Transmigrated Into the Body of a Sickly Villain's Kitten - Chapter 26

While performing the first ninety-nine good deeds, Youyou did not use her original name. Instead, she adopted the gentle and melodious character “Rou” as her name, as its pronunciation was quite close to her real name anyway.

There was no helping it, she had realized that being a refined lady was far too difficult. Though she was now a cat, she still admired women who were beautiful, gentle, and graceful.

She had seen many women marry in vibrant red robes, their figures soft and lovely. She would follow them from the roadside all the way to the rooftops of their new homes, watching the wedding ceremonies conclude, and then she could even manage to snag a couple of cups of wine.

For some reason, her subconscious kept telling Youyou that she ought to be doing something now. But she was the type who disliked overthinking, so she went with the flow in everything she did, living each day with great cheer.

Occasionally, she would encounter other demons. When helping them with good deeds, Youyou would introduce herself as Rourou.

This elusive cat never expected any gratitude or remembrance from the humans or demons she helped.

After all, when it came to doing good deeds, why bother with so many details? As long as she could accumulate merit, that was enough.

The Luo Xiu family was a rising star in the cultivation world, but due to certain reasons, they had offended a prominent sect of the time. As a result, they were targeted by a group of lowlifes who nearly wiped out the entire family.

Youyou happened to be passing by and couldn’t help but mutter, “This is just awful. What kind of people did they provoke to end up in such a miserable state?”

Luo Xiu was in the courtyard, clutching her mother’s lifeless body and weeping uncontrollably. When Youyou spoke, she suddenly stopped crying. Her bloodshot eyes fixed on Youyou, as if puzzled by how a cat could talk.

Youyou leaped down from the roof and approached Luo Xiu.

“Let me explain it this way, I am a cat immortal, here in the mortal realm to perform good deeds. Do you need my help?”

Luo Xiu nodded frantically. “Yes! I do! I want to kill them with my own hands! I want revenge!”

Youyou sighed. “Revenge isn’t something you achieve through blind rage. For now, stop crying and focus on giving your family a proper burial. After that, you’ll need to tell me everything you know.”

Over the next decade or so, Youyou stayed by Luo Xiu’s side, helping her transform from an orphan with no parents into the next leader of the Tian Luo Forest. After Luo Xiu exacted her revenge, Youyou felt another portion of merit added to her tally.

Not bad, the completion of her eighty-third good deed hadn’t taken too long.

“Your matter is settled now. I must be on my way. The rest is up to you.”

“Rourou, can’t you stay by my side forever?”

The little cat shook her head with an air of nonchalance. “If I stay with you, how will I perform good deeds? You’re all grown up now, it’s time to learn to look forward. I’m off!”

As a cultivator, Luo Xiu was knowledgeable about many things and understood that demons, too, could attain immortality. Thus, communicating with Youyou wasn’t particularly troublesome for her.

With a flick of her tail, Youyou dashed off in a flash. Luo Xiu stared at the empty beam, feeling as though a piece of her heart had been hollowed out.

For her eighty-seventh good deed, Youyou gifted a knife to someone.

The sword had been inadvertently summoned by her while she was catching butterflies on a mountaintop. It was three feet long, two fingers wide, with a pitch-black blade adorned with subtle patterns and a razor-sharp edge. The hilt was engraved with the characters “Flying Silk,” and a powerful aura enveloped the blade.

Youyou ran a few steps, and the sword hovered in the air, following her closely. Her tiny paws couldn’t possibly grip it, but the sudden appearance of such an object felt utterly eerie to the cat.

The Xue family was renowned for their prowess in vanquishing demons and upholding righteousness, though the family head had a terrible temperament. Perhaps due to his constant dealings with demons, he had absorbed some of their malevolent energy, making him exceptionally irritable in both speech and action. As a result, he had offended many other demon-hunting families.

The world was truly filled with endless grievances, love, and hatred. Youyou found herself constantly helping others resolve their conflicts.

Was this the natural order of things, an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth?

When she handed over the sword, Youyou said to it, “It wasn’t easy finding you a home. Stay here and keep those demons who flee to the human world in check.”

Over time, the Xue family head’s temper gradually mellowed. His merits in demon-slaying earned him respect from other families, and people came to understand that while he was sharp-tongued and ill-tempered, his strength was undeniable. Eventually, they stopped holding grudges against him.

On the day she was to perform her ninety-ninth good deed, Youyou asked the opera singer, who had taken revenge on the scoundrel who betrayed her, to treat her to a meal.

As she waited at the square table for a steaming bowl of wontons, she didn’t see the opera singer secretly adding poison she had recently purchased into the bowl.

But when the wontons were served, Youyou already knew what the singer had done. She crouched there, narrowing her eyes slightly as she scrutinized the performer.

