Chapter 189 Repaying Kindness
Yuanxiao never expected that she would regain her human form on the night of the full moon.
I never expected to see a child here who was covered in dirt and looked like he was on the verge of death.
I have no idea what the other person went through before, not only did they get injured all over their body, but they also had a nauseating stench.
It means that you are kind-hearted and consider your past relationship with the other person, which is why you don't look down on them.
Yuanxiao thought to herself.
"Loquat..."
Yuanxiao called out to the child in a soft tone that he himself was unaware of.
That said, I wonder what those parents were thinking when they named their child after a fruit.
No wonder this kid gave the cat he picked up a snack name; it's a family tradition.
While Yuanxiao grumbled inwardly, she reached out to support the back of her neck, trying to straighten her drooping head so she could feed the anti-inflammatory and analgesic herbs she had just found to Pipa.
Unexpectedly, as soon as his palm touched the back of the other person's neck, the child, who had already fallen into a coma, frowned and struggled as if he had suddenly been frightened in his dream.
Yuanxiao was startled by the suddenness of the attack. If he hadn't been quick enough to grab the other person's outstretched hand, he probably would have gotten slapped for no reason.
Before Yuanxiao could even congratulate herself on her quick reflexes or feel smug, she was struck in the waist and abdomen.
The snap sounded particularly crisp in the quiet night.
Yuanxiao's smile vanished instantly. It wasn't that the blow was particularly painful; on the contrary, if the other person had used more force, it wouldn't have felt so strange.
It should be stated beforehand that Yuanxiao's decision not to wear clothes is not because he is mentally abnormal, but because this transformation came so suddenly that he did not have enough time to prepare.
Yuanxiao's strong sense of self-respect simply wouldn't allow him to wander around naked in a populated village.
That's why he's been hiding in this cave.
Shortly after waking up in the cat's body, Yuanxiao noticed the cave. Unlike the seemingly unremarkable little village, this cave was filled with a very strong ghostly and spiritual aura.
Although Yuanxiao doesn't have many memories of the past, her perception of ghostly and spiritual energy is like an instinct etched deep in her soul.
So for a long time, whenever she had free time, Yuanxiao would go to this cave on the hillside to cultivate using the energy within.
Then, before dark, return to the village and live like an ordinary house cat, eating, drinking, and sleeping as usual.
—Oh, the reason I did this is certainly not because I particularly enjoy being around that brat.
It was simply because this weak body needed food, and the other party just happened to be happy to provide it with food and lodging.
Since they've gone to such lengths of sincerity, it's not unreasonable for me to reluctantly and gladly accept their offer.
Plus that kid, he stays home all day, acting like he's unlucky and unwanted by his parents.
It's already so pitiful that you don't even have a friend to talk to... You can have a heart-to-heart talk with a cat. While enjoying free food and grooming services, you can also listen to the cat's troubles. It's actually not a bad thing.
Then, as time went by, Yuanxiao seemed to gradually get used to this kind of life and gradually became able to understand some of the other person's thoughts.
From initial slight impatience to recent habitual acceptance.
Yuanxiao gradually felt that the emptiness in her heart caused by the loss of memories was being covered by those trivial things that she originally thought were insignificant or even completely unworthy of mention.
Sometimes, he even has a kind of illusion.
It's as if I was originally a homeless stray cat, and it was only because of the little child who took me in that I had a name and a place to shelter from the wind and rain.
Especially when I hear my own name from Pipa, I feel a strange sense of familiarity.
Yuanxiao sometimes wondered if she was actually named after this dessert, and that the other person had just guessed it by accident.
When they come to their senses, they will shake their heads repeatedly.
Losing memories is one thing, losing one's mind is another. Yuanxiao firmly believes that regardless of whether he has complete memories or not, his inherent pride will not allow him to accept such a casual name.
