Chapter 398: The Cat Party and the Dog Party

"Time flies, doesn't it?" the old woman said, a flash of mischief in the corners of her eyes, like an old urchin who had lived through the ages yet could still find amusement in them. "We are all people standing on the platform; the trains come and go, and it isn't easy to meet."

Her hair was still thick and dense, coiled at the back of her head, with a jade hair ornament pinned into the bun that echoed the green robe she wore. Luo Qi could see the hair ornament was in the shape of a Hongshan jade-carved dragon; its style was archaic, like a pool of solidified clear spring water, harboring a latent, subtle energy. In other words, it was an old thing, perhaps hiding the secrets of her entire life.

Du Zhengyi stood up beside him and greeted her politely. Luo Qi sensed Du Zhengyi's emotions; amidst his composure, a sliver of active Yajian was diligently calculating everything. The old woman walked toward him, looking at him affectionately as if looking at her own grandson, opening her wide sleeves and extending her upper arms to give the tall young man a hug.

Luo Qi observed with great curiosity, watching Du Zhengyi with keen interest. He was actually not repelled by the old woman's affection for him, which was quite rare, and he even did it naturally and openly, without the slightest awkwardness.

The old woman's hand, adorned with a jade ring, patted Du Zhengyi on the back. "Child, how has your health been lately?"

After they separated, she scrutinized Du Zhengyi carefully once more. "Good child, it really makes one sad; by rights, it should be you asking after someone of my age."

Du Zhengyi smiled magnanimously. "I am doing very well. I didn't see you at the Grass Market last time and thought I had missed you; I probably wouldn't have had time to say goodbye before you boarded the ship."

The old woman, addressed as Shi Xiansheng, laughed as if suddenly realizing something. "It seems you don't know yet that I have already declined the Ship Ticket."

A string of surprise flashed through Du Zhengyi's emotions, along with some regret, but Luo Qi sensed that he restrained his curiosity and did not pry into the old woman's secret.

"Everyone has their own choices." Shi Xiansheng said with a smile on her face, rambling on. "I am greedy for this world, and I cannot leave my business behind. I plan to work until the very last moment, especially after hiring your old captain; I feel even more that this plan of mine is a good one."

"I've known you for so many years, yet I never knew you were a workaholic," Du Zhengyi said with a smile.

"Child, how long have you even known me? When I was young, I went to work every single day..." the old woman said earnestly.

Luo Qi couldn't help but laugh, attracting the old woman's attention. She looked at him with the same gaze of affection one would give a grandson. She merely glanced at him, yet Luo Qi felt a deep sense of doting and pride. It was as if she had showered him with endless praise and patted him on the head.

"Hello, Nainai," Luo Qi said subconsciously. "My legs aren't good, so I can't stand up; please don't mind."

"Then let's just sit down together," the old woman said generously, gesturing for Du Zhengyi to stay in his original seat without needing to yield it. She sat opposite Luo Qi, picking up a somewhat unclean empty wine glass without a second thought; the beer in her glass automatically began to foam.

"This winter has been truly too cold and too long," the old woman began, her spirit excellent, her speech crisp yet gentle. "My dog, that French Bulldog, you know the one—you even helped me look after it for a while."

Watching Du Zhengyi nod, Luo Qi's curiosity was piqued to the maximum; Du Zhengyi actually resembled a grandson to the mastermind behind the Black Market. After all, he really couldn't think of anyone else in this world, besides himself, who would dare trouble Du Zhengyi to pet-sit. Even he, Luo Qiqi, could only trouble Du Zhengyi to help bathe his cat, and that was only because his own skin was incredibly thick; the gang leader before him didn't seem as shameless as he was!

"It's too old, and it fractured a bone during the winter. I couldn't leave it to board the ship, and besides me, where else in the present world is there a good Doctor?" She added to Luo Qi at this point, "I used to be a veterinarian, big grandson."

"What?" Luo Qi said. "Mages can choose to be veterinarians?"

"That was a long time ago. Back then I was young, very rebellious, and didn't want to inherit the family business," the old woman said nonchalantly. "I left home, crossed the ocean, and went to a human community in a foreign land to be a veterinarian, mainly treating military and police dogs. Come to think of it, you smell like a cat, big grandson; have you never thought about pursuing a different career?"

"I want to open a pet shop," Luo Qi said immediately, fearing he would lose points in the 'cool' department. Du Zhengyi's intense emotions drifted over again, and Luo Qi identified the target of Du Zhengyi's emotions—Du Zhengyi thought he was an idiot.

He realized it and felt he was indeed a bit stupid. For a moment, he had completely forgotten who the old woman sitting across from him was; she was the head of a powerful faction, wielding influence that even the Qionglin could not swallow.

"No wonder you were so rowdy in my pet shop," the old woman said gently. "You even stole one of our cats."

Luo Qi froze; he had almost forgotten it all, forgotten how his new pet had come to be.

"Don't worry," the old woman said immediately. "Du Zhengyi paid for it for you; the favor I owe him is enough for you to cause trouble on our street one more time."

Luo Qi knew his face must be red.

"I cannot directly cancel the underworld order they have out for Du Zhengyi; you can probably understand that rules are rules," Shi Xiansheng said with a smile, as if very satisfied with that memory.

"I was a bit childish at the time," Luo Qi admitted reluctantly.

"Driven by hormones; everyone has a time like that," the old woman said knowingly, helping Luo Qi off the hook, then rambling on again. "Because of Chestnut—that's my French Bulldog—I was hesitant and didn't want to board the ship. You might not believe it if I told you, but that's how it is when one gets old; naggy and reluctant to let go of anything."

Luo Qi's emotions relaxed, and he listened patiently to Du Zhengyi's elderly friend chat, feeling as if he were a guest at a friend's house and had run into their grandmother.

Just as he relaxed once more, the old woman continued, "Fortunately, I delayed. Before the lingering winter was over, I heard something. They said an unprecedented Mind Archmage had appeared, calling himself the Great Civet Cat King. He was like a Nezha popping out, stirring things into a dark, chaotic mess in the blink of an eye. In our world of Mages, whenever a Mind Mage of such magnitude appears, a new era is bound to descend, let alone when it's a Nezha who has appeared this time? So, I made up my mind completely, returned the Ship Ticket, and decided I must see this rare event through to the end."

Luo Qi was tensed up again. After a long while, Luo Qi said, "Nainai, logically speaking, you're in the dog camp; our cat camp's business shouldn't be of interest to you..."