Chen Ji couldn’t care less about any of that. It wasn’t as if he held them in low regard; it was simply that they inhabited different worlds altogether, destined for minimal overlap. There was no need to dwell on them excessively.
The System Cat eyed the man Chen Ji had carried to the bed. [Whoa, isn’t that your old coworker?]
[I told you he likes you! Look, he chased you all the way up the mountain!]
Chen Ji replied helplessly. [Don’t spout nonsense. He just came up for a hike.]
[Yikes.] The System Cat flicked its tail before leaping onto the bed beside Zhao Chengying. It itched to extend a paw and touch him—to extract the information stored in his neurons—but the System Code held it back.
[Whatever.] The System Cat could tell Chen Ji had no intention of letting the man stick around. It swept Zhao Chengying’s hand with its tail. [This kid got lucky. Just some scrapes on his back and arms.]
[Mm.] Chen Ji acknowledged it with a hum, then suddenly frowned and pressed a hand to his stomach.
The System Cat noticed immediately. Its core consciousness, residing in Chen Ji’s brain, initiated a scan. [LF1.9, MxDMn1.2… Wait, what did you do, Chen Ji?]
The readings indicated fatigue and anxiety. How long had it been since he’d eaten?
Chen Ji waved it off. [It’s nothing. Just worn out from hauling him here.]
Only then did the System Cat relax.
The distant thrum of helicopter blades grew louder. Chen Ji grabbed a bright glow stick and stepped outside, expertly directing the Forest Police to land in the courtyard above. Since no one had died, it was just the Forest Police and a doctor this time. The doctor hurried in, checked Zhao Chengying, and found his vitals steady. From one perspective, the man was simply asleep, with only minor abrasions on his body.
Chen Ji finished giving his statement and followed the doctor inside. “Like I told the police earlier, he probably just fainted from the scare.”
He added, “Still, he took a tumble in the mountains. Better to get him checked out at a hospital to be safe.”
The doctor agreed. Together with the Forest Police, they loaded Zhao Chengying onto the chopper and flew off with a roar. Chen Ji watched them go before heading into the kitchen. He selected cabbage, beef, and yam, tossed them into a food processor to make a filling, heated oil in a pan, and whipped up some simple beef patties for afternoon tea. While the patties cooked, he polished off a sausage in two or three bites.
Ever since returning, Chen Ji had felt an inexplicable hunger gnawing at him—one that made his stomach cramp.
White Tiger watched from the side as Chen Ji crammed the hot patties into his mouth without regard for the burns, wolfing them down. Feeling a twinge of guilt, it draped its tail over its paws. Chen Ji devoured most of a patty, then chugged a glass of water to curb his ravenous appetite. He took a moment to breathe, and by the time he’d sipped the water down, a sense of fullness finally settled in. He turned to White Tiger, who sat primly at attention, and pinched its cheeks.
“Guai Guai, was that your doing?” White Tiger’s majestic face, with its starry eyes, was yanked into an exaggerated grin. Chen Ji rubbed its cheeks vigorously, making the tiger’s head bob back and forth. “Don’t go quiet on me. You always sit like that when you’re feeling guilty.”
The last time Xiangxiang had dragged him off a cliff, leaving him puking his guts out, White Tiger had sat there just the same—prim, proper, and gentlemanly, gaze straight ahead, radiating solemn authority.
White Tiger let him knead away, playing dead cat.
“Talk!” Chen Ji demanded.
White Tiger let out a soft “mrrrow.”
Chen Ji laughed in exasperation.
He released White Tiger. He had a hunch it might be due to entering the Ghost Path—or perhaps that glance from the stunning woman in blue… Could a single look really drain so much of his vital energy? Did such a being truly exist?
The System Cat sidled up and snagged a bite of beef patty. Chen Ji stuffed the rest into White Tiger’s mouth. Though lightly seasoned and rough around the edges, the patties were delicious: soft, glutinous yam wrapping tender beef, with cabbage balancing the richness for a natural sweetness. One bite unleashed a burst of juices.
Even White Tiger’s whiskers were flecked with meat juice.
Chen Ji chuckled at the sight. He wrung out a large towel and scrubbed the tiger’s entire head, ears and all—a nostalgic echo of his grandma washing his face as a child.
With that interlude, there was no laundry today. Chen Ji settled for an honest sunbath and nap in the courtyard, while White Tiger retreated to the bedroom—it hadn’t slept deeply the night before and still felt drowsy.
Chen Ji’s sleep was fitful, trapped in that hazy space between dreams and wakefulness. It felt as if someone kept shoving him; just as slumber claimed him, he’d jolt awake as if shaken. A glance around revealed no one, so he’d drift off again—only to repeat the cycle, now laced with a suffocating pressure… until his eyes snapped open to find Second Master Huang sprawled across his lap.
And the System Cat curled on his chest.
Mystery solved.
The two little ones lay splayed out, pinning him down completely. The recliner wouldn’t even rock anymore. Every breath Chen Ji took required herculean effort to avoid being smothered by the System Cat.