Despite his thoughts, he would condescend to come out and respond when he heard a child's expectant whisper.
after all……
Yuanxiao felt no shame at all, thinking that the little devil was calling out to the white cat he was possessing, not to himself.
As a soul that has borrowed this body, it is his duty to respond on behalf of the other party and to ingest the necessary energy to sustain life.
[Lantern Festival... Lantern Festival, you're here! Look, there are your favorite glutinous rice balls today.]
—Pshaw, that's nonsense. When did I ever say that I liked glutinous rice balls the most?
Yuanxiao thought to herself with considerable disdain.
And... is it really okay to feed cats this kind of stuff all day long?
But the child had no idea what Yuanxiao was thinking. He just kept smiling to himself and excitedly pushed the small plate of glutinous rice balls in front of her.
--never mind.
Yuanxiao thought to herself, why should I argue with a little fool?
Seeing how slow and hesitant Pipa is in everything she does, and how he speaks haltingly and without any clear focus, sometimes I even wonder if she's really stupid.
Otherwise, why would someone ask such a stupid question?
What does it look like...?
What should I do if my mother is ignoring me lately?
I don't understand about the Lantern Festival.
If others ignore you, just ignore them too. What's there to be upset about?
There were also things like, "I'm getting more and more annoyed with this village."
Yuanxiao found it even more incomprehensible. If you hate it, just leave. Why wear such a miserable face and sigh all day long?
but……
Yuanxiao also tried to put herself in the loquat's shoes and think from its perspective.
That makes sense, since the little rascal not only looks like a fool, but is also a genuine little cripple.
Let alone walking out of this village, even pacing around their own little yard a few times would be enough to make the other person suffer.
Thinking about it this way, it was a wise choice for them not to leave the village directly.
and……
From Yuanxiao's personal perspective, she also didn't really want the loquat to leave.
Of course, it couldn't possibly be some nonsense like "I can't bear to part with it."
He just... he's afraid it will be hard to find someone like Pipa who can take such good care of him right away.
After all, it's become a habit.
Yuanxiao didn't want to change his comfortable life because of the other person's likes or dislikes. He wasn't going to be that kind of self-sacrificing fool.
so……
So, although it's annoying when children talk nonsense in front of me, if it can dispel their desire to leave, I can tolerate it a little.
Moreover, there's always a strange feeling about the Lantern Festival. If I could regain my memories and find my former identity, solving the troubles the children mentioned would be a piece of cake.
So let life continue as it is.
In the darkness, the emerald cat's eyes silently watched the child's not-so-peaceful sleeping face.
He continued living such uneventful days until one day, when he finally achieved results in his cultivation.
Having regained their spiritual power and true form, taking the other person away from the village to find another way out was a piece of cake.
Even if you can't regain your past memories and don't know your true identity, it doesn't matter. At worst, you can stay by their side as Yuanxiao.
He thought to himself, "Let's just consider it... let's just consider it as repaying a debt of gratitude."
—By the way, how did they write it in those storybooks?
A drop of kindness deserves a spring of gratitude; a life-saving grace deserves a life-giving offer.
The little brat in front of him took him in when he was starving and dizzy, providing him with food and lodging, and he drank countless bowls of water. If he were to repay the favor in the first way, wouldn't he have to repay it in the form of rivers, lakes, and seas?
When the time comes, you won't be able to settle accounts, and you'll still have to pay back everything.
The Lantern Festival seems too troublesome; it's better to follow the second method.
The grace of being saved... saving this physical body, and by a small measure, also saving the soul that resides within it.
As for repaying someone with one's body—
Thinking of this, Yuanxiao couldn't help but take advantage of the darkness to examine the child in front of her carefully once more.
Um……
She's not exactly good-looking, but if she keeps growing like this, she'll probably be pretty good-looking eventually.
Most importantly, after watching it every day, I've gotten used to seeing it every day during the Lantern Festival.