When assisting humans with good deeds, Youyou often used dreams to guide them on what to do. Some believed her, while others did not. For the skeptics, she would simply follow them around.

It might seem annoying, but when someone is consumed by hatred or obsession, they cling to any opportunity that presents itself.

No one can think clearly in such a state.

Over time, they would come to realize that it was the little white cat by their side who was helping them.

Having experienced the full spectrum of human goodness and malice over the years, Youyou knew that this opera singer wanted to kill her out of fear.

Humans were such timid and cowardly creatures.

Knowing that cats dislike overly hot food, the opera singer cautiously whispered, “Immortal Lord, the wontons have cooled down.”

Youyou let out a “meow,” which to the singer’s ears sounded like words: “The bowl of wontons you just served me, you’ve already eaten them yourself.”

The singer suddenly screamed, clutching her throat, eyes wide with terror. She staggered backward and collapsed to the ground.

Foam slowly trickled from her mouth as Youyou crouched down and began leisurely eating the wontons.

After finishing her meal, she went to rest on the stage where the opera singer often performed.

“What will the hundredth good deed show me?”

These deeds were becoming increasingly difficult. When the scoundrel the singer loved died without accumulating any merit, she had already guessed the reason.

She had thought the singer would spare herself, but instead, she chose the path of self-destruction.

Driven by greed for wealth yet abandoned, blaming the scoundrel for betraying her affections, and in the end, attempting to kill her benefactor, human nature was truly complex.

When Youyou followed the scent of fish, she happened to see Shi Yao crawling out of the mud.

Tsk, why were all the people she encountered in need of help so pitiful?

But this one didn’t seem to be human, her nails were sharp, her ears were pointed, and there were scales on the back of her hands…

A mermaid?

Could it be that the fragrance she had just smelled came from this mermaid?!

Ah, this sweet mermaid scent.

As always, Youyou began to help the mermaid devise a detailed revenge plan. She asked the little mermaid for her name, but the mermaid only shook her head: “I don’t have a name. They call me Jiaoren Ji.”

“Then I’ll give you one. Do you mind?”

“Mm.”

This was the first time the little white cat had ever given someone a name. She considered herself to have a bit of a literary flair, so she wanted to give the mermaid a particularly special name.

The mermaid’s life had truly been bitter. Humans and demons being together was already against the natural order, and her parents had both passed away, leaving her alone in this world. They must have regretted it deeply and been heartbroken.

“If your parents were still alive, they would surely have wished for you to live a happy and fulfilling life, as poetic and picturesque as a dream. You came from the distant deep sea, so how about we call you Shi Yao?”

“Mm.”

This little mermaid was so aloof. Youyou’s expression turned a bit displeased, but then she thought, this hundredth task surely wouldn’t be easy. In that case, she would just… be a little more enthusiastic?

Little did she expect that later, her enthusiasm would go a bit overboard, to the point where even she couldn’t quite rein it in.

She took Shi Yao to cultivate, hoping she would stay in one place and focus on her training. But Shi Yao disliked staying in one spot and was always on the move, stopping and going along the way.

Along their journey, they passed through many towns, hills, and villages, places Youyou hadn’t visited in her three hundred years, and Shi Yao took her to see them all.

“Hey, can we please stop walking? I’m tired. Can’t you just settle down and focus on cultivating?”

“I am cultivating.”

Huh??

Youyou climbed onto Shi Yao, who held her calmly while standing there.

How strange, her cultivation level was indeed slowly increasing.

Could it be that she, like Youyou, had a constitution that didn’t require stillness to cultivate?

Well, in that case, it seemed the little mermaid’s revenge could be moved up a bit sooner.

Youyou felt a slight pang of regret in her heart.

From the first time she met Shi Yao, she had sensed that Shi Yao emitted a unique substance that could aid in her own cultivation.

She had only been by Shi Yao’s side for a few years, yet her cultivation had increased by several decades, something that had never happened before.

It was only natural for Youyou to have some selfish thoughts. Over the past few centuries, her cultivation had grown as she performed good deeds, but it always felt a bit slow.

Though she didn’t know when she would achieve divinity, now that she had found such a fast way to boost her cultivation and a source of spiritual power, how could she possibly give it up?

So, when Shi Yao gained the ability to return for revenge but found the village already submerged, and told Youyou to go help others instead, Youyou proactively clung to her.

This hundredth task was truly difficult. The village being flooded should count as a natural disaster, right? It didn’t really count as a successful revenge. So, what should she do next to continue performing good deeds?

Later, Shi Yao began to slowly build a business in the mortal world, and Youyou stayed by her side the entire time. Though she had an endless supply of dried fish to eat every day, they still had no fixed home.

No one knew where this little mermaid learned her business acumen, but she managed to accumulate quite a fortune. The only catch was that she had to personally travel to procure goods, and sometimes she would encounter robbers trying to steal her cargo. With a single flick of her sleeve, Shi Yao could effortlessly knock them all down.

