Rebirth: Traveling To Ancient Times As A Companion Reading Chapter 11

The Plan

Heipa led Qiao Yi to a brightly lit building.

Many people were bustling in and out, looking hurried and working tirelessly as if preparing for something important.

However, hidden in the darkness, Qiao Yi and Heipa were less curious about what those people were doing and more concerned with how to get inside.

Wisps of white smoke rose from the roof, and the air was filled with the aroma of various dishes mixed with the scent of wine. It was enough to stimulate anyone’s appetite, especially someone who had been starving for several days.

This was the kitchen of the Qin Mansion.

Qiao Yi was quite surprised. He rubbed Heipa’s head vigorously and praised him, “Not bad! I haven’t even figured out the situation yet, but you’ve already mapped out the layout of the Qin Mansion. Impressive!”

Heipa held his head high. “Meow!”

“Don’t get too proud yet.” Seeing that Heipa’s tail was practically pointing to the sky, Qiao Yi said helplessly, “We found the kitchen, but with so many people around, how are the two of us going to get inside to grab some food?”

“Meow-wu!”

Heipa understood what Qiao Yi was saying. He didn’t head toward the kitchen entrance but instead pulled Qiao Yi in another direction.

Although Qiao Yi wasn’t sure what Heipa wanted to do, he decided to follow after a moment’s thought.

“Where are you taking me? I’m telling you, your master is about to collapse from hunger. If I don’t get food soon, I’m really going to die.”

Heipa looked back and let out a cry, seemingly to comfort him.

Eventually, Heipa stopped in front of an old locust tree behind the kitchen courtyard.

Qiao Yi was puzzled. “What are you doing here?”

Heipa circled the base of the old tree, which was nearly three people wide. He peered here and sniffed there, appearing to be searching for something.

“What are you looking for?”

Heipa didn’t answer or pay Qiao Yi any mind, focusing entirely on scratching away a layer of fallen leaves with his paws.

Seeing how serious Heipa was, Qiao Yi stopped asking and simply watched him work.

Finally, Heipa stopped about seven paces away from the locust tree. He brushed away the top layer of leaves and dragged something out from underneath.

“Meow-ao.”

Heipa placed the item in front of Qiao Yi, signaling him to open it.

Using the light filtering over from the kitchen, Qiao Yi saw what Heipa had placed before him. It was a bundle of black cloth, about the size of two adult fists. He couldn’t tell what was inside.

“Meow.”

Seeing Qiao Yi hesitate, Heipa gave a prompting cry.

Qiao Yi glanced at Heipa, said nothing, and knelt down to open the cloth bundle.

There was nothing else inside but a black box.

“What is this?”

Feeling strange, Qiao Yi picked up the box and examined it closely.

The box wasn’t large, about the size of a palm, and made of wood. Its surface was carved with intricate and complex patterns, looking ancient, heavy, and somewhat mysterious.

Curious, Qiao Yi wanted to open it to see what was inside, but after turning it over, he realized it was locked. An exquisite, small copper lock hung clearly on the front of the box, like a guardian beast sealing the contents tight.

For it to be locked like this, the contents were surely not ordinary.

Looking at the copper lock, Qiao Yi felt something was slightly off. He turned to Heipa and asked, “Where did you dig this up?”

Heipa saw the item in Qiao Yi’s hand at that moment. He tilted his head, looking quite confused himself, as if he didn’t understand why Qiao Yi was holding that particular object.

“Meow?”

Heipa turned back, seemingly wanting to look for something else.

Qiao Yi watched as Heipa went back and dragged out another identical black cloth bag.

“What’s this?”

Confused, Qiao Yi opened the second bag. Inside was something completely different from the first—a paper bag containing something unknown.

Qiao Yi lifted the layer of greaseproof paper, and a brownish-red object appeared before his eyes.

“Oho!” Qiao Yi shouted in surprise. “Roast chicken!”

The roast chicken had clearly been cooked not long ago; it still felt warm in his hand.

Heipa looked at the roast chicken in Qiao Yi’s hand and let out a cry as if claiming credit. “Meow-wu!”

