Transmigrated Into the Body of a Sickly Villain's Kitten - Chapter 10

Huai City, Mingshan Mountain.

A light rain had just ended, leaving the ground slightly damp. Raindrops dripped from the tiles onto the uneven stone steps, producing a clear, tinkling sound.

Legend had it that centuries ago, a Taoist priest from the Qingxu Temple on Mingshan Mountain achieved enlightenment and ascended to immortality. Since then, many people made pilgrimages here each year, praying for favorable weather and good health in the coming year.

The landscape here was serene and understated: quiet, expansive, gentle, and elegant, an ideal place for spiritual cultivation.

Qi Wushuang wore a deep blue Taoist robe, but her exquisitely refined features and the aura surrounding her made her seem anything but ordinary.

A faint mist still clung to her as she stood on the terrace, watching the steady stream of visitors undeterred by the rain. She let out a soft sigh.

A young novice beside her asked, “Master, have you been troubled by something lately?”

Troubled?

Not really. After years of seeking the path to immortality, Qi Wushuang had long since detached herself from worldly concerns.

Yet, there was one person she had been waiting for, for many years.

Qi Wushuang extended her hand and casually performed a divination. Slowly, she furrowed her brows. “The time has come. I must descend the mountain.”

The novice’s eyes widened in surprise. After a moment, as if realizing something, she frowned and clutched her robe, asking, “Has Immortal Lord… been reincarnated?”

Qi Wushuang nodded. The novice fell silent, though the worry on her face remained unmistakable.

As the sun set behind the western hills, Qi Wushuang changed into ordinary clothes, a simple white T-shirt and jeans, with a large backpack slung over her shoulders. She now looked just like any other tourist.

The novice stood beside her, her eyes filled with reluctance.

“What’s the matter? I’m only going to find someone, not marching to my death.”

“You once told me that spiritual energy is scarce nowadays, making cultivation difficult for ordinary people. The demon realm’s cultivation methods are strange and have absorbed much of the remaining energy. With only you and three other masters guarding the temple, what if the demon realm suddenly causes trouble?”

The demon realm.

Qi Wushuang looked up at the moon veiled in mist, as if recalling something from the past.

“As long as that person doesn’t emerge, the demon realm won’t stir up trouble.”

She patted her young disciple’s shoulder reassuringly before taking a small path down the mountain.

At the foot of the mountain lay a bustling market, thriving in recent years due to the presence of Qingxu Temple.

With technology advancing rapidly and spiritual energy dwindling, many in the cultivation world had passed away over time. Those who survived were limited to a few sects that had found alternative ways to gather spiritual energy.

Qingxu Temple relied on the faith of ordinary people to accumulate enough energy for cultivation. The methods used by other sects remained unknown, but everyone in the cultivation world knew that the most spiritually rich place now was Wuqi Mountain, where the great demon of the demon realm was imprisoned.

Yet, no one could approach Wuqi Mountain.

Apart from the barriers set up by various cultivation sects, the mountain was also protected by a barrier laid by the demon lord herself.

Over the centuries, the barriers set by the immortal realm had gradually weakened, but the demon lord’s barrier remained impenetrable, stopping many at the foot of Wuqi Mountain.

Those who had sealed Shi Yao on Wuqi Mountain believed it would slow the dissipation of spiritual energy. Little did they know that by confining her there, they had inadvertently made her the mountain’s master, trapping themselves in their own scheme.

Qi Wushuang could only sigh at the irony.

All who cultivate immortality must purify their hearts and restrain their desires, yet over the years, she had witnessed nothing but overwhelming greed.

In the past, she had gained fame throughout the land for her alchemical arts. However, refining elixirs required spiritual energy, and reincarnating Shen Xiaobai had cost her two thousand years of cultivation. Left with no choice, she devoted herself to the path of immortality, awaiting future opportunities. Surprisingly, she managed to cultivate to the Tribulation Transcendence stage.

Qi Wushuang took a piece of parchment from her backpack and examined it carefully.

It was a map. If Shen Xiaobai had reincarnated, she would surely be in this vicinity.

She took a bus to Jiang City and, finding a secluded spot, released a pale white spirit butterfly.

The butterfly fluttered slowly into the air, and Qi Wushuang followed at a leisurely pace.

