Seeing the City God emerge so quickly, Su Qing naturally knew that she had left quite a psychological shadow on him last time.
He was now terrified of her taking the initiative to greet him.
To this, Su Qing only gave a chuckle and said, "You overstate it, City God... it was I who intruded abruptly."
Facing someone as polite as Su Qing, the City God actually felt quite a bit of pressure.
Fortunately, after several interactions, he had grown accustomed to it.
He exhaled a long breath and said, "Well then, Sovereign, let us go to the backyard to talk! This is not a place for idle chatter."
Su Qing nodded and did not refuse.
The two arrived in the backyard.
The City God poured two cups of clear tea and then inquired, "For the Sovereign to suddenly visit this old man, is there something you need me to do?"
The City God knew Su Qing was not the type to visit without a reason, so he asked straightforwardly.
Su Qing nodded and said, "Coming to find the City God naturally means there is business..."
"Please speak freely, Sovereign. As long as it is within this old man's power, I will certainly not shirk my duty," the City God said seriously.
Su Qing chuckled and said, "It is not that serious... actually, I just wanted to tell you that a demon has appeared outside the city. When you have time, send someone to handle it. That demon has likely lost control of its animalistic desires, as it injured someone today... whether you eliminate it or subdue it is up to you."
The City God was stunned for a moment and said, "A demon injuring people has appeared outside the city? This... this old man is only just hearing of it. Rest assured, leave this matter to me! This is part of my duty, after all."
The City God was equivalent to a county magistrate; there were many things he needed to manage.
To a certain extent, the City God's side even handled the guidance of the souls of the deceased.
So his scope of work was quite large.
Su Qing said, "Mhm, then I'll trouble the City God..."
"No trouble, no trouble, it's my duty... rather, I must thank the Sovereign for personally coming to inform me," the City God said with a smile.
In his heart, however, he was somewhat puzzled.
After all, if it were just a matter of a single demon, it shouldn't have required Su Qing to make a trip personally.
With Su Qing's abilities, let alone a minor demon like that, even he, the City God, was no match for her.
Dealing with that minor demon would be as simple as a wave of her hand.
"However, there is one thing this old man does not understand... the Sovereign surely did not come solely for this one matter?" After a moment of silence, the City God decided to ask directly.
Hearing this, Su Qing nodded slightly and said, "Indeed, I did not come only for this... there is another matter I care more about that I'd like to ask you about."
The City God thought to himself 'as expected,' then said with a smile, "Please ask, Sovereign. This old man will certainly not dare to hide anything I know!"
Su Qing said with a smile, "Actually, it is just about a minor deity outside the city."
"A minor deity? Could it be that this deity did something to displease the Sovereign?"
"Naturally not, I am just curious about it." Su Qing rubbed her chin, thought for a moment, and then said, "Does the City God know a Cat Immortal who calls itself the Black Mysterious Great General? According to it, it is a minor immortal supported by the spontaneous offerings of the people?"
The City God was slightly stunned upon hearing this. After thinking for a good while, he spoke: "I do know of that minor immortal... I sent people to contact it before. That minor immortal doesn't actually have its own temple; it just occupied the temple of a cult deity I eliminated previously."
"Oh? Tell me more in detail?" Su Qing asked, her interest piqued.
"This isn't really a secret..."
The City God chose his words and said:
"It was about ten years ago, perhaps? A temple for a cult suddenly appeared outside the city, and an unknown cult deity was worshipped inside... later, Underworld soldiers discovered them, so I sent people to wipe them out and drive away the cult deity. However, the temple building was left behind..."
"Then about a few years ago—perhaps a year or two before you arrived, Sovereign—my patrolling Underworld soldiers discovered that the cult temple had Incense Power again."
"So I ordered a careful investigation."
"Only then did I discover that a small black cat that had recently developed spiritual intelligence had moved into that cult temple and was now using the people's Incense Power to cultivate..."
"Normally, according to the rules, such a minor deity without the recognition of the Imperial Court or the Heavenly Court should be eliminated as an illicit shrine."
"But I saw that the little black cat had no ill intentions."
