Chapter 140

Ling Yue smiled faintly, her black-and-white clear eyes looking at them: "We can do it now."

According to Ling Yue's knowledge, a few days prior, Xunxun's injuries had fully healed; she had earlier gone to see it and discovered it in the man-made pool, so idle that the entire fish was on the verge of molding.

Ling Yue sprang into action, working quickly, mainly because those people heard she had found another three Yangtze sturgeons and were utterly shocked.

The research team in charge of studying and protecting the Yangtze sturgeon was overjoyed, and Ling Yue also informed them, before Xunxun arrived, of the impact this would bring.

Who would have thought, the Yangtze sturgeon couldn't care less: "Are those humans preparing to study us again? No problem, I've encountered that before."

Ling Yue was startled by the words; not long after, Xunxun was pulled over and released into the Yangtze, where it immediately darted toward its family.

"Dad, Mom, little brother!"

They also swam up to meet it; Ling Yue's eyesight was excellent, and she could see two large and two small Yangtze sturgeons gathered together, forming a modest-sized circle.

A family of four, happily spinning in the river water.

Even from far away, Ling Yue could hear their joyful sounds.

She herself couldn't help laughing. On the shore, the scientific staff busy because of this were both relieved and tearful.

After many days, Ling Yue finally heard the cold system tone: 【Ding, the Yangtze sturgeon's intention: "Found family, completed, reward issued: Top Hunter."】

She let out a light sigh of relief; after many days, she had finally fulfilled her wish. But after reading the description, she was completely bewildered.

What she thought a Top Hunter would be: in the heavenly seas, cast a net and catch all, strike and never miss! The actual Top Hunter: the highest-end hunters often have to enter the field in the guise of their prey……

Although the former is included and doesn't affect her personal performance, what is this later "prey confusion state bonus"?

Does this mean she's easily targeted? After all, weak prey often attracts the predator's attention.

Ling Yue shivered; those nearby thought it was the river wind blowing her, showing concern, but only Ling Yue herself knew she suddenly had an ominous premonition.

Same time, different place.

Inside a luxurious villa, a middle-aged man in a Daoist robe was eating in the living room; he sat at the head, not moving his chopsticks, so the whole family dared not move.

Only faint breathing remained in the room; it was very quiet.

Suddenly, a light laugh rang out; in an instant, everyone's gaze fell on the young man, who immediately turned pale, gripped his phone, and consequently caused the phone to emit sound.

The host's steady report echoed in the living room: "It is reported that near the Yangtze River banks today, a large sand-basking turtle was discovered, which experts estimate to be a hundred years old……"

Upon hearing the turtle's age of a hundred years, the Daoist-robed man's pupils contracted sharply.

At that moment, another man seated to the side suddenly spoke up, scolding the youth: "Jin Nian, you're eating—what are you looking at on your phone? Get out now!"

The young man shrank his shoulders fearfully: "Dad, I know I was wrong; I'll get out right away."

He was about to leave when the silent Daoist-robed man suddenly spoke: "Isn't this meal a family dinner? We're all family; eating, what formalities are needed? Big brother, why are you bothering the child? Jin Nian, sit down; forward the news you just saw to your uncle."

Jin Nian's eyes lit up instantly; amid the envious looks of others, he not only added the elders on WeChat but also exchanged a few words.

The middle-aged man in the Daoist robe was none other than Zhang Tianshu, a member of the Mysterious Gate Association, known as Zhang Tianshi, of mid-to-high standing; the others at the table were his secular family members.

After joining the Mysterious Gate Association, he served only some high officials and nobles; even his elder brother, who is the company chairman, must show him respect.

Because they are no longer on the same level, the methods of the Mysterious Gate Association are such that ordinary people don't even have the qualification to know about them.

After the meal, Zhang Tianshu returned to his room, opened a link on the latest model fruit phone, and the image that appeared instantly gripped his entire attention.

Wind-Water Turtle!

It was also a turtle that had grown complete divination markings; the so-called divination markings are new patterns that grow on the turtle's back besides its original patterns.