The spirit butterfly led her to the entrance of Jiang City’s largest shopping mall. As soon as Qi Wushuang stopped, she saw a young woman in her early twenties, arm in arm with a middle-aged woman, chatting and laughing with a middle-aged man beside them.

The middle-aged man held several shopping bags in his hands, and the trio wore expressions of pure happiness.

It seemed she was living a good life now.

After being brought back to the ancient estate, Fu Rou had a confrontation with Guan Jin.

The reason was simple: Guan Jin claimed that Fu Rou’s paws looked too dirty and needed washing.

Fu Rou had been hopping around the back hill, her paws covered in mud that had lodged between her pads. No matter how white and adorable a cat might be, grime made her appear disheveled. The footprints she left on the carpet looked like tiny, charming plum blossoms.

Not only that, but she had also made a mess of Shi Yao’s clothes.

Shi Yao herself didn’t seem to mind, but Guan Jin found it unbearable.

When Guan Jin tried to wash Fu Rou’s paws, Fu Rou suddenly leaped away, her movements so agile she hardly resembled a two-month-old kitten.

Guan Jin suddenly realized something and asked, “How did you suddenly gain centuries of cultivation?!”

“Guess~”

Fu Rou hadn’t intended to say something so provoking, but Guan Jin’s tone irritated her, and she couldn’t resist the jab.

“You can even speak now?!”

For some reason, Guan Jin grew angry again. A floral fragrance emanated from her, and a vine extended from behind, attempting to ensnare Fu Rou. Shi Yao intervened just in time, grasping the vine and giving it a casual tug. Instantly, Guan Jin transformed into a peony.

The peony exuded an overbearing aura. Fu Rou quietly hid behind Shi Yao, her innocent expression radiating a distinctly cunning charm.

Shi Yao remained silent. Ke Fan and Liang Zhuo, sensing the disturbance, rushed over and saw Guan Jin in her original form.

Ke Fan hurriedly said, “Honored Master, this subordinate has failed in guidance. Please punish me.”

Fu Rou was picked up and cradled in Shi Yao’s arms once more. Before leaving, Shi Yao took a pack of wet wipes from Guan Jin’s table, originally intended for cleaning Fu Rou’s paws.

“So impatient in temperament, resorting to violence over the slightest disagreement. Ke Fan, you’ve taught her well.”

Shi Yao’s words sent chills down Ke Fan’s spine. Fortunately, Shi Yao did not press the matter further and simply left.

Ke Fan looked at the dejected peony and sighed in frustration. “I told you to rein in your temper, but you wouldn’t listen. Now see what’s happened?”

Back in the room, Shi Yao sat on the bed and pulled out a wet wipe to clean Fu Rou’s paws.

Her eyes were covered with a silk cloth, rendering her blind, so her movements were exceptionally slow.

Surprisingly, Fu Rou behaved quite obediently around Shi Yao. Although her paws felt a bit ticklish, she didn’t resist.

“Aren’t you mad at me for being so mischievous?”

“Why would I be?”

“For causing trouble, of course.”

Shi Yao chuckled lightly. “It’s fine. It’s quite endearing.”

Fu Rou: pouts with a grumpy face

She had originally thought that by acting like a petty troublemaker, Shi Yao might start to neglect her a little. Who would have guessed that instead, Shi Yao would punish the subordinate who had been by her side for so long?

To put it bluntly, Shi Yao was inherently aloof. Aside from the things she cared about, nothing else ever weighed on her mind.

She didn’t need to teach Guan Jin how to behave, but if Guan Jin did something Shi Yao disliked, Shi Yao wouldn’t hesitate to mete out punishment.

After wiping Fu Rou’s feet clean, Shi Yao circulated her energy for a moment, then removed the silk cloth covering her eyes.

Shi Yao was still in her weakened state, her eyes still gleaming in that pale gold hue. When she looked at Fu Rou, her gaze seemed unfocused, yet she smiled beautifully.

“Wearing this cloth every day is boring. Do you think the back mountain is fun?”

Fu Rou wasn’t sure why Shi Yao was asking her this. After thinking for a moment, she replied, “The back mountain isn’t that interesting, but your place is quite fun.”

Shi Yao’s smile widened. “As long as it’s fun.”

