Chapter 54 – No Meat, Only Vegetables
....
Han Yan blinked slowly.
His gaze shifted from the cat to the token resting in his hand.
Silence lingered for a brief moment.
A peculiar expression gradually surfaced on his face, as though he had suddenly realized something both absurd and difficult to believe.
Since when could this fatty move so quickly?
The speed it had displayed just now was enough to leave most people speechless.
On ordinary days, this fellow would either be lying lazily in the sun or demanding food at every opportunity. It usually looked too lazy to take more than a few extra steps.
Yet now, it had practically flown across the courtyard.
If he had not seen it with his own eyes, Han Yan would never have believed it.
The cat paid no attention to his gaze.
Its eyes remained fixed on the token, burning with an intensity Han Yan had never seen before.
It looked less like a cat staring at an object and more like a starving man staring at a mountain of gold.
Han Yan’s brows lifted slightly.
For this greedy fatty to react in such a manner, the token was clearly no ordinary item.
At this point, even a fool could tell that the old man’s identity was anything but ordinary.
And this token...
Was likely much more valuable than he had originally thought.
"Hey, human. Give it to this ancestor. You promised."
The cat stared at the token in Han Yan’s hand with eyes full of anticipation, its tail swaying impatiently behind it.
Han Yan looked at its eager expression and could not help but chuckle.
"When did I ever say that?"
His voice was calm, yet there was a faint trace of amusement within it.
The moment those words fell, the cat’s entire body stiffened.
Its golden eyes widened slightly.
The cat stared at him blankly.
For a long time, it remained motionless.
"You..."
The cat’s expression slowly darkened.
It stared at Han Yan as though looking at the most shameless person in the world.
"Human, are you planning to renege on your promise? Hmph, your face is truly thicker than a city wall."
Han Yan merely raised an eyebrow.
"I only said that I would show it to you if you behaved yourself."
"I never said I would give it to you."
The cat was speechless.
Its mouth opened and closed several times, unable to find a response.
Then...
A vein seemed to twitch faintly on its forehead.
Its sharp little teeth clenched together tightly.
"You..."
"You shameless human!"
The cat ground its teeth in anger.
The sound was so loud that Han Yan almost wondered if it was about to break one.
Looking at its furious expression, he suddenly felt a strange sense of concern.
If this little fellow actually lost its teeth...
Its head was already bald enough as it was. If all its teeth fell out too, what face would it have left to meet others in the future?
A bald cat without teeth...
Han Yan imagined the scene for a moment and felt a little helpless.
This fellow’s appearance was already difficult enough to accept.
If it became even more pitiful, who would possibly be willing to look at it twice?
For some reason, looking at the angry and unreasonable cat in front of him, Han Yan felt an inexplicable feeling rise in his heart.
It was almost as though he was looking at a troublesome child who had no idea how to behave.
A faint sigh escaped Han Yan’s lips.
He suddenly felt like an old father looking at a useless son who constantly brought him headaches.
The cat immediately noticed his expression.
Its golden eyes narrowed suspiciously.
"Why are you looking at this ancestor like that?"
Han Yan quickly withdrew his gaze.
"Nothing."
The cat clearly did not believe him.
Its ears twitched.
"You were definitely thinking something disrespectful."
Han Yan looked away.
He had no intention of explaining that, at that moment, he had been worrying about the future marriage prospects of it.
Such a thing...
Even he felt it was too ridiculous to say aloud.
The cat, unaware of Han Yan’s thoughts, continued staring at the token.
Its expression was filled with longing.
"Human..."
Its voice became slightly softer.
"You truly do not understand the value of that item."
Han Yan’s gaze shifted slightly.
The cat’s previous anger disappeared, replaced by a rare seriousness.
"That token is not something an ordinary person can possess."
"Even in this ancestor’s era, countless spirit beasts and powerful cultivators fought until blood flowed like rivers just to obtain something like this."
Han Yan looked down at the token in his hand.
Only now did Han Yan realize that the silly cat had not been exaggerating about the token after all.
This usually arrogant and ridiculous creature rarely spoke seriously.
Yet now, there was no trace of joking in its eyes.
The cat stared at the token, its expression complicated.
Then it quickly recovered and lifted its chin proudly.
"Of course, this ancestor does not need to explain such things to you."
"Since you already have it, you should consider yourself fortunate."
Han Yan looked at it silently.
The cat immediately became uncomfortable under his gaze.
"What?"
Han Yan shook his head.
"Nothing."
He still felt that this cat was far too troublesome.
"A creature that could go from a peerless genius to a spoiled child within moments..."
Truly rare.
"You liar!"
The cat’s fur immediately puffed up in anger as it remembered how Han Yan had lied to it about giving him the token.
Even now, it still wanted to covert it badly.
"You clearly promised this ancestor!"
