How come I'm the one being conquered?

Before Bai Jun could think further, Qing Que blinked in confusion and curiously leaned against his shoulder. Just as she was about to get closer, Bai Jun's left hand, which was holding the Jade Omen, suddenly exerted force, crushing it into powder with a bang.

"Whoa! What are you doing?"

"Ahaha~ I accidentally crushed it."

Bai Jun chuckled sheepishly and scratched his cheek. Qing Que, concerned, cupped his palm. In reality, she didn't care about the contents of the Jade Omen; she was only worried if Bai Jun's hand had been cut by the shattered Jade Omen.

After confirming multiple times that Bai Jun's left hand had no signs of cuts, Qing Que finally relaxed and began to scold him, "How can you not cherish your own body like this! The Jade Omen has so many intricate parts; what if they got embedded in your flesh, wouldn't that be painful!"

"It's fine, I won't get hurt by such a small thing."

"Still, you should be careful. But speaking of which, why did you crush the Jade Omen? And who was messaging on the screen just now? I felt like…"

"Ahaha~ The weather's nice today."

As soon as this topic came up, Bai Jun immediately started to bluster, whistling as he looked at the surrounding scenery.

Qing Que opened her mouth, but before she could speak, she heard Bai Jun ask, "By the way, where did the cat by your hand go? It looked familiar."

As he spoke, Bai Jun took out the photo Song Yan had given him. Qing Que recognized the cat in the photo as the one she had just seen.

"Huh? The cat I saw just now seems to be the one in the photo!"

"Really?" Bai Jun had intended to change the subject and quickly dismiss it. He hadn't expected to stumble upon the cat from the commission by chance. He eagerly looked around, "Where is it?"

"It's, it's… Ah, it's over there!"

Following the direction Qing Que pointed, Bai Jun quickly spotted a white house cat lounging on the Lingxing Gate of the Divination Bureau.

"This cat truly brings me great joy!"

Bai Jun confirmed that the cat was indeed the one in the photo, then put the photo back into his pocket. He picked up the long saber at his waist, held his breath, and assumed a javelin-throwing posture. Just as he aimed and was about to throw, Qing Que, startled, rushed forward to stop him.

"Waaah, are you trying to kill that cat!"

"No, I know what I'm doing. I guarantee the force will be just right, enough to daze it without hurting its brain."

Qing Que jumped up and snatched the saber, absolutely refusing to let Bai Jun do such a thing. Before she could finish speaking, however, she almost collapsed under the weight of the saber in her arms. "Ugh, Qing Yan, this saber is so heavy!"

"Who told you to snatch it?"

A hint of helplessness flashed in Bai Jun's eyes. He pouted, stepped forward, took the saber from Qing Que's arms, and leaned it against the large gate.

"So troublesome…"

Since he couldn't knock it down, he had to find another way. Bai Jun immediately rolled up his sleeves, aimed, and, imitating the ancients, climbed up the pillar.

The house cat lying on the Lingxing Gate plaque was still leisurely basking in the sun. Perhaps due to being pampered by its original owner for a long time, it hadn't sensed the impending danger at all. Just as it was about to lick its tender paw pads, its head was suddenly covered by a shadow, and a voice rang out from behind: "Got you!"

"Meeeow—!"

Even the robust and mighty local house cats of the Xianzhou were no match for the Xianzhou superhumans, let alone a pitifully small cat that couldn't even fill a gap in one's teeth. It could only let out a tragic wail before being easily captured by Bai Jun.

Holding its fate by the scruff of its neck with one hand, Bai Jun leaped lightly from the Lingxing Gate. He landed on the ground without a sound, like a fallen leaf, so light he seemed like a piece of thin paper.

"That's amazing! Qing Yan, have you learned martial arts for lightness?"

Qing Que, who had witnessed the entire process, marveled at his light and agile movements. Bai Jun shrugged indifferently, his tone casual, "It's natural."

Falling safely from a height of ten meters was something most Xianzhou people with some basic training could do. The truly difficult part was maintaining a light and agile state for a stable landing, something impossible for someone who hadn't specifically trained for it. Qing Que knew this very well, but seeing that Bai Jun didn't want to reveal more, she kept her thoughts to herself.

