Chapter 51 Big Cat Leads Kitten

"You look like a cat, too." Qing Bai was furious. What's wrong with looking like a cat? Cats conquer humans, cats conquer the world. Cats are the true rulers of the world!

Jiu Nian tilted his head and said doubtfully, "I am indeed a cat."

Qing Bai: "...Are spiritual beasts divided into different families?"

Nine years: "If it can be separated, we will try to separate it. If it can't be separated, we won't force it."

After all, they are not ordinary animals. It is normal for them to have more strange features, be difficult to distinguish in appearance, and have overly distinct characteristics. Although there was no concept of "family" in the past, it is only in recent decades that naturally born spiritual beasts have become increasingly rare. Most of them are ordinary animals that have cultivated spiritual consciousness, and it is easier to manage them by dividing them into families... As for those that are too strange, most of them are in the Classic of Mountains and Seas, or in myths and legends, which can be regarded as an alternative classification.

Qing Bai, who had neither common sense nor inheritance, was amazed. Just as he was about to ask what kind of cat the prototype of the Nine Years was, his bedroom door was slammed.

"Brother Qing, are you up?" It was Qi Xiaopang.

At this moment, Qing Bai really didn't want to open the door, but his hands were shaking last night and left a gap in the door, so the door was not closed tightly at all. Fat Qi knocked on it, and the wooden door creaked open with the force.

"Oh, Queen, you're back?" As soon as the door opened, Fat Qi had no time to look around the room before he started to act funny in front of Jiunian who was squatting by the door.

The black cat was pure black, making Qing Bai, who was sitting next to him, stand out even more strikingly. Since he had just emerged from the covers, his white fur was matted and tangled, and the small jade-colored horns on his forehead were also obscured by the messy hair, making it difficult to see clearly. So, Fatty Qi only took a quick glance and exclaimed, "He even brought a cub?!"

Ninth Queen Mother Nian: "..."

Qing·Zi·Bai: "..."

Qi Xiaopang squatted down and observed carefully, muttering to himself, "Is it a prince or a princess? Such a small ball, probably not even a month old. Sigh, I didn't expect my brother Qing to become a father right after graduation... But having a cub is good, maybe it will help brother Qing get over the loss of love sooner-"

Qing Bai interrupted Qi Xiaopang's increasingly outrageous speculations with a cold face: "What do you want from me?"

The cute little kitten suddenly opened its mouth and made the sound of Qing Ge. Fatty Qi, who had seen several ghosts, was so frightened that he squatted on his butt. He pointed at Qing Bai with trembling fingers and exclaimed in disbelief: "Qing... Qing Ge? You you you you you..."

Qing Bai raised his paw to wipe his face. He scratched the fur and kept putting it into his mouth. He finally understood why cats lick their fur whenever they have free time, but his psychology is still mostly human, so he can't do such a thing as licking fur... No, he is not a cat, why should he lick fur? Besides, he has never seen a cat like Jiunian lick fur, or... In fact, he would choose a time every day to lick his fur secretly without anyone's knowledge?

Jiu Nian met Qing Bai's gaze. His round black eyes looked so adorable on the little boy's face, but Jiu Nian inexplicably saw deep inquiry and complex sighs in them.

"You transformed?!" After hesitating for a long time, Qi Xiaopang finally regained his senses and said in a surprised voice.

Qing Baiyuan nodded his head, not wanting to talk about his embarrassing appearance, and asked, "What do you want from me?"

Qi Xiaopang uttered an "oh." Although he knew this was his 'tall, handsome, and dashing' brother Qing, looking at the palm-sized white 'kitten' on the black cat's back, his voice softened unconsciously, as if coaxing a child: "Zhiliao and I are planning to go to the hospital to visit our old class teacher. I was wondering if you want to come with us..."

There's no need to ask now. Pets, bah, animals, are not allowed in the hospital... But his brother Qing isn't an ordinary animal. He won't run around or bark, and he's so... so small. If he wants, he can definitely put him in his pocket...

Qing Bai noticed Qi Xiaopang's increasingly strange look and immediately said, "I won't go. It's inconvenient. You guys can go."

