“You look just like a cat I saw when I was a child.”
Luo Tingshi cradled the stiff little cat, his gaze slowly gliding over its snow-white fur.
Unlike the kitten from his childhood, this one was filthy all over, covered in dust, as if it had just emerged from some place after playing wildly.
Recalling that white kitten that used to perch on his shoulder, constantly rubbing against his cheeks and seeking affection, a rare warmth flickered in Luo Tingshi’s icy eyes. His broad, calloused hand swept the dust from the kitten’s back, stroking it from the nape of its neck all the way to its tail.
His fingertips suddenly brushed against a damp spot.
Luo Tingshi curled his fingers, furrowing his brow slightly. “Why is it so wet…”
“Meow!”
The kitten instantly bristled, extending its sharp claws to scratch Luo Tingshi fiercely before leaping out of his arms. It scrambled across the courtyard, tumbling and rolling until it vanished from sight.
The furious meow reached Wang Man’s ears. He cautiously raised his gaze, only to see the emperor’s blood-soaked right hand. Wang Man gasped in horror: “Your Majesty, your hand! I’ll fetch the imperial physician at once!”
“Your Majesty, this humble guard failed in his duty, allowing that beast to injure you! I will capture it and present it for your punishment!” The guard beside him hastily knelt before Luo Tingshi, pleading for forgiveness.
Luo Tingshi lowered his gaze, his eyes fixed on the mangled flesh of his right hand. A relentless stabbing pain seeped from the wound, radiating to the faint ache in his back from the scratches inflicted by that man last night.
Hmph.
His temperament is just like that little wildcat.
Luo Tingshi’s gaze grew deep: “No need. Let it be.”
–
A profound humiliation!
Yu Zhi sprinted along the palace wall, cursing Luo Tingshi bitterly in his heart.
That beastly man dared to touch him there, and even said…
The man’s words echoed relentlessly in Yu Zhi’s mind. In a daze, Yu Zhi felt something trickle down his hind legs. His eyes widened, and a low, furious growl erupted from his throat.
Damned Luo Tingshi! One day, I shall tear you to pieces!
Filled with pent-up fury, Yu Zhi squeezed through the small hole in the palace wall and charged straight toward the Sifang Pavilion, guided by memory. Within the time it took to drink a cup of tea, he reached the outer wall of the eastern courtyard. Circling around, he found a gap and slipped inside.
Passing the rockery in the rear courtyard, Yu Zhi’s right paw accidentally struck a pebble. A piercing pain instantly shot up his right leg. His body lurched, and he crashed heavily onto the grass.
Exhausted from last night’s ordeal, Yu Zhi’s entire body ached and felt weak. This fall completely drained the last bit of energy he had mustered. He lay helplessly on the ground, unable even to lift his paws.
A sea of emerald green filled his vision. His furry cheeks pressed against the fresh grass blades as he gasped for breath in short, shallow puffs, each inhale and exhale carrying the scent of fresh foliage. Fragmented sunlight filtered through the treetops, casting mottled patches of warmth across his back. Unconsciously, his body trembled slightly in the light.
Every inch of his body ached, and a sudden wave of resentment welled up within Yu Zhi.
Having lived eighteen years, this was the first time he’d ever been so utterly defeated.
At this moment, Yu Zhi despised his own bloodline. Though called an ancient demon beast, he possessed virtually no magical power. The faint spiritual veins within him allowed only the simplest illusions.
Instead, they brought him endless trouble.
Members of the White Spirit clan entered a regular mating season upon reaching sixteen.
Yu Zhi had been born frail. His father, the emperor, had ordered imperial physicians to nurture him meticulously for years until he appeared ordinary. Yet the underlying weakness remained. When Yu Zhi turned sixteen, he did not enter the mating season.
Without this phase, he could not produce offspring.
The imperial physicians of the Medical Bureau treated him day and night, yet ultimately found no solution. His two fathers, who were traveling abroad, learned of this and immediately rushed back to the capital. Both were deeply troubled by the situation, but Yu Zhi secretly felt a flicker of joy.
