Chapter 348: "Want to Touch?

The Cat Clan youth didn’t resist, letting the Rabbit Clan girl before him remove his white Divine Hall mask. His amber eyes were full of mirth.

Like lovers long separated...

Finally meeting on the night of the full moon.

A smile appeared on Yu Zhizhi’s face as she held Zero’s white mask. ’It’s been so long since I’ve seen him.’

Every time Zero was with Yu Zhizhi, he would reveal his Beast Form.

He knew perfectly well what the rabbit girl before him liked.

He pointed to his own cat ears. "Want to touch them?"

Yu Zhizhi’s eyes lit up, and she nodded gently.

The Cat Clan youth bent down, presenting his black cat ears to her.

The talisman above the round table stared blankly at its partner. This was the first time it had seen Zero like this.

’Is he trying to please No.1 Envoy?’

’But why?’

Yu Zhizhi raised her hand and easily touched his ears.

’Mmm~ So soft!’

She stroked them gently, her fingers brushing through his short hair. The sensation reminded her of the beautiful little calico cat she had as a child. Whenever she petted it, it would let out a contented purr.

The talisman could no longer comprehend the scene before it.

After evolving from beasts to humans, most were actually resistant to this sort of thing.

But looking at its partner, he was clearly enjoying it.

Yu Zhizhi switched to the other ear.

’Petting these kitty ears is so addictive~’

A blush slowly crept onto the Cat Clan youth’s face. He looked away, his amber eyes gazing elsewhere, and the fingers of his hand resting on the round table slowly tightened their grip.

He desperately wanted more.

Besides his ears.

He wanted the Rabbit Clan girl to touch him elsewhere, too.

But in the Divine Hall Illusion Realm, there were too many inconveniences.

Like that big third wheel floating above them.

And the other members who could appear at any moment.

Zero’s gaze slowly shifted to Yu Zhizhi’s face. "Teleportation to the Divine Hall is precious. It only becomes available once every few months."

Yu Zhizhi’s hand paused.

The Cat Clan youth continued to coax her, "Come to Cang Mountain. I’ll come get you. Neither the Duke of Varolan nor the great sharks of the Deep Sea will be able to find you..."

Above the round table, the Talisman Array stared at the black cat with a complicated expression.

’Does he really want the little rabbit to come over?’

’Isn’t he just asking for trouble?’

’He’s going to Demon Hunting City, which is dangerous enough. Is he going to look after her on the way, too? The Divine Hall’s affairs are already tricky enough. The old Zero would never have gone looking for trouble.’

’He’s changed!’

The talisman looked at its partner’s current state and simply closed its eyes.

Faced with Zero’s invitation, Yu Zhizhi found it hard to refuse.

Besides...

She really didn’t want to get caught by the Duke and the sharks.

"I’ll bring the Little Octopus to the Divine Hall Illusion Realm first," Yu Zhizhi said softly.

The Cat Clan youth gave her another new silver coin.

One silver coin only allows one person to enter.

Yu Zhizhi took it, knowing she had to make a decision soon. The last time, the Duke had seen her with the shark. Although his Clone’s time had run out, she didn’t know what he would plan next...

In any case, she had to run, and fast.

She absolutely could not be caught by the Duke again.

Clutching the silver coin in her palm, Yu Zhizhi bid farewell to Zero.

She left the Divine Hall Illusion Realm.

The Cat Clan youth remained rooted to the spot. He had thought she would stand on her tiptoes to kiss him, just like before. He never expected the rabbit girl to just happily take the silver coin and leave without a moment’s hesitation.

No hug.

And no kiss.

A trace of disappointment flickered in the Cat Clan youth’s amber eyes. He leaned against the round table, his black cat ears the only part of his Beast Form left exposed to the air.

The talisman asked, "What’s wrong, Zero?"

’What are you spacing out for?’

’You’ve been acting so strange lately.’

Zero retracted his Beast Form.

He put on the white Divine Hall mask, seeming to revert to his original self.

When Yu Zhizhi returned to Noel’s secret base, she immediately saw the little red octopus fast asleep on a soft cushion.

She didn’t wake it.

It was so late, Yu Zhizhi needed to rest too.

After washing up, she quietly crept into bed.

The next day, she heard a commotion outside.

During that time, Noel came back once to grab something. He told her that the Empire’s joint forces were already heading to the planet where the smugglers were located.

Because the point of origin was Greenfield City, the city’s residents had to undergo daily inspections recently.

The thought of inspections made Yu Zhizhi’s heart pound with anxiety.

She asked Noel if she needed to do one.

The Rabbit Clan boy shook his head. "The Duke said he’s already tested you, and there were no abnormalities. Since he’s spoken, no one will bother you for another test."

"...Huh?"

Yu Zhizhi was very surprised.

’When did the Duke test me?’

’Why don’t I have any memory of it at all?’

’Did he really test me?’

’Am I really okay? The system... the system seems like it can still be trusted... Ugh.’ Yu Zhizhi was all mixed up.

During this period, she stayed in the secret base.

No one disturbed her.

Yu Zhizhi studied for her Healing Skill exam in peace and continued trying to improve her Evolution Talent.

She also had to write in her journal, recording all her explorations and insights related to Evolution.

The Little Octopus became her test subject.

Its Beast Bone happened to be abnormal. Although Yu Zhizhi’s current Evolution Realm was too low to find the cause, she could still use it for practice.

It didn’t seem to feel any discomfort.

It would just eat while letting her use her spiritual power to explore its Beast Bone.

Occasionally, the Little Octopus would feel a little...

Itchy.

But it never interrupted, always waiting until after Yu Zhizhi’s experiment was over before clutching its head and rolling around.

A few more days passed, and Yu Zhizhi decided to take the Little Octopus to the Divine Hall Illusion Realm.

She took out the silver coin.

"Here, hold this tight, okay? Don’t lose it."

"What’s this?" The Little Octopus took the silver coin and bit it. It was hard and made its teeth hurt.

Yu Zhizhi took out her own silver coin. "I’m taking you somewhere. I’ll tell you about everything else once we get there."

She glanced at the sleeping Little White Snake in the bamboo basket, then cradled the Little Octopus in her arms.

After the silver coins activated, they entered the Divine Hall Illusion Realm together.

At the vast round table, there were only the two of them.

The talisman wasn’t "on duty" either.

The entire Divine Hall Illusion Realm was silent.

It was the little red octopus’s first time in a place like this. It couldn’t help but look around. A few of its tentacles rested on the round table, and upon seeing a candlestick, it couldn’t resist trying to grab it, but Yu Zhizhi pressed its tentacles down.

The Cat Clan youth knew she had arrived in the Illusion Realm.

He entered at once.

He saw the red octopus sitting next to the Rabbit Clan girl and understood that this was the one she wanted to bring into the Divine Hall.

"Zero... can it join?" Yu Zhizhi asked, a little worried.

The temple messenger, wearing his white mask, sat down in his own seat.

He flicked a silver coin into the air. The coin touched the talisman, forcing the resting Talisman Array to slowly open its mouth.

A hint of a smile was in Zero’s voice. "Before that, I need to perform a divination for it."