Chapter 88 Kitten

Chapter 88: Little Kitten

Ling Qingjue was still in a bad mood. He had gone to so much trouble to forge the Cat Sword for Meng Shu, yet this guy treated it like a decoration—three months had passed, and he hadn’t used it even once!

How infuriating!

Meng Shu could tell he was unhappy and kept being meek and coaxing, “Don’t be mad, it’s my fault. I should have asked you first. I really like everything you give me. I didn’t use the Cat Sword only because I was afraid it would break. It’s something you gave me, and I don’t want anything to happen to it.”

Ling Qingjue felt a sharp sting in his heart.

Suddenly, a swell of grievance and bitterness swelled uncontrollably.

He turned his head away and muttered sullenly, “You don’t even use the things I give you, and you still say you like me…”

Meng Shu, summoning his courage, rested his chin on Ling Qingjue’s shoulder, looking up at him with wide eyes. “Don’t be mad, okay? I’ll definitely use the Cat Sword from now on.”

Ling Qingjue’s body stiffened for a moment, but he didn’t push him away. Instead, his ears slowly turned red.

Meng Shu found it fascinating. “You’re not even scolding me?”

He had thought such an intimate gesture would be enough for Ling Qingjue to send him flying a hundred meters away.

Ling Qingjue mumbled something unclear, his mouth dry, his words barely audible. “…Whatever you want.”

He said *whatever you want*.

Meng Shu hadn’t caught the part before that.

He laughed, pressing his forehead against Ling Qingjue’s shoulder, his laughter soft and joyful. “You haven’t fallen for me, have you? Do you really like me that much?”

He closed his eyes. “I really like you too. I’ve always liked you.”

“…I don’t like you at all.” Ling Qingjue neither pushed him away nor admitted it, preferring to contradict himself just to uphold his cat persona.

Afraid Meng Shu wouldn’t believe him, he added, “You’re reading too much into it.”

Meng Shu’s eyes sparkled with laughter. “Is it really just me reading too much into it?”

A blush crept across Ling Qingjue’s fair cheeks. “I don’t like you, anyway.”

“Then if I hug you, will you refuse?” Meng Shu still had his chin on the man’s shoulder, his lips nearly touching his earlobe, hot breath falling on that sensitive skin.

Ling Qingjue said, “Try it and see.”

“Really?”

Meng Shu’s mischievous heart wouldn’t quit. He cheekily extended his evil little paw and touched the man’s waist.

Ling Qingjue didn’t move, as steady as a mountain.

Meng Shu tentatively extended his other paw.

Still no resistance.

Meng Shu was overjoyed inside. Even after such blatant advances, Ling Qingjue didn’t dodge—he must really like him!

Boldly, he gently wrapped his arms around Ling Qingjue’s waist and buried his face in his back. “…Still not pushing me away?”

Ling Qingjue kept his face stiff. “Can’t be bothered with you.”

He didn’t want this at all!

He just didn’t push him away because he was too lazy—no deeper meaning!

Meng Shu let out a very soft laugh. “You didn’t resist when I hugged you. What if I kissed you? Would you resist?”

Ling Qingjue gave the same answer. “Try it.”

“Even if you get mad, don’t slap me dead. Give me a little room to struggle.”

Meng Shu didn’t forget to set conditions, simultaneously pressing down on Ling Qingjue’s hands. “Alright then, I’ll really try.”

Ling Qingjue was taller than him and sat upright and straight, looking down at him.

That one look made Meng Shu’s bones go weak and his daring skyrocket. He really did dare to try and kiss the man.

Afraid Ling Qingjue would reject him, he brazenly climbed onto his lap, slid his knee between Ling Qingjue’s legs, pressed his fingers against the man’s shoulders, and pushed him onto the sofa.

Ling Qingjue’s black hair fanned out gorgeously. He didn’t dodge at all, his eyes clear and calm as he watched Meng Shu, waiting for his next move.

Meng Shu gathered his courage and was about to lunge for a forceful kiss when an unexpected force sent him flying back!

His field of vision was overwhelmed by a flood of system pop-ups.

“WARNING! It is forbidden to kiss a character with affection below 80!”

“WARNING! Violation of system regulations!”

Just as he was about to crash into the wall, Ling Qingjue casually cast a protective spell, catching him securely and lowering him safely to the ground.

Meng Shu’s face turned pale from the scare, and the pop-ups kept warning him endlessly, forbidding him from ever having such thoughts again.

Ling Qingjue slowly sat up, resting his chin on one hand. “I told you—go ahead and try it if you have the guts.”

Affection below 80, not in a relationship.

According to regulations, kissing was not permitted.

If you did something like that, the system would make you experience the meaning of “you reap what you sow.”

Meng Shu stood up dejectedly. “Then I can hug you, right? Fine, no kissing. As if I’m dying to kiss you or something…”

“Once you raise affection to 80, you can naturally do what you want,” Ling Qingjue said.