Fu Rou’s little pink paws were clean again. Shi Yao played with the soft pads of her paws, but Fu Rou pulled her paw back, intending to curl up on the bed and sleep.

Shi Yao lay down beside her, gently stroking the kitten’s fur.

The soft purring was distinct in the quiet of the night. Slowly, Shi Yao’s eyes shifted from pale gold to pure black. Her gaze was profound, and as she watched the kitten, who had already closed her eyes to sleep, she felt a strange sense of unease.

“Don’t you have any questions in your heart?”

Fu Rou was only resting her mind, not actually asleep. Hearing Shi Yao’s words, she opened her cat-like eyes and asked curiously, “Should I have any questions?”

When she spoke, she didn’t sound much like a kitten; her tone carried the authority of the Cloud Mystery Immortal Lord from years past.

Intrigued, Shi Yao pressed further, “For example, why did you come here? Who sent you? Aren’t you even a little bit curious about me?”

Seeing that Shi Yao’s eyes had returned to normal, Fu Rou yawned widely. “Are these your questions or mine?”

Shi Yao’s hand, which had been stroking Fu Rou’s fur, paused for a second. Fu Rou said casually, “Curious about you? Well, yes, why do your eyes change color?”

Aside from the things Fu Rou had no intention of pondering deeply, Shi Yao’s eyes were the biggest mystery to her now.

In the comic, Shi Yao’s eyes were pure black, and the novel’s description of her appearance was equally clear. It was precisely because of this that Fu Rou had developed such a fondness for Shi Yao’s character.

Fu Rou was a sucker for good looks. When it came to shipping couples, her moral compass would follow the characters’ aesthetics, though this only applied to fictional characters. Her favorite type was the kind of antagonist like Shi Yao: overwhelmingly powerful, emotionally detached, yet with a hint of softness.

She had grown even fonder of Shi Yao because of the cat by her side, thinking how unexpected it was for a major villain to keep a cat, the contrast was just too adorable.

But now, she only felt that this villain was a drama queen.

The cool, ruthless, and lethally charismatic persona from the book had completely crumbled, leaving not a single trace behind. And here she was, putting on a tragic act in front of her every day, enough to make any cat faint.

Shi Yao lifted Fu Rou and laid her flat on the bed, letting the little cat nestle against her flat abdomen. With a long sigh, she said, “Back then, after the battle with the seven major sects of the cultivation world, my eyes were severely injured. At the time, I was consumed by a death wish, so I neglected to treat the wound promptly. I kept delaying it, and this is the lingering consequence.”

“And now?”

“Ke Fan’s medical skills are now considered the pinnacle in this world. Every month, I follow his instructions, covering my eyes with silk cloth soaked in medicinal liquid, drinking some herbal decoctions, and regulating my qi. It’s slowly getting better.”

“That’s good.”

Hearing the little cat’s relieved tone, Shi Yao felt a warmth in her heart. Yet, when she thought of those so-called “righteous sects” that had reduced them to such a pitiful state, she couldn’t help but let out a cold, mocking laugh.

“Seven hundred years ago, they wanted to rely on my divine power to slow the dissipation of spiritual energy in this world, so they sealed me here to serve as the Guardian of Spiritual Energy. But unfortunately, they failed. Now, I control Wuqi Mountain, and those old relics are secretly trying to curry favor with me, hoping to snatch a bit of spiritual energy for themselves. How laughable.”

Hmm? That sounds a bit like a villain’s monologue.

Fu Rou lay obediently on Shi Yao’s stomach, thinking that villains are indeed most captivating when they’re unhinged.

“Now, some of them are in seclusion, while others cling to the remnants of spiritual energy from those divine artifacts, barely surviving. But it seems they’re still living quite comfortably, at least better than I am. Tell me, should I go and stir up some trouble for them?”

Fu Rou: Why are you asking me?

Before she could respond, Shi Yao narrowed her eyes slightly and added, “Never mind. You prefer to play at home, so I’ll stay and keep you company.”

But if those fools dare to come looking for trouble on their own, then she couldn’t be blamed for showing no mercy.

The cats thrown down the mountain should have already delivered the message.

Now that Youyou has returned, what is left for her to fear?

Once the little kitten can take human form, they would slowly resolve their past misunderstandings. And then, she would surely trample the cultivation world beneath her feet.

Leaving none behind.