"If you want something to eat, I can buy it for you, but I’d advise against it. This place is perfect for your cultivation, and we’ll have to head back tomorrow morning anyway."
The staff actually suggested Little Wei stay here longer, since buying tickets and switching buses was exhausting.
Luckily, she could shapeshift, and with the help of the little loli creating fake information, she could at least purchase a ticket. Otherwise, she wouldn’t even be able to board.
"If we’re staying, let’s stay a couple more days," Little Wei said.
After all, the original cat wasn’t the clingy type around Li Jiewei—it often wandered off. So she had plenty of opportunities to cultivate here undisturbed.
Admittedly, the cultivation zone was pretty nice. Even during the day, there was spiritual energy to absorb—just not as much.
But once night fell, there was plenty of lunar essence to go around.
Little Wei and the staff spent some time cultivating in the mountains, and by the end, she was practically wrecked.
"Ugh, I never want to cultivate again in my life," Little Wei groaned, nearly gagging.
Cultivation was truly humanity’s most loathsome invention.
"Those two short sentences perfectly encapsulate your laziness," the staff nearly laughed out loud.
This girl was the epitome of sloth.
"Pfft, like you’re one to talk—I don’t see you cultivating either," Little Wei grumbled, thoroughly annoyed.
On the way back, for convenience, the staff called a car. Though it was pricey, it dropped them right at Li Jiewei’s doorstep.
"Oh my god, I’ve missed this place so much!" Little Wei stretched lazily, shifting back into her cat form.
She leaped onto the balcony and darted straight into the bedroom.
"Puppy! You’re finally back! Where have you been running off to? Look at you—all dirty. Come on, I’ll give you a bath." Li Jiewei quickly scooped Little Wei into her arms.
Little Wei opened her mouth to let out a soft meow—
Oh crap.
She suddenly felt something was very wrong.
She was about to turn human again.
Luckily, Li Jiewei set her down in the bathroom and stepped out to gather bathing supplies.
When she returned, she found a white cat-eared girl sitting dazedly on the floor.
Li Jiewei froze, rubbing her eyes and staring at the cat-eared girl in disbelief.
"You’re…?"
Little Wei awkwardly glanced away.
"Uh… what if I said this was an accident? Would you believe me?"
She had no idea why, but she’d lost control again.
Her eyes landed on the watch Li Jiewei had left by the sink.
Could it be because of that watch?
Little Wei was suspicious.
"Are you… Puppy?" Li Jiewei guessed, recognizing the color of the cat ears.
Though the name sounded a bit like an insult now, and Li Jiewei flushed awkwardly after saying it.
"Sorry, that name is kind of…"
"I’m hungry," Little Wei brushed off the name issue.
She hadn’t eaten in three days to rush back. If she weren’t a yokai, Li Jiewei would’ve been hosting her funeral by now.
"Oh! Right, I’ll cook for you right away. Just wait a bit!" Li Jiewei’s eyes sparkled with delight.
Sure, it wasn’t the cat-eared boy most girls would swoon over, but her cat was gorgeous.
She absolutely adored this kind of cat.
No wonder her cat used to wander off—probably to cultivate or something.
Little Wei stood up, eyeing the watch. Those beads definitely had more functions than just altering history.
Damn it.
Last time, it forced her into a cat. Now it had to turn her human.
She really couldn’t be friends with this watch.
Walking into the living room, she saw Li Jiewei bringing out a plate of fruit.
"Sit here for now. What do you want to eat? I bought a ton of groceries yesterday," Li Jiewei asked nervously, her cheeks pink.
Her cat was just too adorable.
She wanted to hug and kiss those soft cheeks—they had to be even squishier than in cat form.
"Mm, I’d love some home-cooked dishes. Like stir-fried potatoes, rice, and if possible, sweet and sour pork. That’d be perfect."
Little Wei clutched her growling stomach—she was practically starving.
A dead Little Wei wouldn’t be any fun to play with.
Wait—what kind of thought was that?!
"Got it. I’ll do my best," Li Jiewei replied cheerfully, completely unfazed.
Wasn’t every cat basically royalty?
Besides, "Puppy"—no, she really shouldn’t call her that anymore.
Even thinking about it now made Li Jiewei cringe.
She shook her head and hurried back to the kitchen.
With her parents often away on business, cooking was second nature to her.
An hour later, Li Jiewei set the dishes on the table, smiling fondly at Little Wei, who was watching TV on the sofa.
"Come on, kitty. Dinner’s ready."
Little Wei eagerly took her seat, eyes lighting up at the spread of four dishes and a soup.
"This looks amazing."
"I’m glad you like it," Li Jiewei said, sitting beside her.
She studied Little Wei. "Do you have a name?"
"Yeah. It’s Little Wei," she answered bluntly.
At least this way, she could ditch the "Puppy" nonsense. That name was an insult to cats everywhere.
"Oh, Wei as in ‘unique’?" Li Jiewei asked.
For some reason, the name sounded familiar—like she’d heard it somewhere before.
"Yep," Little Wei nodded, already wolfing down her meal.
She was seriously about to keel over from hunger.
Watching her eat like a ravenous little cat, Li Jiewei covered her mouth to stifle a giggle. Her cat was just too cute.
The kind you’d want to keep forever.
The thought struck her—but wasn’t that how it was supposed to be?
This was her cat.
Even if she was a bit of a wanderer.
"Oh, one more thing," Little Wei looked up at Li Jiewei. "You can’t tell anyone about me turning human."
Li Jiewei blinked, then nodded.
"Okay, but why?"
Wasn’t this something to be happy about?
What if her friends’ cats could turn human too?
"Because it’s a secret. Only you can know. Otherwise, I’ll get dragged off to a lab and dissected. Plus, those cultivators would love to get their hands on me. You don’t want me to leave, do you?" Little Wei clung to Li Jiewei’s arm, putting on her sweetest, most clingy act.
She was a needy little cat, after all.
"Alright, alright, I promise. I’ll listen to you," Li Jiewei quickly reassured her, patting Little Wei’s head.
Holy—!
The feel of a giant cat’s fur was incredible.
Li Jiewei was stunned.
And so real.
"Good. Now, back to eating. Your cooking’s seriously the best," Little Wei declared.
Out of all of Ah Si’s clones, Li Jiewei was hands-down the best cook.
She was in love.