A Little First Love Shock for the Demon Lord - Chapter 18

The three stood solemnly around the wooden table in Ying Ning’s courtyard, all staring intently at the small calico kitten perched atop it.

“This… is really Miss Ying Ning?” Luo Su scrunched up his face in disbelief.

Minglou didn’t answer immediately. Instead, he frowned, carefully examining the kitten.

Sensing Minglou’s gaze, the kitten straightened up obediently, tilting her head slightly as if inviting his inspection.

Noticing her endearing behavior, Minglou finally nodded. “It’s her.”

Luo Su pouted, still unconvinced. “My lord, you can’t just assume it’s Miss Ying Ning because she looks cute like her.”

“Cute, my ass!” Minglou shot Luo Su a glare, a faint blush coloring the tips of his ears.

Then he turned his back to the kitten and gave Luo Su a subtle signal.

Once Luo Su got the hint and leaned in, Minglou lowered his voice. “When I brought her back, I found that even touching the cat allowed me to recover some of my powers.”

Only then did Luo Su nod. “Then it’s confirmed. Miss Ying Ning’s soul must be inside this cat.”

The two turned back, and Luo Su now wore a kind smile. “Miss Ying Ning, could you tell us what happened last night?”

At the mention of the previous night, Ying Ning sighed.

“Sigh… Last night, Xiaoli suddenly came to me. I tried to persuade her not to do anything bad, but she insisted she wasn’t doing anything wrong. She said she just wanted everyone to live happily together. Then the pendant on her neck suddenly started glowing. After being bathed in that light, I lost consciousness. When I woke up… I had become a cat.”

Minglou asked solemnly, “What kind of pendant was it?”

Ying Ning thought hard. “It was an agate pendant with strange carvings. The pattern looked like three fish connected head to tail.”

Minglou didn’t respond.

That artifact had placed Ying Ning’s soul into a cat’s body, yet the Bl00d Jade Ring hadn’t issued any warning, which meant the pendant hadn’t harmed her. Had he not sensed something was wrong in her room at the time, Ying Ning might have been whisked away by the spirit cat without anyone noticing.

Such a strange artifact… Minglou had never heard of it.

He glanced at Luo Su, who shook his head—clearly just as clueless.

Finally, Luo Su turned toward Zhuzhu, who had been silent the entire time.

Zhuzhu had her right hand on her chin, her gaze fixed on Ying Ning as she appeared deep in thought.

“What are you thinking about, Sister Zhuzhu?” Luo Su couldn’t help but ask.

“I’m thinking…” she murmured, “this cat actually has eyebrows. How weird is that?”

Minglou and Luo Su both looked over and realized Ying Ning had two tufts of orange fur above her eyes, looking exactly like cinnamon-leaf-shaped brows.

Embarrassed by their stares, Ying Ning lifted her front paws to cover them.

Sensing her discomfort, Minglou turned angrily to Zhuzhu. “Stop staring! And why the hell are you still alive?”

Zhuzhu gestured daintily at Luo Su. “Because Su-Su couldn’t bear to let me die, of course.”

Minglou’s displeased gaze shifted to Luo Su.

Luo Su quickly put on a flattering smile and whispered, “My lord, if Zhuzhu dies, it’ll definitely cause trouble. Best to avoid it if we can.”

Minglou’s expression remained unchanged.

Zhuzhu, seeing this, knew he was still plotting her death.

She poked her cheek dramatically and said, “It’d be best to let me live, because I think I’ve heard of that pendant Ying Ning just described.”

Minglou snapped coldly, “Speak.”

Startled by his tone, she rolled her eyes and replied, “The Ancestor God once left behind three divine artifacts in the mortal realm: the Chongming Seal, the Tiangang Sword, and the Ranyi Stone. The Chongming

Seal can mend broken souls, the Tiangang Sword destroys all evil, and the Ranyi Stone can swap souls between bodies. Based on Ying Ning’s description, I’d say the pendant is probably the Ranyi Stone.”

