The Flower Of The High Mountain Turns Into A Cat And Is Picked Up By A Human Chapter 38

Chapter 38

The moment this was said, the three men who had been constantly thinking of him were not exactly heartbroken on the spot, but it was close enough.

The only thing Heng Yuze had learned during his days without the cat was how to glue his broken little heart back together alone, so he coaxed helplessly, “We came to Qu Ying for tourism, and coincidentally saw you here right after leaving the station.”

A hint of slight anger surfaced on Bai Chendeng’s face. He asked again, “Why did you come to Qu Ying?”

“A fan recommended it, and we happened to pick up a flyer, so we…”

Before he could finish, Bai Chendeng had already stood up. His expression was gloomy, and upon closer inspection, the corners of his eyes were slightly red. Heng Yuze, thinking they had angered him, immediately forgot everything else and wished he could pull him into a hug to comfort him. But realizing that the other person was not a cat right now, he had to set the thought aside.

“We really didn’t follow you on purpose. Please don’t be angry.”

Bai Chendeng was blocked by the three of them. Ignoring the context and the disparity in strength between the four of them, he looked exactly like someone being bullied.

“Move.”

The voice was icy cold.

Heng Yuze’s heart sank.

“I… we all missed you very much…”

Bai Chendeng stated sternly, “Move aside.”

Heng Yuze silently shifted half his body out of the way.

Bai Chendeng bumped past his shoulder and left the plaza without looking back.

“Clatter… clatter…”

Feng Chengji: “Brother Zheng, what are you doing?”

Zheng Lang spread his hands: “I’m providing the sound effects for our three hearts. They just shattered all over the floor.”

Heng Yuze gazed at Bai Chendeng’s retreating figure—slight and slender, yet beyond his grasp. He had broken twenty years of habit, recklessly pursuing him for the first time, yet he couldn’t even catch a corner of his clothes.

Inside the Administration Bureau, the cadres secretly watched the Great Demon who had returned. Seeing his barely concealed fury, they dared not provoke him and scattered to avoid him.

Bai Chendeng strode directly into Director Fang’s office.

Director Fang straightened his collar, displaying a precisely measured smile. Sitting opposite him was a middle-aged man wearing glasses with chapped lips. He was unremarkable in appearance and had a nervous air about him.

“Ahem, Mr. Bai, allow me to introduce you. This is Cheng Zhuo.”

Cheng Zhuo stood up, looking at Bai Chendeng with surprise. The curiosity in his eyes was completely undisguised; his interest and desire for investigation were practically written on his face.

Bai Chendeng had only one thought in his mind right now.

Who exactly tricked Heng Yuze and the other two into coming to Qu Ying?

“Help me.”

Director Fang: “What?”

Bai Chendeng pursed his lips, his reasoning weak but his attitude strong: “Help me.”

Director Fang glared at the cadres outside the door who were pushing the door crack wider and wider, his tone almost coaxing: “Alright, I’ll help you. What do you need done?”

“Heng Yuze, Zheng Lang, Feng Chengji—you should be familiar with these three. Find out the reason they came to Qu Ying, and protect them from infection during their stay here.”

Bai Chendeng added, “It would be best if you could make them leave Qu Ying.”

The Bureau was indeed aware of these three, as they were the humans closest to the Great Demon. Relevant information could probably still be found on the office desk.

Being asked for a favor, Director Fang saw this as a good opportunity to strengthen their relationship and readily agreed with a smile.

Bai Chendeng’s expression gradually softened.

He recalled the details he had seen when he first entered and asked, “What were you hiding just now?”

Director Fang froze.

Cheng Zhuo snickered.

Bai Chendeng suddenly realized something, shot him a glare, and gritted his teeth: “That thing, you didn’t destroy it?”

Cheng Zhuo couldn’t hold it in, struggling to keep the corners of his mouth down: “This is the only physical evidence for researching new methods against the Eye Worm. It retained almost its entire form; it’s particularly complete.”

