Li Yuheng strolled slowly to Shu Bai, his dog tail swaying leisurely behind him.
"Hey, silly cat."
Shu Bai: "Spit it out if you have something to say."
“I just said my name is Li Yuheng,” Li Yuheng tilted his head and looked him up and down, “Why aren’t you surprised at all?”
"...Why should I be surprised? Is your name that special?"
"No, it's not that. I just felt your reaction was too bland, it was boring. By the way, I drank too much last night, and I vaguely dreamed that someone asked me my name... and then carried me back home. I thought you had transformed into human form."
Shu Bai's tail tip stiffened for a moment, then he said coldly, "What does your dream have to do with me? All I know is that you drank too much and then staggered back home."
“Yeah, I guess.” Li Yuheng casually flicked his ear. “Maybe it’s just a dream. But speaking of which, when will you be able to transform into human form? Are you destined to be a cat for the rest of your life?”
"...I'd like to."
Li Yuheng stared at Shu Bai's furry cat face for a few seconds.
Okay.
He didn't actually need to get a definitive answer.
Anyway, he already had the key information.
This cat's ability to transform into human form indicates that it is at least an adult.
According to the custom of the demon race, those who seal their demonic power and let it flow into the human world are mostly out to gain experience.
Moreover, I've heard that during this training period, the chances of breaking the seal are extremely limited, with the number of attempts strictly controlled.
But last night, this silly cat still used its precious opportunity to transform into human form and bring this drunken, stupid dog back to its den.
For this reason alone, Li Yuheng couldn't suppress the emotion in his heart.
He truly is a good friend of his cat!
No matter how fiercely they curse or how ruthlessly they act, they can still be relied upon in crucial moments.
Now, Li Yuheng no longer wants to ask any more questions about the demonic power seal.
I'd been worried about it for a while, mainly because I was afraid the cat would be set up and killed.
Since it's a rule within his own clan, there's nothing to ask.
What Li Yuheng is most worried about right now is another matter.
With that mouth of Shu Bai's that can't stand not arguing with people all day, plus now that his demonic power is sealed, he's no different from an ordinary cat. What if he runs into a tough nut one day and gets killed?
This cat has a terrible temper and is stubborn; it won't back down in a fight.
Just imagining that scene made Li Yuheng feel irritated.
He himself didn't realize that this feeling had gone far beyond that of a good brother.
"Hey." Li Yuheng suddenly spoke, breaking the brief silence between the two.
Shu Bai looked at him warily: "What is it now?"
Li Yuheng's face was unusually serious: "In the future... don't be so cheeky."
Shu Bai: "???"
He almost laughed in exasperation at this sudden advice.
"Mind your own business?" Shu Bai's hands were already itching for a fight. "Take care of your own foul mouth first."
“I’m serious.” Li Yuheng ignored his retort, his tone even carrying a hint of concern that he himself didn’t realize, “You can’t even… transform into human form yet. With just these four claws, how many can you fight?”
"If you ever run into a tough opponent, they won't listen to any talk of chivalry in a one-on-one fight. The harsher you insult them, the harder they'll hit you."
Shu Bai stared at him, her cat-like eyes filled with absurdity: "Are you teaching me how to do things?"
"I'm concerned about you."
The air suddenly became quiet.
Shu Bai's pupils suddenly contracted.
Love Threads... Is it that strong?
Less than a night had passed.
No, even the most powerful "Love Threads" technique can only subtly guide feelings of affection; it can never...
He subconsciously scratched the ground with his paws, trying to suppress the unease in his heart.
Seeing his subtle movements, Li Yuheng assumed he was impatient and clicked his tongue: "What, can't you stand a nice word?"
Shu Bai immediately retorted: "Who wants to listen to what you're saying?"
"Fine, I guess I was just being nosy." Li Yuheng turned to leave, then stopped. "One last thing."
He turned around and said, "If you can't beat them, run away. There's no shame in that. Don't fight to the death."
Shu Bai stared at him without saying a word.
Li Yuheng saw that Shu Bai remained silent for a long time, just staring at him. His gaze was neither blank nor anything else, and it was not like his usual look of being ready to scratch someone at any time.
