Mistaking My Wife for a Spirit Pet - Chapter 22
Chapter 22
The long night was hard to resist.
Nan Zhi simply put on her clothes and went out. She leaned against the railing and enjoyed the night breeze.
The moonlight was wavering, and the river was sparkling.
The night wind blew in gusts. Nan Zhi took a deep breath.
She had been lying down for so long. Excluding today, she had been in the room for five days. She was truly getting tired of it.
She actually felt that there was nothing wrong with her body. After all, her master, old man Changling, was the one who was truly serious. But Yu Shu didn’t think so.
So she had been lying down for many days.
Watching the fireworks tonight had made her feel relaxed. Now, the night breeze was just what she wanted.
Happy.
But… when exactly would the Young City Lord set off?
“Meow~”
Nan Zhi was suddenly stunned. She looked to the side.
On the railing not far away, a black cat the size of a palm was lying down. Its paws were raised, scratching its head irritably.
Sensing Nan Zhi’s gaze, it looked over at her sullenly. Its green eyes stared unblinkingly.
It seemed to be… coming toward her?
She guessed correctly. The black cat stopped scratching its head, wagged its tail, and strolled over.
Nan Zhi couldn’t help but narrow her eyes, looking it up and down.
This cat… why does it look so familiar? But, what’s with that disdainful expression as it stretches its head over?
Is it what she thinks it is?
Nan Zhi tentatively reached out. Seeing that the black cat didn’t move, she scratched the top of its head.
The cat’s head lowered accordingly. It squinted its eyes and began to enjoy it. “Meow~”
It was indeed what she thought.
But… this black cat is definitely not an ordinary, unintelligent cat!
Nan Zhi expressionlessly withdrew her hand and asked, “Lord Cat, what do you need?”
The cat shook its fur, naturally licked its paw, and spoke in human language. “I heard that you can make talismans?”
Nan Zhi raised her eyebrows and put on the attitude she used with wealthy people, her posture humble. “Does Lord Cat have any troubles?”
The cat indeed had troubles. Since half a year ago, when a certain woman scratched its head, it became uncontrollable.
This head was getting itchier and itchier.
So, it asked, “I heard there’s a kind of talisman called the Anti-Itch Talisman?”
Nan Zhi: …?
“My head seems to be sick. It gets itchy if I don’t scratch it for a day. I heard that the disciples of the Celestial Brush Sect are very powerful. Could you draw a few Anti-Itch Talismans for me?”
“…”
Such a niche language.
She had heard of the Itch Talisman, but what was the Anti-Itch Talisman? But… she did have a plan.
“I don’t have an Anti-Itch Talisman, but I do have something that can relieve Lord Cat’s worries.”
The cat immediately became interested. “What is it?”
The fish took the bait.
Nan Zhi smiled knowingly. She slowly took out the artifact refined by the Young City Lord and pressed the switch.
“Buzz, buzz, buzz.”
“!” The cat’s fur stood on end. “Why is this thing so scary to cats?”
Nan Zhi was noncommittal.
The sound of this thing was indeed a little scary, but… it was more than enough to relieve that “itchy” disease.
She shook the object in her hand, tempting it.
“The sound is a little scary, but this thing was refined by Yu Shu of Yulin City.”
“So… does Lord Cat want to give it a try?”
When Yu Shu’s name was mentioned, the cat hesitated. “Was it really refined by that person from Yulin City?”
“How could that be fake? Are there any other artifact refiners in the Nine Provinces with this kind of awareness?”
The cat believed it. It had no choice but to believe it.
After all, the itchiness had returned. It was very irritable now and just wanted to scratch. It gritted its teeth, closed its eyes, and stretched out its head. “Then, then let’s try it.”
“Buzz, buzz, buzz.”
“Meow, meow~”
The cat’s soul scattered. It squinted its eyes in comfort.
Nan Zhi smiled, changed direction, and tried to make the customer feel at ease, safe, and comfortable. After all… using the Young City Lord as a gimmick would definitely allow her to make a fortune, right?
But.
Lord Cat, could your meows be a little quieter? Is this dignified?
Nan Zhi moved the artifact away, wanting the cat’s meows to be quieter. But—
“What are you two doing?”
“Nan… Zhi.”
“…”
Nan Zhi’s back stiffened. Her expression instantly solidified.
It’s hard not to guess who this gritting voice belongs to.
Her scalp tingled. She blinked, trying to give the cat a look, telling it to leave first.
However—
The cat: “Why are you stunned? Continue to scratch.”
Behind her, the Young City Lord’s footsteps were getting closer and closer. In front of her, the cat opened its mouth, oblivious to the situation, asking for a scratch.
Nan Zhi was so angry she laughed, worried about the moment that was about to come.
It is known: the Young City Lord is about to rage.
So: can she still make this extra money?
