Chapter 60: Cat-Huffing Carries Risks

Chapter 60: There are Risks in Petting Cats

Qin Zhe certainly wouldn't trick Yao Jing, after all, this enchantress was not someone to be easily offended.

Considering Yao Jing's usual behavior, he was thoughtful enough to give the cat the "obediently let yourself be petted" command at the very first moment.

Seeing Yao Jing carry the cat away and play with it affectionately without any mishaps, Liu Qingzhi's delicate eyes narrowed slightly.

"Department Head, didn't you say the Dean was looking for you? Shall we go over now?"

Qin Zhe coughed, groaning inwardly.

Being sandwiched between two women who held a grudge against each other... this surreal thrill was an unprecedented experience for him.

Liu Qingzhi was never a petty woman, so though she felt some dissatisfaction, she didn't make a big fuss.

Glancing at Yao Jing, who was happily petting the cat, Liu Qingzhi said indifferently:

"Have you pet it enough? This is a Phantom Cat, which has devastating lethality against you demonic cultivators. Be careful it doesn't stir up your inner demons."

"A Phantom Cat?"

Yao Jing's pretty eyes widened. She softened her petting gestures somewhat, feeling a bit cautious but not overly worried, and giggled.

"This cat belongs to Qin Zhe, what am I afraid of? If anything goes wrong, I can just pin the blame on him and make him support me for the rest of my life. Having someone take care of you is great, I don't want to work hard anymore."

"Hah, support you? He'd avoid you like the plague, how could he possibly support you?"

Liu Qingzhi said with a look of utter disdain, speaking with a protective attitude.

"I advise you, Qin Zhe is a member of our Disciplinary Department, so as someone from the News Department, stop entangling yourself with him all the time."

Hearing this, Yao Jing let out an "Oh ho", her large eyes widening as she prepared to argue back. Seeing that the two of them were about to start bickering again, Qin Zhe helplessly stopped them.

"Department Heads, we are right at the academy gates, could you not?"

"No way!"

Yao Jing looked over with unusual determination, her expression practically screaming, "I'm looking for trouble."

Liu Qingzhi, upon hearing Qin Zhe's plea, blinked her lovely eyes twice, reached out to pull him along, and said:

"Let's go, to see the Dean."

Then...

She took Qin Zhe and simply flew away...

Yao Jing stood in place, dumbfounded.

Why did she suddenly leave?

Didn't she want the cat anymore?

Under normal circumstances, Yao Jing certainly wouldn't have let Liu Qingzhi off the hook.

But at this moment, she was holding the Phantom Cat in her arms, and the cat's owner had been forcibly taken away!

Swallowing hard and shooting an annoyed glare at the direction where Liu Qingzhi had departed, Yao Jing resigned herself to her fate and carried the cat into the guard station.

The abilities of a Phantom Cat posed a "fatal" level of threat to demonic cultivators.

Immortal cultivators possessed a Dao heart, while demonic cultivators possessed a demonic heart.

These two entities served different purposes: one was used to resist inner demons, while the other assimilated with them.

As long as someone practiced the demonic path, every step they took was a journey toward assimilation with their inner demons, which was why most of them had virtually no resistance against illusionary arrays.

It was impossible for a human to completely assimilate with their inner demons.

Inability to complete assimilation meant that inner demons were bound to be triggered.

Although most demonic cultivators had ways to control their inner demons, when faced with the innate, peerless talent of a Phantom Cat, no one dared to guarantee they could resist it.

Therefore, Yao Jing chickened out...

Petting cats carried risks, and one had to know when to back down!

Meanwhile, in an intensive care unit at the First People's Hospital of Haicheng, Nie Wenru was sitting by a hospital bed, peeling spiritual fruit for Tang Xiaoyou.

"Xiaoyou, these spiritual fruits were bought by Qin Zhe. They're all good stuff, you should eat more."

"Can you not mention him for once?"

Tang Xiaoyou gave a bitter smile on the hospital bed, looking completely helpless.

Having been hospitalized for nearly a week, her body was recovering rapidly.

Having her good friend Nie Wenru come to visit and keep her company today put her in a very pleasant mood.

