Hybrid Kittens

The events after the banquet left me speechless. Those two... just started making out like that?

Gulp. I quickly took a sip of juice to calm my nerves.

No, I should be angry.

What's there to calm down? They're clearly messing with me, treating me like an alien. Who openly shoves dog food in your face like that?

Who says I, Ye Xiaoyao, am not a baby, only for you to show me this?

I repeatedly chanted: See no evil, hear no evil.

Under Ye Qingxian's gaze, a certain little loli pretended not to see anything and took a huge bite of Spirit Rice. It seemed she ate too much in one go, causing her to immediately choke. She was secretly sticking out her tongue.

Ye Qingxian had been observing her junior sister's small movements. The more she watched, the more she felt her own junior sister's fluffy head was cuter, perfect for spontaneous feeding sessions. Compared to this, other people's junior sisters were just so-so.

Meanwhile, as I chewed the Spirit Rice, I almost shed tears of happiness.

The tip of my tongue that stuck out was just burned.

This is Spirit Rice.

It's so delicious.

No wonder everyone likes to have others grow it.

Shuang Yue gradually quieted down, her resentful gaze falling on me unintentionally from time to time, making me feel like I was sitting on pins and needles.

Seriously, sis, don't stare at me like that.

Logically speaking, Yue Wuhua didn't believe Shuang Yue's theory.

No one could know what Ye Qingxian was thinking.

After all, no one could understand the Female Protagonist's thought process.

Mine was simpler: I never believed it in the first place.

This long-planned flower viewing banquet concluded in a rather strange atmosphere.

Shuang Yue was dragged away by Yue Wuhua, still loudly proclaiming her stubbornness.

My hearing is quite good, and I could hear Yue Wuhua's near- breakdown emotions.

"Junior Sister, your world is too crowded. I want to have a relationship with just the two of us."

"What nonsense are you talking about? Cat Princess is family, she doesn't count as the third person in a relationship."

The world finally became quiet. I completely left the flower viewing banquet venue, noticing my stomach had gotten a bit bigger from eating.

All in all, it was worth the trip.

It's so happy to eat for free. And without a blackening, crazy Female Protagonist, she seems to be a great benefactor.

Yeah, not bad!

Walking on the road back to the Cave Mansion, the wind gently swirled around my calves.

Ye Qingxian didn't follow, which made me even happier.

I like it this way.

"I wonder what Senior Sister Shuangyue will be like when she gets back. Oh well, who made me not a cat? Why think so much? I just need to take care of myself."

What I muttered to myself caused Cub to kick me.

I pressed a hand to my belly, pushing down her little foot that was sticking out slightly.

I frowned, not quite understanding Cub's meaning.

I directly classified it as her provoking me.

How dare she!

What a joke, learning to rebel at such a young age. What's the difference from the demon spawn in the movies?

Whose genes are influencing Cub's personality?

While I was internally complaining about Ye Qingxian's anti-human genes, I angrily started communicating with Cub.

"You're protesting because I said I'm not a cat?"

"Come on, today your old lady is going to have a good talk with you."

"If you don't agree with my conclusion, do you want to be a hybrid cat cub instead?"

As I chattered, I stroked my chin and pondered, what do you call the daughter born from a cat and a human?

Half-demon?

Half-cat.

Or perhaps—a catgirl?

In any case, they probably aren't good terms. I was still contemplating this very serious question.

Suddenly, I was kicked again, not too hard, not too light. My brow furrowed, a few black lines appearing.

She's provoking me again!!

Thinking I want to eat seven wolves?

I puffed out my cheeks, breathing heavily.

I only said you were a mixed-breed cat cub, why are you unhappy now?

Forget it, I won't argue with the cub.

A life that hasn't even been born yet, not truly a person, why get upset with it?

It seemed to hear me muttering.

Of course, maybe it also didn't want to be a mixed-breed cat cub, and my puffed-up belly suddenly calmed down immensely.

I put one hand on my hip and suddenly frowned.

"Cub, you're not angry, are you?"

My belly remained unresponsive.

I pursed my lips, preparing to give prenatal education, "Don't blame your Mother for always talking about you. You need to distinguish between what's important and what's not, and who won't harm you."

