Chapter 1287: Why Didn't You Wait Until I Starved to Death!

The ways of the world were like a dream—true and false blurring together, reality hidden within illusion, and illusion dissolving back into reality.

Humans were like this, and so were demons.

The myriad affairs of this world were ultimately swayed by the mind, sometimes leaving a person to wander uncertainly between right and wrong.

"There is never any absolute good or evil in this world."

Chen Changsheng exhaled a long breath. He stepped forward; his path of Cultivation lay entirely beneath his feet.

...

Shangjing City remained a place of boundless splendor. As the absolute center of power in this Mortal World, its prosperity and wealth were beyond the imagination of ordinary men.

Fortunes of gold and silver were a common sight and frequent topic of conversation here, as were luxurious horse carriages and gold-threaded brocade robes.

Inside a tea house, patrons chatted about recent events.

"Your Majesty has been much better these past two years. He no longer skips the morning court sessions like before, and the Cabinet Elders aren't as arrogant as they used to be."

"Shh, keep your voice down when talking about such things."

"What's there to hide? It's not like you all don't know what the situation was back then."

"Sigh..."

Everyone still remembered those years when Your Majesty had secluded himself deep within the palace. The Grand Cabinet had practically become a faction that blotted out the sky with one hand. Which official in the imperial court hadn't lived in fear? Every civil minister and military general had been full of grievances.

Chen Changsheng listened to their gossip for a while, then paid for his tea and left.

He had barely taken a few steps out of the tea house.

Chen Changsheng glanced back. Perched on the eaves was a black cat, staring right at him. He had never seen it before.

Chen Changsheng merely gave it a passing glance, not paying it much mind.

However, after he walked a little further and looked back again, he saw that the black cat had stopped as well. It paused under an overhang, watching him intently, as if it had been following him the entire time.

Chen Changsheng raised an eyebrow. He turned and strode straight toward the black cat.

Seeing him approach, the black cat suddenly tried to flee.

But a surge of Magical Power instantly materialized into a soft rope, flying out to bind it in place.

"Meow!!"

The black cat shrieked in terror.

The surrounding pedestrians were startled by the commotion and quickly backed away.

Chen Changsheng walked over and lifted it by the scruff of its neck.

"Why are you following This Chen?"

The black cat struggled, but being grabbed by the scruff was like having its weak point exposed; it couldn't muster an ounce of strength.

Chen Changsheng set it back down.

The black cat immediately spun around and bolted down an alleyway.

Chen Changsheng followed after it at a leisurely pace, curious to see what this little creature was up to.

Unexpectedly, trailing the black cat led him straight out of the city.

He followed it all the way toward the foothills, his gaze eventually landing on a small temple situated beside the mountain path.

Chen Changsheng looked up and read the three words above the entrance.

[Cat Spirit Temple]

Strangely, there was no scent of incense around the temple at all, as if it received no worshippers.

Furthermore, the temple doors were shut tight.

A wooden plaque hung on the door.

[Too busy in June, unable to handle the workload. Thus, the temple doors will reopen in July. Let this serve as notice.]

Chen Changsheng paused, somewhat puzzled.

As he stepped closer, the heads of several cats suddenly popped out from all around the temple.

Following that, the heavy temple doors suddenly swung wide open.

"Creak..."

Perhaps because the doors were old and hadn't been repaired in many years, the hinges groaned loudly.

Chen Changsheng looked inside.

Countless pairs of eyes lit up within the dark interior. Glowing in the gloom, it felt just like stumbling into a bat cave—enough to give anyone a fright.

But when the doors opened fully and sunlight poured into the temple...

...dozens of cats of varying shapes and sizes were revealed before his eyes. Some were charming and chubby, some looked fierce, and some had wide, glassy eyes that made them look rather dim-witted.

The most foolish-looking of all was the massive, fat cat sprawled across the altar.

Lihua opened its eyes and looked at the person standing outside.

It raised an eyebrow and asked, "Why are you here again? Didn't you already take the Demon Pill? We're even."

Chen Changsheng paused for a moment, then realized what was going on.

He stepped inside, looked at Lihua, and asked, "Look how fat you've gotten. Do you just lie on your belly to talk now?"

Lihua froze, looking rather confused for a moment.

The next moment, it suddenly realized who it was. It scrambled to its feet and cried out, "Ah, ah! Chen the Good Man! It's you!"

Chen Changsheng smiled. He walked over, rubbed Lihua's head, and said, "You didn't just get a little bit fatter, did you?"

Lihua glared at Chen Changsheng indignantly and demanded, "Where's Lihua's dried fish? What about the dried fish you promised? Did you bring Lihua any dried fish?!"

Chen Changsheng paused, his hand suddenly freezing mid-rub.

"Lihua knew it!!"

Lihua stomped over to the side, refusing to let Chen Changsheng pet it anymore. "You're the best at breaking your promises, Chen the Good Man! Who knows how many years it will take to get Lihua's dried fish! Why didn't you just wait until Lihua starved to death before remembering?!"

"You? Starve to death?"

Chen Changsheng stared blankly. He turned to look around the temple. Several strips of cured meat hung from the crossbeams overhead. Behind the altar sat a bamboo basket overflowing with an unknown amount of food, and fresh offerings were laid out on the altar itself. This cat lived better than a wealthy landlord!

After several years, Lihua had genuinely gotten as round as a ball.

The life here was simply too good. With so many underlings at its beck and call, it never had to lift a paw. It spent every day playing the Cat Spirit—eating, sleeping, and eating some more. It would be stranger if it hadn't gotten fat.

"So what? Lihua isn't going to starve to death, you know!"

Chen Changsheng nodded with an amused smile. "Right, right. You'll definitely starve to death."

He turned his head and looked at the temple full of cats. Quite a few had already sauntered over, rubbing affectionately against Chen Changsheng's legs.

"Where did all these cats come from?" Chen Changsheng asked. "Don't tell me they're your offspring. That would be too ridiculous."

"I picked them all up."

Lihua explained, "Plenty of households in Shangjing City raise cats, which means plenty of them get thrown away. I found some of them when they were little. Others sought me out themselves, looking for protection. Anyway, almost every cat you see inside or outside Shangjing City nowadays is Lihua's underling."

Chen Changsheng clicked his tongue in amazement. The way he looked at Lihua couldn't help but change.

"You've really made something of yourself," Chen Changsheng said.

Lihua raised its chin, boasting proudly, "Of course I have."

Chen Changsheng smiled. Looking around the temple, he truly felt a sense of astonishment. Lihua really had accomplished quite a bit over the years. At least in Chen Changsheng's eyes, building all of this was no easy feat.

The Mao'er that hadn't understood a thing back then had now become a great king.

"You're really thriving," Chen Changsheng chuckled. "I wonder if Hong Jin will feel depressed if she sees how well you're doing."

"That stinky fish." Lihua gave a disdainful harrumph. "The next time I see her, Lihua is definitely going to bite her. She's definitely not doing as well as Lihua. Hmph! When that time comes, she'll just have to endure Lihua's bullying."

Lihua lifted its head in smug satisfaction.

Seeing this, Chen Changsheng laughed. "Your tail is sticking so high it's about to pierce the sky."