"A real person!"

A slightly sighing voice entered Feng Bingwen's bedroom. The calico cat, which was bowing respectfully, was startled awake. At the same moment, Feng Bingwen looked up and gazed at the courtyard. His gaze pierced through the wooden door and brickwork, and he saw a Taoist priest with an ethereal and otherworldly appearance.

Wearing a purple-gold crown, a crane-feather cloak, boots, and a silk ribbon around his waist, he had the appearance of a child and the face of a beauty, with three whiskers flowing under his chin and raven feathers framing his temples.

He truly is a divine being!

"I am Zhang Daohuang, a humble Taoist priest. I have come here without permission. I hope you will forgive me!"

When Feng Bingwen's gaze fell upon him, the Taoist immediately noticed and cupped his hands in a smile.

Seeing the Taoist's demeanor and bearing, Feng Bingwen dared not be presumptuous. He quickly walked to the door, opened the door, and bowed, but this time with the respect due to a junior disciple.

"Feng Bingwen greets the senior. I am but a junior and do not deserve to be called a fellow Daoist."

"Fellow Daoist, please don't be so modest."

Despite Feng Bingwen's utmost respect, the Taoist priest quickly stepped aside, refusing to accept the greeting.

"This humble Taoist priest cannot accept your disciple's courtesy."

Just as Feng Bingwen was somewhat taken aback and about to say something, a graceful and beautiful woman walked out from behind him, her expression desolate, with tears visible in her eyes, looking as if she was about to weep.

"Real person! My husband, he..."

"All the demons who participated in the ambush back then have been killed."

Master Zhang replied in this way.

But the matter wasn't actually that simple; there was a deeper cause and effect. I didn't explain this to the heartbroken cat in detail, as it would only cause her more pain.

"Ruyu thanks you, Master, for avenging my husband!"

The spirit cat, whose memories had been restored, could no longer hide her tears, which streamed down her face as she thanked the real person in front of her.

"well!"

Upon seeing this, Master Zhang shook his head, unsure of what to say.

Seeing this scene, Feng Bingwen knew that this was not the time to argue with this Taoist master about seniority, so he stood aside and watched the master and servant meet.

Meow~

As the catgirl softly wept, venting her emotions, a baby-like kitten wobbled out of Feng Bingwen's room. Its dazzling golden eyes illuminated the courtyard, causing even the searching Master Zhang to turn his head in surprise.

"My child!"

Upon seeing this little kitten, it was as if a celestial maiden had descended to earth. The stunningly beautiful catwoman bent down, picked it up, and her face was filled with sadness and affection.

"Thank you so much for helping my child come into the world. If it weren't for your help, my child and I would probably be..."

The catgirl holding the cat quickly realized what was going on and bowed to Feng Bingwen again to express her gratitude.

"It was just a small favor, nothing to mention."

Feng Bingwen smiled. He already knew the identity of the beautiful catgirl in front of him. Her background was probably that of a Taoist spirit beast, but she had encountered an accident a few years ago and happened to be picked up by him.

"Little kitten, you've been nagging me here for years. If not now, when will you return to the mountain gate with me?"

Master Zhang explained that his purpose for visiting at night was to find the cat.

"I will obey the Master's command!"

Upon hearing this, Liu Ruyu carried the kitten in her arms and walked towards the real person. However, after taking only two steps, she saw the real person wave his sleeve, and the kitten in her broad arms floated up and landed at the feet of the child who had raised her for several years.

"You shall return with me to the mountain gate, but this child of yours is destined to be with this fellow Daoist; you shall not bring him back!"

Just as the catwoman turned around anxiously to look at the kitten that had slipped from her embrace and seemed a little restless, Master Zhang spoke up.

"Master, why is this?"

"Everything is preordained!"

Master Zhang stood with his sleeves tucked in, exuding an air of otherworldly grace and profound Daoist wisdom. However, upon seeing the anxious face of the spiritual cultivator beneath him, he still offered a brief explanation.

“Your child is destined to be with you, fellow Daoist. This is a preordained connection that must not be broken.”

How could this be?

The catgirl was somewhat insecure and couldn't accept it for a while. She had been living in a daze for nearly three years, not only being kept as an ordinary house cat, but also...

Just as she regained consciousness, she was shocked to hear the devastating news that her husband had perished. Just when she thought that her unborn child was her only hope, she was shocked to learn that the child would be separated from her and become someone else's spirit beast.

"Senior is joking. There is no such thing as a predestined fate. Cui... well, Fellow Daoist Ruyu loves her son dearly. How could I forcibly separate the mother and child?"

Feng Bingwen couldn't help but speak up at the opportune moment.

The so-called predestined fate was probably arranged by the Heavenly Book, but it didn't matter to him at the moment. It was just about settling down and protecting the house. The flock of geese that his grandmother raised were also a good choice for training.

If you infuse them with immortal spiritual energy every day, not only will a flock of already quite intelligent geese develop intelligence, but even a stubborn rock will eventually grow intelligent and transform into something extraordinary.

"Ruyu, since you have spoken, then you may decide for yourself!"

