Chapter 169: Demon King Tower Floor 1

Chapter 169: The First Floor of the Demon King Tower

After his bath, the sky was completely bright.

Meng Shu hadn't slept yet. He dried his hair and planned to go back to his room to rest.

Ling Qingjue dogged his steps and asked, "Aren't you gonna cuddle me to sleep?"

"You want me to sleep with you?"

Ling Qingjue looked a bit tense and asked in a weird way, "Shouldn't we sleep together?"

He crossed his arms over his chest. "On Cat Island, once a cat gets adopted, they get to sleep with their owner."

"We haven't done that whole procedure thing yet," Meng Shu said at first, but then immediately relented. "Fine, I'll go sleep in your room."

He briskly made the bed and handed the dirty sheets to Ling Qingjue. "Take these to wash."

Ling Qingjue took the sheets, grudgingly threw them into the laundry, and quickly returned. "Leave it for tomorrow."

Meng Shu was tired too. He lay down on the bed. "Let's just get some sleep for now."

Ling Qingjue was only wearing a pair of loose gray sweatpants, top naked, with a toned midsection.

He lounged there lazily. "You remember what you promised me?"

Meng Shu covered himself with the quilt and lay flat and calm. "I remember."

"You said you would stay by my side forever, never go anywhere, never smile at anyone else, and never meet anyone else."

Hearing this, Meng Shu instantly freaked out. "Did I agree to that many conditions? You're basically asking me to cut everyone off!"

Ling Qingjue didn't bother to hide it and said bluntly, "That's exactly it."

"I..." Meng Shu thought it over. Ling Qingjue had gone to so much trouble to resurrect him, so it was normal for him to be throwing a tantrum these past couple of days. As his owner, of course he had to cut the kitten some slack.

Once Ling Qingjue cooled off in a couple of days, he would find a chance to sneak out.

Now that he was finally back in Moon Bay, no way was he gonna stay home and rot.

So Meng Shu said more gently. "Of course, I'll be with you. I won't even glance at anyone else."

Ling Qingjue had expected him to resist and was already planning to just lock him in the house. Seeing he was being so cooperative, he raised an eyebrow. "You better mean it."

"I will." Meng Shu had no clue that Ling Qingjue genuinely wanted to lock him up. He was still grinning cheekily and gleefully latched onto Ling Qingjue's arm. "Time to sleep, kitty. I'm beat today."

Ling Qingjue cupped his chin and gave him a gentle kiss.

Meng Shu laughed twice. "Go to sleep."

In the early morning, Moon Bay was shrouded in a thin mist, the temperature cool.

Meng Shu had been kept up all night, and plus the whole resurrection thing, he was completely drained. Right now he just wanted to rest well, so he didn't pick up on anything strange around him.

Ling Qingjue wrapped his arms around him and fell asleep with his head on him.

After an unknown amount of time, Meng Shu suddenly felt something heavy on his chest, pinning him down so he couldn't breathe.

He opened his eyes and saw a cat sprawled across his chest.

Ling Qingjue had somehow reverted to his original form, curled up into a furball on his chest.

Meng Shu was instantly overwhelmed by the cuteness. He pressed his lips together and gently petted the cat's head.

The cat's ear twitched, but it didn't wake up.

Meng Shu then scratched under his chin.

Only then did the cat open its eyes, moody green eyes with a touch of irritation. "What are you doing?"

Meng Shu picked him up and nuzzled him. "Good morning."

"...Morning."

Meng Shu set him down on the bed. "I'm gonna go brush my teeth. You get some more sleep."

Hearing this, Ling Qingjue visibly tensed up again and instantly shifted back to human. "I'll come too."

Meng Shu didn't stop him. They both went to freshen up and then made lunch together.

After eating, Meng Shu habitually went to the small balcony to water the flowers.

He saw the ground covered in petals from afar.

He stopped in his tracks. Right, the Everlasting Flower had died.

Did Ling Qingjue seriously not clean up the balcony?

It was another rainy day. The weather was gloomy, with a light rain and a chilly wind, scattering the petals everywhere.

He swept the petals into a pile and took them to throw in the trash.

He would have to save up again to buy a bouquet for Ling Qingjue. Meng Shu silently set that goal.

He counted the days in his head. By his reckoning, he'd been gone for nearly five hundred days. Plus the time he'd already spent in this world, the three-year pact he had made with Scar Bro should be coming up soon.

Back then, thinking he was about to die, he made that promise on a whim.

Now that he survived, finding Cat Island had become urgent.

But Ling Qingjue had been too clingy lately. He had to keep Ling Qingjue happy so he wouldn't mess things up later.

Maybe just stay with Ling Qingjue for a week?

Meng Shu glanced at the sky and thought it was getting weirder. Does it rain this much in Moon Bay?

He tidied up the room, his whole body ached, and collapsed onto the sofa, eyes closed, to rest.

Suddenly there was that weight on his chest again.

The cat had jumped back onto his chest and was lying there.

Meng Shu laughed to himself, "Clingy little guy."

After this resurrection, Ling Qingjue seemed clingier than before. He had heard that kittens that get abandoned turn super clingy, scared of being left behind again. Maybe Ling Qingjue was in that situation.

He had to make Ling Qingjue feel safe.

Meng Shu hugged him and planted two kisses on him. "Why are you still following me?"

Ling Qingjue didn't say a word, just stared at him with his beautiful eyes.

"Didn't you promise to stay with me?" Ling Qingjue's voice was cold. "You shouldn't leave my sight."

"I understand," Meng Shu said, really good-natured and not at all angry. "I tidied up the house a bit today. When I wasn't around, you didn't even think to tidy up."

"...Cleaning is pointless anyway." Ling Qingjue muttered quietly.

Meng Shu asked, "Why is it useless?"

Ling Qingjue fell silent again, looking deeply troubled.

Time was still frozen—no matter what happened today, everything would reset tomorrow.

This magic also affected Ling Qingjue himself.

He just had one extra memory compared to others.

Time in Moon Bay was forever stuck on the day Meng Shu left. Even though Meng Shu had returned, this magic would not disappear.

Because this was the first floor of the Demon King Tower: The Hall of Eternal Time.

To break this magic, Ling Qingjue would have to voluntarily lift it and enter the second floor of the Demon King Tower, thus declaring the first floor cleared.

But Ling Qingjue could only retain his memory and rationality on the first floor. He had finally gotten Meng Shu back, so naturally he refused to leave.

Meng Shu was completely unaware that he was on the first floor of the Demon King Tower, and no one else in Moon Bay knew either. Everyone was busily repeating the same day over and over.

This was the first floor of the Demon King Tower.

Rule: Time stops, infinite resets.

All people and animals had a resurrection buff—if they died while challenging the Demon King, they would revive at full health the next day.

Once the first floor was breached, the Demon King Tower would officially open to adventurers worldwide, and portals would appear, allowing everyone to challenge it.

Ling Qingjue didn't want to leave.

He didn't want to become an unwanted stray cat, ganged up on by so many people.