Ancient metaphysics seniors often used turtle shells for divining fortune and misfortune; they had extremely high standards for turtles—only spiritually endowed turtles grow divination markings on their backs, and the more beautiful and complete the markings, the greater the bonus to divination.

Looking at its size, Zhang Tianshu was delighted beyond expectation; it was hardly the so-called expert-estimated hundred years old—clearly several hundred years old, such an ancient turtle being exceedingly rare.

He greedily stared at the Wind-Water Turtle on the screen, admiring its beautiful, perfect shell—wasn't that exactly the perfect magical implement he urgently needed?

Zhang Tianshu could imagine that after refining the turtle shell, his strength would surely rise to a higher level!

Zhang Tianshu's breathing quickened, his heart racing with excitement, like a wolf starved for ten days and ten nights eyeing fresh, juicy meat, baring its snow-white fangs.

He delayed no longer, directly ordering his subordinates to locate the great turtle, his fingers slowly rubbing the shell on the screen, his eyes gleaming with covetousness.

"Ah-choo!"

Inside the pet consultation shop.

Ling Yue lightly sneezed, tossed the tissue, and wondered in her heart whether she had really caught a cold from yesterday's wind.

That shouldn't be the case.

With her cultivation, even if she were thrown into Antarctica in summer garb, she could still survive just fine. Ling Yue was more inclined to think someone was thinking of her, though she didn't know whether it was friend or foe.

Ling Yue rose, stretched lazily, and the earlier consultants had mostly left.

"Today's ten consultation slots are finished; everyone, please come early tomorrow."

Not long after Ling Yue finished speaking, the wind chime hanging before the door suddenly rang, ding-dong-dong, very pleasant.

Had a customer come in?

Ling Yue couldn't help but lift her gaze toward the doorway, where a little black-black kitten was crouching at the edge.

Its eyes were large, like a pool of blue seawater; its short fur was fluffy and soft, unlike Ling Yue's home Mysterious Cat Queen—though both are Mysterious Cats, this one seemed to have retained its baby fat, chubby, like a black, soft, glutinous rice ball.

It was also very polite, like a little gentleman; despite being only just over a year old, it looked all the more adorable.

At that moment, it timidly crouched at the doorway, tail covering its paws, looking left and right; the cat was very perceptive, and upon seeing Ling Yue look over, it politely asked: "May I ask, is this the legendary pet consultation shop?"

Upon hearing that, Ling Yue couldn't help but raise her eyebrows, then looked at the kitten and suddenly sucked in a breath of cold air—there was a big problem!

On a bright, clear day, this little kitten actually had no shadow.

In other words, it was a ghost.

Ling Yue's heart jumped; she had basically never seen a small animal turn into a ghost. Because not just any person or animal can become a ghost and retain a soul in the human world.

They either have strong obsessions or soaring resentment and hatred; such cases are rare, whereas most people and animals simply die quietly and quietly enter reincarnation.

But think about it—if every person and animal could become a monster after death, wouldn't this world be in chaos?

Ling Yue thought, sighed, and saw in this well-behaved little black cat a deep obsession; thus, instead of closing the shop as she had intended, she sat back down.

Ling Yue looked around; fortunately, at that moment there was no longer a crowd of onlookers.

She lightly tapped her knuckles on the tabletop, the solid knocking sound mixing with her voice: "Don't loiter at the doorway, come in."

The kitten lightly passed through the glass door, leapt up, and jumped onto the table in front of Ling Yue; after the kitten got up, it suddenly staggered a bit, and in front of Ling Yue, its little head swayed half a circle.

It really swayed half a circle, a 180-degree rotation; if it were on a person, it would definitely be a horrifying sight, and even on a super cute cat, it's still quite frightening.

At least, Ling Yue felt a chill in her little finger.

Only upon close observation of the kitten did Ling Yue discover that its spirit form bore many frightening scars.

On the kitten's solid spirit form, parts are always insubstantial—for instance, the front half of its right paw, or its perpetually semi‑transparent little ear, or a finger‑long stretch behind its tail; the most deadly is likely the wound on its neck, making it look like a strange patchwork cat.

Ling Yue's eye sockets felt sore; she was all too familiar with such small animals, having seen many in her clinical surgeries, usually the result of human harm.

