ARIOCC Chapter 75

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Weekend chapter: 1/10

The elders had long prepared a new physical body for Pei Shiyi, preserved within the Phoenix Mausoleum. They safeguarded his primordial spirit and did everything possible to send him out of the Four Directions. Guided by the pull of his physical form, his primordial spirit naturally returned to the Phoenix Mausoleum.

As for his young uncle, his extraordinary cultivation allowed him to retain a wisp of his soul, paving the way for him.

Indeed, opening a cat café was something only Pei Huang would do. Any other elder would likely have found a clean place to sleep for a few hundred years, waiting for signs of activity before coming to retrieve him.

It took Pei Shiyi a long time to calm down and compose himself. He finally smiled at Yuan Jing, saying, “Alright, alright, you’re still injured. Get some rest. We’ll talk about everything tomorrow.”

He picked up a small blanket from the sofa and draped it over Yuan Jing, carefully avoiding his wounds.

The overwhelming presence of the phoenix gently settled over Yuan Jing along with the blanket.

The light pressure of the thin blanket made Yuan Jing’s drowsiness so heavy he could barely keep his eyes open. On the journey from Chunshou Mountain to the cat café, he hadn’t dared to indulge in sleep, fearing that if he fell asleep, he might never wake up again.

Resting his chin on his front paws and just before drifting off, Yuan Jing couldn’t quite tell whether he was on the towering spiritual mountains of the Four Directions or in the mundane world of mortals.

Once Yuan Jing was sound asleep, Pei Shiyi finally withdrew his hand.

Bo Jin walked with him to the floor-to-ceiling window and quietly moved aside the information board that took up most of the space.

Pei Shiyi remarked, “This board needs updating. Those little rascals still haven’t been added? It seems Sui Shou and the others have no intention of leaving the cat café. Just the other day, Sui Shou asked me why I hadn’t painted their portraits yet.”

Bo Jin: “I’m still not on it.”

Pei Shiyi: “…That’s because there’s no suitable paint.”

Bo Jin: “No, you thought I was ugly back then.”

Pei Shiyi: “…No, it’s just that your features are more minimalist, different from the style of the information board. Our Director Bo is cool and handsome, not quite the same as the soft and adorable cats.”

Bo Jin was especially hard to placate today. Calmly, he pointed at Yun Chao and said, “Yun Chao is soft and adorable? She hit me yesterday.”

The big boss feared nothing and spared no one’s feelings.

Except for the boss and the little princess.

Pei Shiyi: “…”

He belatedly realized that Bo Jin was tattling and had to shift all his attention to him.

Listening to Pei Shiyi’s sweet, flattering words, Bo Jin’s gaze burned intensely under the night sky, settling on his brows and lashes. Suddenly, Bo Jin pulled him into a tight embrace.

Pei Shiyi, mid-sentence, paused and smiled faintly. “What’s wrong?”

Bo Jin shook his head. “No, nothing.” It’s just that I suddenly want to go to the place where you grew up, meet the people you love and who love you, and hear them talk about the you I never knew.

“As long as you’re happy. But the new information board must include me.”

I’ll be by your side, never leaving.

“Alright.”

…

In Pei Shiyi’s eyes, Yuan Jing’s cultivation was already quite impressive. He’s probably capable of taking on a whole group at the Supernatural Management Bureau. With Pei Shiyi’s spiritual energy, Yuan Jing was able to stand and walk by the next morning.

However, it wasn’t enough for Yuan Jing to maintain a stable human form.

Bo Jin prepared breakfast. The aroma of cooked meat filled the cat café. Yuan Jing, still uncomfortable, dragged his body and tried to help Bo Jin with the cooking, but was scooped up into Pei Shiyi’s arms and had his ears rubbed and his fur smoothed.

Yuan Jing: “…”

This technique felt all too familiar, almost exactly like Lord Pei Huang’s.

Yuan Jing nestled in Pei Shiyi’s embrace, tucking his paws in. He was lulled into drowsiness by the warmth radiating from Pei Shiyi’s body.

A group of fluffy creatures padded down from the third floor with soft, cushioned steps, collapsing bonelessly across the floor as they waited to be fed.

