Chapter Fifty-Two: The Kitten

Qin Yu stared at the animal before her, speechless. The creature was… a cat! Wait—weren’t cats supposed to like fish? Since when did they develop a fondness for shiny things? Was she really reincarnated, or had she been transported to some parallel world?

For a brief moment, Qin Yu couldn’t help but doubt herself… but before her thoughts could wander far, a whooshing sound reached her ears.

She looked over and saw Little Green darting eagerly toward the cat. Yet, before Little Green could reach it, the cat tossed him back with a casual flick—start to finish, the whole thing took less than ten seconds.

Qin Yu looked at Little Green, now clinging weakly to her, and sighed. “Little Green, you really are excitable…”

Little Green replied in a feeble voice, “I’ve been separated from my Heart of Wood for over a month now. If you don’t let it return to me soon, I’ll revert to my original form! I… I don’t want to just stand there forever! I’ve been immobile for centuries… sob, sob…”

Hearing Little Green’s sniffles, Qin Yu gently patted him and promised softly, “I’ll definitely help you get your Heart of Wood back. Don’t worry!”

“Mmm~ I knew you were the best, big sister!” Little Green’s delighted voice chimed in.

After comforting Little Green, Qin Yu finally turned her gaze to the little cat, who was relentlessly showering a stone with kisses. Taking a few steps forward, she cautiously extended her spiritual sense, only to be abruptly repelled by an inexplicable force.

Sensing something amiss in its territory, the cat hugged the mineral closer and turned its body, though it never ceased its wild display of affection for the stone. Its gaze, however, landed squarely on Qin Yu.

Amused by the cat’s antics, Qin Yu couldn’t help but greet it. “Hello there—I’m Qin Yu.”

The kitten seemed surprised to encounter a human here, regarding her with curiosity. At last, it paused its frenzied kissing and replied, “Qin Yu? Oh, hello.”

With that, it resumed its enthusiastic smooching.

Qin Yu raised an eyebrow and asked, “May I ask what you’re doing?”

The kitten, clearly annoyed by her interruption, gave her a disdainful look. “Isn’t it obvious? I’m kissing it.”

“Why are you kissing that mineral?” Qin Yu asked with a smile.

“Because it’s beautiful, and I like it!” the kitten answered promptly.

Then, as if recalling something, it added, “This is the prettiest stone I’ve found since I woke up! I adore it!”

“Woke up?” Qin Yu echoed in confusion.

“Yes, woke up! I woke up about a month ago. Ever since, I’ve been searching everywhere for shiny things. Hmph… but none of them suited my tastes—until I finally found this one, which is barely acceptable!”

Puffing up with pride, the kitten held up its stone and continued, “Look! This is the dazzling stone I worked so hard to find! Hmph, it even had a companion beast, but I swallowed it in one bite! Ha!” Poor companion beast—before it could even display its quirks, it was devoured by another equally eccentric kitten…

Qin Yu nodded and commented, “Yes, it’s very pretty…”

The kitten grinned even wider, “Of course! Anything chosen by me is bound to be stunning!”

Without further ado, it resumed cuddling and smooching the stone.

A thought struck Qin Yu. She took out a gemstone necklace—one she’d “acquired” during an earlier adventure—and dangled it before the kitten. The play of light from the gems instantly caught the kitten’s attention.

The kitten’s eyes sparkled, and before Qin Yu could react, the necklace had already found its way around the kitten’s neck.

Apparently pleased, the kitten smiled slyly at her. “Any more? I like these!”

Qin Yu arched her lips in a smile. “Of course, I have more… just not on me at the moment.”

“Oh? Is that so? I want them!” the kitten demanded imperiously.

Qin Yu considered for a moment. “Well… I can give them to you, but—”

The kitten cut in, “There’s a condition? Speak!”

Qin Yu explained, “It’s like this: Little Green’s Heart of Wood is with you. Without it, Little Green will die. Could you return it, please?”

“Little Green?” the kitten tilted its head in confusion.

“Ah, the little twig on my shoulder,” Qin Yu clarified.

“Oh!” The kitten glanced at Little Green, shifted its position, and took out the Heart of Wood, tossing it to Qin Yu. “Here you go!” After a month, the Heart of Wood was no longer so lustrous—it had grown dull, which perhaps explained the kitten’s willingness to part with it so readily.

The moment Qin Yu received the Heart of Wood, she handed it to Little Green.

As soon as Little Green touched the Heart of Wood, he absorbed it back into his body. In an instant, a brilliant light flared. When the radiance faded, Qin Yu noticed that Little Green’s color had deepened, and he exuded a vibrant, flourishing energy…

What surprised her even more was that the earlier sense of joy she’d felt seemed to intensify, welling up from within until it filled her completely.

Shaking off the euphoria, Qin Yu turned her gaze from Little Green to the peculiar kitten. The kitten, still clutching its beloved stone and adorned with the gem necklace, was mumbling something under its breath.

Qin Yu regarded the odd little cat and asked, “Is something the matter?”

The kitten snapped from its reverie and replied, “Nothing.”

Then it asked, “Where can I get more of those shiny things you mentioned?”

Qin Yu smiled. “I actually have a few more here. Do you want them?”

The kitten nodded eagerly, “Yes! I want them!”

Qin Yu produced a few more gemstone necklaces from her spatial storage and tossed them to the kitten.

The kitten promptly hung the necklaces around its neck, then gave Qin Yu a curious look. “You… do you have a jade pendant? With a space inside?”

A flicker of shock and guardedness flashed through Qin Yu’s eyes. Her muscles tensed, but she nodded in the end.

Seeing her response, the kitten said, “Let me have a look.”

Carefully, Qin Yu removed the half jade pendant from her neck, clutching it tightly as she watched the kitten.

The kitten, noting that it was only half, asked, “Hmm? Why is it just half?”

“The other half is with someone else,” Qin Yu replied coolly.

“Oh, I see.” The kitten hugged its stone.

“Why haven’t you bound it yet?” the kitten asked.

“Bound it?”

“Yeah! Aren’t you afraid of losing it if you just carry it around?” The kitten rolled its eyes.

“Of course I am. But how do I bind it?” Qin Yu asked.

“Just drip a drop of your heart’s blood on it,” the kitten replied, before returning to lavish kisses on its stone.

Taking the advice, Qin Yu closed her eyes and forced a drop of her heart’s blood onto the half pendant.

The jade absorbed her blood and began to melt into her palm. After half a minute, the pendant disappeared from her hand, replaced by a flower bud with no sign of blooming.

Examining her palm, Qin Yu finally felt relieved—she no longer needed to worry about losing the jade pendant.

At that moment, as she focused on her palm, she failed to notice the kitten—who had paused its wild adoration of the stone—glancing up at her, eyes gleaming with a knowing smile.