Bai Chendeng’s fingertips trembled slightly as he slowly raised his hand.

Director Fang, sharp-eyed, quickly spotted it and rushed to mediate: “Calm down! Calm down! Let me explain properly, don’t get angry.”

He stood up while trying to persuade him, seemingly intending to press down the hand Bai Chendeng had raised.

“This is research material, Mr. Bai. Don’t overthink it. I only hid it because I was afraid you’d mind, but you guessed it anyway. Alas, it’s my fault…”

Nonsense!

Bai Chendeng was a reasonable demon and understood the Bureau’s initial intention to keep the hairball. Precisely because of this, the thought of his coughed-up hairball being thoroughly examined and scrutinized by these people made heat rush to his head.

A faint blush appeared on his cheeks. This rare display of emotion caused the door crack to be pushed open even wider.

Director Fang glanced at the impatient young people at the door, cursed them silently, then ignored them and continued to soothe Bai Chendeng.

“We still can’t locate the Eye Worm’s main body, and the number of infected citizens is still increasing. The Bureau has deployed almost all its personnel, even calling in many interns who haven’t graduated yet to help. All the epidemic prevention measures you see are the result of the Bureau expending massive manpower and resources.”

“Mr. Bai, after you were injured, your body automatically rejected the foreign matter. To be honest, we didn’t expect to get such a complete sample. The significance of this item is special—it’s not just to decipher the Eye Worm’s special abilities, but also to find the Eye Worm as quickly as possible, saving tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands, or even millions of people from infection.”

“I thank you on behalf of the millions of permanent residents and travelers in Qu Ying City.”

Bai Chendeng felt greatly annoyed by this barrage of high praise.

The air seemed to solidify, motionless.

Everyone waited for Bai Chendeng’s reply.

Bai Chendeng said coldly, “Remember to do what you promised me.”

Director Fang nodded repeatedly.

Bai Chendeng turned and left.

The cadres crammed at the doorway scattered in a chaotic rush, causing a clatter of noise.

What Bai Chendeng saw after opening the door was a solemn scene of people discussing serious matters in various positions or rushing along with documents.

“…”

He admired the Administration Bureau’s ability to respond.

After the Great Demon left, the group let out a collective sigh of relief, deflating like balloons.

Director Fang scolded them for their lack of decorum and chased them all back to work.

A week later, Bai Chendeng received a message that he would accompany the Bureau’s exploration team to Dakangbei.

Yuan Zhiyi explained on his behalf: “Dakangbei, as the birthplace of the Yellow Dog Demon, has always been under the Bureau’s secret surveillance. However, in previous explorations, the villagers’ infection values were not high. Recently, research into the Eye Worm finally achieved a breakthrough, and the true situation in Dakangbei is worse than we imagined.”

As for why the research suddenly achieved a breakthrough, no one dared to mention it, especially not in front of Bai Chendeng.

Bai Chendeng nodded slightly, indicating he understood, and then got into the car.

The motorcade set off.

The scenery outside the window changed, and people’s lives continued as before, only now everyone wore masks, and there was a little more distance between them.

Bai Chendeng tapped the car window with his fingertip, making a clear sound. “Has the reason for the array’s failure been found?”

Yuan Zhiyi organized his words briefly: “The people in the array maintenance department were infected and tampered with the material ratios at the crucial nodes.”

Bai Chendeng thought for a moment and knew that this problem must have been difficult to investigate, likely costing considerable manpower and resources.

“Do the infected people still have self-awareness?”

“Yes, they appear normal most of the time, only being influenced at certain moments.”

Yuan Zhiyi was not discouraged and remained optimistic: “In the past few days, the Bureau has conducted screenings from top to bottom. The infected people have been sent to isolation. As long as we find the Eye Worm, the problem will be solved easily.”

Bai Chendeng nodded: “I hope this operation makes progress.”

Leaving the city and heading toward the townships, the roads grew older. Some sections were cracked and damaged. The vehicles drove crookedly along the narrow paths. Behind the dust-covered trees stretched endless cornfields.