What made Tang Xiaoyou feel rather distressed, however, was that not only did Nie Wenru bring greetings and gifts from Qin Zhe, but she also couldn't go three sentences without bringing up his name.

"Fine, fine, I won't mention him. Just eat!"

Nie Wenru gave a perfunctory reply, then shook her head and continued.

"Tell me, why were you so foolish back then? You turned down such a potential stock, look at how prominent he is now!"

"His prominence is his own business, what does it have to do with me?"

Tang Xiaoyou said in exasperation, letting out a soft sigh.

"Wenru, stop trying to play matchmaker between me and him. We made things clear that day, from now on we'll just be friends."

"Don't men and women always start out as friends?"

Nie Wenru wiggled her eyebrows, fully displaying her nature as a teasing friend.

Tang Xiaoyou was almost driven to tears by her antics, but suddenly caught sight of a middle-aged man pushing open the door and entering the ward. A flicker of gloom immediately crossed her face, though she quickly masked it.

Hearing the commotion, Nie Wenru instinctively turned her head. Upon seeing that the newcomer was a very amicable-looking middle-aged man, she asked:

"Excuse me... who are you?"

Before the middle-aged man could speak, Tang Xiaoyou piped up.

"Wenru, this is my eldest uncle, Tang Xianshan."

"Ah?"

Nie Wenru was startled and hurriedly stood up.

She didn't recognize Tang Xianshan personally, but she knew that Tang Xiaoyou's uncle was a major figure in Haicheng, running a large security company composed purely of cultivators with businesses spanning the entire country.

"It's fine, it's fine. I just came by to check on Xiaoyou."

Tang Xianshan waved his hand to signal her not to fuss, smiling gently.

"Would you mind giving Xiaoyou and me a few moments alone?"

"Of course not, actually I was just planning to head back anyway, I'll take my leave now."

Nie Wenru said, looking at Tang Xiaoyou to say goodbye.

"Xiaoyou, since your uncle is here, I'll head back first. When you're discharged in a couple of days, I'll come back to pick you up."

"Alright, it's getting dark, be careful on the road."

Tang Xiaoyou nodded, watching her walk out of the ward.

Tang Xianshan walked over and sat down by the hospital bed, waiting until he heard the door close behind him before he spoke.

"Xiaoyou, about this incident... how do you plan to explain it to your parents?"

"Explain? Do they even have the face to ask me for an explanation?"

Tang Xiaoyou sneered, her pretty face filled with mockery.

"It's one thing for them to use any means necessary to curry favor with the Eagle Nation's royal family, but after turning me into what I am now, what else do they want?"

"I'm not sure what they want, but I know they did it for your own good."

Tang Xianshan shrugged, his expression completely breezy and calm.

"Don't harbor too much resentment toward them either; they are far away in Eagle Nation and had no idea about William's conspiracy with the Haicheng University board members. The problem right now is that His Highness James is very unhappy with you after returning home."

"So?"

Tang Xiaoyou curled her lips, disgust written all over her face.

"So... they hope I can teach a lesson to the person who beat His Highness James into serious injuries."

Tang Xianshan said smoothly.

"That person's name is Qin Zhe, right? As a martial artist, his combat strength reached the fourth tier at such a young age—he's quite a talent. You seem quite close to him?"

Tang Xiaoyou didn't answer. She remained silent for a long moment before saying:

"Are you out of your mind? Making a move against a student of Haicheng University—if things come to light, the wrath you'll face is Wang Chongguo's."

"So what if it's Wang Chongguo?"

Tang Xianshan said with disdain, standing up.

"When you're discharged, help me set something up. Lure him out somewhere, and I'll arrange for people to handle it. Rest assured, this is a society ruled by law, I have no intention of actually doing anything permanent to him."

Leaving behind these words, Tang Xianshan didn't linger and walked straight out of the ward.

Tang Xiaoyou didn't voice a refusal, knowing that even if she refused, it wouldn't change a thing.

Coldly watching Tang Xianshan leave, Tang Xiaoyou sat alone on the hospital bed in deep thought for a moment before taking out her phone, pulling up an unsaved number, and hesitating.