Chapter 16

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Hu Yuanfei still carried a bag in his hand, but this did not hinder his swift running through the snowy ground. His speed was so fast that the footprints he left on the snow were faint and fleeting.

The woman, startled by his sudden dash, instinctively followed after him. She dared not take large strides because the cleared patches had turned into ice, making the footing slippery; running was even more dangerous. Very soon, she lost sight of Hu Yuanfei.

Standing at the crossroads, feeling a bit lost, she looked around anxiously. Just then, a voice came from behind her. “Go left.”

Turning around, she saw a stranger who was carrying a child in one arm and a bag in the other approach her side.

“Let’s go.” Without pausing, Lang Xiao turned left at the corner and walked steadily but resolutely.

The woman followed nervously. “Are you with that man?”

“Yes.”

“Have you seen my cat?”

Lang Xiao shook her head. “No, but I can help you find it.”

The woman was still puzzled about what method they were using and how they could be so certain, but now, any glimmer of hope was something she wanted to grasp, so she stopped asking and silently followed.

They passed two more large intersections; the supermarket was nearly a kilometer away. The woman’s heart grew more uneasy the farther they went, and she hesitated to speak several times.

Ahead lay an unfamiliar residential area, even farther from the woman’s home. She had never imagined her pet cat could wander so far, nor had she posted any missing cat notices in this area.

Lang Xiao looked toward a row of cars parked by the roadside. “We’re here.”

The woman quickly spotted a familiar figure standing beside a car.

Hu Yuanfei was bent over, peering underneath the car. Following the scent, he had tracked it here—the scent stopped beneath this car. It seemed the vehicle had been parked here overnight, its exterior covered thickly with snow.

The woman rushed beside him and asked, “Found it? Is it here?”

She immediately crouched down to look under the car but saw nothing.

“Fa Cai, Fa Cai, are you here? Mommy’s here.”

After calling twice, a very faint meow came from somewhere beneath the car, sounding weak. Yet the woman immediately recognized it as her own cat.

“Fa Cai! Fa Cai, where are you? Come out quickly, don’t be afraid.”

Ignoring the dirty, slushy snow beneath her feet, she pressed down to crawl under the car, but Hu Yuanfei grabbed her arm firmly and pulled her back.

“I’ll go.”

The woman shook her head. “No, my cat is very shy around strangers. If it sees you, it might run away. I should go.”

Hu Yuanfei couldn’t persuade her otherwise. Although he had a more efficient way, he couldn’t use his supernatural power openly in broad daylight. He could only watch as she padded in cautiously, crawling under the car.

Since she had paid, Hu Yuanfei discreetly used a bit of his power to gently restrain the cat.

The woman pulled out a cat treat she had been holding in her bosom and waved it under the car, testing around. Perhaps drawn by the familiar scent, the cat finally peeked out, ravenously devouring the treat, then leapt into the woman’s arms along her hand.

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The woman, ecstatic, climbed out holding the cat.

The cat had been frightened and running wildly since it ran out last night. The storm was fierce; it was cold and hungry, trembling as it searched for warmth. Then it found a just-parked car and, drawn by the warmth, jumped onto the still-warm engine. It had stayed there, but the heat quickly faded. The cat felt colder and colder, curling into a ball with no relief. It tried to call out, but the howling wind drowned out any sound. Few people passed by; there were no stray cats or dogs in sight, so no one found it.

If the owner hadn’t arrived in time, and the car owner had started the engine, the cat might have perished.

The woman knew this well and held the cat, thanking Hu Yuanfei repeatedly with overwhelming gratitude.

Hu Yuanfei had already pulled out his phone, waiting for her to transfer payment, but she kept thanking him without mentioning it. He had to shake the phone.

“Two thousand. Thank you.”

“Oh, okay, okay.” Though it hurt her heart, she promptly paid.

After she left with the cat, Hu Yuanfei cheered, “Money! This is way faster than catching mice. Should we add a pet-finding service to our business? That person just said ‘pet-finding company’; we can do that too!”

The money was indeed easy to earn, so Lang Xiao had no objections.

“I’ll notify the group. We can find not only cats but dogs too.”

Lang Xiao suddenly said, “We can find people as well.”

“Huh, people? That might work, but nowadays humans have so many ways to contact each other. Do they need our help?”

“Maybe they do. Let’s add it.”

“Oh, okay.”

Hu Yuanfei skillfully opened the WeChat group and began editing the announcement.

In recent months, not only had they earned from catching mice, but they had also learned many phone functions, created a WeChat account, and formed a group for customers. Besides calls, they could communicate through the group, which was much more convenient. Customers chatted in the group, and Hu Yuanfei loved reading their conversations. The two spirits found human gossip particularly amusing.