Fondant dove headfirst into Yun Chao’s fur: “Meow—”

It seemed she had caught the scent of an unfamiliar cat.

Yun Chao remained motionless, grooming Fondant’s sleep-mussed fur. She merely nuzzled her without speaking.

Dan Huang was more concerned about the “new colleague” and was about to get up to take a look when he was stepped on by Tong Qian, who had descended from above.

Dan Huang: “…” He rolled over, pinning Tong Qian beneath his rump, and silently licked his paws.

Tong Qian: “I… I can’t take it anymore… Yin Zhou, save me…”

Yin Zhou coldly turned his face away, lying down beside Miss Penny with Song Gao to watch over the kittens.

Jian Zhou hadn’t fully woken up yet. With his eyes closed, he sniffed the air, thinking to himself: It smells like my brother…

He lay sprawled on the carpet, wriggling and squirming his way toward the kitchen.

Just as Pei Shiyi emerged from the kitchen carrying breakfast, Jian Zhou happened to squirm his way to the doorway. Struggling to open his eyes, he hadn’t yet made out the person before hooking his little paws onto Pei Shiyi’s pant leg.

“Meow—”

Cats just waking up always meow with a soft, milky tone, so tender that even marshmallows would feel inadequate.

Hearing the familiar voice, Yuan Jing quickly poked his head out. Sure enough, it was Jian Zhou below. His young and frail brother still couldn’t take human form. When Yuan Jing had left Jian Zhou to investigate Chunshou Mountain, his greatest worry had been Jian Zhou’s safety, which was why he had specifically chosen Xian Chan, who had ties to the Supernatural Management Bureau.

Whether by coincidence or the cycle of cause and effect, Xian Chan’s owner turned out to be the Crown Prince.

Yuan Jing: “Jian Zhou, it’s me.”

Jian Zhou, who had been dozing off just moments before, snapped his eyes open. His upbringing forbade him from climbing on people casually, so when anxious, he could only circle Pei Shiyi.

Pei Shiyi bent down to set Yuan Jing on the floor. Just as Jian Zhou was about to pounce, he caught sight of the wounds on Yuan Jing’s body. Although hidden beneath the fur and not easily visible, the scent of blood couldn’t escape Jian Zhou’s nose.

Jian Zhou: “Brother…”

Yuan Jing gently licked him: “Brother is fine. Thanks to His Highness… the boss’s care, I’m already much better. I’ll recover fully after a bit more rest. Have you been behaving well at the boss’s place?”

Jian Zhou nodded vigorously, extending a paw to pat Pei Shiyi’s pants: “Meow.” If you don’t believe me, ask the boss. I’ve been really good.

Pei Shiyi nodded in agreement: “Mm, our Jian Zhou has been especially good, eating well and sleeping soundly.”

Yuan Jing: “I’ve caused you trouble. I didn’t expect to be away for so long or to get injured.”

Pei Shiyi: “Let’s talk about that after breakfast. This is Jian Zhou’s favorite food at the cat café. Would you like to try it?”

Jian Zhou quickly pushed his little bowl over, earning a gentle lick from Yuan Jing.

After the cats finished breakfast, Bo Jin had already left for work. Before leaving, the dragon remembered the signboard he had been longing for: “Don’t forget to draw me on it.”

To placate him, Pei Shiyi had no choice but to say, “Alright, alright, I’ll draw it, I’ll draw it.”

Once Bo Jin was gone, the cats gathered around Pei Shiyi, the ever-present human-shaped heater, to watch him paint the board. The kittens, having finished their breakfast, found the larger cats already occupying the spots closest to Pei Shiyi. The kittens simply climbed onto the larger cats, who lazily allowed the no-longer-light kittens to clamber all over them.

Meanwhile, Yuan Jing answered the curious questions of the larger cats.

“Yes, Jian Zhou is a Jianzhou cat. My mother was a Jianzhou cat. After leaving our homeland, she named him Jian Zhou in memory of it.

I can transform now, though I’ve been injured recently.

Thank you all for taking care of Jian Zhou. He must have caused you a lot of trouble.”

