it just a coincidence that he killed Ningning, and we were next?

Youluo showed no awkwardness at not being able to touch us, only smiling faintly before tapping his finger in the air. Instantly, both of us were paralyzed, unable to move!

"Don’t be afraid." His words were devoid of emotion, yet somehow carried a hint of concern. This man was so strange!

He picked us up, one in each hand, our paws stiff and helpless. Xiaoyun was so frightened she was about to burst into tears—and honestly, so was I. Just seeing that golden spear, it was clear this man was not in our league.

Youluo held us gently, not by the scruff, but in a secure embrace, then carried us to a pure white sports car and tossed us onto the back seat. I didn’t know where we were headed. As the car sped on, dawn began to lighten the sky, but we remained motionless on the backseat.

Xiaoyun whispered in my ear, her voice quivering with tears, "Qianqian, I’m so scared. There’s an invisible, ghostly glow around him! What if he’s a bad guy…?"

"Invisible…ghostly glow?" I looked at the man driving, trying to reassure Xiaoyun. "Don’t worry! Didn’t he say his name is Youluo? Maybe that’s what he meant by ‘ghostly glow’!"

Xiaoyun forced a few awkward laughs. We were both terrified, each suppressing our emotions so as not to unsettle the other.

But what exactly was this ghostly glow Xiaoyun spoke of? I studied the man—everything about him seemed normal, even ordinary. But I had to admit, when I first saw Han Mingxuan, I hadn’t noticed anything unusual either, and the master said he was from the spirit world!

Now, Youluo was even more suspicious—just the golden spear alone proved he wasn’t ordinary. And aside from his plain attire, he was astonishingly handsome. Not just handsome—breathtakingly so! Gentle and charming!

From my experience, whether it was Han Mingxuan, Wangchuan, or that mad Qilin, they all had one thing in common: they were devastatingly good-looking! And handsome men always had a touch of danger—you couldn’t let your guard down!

So I lowered my head, struggling to regain control of my stiff paws. But it was futile. Even when the car stopped and we got out, Xiaoyun and I were still paralyzed, completely at his mercy.

"Be good, we’re here." His voice was cool—a different kind of coolness from Wangchuan’s, more like a refreshing breeze. He looked like an angel.

Thinking of angels, the collar around my neck suddenly tightened. Ow—Wangchuan, that demon, was he urging me? Urging me for what? Your cats are about to die!

Youluo lifted us gently from the backseat, and when we looked up again, we were stunned. Where were we? A luxury hotel?! This man brought two cats to a hotel room! Was he crazy?

But in reality, he simply carried us inside, locked the doors and windows, and smiled as he released our paralysis. With a tap of his finger, our nerves snapped back; we shook out our paws and huddled together, still afraid.

The room was enormous, the bed so big that the two of us almost sank into the velvet covers. The car, the man’s power and wealth—everything about him was intimidating.

"What do you want?" I stood protectively in front of Xiaoyun, glaring at him with feigned ferocity.

"Nothing at all." Youluo crouched down, meeting us at eye level. "I saved you, and instead of being grateful, you greet me with hostility? Isn’t that a bit ungrateful?"

"We didn’t ask for your help! You killed our master’s cat! We’re cats too—of course we won’t be nice to you!" I snapped, squinting my eyes, ready to fight.

He sighed, then turned to pour himself a glass of red wine. "I only brought you here out of kindness. If you don’t believe me, you’re free to leave whenever you wish."

Xiaoyun and I exchanged a glance and took a cautious step toward the door. Youluo didn’t react.

Could we really leave?

Realizing this, we dashed for the door. But no matter how hard we tried, the door was controlled by an electronic keycard—no handle in sight! We stared back at the man, baffled by his intentions. Was this some kind of trick? Was he setting us up just to stop us at the last second?

Youluo shook his head and sighed, "Silly cats." Then, with a flick of his wrist, he tossed the keycard across nearly ten meters, landing it perfectly in the slot. The door clicked open. Tails high, we bolted for freedom.

But after a few steps, I stopped and squeezed back through the door. "You’re right, you did save us. We don’t want to owe you anything. If we meet again, I’ll do whatever I can to help you." I gritted my teeth and made this promise.

Youluo smiled, a bit wild but still gentle, swirling the wine in his glass. "Little cat, I don’t need your gratitude."

"But I need to make a promise!" I didn’t want to owe a man like him a favor.

"Then…just take care of yourself for the sake of your deceased parents."

At his words, my scalp tingled. I stepped back, demanding, "Who are you? How do you know my parents are dead?!"

Youluo’s lips curled in a faint smile. "It’s nothing, just a casual remark. Go on."

I stared at him for a long time before retreating. Just as I was leaving, I saw the eagle on his brooch shift its wings...

That made me run even faster, not daring to look back. Xiaoyun too—she was a blur of speed!

Missing a tooth, my mouth felt like a wind tunnel. This man may have helped us, but he had killed a guardian cat all the same! I didn’t know how things would turn out. Would the master blame me? Or would he hold a grudge against Youluo? Could Ningning be revived? And if she was, would our enmity only deepen?

I didn’t know how far we ran before Xiaoyun suddenly stopped and called out, "Qianqian! Look!"

I slammed on all four brakes, sparks almost flying from my paws, and looked in the direction she pointed.

"Oh my god..." I gaped at the sight, at a total loss for words.

Over there, a man in an off-white trench coat stood with a little girl in a pink princess dress, happily buying ice cream together. The girl was radiant, smiling with her cone, looking every bit the blissful princess. The man beamed mischievously, kissing her forehead now and then, whispering sweet nothings in her ear.

That was... Xin’er!

I gasped, drawing a sharp breath, my paws thumping the ground in shock.

That Han Mingxuan! That wolf! That womanizer! How dare he kiss my little sister!