Chapter 57: Xiao Hong Flower

After claiming the award, the literary performance had nothing to do with the little cat anymore. Li Ao was led off the stage by the staff.

As soon as he stepped down, all the lights and cameras followed him, as if they had taken everyone’s souls away with them.

“Where are the lights?!” The stagehand’s scalp went numb as he yelled urgently into his pager, “Get the lights back here! People are still performing on stage!”

The stagehand was on the verge of collapse. Whose show was this, exactly?!

But the next second, he understood.

[Wherever Li Ao is, that’s where the cameras go. The camera crew knows what’s up!]

[Sorry, keep doing your performance. We just want to watch the cat lololol]

The spotlight followed the little cat as he pulled Xun down the stairs step by step, only switching back to the stage once the little cat’s butt was completely out of sight. And Li Ao, the moment he reached backstage, was blocked by a group of reporters whose expressions were excited, even somewhat frenzied.

The first question came barreling at him: “Your Highness Leo, what do you think about what happened on the plaza this afternoon?”

This afternoon? The plaza incident? What to think?

The little cat was extremely sensitive to goodwill and malice. Looking at the reporter who had crouched down and shoved the microphone toward his mouth, he backed up a bit, his big tail coiling up warily. “Li Ao looks at it with his eyes.”

“…” The reporter froze, thinking he was putting on a cute act to dodge the question, completely forgetting that the little cat in front of him was just a child not even six years old. “Please don’t—” He wanted to press further, but in that instant, he shut his mouth.

It wasn’t just him—all the reporters surrounding the little cat felt a chill-inducing pressure at the exact same moment.

A tangible force gripped their throats. Everyone’s backs stiffened, their limbs went rigid, sweat slid down from their foreheads, yet they couldn’t even twitch.

From the backlight emerged a tall, upright figure, his features handsome to the point of resembling a deity. His golden eyes swept disdainfully over the crowd. He didn’t speak, and no one dared utter a single syllable in his presence.

The air was deathly silent.

The little cat was still puzzled why these people had suddenly stopped talking when he spotted the figure behind them. His little ears shot straight up in an instant, his eyes sparkling as he shouted, “Xixi!”

“Come here.”

Isiris’s icy gaze softened slightly as he extended his palm toward the short-legged little cat.

The little cat immediately scampered over on all fours and was steadily scooped into his arms.

Only after they had completely left did the crowd, suppressed by spiritual power, suddenly snap awake, gasping for breath like they were choking.

The reporter who had crouched to ask the question collapsed straight onto the ground. His back was soaked through, his whole body trembling. “The Tyrant…”

No one liked being enveloped in that kind of pressure, because in the face of such absolute power, so-called civilization, etiquette, even rules—all crumbled into worthlessness.

This control over spiritual power transcended ordinary human understanding. The reporter barely lifted his head, staring fearfully in the direction Isiris had gone. “No wonder they all say he’s cold and brutal…”

It was clearly their own improper, inhumane behavior, yet they only knew to blame others.

“Xixi, look!” The little cat lay on his back in the man’s arm bend, his little paws scrabbling to show him his award certificate.

Isiris carried him forward with large strides, Xun flying beside them with wings spread. The man took the award certificate the little cat offered up like a treasure and praised upon looking down at it, “Very good.”

“Hehe…” Having been praised, the little cat immediately squinted his eyes happily, his little paws pedaling the air a dozen times. “The award certificate goes to Xixi.”

“The little red flower goes to Xun, the medal goes to Grandma.” All three items were clearly assigned by him.

But someone wasn’t happy. Silver Wing, back in its nanny robot body, clanged and banged as it cleaned up the cat nest, looking like the short-legged cat owed it eight million.

Li Ao, with a mouse toy in his mouth, watched in confusion as the robot ransacked his cat nest.

“This can’t be thrown away!” The little cat dropped the little mouse and ran over to rescue his collection of colorful candy wrappers.

“These are all trash.” Silver Wing’s cold electronic voice was flat: “Why keep them here if not throwing them out?”

“They’re not trash!” The little cat snatched them back, hugging the candy wrappers to his chest with both little hands, dissatisfied. “These are all pretty. Li Ao saved them specially to stick on the mecha.”