However, Shi Yao treated such incidents as mere amusement, while the little white cat beside her was far from pleased.

“I’ve bought a house in Jiang City. You can live there.”

“No way! I want to follow you!”

Over the years in the mortal world, Shi Yao seemed to have acquired a more grounded, worldly aura. She smiled at Youyou and asked, “You want to stay home and play comfortably, yet you also want to follow me everywhere. Why is that?”

Youyou, unusually flustered, retorted, “There’s no reason! I just want to keep an eye on you, so what?”

“You’re like those wives who, after marrying into a family, constantly worry about their husbands out doing business.”

“Pfft! Don’t flatter yourself!”

For the first time, Shi Yao laughed heartily. She picked Youyou up and held her close, saying, “I’ve hired an exceptionally fine carriage. From now on, you can play inside it, do whatever you want, and eat whatever you like. How does that sound?”

“Hmph.”

Youyou lifted her proud little chin, and Shi Yao gently rubbed the fur there, her eyes brimming with joy.

Though her hopes for revenge seemed distant, with this little cat by her side, Shi Yao found the mortal world rather interesting.

Once, while traveling through the desert on a business trip, Shi Yao suddenly grew extremely weak as she lay in the carriage.

Youyou crouched over her and asked what was wrong. Clutching her chest, Shi Yao whispered, “I’m coming of age. Mermaids… experience a heat when they mature. I need… I need…”

Could it be that helping Shi Yao through this heat would count as the hundredth good deed?

But she knew absolutely nothing about mermaids!

“How can I help you?”

“The deep-sea palace… it’s calling me…”

“Let’s go, hurry!”

They abandoned the entire load of goods, their luggage, and the lavishly decorated carriage, heading straight east. After much effort, they found the palace and tossed Shi Yao into the pool. There, they watched as Shi Yao wept, her tears transforming into pearls while she shifted into her true form. Her magnificent turquoise tail shimmered under the glow of the night pearls, and her already exquisite face took on an alluring, delicate charm as her eyes shimmered with emotion.

“You’re just too beautiful,” Youyou couldn’t help but exclaim.

“I’m in pain…”

Mermaid tears can turn into pearls, and the entire pool was filled with pearls shed by Shi Yao.

Youyou’s head ached. She had searched every corner of the deep-sea palace but found no way to help a mermaid relieve her heat. It seemed the only option was to use her own cultivation and spiritual power.

“Hold on, I’ll find something to help you through this. Don’t worry, as long as I’m here, you won’t die.”

She spent three days and three nights refining her heart into a golden pearl, imbued with half of the cultivation and spiritual power she had accumulated since she could remember. Youyou gave it all to Shi Yao.

It pained her a little, to be sure, but when she thought of all the time they had spent together and how Shi Yao had always been patient and tolerant with her, she realized that for the hundredth good deed, she hadn’t sacrificed her life, she had only given away her heart. It wasn’t such a big deal after all.

Shi Yao successfully made it through her estrus cycle, and Youyou also slept for a very long time.

The moment she opened her eyes, she felt that Shi Yao had changed a lot compared to before, her tail was longer, her hair was longer too, she had become even more beautiful, and when she smiled, there was a hint of seduction.

Even when staring straight at Youyou, it felt like she was secretly sending flirtatious glances.

Could it be that all adult mermaids undergo such changes?

But that couldn’t be right, Shi Yao’s eyes had never held this kind of “sinister aura” before.

“Who are you?!”

“I am Shi Yao, and I am also… the Sinister Mermaid Goddess.”

Youyou: “!!!”

What kind of big shot had she gotten herself involved with?!

Sinister Goddess.

Sinister Goddess?!

This was just too terrifying.

Youyou felt that this hundredth act of kindness was simply too difficult to accomplish.

Damn it, she had even helped her through her adult estrus cycle, why was there still not a single bit of merit gained?

“I’m not doing this act of kindness anymore. If I can’t transform into human form, then so be it. I’d rather stay a carefree cat who doesn’t think about anything every day.”

“Why? Aren’t you happy by my side?”

Youyou’s whiskers drooped, her face full of dejection: “Great Goddess, it’s not that I’m looking down on you, but I’ve always helped humans to accumulate merit. I’ve never played around with a deity before.”

“You’re not going to call me Shi Yao anymore?”

“Shi Yao, I don’t know how to accomplish this hundredth act of kindness. Can you just let me be alone for a while, please?”

“Fine.”

Shi Yao never expected that the moment she turned around, Youyou would slip away.

It was done with such practiced ease, as if she had done it a thousand times before.

Later, the situation between the two could pretty much be summed up with a line from domineering CEO literature:

She ran, she chased, and neither of them could escape.