The Aloof Master Relies on This Cat's Kisses to Survive - Chapter 35

The Deceptive Nightmare of West Lake

The following night, the moon shone like a clear, cold radiance.

During the day, Ming Xi had gone out to play for a long time, wandering here and there. Ji Wu remained in the small street, joining Ji Fang to visit her neighbors.

Ji Fang knew no one, and no one knew Ji Fang.

At first, Ji Wu thought they had entered a dream again, but Ming Xi had stated the previous night that this was not the case; the Zhaoli County of the present was real.

This meant that Zhaoli County had likely changed since Ji Fang left ten years ago—a change so sudden and thorough that everything was now unrecognizable, with old acquaintances replaced by strangers.

But what of the other “old-timers”? It was impossible that Ji Fang was the only person to leave Zhaoli and never return in ten years. Did no one find this strange?

Furthermore, after Ji Fang left, she had seen her mother and several relatives in Yunming Town, proving they existed at least during those years. Unfortunately, a conflict had broken out then, and little was said. Ji Fang only remembered her mother saying once more: “Don’t come back; just act as if this family doesn’t have you!”

Were they words spoken in anger? At the time, Ji Fang had indeed been stifled by resentment. Thinking back today, however, she felt a heavy blockage in her chest.

Did her mother have some hidden struggle? Where did she go? Where was her home?

All leads went cold; the clues stopped here.

“It’s alright,” Ji Fang said with her usual sense of propriety. “There’s no need to pursue it, Sister Ji Wu. If my mother saw me like this, she would only be heartbroken. Never meeting again isn’t necessarily a bad thing.”

She had died so young; if her mother knew, she would be devastated. It was better for her mother to believe Ji Fang was still in Yunming Town, being a dutiful daughter who never returned.

“The matter I came to West Lake to investigate is likely connected to the changes here. If I can figure it both out at once, you might feel better. No need for more words,” Ji Wu said. She didn’t offer many comforts, only a statement of fact.

She was naturally cold and distant; this much was already considered a display of care.

It was time to encounter the “Sacrifice” that had been mentioned repeatedly since they entered West Lake. Ji Wu felt she had to start with the tokens and investigate the Jiaozhu Lacquer used on the sacrificial totems.

She met up with Ming Xi at nightfall. Carrying the gold-leaf invitation they obtained from the beef noodle shop the day before, they headed toward Tan Creek behind Zhaoli County.

The Great Sacrificial Hall was easy to find; everyone knew its location.

Tonight was not the main day of the sacrifice, but the rituals were lengthy with different arrangements daily. Tonight’s task was for the Great Priestess to select the “Newcomer” who would enter a Nether Covenant with her this year.

“Newcomer!” Ming Xi liked the word. “Is it a fresh, delicious human?”

“…It refers to two people entering a new stage of life,” Ji Wu replied as she adjusted her attire. She didn’t want to draw attention tonight, so she wore a very plain maidservant’s outfit.

Ming Xi, on the other hand, was flamboyant. Her clothes were even more garish than the beef noodle patron’s from yesterday. Although her outer robe had a black base, the embroidery used gold, silver, and copper threads. Small flowers and birds hung all over her skirt, not to mention the floral hairpins on her head—it was as if an entire spring mountain landscape had been draped over her.

Despite this, the rebellious beast managed to carry such redundant opulence with ease.

“Wuwu, buy this for me,” Ming Xi pointed at a small stall by the entrance of the ceremony, pulling Ji Wu to a stop.

It was a mask stall selling hand-painted masks, veils, and facial jewelry chains.

Ming Xi chose a koi mask—a hand-carved wooden piece in gold and red. It looked somewhat like the Zhaoli style Ji Fang had described.

Seeing how beautiful the two were, the stall owner was delighted and threw in a moon-white veil for Ji Wu as a gift.

Adding these disguises, the two entered the Great Hall along with the other invited guests.

The hall for the sacrificial dance banquet was enormous, exquisitely and magnificently decorated. Colorful painted lanterns, like those seen on the streets of Zhaoli, were everywhere. The aesthetic of the West Lake region was consistent—filled with the clashing color palettes Ming Xi loved. It was truly a place that worshipped the Mountain God.

The pillars, lacquered with totems, were wrapped in flower silks and hung with lifelike hand-woven spirit beasts made of vines.

Ming Xi poked this one and nudged that one. If Ji Wu hadn’t forbidden it, she certainly would have taken a few home.

“Wuwu, where are we sitting?” she asked while playing.

“Sit wherever you like. I see that the guests here aren’t restricted,” Ji Wu had already scanned the area. “I won’t join you at the table. I’ll patrol the outer perimeter.”

“I get it! Inside-outside cooperation!” Ming Xi had read many storybooks and knew this trope well. “No problem, Wuwu. Is there anything you need me to do? Should we agree on a hand signal? Smashing a cup as a sign? Or blowing out a candle?”

“No need. Just try to be quiet, don’t cause trouble, and stay a while.” Ji Wu’s requirements for Ming Xi were low but specific.

Whether Ming Xi would listen was another story. Strictly speaking, she was already quite obedient to Ji Wu’s discipline, but even then, this rebellious beast usually only listened to about thirty percent of what was said.

She was rebellious to the bone. Ji Wu had known her for so long; how could she not know? After giving her instructions, she didn’t expect Ming Xi to follow them perfectly. “Go sit down. Do not draw attention to yourself. Unless something happens, we shall act as if we don’t know each other. Don’t look at me, and I won’t come to you.”

“Okay.” Ming Xi immediately turned her small face away, looking up to continue studying the handmade crafts on the pillars, planning to ask Ji Fang to weave a few for her later.

Ji Wu turned and vanished into the crowd.