Suddenly, Qing Que noticed the cat in Bai Jun's hand. It, which she expected to continue struggling, was now inexplicably calm. It sniffed the air forcefully, as if it had smelled something incredibly pleasant, and then, with an expression of enjoyment, burrowed into Bai Jun's embrace. Its docile demeanor was a complete contrast to its earlier behavior.

"When going out on assignments, one should always have some tools. As a subordinate, it's normal for me to carry some catnip, right?" Bai Jun, as if sensing Qing Que's confusion, mysteriously took out a small strip of catnip from his pocket.

He had specifically asked a colleague who owned cats for it when he left the Public Office of the Department of Earthly Rulings, and he hadn't expected it to be useful so soon.

As the catnip strip swayed slightly, the cat in his arms immediately revealed a look of utter infatuation, sticking out its tongue and rolling its eyes.

"Uh, okay, it seems the catnip for local Xianzhou cats is a bit too potent."

To prevent the situation from developing in a strange direction, Bai Jun put away the catnip and, with a handkerchief, wrapped the cat's nose. After finishing this, Bai Jun signaled that he needed to return to report.

Hearing Bai Jun's words, Qing Que then clapped her hands, belatedly asking, "Oh right, I still haven't asked you why you came to the Divination Bureau, Qing Yan?"

"Is this the kind of question one asks when parting ways…" Bai Jun, holding the cat in his arms, sighed helplessly, his voice even quieter as he grumbled, "What else could it be? It's about the card game we played yesterday."

"Th-then, the Grand Diviner didn't do anything to you, did she!" Qing Que immediately became nervous, leaning in to touch Bai Jun's arm and then his shoulder, like a factory worker inspecting a product before export, afraid that Fu Xuan might have secretly removed some parts.

Bai Jun, however, thought her reaction was a bit excessive. He flicked her forehead lightly with his finger, smiling, "Relax, she just lectured me a bit. She can't eat me. As for you, with that look, be careful Fu Xuan doesn't take you away."

"How could that be! I'm the most well-behaved person in the entire Divination Bureau. If I truly wanted to, the Grand Diviner wouldn't find any reason to punish me."

"Stop talking, Qing Que. Do you know you've already planted so many invisible flags…"

"Really? This counts too?"

Qing Que, who usually enjoyed high-intensity internet surfing, naturally understood the meaning of this phrase, but she simply didn't believe it.

"I hope so. Alright, I'm not going to banter with you any longer. I need to go back and report, and you should get back to work too." As he was leaving, Bai Jun suddenly added, "Oh, right, I'm moving in a few days. If you have time, would you like to come along? I'll treat you to a meal."

"No problem! I'll definitely be there!"

In the eyes of the Xianzhou people, moving was considered a very proper and serious matter, so Qing Que accepted without hesitation. Perhaps, put another way, she was incredibly excited that Bai Jun had invited her!

Only after Bai Jun had walked far away did Qing Que let out a happy cheer. Her cute little face was flushed with a tempting blush from excitement, and her heart felt as sweet as if she had eaten honey. "Hooray! He invited me to help him move!"

Spinning around several times in place, Qing Que, with her youthful and cheerful steps, walked towards the entrance of the Divination Bureau.

Perhaps because her mood was exceptionally good, she inexplicably felt that even her work at the main gate was much happier, and her days had more hope. This is what they call being in high spirits when good things happen!

This wonderful mood came to an abrupt end when she saw Fu Xuan standing at the entrance of the Divination Bureau with a gloomy expression.

...Alright, she admitted that Bai Jun's crow's mouth was a bit too accurate.

Also, could she smooth things over by stuffing more honey into the Grand Diviner's hands now?

Let's tally the reward results so far.

The bounty started on 9.17 and ended on 9.22.

From: 65 monthly votes / 1314 recommendation votes / 4652 tips / 32 blades

To now: 1071 monthly votes / 5223 recommendation votes / 32364 tips / 306 blades

Corresponding to: five updates / one update / three updates / three updates

A total of twelve updates, which is 24,000 characters, will be settled within this week after the book is put on the shelves.

