Shang Qi was busy with his tour, while Chuzheng was occupied with her ambition to dominate the city.
Chuzheng’s reputation had already spread far and wide, and those yet to be subdued would usually surrender without a fight upon seeing her team.
Whenever Shang Qi had time, he would come back, but many times he found Chuzheng not at home.
Shang Qi: "..."
Who’s supposed to be the cat here! Does she not cling to her master at all?!
Chuzheng outright rejected the notion.
-
Chuzheng heard news about He Jin again, it was after she united the world...no, I mean the entire city.
He Jin had been locked up in a mental asylum; Shang Yucheng might have intervened, so He Jin’s life there wasn’t very good.
He Jin was only confused for a few days, before regaining his clarity.
But even declaring himself sane was futile; which mental patient claims to be normal and is believed by the doctor?
Of course, He Jin wouldn’t stay put; he tried to contact people he knew.
Instead of rescuers, what arrived were several tall and sturdy bodyguards.
As He Jin was taken away, his face turned ashen, as if he was about to face a living Hell.
He Jin’s frequent travels between cities were largely because he offended someone when he newly acquired his powers.
Back then, having just learned the basics, he felt confident and ended up harming someone’s son.
Realizing the situation was bad, He Jin fled quickly.
Aware he could be found by that big shot, He Jin began acting low-key, hence his current cautious demeanor.
With such a commotion over He Jin’s incident, there’s no way that big shot wouldn’t notice.
Now He Jin couldn’t run even if he wanted to.
-
During Shang Qi’s tour, Shang Yucheng visited a few times, but it was always bodyguards who opened the door, with no sign of Shang Qi; getting angry was fruitless.
He Jin said Shang Qi carried resentment, but Chuzheng couldn’t see it, nor did she know what the resentment was or how to resolve it.
As a cat who became a spirit without cultivation, Chuzheng expressed her struggles.
She simply wanted to quietly stroke her own tail!
Chuzheng also discovered that the Shang family was indeed quite unlucky, especially whenever they were involved with Shang Qi, something was bound to go wrong.
But the crux was, except for the Shang family, nothing untoward happened when Shang Qi was with others.
It seemed Shang Qi’s misfortune targeted only the Shang family.
According to the cultivation philosophy, this was unmistakably a case of cause and effect, perhaps even the Shang family had wronged Shang Qi.
Chuzheng took out her phone to text Du Pei.
[Yue Ban: Is there some powerful master around?]
[Du Pei: Why, are you looking for a master to capture you?]
[Yue Ban: ...]
Chuzheng transferred money to Du Pei.
As soon as the money arrived, Du Pei quickly got into business mode and replied.
[Du Pei: Heard of a few, but whether they genuinely have skills is unclear.]
[Yue Ban: We’ll go check them out.]
[Du Pei: We? Did you message the wrong person?]
[Yue Ban: Nope.]
[Du Pei: Shang Qi will kill me if he finds out I’m taking you around.]
[Yue Ban: He wouldn’t dare. Here’s money.]
[Du Pei: You said it!]
Not sure if it was the phrase "dare not" or "here’s money" that influenced Du Pei.
Du Pei took Chuzheng to find those reputed masters, but after man’s and cat’s assessment, either they were frauds or only knew the basics.
"This is the last one." Du Pei lay limply on the table: "Why did I cancel my date to follow you to such a desolate place."
They had been waiting for half an hour!
Except for the child who initially led them in, they hadn’t seen another living soul!
Chuzheng sat upright in her chair, staring intently at a painting in the hall.
After another ten minutes, finally a middle-aged man emerged from inside.
The man wore a traditional Tang suit, and his face appeared calm: "Thank you both for waiting."
Du Pei instinctively glanced at Chuzheng, realizing the "both of you" wasn’t his imagination.
The previous people they met had all paid little attention to Chuzheng’s presence.
"Hello." Du Pei quickly adopted a professional demeanor: "I spoke with you earlier, I’m Du Pei, this is Yue Ban."
The man signaled for Du Pei to sit, but spoke to Chuzheng: "When the light dims, that’s when the moon shines bright. It seems you are very important to him."
When the symptoms arise, when is the most intense? When twilight fades and the moon blossoms brightly.
Translated: the onset of lovesickness symptoms is most intense when the lights begin to fade and the moon starts to shine.
When Shang Qi chose this name, they had just met, naturally it wasn’t meant to convey this.
What is he trying to express?
Chuzheng didn’t make much of a face, which was usual for her, so she merely stared wide-eyed at the man ahead.
"I know what you’re both here to ask." The man didn’t beat around the bush: "Mr. Shang’s life path is illustrious, that’s not Mr. Shang’s disaster. That’s all I can share with you."
Chuzheng didn’t hesitate toward the man and typed a few words.
—— How to resolve?
The man didn’t seem surprised by Chuzheng’s actions, responding softly: "Break then rebuild."
Chuzheng appeared deep in thought.
Du Pei didn’t understand a single word.
Once escorted out, Du Pei came back to his senses: "What did he mean just now?"
Chuzheng gazed pensively at the sky.
—— Want to make money?
Du Pei: "Hm?"
—— Let me gift you a company to play with.
Du Pei: "What?"
Since Shang Qi was unhappy because of the Shang family’s existence, then let them disappear.
Du Pei thought Chuzheng was joking, but soon Chuzheng contacted him to help bring down the Shang family, and seize the opportunity for a takeover, leaving him utterly perplexed.
"That’s the Shang Qi’s family..."
—— So what?
"Shang Qi, he..." Du Pei didn’t know what to say.
Shang Qi appeared indifferent over the years, but was he truly indifferent?
—— If they remain fine, Shang Qi will encounter trouble, pick one.
"..."
Without a doubt, Du Pei chose Shang Qi.
Du Pei had long been displeased with the Shang family, but no matter his feelings, as an outsider, it wasn’t his place to meddle.
"Shouldn’t we tell Shang Qi?"
—— What for? Can he assist?
"..." Unlikely, but aren’t you about to destroy his family, shouldn’t he be informed?
With Du Pei collaborating, and Chuzheng strategizing behind the scenes, bringing down the Shang family became much easier.
Initially, Du Pei felt Chuzheng’s heart as a cat was too dark.
When plotting against people, she was ruthless and swift, leaving no chance for regret.
Later, Du Pei had just one doubt: "Are you a Lucky Cat in disguise? Or...are you the God of Wealth?"
Chuzheng: "..."
I dare not call myself the God of Wealth, after all, this is the Bastard’s money.
I’m merely an emotionless tool cat.
[...] Don’t want to complete this task anymore, wanna go home and cry wah wah wah!
What did I do to deserve choosing this host.
The girl next door can be tender or tough, why do I have to endure such suffering! I’m sulking to isolation!
*
Poetry translation sourced from Baidu.