Yu Zhi had witnessed his father, the Emperor, during his mating periods. Each time, the Emperor became intensely restless, utterly incapable of handling state affairs. He would only press against his father, Yu Zhi’s father, and stay coiled in the bedchamber, indulging in caresses.
Unlike him, the Emperor was robust and vigorous, his needs exceptionally insatiable.
After each heat cycle, his father was left utterly spent and pitiful.
Yu Zhi disliked this state of affairs.
He refused to become a beast driven by uncontrollable lust, unwilling to let his mind be consumed by such matters when handling decisions affecting the lives of countless subjects.
The absence of a mating season suited him perfectly.
He had once secretly inquired with the Chief Physician of the Imperial Medical Academy. The Chief had hinted that it was highly likely he would never experience a mating season in his lifetime.
Yu Zhi’s heart blossomed with joy.
Who could have imagined that he would suddenly and unexpectedly enter a mating season?
And stumbled so badly.
Quack!
Yu Zhi closed his eyes in despair. He could already picture Luo Tingshi discovering his true identity and humiliating him mercilessly.
For the first time, Yu Zhi felt a pang of regret.
If only he’d known this day would come—why did he insist on traveling to Sheng Kingdom to meet Luo Tingshi?
“Ah! What a beautiful little fox cub.”
A familiar voice suddenly snapped Yu Zhi out of his regret-filled reverie. He lifted his head to meet the Longlin Marquis’s smile, which seemed to radiate a sense of having narrowly escaped disaster.
The Marquis of Changlin carefully picked up the kitten from the ground, grinning as he said, “Lord Lu loves cats. I’ll take you to show him.”
With that, the Marquis strode directly toward the small courtyard where the Yu Kingdom’s envoy resided. He climbed the steps, approached the door marked “Lu Jing,” knocked lightly, waited a moment, then pushed the door open.
The instant he closed the door, the Marquis of Changlin’s expression changed abruptly. His eyelids drooped, his face contorted as if on the verge of tears. “Your Majesty, where have you been all night? You’ve scared this old servant half to death. If anything had happened to you, I wouldn’t have enough heads to spare for the retired emperor to chop off.”
The small cat in his arms glanced at him and spoke slowly: “I have returned safe and sound. Your Lordship need not worry. Please set me down.”
The Marquis of Changlin’s heart lurched.
The voice reaching his ears was hoarse and strained, utterly unlike its former clear resonance. Though the Marquis of Changlin knew not what trials the young emperor had endured, it was plain to see that exhaustion had utterly consumed him.
He swiftly and gently laid the small figure upon the soft bedding, murmuring, “Your Majesty, please rest for a while.”
Yu Zhi shook his head. “Bring a basin of water to my chambers. Then go bid farewell to Luo Tingshi. We shall return to Yu Kingdom at once.”
The Marquis of Changlin’s expression shifted slightly. “Your Majesty, has something happened?”
The little cat on the bed rolled into the brocade quilt, closed its eyes, and let its fluffy tail, the only part still visible, sway gently. It seemed utterly disinterested in further conversation.
The Marquis of Changlin sighed silently and left the room. A moment later, he returned carrying a small wooden basin. Setting it near the bed, he addressed the bed: “Your Majesty, shall I assist you with your bath?”
“Not necessary.” Yu Zhi declined without hesitation. “You may withdraw.”
The Marquis of Changlin withdrew as instructed.
Closing the door, he caught a glimpse of a darker stain somewhere in his sleeve. As if compelled by some unseen force, the Marquis lifted his sleeve and sniffed.
A salty, pungent odor assaulted his nostrils.
As a man, the Marquis knew this scent all too well.
He froze, struck dumb as if by lightning.
Vaguely guessing what had transpired, the Marquis stared at the closed door, his face ashen. After a long moment of hesitation, he slowly lowered his raised hand, his expression taut, and swept his sleeves aside as he left.
Inside the room.
Yu Zhi rested for a short while. Once his limbs regained some strength, he crawled out from under the covers, carefully climbing down the bed by clinging to the sheets with his paws.
His legs still felt weak and wobbly. Yu Zhi shuffled step by step to the basin and leaped into it.
