The Happy Farmer Wanderer-Chapter 736: The Fickle Cat_1

The plump orange cat basked lazily in the sun in the courtyard; Han Mei, deft of hand and mind, had specifically sewn an old quilt into a nest for it, which looked both comfortable and imposing.

Resting on its two front paws, the orange cat curled its plump body into a round ball, listening to the conversation between Li Qing and Jing Yan inside the house. Its ears twitched from time to time, and occasionally it would stealthily open an eye to peek, behaving very cautiously.

Li Qing walked out of the house and tossed a Solidifying Spirit Elixir to the orange cat, "Here, eat it; this is what I promised you before."

The orange cat instantly transformed into a streak of orange lightning, catching the elixir mid-air in its mouth, but upon seeing Jing Yan following Li Qing out, its gaze immediately grew listless. It pitifully lowered its head, relaxed its sharp teeth, and placed the elixir on the ground.

"There’s no need to play this sneaky act with me. Since my husband has given it, could I possibly take it back from you? Go on, eat it; the Solidifying Spirit Elixir is indeed beneficial for your transformation," Jing Yan said, clearly annoyed.

The orange cat meowed softly and swallowed the Solidifying Spirit Elixir, then merrily called out to Li Qing a couple of times, appearing to be ingratiating and seeking favor.

Li Qing couldn’t help but chuckle, "This is truly a case of one thing overcoming another."

This orange cat had beaten up Shisan, stolen his clothes several times, and almost tore down the house.

Yet now, in front of Jing Yan, it suddenly became as meek as a mouse meeting a cat, the obedient look on its face was simply like that of a different cat.

"Why does my husband need those low-grade Marrow Refining Elixirs?" Jing Yan, with a somewhat icy gaze, glanced at the orange cat, then suddenly asked Li Qing.

"They’re for my sister-in-law and the others. Cultivation is a long journey, and I don’t want to watch them grow old," Li Qing said.

"It is my oversight, please forgive me," Jing Yan said softly, bowing her head, "Why not let me handle the cultivation matters for sister-in-law and the other sisters? There are countless elixirs in the Underground Palace, and the ones in the feigned tombs are not of the highest quality. I will go back today to make some preparations."

"Then I will have to trouble Yan’er," Li Qing said softly.

If Jing Yan was willing to take the initiative to help, that would be the best outcome.

Whether in terms of strength or understanding of elixirs and cultivation, Jing Yan far surpassed him. The things he racked his brains to figure out might not even compare to a single offhand remark from Jing Yan.

After a pause, Li Qing asked with some concern, "But won’t your frequent comings and goings be noticed by the guards outside, leading to their assault?"

Jing Yan smiled confidently, her eyes shining like gemstones with a cold glow, "My husband needn’t worry. They can’t hurt me with their strength. If not for your reminder, I would have filled the Underground Palace with them already."

"However, sheer force won’t solve the Underground Palace issue, and there’s no need to make an enemy for good," Li Qing said with a wry smile, "I also don’t want you to suffer these grievances, but my current status is somewhat low, and what I say doesn’t carry much weight. Once we’ve hurt them enough, by that time, they should be willing to sit down and have a proper talk."

"Furthermore, during this trip up the mountain, I will have my mentor mediate to resolve this issue as quickly as possible."

Jing Yan gave a light, gentle smile and nodded, "It’s not a problem, my husband. Even if we can’t negotiate a satisfactory result, it’s not a big deal. Unless several Divinity Transformation experts come, they can forget about breaking into the Underground Palace."

Li Qing nodded, "We will do our best, and if it really doesn’t work out, then we will think of other methods."

Jing Yan nodded cleverly, "Well then, I will head back to the Underground Palace first. After I return, we can go together to my husband’s sect, how about that?"

"Okay, I’ll wait for you at home," Li Qing agreed with a nod.

Jing Yan’s body moved slightly, and in an instant, she turned into a lingering afterimage on the spot.

No sooner had she left than the orange cat collapsed like a deflated ball into the cat nest that Han Mei had hand-sewn for it, its human-like eyes brimming with grievance.

Perhaps it was mourning the fact that it would no longer have access to Solidifying Spirit Elixirs.

Li Qing squatted down and rubbed the orange cat a couple of times, only to be met with an instant display of ferociousness, its claws flailing wildly.

"Hiss... You little ingrate, you don’t appreciate kindness, do you? If you dare bite me, you can forget about the Solidifying Spirit Elixir," Li Qing said, "Jing Yan is gone, and you’re giving me attitude now, aren’t you? Believe it or not, I’ll rat you out when she gets back."

The orange cat immediately narrowed its eyes slightly and lay down obediently, flicking its tail for Li Qing to pet.

"Ah, that’s more like it," Li Qing laughed, "If you behave better, I’ll consider giving you the Solidifying Spirit Elixir in the future."

The orange cat let out a low meow, and whatever it meant, Li Qing couldn’t understand. It looked somewhat reluctant, but as to what it was reluctant about, Li Qing had no clue, and couldn’t guess.

While he was furiously petting the orange cat, Zi Ling, the little wild cat, came back.

She came in holding a vegetable basket, first peering sneakily around the courtyard, then asked Li Qing something with her mouth shape.

Li Qing glanced down at the orange cat beside him and chuckled, "I think you two are about ready to become sworn siblings, speaking in a language I can’t understand."

After saying that, he looked up and shouted to Zi Ling, "Stop sneaking around. She’s not here, she went to the Underground Palace."

"She’s gone?!" Zi Ling’s excitement sent her eyebrows dancing upward instantly.

Li Qing’s lips curled up with a mischievous smile, "She’ll be back in a while."

The joy that had just surfaced on Zi Ling’s face disappeared in an instant, "You mean... she’s not returning to the Underground Palace for now?"

Li Qing teased her on purpose, "It was hard to get her out, so I reckon she won’t go back easily. Have you had enough of her?" he asked teasingly, "She doesn’t seem to have mistreated you, why are you acting so timid?"

"Weren’t you also scared yesterday?" Zi Ling raised her eyebrows and retorted, "Did you wake up feeling all brave after a good night’s sleep?"

"Not brave, just more at ease," Li Qing laughed, "You don’t have to be so tense. Just do what you’ve got to do; she’s actually quite nice. There’s no need to be so nervous."

"That’s true, but... I can’t help but be a bit nervous around her. Her presence is just too intimidating," Zi Ling grumbled.

After putting down the basket, Zi Ling, weighed down with thoughts, walked over and crouched next to Li Qing, joining the cat-petting brigade. 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝒆𝔀𝒆𝙗𝓷𝒐𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝓶

Unlike Li Qing, as soon as Zi Ling touched the cat, it seemed extremely pleased, even flipping over to show its belly for Zi Ling to scratch.

"Oh come on, even the cat’s playing favorites, you’re being too much," Li Qing grumbled resentfully, "Why is it that when I pet you, you bare your teeth and snarl, but when she pets you, you expose your belly?"