It was as if he were asking Qiao Yi if he was impressive.

Qiao Yi was also pleasantly surprised. “You really are amazing. You even knew to wrap the roast chicken in a cloth bag to keep it warm. Top tier!”

Could this cat really be a spirit?

Qiao Yi looked at Heipa with deep suspicion. How could a normal cat be this smart? Once could be a coincidence, but what about two or three times?

Qiao Yi now wondered if he had actually picked up a cat demon. After all, if rebirth and transmigration could happen to him, the existence of spirits and monsters didn’t seem that hard to accept.

Qiao Yi scanned Heipa up and down searchingly, and Heipa stared back at him with his large emerald-green eyes.

“Meow.”

With that cat cry, he couldn’t really tell anything.

Qiao Yi looked at the box in his left hand and then at the moist, oily, and fragrant roast chicken in his right. Without hesitation, he tossed the box aside.

In the end, the entire roast chicken was finished by the man and the cat, with not even a bone left.

“Ugh…” Having finally filled his stomach for the first time since arriving in this world, Qiao Yi sat comfortably on the ground. He picked up the box he had just tossed away and began to examine it carefully. He let out a long burp and sighed, “That roast chicken was delicious! Heipa, where did you get it?”

“Meow.”

Was it good?

Qiao Yi, whose brain hadn’t quite caught up, answered without thinking, “Nonsense! It was way better than buns or steamed bread! Eh… I’m just a bit thirsty. It would be perfect if there was a bottle of ice-cold Coke. You say…”

Wait!

Qiao Yi snapped back to his senses and turned his head sharply. Heipa was a cat—where did that human voice come from? How could there be someone else here?

“Meow!”

Stop looking, it’s me.

The same voice rang in his ear again. This time, Qiao Yi was truly unsettled. He scrambled up from the ground, scooped up Heipa without a second thought, and started running. “Holy crap! A ghost!”

“Meow!”

Where is there a ghost? Don’t scare me!

The voice didn’t disappear; instead, it seemed to get closer to Qiao Yi.

“Damn it! Stop following me! I only ate one roast chicken after nearly collapsing from hunger, and I haven’t even digested it yet. I don’t have an ounce of meat on me, and my soul just arrived in this world. There’s no need, really no need, Ghost Brother!”

Qiao Yi was having a breakdown. He had personally experienced the supernatural, but that didn’t mean he actually wanted to see a ghost!

“Meow.”

What are you running for? It’s me!

“Crap! Your master is about to be scared to death, so stop crying out, you little ancestor!” Qiao Yi cursed as he ran. “If you keep crying, I’ll throw you away!”

In his state of extreme terror, Qiao Yi didn’t notice that the cat’s cries from under his arm and the voice he heard were occurring simultaneously.

Suddenly, Heipa struggled out of Qiao Yi’s arms, leaped forward, and then turned around with lightning speed to jump straight at Qiao Yi’s face.

Bang!

Unprepared and forced to make a sudden stop, Qiao Yi fell flat on his backside.

“Ow!” Caught off guard, Qiao Yi grimaced in pain. “What are you doing! That hurts!”

Clutching his rear as he struggled to stand up, Qiao Yi was fuming. He rubbed Heipa’s head hard and groaned, “Your master was almost scared to death, and you still crashed into my face. Are you trying to kill me on purpose?”

“Meow.”

You’re just too stupid. Who else is there to blame?

“Huh?” Having finally calmed down, Qiao Yi realized something was wrong. He crouched down and met Heipa’s gaze.

Staring into Heipa’s large green eyes, Qiao Yi’s worldview was shattered for the second time in one day. He cupped Heipa’s large face in both hands and said in disbelief, “You really are a spirit?”

“Meow.”

I was a cat spirit to begin with.

Qiao Yi lifted Heipa up by his front legs and looked him over, left and right, as if searching for something.

Heipa tilted his head, watching the face leaning close to him, and couldn’t help but push it away with a paw.

“Meow.”

What are you doing?