"And it also fulfilled the wishes of the people who offered incense."
"So, out of a desire to be kind, I did not deal with the little cat."
"After all, that little black cat did indeed solve the rat problem in several nearby villages... it can be considered to have done quite a few good deeds."
The City God's personality was quite open-minded... toward those minor demons or immortals who truly helped the local people, he was relatively lenient.
Although the rules were rigid, people were flexible.
The Heavenly Court decreed that any illicit shrines found without the investiture of the Heavenly Court or the Imperial Court must be destroyed, but as long as he pretended not to see it, it was fine.
The City God's words made Su Qing fall silent for a short while.
Seeing Su Qing's silence, the City God couldn't help but ask:
"Does the Sovereign intend to have this temple torn down according to the Heavenly Court's rules? If you have such a plan, please spare the little black cat's life. After all, it has done many good deeds."
Su Qing returned to her senses upon hearing this.
She couldn't help but chuckle and say, "You think of me as too rigid... I have no interest in tearing down that temple. I was just reminded of some things from the past..."
"Things from the past?" the City God murmured to himself, then quickly said, "My apologies, I did not mean to pry into the Sovereign's past... I am just curious how the Sovereign plans to handle that little black cat."
Su Qing rubbed her chin and smiled faintly, saying, "Mhm, I haven't decided yet... but I plan to go see that little black cat in the next day or two."
"I see..." The City God also breathed a sigh of relief.
After all, if a minor immortal who sincerely helped the people were to die...
It would be somewhat disheartening.
These minor immortals shared quite a bit of his workload!
Seeing the City God's look of relief, Su Qing couldn't help but chuckle and say, "I didn't expect the City God of Linzhou City to be so open-minded!"
The City God gave a helpless smile and said, "After all, it isn't easy for those demons to make a living... if they can truly help the people, there's no harm in turning a blind eye. However, if it were truly an evil or illicit shrine, this old man would still strike to uproot it."
"That is quite good... having a City God like you is a blessing for this region," Su Qing praised.
"The Sovereign overpraises me." The City God shook his head and said, "I have merely done a few small things..."
Su Qing said no more, only stating, "Very well, that is all I wanted to ask... I will not continue to disturb you."
"Safe travels, Sovereign!" Since Su Qing wanted to leave, the City God naturally wouldn't stop her.
After all, no matter how easy Su Qing was to talk to,
Spending time with such a powerful person
Was still very exhausting.
Not to mention she was someone of higher rank than himself...
The pressure was simply too great.
After leaving the City God Temple, Su Qing did not go directly back to the medical clinic.
Instead, she took a turn and headed out of the city.
Being away from the clinic for half a day wasn't a big problem...
If there were patients that Ao Yiyi and Hu Lin'er couldn't handle, they could wait for her to treat them after she returned.
However, she couldn't stay away for too long.
Before long,
Su Qing had walked out of Linzhou City.
Although she didn't know exactly where the temple was, it wasn't much of a hindrance...
Because she knew where Li Yichou's courtyard was.
Once she reached that place, she could use divination to find the rest.
If nothing else, Su Qing's divination skills were quite excellent.
Arriving at Li Yichou's courtyard,
It indeed looked as if it had undergone a great battle.
The entire house had become a dilapidated structure.
Clearly, it was no longer fit for habitation.
However, Su Qing hadn't come here to see this...
She performed a brief divination here.
Soon, she knew where the Cat Immortal's temple was located.
Su Qing followed the divined path all the way to a small temple at a crossroads.
This small temple was truly not large... the space inside was somewhat cramped.
It was about enough to barely accommodate two people.
However, the inside of the small temple was kept very clean.
And inside the small temple, a stone statue in the shape of a cat was worshipped...
That statue didn't look like it had the demeanor of a Great General at all; it was... actually quite cute.
In front of the statue, it seemed someone had just made an offering.
Three sticks of incense were burning there...
And in the offering tray, there were two small fish.
Seeing this scene, Su Qing suddenly couldn't help but laugh for some reason.
So people offered fish to a cat?
It was quite appropriate, though.
However, Su Qing looked around... and found that the little black cat was not here.
