Unintended Immortality

Chapter 149: The Clever Lady Calico

“It's a demon!”

“This cat demon has truly gained sentience!”

“Be quiet! Don't startle the Grand Commander!” Steward Liu immediately scolded, glaring around angrily.

The crowd gradually quieted down. Indeed, the Grand Commander was elderly and gravely ill. The master said that he was most vulnerable to shock; if they startled him, any mishap could jeopardize his life.

While they had quieted their voices, the fear in their hearts remained. They continued to cast fearful glances at the cat on the rafters.

Even the young man was horrified. Steward Liu, however, remained the calmest.

“Don’t be alarmed, Young Master,” Steward Liu whispered. “I’ve heard that in Changjing, demons and spirits are not uncommon. The court's nobles are not necessarily afraid of demons.”Nôv(el)B\\jnn

Though subtly phrased, the young man understood the implication.

“Yes, yes...” the young man stammered, his hands trembling as he breathed deeply, retreating as he spoke. “Princes and princesses have interacted with demons, and the Empress often talks to cats. Perhaps she wants to keep a cat demon.”

“Be cautious with your words,” Steward Liu advised.

“Yes, yes! I’ll be cautious...”

“But what you said does make sense,” Steward Liu continued. “Let us first stabilize this cat demon here. Meanwhile, you should send someone to the Juxian Mansion to seek help from high-level masters familiar with the Grand Commander. Simultaneously, inquire with the Empress about her stance. If she likes it, we can still present it to her. If she does not...”

“What if she doesn’t like it?”

“We’re in Changjing, under the Emperor’s rule, we cannot allow a cat demon to run rampant. We’ll then transfer it to the City God.”

Just then, they heard the cat speak from above. “I know the City God.”

“What did you say?”

At that moment, a knock sounded at the door.

The steward didn’t dare wait for someone to report that the Daoist from yesterday had arrived, fearing that the cat demon might get agitated. No one knew what abilities the cat demon possessed. After giving a few quick instructions, he hurriedly walked toward the main gate.

***

The door creaked open.

Standing at the entrance was the steward from yesterday, seemingly named Liu.

“Steward Liu,” the Daoist greeted with a smile and a bow. “I’m here to collect my cat.”

“Ah, sir, you’ve arrived...” Steward Liu said, showing a look of embarrassment and apology. “There’s something I need to discuss with you.”

“Oh?” The Daoist remained calm, simply looking up at him.

“Young Master is quite fond of cats. Upon seeing your cat last night, he was extremely taken with it. I wonder if you might be willing to part with it?” Steward Liu asked. “Please rest assured, Young Master is not the sort to take things by force. He is willing to offer five hundred taels of silver to purchase your beloved cat. What do you think?”

The Daoist stood at the door, observing carefully.

“That’s not possible,” the Daoist said.

“Why not? Is the amount insufficient?” Steward Liu asked. “You must know, five hundred taels is an astronomical amount even in Changjing. It’s more than a magistrate’s salary for ten years! Even if your cat were to catch mice every day, it might not earn more than ten taels a year.

“Five hundred taels could take decades to earn, and it’s unlikely that even catching all the mice in Changjing would earn that much!”

“You are mistaken,” the Daoist replied. “Lady Calico is not my subordinate; we are companions traveling the world together. There’s no talk of selling her.”

The Daoist still looked at the steward and said, "Under the Emperor's rule, even in the Grand Commandant's residence, there will be no buying or selling by force, right?"

“Indeed,” Steward Liu said, his expression of embarrassment and apology growing even more pronounced, now with a touch of shame. “To be honest, I misled you. The situation is not as I described.”

“Is it truly the Empress who has requested it?”

“...” Steward Liu was anxious, feeling more and more uneasy under the Daoist's gaze, but he gritted his teeth and said, “It’s well known in Changjing that the Empress adores cats as if they were her own life. How could I lie about this?”

“Interesting,” Song You remarked with genuine interest.

The human heart truly was fascinating.

But at this moment, Lady Calico was still inside, making it inconvenient to engage in further conversation. Otherwise, he would have liked to stop and have a thorough discussion with the steward to see what other excuses or lies he could come up with.

“Please open the door.”

“This is the Grand Commander’s residence! The current Empress is Young Master’s cousin. How dare you force your way in!”

“You should be relieved that Lady Calico is still here. If she had already gone to the palace, I would have had to go there to find her.”

As Song You spoke, he had already taken a step up the stone steps toward the door.

“Stop him!” Steward Liu's eyes widened as he shouted while retreating.

Several house servants immediately moved to intercept, but before they could get close, they seemed to lose their souls one by one, collapsing to the ground in succession.

Steward Liu was even more shocked and continued to retreat, but he was still a man of courage and insight, after all.

“My lord the Grand Commander is a high-ranking official and a relative of the royal family. Although he is elderly and in poor health, if you use demonic means to intrude and frighten him, should anything happen to him, neither the Emperor nor the court will forgive you!”

“I see that there is a heavy aura of death here. It seems that the Grand Commander won’t survive much longer, even if he doesn’t pass not today,” the Daoist said, sniffing the air as he stepped through the door.

“How bold of you!” Steward Liu nearly lost his voice in his panic.

The Daoist stopped and turned his head to look at him. Steward Liu's legs almost gave out, and he barely avoided collapsing to the ground.

“I see you are sharp-minded and articulate, but it’s a pity that you use your abilities for wrongful deeds and don’t follow the right path. It’s truly unfortunate,” the Daoist said calmly, pausing for a moment. “Furthermore, you have lied to me multiple times, attempting to take Lady Calico from me. I am very displeased. I will grant you a lifetime of silence to help you avoid further trouble and reduce your wrongdoing.”

“...”

The steward had just opened his mouth to say something, but no sound came out.

In a moment of terror, he not only widened his eyes but also couldn't help but open his arms as if trying to grasp something, flailing wildly in the air.

Then, his head drooped, and he collapsed to the ground, unconscious.

The Grand Commander's residence, which resembled more of a garden than a house, had flowers, grass, mountains, and water, with countless servants and guests.

Upon hearing the commotion at the door, more people hurried over.

The Daoist, however, remained unperturbed. He walked through the garden, his steps unhurried and calm. The house servants and guests who came to intercept him fell one by one to the ground without any visible effort from him.

He passed the rockery and walked across the flowing water.

Regardless of the visitors' martial skills or physical condition, as long as they approached the Daoist within a certain distance, they all fell to the ground as if their souls had been sucked out.

From above, it would appear as if human-shaped flowers were blooming on the ground.

Finally, he reached the courtyard and the entrance of a room.

A delicate voice came from inside the room, “I am the cat of the Hidden Dragon Temple. I live on Willow Street and was invited by the Daoist to help catch rats. I have never harmed anyone. If you capture me, the Daoist will come after you. Oh, and by the way, I know the City God you just mentioned. The City God from the temple came to speak with my Daoist recently.”

The group of people at the door, having already forgotten about the cat on the beam, turned their attention to the approaching Daoist, the people lying on the ground, and those who were running toward the Daoist but had collapsed.

The Daoist stopped, a faint smile on his face. Indeed, Lady Calico was quite intelligent.