Over the next day, Lin Ran did nothing else but scout out the imperial capital, including the locations of the Ye Residence and the imperial palace.
Under cover of night, a little white shadow vaulted over the palace wall. Lin Ran had barely slipped inside when he sensed that he had been discovered! It seemed he still could not afford to be careless. The Sheng Kingdom was a vast country with plenty of capable warriors and officers. He had no desire to capsize in a gutter.
Lin Ran decisively chose to flee. He was not afraid of one or two opponents; what worried him was a whole mob with no martial honor ganging up on an elderly little tiger like him!
Since he could not enter the palace, Lin Ran headed straight for the Ye Residence to see whether he could start there and find an opening to insert himself into the plot.
As soon as he entered the Ye Residence, Lin Ran spotted a cute, chubby girl. After studying her closely, he decided she must be Chun Tao! Even in the middle of the night, Ye Xiwu was still ordering her around. An idea struck Lin Ran, and he leaped straight from the wall into a flower bed, rolling twice on the ground to make himself look utterly bedraggled.
"Meow-meow-" Lin Ran could not help feeling a little ashamed. He was a dignified sacred beast, a white tiger, yet here he was pretending to be a frail little kitten!
Chun Tao stopped on her way back to her room. Following the cries, she discovered the "terribly weak" Lin Ran lying in the flower bed.
"Huh? Where did this little kitty come from?" As she spoke, Chun Tao picked Lin Ran up and examined him from every angle, but found no wounds on him.
"Could you have gone hungry for too long?" Chun Tao muttered, taking out a handkerchief wrapped around some flaky pastries. These were snacks she had prepared for herself to eat when she got hungry at night. No wonder she was so plump.
Lin Ran also pretended to have been starving for ages, wolfing down the walnut pastry Chun Tao offered him.
"You're so well behaved!" Chun Tao wiped the dirt from Lin Ran's fur as she fed him.
By acting cute, Lin Ran successfully sneaked into the Ye Residence!
Once the sun was high in the sky, Chun Tao carried the freshly cleaned Lin Ran off to help Ye Xiwu get out of bed.
"Miss! Look, I picked up a cat last night. Isn't he adorable?" Chun Tao lifted Lin Ran and waved him in front of Ye Xiwu.
This was also Lin Ran's first time seeing Ye Xiwu. Supposedly, the current Ye Xiwu had been formed from a wisp of Li Susu's evil soul. He did not know whether that was true.
"Meow-meow-" Lin Ran decisively unleashed his art of acting cute. Delight appeared on Ye Xiwu's face, and she snatched him up. Lin Ran did not struggle; he could sense that Ye Xiwu rather liked him.
Sure enough, Ye Xiwu held him the whole time without letting go. Lin Ran nuzzled against a soft mound. Who cares whether she's an evil soul? As long as she treats me well!
At breakfast, Ye Xiwu's entire family stared at Lin Ran. There was no helping it; he was simply too endearing. He did not run around, either, but lay quietly beside Ye Xiwu, waiting for her to feed him.
Ye Xiwu was everyone's darling. Never mind keeping one cat-even ten would have been no problem!
After eating and drinking his fill, Lin Ran lay to one side and studied Ye Bingchang. She truly was a beauty with the heart of a snake and scorpion. Others could not see through her, but Lin Ran keenly detected that trace of jealousy and resentment in her heart.
At this point, Lin Ran had thoroughly integrated himself into the Ye Family. Once he found a suitable opportunity to meet Dandan Jin, he could put his plan into action!
"Heh heh heh-" Lin Ran could practically already see himself taking Dandan Jin as his little brother and sweeping through the great immortal sects!
"What's wrong? Still hungry?" Watching Lin Ran meow nonstop, Ye Xiwu rubbed his little head.
Lin Ran shook his head instinctively, and Ye Xiwu's eyes immediately widened.
"Little White, can you understand what I'm saying?"
Lin Ran thought for a moment, then nodded. He might as well show himself to be a little more extraordinary. An ordinary kitten could only do so much, and he was still planning to follow Ye Xiwu into the palace. He had to make her take him seriously.