Su Qing rubbed her chin, wondering where the little fellow could be...
After a moment's thought, Su Qing chose the simplest method.
Divination again.
The result of the divination showed that the other party had gone to a commoner's house to catch rats...
"This little fellow... is truly hardworking. No wonder it has quite a bit of Incense Power." Looking at the statue in the temple, Su Qing couldn't help but find it exceptionally interesting.
At the same time, she likely knew under what circumstances the little fellow had encountered Li Yichou and the others.
It was probably while going to a commoner's house to catch rats that it happened to run into them and lent a hand...
Although it was just a guess, based on this... and the fact that it worked hard to help catch rats.
This little fellow was indeed quite good.
"It is indeed a good little fellow. No wonder the City God spared it back then!" Su Qing nodded slightly in her heart, gaining a new understanding of this little cat.
One had to admit...
If she had encountered such a little cat, she probably wouldn't have raised a hand against it either.
After all, it was a little fellow that could truly benefit the people.
However, although she had confirmed the little black cat's situation, Su Qing still planned to see the little fellow.
"It's just that the name Black Mysterious Great General is quite funny. This little fellow's naming skills are truly terrible..." Su Qing thought, letting out a light laugh and talking to herself.
With that in mind, Su Qing stood in the temple, waiting for the little black cat to return...
She didn't find it boring.
After all, her other side was also quite busy... busy shopping and preparing to watch the play.
Su Qing didn't wait long.
In about the time it takes for a stick of incense to burn,
Su Qing heard a rustling sound from outside the small temple.
Su Qing returned to her senses, the corners of her mouth curling up slightly. She silently performed an invisibility spell and hid to the side, intending to catch the little black cat off guard.
Her invisibility spell was not something a mere little black cat could see through.
Even if she stood right there.
After Su Qing turned invisible,
A little black cat with its tail held high and proud walked slowly into the temple with a feline gait... looking at it, there really was a bit of the 'Great General' flavor.
The little black cat didn't have a single stray hair of another color; it looked entirely like a piece of walking charcoal, but under the reflection of the sunlight, it showed a slight hint of red.
Truly a fine mystic black cat!
No wonder it was so good at catching rats.
The little black cat walked into the temple, sniffed, and a look of doubt flashed in its cat eyes as it thought:
"Strange, I clearly smelled a human scent here, so why did it disappear after I came in? Could it be that my nose isn't working well?"
It looked around and still saw no one; even the original scent had faded significantly.
"Did I really smell it wrong?" The little black cat sat there, scratching its chin with its paw, thinking: "Forget it... if I can't find them, I won't look."
Thinking this, the little black cat jumped onto the offering table, picked up a small fish in its mouth, and began to eat with a look of enjoyment.
Beside it, Su Qing was also observing this little cat.
She discovered that this little cat didn't seem to understand the way of Incense Power at all...
Although it had some scent of Incense Power on it, it was actually quite faint. It seemed it had never actively absorbed that Incense Power for its own use, but merely absorbed it passively.
For a moment, Su Qing found it interesting...
Since this cat didn't understand the way of Incense Power,
Then why was it acting as some kind of Cat Immortal here?
And working so hard to help people catch rats?
Could this fellow know nothing... and just be here being a Cat Immortal?
Thinking this, Su Qing couldn't help but find it quite amusing for a moment.
There might really be such simple and funny beings in the world.
However, perhaps it was precisely because of this little fellow's simplicity, combined with the City God's open-mindedness, that it had been able to live until now.
"I must say, this little fellow is truly lucky!" Su Qing thought to herself with amusement.
After briefly observing the little fellow,
Su Qing didn't plan to keep hiding.
She dispelled the invisibility spell, grabbed the little black cat by the scruff of its neck, and lifted it up.
At this moment, the little black cat was somewhat dazed.
It had just taken the delicious fish into its mouth when it was suddenly in mid-air, with all four paws off the ground.
It had no idea what had happened.
Or when the person behind it had appeared.
But this didn't stop the little black cat from feeling very annoyed. It extended its claws, wanting to turn around and scratch the person who had lifted it up.