“You like this?” Someone soon approached Ming Xi. She turned to find a group of dancers surrounding her.

They were dressed beautifully and vibrantly in bright orange, with silver chains hanging from their faces and bright yellow winter jasmine petals pasted under their eyes—clearly the style Ming Xi adored.

“You’re so pretty! And you’re so pretty too!” The Dream Beast was not stingy with her praise. “What petals are these? These ribbons are lovely, too. You smell so good. Is this chain heavy? Ooh, these earrings are nice too!”

The dancers were delighted by the compliments. One gave Ming Xi some candy, while another gave her a few flowers. Since they had to prepare for the next dance, they only chatted for a moment before leaving together in a flurry of giggles.

Ming Xi, still wanting more, looked down to play with the flowers in her hand, thinking about sticking them onto the forehead of the spirit beast on the pillar.

“That’s a Coiling Dragon Pillar, not a cat tree. Put your hand down,” Ji Wu hissed softly.

Ming Xi retracted the hand that was about to reach up. “Wuwu, didn’t we say we’d pretend not to know each other?”

“Cough, yes.” Ji Wu averted her gaze. “I was just… passing by. Go sit down quickly and don’t talk too much to others.”

“It’s fine, Wuwu. The people here are so cute, they dress beautifully, and they gave me flowers.” Ming Xi held out the jasmine flowers in her palm toward Ji Wu.

“…Attracting flowers and chasing grass,” Ji Wu dropped the cold remark.

And left.

Ming Xi naturally didn’t understand the Grandmaster’s thoughts. She only thought the dancers were beautiful and their skirts lovely. But in Ji Wu’s eyes, Ming Xi was being surrounded by a group of exquisite women, exchanging private tokens of affection!

Hmph, improper. The rebellious beast is indeed wild. Stop looking at her!

On the sacrificial stage, a dance had just concluded. The accompanying musicians stopped, talking as they tuned their instruments for the next song.

The dancers who had just finished their break were about to take the stage when they were informed that the Great Priestess was coming, and the stage needed to be cleaned again.

Several women in red gauze immediately went up to tidy the stage while others checked the surrounding decorations with swift, efficient movements.

The guests were seated in several circles. Ming Xi scanned the room and determined that the highest-ranking seat was likely the one to the west. The table was fully set with fine wine and delicacies, but no one was sitting there.

Ming Xi walked over with her hands behind her back, picked a seat on the left, and took a bite of a peach crisp.

It was a bit dry, but delicious. It would be perfect with some wine. She reached for the wine flask on the table, but a wine cup was placed directly into her open palm.

“The peach crisp looks dry; it must be paired with some lychee wine to be considered a true delicacy.”

The person who handed her the wine said exactly what Ming Xi was thinking and poured a cup for herself as well.

Jingle, jingle.

The person was covered in bells, which rang loudly when she moved.

It wasn’t that the bells were exceptionally loud; rather, the entire hall had fallen silent the moment she arrived.

No one was playing music, no one was tuning, and no one was even speaking.

“Your mask is very beautiful.” The person ignored the eyes of the entire hall, looking only at Ming Xi.

The small head, adorned with flowers, was styled with intricate braids—a West Lake style Ji Fang had done for her, emphasizing “order amidst complexity.”

Ming Xi’s makeup today was a black-and-gold theme. A small “tail” was painted at the corner of each eye: one side a Gilded Black Koi, the other a Dark Gold Water Dragon (Jiao).

The people of West Lake loved aquatic creatures, even though they worshipped the Mountain Lord.

What lovely people—a senseless hodgepodge of beliefs. No wonder people from other regions often called them the “West Lake Barbarians.”

“You like it?” Ming Xi blinked her sparkling eyes. Today, the Dream Beast’s pupils were smoky gray. “Yours is also very nice. I like it too. Want to trade?”

She looked at the woman pouring wine. The woman also wore a mask, though the pattern wasn’t an animal, just colorful brushstrokes.

Ming Xi took off her own mask to look at it, then shook her head. “Ah, no, no. Wuwu bought this for me. I can’t part with it. Let’s trade something else.”

“No need to trade. If you like it, take it.” The woman nonchalantly removed her mask and handed it to Ming Xi, then smoothed her skirt and sat down beside her.

Ming Xi continued to unabashedly observe the other woman, like a cat seeing a new toy.

Everyone in the hall was watching—watching the sudden appearance of the magnificently dressed woman and Ming Xi, who had sat in the guest-of-honor seat before her.

One black figure, one red figure.

The one on the left was lively and cute, a fresh face who showed no stage fright at all, eating peach crisps and washing them down with lychee wine with total ease.

The one on the right, from the moment she entered, had not let her gaze wander a single inch. She was watching the woman on her left the entire time.

Watching her bite into the flaky layers, watching her swallow the fragrant wine, watching her smile brightly as she looked back.

“How is the taste?” the woman asked.

Ming Xi nodded. “Delicious. The crisp is great after being soaked in wine. You should try it…”

The Dream Beast ate without making a sound. Though she didn’t exactly have “table manners,” she wasn’t crude at all. Instead, she looked quite refined. When she invited the woman to eat, she even remembered to lift her own sleeve, making a polite gesture of invitation.

If one didn’t know better, they would think she owned the place.

Watching the two from a distance, Ji Wu felt a secret irritation. She averted her eyes to look at the dancers waiting offstage, and suddenly, her heart skipped a beat.

She saw a woman wearing a Jiao Dragon mask.

That woman wore a blue martial outfit, her hair tied up in a sharp, efficient bun. Her style was inconsistent with the other dancers behind her, yet it felt strikingly familiar to Ji Wu.

That was exactly how Ming Xi had looked eight years ago when Ji Wu had pointed a sword at her.