Chapter 13

A dark, windy night, time to kill rats and smuggle goods.

Under the leadership of the rat Fatty, Ling Yue finally arrived at the scene; after seeing the location, her expression turned extremely strange.

Isn't this the little grove beside my school?

At eight or nine in the evening, the fragrant smells from the night market stalls nearby kept blowing over, making Ling Yue a bit hungry.

Fatty was so anxious his paws were almost numb: "The boss is right here!"

"Tonight the boss led us mouse lackeys to expand our territory, but for some reason we ended up fighting with the big sis and her gang, wuwuwu, poor boss, he's about to be eaten!"

Ling Yue wondered: "Big sis? I remember Duo Duo is a single mouse; when did he get a wife?"

"You mouse folk aren't like mantises, eating your husbands after marriage, are you?"

As soon as she finished speaking, a sharp cat cry drowned out her voice, as if tearing her throat, sending chills down one's spine.

Ling Yue immediately pinpointed the location—right in the little grove!

She turned on her flashlight; as soon as she stepped in, she was startled by the scene before her. Faint green light sprouted everywhere like countless tiny lanterns staring fixedly at her; a chill shot up her back, making her scalp go numb.

By that light, Ling Yue finally made out the situation.

With the big poplar tree in the middle of the grove as the boundary, one side was the great army of rats led by Xunbao Shu Duo Duo, the other side a crowd of cats of all colors, packed so tightly there was no room to set foot!

Seeing her, Xunbao Shu Duo Duo immediately shouted: "My master has come! Master has come to help me!"

It shouted for a long time before realizing nobody was paying any attention to it.

Ling Yue gazed at the sea of cats covering the ground and trees; her eyes fell on the lead black cat, its body pitch black, limbs slender, when stretched it resembled a miniature cheetah, revealing smooth muscles beneath the short, glossy fur, and its long tail suddenly twitched.

A cold, female voice rang out in the grove; the mystic cat stepped forward like a queen: "Who dares help this stinking mouse? It is—"

Before the word 'enemy' could leave its mouth, it saw Ling Yue; its amber cat eyes widened in surprise, mirroring Ling Yue's expression exactly.

Ling Yue: "You are… Little Ink?"

Ling Yue had once fed a mystic cat at university; no one else had noticed it. When she mentioned the mystic cat Little Ink to her roommate, they said she was dreaming, because among the many little cats on campus—whether calico tortoiseshell or orange tabby—no one had ever seen a cat completely pitch black.

After graduating, Ling Yue left school for an internship, and it's been a long time since she last saw Little Ink.

The mystic cat hissed at her, but its tail drooped low; obviously, toward Ling Yue it was in a very relaxed state, muttering: "Who's Little Ink? That name is awful! Let the queen know, will you!"

Ling Yue: "Little Ink, what are you doing here?"

Xunbao Shu Duo Duo was completely dumbfounded: "Master, do you know my wife?"

The Mystic Cat Queen sprang forward, coiling like a drawn bow and shooting out, pressing down firmly on the treasure‑seeking rat: "Stinking rat, watch out—I'll tear your mouth apart! Who's your wife?!"

Suddenly a cat's face enlarged many times appeared before it; Xunbao Shu Duo Duo wasn't scared at all—instead it stretched out its tiny paws, blinking its beady mouse eyes: "It's me, I'm your wife!"

Ling Yue felt a chill—she had never seen the treasure‑seeking rat act so affectionately—but as for the rat's safety, she wasn't worried.

Laughable—have you ever seen a mouse rushing to its own death?

Now you have.

Actually, it was Ling Yue understanding the situation—she didn't see the cats' claws unsheathed, she just pressed down on the treasure‑seeking rat's belly, keeping it from struggling.

Looking at its mouse lackeys, Fatty had already covered his eyes, the other rats likewise unable to bear the sight—clearly they were used to it.

"The boss is really losing face for mice, acting so un‑mouse‑like!"

"Nonsense, if you meet a cat you might end up even more embarrassed than the boss!"

"The boss's taste is weird— as a mouse he actually likes a cat, and the top cat at that— it's practically asking for a mouse's death!"

Ling Yue also didn't expect— looking at the treasure‑seeking rat like this, it's still a trembling

Xunbao Shu Duo Duo protested: "You don't understand—this is true love, a cross‑species romance, my goddess; even if I die beneath your beautiful claws, I'd willingly accept it."

