Straw Hat Luffy

The alluring voice drifted softly through the air, like a flower petal settling onto the surface of a lake in spring.

The ripples were faint, yet they spread outward in layers, reaching in every direction.

Without warning, an image surfaced in Gu Chengyin’s mind.

In it, the petite and adorable Gu Xiaoli raised two furry little paws. Clutched between them was a thick, elongated, wicked-looking cat stick.

The little catgirl’s eyes sparkled, and the corners of her lips curved upward in triumph.

Then she opened her tiny mouth, revealing two sharp little canine teeth, and bit down on the wicked cat stick.

Hmm. How should he put it?

Just shock her directly.

From a rational perspective, the image was indeed a severe test of one’s spiritual resolve.

Anyone whose resolve was even slightly lacking, when stared at by a catgirl loli with that expression and asked in that tone, would be lucky merely to nod instead of pouncing on her outright. Anyone who did not immediately pin her down could be considered exceptionally self-controlled.

From a moral perspective, however, this was an even greater test of character.

Although Gu Chengyin knew very well that his character was far from admirable—probably separated from that of an upright gentleman by an entire universe—no matter how poor his morals were, he would never let his lower half do the thinking for him.

Thus, Gu Chengyin did not simply go along with it and let Gu Xiaoli wage war against the wicked cat stick.

There was one thing he had never forgotten about Gu Xiaoli.

This little catgirl…

loved setting traps with sweetness.

She loved it so much that she could practically be called a repeat offender.

That was why Gu Xiaoli’s sugarcoating was so polished, so subtle, and so difficult to detect.

Other people’s sugarcoating was a sugar-coated cannonball: sweetness on the outside, explosives on the inside.

Anyone with even a little sense could tell that something was wrong.

Gu Xiaoli’s sugarcoating was different. She was sweet from the inside out.

Sweet without the slightest hint of aggression. Sweet and harmless enough that even after being sold, you would still help her count the money.

Gu Chengyin decided he ought to take back his earlier assessment that Gu Xiaoli was easy to deal with.

The lesson from last time was still fresh in his mind.

Back then, Gu Xiaoli had gone all out to tempt him.

She had stripped herself completely, crawled into bed to warm it for him, and assumed an attitude that seemed to say he could do whatever he wanted.

That scene had been ten times more provocative than today’s. Any normal man who saw a naked cat-eared loli curled up in his bed would have transformed into the Straw Hat Boy on the spot.

Yet Gu Chengyin had not gotten into bed.

He had sensed that something was wrong at the time, though he could not say exactly what. In any case, something had definitely been off.

So he had not climbed into bed. Instead, he had chosen to keep his distance.

Later events proved that he had been right.

Gu Xiaoli had secretly altered the hypnosis, allowing Luo Zhao to regain consciousness.

She had successfully blindsided him.

And now, this catgirl was once again putting on an act as though she wanted nothing more than to devote herself to him.

Her delicate little face was pure and innocent. Her eyes were hazy with anticipation. Her body leaned slightly forward, and her cat ears stood straight up.

Every part of her body language seemed to be saying that she wanted to be taken.

Any normal man would already have become the Straw Hat Boy by now.

But Gu Chengyin was different.

The caution engraved into his very bones was like a cold needle, stabbing him hard.

The more he looked at Gu Xiaoli’s current appearance, the stronger that sense of wrongness became.

Something was off.

Very off.

Gu Chengyin rapidly reviewed every step of the process in his mind.

There was nothing wrong with Gu Xiaoli wanting to leave her scent behind.

As a cat demon, she possessed a territorial instinct and an urge to mark what belonged to her. Seeing the other older sisters leave their scents behind, she would naturally feel envious and want to do the same. That was entirely reasonable.

The problem lay in the method.

What Gu Xiaoli had just used was eating—and she had genuinely wanted to devour him.

Then, following his guidance, she had shifted from eating to biting, and from biting to this hazy, expectant expression.

The transition had been too fast.

So fast that it seemed she had merely gone with the flow.

So fast that it seemed she had simply taken advantage of an opening.

So fast that it resembled a chess player seeing his opponent make a move, the corners of his lips lifting ever so slightly, before calmly making the next move he had prepared long ago.

And although Gu Xiaoli’s thoughts were simple, that did not mean she was unintelligent.

A cat demon who had lived for one hundred and twenty-two years would not have fewer tricks up her sleeve than a human, even if most of that time had been spent dozing in the sun and catching insects.

What was more, she had already shown a talent for sugarcoating. Her performance that time had been worthy of an award-winning actress. Even Gu Chengyin had been completely deceived.

So this matter was not as simple as it appeared.

What Gu Xiaoli wanted was definitely more than merely leaving behind her scent.

Still, Gu Chengyin could be certain of one thing: the little catgirl would never harm him.

This conclusion was not based on trust, but on countless observations and verifications.

Gu Xiaoli’s dependence on him was genuine, and so was her affection for him.

She might play little tricks, but she would never do anything that truly hurt him.

Of course, not harming him and not hiding ulterior motives were two entirely different matters.

Fortunately, after dealing with the other women, Gu Chengyin had gained plenty of experience.

So he knew exactly what to do to make Gu Xiaoli truly obedient and honest.

Gu Chengyin reached out with both hands and first grabbed Gu Xiaoli by the waist, lifting her entirely off his lap.

Then he turned her halfway around, placing her horizontally across his legs.

Gu Xiaoli was stunned.

Before she could figure out what had happened, her view had changed to the bluestone paving below.

Her legs dangled in midair, while her little hands instinctively braced themselves against the ground.

Before she could make sense of anything, she heard a crisp sound.

“Smack!”

A moment later, a clear burst of pain rose from a particularly important place.

It shot all the way up her spine to the back of her head, then exploded.

Gu Xiaoli’s entire body stiffened.

Every thought in her mind came to a complete halt.

Her beautiful eyes flew wide open. Her spiritual cat ears stood rigidly upright, then flattened sideways.

Her originally fluffy spiritual tail exploded like a feather duster and froze motionless in midair.

It took a full two breaths before Gu Xiaoli realized what had happened.

That place had just been struck!

Struck!

Gu Chengyin had used his large hand to smack her there—properly and without holding back.

Gu Xiaoli instinctively covered the place that had been hit and abruptly turned her head.

“Big Brother!”

Her delicate little face flushed bright red. Tears shimmered in her eyes, and her lips trembled slightly.

Her spiritual cat ears drooped low, making her look utterly pitiful.

Gu Chengyin, however, remained unmoved.

There was not the slightest trace of pity in his eyes, let alone tenderness or reluctance.

After all, the one lying across his legs was a cat demon at the Half-Step Nascent Soul stage.

She was not some helpless little girl with no strength to defend herself.

With her cultivation realm, how could a light slap like that possibly hurt her?

Hurt her? Not a chance.

If Gu Xiaoli had wanted to dodge, he would not even have been able to touch a single strand of her fur.

If she had wanted to block it, her spiritual energy barrier would have activated automatically.

His hand would most likely have struck something as hard as steel and rebounded.

He would have been the one in pain—not her.