Qi Xiaopang looked at Qing Bai, who was like a small snowball, and his fingers were itching to rub her. However, he had the will but not the courage, so he could only try his best to find a reasonable opportunity to use his phone: "It's convenient! What's inconvenient? Leaving you alone at home is inconvenient! Brother Qing, you are in this state now. What if... what if that big rat that stole chickens sneaks in and steals chickens and dogs while we are not home? With your small body now, can you fight a big rat?"

Why should I fight a big rat? Qing Bai was puzzled. Just as he was about to speak, Jiu Nian's voice rang in his ears.

"I will protect him."

That's right, with a big black cat around, what fearless mouse would dare to run into their yard... No! Qi Xiaopang was halfway through regretting it before he realized, this damn black cat had spoken?! And it was the voice of the Nine-Year Tall Guy?!

Fat Qi sat on the ground, staring blankly at the two cats in front of him, one large, one small, one black, one white. Countless images flashed through his mind, and in the end, only one thought remained - no wonder his brother Qing treated these cats as his queen! It turned out that everything had a clue! His brother Qing was still the same brother Qing who had changed his temperament drastically and turned into a little hooligan in the first nine years of meeting him! His original intention remained unchanged!

Recalling the story Zhiliao had told him last night about how he and Brother Qing met in the temple, Qi Xiaopang's fingers suddenly stopped itching and his heart stopped itching. He stood up quickly, no longer making any unnecessary efforts, and said enthusiastically, "Then we're relieved!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Qi Xiaopang went downstairs and rushed out with Ai Chan. They also took away everything in the house that could be used as gifts for visiting the sick - fruit milk and three or four unknown roses that had just bloomed and were transplanted back to the yard.

Although it seems a bit shabby, it is absolutely sincere. I think Ban Bieyi and Gaotai will not mind. After all, they just "sent their heads thousands of miles away" yesterday. The gift may be small, but the sentiment is great.

After Qi Xiaopang and Ai Chan left, Qing Bai and Jiu Nian were the only two people left in the large courtyard. When their eyes met, Qing Bai didn't know what to say.

After a long silence, he finally found a suitable topic: "How can I change back?"

After saying this, Qing Bai felt something was wrong. From the perspective of nine years ago, the way he was doing now was the way he was "changing back".

He didn't say a word for nine years. He first sent Qing Bai back to bed, then stood by the bed, his head facing Qing Bai on the bed, as if giving one-on-one guidance.

Qing Bai intuitively felt that the next words were very important, so he tried to straighten his posture and listened attentively with the same attitude as when he was preparing for the college entrance examination.

"...The Lingxi clan is different from most spirit beasts. They can only transform into human form after their beast form reaches adulthood. The few written records left in the underworld also confirm this." Since meeting Qing Bai, Jiunian has been reading all the information related to Lingxi overnight, and he has become a 'Lingxi expert'. However, even a Lingxi expert still encounters a problem. "But you are exactly the opposite. Your human form has reached adulthood, but your original form is still a cub... As far as I know, there has never been such a case since the first Lingxi was born."

Qing Bai wasn't very happy, nor was he nervous, about becoming the clan's first special mutation case. He was more concerned about the other information Jiu Nian had unintentionally revealed: "As far as you know...or since the first Lingxi was born?"

"How old are you?"

Jiu Nian hadn't expected Qing Bai's focus to be so off-topic. For a moment, not only did he not know how to respond, but even his already drafted 'Knowledge Points on Spiritual Beast Transformation' was disrupted. In the end, he could only look into Qing Bai's lovely, round, obsidian eyes and tell the truth: "...It's been too many years, I've forgotten it."

Fortunately, he is in beast form now, otherwise even if Qing Bai is good at expression management, he will not be able to control the overly complicated expression on his face.

Ever since he knew that nine years old made one no longer a human, he had been mentally prepared for the age difference. However, no matter how prepared he was, he had never expected that the gap would be between an 'old immortal' and a 'little cub'... It was so big that it couldn't be described as an old cow eating young grass, it was like a newly unearthed antique bronze cow eating young grass.

Tender Grass took a deep breath and considerately turned the topic back to the main topic: "...How does the Lingxi clan determine whether a person is an adult?"

