The Aloof Master Relies on This Cat's Kisses to Survive - Chapter 24

A Cat’s Tail Base Must Not Be Touched

Ming Xi remembered Ji Wu’s entrustment and saved Ji Fang, so Ji Wu naturally could not forget the promise she had made to her.

She was to groom Ming Xi. Since she had happened to see the little beast’s tail stained with medicine and dust, it was only right to help her tidy up.

It wasn’t considered overstepping.

Ming Xi’s eyes curved with joy, and she could not hide her delight as she offered up her tail.

“I told you to turn around,” Ji Wu repeated. “I will groom you after I have changed.”

“I won’t. Wuwu, soaking in that medicinal soup must have made you dizzy; the steam is so slick, what if you were to slip? I must watch over you.” Ming Xi folded her arms and spoke with great logic, her expression incredibly solemn—as if she weren’t trying to watch a beauty bathing, but rather checking the window to see if it was raining or sunny.

“Nonsense. Turn around,” Ji Wu chided coldly. She glanced at the screen to the right. “Otherwise, go wait over there.”

“Alright then.” Ming Xi didn’t persist. She trotted behind the screen and stood there, but she still stared brazenly at the person in the room through the gaps.

the scent of medicine still lingered in the room. Ming Xi shook her sleeve, lifting a piece of silk to her nose to block out some of the smell.

She heard the sound of Ji Wu standing up in the water, followed by the pitter-patter of medicinal soup splashing onto the surrounding floor.

A blurred silhouette was cast against the dark ink of the screen, faint as mist woven into brocade, hazy and indistinct, making one’s soul feel dazed.

Ming Xi had only promised to stay behind the screen; she hadn’t promised not to look.

Of course she was going to look.

Just as she was about to transform into a cat and leap onto the top of the screen, she heard Ji Wu’s cold warning: “Behave yourself.”

How should she behave?

What were the rules?

Were there rules for bathing?

Ming Xi pondered for a moment and silently reached a conclusion: since Ji Wu had finished bathing, she would need to change her clothes. Therefore, Ming Xi should pick out an outfit for her, right?

“Just wait there.” Ji Wu seemed to know that Ming Xi was prone to interpreting her words perversely. She turned her head and added a sentence to prevent this rebellious beast from acting out.

Her superior facial features were smooth and natural; even seen through a screen, she was beautiful enough to make one’s mind wander.

With an elegant frame and a jade-like countenance, she possessed a distinct charm in both light and shadow.

“Understood,” Ming Xi replied lazily while admiring the graceful silhouette. “Stingy.”

“Hmm?” Ji Wu tidied her wet hair, stepped out of the bathtub, and cast a simple Cleansing Charm to remove the traces of the medicine.

She stepped barefoot onto a small woolen rug that Ming Xi had laid out at some unknown time. She took a towel and dampened it in a basin of fresh water nearby. That fresh water had also been brought by Ming Xi; the basin was no smaller than the bathtub used for the medicine. It must have been very hot when brought in, but the temperature was just right now.

This Dream Beast usually didn’t care for human baths, so Ji Wu hadn’t expected her to be so thoughtful in such matters.

Ji Wu had always preferred cleanliness. Using the spell to cleanse herself only removed the traces of the medicinal soup; wiping her body down with warm water suited her perfectly. It was impressive that Ming Xi, having been awake for only a few days, had already figured out this quirk of hers.

Crystalline water droplets rolled down Ji Wu’s jaw, slid over her collarbone, and fell onto the rug, vanishing without a trace—yet they seemed to toy with Ming Xi’s ears.

A cat’s hearing is excellent. Every stroke of Ji Wu wiping her body rubbed against Ming Xi’s eardrums, plucking at the strings of her heart.

“Wuwu, are you alright? Are you tired? How about I help you wipe down?” The Dream Beast asked as she nudged outward a few steps, her small head peeking out at an angle.

“Do not meddle. Stay there,” Ji Wu refused coldly. She shook her head at the shadow behind the screen. “You worked hard to prepare these things. Thank you.”

“It wasn’t hard!” Ming Xi wagged her tail, becoming carried away. She turned around and opened Ji Wu’s wardrobe. “Which clothes do you want to wear, Wuwu? I’ll get them for you.”

“I will get them myself,” Ji Wu refused once more.

“I’ve already picked them. Wear these; wear the ones with the little purple flowers.” Ming Xi chose a set of Ji Wu’s outdoor attire according to her own preference and ran out, holding them with a face full of anticipation.

“Presumptuous!” Seeing her run out, Ji Wu turned around and scolded her. Not wanting to appear too timid, she used harsh words instead. “You reckless creature, why won’t you listen to instructions?”

