The soft midnight breeze drifted by.
The air seemed filled everywhere with the scents of "oldness" and "dust" that Mister had spoken of, permeating the endless darkness behind closed eyes and suddenly making the Black Gemstone Cat feel as though it could not breathe.
Though it did not need to breathe.
Still, it desperately needed something new to break this suffocating feeling.
"Speaking of the shop—"
The Black Gemstone Cat flattened its ears, the tail curled before it lifting slightly as it drawled, "Why are we meeting in a place like this? What about our shop? What about Sanyou Bookstore? Did you lose the bookstore contract in a bet with someone?"
It did not hesitate to speculate on the worst possibility.
A brief, piercing laugh from the Yellow Flower Cat rang in its ears, carrying an inexplicable undertone.
The leaves on the Yellow Pavement Tree branches paused slightly, and the rustling carried by the wind stopped abruptly as well. Only after several seconds did the night breeze begin flowing again—fully demonstrating that "speechless" could also be a verb.
"I'm not at the shop right now."
Mister gave a perfectly proper answer, but it was not convincing enough. After all, Zheng Qing was no longer the ignorant child he had been two years ago. Even a newly advanced legend like Old Yao could cast a projection across worlds to teach Jiuyou Academy students. There was no reason a powerful wizard like Mister could only communicate with him through leaves and the evening wind.
"Not at the shop?"
The Black Gemstone Cat tilted its head, as if it had snorted those words through its nose.
The breeze blew gently, but the leaves made no sound, signaling silence.
"The old man is a little far away from us right now."
The Yellow Flower