He clicked his tongue, thinking the cat was probably dumbfounded.
So it raised its paw, with a hint of awakening, and patted Shu Bai's head twice, neither too hard nor too soft.
"Hey, silly cat, did you hear me?"
Not content with just taking the picture, he then used his paw to gently rub the always alert, erect ears of the cat, pressing them to one side.
As soon as I let go, the ear snapped back to its original position with a "pop," stubbornly standing up again, full of elasticity.
"Hey?"
Li Yuheng watched the ear bounce back and found it quite interesting, so he reached out his paw to poke at it.
This time, Shu Bai didn't indulge him.
A swift and precise slap landed on Li Yuheng's dog paw.
"If you don't want your hand anymore, you can chop it off."
"Tsk, so stingy." Li Yuheng shook his hand that had been slapped. "What's wrong with touching it? What's wrong with good brothers touching each other's ears?"
Shu Bai stared thoughtfully at Li Yuheng.
"What's wrong?" Li Yuheng felt uncomfortable being stared at. "Touching your ear is giving you face. I wouldn't touch it even if someone else asked me to."
"It feels strange. The skin behind the ear is very thin, and when your paw touches it, it's warmer than my own and feels very rough."
Li Yuheng stopped swinging his claws and looked at Shu Bai with a bewildered expression.
“Moreover,” Shu Bai continued casually, “even though you’ve tucked your nails in, the edges are still a bit hard, and it feels a little prickly and uncomfortable when you scratch them.”
Li Yuheng opened his mouth, wanting to refute, but found that his mind was completely stuck in the face of such a blunt truth.
How is he supposed to respond to that?
Should I say, "Sorry, my claws are too rough. I'll polish them smooth next time"?
Something doesn't seem right.
What happened?
Why can this cat say such things in such a calm tone?
Why was Li Yuheng, who had dominated the underworld for hundreds of years, suddenly rendered speechless by a single truth?
Why?
Shu Bai looked at Li Yuheng's dog-like face, which rarely showed any blankness, and a hint of almost imperceptible triumph flashed in his cat eyes.
He took half a step forward and looked up slightly at Li Yuheng.
"So, don't touch it casually."
Li Yuheng felt that he couldn't stay in this place anymore.
"Fine, fine, I won't touch it then, who cares?" He turned around, his tone stiff, "I still have to work on Wangfulou, I'm leaving now."
After saying that, without waiting for Shu Bai's response, he started walking towards the south street entrance.
He needs to go and put an end to that mess at Wangfulou.
He strolled all the way to the South Street intersection, and before he even got close, he noticed that the atmosphere at the entrance of Wangfulou was a bit off.
There was no expected bustling reopening, nor any sign of anyone secretly preparing to catch the dog.
Several people were gathered around the red sign with gold lettering, pointing and gesturing.
Li Yuheng moved closer and hid behind a trash can on the street corner to observe.
Two white seals were crossed on the main entrance of Wangfulou, each stamped with a bright red official seal.
A middle-aged man in uniform, who looked like a community worker, was speaking to the tall, thin man and the burly man, both with gloomy expressions, in a serious tone:
"...How many times have I told you? This kind of shop is not allowed in this area! Stray animals have unknown origins, no quarantine, who knows if they carry diseases? Who will be responsible if someone gets sick from eating there?"
The tall, thin man tried to argue: "We...we also use legitimate channels..."
"What's so 'legitimate' about it?" the staff member interrupted him, pointing to a young girl next to him holding a notebook. "Xiao Zhang has already checked, you don't have any legal purchase receipts! And we've received reports from the public before that you're illegally capturing stray dogs!"
He emphasized, "The authorities are cracking down on food safety now, and you're going against the grain! You're not allowed to open! You must cease operations immediately for rectification!"
The burly man was about to shout something when the tall, thin man pulled him back. The two men looked ashen as they watched the staff tear down the red paper that had been pasted on their door with the words "Grand Opening" and replace it with a "Notice of Suspension of Business for Rectification".
Li Yuheng squatted behind the trash can, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes.
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