“I won’t listen, I won’t listen. I am a cat,” Ming Xi said righteously. “There is no logic in a cat being obedient. Go ahead and scold me, Wuwu.”

Ming Xi laid the clothes out piece by piece. “I’ll help Wuwu get dressed.”

“No need!” The skin on Ji Wu’s body, which had just returned to its ivory paleness, flushed red again. Trails of water that hadn’t been wiped dry flowed down the curve of her spine into the small of her back; they seemed to glow, making it impossible for Ming Xi to look away.

“Ah, I can still see some of it,” she sighed.

“What?” Ji Wu couldn’t decide whether to hide or stay still. Frustrated, she used her bath towel to shoo her away. “Don’t stand so close.”

“The marks. The plum blossoms.” Ming Xi stared intently, not feeling her behavior was scandalous in the slightest.

Humans wore clothes, but cats didn’t. Humans were thin-skinned, but cats didn’t care about such things. What was there to be ashamed of in looking at a body? How was it different from admiring flowers or the moon?

Yet, as she thought this, seeing the plum-shaped medicinal marks on Ji Wu’s back, Ming Xi felt an inexplicable attraction. Her own cheeks began to flush, making the peach-blossom makeup on her face look even more enchanting.

A hint of spring light appeared in her shifting gaze. Ming Xi’s bold words were on the tip of her tongue, but she paused and knitted her brows.

When she had applied the medicinal mud earlier, she had used some dream arts to ensure the efficacy of the herbs would last longer. That was true, but she had only intended for it to stay for half a stick of incense’s time. It shouldn’t have been to the extent that even a Cleansing Charm couldn’t wipe it away.

“Wuwu, you really should hurry and get closer to me,” she reminded her seriously. “You can’t even erase my marks.”

Ji Wu was about to rebuke her for her lack of restraint, but to her surprise, Ming Xi wasn’t teasing her; instead, Ji Wu didn’t know how to respond.

She hooked her inner robe and quickly threw it on. Turning her back to Ming Xi, she softened her tone. “Mm. I have my own plans. We shall discuss this later.”

“That won’t do. I heard White Hair say that the arrays and such need to be rebuilt, right?” As Ming Xi spoke, she leaned closer, reaching out to help Ji Wu tie the sash of her middle garment.

Snap. Ji Wu swatted Ming Xi’s hand away. “I’ll do it myself.”

The sash was still loose at her waist. Ji Wu reached for it but missed. She turned her face to look and accidentally met Ming Xi’s eyes again.

Why was she looking so aggrieved again?

It was just a swat; it wouldn’t hurt.

Does it hurt?

Ji Wu opened her mouth but didn’t ask. She simply added, “You don’t know how to put these on. I’ll do it myself.”

“Then I’ll just happen to learn.” Ming Xi watched even more closely.

Ji Wu tugged at her collar. Turning away didn’t work, and facing her didn’t work. Once again, she was caught between a rock and a hard place.

This rebellious beast was truly her karmic debt!

Ming Xi had no such conflicts. She reached out to catch a drop of water that was about to fall and used the momentum to press close to Ji Wu again. “Was just now in the Flower Valley not enough? Why don’t we continue tasting the fragrance?”

That definitely wouldn’t do. Ji Wu clutched her collar. “Behave yourself.”

“Why?” Ming Xi asked, puzzled.

Indeed, why?

Broadly speaking, Ming Xi was a cat. Specifically, this wild thing was the Dream Beast of the Spirit Mountain, the former Divine Lord. Why should she behave?

She wasn’t a stone; in this world, even flowers and trees could ride the wind. Why should she be still?

After saying her piece, the mischievous creature physically embraced Ji Wu. “Mmm, Wuwu doesn’t smell good. It’s the smell of medicine.”

“Let go!” Ji Wu was outside of the dream now; there was no reason to let this rebellious beast have her way.

“Wuwu likes plums, so I’ll bring some for you.” This reckless thing wouldn’t listen. Not only did she refuse to let go, but she also directly summoned a rain of flowers from the Dream Court, scattering fallen plum blossoms all over the floor of Ji Wu’s room.

Absurd!

Ji Wu glared at her with furrowed brows, so angry she couldn’t even choose which words to use for a scolding; she could only huff coldly.

Ming Xi, however, assumed Ji Wu liked it. She moved from behind Ji Wu toward the front, bringing along the half-worn clothing. The thin silk was already semi-transparent, and as it was moved, it became even more revealing. It caught a few of the plum petals Ming Xi had just scattered, rolling them into the soft, fragrant places where snow melts.