Of course, there are also the promised twenty updates, which is 50,000 characters, and I guarantee they will be paid off within next week.

The bounty ends this Friday, and I will tally it again then, ensuring that every debt is repaid.

I feel like I've opened up a bit too much, but I'll do my best to write, meow!

Chapter 31: Such White, Such Big... Puman?

"Really? You actually found this cat?"

In the Department of Earthly Rulings, Song Yan was sitting by the window, a lit cigarette dangling from his mouth. As the tobacco smoke rose, he held the scruff of a domestic cat, looking as if he had seen a ghost.

He had originally given this commission to Bai Jun purely to give him half a day off and change his mood, but he never expected him to actually find this cat. He himself had been looking for a week!

He had to admit that the coincidence of this situation was truly heaven-defying. If this were a movie scene, he would definitely complain, but this was not a movie, but solid reality.

Alas, he had been hoping to stretch out this commission for a few more days. Now, if he wanted to slack off in the future, he'd have to find another way.

Song Yan leaned back, his expression full of melancholy as he took a long drag from the cigarette. He felt the bitterness and warmth of the tobacco intertwine and spread across his tongue. With a sigh, his tightly furrowed brow gradually relaxed.

The smoke swirled in the air, drawing disgusted, trash-like glances from his female colleagues, who then moved further away from him with disdain.

But Song Yan never cared about that. He turned his head and asked Bai Jun, who was busy with something next to the public office hall, "Hey, Qing Yan, where did you find this cat?"

"The Divination Bureau," the reply was concise and clear.

Upon hearing this, Song Yan's gaze became even stranger. He gently extinguished the cigarette butt, his line of sight leveling with the cat he was holding, "The Divination Bureau? How did this stupid cat end up there..."

"How would I know?"

Bai Jun asked a colleague for more cat food. However, due to the difference in domestic cat breeds, before feeding, he had to carefully crush it into powder in a basin, add a little fresh milk and meat jelly, and mix it evenly, turning the large kibble into an easily digestible state.

After preparing the cat food, Bai Jun was carrying the basin to feed it when he saw Song Yan's face pressed close to the cat. He kindly reminded him, "Domestic cats have unpredictable temperaments. Be careful not to get scratched."

Song Yan was unfazed, even leaning his face closer to the cat. He boasted shamelessly, "Haha, a mere cat, and such a small one at that, how could— Wow!"

Before he could finish speaking, the cat's sharp claws had already left three clear scratches on his face. Then, it pushed off his chin with its hind legs and leaped out of Song Yan's hands with agility and speed.

"Oh~ Little darling is so fierce, that's what you should do to smokers!" Scattered applause erupted from the surroundings, while Song Yan clutched his face and wailed, unable to recover for a long time.

The little cat proudly licked its paws. Seeing Bai Jun approach, it eagerly burrowed into his arms, its fluffy head nuzzling affectionately against him, displaying a very human-like expression of contentment.

Bai Jun thought it was the scent of catnip acting up. He sniffed his collar but didn't detect any smell. So, he pulled the cat out of his arms and placed it on the ground along with the food basin.

Unexpectedly, the cat was not interested in the carefully prepared cat food at all. It lazily stretched, and with an elegant and light gait, returned to Bai Jun's side, rubbing its head against his leg and emitting a low purr.

"The little guy really likes you. My cat hasn't been this affectionate even after being with me for several years," a colleague who owned a cat remarked with emotion.

"Are the effects of catnip that good?"

Bai Jun bent down, his hand gently stroking its back, caressing the soft fur. The cat comfortably narrowed its eyes, nestling by his hand, curling into a ball, exuding an exceptionally contented aura.

"This darn cat, its claws are really strong."

Bai Jun held the cat in his arms and looked at Song Yan, who was walking over, teasing, "I thought you'd be furious."

"Why would I argue with a cat?" Song Yan rubbed his hair vigorously and grumbled irritably, "Besides, this isn't just any cat. It belongs to someone, and I have to return it to its owner later."

