Marshal Ji Xiuyun never imagined that his mischievous attempt to tease the white furball would result in the creature exposing its soft belly.

The Marshal hesitated for a moment, but ultimately couldn't resist reaching out towards that invitingly soft, fluffy tummy.

Yue'an swiftly swatted his hand away with a paw.

"Meow!" the cat protested indignantly.

No fish, no belly rubs! The audacity!

Pfft! Keep dreaming, human!

The Marshal lowered his head, his gaze meeting that of the furball lying on his lap. Their eyes locked—one pair dark and intense, the other a brilliant blue. Finally, the Marshal made his move, unexpectedly grasping Yue'an's fluffy paw that still rested on the back of his hand.

With a face devoid of expression, he gently squeezed Yue'an's little paw pad.

It was soft, warm, and furry on the other side—incredibly pleasant to touch. The Marshal couldn't control himself and squeezed it again.

"Meow!" Yue'an protested once more.

The cat yanked its paw back, rolling over in a huff to hide its exposed belly. Now curled up on the Marshal's lap, Yue'an turned its head towards the three grilled fish.

Ji Xiuyun felt the warm, furry ball settling on his leg through his trousers. After a moment of silence, he said, "One fish for one energy crystal. Agree, and you can eat."

Yue'an turned its head towards Ji Xiuyun, utterly incredulous.

You've got to be kidding me!

Why don't you just rob me outright?

Faced with the little one's accusing expression, the Marshal's eyes narrowed slightly, a hint of amusement playing at the corners of his mouth.

Satisfied with his mischievous ploy, Ji Xiuyun's mood notably improved. He lowered the grilled fish, placing it in front of Yue'an.

Then, with a perfectly straight face, he said, "I was joking."

????

Yue'an stared at Ji Xiuyun's characteristically cold expression in disbelief, feeling an overwhelming urge to scratch him.

However, faced with the irresistible temptation of grilled fish, the adorable kitty chose to succumb to its hunger rather than act on its anger.

The Marshal watched as Yue'an buried its face in the fish, his mood so improved that he even grilled the remaining four fish and offered them all to the cat.

As Yue'an reached the last fish, it paused, turning its head to meow at the human who sat nearby, resting his chin on his hand as he watched the cat eat.

The Marshal raised an eyebrow. "Hm?"

Yue'an nudged the fish slightly towards him.

Ji Xiuyun was surprised, not expecting the little furball to consider sharing food with him after all his teasing.

The Marshal reached out with one finger, gently poking the little one's head. "I'm not hungry. You eat it."

The nutrient supplements could sustain him for several days, so the Marshal truly wasn't hungry. Eating now would only satisfy a craving.

Pleased to see his grilling skills so well-received, Ji Xiuyun was content not to compete with his feline lifesaver for food.

After Yue'an finished the last fish, it watched as Ji Xiuyun cleaned and packed away the grilling equipment. The cat scampered over to the Marshal's feet, rubbing against his long legs. This time, instead of repeating its earlier antics, Yue'an extended its paws and, carefully controlling its strength, began to climb up the Marshal's trousers.

Suddenly finding himself treated like a tree, the Marshal paused, stuffing the handful of tools into his storage bag. He reached down to support the furball that had already climbed to his waist.

"Meow!" Yue'an took advantage of Ji Xiuyun's hand, taking a few steps along his arm before perching on his shoulder.

Despite its small size, Yue'an managed to balance steadily on the Marshal's broad shoulders and slim waist.

The soft, furry sensation against his cheek made Ji Xiuyun stiffen for a moment before relaxing.

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It seemed Yue'an wanted to hitch a ride rather than walk on its own.

The Marshal assumed he had successfully tamed the little furball by simply feeding it a meal.

How simple and beautiful the world of animals is, he mused as he started walking back. Then his steps faltered.

He suddenly realized that this little furball might not be just an animal after all.

What defines an animal?

In a broad sense, it's a heterotrophic organism composed of cells.

From a human's subjective, narrow perspective, it's a creature lacking complex emotional perception and intelligence.

The Marshal was struck by a sudden realization: the white furball that had saved him possessed emotional awareness and self-reflection.

It—no, he—could even communicate clearly and coherently with the Marshal!

Ji Xiuyun came to his senses, suddenly aware that the creature perched on his shoulder was likely not an animal in the narrow sense, but rather an intelligent life form on par with humans, at the top of the food chain.

Thinking about this, the Marshal seriously reconsidered his actions towards the little one today. He found himself sinking into a silent abyss of realization.

It seemed that, knowing this was his furry lifesaver, he had teased him, stroked his fur, and fed him several grilled fish as if he were a pet.

Most importantly, he had brazenly squeezed the little one's... primary sex characteristics.

No wonder the little one had looked so shocked and dumbfounded at the time.