In other aspects... aside from being a bit long-winded, a bit dull, and occasionally a little rough with his hands, there's nothing seriously wrong with him. As for the minor disability in his leg, with proper treatment and care, it's not impossible for it to heal completely.
The key point is that Yuanxiao genuinely doesn't dislike the other person's smell.
I even think... it smells a little bit nice.
I've forgotten who it was before—it must have been an extremely annoying guy who once said that someone like him was destined to be alone for life.
They even kept saying that he was a difficult person to please.
He's always stubborn and doesn't understand how to consider other people's feelings at all; he's just a high and mighty young master.
--snort.
In retrospect, it was pure nonsense.
If Yuanxiao could remember who that guy was, she vowed to bring him to him and give that hateful face a good slap.
Yuanxiao became more and more excited as she thought about it, and the more she looked at the ordinary face in front of her, which at first glance seemed to gradually become pleasing to the eye.
He was completely unaware that his one-sided desire to offer himself in return perfectly validated what others had described as "stubbornness."
Of course, if someone were to genuinely ask Yuanxiao a question at this moment, the latter would probably shamelessly retort, "Isn't it a kind of luck for the other person to be chosen by me?"
After all, he's good-looking and has a fairly easygoing personality. As for his family affairs... I can't think of any right now, but he's not afraid to start from scratch.
Shouldn't having such a reliable and attractive spouse be considered a blessing from a past life?
Yuanxiao truly feels this way.
Although he always appeared as a white cat, he subconsciously felt that he was originally good-looking and was confident that if he could cultivate into a human body using this physical form, he would definitely not be ugly, after all, his natural features were there...
So, when the child, described as disheveled in the cave, stared at her with such terrified and wary eyes, Yuanxiao began to doubt herself for the first time.
Although most of my memories are missing...
Although the incident happened very suddenly, Yuanxiao looked at his reflection in the water the moment he regained his human form. Judging from how familiar he was with the face, he could almost be certain that it was his former face.
So here's the question...
What's so scary about my face that makes that little brat make such a strange expression?
Yuanxiao thought to herself with a bit of sullen displeasure, "Luckily I had the foresight to steal that damned dagger while the other person was unconscious. Otherwise, I would be in far worse shape than if I hadn't just received a couple of slaps."
—It might have already been stabbed through.
After all, that knife had already been stained with blood.
Besides the smell of this brat's blood, there was another indescribable stench, quite similar to the faint stench emanating from the ancestral hall in front.
As soon as Yuanxiao got close to the other party, he smelled the nauseating stench. In addition, he didn't like the smell of the knife in the first place, so he simply snatched it from the other party's hand and casually threw it elsewhere.
After doing all this, Yuanxiao felt no guilt whatsoever. In his view, he had already prepared to give himself to the other person, so what was his was hers, and what was hers was his.
It's just a broken knife; once it's gone, it's gone.
—Anyway, with me there, the other party can't possibly make any major mistakes.
Yuanxiao thought this was perfectly reasonable.
Completely forgetting that he is no longer the person he used to be, his spiritual power and magic have not been greatly reduced, but they are definitely negligible.
It's barely enough to protect oneself and maintain a human form; to think that one can absolutely protect others is a bit of an exaggeration.
However, people today wouldn't think of these things during the Lantern Festival.
His attention had just shifted from getting the sleeping child to take the herbs and successfully dodging a slap thrown by the child while he was in a daze, when it was drawn back to the hand that slapped his waist.
The small, soft, warm palm pressed against Yuanxiao's slightly cool skin, creating a burning sensation.
This wasn't the first time Yuanxiao had been so close to the other person, but it was the first time they had been so open and honest with each other without any barriers between them, which made her feel a little uncomfortable.
So I instinctively dodged to the side, but unexpectedly the hand on my waist lost its support and slid down...
It landed with a thud where it shouldn't have.
Even Yuanxiao, who prided herself on being calm and collected, was stunned. Her face flushed red, and she stammered, at a loss for what to do.
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