“Plop!” Water splashed everywhere.
Yu Zhi’s entire fur was soaked. He shook the droplets from his ears, pouting. He disliked bathing in his true form—the fur clinging to his body felt unbearably uncomfortable.
It was all Luo Ting’s fault.
Yu Zhi submerged himself, disappearing beneath the water.
His jet-black eyes scanned the room, confirming he was alone inside and out. Suppressing his inner shame, he reached a paw into the water.
“Miau…”
His furry body trembled slightly, and he let out a soft, muffled cry without meaning to. The eyes peeking above the water’s surface gathered droplets. Yu Zhi gritted his teeth, trying to lock the sound in his throat, but it was useless. The meows spilled uncontrollably from his lips.
Even alone in the room, Yu Zhi felt overwhelmed.
His ears burned crimson, as if they might bleed.
He buried his head, desperate to hide. As he lowered his gaze, his eyes met the murky water surface, faintly dotted with specks of white. Yu Zhi’s expression froze.
Luo Ting, I will kill you!
Yu Zhi screamed silently inside.
–
In the palace, Luo Ting was receiving the Marquis of Changlin.
Just as Luo Ting was about to speak, he suddenly sneezed. Clearing his throat, he rubbed his nose.
“Has Your Majesty caught a chill? You ought to rest more and not overwork yourself,” the Marquis of Changlin said courteously. His gaze, which had been resting on a celadon vase nearby, was drawn to Luo Tingshi’s movement. Seeing the bandage on his right hand, the Marquis of Changlin was startled. “Your Majesty, is your hand injured?”
Luo Tingshi replied indifferently, “Scratched by a little wildcat.”
The Marquis of Changlin’s heart began to race. A terrifying thought inexplicably surfaced in his mind.
He tentatively asked, “How did Your Majesty sustain the scratch?”
Luo Tingshi glanced at him, seemingly puzzled by the question, yet answered nonetheless: “I saw that little kitten, so pure white and beautiful, with round, bright black eyes. I couldn’t resist picking it up, only to be savagely clawed.”
The Marquis of Changlin’s suspended heart finally sank.
He could be certain this cat was his sovereign.
The Marquis of Changlin smiled bitterly.
He had assumed His Majesty had accidentally ended up in bed with some unknown man. Little did he expect that man to be the Emperor of Shengguo.
Judging by Luo Tingshi’s heavily bandaged hand, the injury must be severe.
Serves him right!
Recalling the young emperor’s voice—so hoarse it was barely audible—the Marquis of Changlin burned with fury. His Majesty must have been tortured terribly to inflict such a grave wound on Luo Tingshi.
Hatred flared in the Marquis of Changlin’s heart, cooling his demeanor toward Luo Tingshi: “His Majesty has sent word demanding our immediate return to the capital. It’s truly regrettable we cannot linger longer in Shengdu. Should we have the chance to visit Shengguo again, this old man shall sample every delicacy Shengdu has to offer!”
Luo Tingshi sensed the Marquis’s shift in demeanor but could not fathom its meaning.
He laughed heartily, exchanged a few polite pleasantries with the Marquis, and dismissed him.
Watching the Marquis’s figure gradually disappear, Luo Tingshi’s expression darkened slightly.
An official clad in crimson robes emerged from a side chamber. Glancing back toward the palace gates, he bowed and reported, “Your Majesty, the sudden recall of our envoys by the Yu Emperor portends something amiss.”
Luo Tingshi replied in a low voice, “We shall know once the scouts bring word.”
The official drew a memorial from his sleeve and presented it before the throne: “Your Majesty, this is the strategy I have devised for attacking Yu. Please review it.”
Wang Man promptly took the memorial and handed it to Luo Tingshi.
Luo Tingshi skimmed through it briefly, his furrowed brow smoothing out. “Minister Chu’s plan is most ingenious. Given time, Yu Kingdom’s lands will surely fall to Sheng Kingdom.”
With that, Luo Tingshi rose and walked to the window, gazing eastward toward Yu Kingdom. A fleeting, inexplicable emotion flickered in his eyes.
“Yu Zhi, I look forward to our reunion.”
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