…

Yuan Jing was a thoughtful big cat. Pei Shiyi listened to the cats’ conversation while setting up the introduction board.

The new introduction board had been prepared long ago and stored in the storage room. Pei Shiyi only found time to paint it today, though he never said it out loud. When the heat reached that level, he truly couldn’t sit patiently in front of the board to paint half-body portraits.

Now, with Bo Jin’s reverse scale absorbing the heat from Pei Shiyi’s body, Pei Shiyi could finally sit steadily in front of the board and mix his paints.

Pei Shiyi painted a few strokes. Yuan Jing said softly, “If the master were still here, he would probably love these novel paints.”

Pei Shiyi paused his brush, smiled, and said, “Yes.”

His calligraphy and painting were all taught by Pei Huang.

Since there was nothing else to do, a group of cats gathered around Pei Shiyi, watching the boss paint, occasionally exchanging opinions:

“It looks so much like him.”

“The spirit, it’s especially full of spirit.”

“I think the boss automatically added a beauty filter. Da Shu isn’t that thin, ah, Yin Zhou, why did you hit me?”

Pei Shiyi painted quickly, and the paint dried fast. Before long, he had painted seven cats.

The cat café employees arrived just in time to see this scene.

Cats were sprawled all over the place—licking their fur, play-fighting, or cuddled up, sleeping together. It was like a slice of heaven on earth. The employees, who had long since become cat slaves, wished they could throw aside their dignity and roll around with the cats.

Well… mainly to maintain their image in front of the boss.

As the “collective favorite” of the entire cat café, even the most aloof little fairy (specifically referring to Yun Chao) was willing to stay close to Pei Shiyi. Song Gao was curled up on his lap, and a large tabby sat upright beside him.

The chef, Zhang Yu, had never seen such a large tabby cat before. It was almost as big as several large cat breeds. Its fur was thick and dense, with extremely gentle, light-green eyes. Its ears and back had patterns, but its neck was circled with white fur, like a snowy collar. The tabby patterns only extended to the sides of its body, while its belly and limbs were snow-white.

Zhang Yu noticed that this tabby, like the one he had seen by chance a few days ago, had a fold at the base of its ears, making it look as if it had four ears from a distance, giving it an alert, lively appearance.

Zhang Yu exclaimed, “Oh my! This cat is so beautiful!”

Mostly, like Dan Huang and Miss Penny, it had an exceptionally gentle temperament. They seemed approachable and affectionate, the kind of gentleness that would tolerate clumsy two-legged humans.

Yin Zhou was startled by him and stepped on Tong Qian’s head, only to have Tong Qian grab his paw and roll around playfully.

Pei Shiyi put down his brush. Guests would be arriving soon, so they had to tidy up and prepare to welcome them. The cats scattered one by one.

Pei Shiyi said, “Yuan Jing and Jian Zhou, go upstairs and rest for now.”

Yuan Jing had been talking for several hours and was already very tired. Hearing this, he rubbed against Pei Shiyi’s hand and took Jian Zhou upstairs.

As soon as they left, Dan Huang quickly climbed onto Pei Shiyi’s shoulder and whispered into his ear, “Boss, I think Yuan Jing has a great personality. And when chatting, he’s steady and considerate. Boss, if our cat café opens a branch, we should find a big cat like him to be the manager.”

Dan Huang had been tirelessly worrying over the cat café, constantly planning for its development.

Perhaps it was because… because this was what Pei Huang had left him.

Pei Shiyi tilted his head, pressing his cheek against Dan Huang’s. “Well, that depends on whether the conditions we offer can convince Mr. Yuan Jing to switch jobs, right?”

Dan Huang gently patted Pei Shiyi’s shoulder and neck, letting out a joyful meow.

He had been wanting to open a branch for a long time!

…

Based on the observations of the highly experienced manager Dan Huang, Yuan Jing was fully capable of taking on the role of the new shop’s manager. Not the kind of manager who was a cat, but a human manager.

There were cats in the café who could maintain human forms, but could they really rely on Yun Chao, who favored girls over boys, or the silly cat Tong Qian to be the manager? If they opened a branch, Miss Penny would probably be more than happy to resume her human identity and take on the role.

