Chapter 753 Special Way to Enter the City (Part 2)

It was quite evident that Qu Ye and Miss Wang weren’t destined to find the Aurora Valley. Having found nothing in their search, they headed north to the snowy plains to seek the aurora.

Just as the three were immersed in conversation, a sudden "gurgle" sound of water came from inside, followed by a rapid splashing of water.

You Su’s face changed, sensing something was wrong, he quickly got up and ran towards the bathtub.

In the bathtub, in the somewhat murky hot water, Bai Ze’s little head was struggling to look upwards, with its four legs flailing, looking just like it was about to drown.

You Su was utterly astonished, only then remembering that little Bai Ze only looked like a cat, but it wasn’t actually a cat. Spending years in his own dilapidated cave, how could he expect it to know how to swim.

You Su quickly scooped Bai Ze out of the tub, and it spluttered several times before finally catching its breath.

Completely soaked, its fur was disheveled, looking just like a drenched chicken. However, the previously dirty fur did reveal its original pure white luster, it could barely pass off as a white-feathered chicken.

Bai Ze, having almost drowned, naturally wanted to vent its anger at its helplessness on You Su, but as soon as it looked up, it saw two pairs of bright eyes staring at it from not far away, forcing it to swallow back the words at the tip of its tongue.

"Mr. Ding, this is...." Miss Wang couldn’t help but curiously inquire, women have nearly no resistance to such cute, furry creatures.

"This is a cat I keep in my tribe, named Pearl."

You Su took out a piece of animal skin and started drying Bai Ze from its head, "Come on, meow a few times for sister to hear."

Bai Ze, being a divine beast, didn’t want to acknowledge itself as a mere cat. Upon hearing this, it got so angry that its whiskers stood up, feeling utterly humiliated, Bai Ze would have bitten You Su if it could.

Yet unwilling to reveal its identity as Bai Ze, it eventually complied under You Su’s pressing threat, letting out a reluctant ’meow.’

This meow utterly melted Miss Wang’s heart, "Bring it over here quickly, it’ll be very cold with water on it!"

Seeing Bai Ze was already exposed, You Su had no choice but to quietly pinch the nape of its neck as a hint for this little troublemaker to play its role as a cat and stop causing trouble.

Feeling a chill down its back, Bai Ze immediately meowed again in response.

Miss Wang, seeing the now clean little white cat, was overjoyed and intrigued:

"I love cats, but this is the first time I’ve seen a cat that nearly drowned."

"Haha... maybe mine’s just a bit dumb, it could drown itself while bathing." You Su awkwardly replied as he continued drying Bai Ze.

Seriously, it was because you guys talked for too long and made me dizzy! I didn’t faint from comfort!

Furious, Bai Ze wanted to speak again but held back, only meowing multiple times to express its dissatisfaction.

Miss Wang didn’t understand its cat language, but she could tell that You Su’s drying technique was very clumsy, and immediately took Bai Ze from his hands:

"Mr. Ding, cats are very delicate, you need to be gentle when drying them, or you’ll shed all its fur. Let me do it, a cat needs to be carefully cared for."

Saying this, she even grabbed the towel, dedicatedly attending to the now bewildered-looking Bai Ze.

Seeing this, Qu Ye softly said to You Su with helplessness: "Forgive me, Mr. Ding. My fiancée treats cats as her life, all the cats at home are served like masters."

Hearing this, Bai Ze meowed repeatedly, fully agreeing with Qu Ye’s words. But it soon surrendered under Miss Wang’s gentle care, comfortably sticking out half its tongue, as if its soul was melting away.

"Mr. Ding, your Pearl is really cute and smart." Miss Wang praised Bai Ze profusely.

"Haha... it has a bit of cleverness..."

You Su smiled dismissively, he hadn’t expected things to turn out this way, so he let Miss Wang do as she wished, as clearly Miss Wang didn’t really care if Bai Ze was actually a real cat.