Even though time had no meaning to him, Jiu Nian still breathed a sigh of relief and followed Qing Bai's words and replied, "Horn."

"Horn?" Qing Bai reacted and raised his claws to touch the small horn on his forehead... His claws were too short to touch it.

This is unrealistic! He has an arm span of 180cm, and he can't even touch his forehead?!

Qing Bai didn't believe it, so he raised his paws and reached upwards, and then moved his head downwards, and now he really rolled into a white fur ball.

However, some things cannot be achieved by hard work. Excessive effort may even make things more painful... Qing Bai used too much force and suddenly lost his balance. With a "bang", his head and body fell into the sheets.

...At this time, Jiu Nian's foresight in sending the man back to bed before getting down to business was revealed.

With his head buried in the sheets, Qing Bai also woke up and once again confirmed the huge impact of the animal juvenile state on IQ.

Adhering to the spirit that as long as I don't speak first, the embarrassing ones are those who try every means to ignore and continue the conversation, Qing Bai lowered his head and pretended to be dead.

However, Jiu Nian was not the type to play by the rules. He didn't intend to turn a blind eye, nor was he embarrassed, nor did he even show the slightest surprise. He simply lifted his paw to help Qing Bai up, then carefully smoothed down the messy hair on Qing Bai's face while whispering softly, "Don't worry, once the nine rings appear on your horns, you'll be considered an adult."

Although the horn of an adult Lingxi looks smooth and warm like jade, it actually has fine lines on it, like natural carvings. It is difficult to distinguish with the naked eye, but it is real.

Qing Bai felt like Jiu Nian was coaxing a child, but with his palm-sized body, he really didn't have much persuasive power, so he could only refute dryly: "I'm not in a hurry."

In fact, he was anxious, very anxious.

There is nothing we can do about the age difference, but we still have to work hard to overcome the size difference.

Nine years of silence passed, and Qing Bai no longer cared whether he believed it or not. He went straight back to the original question: "...But I can't stay like this forever. Is there any way to change back to human form?"

Jiu Nian silently picked up the draft that had been messed up beyond recognition: "...Although there is no precedent, you can try to sense the spiritual energy circulating around your body. Spiritual beasts are born with instinct. Instinct is our first teacher. We are born knowing how to practice."

Sensing the spiritual energy circulating throughout the body? Isn't this even more mysterious and ridiculous than Chinese reading comprehension?

Qing Bai, a science student who had been sensing nothing but empty air for a long time, really wanted to find a formula that could be applied to solve a specific problem.

Qing Bai and Jiu Nian stared at each other for a while, and finally Jiu Nian gave in. She raised her paw and pressed it on the small corner of his forehead: "Close your eyes and look inward."

Qing Bai closed his eyes obediently and accepted the special training from his teacher for nine years.

It was dark for only a few seconds before Qing Bai saw light. Red, hot, blood-like spots of light. As if they knew there were eyes watching them, they instantly became active from their static state. The spots connected into lines, and the lines moved forward along the long-determined routes, one after another, densely packed but not messy, but with an indescribable rhythm. Qing Bai thought that these lines were the blood vessels in his beast-like body, but he saw them slowly changing color, just like the small horn on his forehead, which slowly settled from bright red to jade green... and finally converged into one point.

That 'dot' was a horn, the spiritual horn on his forehead. Qing Bai had no reason, but he was extremely certain.

This cycle continued for several times. Qing Bai became more and more awake, but his body remained unchanged. Just as he was about to open his eyes, Jiu Nian said, "Calm your mind, calm your breath, don't be anxious, and carefully feel the flow of spiritual energy. You must remember the route it circulates in your body."

Remembering the circulation route of spiritual energy? He might as well memorize the distribution map of human capillaries.

For the first time in his life, Qing Bai felt that he had the qualifications to be a poor student, so he decided to give up.

He didn't open his eyes, his tone was calm and sincere: "Did you hear that?"

"What?"

Jiu Nian thought Qing Bai had touched the edge of the spirit beast's luck, and was just sighing that it was indeed a spiritual resonance. After only a few weeks of operation, he heard Qing Bai say -

"My stomach is growling. I'm hungry."