“Oh!” Ming Xi was quick. She raised a paw and pounced.

Ji Wu’s body stiffened. After a short, ragged breath, she suddenly dodged backward, simultaneously grabbing Ming Xi’s wrist.

“Ow—!”

Ming Xi cried out in pain. Instinctively struggling, she bumped backward, jarring the bathtub filled with fresh water and causing a ladle’s worth of liquid to splash out.

The plum blossoms on the rug were drenched, their lingering scent ruined across the floor—a pitiful sight. But clearly, they were not as aggrieved as Ming Xi. Her small face was wrinkled with tears, her eyes full of resentment. “So mean.”

So mean?

“I just wanted to help Wuwu get dressed. Why won’t you let me?” she complained.

Ji Wu was stunned. How… how could she ask such a question with such a straightforward tone?

“You don’t know how. Stop causing trouble.” Ji Wu’s temper vanished. She put on her middle garment and quickly wrapped herself in the final outer robe with the little purple flowers.

“If I don’t know, I’ll learn. Am I not learning now?” Ming Xi was still aggrieved. “You won’t let me look, you won’t let me learn, and you even pinched me.”

“Why would you learn this? Move away.” Ji Wu glanced at Ming Xi’s wrist. The skin on her well-proportioned forearm was red; she had indeed used too much force.

But how could it hurt!

That was the Divine Lord of Spirit Mountain who had destroyed a city’s worth of people with a flick of her finger.

The worry in Ji Wu’s eyes turned cold in an instant, before Ming Xi could even see it. She only heard the Ancestral Master stiffen her tone once more: “Enough.”

The end of her sentence was tinged with moisture. Ji Wu’s voice sounded far less cold than her words implied; instead, it carried a hint of lingering affection that left Ming Xi dazed.

The Dream Beast wagged her tail and acted spoiled. “It’s not enough. How could it be enough? Wuwu never gives enough, and yet you say you’re not stingy.”

Ji Wu’s cold face heated up again. “Didn’t we say I would groom your tail? You have to be good for me to groom you.”

She finished dressing and turned to tidy her hair, only then realizing that she had somehow followed Ming Xi’s arrangement and put on the purple floral dress the rebellious beast had chosen.

Ji Wu wasn’t going out; there was no reason to wear this within the Xuanling Sect. Truly, not a single thing was being done according to the rules.

“Be good?” Ming Xi looked at the messy tail behind her. Cleaning it would actually be very easy; a flick of her dream arts would restore it instantly.

But naturally, having Ji Wu groom it was what she desired most. Ming Xi wouldn’t easily pass up an opportunity to be close to Ji Wu. “How good do you want me to be? Like a kitty?”

The silver-haired girl suddenly transformed into her beast form. She jumped onto the table, picked a fruit she liked, held it in her mouth, and ran out.

The room smelled too bad; the medicinal scent wouldn’t dissipate. Ming Xi found it hard to endure.

It was better outside. The small courtyard was bathed in bright sunlight, warm and dry without the smell of medicine—perfectly suited for a cat’s tastes.

Ji Wu had no choice but to follow her. She took some water and caught up with Ming Xi, only to be immediately pounced upon by the cat as she stepped into the courtyard.

The rebellious beast’s tail was exceptionally large, fluffy, and long. The fur was thick, soft, and lustrous—looking very… healthy!

She was a well-grown little beast. Held in her arms, she was soft and squishy, as if she had no bones.

Ji Wu cradled Ming Xi in the crook of her arm. After stroking her a few times, she suddenly realized she wasn’t cleaning the tail but was unconsciously petting her. She truly lacked composure.

She hurried to stop, but the little beast tilted her neck up and rubbed against her chin. “Wuwu, keep petting. Pet me, pet me.”

“Don’t move.” Ji Wu held the apricot-gold and silver-white kitten and used a towel dampened with fresh water to carefully wipe her.

The tail, once wet, shrunk in size, but it didn’t look withered at all; it wagged back and forth restlessly.

“Wuwu,” Ming Xi arched her back and rubbed against Ji Wu, becoming even more daring than before. “Do you know that a cat’s tail base cannot be touched?”

“…How can I groom it without touching it?” Ji Wu didn’t catch the underlying meaning; she only thought the beast was talking nonsense again.

How could the Ancestral Master know that the Dream Beast wasn’t lying? After saying it, she even rubbed the base of Ming Xi’s tail a few more times. Seeing the little beast let out a “meow,” she felt a sudden, inexplicable impulse. She reached out her fingers and pinched that spot, giving it a little squeeze.