Qian Family's Wealth

Lin Yan recovered much faster than Qian Renxue.

For one, his original body was a soul beast, so his foundation was naturally solid. For another, abilities like Soul Devour Moon were particularly good at restoring soul power, no matter what else. So after only half an hour, the hollow feeling inside him had mostly dissipated.

Qian Renxue, on the other hand, remained seated cross-legged under the eaves, not moving at all. Her complexion was better than before, but her aura was still somewhat weak. Especially when she had unleashed that final Golden Feather, she had clearly emptied out everything she had left.

Lin Yan crouched not far away, watching her for a while. Seeing that she probably wouldn't wake up anytime soon, he simply lay down on the spot, curled his tail around himself, and closed his eyes.

"Forget it."

"I'll wait for her to recover."

"After all, this cat isn't in a hurry right now."

For a cat, sleeping was simply a matter of course. Not to mention Lin Yan genuinely didn't think this was slacking off. In his view, sleeping and cultivating had never been in conflict. Especially after unlocking Purring Dream, many times he would wake up with his soul power increased, his mind refreshed, and occasionally even his thoughts clearer.

So he fell asleep quickly.

"Purr..."

"Purr..."

A soft sound rose under the eaves.

Not noisy.

Even a little soothing.

If an ordinary person heard it, they would probably just think this white cat was sleeping soundly.

But Qian Renxue was different. She was in a state of half-meditation, half-recovery, and her perception of the outside world was much sharper than usual. At first, she simply found the purring not annoying. But gradually, she sensed something was off.

Her originally fluctuating sea of spirit began to settle, sinking deeper with the sound. Her soul power circulation became smoother. The scattered fatigue and oppression in her consciousness were gently smoothed away, as if by something soft.

Qian Renxue's heart stirred slightly.

All these years, staying in the Heaven Dou Imperial Palace under the identity of Xue Qinghe, she had to act and scheme at all times, unable to relax even when sleeping. Over time, many things had been suppressed in her heart. She could hide them during the day, but at night, they weren't always containable.

On top of that, her Six-Winged Angel Martial Soul was too powerful, its divine attribute extremely pure. If her state of mind fluctuated, her soul power became even harder to harmonize. So recently, she had been stuck at a very narrow threshold. She was clearly only a step away, but she just couldn't cross it.

But now, listening to the soft purring of the cat in front of her, she suddenly felt an indescribable sensation. It was as if a tightly stretched string in her mind had slowly loosened. Then, many things she hadn't been able to understand gradually became clear.

"Is this... his talent?"

Qian Renxue was startled.

But before she could think further, a familiar burning sensation rose from within her. The Six-Winged Angel Martial Soul manifested on its own. A faint golden light spread from behind her. Although the complete martial soul didn't fully materialize, that sacred and sharp aura still slowly seeped out.

Lin Yan was sleeping soundly.

He had no idea that the Crown Prince in front of him was already using his purring to break through a bottleneck.

He was even calculating in his dreams whether the group of cats in the East Side Courtyard had been eating too much lately.

Especially A Ju.

That kid's belly was practically round as a ball by now.

"Have to make him eat less when I get back..."

"If he keeps getting this fat, he won't even be able to run, let alone patrol the courtyard..."

Lin Yan slept very seriously.

Qian Renxue broke through her bottleneck very seriously as well.

By the time the sky was faintly lit, the golden light around her had finally stabilized.

Soul power circulated, her aura condensed.

That door that had been stuck for so long—she had finally stepped through it.

Qian Renxue slowly opened her eyes, her gaze noticeably clearer than before.

The weariness on her face had also faded a bit.

She first looked down at her own hands, as if confirming something.

Only then did she shift her gaze to the little white cat not far away, still snoring softly.

She was silent for a long moment, her expression growing somewhat complicated.

"I just listened to him sleep..."

"And that broke through?"

This result was a little hard to know what to say about.

If she hadn't experienced it herself, she wouldn't have believed it.

Thinking this, Qian Renxue couldn't bring herself to make a sound for a while.

Instead, she just sat there, listening for a bit longer.

Until Lin Yan slowly woke up on his own.

The little white cat first rolled over.

Then stretched out his front paws.

Finally, he half-opened his eyes and saw Qian Renxue sitting across from him.

The next moment, his gaze landed on her, and the cat snapped fully awake.

"You broke through?"

Lin Yan was stunned.

Then the first thought that popped into his head wasn't surprise—it was absurdity.

"No way?"

"This Cat just took a nap, and you leveled up?"

Hearing this, Qian Renxue's expression turned a little strange too.

"What if I said I broke through listening to your snoring—would you believe me?"

Lin Yan was silent for two seconds.

Then he nodded very honestly.

"I would."