And a head turning that far can only mean one thing.

In life, someone had violently twisted its neck until it broke.

Ling Yue drew a deep breath, held back her tears, and gently inquired: 'May I ask what you need advice on?'

The little black cat, knowing its head was the problem, lay on the table and eagerly told her: 'I want to find my owner, but I can't find the way home.'

It tilted its head: 'I searched for a long time before finding you here; I heard my owner and other ghosts say you're exceptionally capable—can you help me find my owner?'

Ling Yue's breath hitched; humans knowing her wasn't surprising—after all, each livestream draws over a hundred million fans—but ghosts… could it be… that her reputation has already spread among them?

She helplessly pressed her forehead, having not answered, the little black cat misunderstood.

It looked at Ling Yue, eyes welling with anxiety: 'I know you charge a consultation fee—don't worry, I have none, but my owner does! She'll surely pay for me, so…'

The kitten pressed its paws together, its big, watery eyes blinking, then its head suddenly turned again.

Ling Yue's outstretched hand froze mid‑air; after a moment she spoke: 'So you want to run up a tab first, right?'

The little black cat nodded: 'Yep~'

Ling Yue: 'All right. But before that, let me check your head—constantly falling off must be exhausting, right?'

The little black cat: 'Thank you, you're really a good person.'

Ling Yue stroked the little head she was holding steady: 'You're also a cute, well‑mannered little kitty.'

The kitten blinked, then drooped its head in disappointment: 'But why would anyone want to hurt me? Am I not cute enough? Not clingy enough?'

In an instant, Ling Yue saw the strong smell of blood on it and a chilling ghostly aura bursting outward.

'Bubbles!'

She was only half right; this kitten can survive as a spirit in the world not only because of its obsession, but also because it carries a ghostly aura so dense it's almost substantive.

It must have killed someone and seen blood.

Ling Yue's face grew grave; although she could easily annihilate it with a backhand, she did nothing, gently gazing at the fur‑puffed kitten: 'Bubbles, relax, relax—no one can hurt you anymore.'

The little black cat Bubbles stared fixedly at her: 'Really?'

Ling Yue looked at it and nodded firmly.

The little black cat Bubbles broke into a smile: 'Right, I know that bad person won't hurt Bubbles again, nor any other small creature!'

Ling Yue's heart suddenly soured; even from the first sight of Bubbles, she had guessed that only humans could reduce it to this state.

She stroked the kitten's soft head; its former disguise, under Ling Yue's touch, melted like snow in sunlight. Seeing its astonished gaze, Ling Yue laughed.

Bubbles the kitten lifted its maimed paw, clung to her wrist, and burst into tears: 'Waa waa waa, Bubbles hurts, Bubbles hurts so much.'

Ling Yue's nose tingled, almost making her shed tears in embarrassment; she gently comforted the kitten in her arms, and from its halting recount learned the whole story.

When Bubbles was one month old, it left its mother and went to its owner's home; frightened, it hid under the bed for days, causing the owner to think it had died and prepare to move the bed to look for the cat.

This slow‑witted little fellow, Bubbles, instead came out swaggering like an old gentleman, ate the little milk cakes in the bowl its owner had prepared, and proudly told the owner it had adjusted to the new environment.

The owner is a freelancer; recalling this, Bubbles tilted its head: 'I heard people call the owner a streamer!'

'She talks and chats in front of a big screen every day, laughs most of the time, sometimes gets angry—she really seems super weird!'

'Like a fire‑breathing giant dinosaur, aooo~'

It imitated so vividly that Ling Yue almost laughed out loud; she guessed Bubbles' owner must be a super energetic, outgoing girl.

Bubbles' owner had only Bubbles the cat, pampering it like a little prince; and Bubbles, thanks to its adorably clueless look, attracted a batch of 'cloud parents'.

Bubbles often saw its owner fly into a rage, clutching it while arguing with others: 'What rainbow sack? Our Bubbles loves me most—it won't go with you guys!'

Whenever this happened, Bubbles would be smothered by its owner's enthusiastic sniffing—it's just a six‑month‑old kitten, after all—this shouldn't be happening!