Definitely not.
Nan Zhi once again gave the cat a look, telling it to leave as soon as possible, but—
The cat: “Are you having a tic?”
“…”
It really is a cat that lacks the ability to read the room.
At this moment, because her efforts to send it away were fruitless, the Young City Lord’s hand had already landed on her shoulder, slowly applying pressure.
Nan Zhi’s heart tightened.
The Young City Lord was very surprised. She tried to pull her hand out, but it was fruitless.
The next development would probably be “Nan Zhi, do you have to provoke me?” or “Nan Zhi, you still dare to provoke me?” But this kind of development couldn’t be seen by another cat.
Nan Zhi put her hand on Yu Shu’s wrist and said softly, “I’ll explain it to you when we get back to the room?”
After a moment of silence, Yu Shu suddenly laughed. She restrained her brows.
“Okay. Go back to the room and give me a good, good explanation.”
With that, she took Nan Zhi’s wrist, pulled her into the room, and pinned her against the door.
She even noticed the cat.
Cat.
She clearly said last night that the cats in Yulin City can do backflips. Why would she treat a cat that only knows how to play the drums with such special attention?
“Why aren’t you explaining?”
Nan Zhi’s brows were furrowed, and her cheeks were puffed out. She was seriously thinking about how to lie. After all, she was the one who had promised never to change and then did it again. The main thing is, how was she so careless to be discovered?
It must be because the cat’s meows were too loud! It was too undignified!
She lowered her eyelids, hiding the guilt in her eyes, and said naturally, “Young City Lord, do you remember when you gave my sister-in-law some spiritual stones a while ago?”
Yu Shu was suddenly stunned, as if she hadn’t expected it. She nodded in a daze.
Nan Zhi lowered her head, her gaze falling on Yu Shu’s collar, hiding the unnaturalness of her lie. “I felt uneasy about the spiritual stones the Young City Lord gave my sister-in-law. I was always thinking about how to return that money.” She paused for a second and then said, “So, when Lord Cat came to my door, I felt that I could earn some money back to return to the Young City Lord.”
“Return…” Yu Shu opened her mouth. Her heart was filled with both compassion and emotion. “You actually thought that?”
Nan Zhi sighed and continued, “So, are you bothered that I’m selling that artifact to Lord Cat?”
Yu Shu quietly looked at Nan Zhi. The random thoughts were washed away by her words, and her mood was once again accurately soothed by Nan Zhi.
She laughed and softened her voice. “The item is already yours to do with as you please. But there is one thing…” Before she finished, she strengthened her tone and said seriously, “That black cat absolutely cannot do a backflip.”
Nan Zhi: …
Young City Lord, what does that last sentence have to do with anything?
For some reason, Nan Zhi wanted to laugh. Because of the Young City Lord’s not-so-strict words, and because of the Young City Lord’s occasional cat-like behavior. And the cat lord with the itchy head also made her want to laugh.
While wanting to laugh, Nan Zhi began to regret.
She regretted blurting out the words “return the fifty thousand spiritual stones.” Now, after bothering with the Young City Lord for months, she had only gotten some materials. She hadn’t gotten a single cent of compensation.
After saying goodbye to the Young City Lord, Nan Zhi couldn’t help but smack her own mouth in regret.
However, the cat lord who had been waiting suddenly spoke up. “Fellow Daoist, what are you doing?”
Nan Zhi’s movements paused. She felt a little awkward, but it didn’t matter. She slowly took out the artifact and asked, “Lord Cat, you’ve already experienced this item once. Do you think it’s good?”
The cat lord nodded coldly and said with dignity, “Fellow Daoist, how can I acquire this item from you?”
“Lord Cat, what do you think… is a suitable price for something made by Yu Shu?”
The cat lord nodded and pondered.
In its opinion, all the artifact refiners in Yulin City were precious, and that living signboard of Yulin City was even more so. But what kind of price should be worthy of this living signboard?
It tentatively said, “Fifty thousand spiritual stones?”
Nan Zhi: …
Damn it.
She was going to fight with these guys. Opening their mouths and saying hundreds of thousands of spiritual stones. How rich are they?
Actually, they weren’t. The cat lord slowly added, “I can’t afford any more. Could you be generous and exchange it? I will definitely repay you heavily in the future.”
Nan Zhi’s eyebrows twitched. She felt a little regretful.
It seems that if the cat lord wasn’t shy about money, it would be able to pay an even higher price. But how is opening your mouth and saying fifty thousand spiritual stones being shy about money?
These cats all seem to be very rich.
The cat lord is, and the Young City Lord is even more so.
Nan Zhi sighed, looking troubled. Under the cat lord’s nervous gaze, she slowly agreed. “Then I’ll give this item to Lord Cat. However, I have treasured this item for a long time, so I hope Lord Cat will treat it with care.”
