Chapter 423 - 223: Orange Cat (Part 2)

Chapter 423: Chapter 223: Orange Cat (Part 2)

The anger in Feng Bei’s eyes had long since faded. She suddenly found herself reminiscing about their ten years in the valley—a simple, idyllic life far from the mortal world. As she thought about it, she even felt a faint pang of regret for escaping the Cannibal Painting. Her heart a complicated knot, Feng Bei sighed softly. "I understand. But he..."

"A hundred years ago, the world was in chaos. Many people dreamed of becoming the Emperor. Old Chu was one of them, and didn’t it all come to nothing in the end? Cheng Xiao killed the Emperor, so what? Someone has to fill the position. Get rid of one Emperor, and another will just pop up. The Emperor isn’t a matter of inheritance; the position is more like a ’job.’ There will always be someone fortunate enough to stand above the countless masses. If not, why don’t you be the Emperor?"

Feng Bei thought for a moment, then shook her head forcefully. "I won’t."

Little Feng Miao padded into the room. Zheng Xiu casually asked the cat, "You want to do it?"

Little Feng Miao sat down by the door, let out a yawn, and gave a lazy meow, as if in response.

"See? Even Little Feng Miao looks down on the position. Do you think I’d be interested in it? The current Emperor is taking good care of us. There’s nothing wrong with that."

It was only then that Feng Bei noticed Zheng Xiu had taken the opportunity to embrace her while she was overwrought. But since he was already holding her... she didn’t struggle. Pretending not to notice, she simply leaned softly into his arms, their conversation turning to the hushed whispers of lovers.

Zheng Xiu understood Feng Bei, and he also understood the "Xie Luohe" in her heart. She had just been on the verge of blurting out the three words "kill the Emperor." Even within the Zheng Family estate, such words could not be spoken carelessly.

"This is also why, after the Night Lord disappeared, Old Wei wasn’t anxious at all. In fact, he was secretly pleased. It’s because that person, Zhu, was too mysterious; the Emperor couldn’t control him. I’m different. The Zheng Clan’s bloodline has been loyal for generations. First, promoting me would be effortless. Second, my roots here are deep. I can’t leave."

"Furthermore, the Zheng Clan has countless Odd People and is brimming with talent. And I’ve even ’subdued’ a great god like you. You could say I’m the best candidate to be the second Night Lord."

Hearing this, Feng Bei couldn’t help but retort, "When did I ever let you ’subdue’ me?"

"Then... was it ’bed-talk’?"

Feng Bei misheard it as ’pep-talk’ and nodded. "That’s more like it."

Zheng Xiu: "Anyway, this is a classic case of trouble finding me while I was minding my own business."

"So you’re planning to agree?"

Zheng Xiu first nodded, then shook his head, his attitude ambiguous. He frowned, looking somewhat troubled. "Agreeing is one thing, but how to actually do it is another. To be honest, with the Zheng Clan’s current manpower, we could manage the area around the Imperial City. But to spread our reach across the entire world..."

Zheng Xiu released Feng Bei. Clasping his hands behind his back, he stood in the hall and gazed at the night sky, slowly uttering a single word: "Hard!"

The two talked for half the night. Feng Bei understood that a matter of this magnitude couldn’t be decided in a moment. The Emperor’s visit was a mixed blessing, and Zheng Xiu was still hesitating. However, Zheng Xiu knew full well that the Zheng Clan was the most suitable candidate to handle this for the Emperor right now. If the Zheng Clan refused, the Emperor would find a way to make them obey. Rather than souring the relationship, it was better to use this crisis as an opportunity for the Zheng Clan to rise to a new level.

As Feng Bei was about to leave, her gaze fell upon Little Feng Miao, who was dozing by the door.

Their eyes met. After a silent exchange of glances, Zheng Xiu knew what she was thinking. He too studied the strange little cat and said, "It looks like it."

"It’s that one," Feng Bei said, referring to the one she had brought back before.

"It doesn’t," Zheng Xiu denied. "The one from before was never affectionate with me. It was as if it couldn’t even see me."

Feng Bei smiled. "That’s because it looked down on you."

Zheng Xiu was irked, but he didn’t bicker with her. He pouted. "So, it’s the other one." He was referring to the one the two of them had raised for many years in the World in the Painting.

"MEOW!"

The Orange Cat scratched its ear with a furry paw and let out a soft cry, but didn’t open its eyes.

’Idiot Meow!’

Zheng Xiu was shocked. "It cursed me again!"

Feng Bei paused at his words, uncertain. "Cursed you again? If it really is that one... you raised it for many years."

Zheng Xiu touched his ear, also unsure. He suspected he might have misheard. But a moment later, he gritted his teeth and said with certainty, "It’s definitely that one!"

His absolute certainty made Feng Bei’s brow furrow. The smile vanished from her face in an instant. She subconsciously raised her palm, her lips pressed into a thin line. "Impossible."

Zheng Xiu stared intently at the little cat, which was striking a pose. He walked around behind it, lifted its tail, and examined it closely.

The Orange Cat, extremely uncomfortable, struggled free from Zheng Xiu’s grasp and vanished with a silent leap into the darkness.

Zheng Xiu nodded. "Still a female."

Feng Bei was... was... utterly dumbfounded.

"Anyway, it’s impossible," Zheng Xiu said loudly, winking at Feng Bei.

"Then..." Feng Bei lowered her fair hand, a puzzled look on her face.

"We’ll keep it for now."

Zheng Xiu’s last sentence was final.

Feng Bei took a deep breath and was silent for a few moments. "Alright."

The two had finally come to an understanding.

When Feng Bei was about to leave, Zheng Xiu said, "Wait." Feng Bei didn’t understand, so Zheng Xiu, deciding to press his luck, lightly scraped her earlobe. When he scraped, she shivered. When she shivered, he scraped it again. In the end, Feng Bei, thinking Zheng Xiu was about to do something more, repeatedly told him to stop, then blushed and fled into the rain, leaping onto the rooftops.

The Zheng Family guards watching from a distance had been wondering why their master had suddenly dismissed them. But when they saw "Madam" flee from the hall, red-faced, they all had a moment of epiphany and exclaimed at their master’s brilliance. "As expected of the master, he’s truly an expert in these matters!"

As Feng Bei fled with a red face, Zheng Xiu was filled with emotion. But his expression quickly sobered. It wasn’t because of Feng Bei, but because of the many challenges he now faced.