Ever since someone sneaked into my cave abode in the middle of the night last time, I'd taken the matter to heart and decided to renovate my little nest. I absolutely couldn't let that happen again.
Taking advantage of the perks of being a Direct Disciple, I'd managed to scrounge up a few formation patterns and some materials from several halls where I usually worked, then used them to strengthen my cave abode's defensive ward.
It wasn't particularly difficult work.
The halls were already protected by large formations made up of many smaller ones. I'd simply taken apart a few of the less important sub-formations and brought them back.
My cave abode was now many times safer.
At least a petty thief of the same caliber as last time definitely wouldn't be able to sneak in without anyone noticing.
Humming some nameless tune, I swung my feet from my chair and was just about to take a bite of my flatbread when I noticed my nail color had faded a little.
Maybe I could try a different color?
Red and bright pink were definitely out. I already had pink-and-white fur, and my nails were pink too. Wouldn't that make me pink from head to toe? Never mind how it would look when I went out; I'd even find it unpleasant to look at while bathing at night.
What a disgrace. No, absolutely not.
Someone walking toward me might not get a good look at my face and mistake me for a little cake.
An account book lay on the table in front of me.
There were expenses as always. After deducting another spirit stone, I suddenly sighed and let my head droop.
Money went way too fast.
If only there were a job that provided spirit stones without making me farm.
I knew the Task Hall was always hiring. The work usually involved posting tasks and keeping records, and the pay was fifteen spirit stones a month. But they only recruited cultivators at Qi Refining Fourth Layer or above.
The first time I heard that, I felt the world's deep malice toward me.
Close my eyes—cultivate.
I'd been stuck at Qi Refining Third Layer for so many years. Maybe I still had a chance to break through.
Half an hour later, I opened my red eyes.
In the warmly colored room, the little girl who'd been swinging her feet about was no longer at ease. Her rosy lips parted, and she let out a scornful remark.
"Useless."
In the dead of night,
Zhuge Yun had disguised himself from head to toe, so no one could recognize him.
He stood in front of my cave abode with a shovel in hand, ready to dig a tunnel beneath the ground.
A quarter of an hour later,
Zhuge Yun was already sweating profusely, yet he still hadn't managed to dig a passage.
"How can I fail to break through the defenses of a mere Qi Refining Third Layer cultivator's cave abode?"
He gritted his teeth and immediately increased his effort.
An invisible force enveloped the shovel. He swung it so hard that sparks flew in the darkness.
Someone had been digging outside for ages. I wasn't an idiot, so I scrambled up in a panic, nearly rolling right off the bed.
Was a penniless nobody as famous as me really worth someone's attention?
I sprang up from the bed, then remembered there was a little one in my belly. I had to restrain my naturally lively self, put on my rabbit slippers obediently, and march angrily out into the courtyard.
Of the two sides of the ward, only I could see outside.
Zhuge Yun still didn't know that a Spiritual Power sensor had been added to the ward, exposing his position in advance.
I narrowed my red eyes slightly and stared at the man in black.
I couldn't discern his cultivation, but my instincts told me he was very strong—far stronger than me.
At the very least, he was many major realms above me.
I didn't dare let my guard down for a moment and immediately prepared to take out a Sound Transmission Talisman.
But then, in my anger,
my emotions surged, and my stomach suddenly began to hurt.
By now, it was hard for me to crouch down, so I could only lean slightly against the Ginkgo Tree.
Damn it.
The night was so dark that I couldn't make out the shadows below. All that remained was my faint, labored breathing.
I clutched the Sound Transmission Talisman tightly.
No.
I had to tell Qing Ye and get her to notify the Law Enforcement Hall.
At that moment,
the shadow outside abruptly stopped digging. A pair of emotionless eyes seemed to pierce through the ward's many layers of barriers.
He tilted his head slightly, fixing his gaze on one spot. Slowly, he revealed an utterly sinister smile.
I shuddered, a chill crawling down my spine.
The next second,
the man in black put the shovel away in his spatial ring and vanished into the night with a flash, not giving me the chance to notify anyone.
Far away,
after leaving, Zhuge Yun stood beneath a tree.
He licked his lips with savage greed, the viciousness in his eyes growing stronger by the moment.
A truly excellent hunter never struck carelessly. Instead, like a tiger, he toyed with his prey, savoring the prey's final moments of terror. Only when its will was on the verge of breaking did he deliver the final, fatal blow.
Only then could he soothe the hatred in his heart.
Just a lowly little bitch at Qi Refining Third Layer—did she really think the Zhuge Family was a bunch of clay chickens and pottery dogs?
In the courtyard,
I kept gasping for breath.
Who was it? Who?
It had to be Zhuge Yun. He was the only one who didn't care about evidence.
Like a hungry wolf, he was already lurking in the shadows, waiting for his chance.
What should I do now?
If I went straight to the Law Enforcement Hall, who would believe me without proof?
The next day, I released an Illusion Talisman and was just about to go out to buy some ingredients when I suddenly noticed more people pointing and whispering nearby.
"You can't judge a book by its cover. That's the little bitch who tampered with the disciples' supplies."
"I heard Senior Brother Zhuge Yun, the victim, hasn't advanced in cultivation for a whole year."
"How can such a vicious woman be a Direct Disciple?"
"Shh, keep your voice down. It's not like we have any proof."
"What a fine excuse—'No refunds after you leave the counter.' Pah!"
"No one's wanted to hang out with her all these years, and there's a reason for that. None of us female cultivators can stand her. She only knows how to play dirty behind people's backs. I really thought she was a well-behaved little darling."
Suddenly, an egg came flying straight at me.
Before I could react, the little one in my belly kicked me. Only then did I snap back to my senses, just barely dodging the egg that had been hurled at my head.
I stood with my hands at my sides, my brows lowered.
The Inner Sect Disciples had ganged up to ostracize me before. This was hardly the first time.
They'd long decided I'd taken a Direct Disciple spot that should have been theirs, keeping them from moving up. Now they'd merely found an outlet for their frustration, choosing to curse me in a way that left no evidence.
Suddenly, a voice rang out. "Come on, come on! Let this young lady hear who's been gossiping behind people's backs."
Shuang Yue, like a mother hen guarding her chicks, burst out of a bush where nobody would have expected her. She dared to stand alone with her hands on her hips and face down the crowd.
As soon as they saw she was a Direct Disciple, everyone nearby scattered.
Shuang Yue saw me still standing there in a daze, and her eyes suddenly filled with a blur of tears.
Only she knew what Junior Sister Xiaoyao had been through all these years.
And only she had always secretly watched over the one she'd decided was her Cat Princess.
"Thank you," I said softly, lowering my eyes.
Our figures were about to pass each other.
The wind suddenly fell still.
The scattered sunlight in Shuang Yue's eyes dappled her gaze as it followed the shadow ahead.
"Junior Sister Xiaoyao."
"I've always known that you were kind when you were little."
I didn't say anything more.
As we gradually passed one another, Shuang Yue suddenly didn't know what else to say.
I didn't speak to Shuang Yue again.
Because I knew.
Even someone as warm-hearted as Shuang Yue would one day be hurt by the darkness inside me.
Before you continue