Chapter Thirty: A Pact With Her Driven by intense love, I updated early. Thank you to the readers who have faithfully followed the story.

Although I was furious, seeing Xin’er like this, I truly felt that she was all right. Han Mingxuan had been protecting her very well these past two days! That put my mind at ease…

But I couldn’t go up to her. I was afraid that once I saw Xin’er, I wouldn’t be able to leave again! Since she was doing well, I had even more strength to hurry back to her side!

No rush… not for now…

I hadn’t finished thinking when I watched that silly cat Xiaoyun, her tail held high, already sashaying up to Han Mingxuan to greet him!

“Hey, hey…” I didn’t even know what to say. This Xiaoyun would abandon a friend for a pretty face!

“Oh, little white cat.” Han Mingxuan, upon spotting Xiaoyun, looked up and glanced around, as if searching for me.

I hesitated, torn between running away or staying.

But before I could react, Han Mingxuan appeared right in front of me! Without warning, he pressed the ice cream cone in his hand right onto my face!

“Damn!” The frozen ice cream squashed onto the tip of my nose, the chill making me blurt out a curse!

“Oh my, it can even swear!” Han Mingxuan, as if taking revenge, smeared all the remaining ice cream over me!

I struggled to escape, but my tail was grabbed from behind!

“What are you doing?!” My four legs flailed, my words coming out in huffs and puffs, not even sure how to describe my feelings at that moment!

“Obviously, I’m taking you for a bath!” Han Mingxuan grinned, rubbing me from head to tail, covering me in sticky ice cream that glued my fur together.

“Who bathes their cat with ice cream?!” With a swipe of my paw, dust flew everywhere, sticking all over me and making the mess worse!

Xin’er and Xiaoyun ran over, giggling. Xin’er, especially, cocked her head and watched me.

“What a dirty kitty…” Xin’er said, hugging Xiaoyun and tugging at her paw.

Children don’t know their own strength, but Xiaoyun didn’t seem to mind; a tuft of fur was pulled right off, and I was just grateful it wasn’t me being held!

Han Mingxuan, not at all gentle, grabbed me by my hind legs. “Come on! Xin’er, let’s go home and bathe the cat!”

“Okay!” she replied, her voice crisp and cheerful, nodding eagerly.

These two were now just a pair of big and little mischief-makers! How had it come to this in just a few days?

Oh, sister… I only handed you over to this man because I had no other choice—I worried you wouldn’t adapt.

But it seemed Han Mingxuan was not only a playboy; he was also good with children! He’d tamed my little sister so quickly!

But before Han Mingxuan could even move, a thunderous explosion echoed from outside, and the passersby burst into a commotion!

“Something just fell from the sky!”

“It looked like a person!”

“Why is that person glowing green?”

“But why is there nothing there now?”

A crowd gathered, chattering around a crater on the ground. Standing in front of us, dressed in a green-scaled bathrobe, was the mad qilin—Pei Mu.

I was stunned. He was awake? How did he track us here? Was that crater his doing? Where did he come flying from?!

Han Mingxuan raised an eyebrow, gazing uncertainly at the man standing with hands on hips, teeth bared in a wide grin. He gave a slightly awkward smile.

Pei Mu extended a hand, declaring with imperious confidence, “Give me back my cat!”

“Your cat?” Han Mingxuan lifted me by my hind paw. “Who said this is your cat?”

Pei Mu held out both hands, then produced a red-and-white pokeball. “This is our ball! She already has my child—oh no, I mean, I already have her child!”

“What?” Han Mingxuan was completely baffled, his mind a swirl of confusion.

Realizing his words were off, Pei Mu blinked, then rephrased. “We’ve already formed a contract! Her owner gave her to me; the pokeball can prove it!” He pushed the ball right up to Han Mingxuan’s nose.

Han Mingxuan’s brow twitched as he stared at the red-and-white pokeball pressed to his face, his aloofness crumbling in an instant.

But unlike Wangchuan, who could still maintain composure, Han Mingxuan obviously could not; he threw back his head and laughed loudly!

“Hahaha—are you saying this children’s toy can capture pets? Haven’t you watched a bit too many cartoons?”

Shaking his head, Han Mingxuan tried to walk around, but Pei Mu blocked his path again.

Pei Mu twirled his hands, then raised the pokeball high, striking a pose as if summoning Ultraman, and shouted, “Go! Pikachu!”

We all stared, dumbfounded, at the pokeball.

After all, Han Mingxuan was of the spirit world, so he could clearly see the fairy aura radiating from the man before him.

Mad as he might be, he was at least from the immortal realm—worthy of some respect, perhaps even genuinely powerful.

As for me, I too was sure he had some real ability, so I stared, transfixed, at the red-and-white pokeball, waiting to see what would happen.

A minute passed. Then two.

We all gawked, dumb as stones.

Even some passersby, drawn by Pei Mu’s bizarre behavior and odd attire, stared at the pokeball in his hand.