The cat lord nodded seriously. “Fellow Daoist, don’t worry. I will definitely treasure this item. But… I’m away from home and didn’t bring any money. Could you come back to my residence with me to collect the spiritual stones?”
No problem at all.
Nan Zhi followed the cat lord back to its residence, which was a dilapidated bridge tunnel. It was a bit of an eye-opener for her.
Just as she was wondering if the cat lord living in the bridge tunnel was lying to her, it poked its head out and presented fifty thousand spiritual stones.
Nan Zhi: …
Well, even a humble abode has fifty thousand spiritual stones.
After the money and goods were exchanged, Nan Zhi weighed the heavy storage bag in her hand and left, feeling satisfied. However, in the middle of it, she was distracted by a thought—
Not long ago, she misspoke and said she would return the fifty thousand spiritual stones to the Young City Lord. So, does she really have to give it to her?
She had never seen fifty thousand spiritual stones before. The compensation that the Young City Lord had promised was also corrupted by demonic energy, so she hadn’t gotten a single cent of it yet.
Nan Zhi was thinking about whether she should just take the money and run.
The Young City Lord was also getting weirder and weirder these days, so weird that it made her a little uneasy.
Thinking this, she stared at the inn’s direction.
A battle was raging in her mind. One side said: The trip to Parasol Tree Mountain has already begun. If she gives up halfway, the compensation promised for the West Sea trip will be nullified. The other side said: If something goes wrong with Parasol Tree Mountain, just like with the West Sea, she won’t get a single cent. If she doesn’t leave now, the fifty thousand spiritual stones will also have to be handed over to the Young City Lord.
After all, the artifact was refined by the Young City Lord.
Nan Zhi suddenly sighed, clutched the storage bag tightly, and changed direction.
…
The dew on the eaves dripped. Yu Shu gently pushed open the door.
Today, she was in a very good mood. Because—
Nan Zhi had promised last night to go back to Yulin City with her to see the cat that could do backflips. Thinking of this, Yu Shu’s face turned red.
The one she was talking about was not that well-known lucky cat.
Thinking this, she routinely went to check on Nan Zhi. After all, the scene from that day had left a deep impression on her.
She pushed open the door, and the room was empty.
Yu Shu was stunned for a moment.
Where did Nan Zhi… go?
Her face still has no color. She actually went out?
But she wasn’t too worried. She figured Nan Zhi had her own reasons. She turned and sat at the table, quietly waiting.
But—
One cup of tea, one incense stick, one hour.
After finishing two cups of tea, Yu Shu went back to her room.
One day, two days, three days.
Yu Shu was suspicious. She took out her communication jade and sent a message.
No reply, and she hadn’t come back.
For some reason, an ominous premonition descended upon her heart. In her opinion, Nan Zhi would not leave without saying a word. In her opinion, Nan Zhi’s feelings for her were very deep.
Yu Shu restrained her brows and contacted a few guards to come over.
Not long after, there was a knock on the door.
Thinking it was the guards she had contacted, she got up, opened the door, and froze. She unconsciously called out, “Nan Zhi.”
Frost hung on her brows, and rain fell on her shoulders.
Her jawline was still covered with a mist that hadn’t dispersed. Her expression was full of fatigue, and she just quietly looked at Yu Shu.
“Nan Zhi, where did you… go?”
She flew so fast that her shoulders were even covered with clouds and rain.
Nan Zhi lowered her eyelids. She sighed softly, hooked the storage bag on her waist, and handed it to Yu Shu.
Yu Shu took it and asked, not knowing what it was for, “What is this?”
Nan Zhi looked up again and said seriously, “Spiritual stones.”
Yu Shu was stunned again. After infusing her spiritual energy, she was stunned again.
It was indeed spiritual stones. A lot of spiritual stones.
She didn’t understand why Nan Zhi wanted to give her these, when she had been so sad before, saying that “she would have to drink the cold wind from now on.”
She pursed her lips and handed the storage bag back to Nan Zhi, disagreeing. “You don’t have to give these to me.”
Nan Zhi raised her hand to block it and shook her head.
“I…”
She paused for a second and then said:
“The money I earned should belong to the Young City Lord.”
The artifact was refined by the Young City Lord, so the spiritual stones it sold for should also belong to the Young City Lord. She loved money, but she didn’t love other people’s money.
But the Young City Lord in front of her seemed to be a fool.
She couldn’t help but ask, “Young City Lord?”
The Young City Lord’s eyes flickered. At first, her heart was just rippling, but then it gradually began to change.
Drip, drip, drop.
First, it was a light rain, then a strong wind, and finally, a sudden downpour.
She wasn’t lacking these spiritual stones. In fact, it was Nan Zhi who was truly lacking in spiritual stones. But the person in front of her said:
The money she earned should be hers.