Tuantuan

Sun Yigao was inside the house, came out holding the Peach Leaf Pendant he had taken from his Storage Bag and said to Jiang Youfu and Liu Yunan:

"You guys should put these Peach Leaf Pendant on quickly. I think that little cat attacked us because it could tell we had cultivation levels."

As he spoke, he bent down and tied the Peach Leaf Pendant around his waist.

"I heard my dad say before that Granny Fang used to keep a cat in this courtyard, but it got lost for a while. However, I heard that in recent years the cat has been running back to the courtyard from time to time. I guess it must be that little cat demon."

The little cat demon frequents this area and hasn't been known to harm anyone in the past few years. Its sudden attack on us today likely stems from its awareness of our cultivation level, leading it to believe we've forced our way in.

The owner of this courtyard, the old man, was surnamed Fang, and the Granny Fang that Sun Yigao mentioned was his deceased wife.

Lin Xiao also said:

"Yigao is right. You should quickly put on those Peach Leaf Pendant. Although we are in the Mortal Realm, there's no guarantee that there aren't any cultivators or Demon Beast hiding here. We should be careful."

Upon hearing this, Jiang Youfu and Liu Yunan quickly took out the Peach Leaf Pendant that Lin Xiao had prepared for them the day before yesterday, after he had plucked Ten-Li Peach Blossom Tree.

However, they felt that their clothes clashed somewhat with the Peach Leaf Pendant, so instead of hanging it around their waists like Sun Yigao did, they tied the Peach Leaf Pendant inside their clothes.

The four men went inside, spread out their bedding, ate the dry rations they had brought, and then rested.

The four of them went out early the next morning.

Landlord Sun had told them beforehand that he had also made an order for three meals a day from Old Master Fang, and that the Fang Household's servants would prepare them for them; all they had to do was go and pick them up when they had a spare moment.

So now they are going to Old Master Fang's current home.

His house wasn't far from this small courtyard; Lin Xiao and the other three arrived after crossing two streets.

The house where Old Master Fang now lives is much larger than that small courtyard; it's a two-section house.

The four knocked on the door, and a middle-aged man in his forties opened it, seemingly preparing to leave.

He saw the group of teenagers in front of the door and immediately spotted the tallest one, Sun Yigao, and laughed:

"Yigao is here."

Sun Yigao nodded and bowed:

"Greetings, Uncle Fang."

Because of his family's past relationships, Landlord Sun was an old acquaintance of Old Master Fang's son. Although they didn't see each other often, Sun Yigao still recognized him.

Uncle Fang warmly invited them into the house:

"Come, come in quickly. The food is ready for you. Your aunt will bring it to you in a bit. I have to hurry and open the shop, otherwise the staff will have to wait if it gets late. Have fun."

After welcoming the four boys into the courtyard, Uncle Fang hurriedly went out.

Upon entering the courtyard, the four boys saw Old Master Fang sitting in a recliner under the shade of a tree in the front yard, drinking tea.

Old Master Fang also saw them. He kindly squinted his eyes, raised the palm-leaf fan in his hand, and greeted the four of them:

You're here?

The four men quickly stepped forward to pay their respects.

Old Master Fang asked them with a kind look in his eyes:

Did you sleep well last night?

The four nodded repeatedly:

"I slept so well! Even better than when I sleep at home."

"You were sleeping so soundly; your snoring woke me up several times."

Old Master Fang laughed heartily, revealing his missing teeth. He pointed to the long stone bench beside him.

"Please sit here for a while. Your aunt is preparing your food in the back. It will be here soon."

The four sat down obediently.

Lin Xiao spoke:

"Grandpa Fang, a cat came to the yard after you left yesterday."

Upon hearing this, Old Master Fang sighed.

"Oh, don't worry about it. That cat used to be my husband's. It went missing for a few years, and we all thought it was gone. But a few years ago, it suddenly came back. Maybe it saw that my husband wasn't around, because it doesn't come home with us. It just goes to the little yard to sleep from time to time, and then it disappears when it wakes up."

Don't worry, that cat is very well-behaved and never hurts anyone.

Hearing him say that the cat never hurts people, the four of them thought of the kitten's sharp claws from yesterday and wondered if it was the same cat.

Then I heard Old Master Fang say:

"That cat was quite pitiful. When my wife first saw it, it was only the size of her palm, and one of its hind legs was cut open and bleeding. At that time, it was so weak that it couldn't even meow."

My wife felt sorry for it, so she took it home and cared for it for several years.

He chuckled, as if he had thought of something amusing.

"That cat ignores everyone except my wife. It's very averse to other people. I tried to hold it, but before I could even touch its fur, it hid behind my wife and meowed at her, as if it were complaining to her."

Jiang Youfu scratched his head and asked hesitantly:

"Grandpa Fang, is that cat yellow with stripes and a small patch of fur missing from its hind leg?"

Old Master Fang nodded:

"Yes, yes, that's right, that's my husband's cat. My husband even named it Tuantuan because it always likes to curl up into a ball when it sleeps."

Upon hearing Old Master Fang's confirmation, none of the four mentioned that the cat named Tuantuan was actually a cat demon, or that they had been attacked by it the previous night.

Sun Yigao spoke first, then inquired about Old Master Fang's health.

Just as everyone was chatting, Aunt Fang came to the front yard carrying a very large food box.

After receiving the food box, the four of them got up to say goodbye and left the Fang Household.

Having learned the origins of the little cat demon, everyone understood the situation and stopped paying attention to it, instead beginning to plan their trip to the county town.

Tomorrow is the county examination, Sun Yigao has to stay home to study. Lin Xiao and the other two thought they should go out for a stroll and check out the area around the examination venue for Sun Yigao.

Let's take a stroll and have some fun.

Sun Yigao took out his pocket money to give them for their expenses when they went out, but the three of them refused.

Lin Xiao patted his chest and said:

"You underestimate us, don't you? We're cultivators now. Making money is a piece of cake for us!"

Hearing him say "it's effortless," Jiang Youfu asked with some doubt:

"Brother Xiao, what does this mean? Are we going to take money from other people?"

Liu Yunan patted Jiang Youfu's belly and said:

"Silly Fuzi, does this mean it's super easy for us to make money? You should probably stop eating like that and get some brainpower in instead."

Jiang Youfu was Qi Ingestion, and he pouted as he retorted:

My grandma said I'm Youfu.

Sun Yigao smiled and put the money away.

"I'm so sorry, I was impetuous and underestimated my three brothers. I deserve to be punished."

Lin Xiao laughed and patted his shoulder, saying:

"You're punished by staying home and studying hard! We'll go and scout out the exam venue for you!"

So the three of them left the house happily, with Sun Yigao watching them go.