"As ridiculous as this is, when it comes to me, it somehow doesn't seem that hard to accept."

After saying that, even he was startled for a moment.

Then a pang of regret hit him hard.

"Crap."

"If I'd known this thing worked on other people too, I should've started a paid sleep class back in the East Side Courtyard."

"Warm nests, cat cafes—all small-time stuff."

"The real cash cow was This Cat all along."

Thinking this, Lin Yan almost couldn't stop himself from lifting a paw to smack his own head.

Too bad, realizing it now was already too late.

Qian Renxue obviously hadn't caught any of his internal rambling. She just looked at him and said slowly:

"This talent of yours is even more impressive than I thought."

"Yesterday in the Black Marsh, when you said you weren't simple—I believe it now."

Lin Yan flicked his tail and didn't respond.

He certainly wasn't going to tell her that even he hadn't expected this trick to be this absurd.

And it went without saying that if the cats in the East Side Courtyard ever found out they could help someone break through just by lying around sleeping, they'd raise absolute hell.

By then, forget Snowball and Little Flame.

Charcoal Ball, A Ju, Swirl, Blue Tail—they'd probably all take turns squeezing in next to him to listen to his snoring.

Just imagining that scene gave Lin Yan a headache.

"Forget it, forget it."

"This kind of thing—better not let them know for now."

"Otherwise, This Cat won't even get a peaceful night's sleep from now on."

Just as he was thinking this, Qian Renxue spoke up again.

"Since you've recovered, come inside with me."

"What's outside is just a facade. The real place where people can live is further in."

Lin Yan's ears twitched.

Here it comes.

Finally, she was about to reveal the family's true assets.

The moment he'd stepped into this place last night, he'd felt something was off.

That layer of fog, that mountain pass, and that faint, almost imperceptible flow of soul power outside—none of it was the kind of craftsmanship an ordinary villa could boast.

Clearly, there was another layer hidden inside.

Now that Qian Renxue had said this, he was even more curious.

"Fine."

"Lead the way."

Qian Renxue stood up without another word and turned to walk toward the back of the courtyard.

Lin Yan followed behind, his tail swaying lazily.

Passing through the front yard and skirting a modest bamboo grove, they came upon a stone wall that looked perfectly ordinary.

There was no door on the stone wall.

No conspicuous array patterns either.

If anyone else had come, they'd most likely think Qian Renxue had taken a wrong turn.

But Lin Yan took one look and knew the door was right here.

Because the soul power behind that entire stone wall was practically bursting at the seams.

Qian Renxue raised her hand and pressed it against the stone wall.

A faint layer of golden patterns instantly spread outward.

Then, the stone wall parted silently, revealing a narrow mountain path behind it.

The path wasn't wide.

But the moment he stepped inside, the scene opened up dramatically.

Lin Yan had only taken two steps in when his eyes lit up.

At the end of the mountain path lay a courtyard hidden within the mountain's belly.

It wasn't very large.

But it was extremely orderly.

Stone steps, covered walkways, a cultivation platform, a hot spring, a medicinal herb garden—none were missing.

Most importantly, the soul power here was at least two or three times denser than outside.

And it wasn't the messy, impure kind of density.

It was very clean soul power, leaning toward the light attribute.

Taking a look around, the courtyard was planted with quite a few medicinal herbs.

Some had golden leaves and white stems.

Others were entirely pale green.

And a few looked completely unremarkable, but when you got close, they gave off a refreshing fragrance that soothed the mind.

Under the eaves sat several racks, holding sealed jade boxes and metal cases.

They didn't look like ordinary items at all.

Lin Yan stood still, silently surveying the whole scene.

Only one thought remained in his mind.

"The Qian Family's foundation really is deep."

He'd already thought the conditions at the East Side Courtyard were pretty good.

There was a stove, trees, a flower bed, a small house, and people delivering milk and meat porridge every day.

But compared to the place before him now, the East Side Courtyard was really just an enlarged cat nest.

This place actually looked like it was meant for proper cultivation, healing, and storing things.

Most importantly, it was quiet.

No one else.

No need to act.

No female officials suddenly popping up to ask, "What will the young masters eat today?"

Thinking of this, Lin Yan couldn't help but glance at Qian Renxue.

"Your Qian Family really lives meticulously."

Hearing him say this, Qian Renxue rarely refuted it.

"This is an old villa of the Worship Hall outside the main grounds."

"Not many know about it."

"Usually, if I need to cultivate alone or do something unsuitable for the public eye, I come here."

She paused, then added another sentence:

"So, regarding today's events, you still need to keep your mouth shut."

Lin Yan nodded very readily.

"Don't worry."

"I don't have any designs on this little bit of your family assets for now."

The first half of that sentence was serious.