The Marshal swore he had absolutely no intention of being a pervert!

At the time, he was merely acting out of scientific rigor, primarily to determine Little White's sex!

After all, in most animals, except during special nursing periods and certain growth stages, males generally have stronger aggression and territorial instincts than females.

Although this little one had been quite friendly at the time, it was still necessary to confirm, just in case, right?

Was that wrong?

Of course not!

The Marshal righteously justified his actions to himself, his expression remaining unchanged, as if he knew nothing and nothing had happened. He continued to stride through the tall grass, returning to the safety capsule.

Yue'an jumped down from the Marshal's shoulder, and the first thing he did was hug the half spirit stone he had left in the corner, carrying it to crouch in front of the hidden cabinet.

The Marshal didn't hesitate either, unlocking it again to take out an energy crystal and place it in the furball's arms.

Yue'an happily gnawed on the spirit stone.

He spent the entire day nibbling on the two stones.

The next morning when the Marshal opened his eyes, he found a fluffy white ball curled up next to his pillow.

The Marshal also noticed that whenever he tried to do something, he would be intercepted by this small white furball, gazing at him with eyes full of longing.

Ji Xiuyun could guess with his toes that Yue'an wanted to do something to exchange for energy crystals.

Something like "do one thing, get one stone" or the like.

But was he, Ji Xiuyun, such a foolish and wasteful person?

Of course, the Marshal was not.

He wasn't just not foolish; he was quite clever.

So he refused Yue'an, saying, "The energy crystals need to be saved for the safety capsule's supplies."

Yue'an's ears drooped, and he let out a disappointed "Meow."

"When the rescue comes, I can give you the leftovers," he added.

Yue'an's ears perked up, and he sat on the control panel, looking up at Ji Xiuyun.

"Little White, you..." the Marshal paused, "Do you want to come with me?"

Yue'an tilted his head, about to agree immediately, but sensed that the Marshal hadn't finished speaking.

He sat on the control panel, his vertical pupils now relaxed into round, dark circles surrounded by a beautiful blue, making him look innocent and pure.

"You saved me, and I should repay you, but I can't stay here," Ji Xiuyun continued, speaking very clearly without any hint of euphemism or concealment.

"Your power is strong. Both professionally and personally, I hope you can come with me. I will take care of you and provide you with a regular supply of energy crystals."

The Marshal paused, his tone still calm and unwavering. "If you don't want to leave, I can also arrange for people to periodically deliver energy stones to you."

Yue'an didn't speak, surprised by this generous offer.

Although Ji Xiuyun had many spirit stones, Yue'an could see that they were an extremely important resource.

In other words, they were certainly not cheap.

Yue'an hadn't really dwelled on the fact that he had saved Ji Xiuyun's life.

The loss of his tail, which he had tried so hard to protect, wasn't entirely unexpected. After all, years ago, when he had declared his intention to become an immortal by secluding himself in the mountains without human contact, the elders of his clan had looked at him as if he were an idiot.

Losing a tail was, for Yue'an, simply a case of "fate cannot be defied."

Besides, a nine-tailed cat's tail would grow back every twenty years without needing cultivation or any particularly arduous experiences. Apart from disappointment, there wasn't any special regret after the loss.

The true cultivation for a nine-tailed cat was in tempering one's mental state through the repeated process of losing tails.

At least, that's what Yue'an had observed in the elder members of his clan. They all seemed to have transcended worldly concerns and exuded an immortal aura, only wanting to pounce and pummel humans to get a taste of mortal life when they saw them.

Yue'an felt quite lucky.

Ji Xiuyun's willingness to repay him and respect his wishes spoke well of his character.

There were plenty of humans who would make promises and then run away, or who would try to capture a nine-tailed cat to keep as a wish-granting machine.

Humans who sincerely and wholeheartedly repay kindness without regard for effort or consequences tend to have good personalities.

Even the worldly-wise nine-tailed cat elders would praise such behavior as noble.

Staying with such a human, while not guaranteed to be perfect, was unlikely to turn out badly.

Yue'an thought the idea of staying with Ji Xiuyun had high potential. He could even brag to his elders later about his new, exceptionally good human caretaker.

Unaware of Ji Xiuyun's true identity or how many years he had been in stasis, Yue'an looked up at Ji Xiuyun, his tail tip swaying gently. He stood up and opened his two front paws.

He struck a classic "pick me up" pose.

The Marshal was slightly taken aback. "Does this mean you agree to come with me?"

"Meow~" Yue'an responded, reaching his paws up a bit higher.

The Marshal looked at the little furball's outstretched paws, considered for a moment, and then extended his own hands to high-five the little paw pads.

Yue'an: ???

Are you dense or something?

Who wants to give you a high five?!

Can't you just reach down and pick up this adorable kitty??