Upon hearing Feng Bingwen's words, Master Zhang's expression turned serious, and his tone, no longer as amiable as before, became quite solemn.

"If you really can't bear to part with the child, then take it back to the mountain gate. But don't blame me for it later."

The words spoken by this person were almost an explicit statement.

How could the catgirl not understand the meaning, though it was somewhat unbelievable? But being a spirit cat by birth, she reacted extremely quickly, immediately bowing to Feng Bingwen with a sorrowful face and a sincere tone.

"My benefactor, please accept my bow. I humbly beg you to accept this child who was born without a father."

"What is this for?"

Even though in his eyes it was clearly a calico cat bowing in gratitude to a beautiful woman, he still couldn't quite hold back. Kneeling is a grand gesture of respect, regardless of time or place, and being forced to kneel is an extreme humiliation.

"Get up. It's just a cat. If you're willing to part with it, I'd be perfectly happy to."

Feng Bingwen's attitude was quite easygoing. After all, he had obtained the cat by using his good deeds to request it from the Heavenly Book. If the cat's mother was reluctant to part with it, he naturally had no reason to force it to stay, but if she was willing, accepting it was only natural.

"As long as you don't find it troublesome, fellow Daoist."

Seeing that Feng Bingwen did not refuse, Master Zhang stroked his beard and smiled, his eyes revealing his approval of his cat.

"What trouble is there?"

Feng Bingwen immediately replied, and then chatted with the Taoist master for a few moments. Just as they finished talking, the master suddenly spoke and took out a jade talisman from his sleeve.

"I would like to inform you, fellow Daoist, that I come from Dongsheng Continent and am a cultivator of the Xuantian Dao. You have raised this cat for me for three years, and I have no way to repay you, so I have specially prepared a Cave Heaven Spirit Talisman as a token of my gratitude. Please do not refuse!"

As he spoke, Master Zhang presented the jade talisman in his hand. Feng Bingwen took it without hesitation and immediately felt a warm sensation flow from his palm into his heart. Upon closer inspection, he saw that the jade was shaped like a phoenix about to take flight, both agile and majestic.

What is this?

The ignorant Feng Bingwen naturally asked without any politeness.

Although this talisman looks excellent and contains a very pure fire elemental energy, it is of no use to his cultivation. However, judging from its name, it must have some other purpose.

"This is a Cave Heaven Talisman that I obtained by chance. It can be used to enter a cave heaven. Unfortunately, the Fire Phoenix Cave Heaven is on the verge of collapse and cannot withstand the entry of a cultivator of my level. It can only be explored by cultivators below the Yuan Dan level. I see that you are only at the Opening Meridian cultivation stage, which is perfect for you. You can enter that cave heaven and gather some resources."

Master Zhang explained patiently.

"I see."

Feng Bingwen suddenly realized, and after playing with the jade talisman in his hand, he understood its true purpose.

"Isn't this too precious?"

"It's just a small item, I'm glad you don't mind, fellow Daoist."

Master Zhang hurriedly said, and then he reached out and beckoned to the catgirl who had a strange expression on her face.

"Good times are fleeting. Today, I felt an instant connection with you, and we should have had a long talk by candlelight. Unfortunately, I left in a hurry, and there is still a batch of spirit pills in my cave that has not yet been refined. I must return quickly now. Please forgive me."

"Take care, real person!"

Seeing this, Feng Bingwen tactfully bowed and saw him off.

Just then, an untimely voice rang out, making the scene somewhat awkward.

"When did you learn alchemy, Master?"

"You little fox, you've really underestimated this real person..."

A voice that seemed somewhat annoyed rang out. Feng Bingwen saw that the real person, just as he had come, waved his sleeves, and with a surge of pure energy, disappeared before his eyes, leaving only a child in the courtyard with a puzzled expression.

"What is this for?"

An ordinary child would naturally be settling down for a nap by now, but Feng Bingwen, after carefully observing the real person's demeanor and actions, felt something was off, as if...

"Is this senior figure avoiding me?"

Just as Feng Bingwen was wondering what was going on, under the starlight and moonlight, above a patch of blue clouds, a Taoist priest with an air of otherworldly grace appeared, leading a beautiful and charming woman.

The Taoist priest, however, disregarded his composure and exhaled a breath. Then, somewhat annoyed, he pulled a whisk from his sleeve and tapped the forehead of the catgirl beside him, whose eyes held a mixture of confusion and bewilderment.

"You little fox, you always show your cleverness at the wrong time."

"Are you lying, real person?"

The catgirl suddenly realized that she had just exposed the real person's secrets.

"What lies? That sounds so awful. I was just looking for an excuse to end the conversation."

The Taoist priest, who had just appeared handsome and distinguished in front of Feng Bingwen, said irritably.

"Didn't the real person say that he regretted not meeting my benefactor sooner?"

Liu Ruyu was completely bewildered. In her impression, this master was not a hypocrite, otherwise he would not have been able to cultivate to such a level.

"It's true that we met too late, but I wish we had met even later. If possible, it would have been better if we hadn't met at all. If it weren't for finding you, my little kitten, I would never have come here today. It was truly dangerous."

"Ah, what are you saying, real person?"