“Strange…” Qiao Yi turned the cat over and over, inspecting him thoroughly, but couldn’t find any place other than the mouth that could make a sound. “It’s not a toy cat. How can I hear a cat making a human voice?”

Refusing to believe it, Qiao Yi raised his hands, wanting to press Heipa’s belly against his ear to listen closely.

Slap!

Heipa smacked Qiao Yi across the face with a paw.

“Meow!”

Get lost!

After being slapped, Qiao Yi’s brain finally clicked into gear.

In total disbelief, he held Heipa up and used the faint light from the kitchen to observe Heipa’s appearance in the dark.

“He doesn’t seem any different from a normal cat…” Qiao Yi muttered to himself while inspecting Heipa. “I remember the stories in Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio weren’t written like this.”

Heipa, being kneaded like dough in Qiao Yi’s hands, looked utterly resigned to his fate.

When Qiao Yi reached down to see if Heipa was male or female, Heipa reached his limit. He let out a loud cry and used all four paws to kick hard against Qiao Yi’s forehead.

“Wu-ao!”

I’ll kick you to death!

“Ow, ow, ow… it hurts… stop hitting me, ancestor!”

Caught off guard, Qiao Yi’s head was ringing from the kicks.

However, this finally kicked some sense into him.

The man and the cat crouched in a small corner outside the kitchen wall. By the faint light, they stared at each other like two stone statues, neither speaking first.

Qiao Yi was the first to break. He tilted his head at Heipa and asked in confusion, “You’re a demon? Do you have demonic power? Why don’t you transform into a human? Don’t they say demons eat people? Why do you eat human food? And logically, shouldn’t demons be very powerful? Why couldn’t you even dodge a carriage when I saw you on the street today? And…”

A string of questions poured out like water from a spring, catching Heipa off guard. He could only look at Qiao Yi with a speechless expression.

“Meow.”

Who told you that becoming a spirit means you have to become human? I am a top-tier spirit cat from Hunqi Mountain; why would I need to transform into a human? What are humans compared to cats? Cats are the most beautiful! Your sense of aesthetics is lacking, but I won’t hold it against you!

“Oho!” Qiao Yi exposed him ruthlessly. “It’s not that being human isn’t good; it’s that you simply can’t transform, right?”

“…”

Exposed, Heipa became embarrassed and angry, biting Qiao Yi’s hand.

A set of teeth marks immediately appeared on Qiao Yi’s hand—not deep, but not shallow either, just enough for Qiao Yi to feel Heipa’s mood.

“Alright.” Qiao Yi rubbed Heipa’s head. “We both saved each other at critical moments of life and death. Since you’re sentient now and no different from a person, we’ll treat each other as friends. But let me think… what kind of friendship is this? Life-and-death bond? That seems right.”

While thinking, Qiao Yi didn’t forget to ask, “By the way, where is this Hunqi Mountain you mentioned? Did you grow up there or cultivate into a spirit there? Why can’t you speak human words even after becoming a spirit, but instead keep meowing? Do you just dislike speaking like a human?”

Seeing Qiao Yi’s serious attitude, Heipa was no longer angry and began to explain his situation.

“Meow.”

Hunqi Mountain is very far from here. It’s the territory of our Qing Yao tribe. There are no humans there, only Qing Yao. Strictly speaking, we aren’t demons; it’s just that our intelligence is higher than ordinary beasts, similar to humans. But we don’t have any demonic power, and we can’t transform. Simply put, Qing Yao are humans in beast form—including lifespan, intelligence, and ability—except we can’t speak human languages. Moreover, there aren’t many humans who can understand our beast tongue; mostly, it depends on whether we want them to understand or not.

“Oh.” Qiao Yi realized. “So you really can’t transform into a human, rather than just not wanting to.”

“…”

Heipa expressionlessly bit Qiao Yi again.

Qiao Yi pulled Heipa away nonchalantly. “Then why did you come here?”

At the mention of this, Heipa suddenly looked deflated. He helplessly scratched his nose with a front paw.

“Meow-ao.”