Although Bubbles is a house‑pet cat, its courage is unexpectedly large—perhaps because it's slow‑witted—so the owner sometimes takes it downstairs for a walk; even though the owner's excessive cat‑sniffing can be annoying, Bubbles usually thinks the owner is awesome!

Because whenever she goes out for a short while, she returns with a huge haul of food enough to feed Bubbles for ten days or half a month—the owner is Bubbles' idol, whom it constantly strives to emulate!

Not long after, Bubbles and its owner left their old place for a rented new home; Bubbles followed the owner, also outgoing and cheerful, never able to sit still.

So, once the owner settled down, Bubbles began to limber up, preparing to broaden its feline social circle, starting with the little flower kitten downstairs.

Bubbles' owner is very kind, daily carrying a bunch of cat food and grabbing a handful whenever they see a furry kid, so when returning home they often carry the scent of other cats.

Bubbles is big‑hearted, not the slightest bit jealous—rather, it's delighted, for through scent it can play with other cats; thus, before long, all the kittens in the complex, whether house‑pet or stray, knew that a new cat with an exceptionally good temperament had moved into the building.

Bubbles' social life is far broader than that of its owner, who stays home all day!

It gets along best with Xiao Huami. Xiao Huami is a lovable, demure little female Sanhua cat; though a stray, it is very fond of humans, and a resident is already preparing to adopt it.

As a slow‑witted little kitten, it didn't yet understand that this was affection, but whenever another cat tried to bully Xiao Huami, Bubbles was sure to be the first to step forward! Once, to keep Xiao Huami from being bullied, it ended up with a few scratches; the owner only noticed at night because bloodstains clung to its rumpled little blanket.

After that, even the owner joked, 'Truly, an outgoing guy forgets his mother once he has a wife.'

While Bubbles was licking Xiao Huami's fur, it didn't grasp the joke, but it knew it really liked Xiao Huami.

Every time the owner opened the door, Bubbles would rush off to play with Xiao Huami; once, Bubbles ran so fast it broke free of its leash, making the owner shake his head and sprint after it.

As an agile little kitten, Bubbles was much faster than her, yet in the spot where they played, it saw Xiao Huami lying on the ground.

It remained motionless, its round eyes fixed on the blue sky, as Bubbles ran over: 'Xiao Huami? Xiao Huami, what's wrong?'

It had heard the owner say that Xiao Huami would be formally adopted today, so it would no longer have to go hungry and could have a home of its own.

Being a slow‑witted cat, Bubbles didn't notice the closing net behind it; Xiao Huami, still holding a breath, shoved it aside: 'Bubbles, run! There's a bad person!'

Bubbles let out a shout, but it was too late—it saw a fierce‑looking man staring at it: 'Finally I've caught you!'

Hehe, Mengmeng streamer's little Paopao……hiss!

When the man was concentrating on reeling in the net, he didn't notice; Xiao Huami, holding its breath, bit his wrist, and he angrily flung Xiao Huami away; the soft, quiet Xiao Huami lay on the ground tiles, how hard, how hard it was there.

Paopao saw its last face; Xiao Huami lay on the ground, mouth and nose, bleeding out lots and lots of blood.

It let out a heart‑rending scream, and the bad person covered its mouth.

After that, it forever left its owner.

When talking about the days of abuse, Paopao still reflexively shrinks its body, curling into a ball: "It hurts……it hurts so……"

It curled up in Ling Yue's palm: "I've never seen him; Paopao has never seen him; why Paopao, he said Paopao's owner doesn't know the times, so he cut off Paopao's tail……he said Paopao is useless, so Paopao's paws are gone, Paopao is so scared, in the dark room, Paopao can't get out, nor can it find its owner……"

Ling Yue felt as if her heart were being twisted by a knife, not wanting to let it continue: "Paopao, I'll take you to find your owner; let's not say any more, okay?"

The little cat shook its head: "No problem, even if he finally twisted Paopao's neck, Paopao ultimately killed him!"

"Paopao ate his soul, so he can't harm other little cats anymore; Paopao has avenged Xiao Huami!"

