He was muddleheaded about it but vaguely understood that he could heal some people and xenoids by tugging on yarn threads. However, he’d looked carefully ever since yesterday—this big brother had none of that stuff. Nor did he have colorful patterns like Daddy.
Reniya squatted down and anxiously grasped the little cat’s two paws. “Look again! Just like you did with the Mother Tree—release your spiritual power on him and see!” She stubbornly tried to press Li Ao’s paws onto Ryan’s body. The little cat stumbled from her pull and nearly fell over. Xun narrowed his eyes in displeasure and snatched the cat right back from her hands.
Isiris said coldly, “Enough. How many times do I have to tell you? I’ve already found a doctor skilled at treating genetic diseases. He’s on his way to Delphi to treat Ryan. Why are you still acting so recklessly?”
This meant allowing someone from outside Delphi to access the Regalis genetic makeup—a concession greater than any the Delphi people could make.
The atmosphere grew heavy. Li Ao patted the tense puppy, then raised his head toward his daddy. “I-I can give it a try.”
Isiris’s thin lips pressed into a tight line. After a long moment, he gave a slight nod in permission.
Reniya broke into tears of joy and nudged Ryan forward.
Though the little lion was skinny, his frame and size were nothing like Li Ao’s short little legs could match. Li Ao’s two round paws rested on the little lion’s claws—one small on top, one big below, quite the size difference.
Golden specks of light drifted out from Li Ao’s fluffy white mittens, but they still couldn’t enter the little lion’s body. Li Ao was baffled. He had no idea what to do. With the big tree yesterday, he’d just released his energy, and that was enough. Why wasn’t it working now?
He was too young, and no one had taught him. Naturally, he didn’t know that the Mother Tree had actively absorbed his energy before. Ryan clearly wouldn’t do that—his vision was already blurred from illness. He couldn’t even see the light specks.
“C-Can’t… get in…” Li Ao awkwardly pulled back his paws. He glanced at the sickly little lion, then at Reniya’s disappointed face, and inexplicably felt like he’d done something wrong. His ears drooped, his big tail dragged on the ground, and he fidgeted, unsure what to do.
“It’s not your fault.” Isiris squatted down too. The golden-haired emperor, who had never comforted anyone before, said, “You did very well.”
This was an extremely empathetic cub, which was exactly why he’d always opposed Reniya placing so much hope on the little cat. If it didn’t work, not only would Ryan feel that hollow despair… how could this little cat not feel sad too?
A cub this good would question whether he hadn’t done enough and fall into self-blame and inner turmoil.
Reniya, how could you be so reckless?
“Ryan.” For the first time in history, Isiris spoke to the little lion so mildly. “I’ll tell the doctor to hurry. Once he gets here, maybe he can find a way to treat you.”
“Thank you, Uncle.” The little lion struggled to hold back his coughs. There wasn’t a trace of disappointment on his face. In his sixteen years, hope like this had fallen through far too many times—he was already numb to it. He even timidly thought that death might be a pretty good release.
But looking at Reniya, he clung to life. “M-Mom, I’m a little hungry.”
“Good, good.” Tears glistened in Reniya’s amber eyes. She nodded haphazardly, scooped up the little lion, and turned to leave.
“Xixi…” Li Ao didn’t dare call him Daddy anymore. He curled up into a tiny ball.
“Call Daddy.” Isiris scooped him up. After a thought, he also picked up the little monster and tucked it into his arms.
Xun hugged the little cat in the man’s embrace to comfort him. Isiris’s voice was very faint. “I apologize to you on Reniya’s behalf.”
Li Ao looked up at him in confusion, not really understanding.
“Because she did something bad to you.” Even if the little cat hadn’t realized it himself, he had clearly already shouldered a responsibility that wasn’t his—and started blaming himself for it.
The magnolia tree’s branches and leaves rustled. Pure white blossoms were cradled in the cat’s arms.
Li Ao inserted the branch he’d snapped off the Mother Tree next to the tombstone. He clasped his two paws together and bowed properly toward it. “Machine Mama, I and Machine came to see you nao.”
The little monster copied him exactly, clasping its hands and blinking.
The robot patted the two little ones’ heads, then brought out the fruit platter offering. It double-checked each item against the records of human memorial rituals to ensure perfect consistency. Once confirmed, it picked up the broom and began sweeping the tomb with smooth, precise motions.
“Mother.” It suddenly spoke up. “Short-legged cat and I came to see you… along with the little monster.”
There were some weeds on the ground. Li Ao squatted down and started yanking them out with his little paws.
The robot said, “The weather’s nice today—just like you said, Delphi’s a great place.”
The short-legged cat had already climbed onto the tombstone. His big tail swept back and forth like a feather duster clearing the dust.
The robot watched in silence for a moment, then spoke awkwardly. “I miss you very much. And… sorry. I came a bit late.”
The cat-tail duster swept here and there. The robot continued, “Also, my name is Silver Wing.”