This time, not only was Ye Xiwu astonished, even her father's attention was drawn over. He studied Lin Ran carefully and indeed found him unusual. When he first heard the meowing, he had assumed the markings on Lin Ran's body were merely a coincidence. Now it seemed that Lin Ran might be a demonic beast!
Hearing that Lin Ran might be a demonic beast startled the others in the Ye Residence. Ye Xiwu's eldest brother, Ye Zeyu, even stood up to seize him.
"It's fine, don't be afraid. Even if Little White is a demonic beast, he's still young! Besides, I've been holding him this whole time. If he wanted to hurt me, something would have happened to me already," Ye Xiwu said to her father, stopping Ye Zeyu.
"That's true! In that case, keep him. Just be more careful in the future."
With Father Ye having spoken, Ye Zeyu could only return sheepishly to his seat under Ye Xiwu's gaze.
Lin Ran did not dislike Ye Zeyu, perhaps because Ye Zeyu had ultimately been redeemed in the television drama he watched in his previous life. But this was now a real world, and Lin Ran could not treat everyone entirely according to his old memories.
After the meal, Chun Tao collected some silver, then went shopping with Ye Xiwu! Naturally, Lin Ran went along as well. Ever since learning that Lin Ran understood human speech, Ye Xiwu had treasured him quite a bit.
The streets were far more magnificent than their depiction on television. Restaurants lined both sides, and there were plenty of street vendors too. Lin Ran twitched his little nose. He smelled demonic qi!
This capital was not as safe as he had imagined. Since he had arrived three years early, he had absolutely no idea what would happen during those three years. Lin Ran could not help becoming alert, his tiger eyes constantly surveying his surroundings.
"Hmm? Little White, what's wrong? Why do you seem a little nervous?" Ye Xiwu stroked Lin Ran's head and looked around in confusion.
"Meow-" Lin Ran cried and shook his head, indicating that he was fine.
There really was plenty of delicious food on these streets. Ye Xiwu bought some silk, intending to have Chun Tao make Lin Ran an outfit. Lin Ran did not refuse her kindness. In just one short day, he had discovered that Ye Xiwu was not as bad as he had imagined!
Perhaps her family had spoiled her, leaving her somewhat arrogant in their favor, but she treated Lin Ran very well. He felt rather conflicted now. If Li Susu traveled here three years later, what would happen to the current Ye Xiwu? Or were the two of them one person to begin with, with Li Susu being Ye Xiwu and Ye Xiwu being Li Susu?
Lin Ran's conflicted little expression made Ye Xiwu laugh, and she rubbed his little head with a smile. Lin Ran looked as though he was thoroughly enjoying himself. In fact, he really was. The feeling was just like a massage in his previous life-ahem! That came out wrong. I, Lin Ran, am a proper gentleman. I've never once visited that sort of legitimate establishment!
While Lin Ran was lost in thought, his system panel vibrated. He hurriedly opened it to take a look.
[A Golden Core Stage demon has been detected within one kilometer of the host. Killing it will award 1,000 Origin Points!]
"System buddy, you've got the nerve to send me after a mighty Golden Core Stage demon! What realm am I at right now?"
[Sacred beasts are not classified according to the cultivation realms of the human world. The host's Sacred Beast Body has only just taken shape, and your combat strength is equivalent to Golden Core Stage Perfection!] [The host may purchase Sacred Beast Origin Pills from the shop to accelerate the cultivation of the Sacred Beast Body.]
Lin Ran opened the system shop and took a look. The Origin Pills his system buddy mentioned cost 1,000 Origin Points each!
"Fine! Since you've put it that way, this demon has to die today!"
[The demon's location is now being tracked for the host in real time!]
Lin Ran jumped to the ground, meowed at Ye Xiwu, then turned into a white streak and charged toward the demon.
"Little White! Where are you going?" Ye Xiwu's voice rang out, but Lin Ran did not look back. The sooner he finished the fight, the sooner he could clock out!