No matter what, it wanted to get back on the ground first.
However, although the little black cat was exceptionally agile, it was still far behind Su Qing...
Its claws simply couldn't touch Su Qing no matter what.
It could only flail about blindly.
"Little fellow, don't waste your energy. With your meager cultivation, you still want to resist?" Su Qing said, putting on a cold and indifferent act.
Hearing Su Qing's words, the black cat also knew that Su Qing knew it was a demon. It snorted and said via Sound Transmission, "Who are you? Why did you suddenly grab me? I haven't done anything bad!"
Su Qing chuckled and said, "Do you know that without the permission of the Imperial Court and the Heavenly Court, mountain spirits and monsters who privately absorb Incense Power are defined as illicit shrines? In other words, you are now considered a serious criminal in the eyes of the Heavenly Court!"
Hearing this, the black cat immediately said with dissatisfaction, "This General didn't ask those people to burn incense for me... I only went to catch rats for them because they fed me fish!"
"But don't you call yourself a Cat Immortal?" Su Qing looked at it with a smile and said, "How are you going to argue your way out of that?"
"I'm not arguing! It's just that everyone calls me that, so I use that name." The black cat let out a 'meow' and then spoke.
"Oh? So you're saying I've misunderstood you?"
"It's good that you know~" the black cat said. "This General relies on catching rats in exchange for fish to eat; that is this General's own ability."
"General? A little shrimp like you calls yourself a General?" Su Qing couldn't help but laugh.
"What do you mean 'calls myself'? This is the title everyone gave me!" The black cat meowed and said, "Hurry up and put this General down! This General is going to get angry!"
Listening to the little fellow's words, Su Qing felt as if she were talking to a somewhat willful child...
There was quite a bit of déjà vu.
Because this fellow was very much like Red Boy when she was little.
Both were so amusing.
"Then if I put you down, you're not allowed to run around!" Su Qing said calmly. "Additionally, you have to let me pet you."
"If I won't run, I won't run. But why do you people always like to pet me?"
"Maybe because you're cute?"
"This General is not cute! This General is very powerful, very majestic."
"Is that so? You don't look majestic at all."
"I am majestic! When rats see me, they have to hide."
"You're a cat, and rats are rats. What rat wouldn't hide when it sees a cat?"
"That is also because of this General's power!"
"That's just a sophistry."
"It is not! Also, hurry up and put this General down."
Su Qing laughed twice and put the little cat down.
Although it called itself a Great General, in Su Qing's eyes, it was just a somewhat funny little cat with a child's mindset.
The black cat landed on the ground and shook its fur, making the fur that Su Qing had messed up a bit more comfortable.
The little black cat had no schemes. After Su Qing put it down, it didn't take the opportunity to run away.
Because for the little black cat, it was the 'Black Mysterious Great General' and the 'Rats' Nightmare'; how could it run away!
Besides, the little black cat wasn't afraid of Su Qing.
It didn't sense any dangerous aura from Su Qing.
Naturally, it wasn't afraid of her.
The black cat believed its own feelings...
Just as it chose to help people catch rats.
It believed its feelings were correct.
The black cat looked up at the squatting Su Qing and said, "Hmph, go ahead and pet me! This General doesn't usually let others pet me. Today is your lucky day!"
"Oh? If you say so." Su Qing chuckled, thinking this little fellow was truly easy to coax.
Suddenly, an idea occurred to Su Qing.
Wouldn't it be more interesting to abduct this kind of silly cat and raise it at home?
After all, even a demon cat is still a cat!
Stupid, silly, and cute—it could definitely be kept for fun.
"Although there are already a few Little Sparrows at home, keeping a cat isn't impossible! Oh, right, maybe I can even have the little cat force them to exercise! Even if they don't lose weight, moving more will help them fly faster in the future!"
Su Qing was very good at convincing herself, and in a short while, she had completely talked herself into it.
And now that she had a plan,
She naturally had to put it into action.
Su Qing reached out and petted the little black cat's head a few times...
The texture was quite good.
Although this little cat could be considered a stray, cats are naturally clean animals, so it wasn't dirty, and its fur was exceptionally nice.