“Heh—” The robot let out a cold laugh. Little red flowers and big award certificates for others, candy wrappers for the mecha. “Ugly as hell, not needed.”

The stubborn cat’s face fell, blocking the departing robot and yapping at it: “You’re talking nonsense! These are all things I collected with hard work—how could they not be pretty?”

Fierce Cat’s eyesight is great. Fierce Cat thinks they’re pretty!

A mouthless robot versus an clueless kitten—one not speaking, the other unaware of what it was mad about. And just like that, the cold war began.

“Bad mecha!” The little cat puffed his cheeks huffily. The robot coldly scrubbed here and brushed there, not listening to his nonsense.

Fierce Cat was unhappy, dragging his big tail like a little calf about to ram it, but before he could charge, someone came to report: “Your Highness Li Ao, do you have time? His Highness Zane needs your help over there.”

“Susu?” Li Ao glanced at the robot still ignoring him, stomped his hind legs hard against the ground, and huffed as he turned. “Let’s go!”

Mandjet had already left the star system where Planet 92 was located. The ministers had been clamoring to take the little highness to see some Spring Day viewing, but Li Ao was thinking about the mantis monster and tomato patch on Aiai’ang’ang, plus the flowers to give the little lion, so he actively refused.

Zane, who had been staying in the medical pod, had already improved mentally quite a bit in just a few days.

“Susu.” The little cat’s paws rested on the cabin door. “You were looking for me?”

Zane slightly lifted his upper body, seeing a cat head poking in at the hatch, and couldn’t help laughing. “Oh, my cute little nephew, can you climb up?”

“I can.” Li Ao, already standing on a stool, pushed off hard with both feet and leaped into the cabin, asking maturely like a little adult, “How are you doing?”

He had already seen his uncle in his most embarrassing state, so what did it matter now? Zane tentatively reached out a hand, hovering above the little cat’s head. “Pretty good. Thanks to our Li Ao.”

The retro elegant tone, speaking in ancient Chinese that Li Ao was all too familiar with, made the little kitten feel very close. His big tail quietly perked up as he rubbed his head into the man’s palm. “Then Li Ao will groom your wool for you too.”

Compared to his brother, Zane was undeniably a playboy, with a real knack for petting cats. His slender fingers with prominent knuckles moved to the little cat’s chin and gently scratched a few times, making Ground-hugging Supercar purr and rev up like an engine.

“Thanks, little cat.” His face resembled Isiris’s somewhat, but their temperaments were worlds apart—his more bewitchingly handsome. Even now, pale and gaunt with haggardness, it couldn’t hide the once libertine splendor between his brows.

Watching the little cat squint in bliss, he chuckled softly, finding it truly inconceivable that his brother’s genes could produce such an adorable kitten.

He’d heard from the maids that the little guy was initially thought to be his own kitten, only later tested to be Isiris’s… So, this was his and his brother’s little kitten? That was, really not bad.

Unaware of the wildly deviant thoughts in his uncle’s mind, the little cat got his fur smoothed and flopped sideways beside the man, his little paw reaching toward the black mist at Zane’s lower body.

“What to do with this?” He was a bit scared to grab it—after all, this black mist was acting as the man’s legs now. If he rashly grabbed it off, how would his uncle walk?

“No worries.” Zane had a great attitude about it. “Once we’re back at Delphi, there’ll be replacement legs. Then I’ll have to trouble our little cat to clean the pollution for Uncle again. In exchange, Li Ao can have whatever he wants.”

Helping his uncle was something the little cat was happy to do. Hearing he could make a deal, the little cat immediately nodded. “Want one bucks.”

Zane let out a pleasant laugh, finding the little guy easier and easier to coax and fool—completely clueless.

He’d encountered plenty of cubs, from his family’s Ryan to all sorts outside, but never one so pure. Everyone said he was handsome and affectionate, kind and approachable with cubs, but really, that was all facade.

They were Regalis—all lions were proud by nature. Isiris didn’t bother hiding it, while his siblings only showed what they wanted others to see. After all, the Empire’s public image wasn’t great; for long-term development, someone had to shoulder the role of the friendly face.

But with this little guy, Zane didn’t hide his bone-deep wicked playfulness. He suddenly pinched the little cat’s paws, tone somewhat distressed: “But Uncle has no money.”