"Iloveyou~"—finally he poured out a heartfelt confession, even spouting English. Ling Yue finally understood why Xunbao Shu Duo Duo had been following the big black crow around, studying hard these days.

The cats in the grove reacted even more strongly.

"Ugh!"

"Damn mouse, you make me sick—I threw up my dinner!"

"You stinking mouse, you keep harassing our boss every day—if we could beat you, we'd have eaten you long ago!"

The Mystic Cat Queen trembled as she loosened her claws, then warned it sharply: "Stinking mouse, what kind of daydream are you having?!"

"Just because you know a couple foreign phrases you spout nonsense—bother me again and I'll eat you straight up!"

"Little thing." The Mystic Cat Queen flicked its belly: "Your scent is truly intoxicating—I want to take a bite… and eat you!"

When it said 'eat,' it meant it literally—even the treasure‑seeking rat lying flat was so frightened its back fur stood on end.

In the end, Ling Yue spoke up and defused the battle.

She gave a light cough: "Queen, for my sake, spare this guy. He's just… all thief's heart and no thief's guts."

No sooner had the words fallen than dead silence ensued.

The cats stared at her in shock: "Humans can actually understand our cat speech?!"

"Help! This guy must be a monster in disguise—everyone run!"

In the blink of an eye, all the cats on the grass and ground vanished without a trace, leaving only the Mystic Cat Queen alone: "Can you understand what I'm saying?!"

Ling Yue gazed at its amber eyes; there was something in them she couldn't put into words that made her heart leap, giving her a bad feeling.

As expected.

The Mystic Cat Queen strode over arrogantly and confidently, stopping at Ling Yue's feet: "Earlier that stinking mouse expanded its territory and actually ran onto my turf, so we fought—but it was inconclusive; surely you were the one pulling its strings, right?"

Ling Yue's vision went black, as if a black pot had fallen from the sky and slammed down over her head!

She didn't have time to explain; the Cat Queen already spoke, elegantly licking her paw: "I can let my minions retreat a step, but you must do one thing for me!"

"Those who can understand beast speech—over the years I've only ever met one person like you."

The cats proudly lifted their heads: "I want you――"

A sudden sound cut off its words.

In the night, a couple full of thoughts walked hand in hand into the grove, only to suddenly feel the ground soft beneath their feet, like stepping on cotton.

"Honey, why is the cotton still moving?" the girl wondered, turning on her phone flashlight to check.

"Ah, what is this?"

Among the rats scurrying with heads covered, Fei Fei happened to be stepped on by the girl underfoot; as the beloved aide of the rat boss, he loved face so much that now being stepped on the face by a person, he instantly flared with anger: "What are you looking at, human woman, haven't you seen a rat before!!"

In an instant, the squeaking sounds filled the forest, like surging waves rolling.

The girl finally realized what was happening.

She clutched her head and screamed: "Rats, the ground is full of rats! Rats ah ah ah!!"

The piercing, high-decibel female voice split the sky, its pig‑slaughter‑like shriek making scalps go numb.

Heaven and earth suddenly fell silent.

Ling Yue then realized she had temporary tinnitus; naturally she couldn't hear Mao Mao's plea either.

Jingyue Residential Area.

The door to the fifth-floor unit was opened, light spilling out and falling on the returning girl; that gorgeous, radiant brow and eyes could belong to no one but Ling Yue.

She went out alone, but returned with a cat, a rat, and a bag of small yellow fish in her backpack; if she weren't strong, she would have collapsed under the weight.

She summoned Da Hei and Ya Ya, Ling Yue gave a brief introduction: the new friend—Mao Mao Nüwang—would be staying temporarily at her home.

It looked down on the room disdainfully: "Really tiny; all together it's still not as big as my room."

Ling Yue waved her hand: "Having a place to stay is already good enough."

Mao Mao Nüwang glanced at a sealed door and suddenly said: "Whose room is this? Is it a surprise prepared for me?"

Ling Yue rose abruptly: "Don't move."

Even the thick‑lined Da Hei looked over, noticing the owner's tense expression; Ling Yue pressed her lips, neither brushing it off nor elaborating: "This is the room my mother had before she passed away."

Since her mother's passing, Ling Yue has never opened it, just as her mother had sealed it away in her heart.