Meng Shu replied, “Then will you push me away?”

“…Hmph.” Ling Qingjue didn’t answer directly.

Meng Shu closed all the pop-ups, silently repeating: *Not kissing, not kissing, stop popping up.*

The system, scared he’d try again, sent him hundreds of warnings.

Finally, after closing the pop-ups, Meng Shu sighed. “But reaching 80 affection will take a long time. You never tell me anything—when will I ever get a kiss from you?”

“…So insincere.” Ling Qingjue started muttering again. “Are you only chasing me to kiss me?”

What else would it be but your face?

Meng Shu burst out laughing and teased back, “Or perhaps for getting you into bed?”

"Why are you so rude!" Ling Qingjue was taken aback.

"Where was I being rude?"

Ling Qingjue sulked again. "You're not sincere at all."

"Then what should I say? Do you animals say 'mate'? Isn't that even ruder?"

"I would never mate with you!" Ling Qingjue's face flushed even redder, his breathing quickening. "Any kitten born from someone like you would be really bad, stealing fish from the time it's little!"

"Don't worry, I won't give birth to any kittens, and I won't let them steal fish, because I can't give birth at all!"

"I... you are so annoying!"

"HAHAHAHA—"

Meng Shu couldn't stop laughing, tears streaming down his face.

Ling Qingjue gritted his teeth. "Even if you wanted to give birth to kittens in the future, I won't give you the chance!"

"HAHAHAHA, how can a man give birth to kittens? Tell me, how can a man possibly give birth to kittens?" Meng Shu was rolling on the floor laughing. "You're going to kill me laughing."

Ling Qingjue couldn't take his crazy laughter anymore. He grabbed Meng Shu's collar and covered his mouth. "Shut up!"

Why can't I give birth to kittens!

Meng Shu's eyes turned into crescents as he took the chance to pounce into his arms. "I really can't give birth to kittens. Although I never studied biology, I have common sense."

Ling Qingjue wanted to say something but swallowed his words.

He patted Meng Shu's slender back, he felt like Meng Shu had lost some weight.

—

The Cat Sword is a divine sword that looks plain but has a powerful mechanism.

It looks ugly for one simple reason: it was Ling Qingjue's first time forging a sword, and this was the best he could do.

The twisted cat-head mark on the hilt was the only pattern he could carve.

The materials used to forge the Cat Sword were very special. Besides Silver Ore, there were a full thirty-two special drop items, giving it maximum durability and a special growth effect.

It was infused with the blood of the Demon King Cat Head, and also gained a skill only top-tier magical beasts possess—Devour.

Every time the Cat Sword kills a magical beast, it devours the beast's core and levels up.

Each time the Cat Sword levels up, its attack power increases by 1 point.

The increase is small, but the Cat Sword has no level cap.

The Cat Sword's stats can reach infinite attack power as long as the user is willing to grind monsters relentlessly.

When the Cat Sword reaches level one hundred, it unlocks a special skill: Bloodlust.

When dealing damage, a portion of the damage is converted into healing for the user.

All in all, this was a sword that Ling Qingjue spent half a year making, seeking out the continent's top forging masters, and nearly going broke to forge.

Unfortunately, Meng Shu couldn't recognize its true worth. This incredible sword was left to collect dust in his warehouse.

After Ling Qingjue introduced the proper use of the Cat Sword, Meng Shu's jaw dropped. What had he done? Wasted three whole months of leveling time!

Time was running out to slay the Evil Dragon, so Meng Shu had no time to level up. He pulled an all-nighter, killing a few slimes at his doorstep and easily raised the Cat Sword to level ten.

According to Ling Qingjue, it gets harder to level up later on. The Cat Sword could easily reach level one thousand, but beyond that, he'd need to kill a large number of monsters just to gain one level.

Now that he knew the correct usage of the Cat Sword, Meng Shu did a complete 180. He kept the sword hanging from his waist at all times, and the moment he spotted a monster, he'd pull it out and slash.

From the sidelines, Ling Qingjue would snark, "Aren't you afraid of it breaking now?"

Meng Shu pretended not to hear.

The dragon that had kidnapped the princess was called Moon-Eater Azakara, an ancient dragon born of moonlight.

It could not be completely destroyed; every ten years, it would revive and kidnap a princess.

It was like a fixed routine—kidnapping princesses had become its duty.

No one knew the purpose behind its actions.

According to the Monster Compendium, Moon-Eater Azakara had over a thousand attack and over three hundred defense. At night, it could draw on the power of the moon, doubling all its stats.

Anyway, the princess of Croctant had been kidnapped. The king issued a call for brave warriors, seeking able individuals to rescue the princess. Whoever could rescue her would become a big shot.