He nudged the System Cat to slide down a bit, but that woke Second Master Huang instead. The creature rolled lazily on his leg, exposing its fluffy belly, then daintily stepped onto the System Cat before flopping onto Chen Ji’s chest.
[Chen Ji~] Second Master Huang’s voice was languid. [Didn’t you head out with Grandpa White Tiger today? How’re you back so soon…?]
“Saved a guy.” Chen Ji scraped Second Master Huang’s cheek with one finger. The creature melted into it, half its body burrowing into his palm. Chen Ji caught it and scratched under its chin. “Second Grandpa, speaking of which—why’d you try to kill me back in Senwan when we had no beef?”
Second Master Huang’s noodle-soft body stiffened for a split second. [Huh? Didn’t you already ask? I told you— I was just eyeing those two artifacts of yours!]
The artifacts sat plainly on the table; Chen Ji never hid them, yet Second Master Huang had never shown interest. His tone stayed mild and even. “Right. Forgot about that.”
Second Master Huang resumed nuzzling into Chen Ji’s palm. After a moment’s thought, Chen Ji asked, “Second Master Huang, have you ever walked the Ghost Path?”
[Of course.] Second Master Huang replied offhandedly. [Steer clear if you can. It’s also called Yin-Yang Road—not meant for humans. You’re already yin-heavy; all that Yin Qi in there will sap your yang energy. And it’s crawling with Malignant Ghosts and monsters. Without protection, you’d just be delivering yourself on a platter.]
Chen Ji kept it casual. [Today, rushing back with Grandpa White Tiger’s shortcut… No wonder I’m starving half to death.]
[Not a huge deal. Grandpa White Tiger had your back.] Second Master Huang yawned, already drifting off under Chen Ji’s scratches. It mumbled sleepily. [Once you’re strong enough, you could manage it solo… Plenty of skilled humans traverse the Ghost Path. Saves time…]
“I saw a woman in blue.” Chen Ji said. “She gave me a really bad vibe…”
[What the heck?!] Before he could finish, Second Master Huang shot up three feet high. It landed with a thud right over Chen Ji’s heart. Chen Ji sucked in a sharp breath and clutched his chest. Second Master Huang frantically kneaded it with tiny paws. [You okay? Whoops, nearly stomped the wind outta ya with that scrawny frame…]
Chen Ji felt a gentle stream of qi flow from the paws into his body; the chest pain faded swiftly. Seeing him recover, Second Master Huang pressed on. [You saw the Blue-Clothed one? You’re sure it was blue?]
Chen Ji nodded. “Started blurry, then these white eyes appeared, and suddenly I could see her clearly—a woman in blue, incredibly beautiful…”
He tried to pin down her features but drew a blank. He only remembered an exquisite beauty, the very idea of “woman” striking him abruptly. He wasn’t even certain of her gender. “…Incredibly beautiful.”
Second Master Huang planted its left paw on its hip and jabbed a right claw at Chen Ji’s nose. [Forget pretty for a sec. That’s a Blue-Clothed Fierce Ghost—either an ancient cultivator over a millennium old or one forged by grudge into profound power. Ghost Immortal status. Do not engage. Run far as you can!]
Chen Ji blinked. “Blue clothes? Aren’t they usually red?”
Second Master Huang sighed in exasperation. [You said it yourself—’usually.’ This ain’t usual!]
Chen Ji got the point, but Second Master Huang scratched its ear, flustered. [But why?! What business does a big shot like that have with you?! She’s basically a Ghost Immortal! No good way to warn ya off…]
Chen Ji drawled thoughtfully. “Maybe because I was riding Grandpa White Tiger?”
Second Master Huang’s muttering cut off abruptly. It stared at Chen Ji, thoroughly glum. Sound logic—and highly plausible.
Put itself in her paws: same power level, spot someone toted by the Blue-Clothed one? It’d wanna peek too!
Not for malice—just curiosity. Or to memorize the face, avoid offing an ally and earning a lifelong foe. Better to do a solid if you can.
Old jianghu wisdom: brute force alone burns through nine lives quick. Real survival’s in relationships. Do others favors, do yourself some too. Humans get it; spirits do too.
Second Master Huang rubbed its little brown nose and sighed. [Could be… A Ghost Immortal’s got no reason to target you specially…]
Before the words fully landed, Second Master Huang and Chen Ji both turned toward the temple gate. There stood a woman in blue, breathtakingly beautiful. The blood-red sunset bathed her in a fierce, tragic splendor.
After a momentary shock, Chen Ji carefully examined her. Apart from her stunningly beautiful face, the woman was dressed in casual blue loungewear—the thin spring-and-fall kind, light blue with patterns of little cartoon cats all over it. On her feet, she wore a pair of blue shark-head slippers… Huh?
The woman knocked on the door four times, then strode right in. Chen Ji quickly stood up, scooping Second Master Huang into his left hand and the System Cat into his right, staring at her in bewilderment. Seeing this, she stopped in her tracks and called out cheerfully, “Don’t be scared! I’m just here to take care of something!”
Chen Ji: “…?”