“You’re certain?” Minglou asked.

Zhuzhu shrugged. “I’m not. Aside from the Tiangang Sword, which suppresses lost souls at the bottom of the River of Forgetfulness, the whereabouts of the other two are unknown. No one’s ever actually seen them—only heard about them. But as far as I know, the only artifact that can swap souls without harming the host is the Ranyi Stone.”

After hearing this, Luo Su frowned. “How did a spirit cat get its hands on a divine artifact?”

“Go search for the spirit cat immediately,” Minglou ordered. “We must retrieve Ying Ning’s body.”

Luo Su didn’t answer right away. Instead, he began making exaggerated facial expressions at the Demon Lord.

Minglou noticed, but misunderstood, thinking Luo Su was just having another of his episodes.

Realizing his lord didn’t get it, Luo Su pulled him aside and whispered, “My lord, what’s the point of looking for her body? As long as you keep petting this cat, you regain your powers. Isn’t that ideal? We’ve already got the cat—why go through the trouble?”

Minglou was momentarily stunned.

Right. The cat alone was enough to restore his powers. A cat was far easier to control than a person, and petting it was far more pleasant than cultivating spiritual energy. So why was he bothering with Ying Ning’s original body?

But still…

Seeing his lord silent, Luo Su gently called, “My lord?”

Minglou snapped out of it, but his eyes were still conflicted. “I’ll need to think about it.”

“Think about what?” Luo Su asked in confusion.

Flustered, Minglou responded, “Of course, I’m thinking about…”

Before he could finish, Zhuzhu suddenly interjected from the table, “Aiyo, poor little Ying Ning. They probably think finding your body is too troublesome. I bet those two baddies don’t want to help you anymore.”

At her words, Minglou whirled around, glaring at her. “You’d better shut up!”

Zhuzhu quickly pursed her lips, making a face at Ying Ning to indicate how mean Minglou was.

Ying Ning looked at Minglou and, after a moment of thought, said, “Minglou, you don’t have to force yourself to find my body.”

Zhuzhu perked up. She bent toward Ying Ning and asked, “If he doesn’t help, then what will you do?”

“I’ll find it myself.”

Ying Ning replied without hesitation, “It’s my body. I should be the one to look for it. And after I turned into a cat, Xiaoli said all the missing people had been turned into cats. Someone’s taking care of them. I don’t think Xiaoli is evil—she probably got manipulated.”

As she spoke, Ying Ning jumped down from the table but, not yet used to her new body, landed face-first.

She brushed the dust off her face with her paws, then stood tall and declared, “I already have a plan. I’m going to find my body and stop Xiaoli from turning more people into cats!”

Before she could take a step, Minglou walked over, picked her up by the scruff of her neck, and examined her face to ensure she wasn’t injured. Only then did he speak with icy calm: “In your current clumsy state, you think you can stop a spirit cat?”

Ying Ning waved her paw sheepishly.

Even in cat form, Ying Ning’s personality hadn’t changed.

She was still herself—always looking on the bright side, always moving forward, never backing down.

Minglou let out a barely audible sigh.

“Luo Su, take Zhuzhu and go find that spirit cat.”

Luo Su looked shocked. “My lord… you’re really going to help her get her body back?”

Minglou: “Less talk. Go.”

Though clearly frustrated, Luo Su nodded and flew off as a bat.

Minglou turned his sharp gaze to the bystanding Zhuzhu. “You’re not going?”

She drawled lazily, “Relax, my lord. Miss Ying Ning is so interesting—I already sent my little spiders to sniff around for clues about the spirit cat.”

“You. Go. Too.” Minglou ordered through clenched teeth.

“Eh?” Zhuzhu grimaced. “My lord, I know I’m destined for greatness, but if you can avoid using me, please do. I hate physical labor.”

Then she bolted. “I’ll report back if I find anything!”

In the blink of an eye, she was gone.

Minglou’s face darkened. “Stupid spider—always playing dumb.”

Just then, Ying Ning tugged on his sleeve with her paw.