After a moment of appreciation, Su Qing spoke: "However, even if you let me pet you, I still have to tell you that you probably won't be able to stay here much longer."
"Ah? Why?" The little black cat looked confused, clearly not understanding why it couldn't stay here anymore.
"Didn't I tell you? You aren't currently an immortal recognized by the Heavenly Court or the Imperial Court, so you can't be an immortal here! If you insist on continuing like this, the Heavenly Court will send people to wipe you out in the future," Su Qing said seriously, sounding as if it were the truth.
Although what she said was technically correct... it was just that the details were quite different from how Su Qing described them.
"But I'm clearly not an immortal?"
"But the Heavenly Court thinks you are an immortal, and the surrounding people also think you are an immortal, even willing to give you Incense Power and offerings, so you are an immortal."
"If I don't eat these offerings and don't take that Incense Power, can I stay here without having to leave?"
"No, the Heavenly Court has already set its sights on you. So even if you don't eat the Incense Power or offerings now, you will still be punished."
"What happens if I'm punished?"
Su Qing stroked the little cat's head and said pityingly, "You will die."
"What is 'dying' like?"
"Just like those rats you eat."
"I don't want to die." The little black cat shook its head and said, "Then what should I do?"
"Leave this place and come with me!"
"If I go with you, the Heavenly Court won't kill me?"
"That's right, because then you will be my person, and the Heavenly Court will give me face," Su Qing said with a nod and a smile.
Su Qing had no experience in abducting silly little kittens.
But unfortunately, the kitten was too stupid.
So even with random nonsense, she could still lead it away.
"Is your face very big?" the little black cat asked, looking at Su Qing.
"Very big."
"How big?"
"Bigger than the City God!"
"So powerful."
"Naturally."
"But not as powerful as the Black Mysterious Great General!"
"Yes, yes, you are the most powerful," Su Qing said perfunctorily. "So, are you going to come with me?"
"I'll go with you... but can I finish this fish and then catch the rat in the house of the person who gave me the fish before I go?" the little black cat said.
For the little black cat, eating fish here meant catching rats for them.
So it couldn't break its word.
This concerned the prestige of the Black Mysterious Great General!
Hearing this, Su Qing gave a faint smile and said, "You won't run away, will you?"
"A General never deserts in the face of the enemy!" Hearing Su Qing's suspicious words, the little black cat immediately held its proud tail high and said.
Su Qing nodded with a smile and said, "In that case, I'll believe you for now! I'll wait for you here; come back after you've finished catching the rat."
"Hmph, hmph, this General will be back very soon." As the little black cat spoke, it finished the small fish in a few bites.
Then it went to catch the rat for the family.
After the little black cat left,
Su Qing leaned against the entrance of the small temple, looking in the direction the cat had gone, her face full of smiles.
"This little thing is truly easy to fool... to be abducted so simply." Su Qing smiled in her heart and couldn't help but think: "But I really didn't expect... after all these years, I would encounter another Cat Immortal, and one that also calls itself a Great General."
Thinking this, Su Qing's smile grew even wider: "But the little Cat Immortal from back then has become the Queen of Women's Kingdom... I wonder what this little fellow will be like in the future?"
Su Qing chuckled. She naturally had no clear idea about the future...
She only thought about living each day well and finally preparing for that Great Tribulation of Heaven and Earth.
"However, if I hadn't gone to that Women's Kingdom and met Bai Yuhe back then, I'd probably have mistaken this little fellow for the one from back then, wouldn't I?"
Now that Su Qing was idle, her thoughts naturally began to wander.
For a moment, she thought of many things.
Time passed quickly.
Before long, the little black cat stepped through the sunlight, walking toward the small temple like a victorious Great General returning from battle, its high-held tail looking like a flag of victory, exceptionally conspicuous.
Clearly, the little black cat had easily caught the rat for that household this time.
"This General said I definitely wouldn't run away!" The little black cat walked up to Su Qing and raised its small head proudly as it spoke.
Su Qing chuckled and leaned down to rub the little fellow's head, and the little black cat closed its eyes with a look of enjoyment.