The Seventh Knights were ordered to rescue the princess from Moon-Eater Peak.

Originally, Meng Shu just had to serve as a grunt, running errands like fetching tea and water for others. Things as big as slaying an evil dragon were way out of his league.

But then Ling Qingjue insisted on obtaining the reverse scale from Moon-Eater Azakara's neck,

forcing Meng Shu to grab his sword and go take on the dragon.

Finally, the day of the dragon hunt arrived. Ling Qingjue insisted on coming along. He left a clone behind to guard Moon Bay, and without even glancing back at the clone's screaming and crying, he turned and walked away.

Even Meng Shu felt a pang of pity and decided he'd bring some cat treats for the clone next time he went home.

The two first met up with the Seventh Knights. Zhang Lin was laying out tactical arrangements, but when he saw Ling Qingjue walk into the room, he nearly blacked out.

He ran his hand through his hair in frustration and asked, "Meng Shu, why did you bring him here?"

Meng Shu looked troubled. Did he even dare to say no?

If he so much as said no, he'd get angry, and no amount of coaxing would fix it.

Meng Shu flashed a helpless smile. He did his best to keep Ling Qingjue under control, making sure he wouldn't cause trouble. "He's just here to watch, won't do anything... Probably won't cause any trouble... right?"

Even Meng Shu didn't sound convinced.

Zhang Lin was well aware of this young master's temper—he not only refused to help, but loved to stir up trouble and cause chaos.

Yet he didn't have the guts to drive Ling Qingjue away. He just glanced at him and then treated him like air. "Once we enter Moon-Eater Peak, the advance team will scout the dragon's situation. The rest will stay put and await orders..."

The group discussed tactics with great enthusiasm.

Meanwhile, Ling Qingjue casually sat down on a chair. His bright eyes had a lazy, carefree look as he toyed with a gem in his hand.

Meng Shu knew his most important task was to keep Ling Qingjue in check and stop him from causing trouble.

He sometimes thought Ling Qingjue was a little brat—immature and funny, always pulling pointless pranks to get attention.

The clear, translucent gem spun between Ling Qingjue's fingers. He suddenly lifted his eyes, composed and solemn, and let out a soft laugh: "In our land, there's a beautiful legend. If you decide to spend your life with someone, you must give them a moonstone."

"What's a moonstone?"

"There's no rule—any gem can become a moonstone." Ling Qingjue's eyes shimmered with light, the gem rolling nimbly between his fingertips. Just as it seemed about to fall, he caught it in time.

It sure is nice to have magic!

Ling Qingjue looked straight at him, direct and without pretense: "What kind of gem would you give me?"

Meng Shu froze. "I..."

The young man tilted his head, saying nothing, but the expectation in his eyes was already overflowing.

He really might be thinking about spending his life with Meng Shu.

Meng Shu averted his gaze in panic, feeling guilty for the first time. "I haven't decided yet... let's talk about it later."

"Mm." Ling Qingjue didn't press him, not beating around the bush at all. "I only accept the most expensive gem."

Meng Shu let out a wry laugh. He sat down beside Ling Qingjue and hung his head. "Mm... if I get the chance, I'll definitely give you the most expensive gem."

He didn't know what gem was the most expensive, but Ling Qingjue definitely deserved the most splendid and precious one.

They fell into a brief silence.

Ling Qingjue called the gem back again, eyes lowered, lost in thought.

After a moment, he said, "Let me have your hand."

Meng Shu held out his hand. "What's wrong?"

"This gem can go back with you to your world. Legend says it originally came from there."

Ling Qingjue placed the gem in Meng Shu's hand and spoke slowly: "My father gave this to my mother as a gift. When I was one, my mother gave me this gem."

Ling Qingjue, being a cat, tried his best to look indifferent, using the calmest voice: "Anyway, it's no use to me. You can mess around with it."

Cats are considered grown-ups at one year old. His mother gave him this gem so he could give it to a cat he took a liking to.

He'd never found a cat he liked, so the gem had always stayed with him.

The gem was light, but it felt like it weighed a ton.

Meng Shu gulped. His fingers wouldn't stop shaking. His gut told him he couldn't take this gem.

They had no future.

He was just choosing someone he found attractive to have a fling with before he died. One day it would end, like sand clenched in your fist—the tighter you hold, the more it falls through your fingers.

He almost blurted the truth out, but the words died on his lips. He figured maybe he still had plenty of time. He could keep playing along a bit longer.

Why should he reveal the truth before the last moment?

A thousand thoughts raced through Meng Shu's head. He forced his voice to stay calm. "Thanks, but I don't have any room in my inventory. I'm scared I'll lose it. Could you keep it safe for me for now, okay?"

Ling Qingjue was genuinely afraid he'd lose it, so he bought it. "Okay."

Meng Shu returned the gem to his palm.

For a brief moment, their fingertips touched.