Li Yuheng tilted his head, a sly glint in his eyes.
"Oh—? Let me guess... could it be that you, this seemingly serious but stinky cat, secretly chose it?"
"Oh, you're a prince?" Shu Bai immediately grasped the key point.
Li Yuheng was also stunned for a moment, but then he quickly regained his nonchalant attitude.
Now that I've said it, there's no point in hiding it.
He casually admitted:
"Yes, why? Doesn't it look like it?"
"...Tch. I'm still the Jade Emperor."
“I’m being serious with you.” Li Yuheng leaned forward, as if sharing a secret. “I’ll tell you a secret: I’m actually a god. I came to the human world as a dog just to experience life.”
Shu Bai wiped the dust off its face with its paw, then scoffed at the words, "God? You?"
Li Yuheng immediately retorted, "Why can't I be a god?"
"Yes, yes. After all, even a madman's god is still a god."
"...What do you know? Let me tell you, I can walk sideways in Heaven. You know the stone lions at the South Gate of Heaven? I peed on them when I was a kid! I take one bite of the peaches in the Peach Garden and then throw them away! I've kicked Laozi's alchemy furnace several times—"
Shu Bai raised its paw and slapped Li Yuheng's still-chattering mouth with a blank expression.
"Shut up."
Li Yuheng was startled by the slap.
It wasn't painful; Shu Bai hadn't exerted any force at all.
The movement was too sudden, carrying a hint of impatience, yet also a sense of familiarity.
It's as if they're no longer the bitter rivals they used to be fighting to the death, but rather people who have known each other for a long time and can interrupt each other at will...
friend.
Even Li Yuheng himself found the word outrageous.
He opened his mouth as if to bite the audacious cat's paw.
Shu Bai had already withdrawn its claws, its face full of disgust, and turned to leave.
"Hey!" Li Yuheng called out to him instinctively, "You're leaving already?"
Shu Bai didn't even turn his head: "Otherwise what? Stay and listen to you continue bragging?"
"Who's bragging? I'm telling the truth!"
"Alright, really." Shu Bai replied perfunctorily, "Then may I ask, Your Highness, when will you return?"
"...Hmm...Let me have my fun first. The human world is quite interesting."
Shu Bai scoffed, too lazy to argue with him anymore, and turned to continue walking forward.
"Hey! You stinky cat!" Li Yuheng called out from behind him, "When's the next sparring session?"
Shu Bai continued walking, only her indifferent voice drifting back: "When I'm in a better mood."
When are you in a good mood?
"When I see you get embarrassed."
Li Yuheng was so angry that his teeth itched, and he shouted at Shu Bai's back, "Then you wait! Next time I'll definitely beat you to a pulp!"
Shu Bai had already gone far away, and only a faint "ah" could be heard on the wind.
…
A few days later, news of Shu Bai and Li Yuheng leading volunteers to raid a cat abuse den and rescue kittens spread throughout the nearby stray animal community.
It started as the story told by a few rescued kittens, but later, with the embellishment of bird informants such as sparrows and crows, the version of the story became more and more exaggerated.
Some say that Li Yuheng is a divine dog descended to earth, who bit off the wrist of the cat abuser;
Some say that Shu Bai is the reincarnation of a cat spirit, who scratched the eyes of bad guys with one claw.
These rumors pleased Li Yuheng greatly.
He's been walking with a swagger lately, his tail held high, and he keeps loitering around places where Shubai might be, deliberately reminiscing loudly about his heroic deeds to other dogs.
“Well, it’s nothing really,” he said to a yellow dog that came over, his tone deliberately nonchalant. “I just can’t stand those bastards bullying the weak. I just moved my paw a little, or rather, I moved my mouth, and that guy was scared out of his wits.”
On the wall, Shu Bai coldly flicked its tail, not even bothering to give it a glance.
He's been really annoyed lately.
It's not just because that stupid dog Li Yuheng is showing off every day, but also because there have been a lot more people in uniforms on the streets these past few days.
They held notebooks and cameras, pointing and gesturing at the areas where stray cats and dogs gathered, their expressions serious.
A tense atmosphere filled the air.
That afternoon, Li Yuheng was sunbathing in his usual spot, thinking about where to find something good to eat that evening, when he saw Shu Bai walking hurriedly past the alley entrance, his face gloomy.
"Hey! Mad Cat!" Li Yuheng called out to him, "In such a hurry, rushing to be reincarnated?"
Shu Bai stopped and turned to look at him, her eyes filled with undisguised annoyance: "Shut up, you stupid dog. You still have the mind to lie here?"
"How can I not be in the mood?" Li Yuheng stood up and shook his head. "The sky isn't falling down."
"Soon." Shu Bai's tone was icy. "Haven't you noticed something's off on the streets lately?"
Li Yuheng certainly noticed.
He's not stupid.
People in different uniforms came and went, their eyes scanning the stray animals with assessment and calculation.
There were also a few unfamiliar faces who always lurked furtively in the corners, taking pictures of them with their phones.
"So what if they found out?" Li Yuheng walked up to Shu Bai. "So what if there are a few more two-legged creatures? Are they going to arrest us all?"
“You think they wouldn’t dare?” Shu Bai narrowed his eyes. “I overheard those people in uniform talking, saying they’ve received a lot of complaints lately, saying we’re affecting the city’s appearance, spreading diseases, and even attacking children.”
"Bullshit!" Li Yuheng immediately retorted, "When have we ever attacked children? What crazy cat or dog would dare to provoke those little devils?"
"It's obvious that someone is deliberately trying to smear us. And the timing is so coincidental, right after we raided that hideout."
Li Yuheng was not stupid; he immediately understood the meaning of Shu Bai.
It's remnants of that cat-abusing organization, or their accomplices, retaliating.
They dared not openly catch cats and dogs anymore, so they resorted to this insidious method, using others to do their dirty work.
They are trying to get rid of these troublesome thorns in their side by taking advantage of human prejudice against stray animals and urban management regulations.
Just then, a piercing bark came from the alley entrance.
Li Yuheng and Shu Bai turned to look at the same time.
The yellow dog that had spoken to Li Yuheng earlier was now being roughly dragged into an iron cage by two men in gray uniforms, with a metal lasso tightly around its neck.
"Damn it, let me go!" The yellow dog struggled desperately, its paws scraping the ground.
The two men complained as they exerted themselves:
"This job is inhuman. Every day you're either being bitten by these beasts or getting scolded by your superiors."
"Stop nagging. The complaint letters have been piling up like a mountain lately, all saying stray cats and dogs are disturbing the peace. They're just trying to make a living... And these animals, why do they have to scare the kids like that..."
They said it wasn't easy, but their actions were ruthless, ignoring the yellow dog's howls.
The cage door was locked, and the yellow dog frantically pounded on the ground inside. The two men simply dusted themselves off and yelled at the cage, "Quiet down!"
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