But soon it spoke again: "Hurry up and stop, no more petting! Is there no end to this!"
Su Qing released the little cat and said, "Well then, are you coming with me?"
"Of course I'm coming with you! This General doesn't want to die." The little black cat said with its tail held high, "It's just that this General is a bit reluctant to leave this place... I've lived here for so long, and there are small fish to eat from time to time."
"Coming with me, there will also be small fish to eat, and many other delicious things as well." Su Qing said with a smile, "It will definitely be better than what you eat here."
"Really? What kind of things?"
"Small fish, dried meat, chicken, duck, pork, and all sorts of other delicacies."
"Really? Can this General eat all of them?"
"Of course it's true! If you follow me, I certainly won't mistreat you."
"Then let's go quickly!" the little black cat immediately said. "I want to eat, I want to eat!"
"Aren't you reluctant to leave this place?"
"This General will come back to see this place in the future," the little black cat stated.
Su Qing couldn't help but find it amusing. She nodded slightly and tried to pick up the little black cat.
However, the little black cat struggled to get out of her hands, saying, "This General doesn't want you to carry me; this General can walk on my own!"
Seeing this, Su Qing didn't force the matter, saying, "The road is quite long, though."
"I'm not afraid! This General has run to very distant places to catch rats!" The little black cat raised its proud head, appearing exceptionally proud of this fact.
Su Qing couldn't help but chuckle, then nodded and said, "Then let's go."
As Su Qing spoke, she walked out of the small temple and headed toward Linzhou City.
And the little black cat followed behind Su Qing, walking with a serious expression.
However, after walking for only a short while, the little black cat lost its patience and began to play as it walked...
One moment pouncing on butterflies, the next chasing birds, and the next diving into the flower bushes by the roadside to roll around.
But even with such rowdiness,
The little fellow always followed Su Qing.
It didn't get lost.
The person and the cat walked like this,
Stepping through the sunset until they finally returned to Linzhou City.
Su Qing brought the little black cat back to the medical clinic together.
When Ao Yiyi saw the little black cat, she was slightly surprised. She could sense the aura of Incense Power on it, but she could also tell that it wasn't an immortal and didn't have the recognition of the Heavenly Court.
After thinking for a moment, she understood the little black cat's identity.
So she couldn't help but say, "Sister Su went out for half a day and brought back this little cat? This is the cat that saved Li Yichou and the others, right?"
Hearing this, Su Qing nodded slightly and said, "That's right, it's that cat!"
"Who is Li Yichou? Also, I am called the Black Mysterious Great General! I am not called 'that cat'." The little black cat jumped onto the counter and spoke to Su Qing and Ao Yiyi via Sound Transmission while licking its fur.
Looking at the little fellow, Ao Yiyi also took a liking to it for a moment, so she reached out to stroke its fur and said, "Sister Su... what name do you plan to give this little fellow?"
"Doesn't it call itself the Black Mysterious Great General?"
"That name doesn't sound good! And it's too long."
"Then let's call it Coal Ball!"
"That's too casual."
"But it looks just like a coal ball."
"...Alright, I'll listen to Sister Su." Ao Yiyi didn't argue with Su Qing; if Su Qing liked to call it that, then so be it.
However, the little black cat said with some dissatisfaction, "Coal Ball isn't as majestic as Black Mysterious Great General! I am called Black Mysterious Great General, not Coal Ball."
"Fine, fine, then in the future you can call yourself the Black Mysterious Great General, and we will call you Coal Ball."
"No!"
"But only then will the people of the Heavenly Court not find out about you."
"Really?"
"I never lie. If I lie to you, I'll be a terrifying Big Green Snake."
"Hmph, fine then! I'll believe you." The little black cat nodded and said, "To think that even this General would have a day where I'm forced to change my name."
"You haven't changed your name; it's just what we call you. You are still the Black Mysterious Great General."
"That's more like it!" The little black cat's mood immediately improved again.
Beside them, Ao Yiyi couldn't help but feel a bit speechless watching this scene.
Sister Su even fooled such a silly little fellow; she was truly a bit too wicked.
Rate on N.U.