"She's just talking nonsense. You're still young and can't understand everything, got it? Besides, I'm your mother. If you don't listen to me, who else will you listen to?"

In the Lower Realm, people liked to call their mothers "mama," while in the Upper Realm, "mother" was more common.

I just said whatever felt natural.

I chattered away, and sometimes the cub would move, as if responding to me.

It's my daughter, after all. She inherited my personality from a young age.

So easy to coax.

My smile brightened even more.

Suddenly.

I ended my interaction with the cub, my brow furrowed unintentionally, and I glanced in a certain direction.

Who is it?

A very sinister gaze.

Staring at me from the shadows.

I suppressed my creeping dread, my mood sinking slightly.

Disciples passed by frequently. Many of them were old monsters who had joined the Wuya Sect over a thousand years ago but still maintained their Inner Sect Disciple status.

I refuse to believe that Zhuge Yun would dare to show himself and commit murder under the watchful eyes of so many people.

How many years has he been in the sect? A few decades at most.

I've allocated so many resources, yet these Inner Sect Disciples who joined not long ago cause the most trouble.

These people love to think highly of themselves, believing they deserve better treatment.

Having experienced the harsh realities of life.

I had long seen through the base nature of humanity.

It's nothing more than bullying the weak and fearing the strong.

"No need to rush me to leave. I already know there's a stray dog watching from the shadows." Since entering the late stages of pregnancy, the cub has become much more active, able to communicate with me normally in simple ways.

Returning to my Cave Mansion, I activated the Restriction.

Only then did I feel much more at ease.

As long as Zhuge Yun's matter isn't resolved, it will gnaw at me like a bone-eating worm, and it will explode completely sooner or later.

My gaze landed on a spiritual talisman on the table.

Suddenly, my eyes became inexplicably clouded.

Countless memories flooded my mind, and all the details fell into place.

Qing Ye was merely a Qi Refining stage cultivator.

Logically and emotionally, there would be no use in seeking her out.

However.

At this moment, I still opened a Sound Transmission Talisman and sent her a message.

[I suspect Zhuge Yun has been trying to target me. A few days ago, a black-clothed person was digging at the entrance. What do you think I should do?]

After saying all that, I suddenly slumped onto the table, gasping for air like a drowning sea fish.

My light pink hair, hanging down, brushed against my cheek.

I lowered my head, looking at the wooden floor, my eyes suddenly filled with pain.

Logically speaking.

I shouldn't have suspected Qing Ye.

But all the details were slowly telling me the truth.

Since Qing Ye helped me deal with petty thieves, the chaotic order of Heavenly Sword Peak improved countless times in an instant.

A large number of cultivators with unknown origins were purged from the outer disciples.

And the talismans she gave me, even at the Flower Appreciation Banquet, none of the famous fairies could see through them at all.

Finally--

It was the reaction I had towards Qing Ye, the same reaction Cub would have.

Can't all of this point to the truth?

In fact, I should have suspected Qing Ye long ago.

Many times, I suppressed the doubts that arose.

Because she was the only person in my short life that I initially trusted, and the only fellow disciple willing to tolerate me and cooperate with me.

If it wasn't absolutely necessary, I really didn't want to suspect her.

But the facts were laid out before me.

This person, the only one who looked up to me, was constantly telling me that she was Ye Qingxian.

Yes, Ye Qingxian.

It had always been Ye Qingxian.

And only she, the Female Protagonist I hated the most, only she would help me repeatedly without asking for anything in return.

Isn't it ridiculous?

How could I control my emotions?

At this moment, I was only one step away from breaking down again.

Hope.

I hoped that the Qing Ye I encountered was just an accident.

Not a meticulously planned game by Ye Qingxian.

If so-- I could tell myself seriously.

I, Ye Xiaoyao, am already different from before. I am no longer the insignificant waste that everyone ignores.

"Qing Ye."

I kept muttering her name, my fists already clenched.

You-- you must not be Ye Qingxian.

My eyes even held a hint of pleading and sorrow.

If she were Ye Qingxian, she couldn't have had no reaction upon seeing this message.