"How can you go back on your own words?"
"Give it to me!"
Its voice became louder and louder as it jumped repeatedly, desperately trying to reach for the token in Han Yan’s hand.
Unfortunately, no matter how much it stretched its paws, the distance between them remained just beyond its reach.
Han Yan looked down at the furious black cat leaping around him and felt a faint headache.
This fellow truly had no dignity whatsoever.
Just moments ago, it had been full of air. Yet now, it was no different from a spoiled child throwing a tantrum.
Before Han Yan could refute, footsteps suddenly echoed from the direction of the kitchen.
Soon after, Lin Xin appeared at the courtyard entrance, his gentle voice carrying over as he softly called.
"Yan’ge."
Afterward, he and Dong Hai stepped inside, carrying the freshly prepared dishes in their hands.
The moment he noticed them, Han Yan calmly slipped the token back into his sleeve.
The movement was so natural that even the cat did not have time to react.
By the time it realized what had happened, the token had already disappeared.
The cat froze.
Its golden eyes widened.
"You..."
"You shameless human!"
Han Yan ignored its accusation and walked toward Lin Xin and Dong Hai instead.
"Is there anything else I can carry?"
Lin Xin quickly shook his head.
"No need. We have already brought everything out."
His voice was gentle as usual.
Dong Hai followed behind him, carefully holding a small dish with both hands.
However, unlike Lin Xin, the little boy’s attention was quickly drawn elsewhere.
His eyes widened as he looked at the black cat still standing in the courtyard.
"Fatty Fluffington!"
The cat immediately turned its head.
"..."
It had never expected Dong Hai’s first words would not be concern over its listless appearance, but praise instead.
The little boy looked at it with admiration.
"You actually jumped so high!"
"The vegetables are really working!"
Dong Hai nodded seriously, as though he had discovered an important matter.
"You should eat more vegetables from now on."
"No need to eat meat anymore."
"What a pity. We were having pork belly today."
The courtyard instantly became silent.
The cat froze.
Its expression slowly changed.
Looking at Dong Hai, it seemed as though it could hardly believe what it had just heard.
No meat?
No meat?!
This ancestor... was actually not getting any meat? They were unwilling to spare even a little pork belly for it?
Its eyes quivered with unshed tears.
For the first time in a long while, it felt like crying.
But as an existence with dignity, it refused to let tears fall.
Unfortunately, its heart was already filled with sorrow.
What kind of terrible luck did it have?
From one misfortune to another...
First, it had to endure living with this hateful human.
Then it had to suffer the humiliation of being mocked for its baldness.
And now...
Even the little child wanted to take away its meat!
Absolutely unacceptable!
The cat’s entire body trembled with grief.
It turned around and ran toward Lin Xin.
"Meow!"
Its voice was filled with endless sorrow.
"Lin Xin!"
"Look at the human you chose!"
"He is truly too hateful!"
The cat pointed one paw toward Han Yan.
"Look at that horse-like face!"
"He has bullied this ancestor again and again!"
Lin Xin’s smile stiffened slightly.
Horse-like face?
Where had this creature even learned such strange descriptions?
Unable to make sense of it, he could only watch as the cat continued speaking without the slightest hesitation.
"Let’s leave!"
"Let’s return to the upper world!"
"This ancestor refuses to stay here any longer!"
Lin Xin glanced at the cat wordlessly, wondering whether it had forgotten that countless cultivators and spirit beasts in the Upper Realm were still after its head.
The cat’s voice became even more dramatic.
"And before we leave..."
It suddenly lowered its voice, attempting to act mysterious.
"Tell him to give this ancestor that token."
"Also..."
Its golden eyes narrowed in calculation, a sly smile slowly appearing on its face.
"He is forbidden from sleeping on your bed tonight."
"Avenge this ancestor!"
"Boo... woo..."
"This ancestor is truly pitiful..."
The cat collapsed dramatically onto the ground.
Its acting was so over the top that even Dong Hai could not help stare. He merely thought the cat was unusually happy about eating vegetables.
Lin Xin lowered his gaze, pretending not to hear anything.
Yet inwardly, he could not help feeling curious.
Just what had Yan’ge done to anger it so much?
And what was this token it kept talking about?
The more he listened, the more confused he became.
Looking at the cat lying on the ground and shamelessly pretending to suffer, Lin Xin’s expression gradually turned blank.
This cat...
Had truly been spoiled.
It had only heard that there might be less meat in its future, yet it immediately ran over to seek sympathy.
Not only did it complain...
It even acted as though it had suffered some great and unbearable injustice.
Lin Xin sighed inwardly. How had things ended up like this?
It was enough to make one’s temples ache.
Yet the cat still held its head high, as though its actions were completely justified.
Such a shameful sight was truly difficult to watch.
....