The second half... could barely count as serious too.

At least for now, he really didn't have the ability to scheme over the Qian Family's secret villa.

But as for the future, that was hard to say.

After all, the medicinal herbs, hot spring, cultivation platform, and even that clean light spirit power in this courtyard were all too suitable for upgrading the treatment of those cats in the East Side Courtyard later.

Thinking of this, Lin Yan had already started making subconscious comparisons in his mind.

"This hot spring is suitable for Snowball and Little Flame to nourish their spirits."

"Those few Soul-Purifying Grasses in the herb garden over there—Blue Tail should like them a lot."

"If I moved one cultivation platform back, Charcoal Ball could squat on it and absorb some spirit power after his night patrols."

"A Ju... forget it, A Ju sits the same anywhere, he'll just find the softest spot to lie down anyway."

The more he thought, the more Lin Yan felt this place was good.

He almost raised his tail.

Fortunately, he remembered to restrain himself, and in the end, he just pretended to be nonchalant as he took a turn around the courtyard.

Watching him like this, Qian Renxue didn't rush him either.

Instead, she let him take his time looking.

On one hand, she really didn't want to make the atmosphere too tense.

On the other hand, after last night's battle and this morning's events, although her wariness toward this cat remained, it was no longer as heavy as at the start.

At the very least, she could be sure of one thing.

If Lin Yan really wanted to harm her, there was no need to go through so many twists and turns.

Even less reason to bring her all the way running out of a place like the Black Marsh.

Thinking of this, the coldness that had settled in Qian Renxue's heart inexplicably dissipated a little.

Meanwhile, on the other side, after making his rounds, Lin Yan suddenly stopped beside a cultivation platform.

He looked up, then glanced down at the ground, and spoke very naturally.

"That fog outside your courtyard is just to hide things from prying eyes."

"The truly impressive thing is the formation behind it."

Qian Renxue's brow lifted slightly.

"You noticed?"

"Pretty much."

Lin Yan licked his paw, looking like he didn't care much.

"Above, it borrows the mountain's momentum; below, it presses down on the spring's eye; and those stone platforms in the middle just happen to string the spirit power together."

"Your formation isn't just for hiding people, is it?"

"If someone really tried to force their way in, it could probably trap them for a while."

Qian Renxue was genuinely surprised this time.

If earlier, by the Black Marsh, Lin Yan recognizing her identity could still be chalked up to broad knowledge, then now, seeing through the villa's formation at a single glance was no longer just a matter of erudition.

It meant this cat understood formations, local terrain, and soul power flow—all of it, at least a little.

And it wasn't blind guessing.

He truly saw it.

"Just how much more do you know?"

She finally couldn't help asking.

Hearing this, Lin Yan was already laughing inside.

But on the surface, he obediently sat down, curled his tail around himself, and said with a straight face:

"Not that much, really."

"I just had nothing to do back then, so I tinkered with it for a while."

"With formations, once you've seen enough, you naturally pick up a thing or two."

That explanation said just about nothing.

Qian Renxue could tell, of course.

But she didn't press further.

Earlier, she had hidden her identity.

Now Lin Yan was hiding a few things—that was only fair.

Thinking this, she simply gave a slight nod.

"If you like it here, you can stay in the courtyard for now."

"Anyway, I won't be leaving anytime soon."

Lin Yan's eyes lit up another shade brighter.

"Then I won't stand on ceremony."

With that, he hopped onto the cleanest stone by the hot spring, tucked his front paws, and lay right down.

The movement was practiced and smooth.

Qian Renxue's mouth twitched slightly.

"You really don't act like a stranger."

Lin Yan closed his eyes, his voice lazy.

"Why would I?"

"We're already the kind of people who rolled out of the Black Marsh together. Being formal would just be awkward."

"Besides, you've already let me into your home."

"I can't just stand here being polite, can I?"

Hearing the words "let me into your home," Qian Renxue felt a strange twinge in her heart.

But looking at the white cat already sprawled comfortably, tail lightly tapping the stone, she figured there wasn't much to argue about.

After a moment, she said softly:

"Have it your way."

The courtyard fell quiet again.

Steam rose from the hot spring.

A faint fragrance drifted from the herb garden.

Soul power circulated slowly within the mountain's belly—slower than outside, yet steadier.

Lin Yan squinted, but his mind was already turning over other thoughts.

The East Side Courtyard.

Bibi Dong.

Qian Renxue.

The Black Marsh.

The Qian Family Villa.

The threads were piling up.

And clearly, this trip of his was no longer just "a casual stroll."

Thinking this, the little white cat let out a soft breath.

"Alright."

"The path is laid out now."

"Next, it's up to this young lady to see how much more she's willing to show This Cat."