While bathing, Ling Yue noticed the queen wearing a black collar around its neck, with a dark silver cat portrait in front; from the worn outline it was clearly the queen's portrait. Because the collar blended completely with its fur, Ling Yue only noticed it now.

Before she could ask, Xunbao Shu Duo Duo spilled the beans like a bamboo tube overturned—this was its goddess, how could it not care!

"Ding ding ding ding! I want to formally introduce—this is my crush, Queen! It's a super‑rich and powerful pet cat."

Saying that, Xunbao Shu Duo Duo licked its face and leaned over: "Queen wife, am I right?"

The Xuan Mao Nüwang gave it a cold stare: "Stinky rat, you're investigating me? I didn't expect you to be such a scheming rat!"

The little rat felt wronged, the little rat felt sad.

But for the queen, whom it had decided would be its future wife, Xunbao Shu Duo Duo had endless motivation, spilling cheesy love words for free.

Mao Mao Nüwang pressed down on Xunbao Shu Duo Duo with a aloof expression, pawing at it as if recalling something, then sighed: "... but what it said isn't wrong either."

Even Ling Yue learned for the first time that Mao Mao Nüwang was actually just a house‑pet cat; but being naturally free‑spirited, its owner let it roam, and because the nearby university was full of stray cats, over time the formidable Mao Mao Nüwang became the leader of the local strays.

As for what Mao Mao Nüwang previously wanted her to do, due to the accident Ling Yue still doesn't know to this day.

But right now the most urgent matter isn't that—it's—gold!

The clattering small yellow fish piled the tabletop; under the blue tablecloth and light, each one emitted a naked glow of money.

Da Hei gaped in shock: "Master, we've struck it rich!"

Ling Yue rubbed its ears: "Not just that."

The red‑wood chest holding the gold in the old house was as tall as an adult's knee, wide and deep; her backpack was full, yet she had only taken out one layer, and without looking closely it seemed as if she hadn't taken anything at all.

Ya Ya fiddled with the crystal in its hand, glanced at it then looked away; this was a promise Ling Yue had made earlier, while the other underlings happily carried gems back to their nests, only Ya Ya was reluctant to part with it, playing with it for days.

It said: "Master, tomorrow I'll put this crystal in my nest; the sun will surely make it look beautiful!"

Ling Yue nodded, still pondering how to handle this batch of gold, when she caught sight of Ya Ya and suddenly had an idea!

Night.

Zhao Lin's phone, resting on the bedside table, suddenly beeped twice; a WeChat message lay quietly in his phone, waiting until the next morning for its owner to check.

After that day, Mao Mao Nüwang seemed to have forgotten what it wanted to say; Ling Yue waited, but it never came to find her.

A few days later, she happily brought the gold to Longxiang Jewelry; Zhao Lin welcomed her warmly. Although he had already made a rough estimate, he never expected such a big surprise!

Putting on gloves, opposite her lay a pile of gold mountains.

Zhao Lin stroked it in amazement: "This batch of gold is very pure, and you can tell part of it is aged." He said, lifting his head to glance at Ling Yue, the meaning obvious.

Ling Yue affirmed: "The source is no problem."

Zhao Lin: "Then I'll melt it down; I've already weighed it, I'll pay you at market price—375 per gram—and you know the recent war has caused huge fluctuations."

Ling Yue nodded; actually, this price is already reasonable, since she is selling off the gold for cash.

Not long after, her phone chimed; she glanced at it and her heart pounded like a drum: 28,125,000.

This is only part of it.

The legendary overnight riches?

Ling Yue felt as if she were stepping on a soft, fluffy cloud, able to ascend at any moment; of course, this is an exaggerated descriptive technique—aside from feeling happy and joyful, there's nothing else to show.

But this is already enough!!!

Even the dog could sense its owner's joy, wagging its head and swaying; suddenly it stalled, then darted off: "Master, there's a situation!"

Ling Yue was led by it to run to a university gate. On a weekend afternoon, the street in front was filled with all kinds of stalls, their aromas intertwining endlessly, drawing crowds of students.

The bustling scene dazzled the eyes.

Ling Yue puzzled, whispered: "Da Hei, what's wrong with you?"

Da Hei sniffed carefully, then suddenly barked: "Master, I smell a strange odor—it's, it's drugs!"