“I think Zhuzhu’s great. We just met, and she already wants to help me. Don’t be so harsh on her.”

That only made Minglou angrier. “Right, she’s great. Ge Yuetai’s great, too. I’m the only one who’s not!”

“That’s not true!” Ying Ning suddenly raised her voice. “Minglou, you’re the best!”

Minglou’s mood instantly lifted.

But it didn’t last long—Ying Ning smiled and added, “And so is my brother.”

His face fell again.

He thought, Once I recover my powers, Left Wuxian is going on my kill list.

“Minglou!” Ying Ning waved a paw in front of his face. “Let’s go inside. If someone from the village sees a talking cat, they’ll be scared.”

Without a word, Minglou scooped her up and headed inside.

But instead of taking her to her room, he brought her to his cabin.

Ying Ning quickly protested, “Just leave me in my own room.”

“No.” Minglou’s voice was cold. “That spirit cat failed to take you once and might try again. From now on, you’re not leaving my sight. If it returns, I’ll help you get your body back.”

Stay with Minglou the whole time?

Even as a cat, Ying Ning felt a little embarrassed.

Minglou seemed to catch her thought. “Don’t flatter yourself. I’m not interested in you—and even less in you as a cat.”

He carried her inside and casually dropped her on the bed.

“Stay there,” he said, seating himself at the table. “I’ll watch over you.”

Then he closed his eyes and said nothing more.

Ying Ning curled up on the soft bedding, blinking at the solemn Minglou. Her heart felt warm.

Her brother was wonderful.

But somehow, Minglou… might just be better.

No news came about the spirit cat, so she and Minglou spent the entire day inside.

Minglou kept his eyes shut, silent, while Ying Ning dared not disturb him and dozed quietly.

Toward evening, Aunt Li suddenly came looking for Ying Ning.

Seeing the empty courtyard, she felt puzzled—Ying Ning was always around this time… Where could she be?

Aunt Li glanced toward the donkey shed once more, confirming that Xiao Bao was still inside. Since the donkey hadn’t been taken out, Ying Ning probably hadn’t gone to town.

“Ah Ning! Are you home?” she called out loudly.

The moment Ying Ning heard Aunt Li’s voice, her cat ears perked up. She looked nervously toward the window.

Minglou slowly opened his eyes and said, “I’ll go get rid of her.”

He stood, scooped Ying Ning into his arms, and made it clear he had no intention of letting her go.

Nestled in his arms, Ying Ning looked up and said softly, “Minglou, don’t be too harsh with Aunt Li. Just tell her I stepped out to run some errands. I don’t want her to worry.”

Minglou found it all rather troublesome.

He carried Ying Ning out and, upon seeing Aunt Li, delivered the message as instructed. “Don’t bother looking for her. She’s gone out on some business.”

“Business?” Aunt Li frowned. “When will she be back?”

Minglou glanced down at the kitten peeking out of his embrace and replied flatly, “I don’t know.”

Aunt Li’s expression soured at his cold tone. Though irritated, she said nothing for a moment. After a pause, she stepped closer and grabbed Minglou’s wrist.

“I’m making some buns tonight. Bring a few for Ah Ning to eat. You’re helping.”

Minglou frowned. “Why should I?”

“You’re living in Ah Ning’s house, aren’t you? It’s only right you pitch in. Don’t expect to eat and sleep here for free,” Aunt Li scolded righteously.

“I haven’t eaten anything for free,” Minglou retorted, clearly displeased.

“Then you’re living for free, aren’t you?” Aunt Li tugged at his arm, but when she couldn’t budge him, she muttered angrily, “The last one who stayed here also lived for free—and he tricked Ah Ning into an engagement! Then he vanished after three years! This time, I won’t let anyone take advantage of her again.”

She continued pulling at him, not expecting the wooden-faced man to actually move. But just as she finished speaking, Minglou suddenly stepped forward.

He leaned in close, his voice low and sharp with fury.

“Who did you say got engaged?”