This way, working together would definitely be much easier. After all, taking care of over a dozen cats alone was a tough job.

Dan Huang had been observing for several days. Yuan Jing’s injuries were almost healed, but the boss still hadn’t brought up the matter with him. Dan Huang was so worried he felt like his forehead was going bald.

On Monday, just as he was about to discuss it with the boss, he hadn’t even finished a few sentences before the boss gently pressed a hand to his head.

Dan Huang asked, confused, “Boss?”

Pei Shiyi pressed a hand to his chest. It felt as if all the blood in his body was about to boil over. The pain of the Nirvana Flame engulfing him swept through him. He braced himself against the table with one hand, circulating his spiritual energy with each breath to suppress the fiery agony. He smiled faintly. “Dan Huang, trust me, okay?”

Dan Huang, of course, trusted him. After rubbing against him affectionately, he went back to work.

Pei Shiyi sat down to meditate and regulate his breathing. Suddenly, a surge of abundant spiritual energy flowed from the dark green bead on his wrist. Pei Shiyi opened his eyes. It was Bo Jin who had returned.

He opened his eyes. “…Why did you skip work?”

Bo Jin: “There’s an abnormal fluctuation of spiritual energy at Chunshou Mountain. It might be a problem with the Four Directions. I was worried about you, so I came over first…”

Pei Shiyi grabbed Bo Jin’s wrist. “I can feel it, too. Let’s… let’s go check it out first.”

He had a vague feeling that he absolutely had to go, or he would miss an extremely important opportunity.

Bo Jin touched his burning hand, his mind racing through several thoughts. In the end, he nodded.

Four Directions was in the midst of a harsh winter. Perhaps going there would make Pei Shiyi feel a bit more comfortable.

Divine beings could come and go without restraint. In the blink of an eye, they arrived at the entrance to the Four Directions.

The entrance was already open. All the capable higher-ups from the Supernatural Management Bureau had gathered there. Bai Jue’s expression was serious as he extended a finger into the half-open entrance, immediately cut by the biting cold.

Fortunately, this cold energy circulated only within the Four Directions and wouldn’t leak into this realm through the entrance, or it would surely cause a disaster.

Just as Bai Jue was solemnly staring at the entrance, Bo Jin and Pei Shiyi finally arrived.

Bai Jue breathed a sigh of relief. “Boss, the cold energy inside is too intense. It might be difficult to enter…”

Pei Shiyi could no longer afford to care about his cleanliness. Leaning against a tree trunk with one hand, he said in a low voice, “We can’t go through here. The spiritual energy at the entrance is too turbulent. We’ll go through the Phoenix Mausoleum.”

With a wave of his hand, everyone found themselves at the Phoenix Mausoleum. In another blink, they were inside the Four Directions.

The world was vast and boundless. Fierce winds swept from the heavens to the earth, carrying treacherous snow and shattered ice that cut skin and drew blood.

Mountains and seas wither in summer and spring,

Wind and snow bring sorrow to all.

Yet beyond the snow line, in the far east, there was a faint patch of green, and a hazy round sun hung in the sky.

The wind and snow battered their faces. Even Bai Jue and the others found it difficult to block the onslaught fully.

Pei Shiyi took several deep, ragged breaths, then brushed a finger over the ring finger of his left hand. The red mark there transformed into a crimson mist that slowly enveloped them all.

Long Que exclaimed in astonishment, “What is this?”

Even with her spiritual power fully activated, she couldn’t ward off the frost. What was this protective shield?

Pei Shiyi replied hoarsely, “Just a divine artifact forged from a feather.”

He was burning up, nearly delirious with heat.

Bo Jin tightly grasped Pei Shiyi’s hand, supporting his body as he whispered, “The ice is beginning to thaw in Four Directions.”

Even in his dazed state, Pei Shiyi understood the words and nodded firmly.

Bo Jin: “Let’s go see.”

After the dragon’s roar faded, the group landed in the easternmost region.

The patches of shallow grass were sparse. Even an ordinary person could take in the entire view at a glance. Directly beneath the newborn sun, a crimson flame burned fiercely, and within the fire lay a nest of… eggs.

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