Li Ao froze, dumbly looking at him, thinking for a bit. “Then… then I’ll lend you some.”

Sincerity defeats schemes.

Zane chuckled muffledly; even aggravating his wound couldn’t overshadow the delight in his heart. “Good, then lend it to Uncle.”

“Wait a sec, I’ll go get it.” True to his word, Fierce Cat immediately tried to get up for his little pack, but was stopped by his tail being grabbed. “Baby, no rush.”

He picked up the cat and placed him on his chest, stroking the little cat’s glossy fur, and asked: “Can you control that A-Rank xenoid?”

“Are you talking about Little Blue?” In just this short time, he had already named that Xenoid. “Little Blue isn’t very obedient.”

That Xenoid had only been in contact with the little cat for too short a time, and its rank was high as well. Its savage nature by birth couldn’t be changed overnight, but after thinking for a moment, the little cat said, “With Xun watching it.”

Among Xenoids, the dominance brought by rank and strength was absolute. Even if Little Blue was unwilling deep down, it couldn’t defy this instinctive submission.

The destructive power of that A-Rank Xenoid was far too great—the best method was simply to kill it. Zane and Isiris had said as much, but his brother, who had always viewed bugs as mortal enemies, actually said, “Ask the little cat.”

“Then how do you plan to deal with Little Blue?”

The little cat immediately declared seriously, “Take it to Aiai’ang’ang to plow the fields!” He had already told Little Blue that it couldn’t eat people anymore—in exchange for plowing fields, it would get tomatoes to eat and water to drink. If it didn’t obey, he’d have Xun breathe fire and burn it.

Zane already knew many things by now, including that Aiai’ang’ang was Delphi’s current companion moon. For thousands of years, no living Xenoid had ever set foot in Delphi’s star system, let alone approached so closely.

The Zerg were Delphi’s eternal, irreconcilable enemies. This deadlock spanning millennia had been overturned by the arrival of a single little cat. And it was such a tiny cat at that—its legs weren’t even as long as a human finger—yet it wielded such immense power.

But even a little cat with such great power clearly had its own troubles. Suddenly, it blurted out, “Bad Machine.”

What kind of person was Zane? With just a few words, he coaxed out what the robot was sulking about. He was somewhat surprised by the emotions a machine could possess, then gently guided the little cat. “Baby, think about it—didn’t you promise the robot something?”

Li Ao remembered. He had promised to give the little red flower to Machine, but he’d given it to Xun instead.

“What to do…” The little cat flicked its ears, a hint of regret surfacing.

“We did something wrong, so we have to make it right, don’t we?”

Though Isiris was Li Ao’s father, his personality made it hard for him to raise a cub as meticulously and attentively as Zane did.

“Yesh.” The little cat nodded. “But I can’t go ask for the little red flower back.” He had already given it to the puppy.

“Right, that’s no problem at all.” Zane encouraged him. “So what should we do about the robot then?”

Guiding him step by step like this, the little cat returned to the room. With its two little paws clasped behind its back like a thief, it sneaked through the door.

Silver Wing was still tidying up the room. It knew he had come in but didn’t turn around to look.

“Machine.” A little paw prodded at the robot’s body, then a big flat face poked out, gazing up at it fawningly. “I have a gift for you.”

The robot had been about to leave but stopped at those words and lowered its head to peer at him.

“Hehe…” Li Ao held up a little red flower in his two little paws, standing on tiptoe like he was presenting a treasure. “I made it myself! Sorry, I forgot to say I’d save the little red flower for you, but I already gave that one to Xun, so I made this one just for you! And then, when Li Ao goes to school, he’ll get more little red flowers and give them to you too!”

When a little cat makes a promise to you with big watery eyes, even a robot with a heart of stone can’t help nodding proudly. “At least make up five.”

“Okay then.” The little guy was on his best behavior after messing up and immediately stuck the little red flower onto the robot’s belly.

Silver Wing’s electronic eyes showed no ripples as it turned and left the room. It found Xun, who was attending an anatomy lesson with the doctor, and leisurely strutted around with the little red flower on its belly on full display, parading back and forth several times.

“…” Scarlet eyes narrowed. Xun wanted to breathe fire.