Mainly because I wasn’t paying attention. When I ran down from the mountain, a human ox cart happened to pass by. I was curious, so I hid on it and left Hunqi Mountain. But I never imagined the cart would go so far. I wanted to go back the way I came, but I arrived here halfway and was so hungry I couldn’t stand it. I wanted to steal something to eat. I didn’t expect to run into you.

Qiao Yi said, “That means we were destined to meet.” After all, without destiny, it would have been impossible for him to encounter such a high-intelligence Qing Yao right after arriving here.

“Meow.”

Watching Heipa stretch, Qiao Yi looked at the box in his hand, remembered the roast chicken, and asked, “Was that roast chicken stolen from the kitchen?”

Heipa gave Qiao Yi a look that said it all.

Nonsense.

The black cat didn’t dare meet Qiao Yi’s eyes and turned away. The item was stolen, but whether it was from the kitchen… who cared, as long as it was edible.

Qiao Yi nodded thoughtfully, his mind wandering.

Heipa watched Qiao Yi lost in thought and tilted his head curiously.

“Meow.”

What are you thinking about?

“Nothing. Just thinking…”

Qiao Yi was halfway through his sentence when he was suddenly interrupted by a commotion outside.

“Nanny Wu, why have you come over?”

The voice wasn’t loud but was very clear, indicating the speakers were not far away.

Without hesitation, Qiao Yi scooped up Heipa to leave.

But in the next moment, hearing the content of the conversation, Qiao Yi’s footsteps paused, and he chose to continue crouching by the corner of the wall.

“Nanny Wu truly deserves her reputation as someone who has been by the Madam’s side since she married into the Qin family. Even after being back in the palace for two years, the first thing she does upon returning to the mansion is make the snacks the Madam hasn’t tasted in a long time.”

“Who could say otherwise? The Madam’s marriage to Jiangzhou was a long-distance one, and both the Empress Dowager and the Madam’s maternal family dote on her. If it weren’t for that accident back then that caused the Madam to lose her ability to bear children, how could she be subjected to the whims of a concubine now?”

“Although Nanny Wu is someone from the Empress Dowager’s side, having followed the Madam to Jiangzhou, she is already part of the Qin family. Two years ago, because the Empress Dowager was unwell, the Madam let her return. Now that she’s back, she likely won’t leave again.”

“…”

The voices over there continued to revolve around the mistress of the Qin Mansion.

Qiao Yi began to slowly piece together the information. Clearly, in this Qin Mansion, besides the head of the house, the Madam held the highest status.

This Madam’s surname was Qiao, her name Yunlan, and she was from the Capital City. She was of noble birth; her father was the Minister of War, a high-ranking official of the first rank, and her mother was the eldest daughter of the Marquis of Dingyuan. Her maternal grandmother, the Marchioness of Dingyuan, was the biological younger sister of the current Empress Dowager. Although they didn’t share the same parents, their relationship was excellent, and even after marriage, this bond never changed. Qiao Yunlan’s mother was the youngest and most favored daughter of the Marchioness of Dingyuan, and by extension, her daughter—the Marchioness’s granddaughter—was also extremely favored.

As the particularly close sister of the Marchioness of Dingyuan, the Empress Dowager naturally loved Qiao Yunlan as if she were her own granddaughter. Later, when the Marchioness passed away due to illness, the Empress Dowager doted on Qiao Yunlan even more, even having her stay in the palace for a period. When Qiao Yunlan married and left the Capital City, the Empress Dowager was very reluctant to see her go. She added many items to the Madam’s dowry from the palace and even assigned Nanny Wu, who had served her for over twenty years, to follow Qiao Yunlan to Jiangzhou.

It was only because the Empress Dowager had been ill for the past two years that Nanny Wu had left Jiangzhou to return to the Capital City. She had only returned from the Capital City a few days ago.

According to the ancient hierarchy, Qiao Yunlan’s status was certainly higher than anyone else’s, not to mention the powerful maternal family backing her.

Qiao Yi looked thoughtful, stroking Heipa’s fur as a plan began to form in his mind.

“Heipa, do me a favor.”

“Meow?”

In the next moment, a child’s scream echoed through the night.