The way mice communicated

Everyone was left rather speechless after hearing what Cui Qianqian had said.

Only after a long while did Xue Ning ask, "Did your mother regret it?"

Cui Qianqian chuckled softly. "My mother told me she regretted it quite a lot back then. That was precisely why she never married again and insisted on having me."

"What about your mother now?" Cui Qianqian asked again.

Cui Qianqian fell silent for a moment before saying, "She died from overwork five years ago."

Xue Ning's expression shifted slightly, and she hastily fell silent.

The group was walking toward a nearby bus stop when a luxury car pulled up beside them.

It was Huang Li.

Huang Li rolled down the window and smiled at Wen Xiancheng. "Everyone, get in! The old madam asked me to give this distinguished disciple of Iceheart Hall's master a ride."

Wen Xiancheng flushed a little.

Before he had told anyone the truth, he could shrug it off.

Now that everyone knew, hearing that title again felt strange in a way he could not describe.

Fortunately, Cui Qianqian, Xue Ning, and Xue Ruigao showed no unusual reactions.

The four of them got into the car and rode back to their rented house.

Huang Li got out too and looked the house over.

Before long, she left.

Wen Xiancheng looked at Cui Qianqian, Xue Ning, and Xue Ruigao. "Get some good rest today. Tomorrow, the three of you can apply Illusion Arts to those textbooks. I'll visit the schools around here and see if I can get orders for other classes or something."

When Wen Xiancheng returned to his room, it was only four in the afternoon, still time to practice the healing arts in Zhang Lu's notebook.

Looking at the Mouse Clone and the ten little mice asleep on the desk, Wen Xiancheng shook his head, dusted off the bed, and prepared to sit cross-legged on it to practice.

Just then, Xiao Xiao walked in from outside.

"Xiao Xiao, did you need something?" Wen Xiancheng looked up from his notebook at her in confusion.

Xiao Xiao wrote in the notebook she was holding, "You have to call me Baby Xiao Xiao."

"Baby Xiao Xiao, did you need something?" Wen Xiancheng asked.

Xiao Xiao wrote, "I've identified a hundred and eighty common mouse movements and calls. I've drawn them in my notebook. Explain them to your pet mouse yourself."

With that, she handed over her notebook.

Wen Xiancheng took it and flipped through it, looking at Xiao Xiao in astonishment.

The notebook was filled with drawings of little mice, every one of them vividly lifelike!

Every mouse was depicted making a different movement!

"How did you observe them in such detail?" Wen Xiancheng exclaimed.

Xiao Xiao pointed at the notebook.

Wen Xiancheng handed it back to her.

Xiao Xiao wrote, "This is an innate instinct my master gave me. I knew how to do it from the moment I was born. You can get me a new notebook now. This one is yours."

Coming back to his senses, Wen Xiancheng hurriedly found a new notebook and handed it to her. "All right. Thank you, Baby Xiao Xiao."

Xiao Xiao did not reply. Taking the notebook, she walked over to the bed, sat beside Wen Xiancheng, and watched him without moving.

Wen Xiancheng acted as though he had not noticed.

Throughout their time together, whenever he was home and the ten little mice were asleep, she would stare at him like this.

According to her, her master, Zhang Lu, had instructed her to do this so she could see what he did every day.

Rather than continue reading Xiao Xiao's notebook, Wen Xiancheng placed it on the desk beside the Mouse Clone.

He began practicing the techniques in Zhang Lu's notebook instead.

He practiced until six that evening, then went to the supermarket to buy some vegetables and meat before heading into the kitchen to cook.

Watching Xue Ruigao help beside him, Wen Xiancheng smiled with happiness.

Days like these might seem a little uneventful.

But this was exactly what he wanted.

He had no interest in some earth-shaking romance.

All he wanted was to share the everyday necessities-firewood, rice, oil, salt, soy sauce, vinegar, and tea-with the person he loved.

After dinner, Wen Xiancheng went to his room to practice Illusion Arts.

Flowers and little animals appeared eerily throughout his room.

It had become a grassy haven for little animals.

Yet a closer look revealed that both the flowers and the animals were merely illusory images.

When a great python finally appeared out of nowhere and coiled around Wen Xiancheng, he opened his eyes and stared into its eyes without moving.

After a long while, he waved his hand in disappointment.

At once, all the plants and animals in the room vanished.

"Forget comparing myself to Cui Qianqian. I'm still far behind even Xue Ning." Wen Xiancheng let out a long sigh, then shook his head. "You can't eat hot tofu in a hurry! Even if practicing with Cui Qianqian's notebook amounts to taking a shortcut, I've still been practicing Illusion Arts for less than three months."

After a pause, Wen Xiancheng smeared himself all over again with a mixture of Spirit-Gathering Powder and water. Closing his eyes, he murmured, "Keep at it!"

While he practiced Illusion Arts, the Mouse Clone and the ten little mice woke up.

The ten little mice ran off toward the Royal Academy.

The Mouse Clone stayed in the room, lying on the desk and leafing through Xiao Xiao's notes to learn those movements and calls.

It was no different from learning a new foreign language!

The Mouse Clone felt as though his head had swollen to twice its size.

Yet he could hardly refuse to learn.

After all, this body was a mouse's body.

As a mouse, how could he not know how to communicate with other mice?

Just as Xiao Xiao had said, only by learning to communicate with mice could he build a mouse organization!

By the following morning, the Mouse Clone was so exhausted that his scalp tingled.

Yet he was beginning to feel excited.

After a whole night, he had finally memorized the meanings of a dozen or so movements and calls.

He could hardly wait to try them out!

Seeing the ten little mice lying on the desk, ready to sleep, the Mouse Clone let out a series of squeaks.

He was using a distinctive call depicted in Xiao Xiao's notebook.

One short, one long, two short, three long.

That call meant, "Let's eat!"

The ten little mice lay huddled together, their eyes heavy with sleep.

At the Mouse Clone's sudden call, they all raised their heads in confusion and looked over.

In fact, after spending all this time together, they had long since realized that this mouse who had accepted a human as his master did not speak their mouse language at all.

The occasional calls he made were always a jumble of meaningless nonsense.

But that call just now...?

Seeing the ten little mice staring at him in confusion without responding, the Mouse Clone waved a paw, then brought it to his mouth and licked it.

According to Xiao Xiao's notebook, this meant, "I'm hungry. I want to eat."

The ten little mice's eyes lit up.

The little mouse with the broken tail quickly climbed down from the desk and ran to a box on top of the wardrobe.

There were biscuits inside.

The little mouse with the broken tail dragged out a box of biscuits in its teeth, tore open the wrapper, and pulled out a biscuit, placing it before the Mouse Clone.

The Mouse Clone narrowed his eyes and twitched his whiskers rhythmically.

This meant, "That smells delicious!"

The little mouse with the broken tail squeaked and began running wildly around the Mouse Clone.

The Mouse Clone put down the biscuit and started running wildly too.

This movement meant, "I'm so fucking happy!"

Seeing this, the other little mice joined them and began running wildly as well.

At last!

At last, their friend had seen the light!

He understood how to communicate with them!

(End of chapter)