A Maiden Named Qingzheng

Over the next few days, Jiang Yang traveled between Morning Rain Peak and Dawn Rain Peak. Apart from tending the spirit bamboo and casting a spell on it each day, he cultivated in this blessed spot. Whenever he had time to spare, he took out "Finger-Sword Awakening of Insects" and studied it closely.

After several days, he found all the traveling too troublesome and simply began returning once every two days. With his waist token on him, he could come and go freely anyway.

Under his care, the spirit bamboo grew well without any mishaps. Senior Sister Li Zhouying seemed to have vanished without a trace; she never came by again.

Some disciples who had newly accepted routine assignments did arrive during that time. They kept out of one another's way, exchanging a brief greeting with Jiang Yang before carrying their bamboo seedlings deeper into the grove.

Before dawn broke, a fine rain began drifting from the sky, its scattered droplets too sparse to form threads.

After finishing his cultivation, Jiang Yang opened his eyes where he sat cross-legged atop a large rock, his eyes curving with a smile. This was the weather the Dew Essence Consumption Method favored most. One morning's cultivation equaled three ordinary days of effort, filling him with delight.

The rain was light, and the Bamboo Grove offered shelter. With only a few droplets pattering down, he could not be bothered to form a hand seal to keep them off. They only made him feel more refreshed.

He rose, stepped down onto the ground, and headed toward the spirit bamboo. Meditative cultivation would compete with it for spiritual energy and affect its growth, so he usually kept some distance away.

Seven days had passed since the seedlings were planted. Bathed in rain, the spirit bamboo's branches and leaves gleamed, beads of dew hanging from them. Its stems had been washed clean beneath the blue sky, making it look all the more vigorous.

As usual, Jiang Yang formed the hand seals for three Meridian-Stabilizing Spells, sending spiritual light over to nourish the roots.

"Mrow~"

Amid the shadowy Bamboo Grove, a faint cry made Jiang Yang turn his head.

"Oh, a cat."

When he looked around, he found that a Wildcat had approached at some point with tiny, mincing steps. It stopped a little way off, so small that it seemed to be a kitten.

All four paws were snowy white, and gray-black markings ran along its back. Its pointed ears stood tall, while its large, round eyes sparkled with alertness and curiosity. Dense fur outlined them like eyeliner, and whiskers of varying lengths sprouted beside its pink nose.

Jiang Yang had not expected to see a cat here, much less such an adorable one. Seeing it standing at a distance, he wanted to call it over but feared startling it away with a sudden move. He slowly crouched and called softly:

"Kitty, kitty, come here, over here..."

He employed China's closely guarded secret art—the cat-calling technique. Under ordinary circumstances, it had a seventy- to eighty-percent success rate.

At Jiang Yang's call, the little cat with tabby markings all over its back bobbed its head, seemingly unable to understand what he was calling out.

But with Jiang Yang persistently beckoning, it seemed to catch on after all and slowly approached.

As the kitten came closer, Jiang Yang examined it carefully. The Wildcat was gray above and white below, with a perfectly round little head. Its coat looked soft and well-defined, groomed to an exceptionally silky sheen.

Jiang Yang cautiously extended a finger toward its pink nose. When the kitten sniffed it without rejecting him, he slowly began to pet it.

Its fur felt soft and silky beneath his hand, and its supple ears brushed his palm. The sensation was wonderful. Jiang Yang praised it softly:

"Wow, you let people pet you. What a great kitty!"

He cupped its little head and rubbed between its brows, then stroked its back before gently scratching beneath its chin.

"Meow, mrow~"

Not only did this little combination thoroughly satisfy Jiang Yang, the little Wildcat seemed to enjoy it immensely too. Squinting its little eyes, it rose onto snowy paws shaped like mangosteens and kept rubbing its head against his trouser leg.

"Kitty, you're so cute. What's your name?"

People's voices involuntarily softened when they saw something adorable. Jiang Yang rubbed the kitten's cheeks with both thumbs as he murmured his question.

Jiang Yang had always liked cats and had kept one at home in his previous life. He was merely talking to the kitten out of habit, not expecting any answer.

After a good while spent petting it, Jiang Yang felt even better, and the kitten no longer resisted him at all.

"Hmm... let me see whether you're a little boy or a little girl."

Curiosity showed on Jiang Yang's face. By now, it let him use both hands, so he lifted it up, intending to check whether it was male or female.

But the moment its feet left the ground, the kitten tucked its tail tightly between its legs, covering everything, and began struggling in Jiang Yang's hands.

"Did that scare you? All right, all right, I won't look."

Seeing the cat in her hands bristle, Jiang Yang did not insist. He simply sat on the ground and placed it in his lap, repeatedly stroking its head and back.

Daylight broke through the mist, and the rain clouds dispersed. Brilliant sunlight spilled through gaps in the bamboo leaves, bathing the young man and cat in its glow and suffusing them with warmth.

"Purrrrr..."

The little Wildcat curled into a ball of fur on Jiang Yang's legs, feigning sleep and purring contentedly.

"Little Sixteen? Little Sixteen?! Come out..."

As the calls drew closer, a graceful figure emerged from deep within the Jade Bamboo grove.

Shang Qingzheng was in a rather poor mood. Nothing had gone smoothly lately, and she could not settle her mind to cultivate, so she had come to the Rain Listening Pavilion to clear her head.

She had only chatted with Sister Zhouying for a little while before turning around to discover that Little Sixteen was missing. She searched the pavilion for ages, with no idea where it had run off to play.

Fortunately, the spirit pact could guide her. It turned out the kitten had gone outside, so she used her spirit sense to communicate with the spirit pact while calling softly through the Bamboo Grove.

Although the sect grounds were safe, it was still only a young tabby. Its spiritual awareness had only just begun to develop, and it could not yet protect itself.

Following the spiritual glow at her wrist, Shang Qingzheng walked slowly in her white dress and soon pinpointed its location.

So naughty... making me worry.

She silently resolved to give Little Sixteen a small lesson later, so it would learn to remember.

Just then, the clouds dispersed and the rain ceased. Warm early-spring sunlight pierced the Bamboo Grove and spilled onto the ground, its shafts illuminating swirls of dust.

In the distance, beside a large rock, a young man sat on the ground with a Wildcat lounging lazily in his lap.

The Jade Bamboo grew sparsely here. Shang Qingzheng stepped out, calling as she went, and immediately spotted Little Sixteen... along with a young man in blue.

The young man sat at an angle, golden sunlight outlining his profile and softening his features, as though he had stepped out of a painting. He wore a standard deep-blue uniform, with a belt loosely tied around his waist. Apart from a gleaming waist token, he carried nothing else.

Shang Qingzheng saw eight or ten inner disciples dressed like this every day, yet somehow he wore those simple clothes with an elegant air untouched by worldly dust.

Jade Bamboo and solid rock, a young man and a cat—all serene and still. The harmonious sight lifted the spirits.

She had not expected anyone else to be here. For a moment, she stopped and stood rooted to the spot.

The young man turned toward her voice. Their eyes met, and neither spoke, leaving Shang Qingzheng feeling awkward first.

He was the one to break the silence, his voice clear and bright:

"Is this your cat?"