Its voice was so joyful, as if it had returned to the carefree days of the beginning.

Ling Yue heard her five viscera and six bowels emit painful wails; she hadn't experienced those, yet it felt as if she had personally gone through them, these being merely simple textual descriptions.

Ling Yue finally understood where its resentment came from.

The little cat Paopao meowed a few times: "What's wrong with you?"

"Your eyes are so red, are you crying?"

It panickedly apologized: "Did Paopao scare you? Sorry, Paopao didn't mean to."

Ling Yue shook her head; how could that be, she hadn't even had time to feel heartache.

According to Paopao's description, Ling Yue took it to search the surrounding residential areas.

The little black cat Paopao perched on her shoulder; when passing a utility pole, she would also glance at the lost‑cat notices posted there—this was Ling Yue's experience, not just utility poles but also the local city's online forums.

She kept her head down, continuously searching keywords; suddenly, the little black cat Paopao spoke: "Watch out ahead, you're about to bump into something!"

Ling Yue had intended to turn and pause her steps, lift her gaze, and saw the color‑printed picture pasted on this smooth utility pole; after rainwater erosion, it had begun to fade, but Ling Yue saw it: that blurry little black cat on it, its eyes were blue.

The Paopao on her shoulder also had a pair of sea‑blue large eyes.

Ling Yue barely made out the words below: "My beloved cat Paopao, a one‑year‑old male cat, went missing on October 20; if seen, please call 185xxxxxxxx; I will surely offer a generous reward."

It matched.

Ling Yue didn't know how to describe her feelings; after dialing, she only then noticed her palm was sweaty, and finally the call connected: "Hello."

"I encountered a little cat, also named Paopao, a black, chubby little male cat——"

On the other end of the line was a young girl's voice; hearing her words, she was more wary than happy: "Really? Don't lie to me. Where did you find my Paopao?"

Ling Yue somewhat understood the owner's wariness; from the first sentence she guessed the Paopao owner had been deceived before.

She patiently explained the situation; the other party hesitated and told her: "How about we set a meeting place? You must not deceive me."

Ling Yue: "Anything is fine, but……the situation might not be as good as you imagine."

She said while looking at the little cat almost pressed against her ear: "If possible, could we meet in your residential area?"

The other party instantly became wary, but the next moment, hearing Ling Yue's explanation: "How about the pavilion beside the flowerbed where your Paopao often plays? Would that work?"

After a long silence on the other end, the Paopao owner finally said: "Okay, I'll tell you the address."

Half an hour later, Ling Yue arrived at the agreed address; following Paopao's guidance, she found the small pavilion and saw the Paopao owner already waiting there for a long time.

Upon hearing the sound, she turned overjoyed: "Paopao?"

After seeing clearly, that bright face full of doubt: "You are——Ling Yue?"

As fellow streamers on the Huwhale platform, Mengmeng had long heard Ling Yue's name like thunder, and she was a longtime lurking fan in Ling Yue's live stream.

Normally, if she suddenly saw Ling Yue, she would surely be happy, but now she had no joy at all, instead anxiously looking at Ling Yue: "You, you are the one who found Paopao?"

She suddenly realized: "I know, it was Paopao who actively found you, right? Where is my Paopao, streamer? Where did you hide it?"

"Paopao? Paopao? Mommy's here, come out quickly, Mommy just bought lots of cat sticks and canned food, all your favorite flavors!" she said, eyes crinkling.

She just knew that her family's Paopao was the smartest little cat.

Ling Yue watched her excited expression and let out a soft sigh.

The little black cat Paopao that had been lying on her shoulder lightly jumped onto the stone table, just as before, raising its head to look at its owner and meowing in response.

But she could no longer hear it.

Only after Mengmeng finished a series of actions did she realize how neurotic her behavior looked.

But she was about to find Paopao.

Mengmeng thought Paopao was still playing hide‑and‑seek with her; she helplessly looked at Ling Yue: "Streamer, I beg you, stop teasing me, quickly call Paopao out—I'm about to die missing it!"

As she spoke, her eyes shimmered with hope, like brilliant starlight.

Ling Yue quietly looked at her: "It has already come.",,