As they were speaking, the Pure Ink Steward happened to walk over and call out to them, "I've contacted the client. They said they'll be here soon. Bai Jun, go out and return the cat to them. As for Song Yan... you come and handle the leftover documents from this morning."

Song Yan let out a mournful cry. Even the scratches on his face earlier couldn't compare to the destructive power of this sentence.

"Oh, right, Jing Yan!"

As Jing Yan was about to leave, Bai Jun suddenly stopped her, picked up the cat in his arms, and said with a smile, "When I was looking for the cat, I accidentally broke my Jade Omen. Can the public office reimburse me?"

"Yes, I can have it delivered to you this afternoon," Jing Yan nodded, then quickly pulled Song Yan away to deal with other matters.

"Hooray for reimbursement!"

Upon hearing this, Bai Jun contentedly picked up the cat and went outside the public office to wait for the client.

He found a quiet bench by the Plaza Chahai, placed the cat in his arms, and took out the Chronicle he had just gotten from Fu Xuan, starting to flip through it casually.

Just as he was engrossed in reading, the cat in his arms seemed to suddenly sense something and began to stir restlessly. Bai Jun looked up, and the figure looking around anxiously on the plaza in front of the Divination Bureau quickly caught his attention.

It was a girl with shoulder-length white hair, streaked with fuchsia highlights. A touch of exquisite crimson eyeshadow adorned her eyes, which were as blue as deep autumn water. Her delicate and unique features possessed both allure and purity. She was wearing a simple white shirt and suit pants, but her curvaceous figure and long, straight legs couldn't be concealed.

If ten points were perfection, she was a nine. She was a beautiful girl you wouldn't forget if you saw her on the street. At this moment, her hands were nervously clasped in front of her chest, and she seemed to be anxiously searching for something in the plaza.

When her anxious gaze met Bai Jun's, her eyes went blank for a moment, followed by extreme surprise. Pure joy flickered in her lovely, clear eyes—she saw the white cat in Bai Jun's arms.

"Xiao Ba—! I finally found you!" Lan Xin floated over, her gaze having already snapped towards them. Dressed in a white shirt and black pants, she ran over, as bright and charming as a peach blossom on a spring branch, beautiful and captivating.

Her proud chest, carefully hidden beneath her shirt, heaved significantly with her running, causing the shirt to bulge conspicuously. The sight, as if about to burst forth, made Bai Jun's eyes widen instantly. He intended to look away quickly, but for some reason, his gaze was locked onto it.

"So white and big... a plushie, wait, a plushie!?"

It was then that Bai Jun noticed the girl was actually holding a strange, white, and large plushie. The plushie seemed to sense his stare and leaped from her arms, spinning rapidly in the air like a whirlwind.

"Poof—!"

Finally, under the terrified gazes of both the girl and Bai Jun, a perfect flying kick landed precisely on his cheek.

"Oof—!"

With a dull thud, Bai Jun fell to the ground again.

Chapter 32: Need a Dog? A Talking One?

"Waaah~ I'm truly so sorry, it's all my fault for not disciplining Zhang Zhang properly..."

On the bench, the white-haired girl placed her hands neatly on her lap. Seeing Bai Jun's swollen cheek caused by Zhang Zhang, she lowered her head apologetically, her tone filled with shame as she begged for forgiveness.

Her name was Ye Linna, belonging to the Strategic Investment Department's 166th Market Group of the Interastral Peace Corporation. Having recently completed a major deal, her team leader had granted her a two-month leave. She had then taken a spaceship to the Xianzhou Luofu for a vacation.

Life here had been quite pleasant and leisurely. She had even adopted a new little animal, said to be a cat from the ancient Xianzhou era. It turned out to be true; its cuteness had captured her heart the moment they met. She had even named it Xiao Ba. But her good fortune didn't last long, as she lost it a few days later.

While finding it again was a cause for joy, Zhang Zhang had kicked the very person who helped her find Xiao Ba, and not just anywhere, but his face!

Ye Linna subtly glanced at Bai Jun. Seeing that he was still so handsome, her guilt only grew.

Honestly, I can't indulge Zhang Zhang anymore!