They drove to a stone tablet bearing the old and dilapidated characters for Dakangbei.

“We’ve arrived.”

Everyone got out of the cars one after another.

Yuan Zhiyi quickly got out, intending to open the car door for Bai Chendeng, but Bai Chendeng pushed the door open and stepped out himself. Yuan Zhiyi secretly felt a pity.

Time in Dakangbei had almost stagnated decades ago. The dangerous houses with mud walls and tiled roofs were alarming.

The glass windows were pitch black, obscuring the interior.

The group arrived at the home of Feng Yuying, the old woman who had abused the yellow dog.

Pushing open the iron gate felt like stepping into an old era. Tall and short weeds grew in the dirt yard. A corner of the shed had partially collapsed, and sunlight streamed through the holes in the broken mud tiles.

“This is the place.”

A broken, rusty chain was half-buried in the dirt.

Faded, dry grass stems were faintly visible in the soil. This area must have once held straw for the yellow dog’s nest.

Bai Chendeng used his spiritual sight to survey the surroundings but found no suspicious points.

Yuan Zhiyi’s expression was complex as he quietly ordered, “Begin.”

After making records, five cadres began digging with brushes, evidence bags, sieves, and shovels.

“If we can find the yellow dog’s fur or teeth, perhaps we can use them as a medium to cast spells.”

Yuan Zhiyi murmured, “The yellow dog was chased and beaten throughout the village by Feng Yuying back then, so its fur probably drifted everywhere. It’s a pity that too much time has passed. We can only hope that some useful things remain here.”

Bai Chendeng lowered his eyes in concentration, watching the busy cadres sifting the soil. The black-suited figures before him suddenly transformed into tall, blurry silhouettes.

Winter was always the hardest time for stray animals.

The white cat was locked by a chain around its neck. The fur on its back bristled. It clawed or bit at any human hand that reached out, until finally, the impatient human kicked it away.

“You little beast, how dare you scratch me?”

One of the cat’s hind legs was deformed, and the flowing blood stained its white fur red.

“Ptooey—”

Foul-smelling saliva splattered on the ground. The white cat’s body rose and fell weakly. It couldn’t even make a sound, waiting for death to arrive in the cold winter.

The next day, the chain was empty.

The ground was messy, leaving only blood-stained fur.

“A demon’s fur, blood, teeth, or other bodily tissues can all be used as materials for casting spells. If they happen to be affected by evil magic during combat or a breakthrough, it could even influence the course of the battle and lead to a failed breakthrough.”

Yuan Zhiyi’s voice pulled Bai Chendeng back to reality.

Bai Chendeng looked up at the sky, his fingers curling in a place unseen, the tips drained of color.

Yuan Zhiyi stopped speaking there.

The Great Demon before them had experienced a failed breakthrough. The Bureau’s analysis suggested he might have been ambushed at a precisely calculated moment.

Yuan Zhiyi could only offer this much of a reminder; he couldn’t say anything more.

Bai Chendeng’s eyes were unfocused. His eyelashes, curved like raven feathers, fluttered.

He whispered, “Thank you.”

Yuan Zhiyi smiled silently.

Cultivating alone to become a Great Demon, a being the Administration Bureau regarded with apprehension—only the demon himself knew the hardship and loneliness involved.

Yuan Zhiyi knew Bai Chendeng didn’t need sympathy, yet he couldn’t help but feel pity. He was just a small cadre who, relying on his family background, had secured a small team leader position in the Bureau, but in reality, he couldn’t withstand three moves from the Great Demon.

Now, he was hypocritically feeling thoughts of heartache and cherish, which were sentimental and boring.

But all of these feelings vanished after that simple “Thank you.”

Yuan Zhiyi thought.

He was captivated.

He wanted to personally witness Bai Chendeng become a Demon Immortal, to see him soar high like the bright moon, free from constraints, and as unrestrained as the wind.