He still couldn’t recognize all the characters. Humans used to write in traditional script, but now simplified characters looked incomplete and difficult to read. They had to relearn them. Typing was still awkward, but recognizing characters was fine, and voice input was smooth.

While they talked, Qing Yao, nestled in Lang Xiao’s arms, struggled to turn around, her gaze drawn to something else.

It was a garbage bin by the roadside with its lid open. Trash from nearby shops was dumped inside. A head poked out of the bin, eyes alertly scanning around.

It was a tabby cat. Its ears stood tall, and its exposed eyes were beautiful—one copper, one green—like two pure jewels sparkling in the light.

Qing Yao stared wide-eyed, seemingly captivated by those eyes, her paw grasping at the air.

The tabby cat noticed her and, startled, quickly withdrew its head back into the bin.

Qing Yao let out a couple of soft mews, trying to move forward, but felt a tug. Lang Xiao patted her back and glanced behind; only passing cars and pedestrians were there, no other beings. Qing Yao turned back to continue talking to Hu Yuanfei.

“Are you done? Let’s grab our things and head home.”

“Don’t rush, almost done.”

Soon, Hu Yuanfei finished sending the message, lifted the bag, and the three walked home. Qing Yao kept her head near the bin. After they had gone some distance, there was movement again. The cat peeked out and, seeing they were gone, leapt swiftly from the bin to the ground, sprinting ahead until it vanished from sight.

Qing Yao’s arm drooped as she murmured softly, “Kitty…”

Lang Xiao glanced back, sensing something. “There’s a trace of spirit energy.”

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Hu Yuanfei immediately looked up. “What spirit energy? Where? Did you see another spirit?”

“No.”

“Oh, that might be mine. I secretly used a bit of power to help catch the cat.”

“It’s not yours. The aura is weak, probably a small, immature spirit.”

It seemed to be a young spirit only a few decades old, probably unable to shapeshift. Such weak spirits were occasionally seen in the mountains before. Awakening was difficult, and spirits cultivated very slowly. They were easily tempted by the human world and often perished for various reasons. Few survived.

The two spirits strode forward. Qing Yao, who had just relaxed on Lang Xiao’s shoulder, suddenly brightened her eyes again. A lively large yellow dog appeared from a corner, running toward the direction the tabby cat had left. The dog wasn’t very fast; they could see its wiggling rump and tail, with ears perked high.

Sensing Qing Yao’s gaze, the dog paused and looked back. Upon realizing Qing Yao was a cub, it whimpered twice and quickly ran off.

Watching the dog’s retreating back, Qing Yao kept making soft barking and whining noises amidst the noisy street sounds. The three soon reached home.

Hu Yuanfei’s new business ad in the group sparked only brief discussion and then fell silent. Two days passed with no work, and he was bored at home, scrolling through his phone and playing with the child.

“Is this idea no good, or do too few people know about it?” Hu Yuanfei pondered, feeling the result shouldn’t be like this.

Lang Xiao didn’t expect him to be so eager to make money and, unusually, did not discourage him but helped think of solutions.

“Maybe too few know about it. Not enough promotion in the group.”

“Where else can we go? Post flyers?” He thought of the woman who posted lost cat notices.

Lang Xiao immediately shook her head. “No, random flyers will get the police involved.”

Hu Yuanfei scratched the wooden floor with his claws, but it only left a few claw marks.

Lang Xiao looked at his messy fur and said, “There are many ways. Watch how humans do it.”

Hu Yuanfei was startled, quickly grabbed his phone, and searched. Soon he found advertising methods.

“Hmm, buying ads on xDu costs money. Posting on xShu and xBo is free, that looks good. There’s also local city ads but those cost money too.”

Reluctant to part with money, Hu Yuanfei decided to use his savings to place ads.

“I won’t waste money on food anymore. Once we earn more, we’ll move to a bigger house—like a lakeside villa.”

Lang Xiao nodded. The current house was inconvenient. When she reverted to her true form and lounged on the balcony under the moonlight, she had to close the curtains to avoid being seen by neighbors. It was noisy and polluted, making cultivation difficult. Their progress had stalled, though their mindset was a bit better than before.

In fact, she had never told Hu Yuanfei: they had a substantial sum of money—enough to buy dozens of large villas—but they couldn’t touch it.

That money was Qing Yao’s inheritance, left by her parents as a last gift, to be handed over to her when she was grown.

They had lived so many years and could earn money themselves now. Though slowly, they had plenty of time and would eventually make whatever they wanted.

They still maintained the pride and confidence befitting spirits.