But nothing happened.

It was as if a crow had flown by, leaving droppings on everyone’s head…

Pei Mu swallowed, retrieved the pokeball, knocked it a few times, and puzzled over it. “Why isn’t it working?”

Han Mingxuan, on the other hand, was visibly struggling not to laugh, his face turning red.

Yet, unexpectedly, he stepped forward, slung an arm around Pei Mu’s shoulders, and grinned, “That’s a great treasure you’ve got there! How about I trade you this cat for that ball?”

My mind froze. Was Han Mingxuan mad, too? What was the point of this children’s toy?

Pei Mu scoffed, “No way! This is our contract. If I give you the contract, having the cat is useless to me!”

I couldn’t help it—I burst out laughing again.

This qilin was actually pretty clever! Exceptionally clever!

Han Mingxuan wanted to laugh too, but kept a straight face. “You’ve got good taste, my friend!”

Pei Mu nodded. “Glad you understand. Now hand over the cat!”

“Come, let’s talk as we walk.”

“Walk where?” Pei Mu seemed wary.

Han Mingxuan shoved me into Pei Mu’s arms, clicking his tongue. “How about I buy you a drink?”

“No!” Pei Mu struck a heroic pose. “I want juice! Grapefruit juice!”

“Er… Sure!” Han Mingxuan immediately put on a ‘whatever you say, ancestor’ look.

In Pei Mu’s arms, I wasn’t held very securely—he seemed a bit of a neat freak, and with me covered in sticky ice cream, he only wrapped me loosely in his sleeve, looking slightly disgusted.

Han Mingxuan bantered with him as they walked, Xin’er dutifully trailing behind, carrying Xiaoyun.

Suddenly, Han Mingxuan pointed up. “Look—a Calabash Brother!”

“Huh?!” Pei Mu reacted instantly, looking up.

In that lightning moment, Han Mingxuan hooked the manhole cover with his left foot, reached out with his left hand to snatch me back, grabbed Xin’er with his right, flipped the manhole cover into the air, and with a kick, sent Pei Mu tumbling down into the sewer!

“Ah—!” Pei Mu, engrossed in searching for the Calabash Brother, was caught off guard by the kick!

His face shifted from delight to innocent grievance, but it was too late—he’d already fallen in, followed by a splash, as there was clearly water below.

“Let’s go!”

At his command, our group bolted dozens of meters away!

Behind us came the muffled sound of what seemed like trumpet-blowing, but I knew if we were any closer, it would definitely be Pei Mu’s roar…

Han Mingxuan laughed, having successfully shaken off that troublesome fellow.

And somehow, Pei Mu’s pokeball had ended up in Han Mingxuan’s hand.

“What do you want that ball for?” I asked, puzzled. “And don’t you realize he’s a qilin? Not someone you can afford to offend…”

“I’ll just treat it as a toy,” Han Mingxuan replied, not really explaining.

But I thought, if it came from a qilin, it couldn’t possibly be just a toy! Maybe it really had some use? Otherwise, Han Mingxuan wouldn’t have gone to such lengths just for that ball! He even tried to trade me for it at first!

Han Mingxuan dragged us all along. Xin’er wasn’t frightened at all, giggling as she was half-dragged, half-carried, running along.

Soon we were home—my own house! My own bathtub! And I was dunked straight into it!

“Blub blub blub…” Bubbles poured out of my nose!

“Lucky you—I was going to bathe your sister, but you’ll get the benefit now.”

I was lifted out of the water! For some reason—perhaps because I’d become a cat—I had developed a fear of water.

“You still… blub blub… wanted to bathe my sister…” I floated in the water, bobbing up and down, bubbling away!

Han Mingxuan seemed to be doing it on purpose, scrubbing me left and right, even using shampoo on my fur!

The scratching made me itch, and I didn’t want him touching me, but I couldn’t break free!

“Let go of me!” When he, like the pervert Pei Mu, lifted my tail to wash me, I leapt out of the water!

Water splashed everywhere, drenching Han Mingxuan.

He smiled leisurely, licking his lips. “Looks like you’re not so chubby without all that fur.”

With that, he tried to pull me back into the water, as if nothing had happened!

This time he really put his strength into it, and I floated helplessly in the tub, nearly becoming a drowned cat.

“Hey.” Han Mingxuan lifted me—dripping wet—rolling his eyes in exasperation. “You really can’t take much, can you?”

“You try it yourself…” I answered weakly.

But once I was expertly dried, my fur fluffed up, and Xin’er was the first to pounce!

“Pretty kitty!” she cried, grabbing me and hugging me tight.

Xiaoyun, on the sofa, was clearly missing several patches of fur.

I sighed, close to tears, but then another tuft of fur was yanked from my body, and I couldn’t hold back my sobs…

“What are you crying for?” Han Mingxuan gloated, deliberately not teaching Xin’er the proper way to hold a cat.

Can’t I be moved, you jerk! Boo hoo hoo—