The atmosphere was more lively with the little cat involved. Until Bai Ze’s fur was dried, and the firewood in the fire was exhausted, Qu Ye and Miss Wang reluctantly took leave of You Su.

After all, they had different purposes, and after exchanging farewells, each went their separate ways. Before leaving, Qu Ye warmly invited You Su to visit Xi Yi Mansion in the future. You Su smiled and waved goodbye, inwardly wishing they would find the aurora they sought.

This random encounter was brief yet beautiful, leaving You Su completely at ease to embark on his journey ahead.

Unrolling the sheepskin map, the nearest town was only thirty miles away, and the road leading to Kongyuan Divine Mountain was detailed on the scroll, prompting You Su to quicken his pace.

Bai Ze poked its head out from You Su’s collar, curiously observing the world:

"The name Pearl isn’t bad, I can’t use my real name while traveling, so Pearl will be my alias from now on."

You Su found this quite amusing, both were unable to reveal their real names, yet they were companions.

"I’m called Ding Zhen, and you’re my little cat named Pearl, remember?"

"Who’s your cat? By the way, what does Pearl mean?"

"It means ’truly a pig’."

"I’m going to eat you!!"

...

Three days later.

You Su walked along the official road, noticeably feeling the path clearer, more travelers and carriages on the road, and even the wind and snow were no longer as bitter cold, which meant that they had passed out of the desolate Extreme North City Circle.

And the next city was the second-largest city in northern Beiao Continent—Shuocheng.

Shuocheng, worthy of being the second city of northern Beiao Continent, was impressive just from the sight of its city walls. Here, majestic tall buildings have started to appear, initially showing the grandeur of the big cities in Zhongyuan Continent.

You Su had passed through three cities to get here. He originally thought, according to Qu Ye’s words, that these cities near the Arctic would be easy to infiltrate, but news of the City Lord of Beiji City being slain had spread, making the guards exceptionally strict. You Su, having no other choice, had to bypass them one by one to move forward, but this was not a long-term solution. Moreover, by this point, You Su was running out of supplies, let alone feeding the ’hungry big guy’ in his arms who just wanted to eat meat.

Initially wanting to replenish supplies in nearby villages or tribes, You Su underestimated the poverty of Beiao Continent. Those people could barely sustain themselves, so You Su decided to try his luck outside Shuocheng.

In Zhongyuan Continent, poor refugees often gathered outside big cities. Usually, due to past records or identity issues, they aren’t allowed into the city and can’t even find work opportunities.

But in a big city, there must be some petty trades going on. These dirty and tedious underground jobs naturally wouldn’t attract normal people, so the city’s destitute, trying to find a break, became the best candidates for black slaves.

This phenomenon was no exception in the relatively impoverished Beiao Continent, only that You Su didn’t anticipate that he himself, who once felt sympathy for these refugees, now became one of them.

You Su, clad in old clothes and exuding a weary aura, discreetly restrained his aura, hiding his cultivation. Mingling among those desperate to find a living in the big city, he seemed perfectly in place.

Now all he had to do was wait, wait for a heartless middleman to notice him, then take him to get a fake identity and sneak him into the city by special means.

These black market businesses often had strong backers, thus allowing the guards to ’turn a blind eye.’

As for what to do after entering the city, more planning was needed, but... You Su thought that at least it wouldn’t be harder than passing through these eighteen guarded checkpoints.

With nothing to do while walking, he used a piece of animal skin to make a small hat for Bai Ze, covering its two small horns, allowing Bai Ze some fresh air occasionally without drawing too much attention.

However, given the poor conditions and limited skills, the hat was admittedly quite ugly, giving the little cat a somewhat cutely ugly appearance.

Bai Ze wasn’t in great condition either, years of consuming food containing Soft Spirit Powder left its body with dependency, which was why it became a bit insane, starving for years in the cave. Now although it has regained consciousness, the hunger brought about by withdrawal multiplied its feeling of frailty.

Just when You Su felt sympathetic, the heartless middleman he was waiting for finally appeared.