“It was Li Ao who named Machine!” The fluffy cat puffed out his chest. “Machine Mama, su-su nice-sounding?”
He wasn’t old and didn’t know much, yet he muttered to the tombstone with dead seriousness. “Machine Mama, let go of Xun. I will raise Machine well—feed it electricity till it grows big and fat.”
“…” The robot wanted this gap-toothed chatterbox to shut up, but its programming felt oddly lightened. “Mother, it’s getting late. I need to take the short-legged cat to Aiai’ang’ang. Aiai’ang’ang… it’s the former Aurilion III. It’s been renamed. Lakes are forming, green grass is growing. I’ll take photos and bring them next time for you to see together.”
The robot pressed its head close to the photo on the tombstone, imitating the little cat’s nuzzling, and gently rubbed against it.
“Machine Mama.” The little cat rummaged in his small pouch and pulled something out to place beside the stone. “I leave this for you—so you won’t be alone.”
Silver Wing looked down and realized he’d brought the mecha figurine too. This short-legged cat had long stuffed the figurine into his cardboard nest, treating it like his own possession. Yet here he’d brought it.
He mumbled and fussed, adjusting the angle over and over. After a lot of busywork, he finally found the perfect spot and wedged the figurine in securely.
“Aiya, tired to death meow.”
This illiterate cat didn’t even know the word for loneliness yet—but he understood its meaning better than anyone.
“His legs are pretty short, huh?” the robot said softly to its mother. “And very special.”
There would never be another little cat more special than him. He was the first—and the only one—Li Ao that Silver Wing had ever seen. One of a kind.
“Li Ao’s legs just aren’t long—they’re not short.” The little cat trudged through the sand, face full of displeasure. “Anyway nao, Macho Cats have short legs!”
Li Ao was just like the Macho Cat Dong Xixi! Both were Fierce Cats!
“Heh—” Silver Wing even let out a cold laugh. It wanted to say, Your white belly fur drags on the ground and turns gray—your house won’t even need mopping anymore. Just walk a few laps and it’ll be clean. But nah. This little stinky cat had a huge temper—if it said too much, he’d start hopping mad and scratching.
“Cow Monster! Mantis Monster!” Li Ao waved his paws at the approaching xenoids. His four legs pumped as fast as they could. He scurried right under Zolax’s feet and started kuku-scratching its rough, uneven leg. Once he’d scratched to his heart’s content, he flicked his tail and began patrolling his farmland. “Xun, go get the little bucket wo! So many tomatoes are all soft and ripe!”
The Cat King never slacked off when working. He plowed, sowed, harvested—busy until he couldn’t move anymore—before finally soaking into the lake water, doggy-paddling and splashing around.
“Eh?” The little cat pointed underwater and shouted, “Xun, there’s a Pig King Turtle here!”
There was a thick-shelled turtle down there—who knew when it had grown. Once the little cat named it, it slowly paddled its feet and swam away.
Only the little monster saw it: the turtle’s entire underbelly was lined with sharp teeth.
“We can buy some fish fry.” The little cat switched to backstroke. “When the little fish grow up, we can eat them. But gotta buy the kind with swallowtail fins—the ones with too many spines won’t do.”
It wasn’t even a sure thing yet, and he was already being picky.
Aiai’ang’ang’s sky now had only one sun left—Delphi’s star. The blazing sunlight was too intense to look at directly. Li Ao squinted his eyes and just floated there quietly.
Xun floated lazily on the surface too. Seeing the little cat go quiet for so long, he asked, “Li Ao?”
The little cat opened his eyes, his tone a bit downcast. “Xun, that little lion… he’s too thin…”
He was so skinny that it reminded Li Ao of his past self—slender limbs propping up a head with big eyes. “Like this, very bad.”
Grandma said our Li Ao needs to eat full full and grow strong strong to be good-looking.
“Need to get a bit fatter.”
“Li Ao.” Xun swam over and stuck to him. “Li Ao is already very good.” The little monster narrowed his eyes, also getting a bit dissatisfied with that woman.
“Yes.” The little cat also stuck to the little dog. “I have Xun now, and Machine, and Daddy, and I can eat full full next time too. Grandma, don’t worry, I’m good!” He suddenly made up his mind. “I’m gonna feed that little lion cub fat fat too.” But he didn’t know how to do it, so feeling a bit tired at heart, he rested his chin on Xun’s head. “Those energies, why can’t they go in?”
Xun didn’t know either. In his eyes, Li Ao was just a warm, glowing little cat. As long as he stuck close, it felt comfy—that was instinct, no need to specially absorb it.
Li Ao yawned. He seemed to have slept for a bit and had a deep dream of something. There were voices whispering…
“Aiai’ang’ang? What’re you saying?” The little cat mumbled in his sleep.
Xun sensed something, but the feeling quickly blurred away.
One second, two seconds—Li Ao opened his eyes. “I think I know what to do now.”
