Chapter 5: A Life Tied to a Cat

“Master, you can find pets too?”

Yang Mao, wearing an apron, curiously poked his head into the screen.

“I remember you!

You’re the one who bullied my master during the day!”

Yang Mao looked at Brother Wang’s ID and wrinkled his nose.

– The chief disciple?

– Really?

She’s this young and already has a disciple?

– Scripted, right?

This is getting more and more ridiculous.

– Newcomer here!

What kind of new roleplay are you all playing?

– Newcomer +1.

Even rule-bending streamers are getting competitive these days.

Qianyang silently allocated the fifty-yuan tip in her mind, then pushed Yang Mao’s face away from the screen.

“Go make dinner.”

“Got it!”

Qianyang continued, “I can try, but we need a video call.

Otherwise, I can’t guarantee a hundred percent accuracy.”

– Eating popcorn.jpg

– Feels like a script.

– No, the vibe in this stream is really strange.

– Speaking of which, is this the wrong category?

Why is rule-bending hanging out in the Occult Zone?

– A reminder from an old fan: newcomers to the stream should better lurk.

– Why?

AAA Building Materials Wholesale Brother Wang: Okay, Master.

Please start the call.

Qianyang tried to start a call in the backend and found that it required certain permissions.

So she simply set it so that only those who tipped two durians or reached a tip value of one hundred could participate in the call.

“Done,” Qianyang said.

Before long, Brother Wang’s avatar appeared at the top of the screen, followed by a pop-up video frame.

The scene looked like some kind of hospital room.

The walls were white, revealing a bedside cabinet and blue-and-white striped bed sheets typical of hospitals.

“Master, hello, hello.”

A round-headed, round-faced man appeared in the frame, looking ill at ease.

“Master, I’m really sorry about earlier today.”

Qianyang shook her head.

“Water under the bridge.

No need to mention it again.”

“Okay, okay.”

– Brother Wang looks like a boiled egg.

– Haha, shut up!

– The background is in a hospital room!

Brother Wang said his daughter wasn’t well.

So he wasn’t lying after all.

– So… it’s not scripted?

– Wait, what Brother Wang said earlier… could it be true?

The number of viewers in the stream kept growing, many of them netizens who had watched the stream during the day.

Qianyang said, “First, tell me how the pet got lost.”

Brother Wang looked slightly embarrassed.

He explained, “To be honest, Master, I’m not holding out much hope.

To be precise, it wasn’t really our family pet.

It was a stray cat.”

“A stray cat?”

Qianyang raised an eyebrow.

– Looking for a stray cat??

– Seriously?

– A pet cat would be one thing, but a stray cat is hard to find.

– Stray cats usually have their own territory.

If another stray animal takes over their territory, they have to find somewhere else.

– If it’s not in its territory, it’s basically impossible to find afterward.

– Why does Brother Wang want to find a stray cat?

Brother Wang said, “Master, it’s fine if you can’t find it.

I’m just asking.

Mostly I want peace of mind.

My daughter is unwell.

I’m afraid that if I offend you, the karma might fall on her.”

Qianyang placed her phone on the coffee table and sat cross-legged by the sofa.

She shook her head.

“If I want to find it, I will.”

– Showing off.

– No way, I came to watch a female Taoist bending the rules and somehow got brought here?

Brother Wang paused, then his face lit up with joy.

“Really?!

Master, to be honest with you, my daughter has been frail since she was little.

This past while, worrying over that cat has worsened her condition so much that she’s been hospitalized.

If you can help me find that cat, I’m willing to pay any amount!”

– To be fair, Brother Wang is pretty good to his daughter.

– Then why is he watching rule-bending?

– I don’t believe you didn’t click in because of the title.

– I normally don’t watch rule-bending streams, but I had to click on this one and take a look.

– With this title, even a passing dog would have to stop and look twice!

– I’m a girl.

I came in through the Occult Zone.

Qianyang nodded.

“Give me the details.

As much detail as possible.”

“Okay, Master.”

Brother Wang straightened his expression and began to tell the story of the stray cat.

“Two years ago, my daughter was in better health than she is now.

She often fed stray cats downstairs in our neighborhood.

There was a black cat that got along especially well with her.

It would eat almost only the cat food my daughter gave her.

Once, when she was taking a walk downstairs, a neighbor’s unleashed dog went crazy and lunged at her.

That black cat chased the dog away.”

– Wow!

The cat sounds very spiritual.

– Since it saved the daughter, why didn’t they adopt it?

– If a cat protects its owner like that, I would adopt it no matter what.

– What are the earlier comments saying?

Aren’t Brother Wang and his daughter looking for it?

Qianyang thought for a moment.

“That cat had spiritual nature and a connection with your daughter.

It shouldn’t have been hard for your daughter to find it.”

Hearing this, Brother Wang gave a bitter smile.

“You don’t understand, Master.

The one we want to find isn’t that cat.”

“Oh?”

Brother Wang said, “I see what the comments are saying.

I did consider adopting the black cat back then.

I even brought it home.

But it came and went like the wind, often disappearing for seven or eight days at a time.

Even locking all the doors and windows couldn’t stop it.”

Qianyang nodded knowingly.

“That was a cat in the midst of cultivation.

Human intervention would have affected its cultivation.

However, spiritual creatures like this are usually elusive.

Interacting with it more would have been beneficial for your daughter’s health as well.”

On the eve of the flood that washed away her ancestral home, a spiritual creature that had been cultivating for over a decade had warned Qianyang in advance.

– Huh??

– Cultivation??

– Are they really talking about occult arts?

– …Sorry, streamer.

I just reported you for wrong-category streaming.

– ???

– Please don’t report!!!

– The stream was already banned once during the day!

– Cancel the report quickly!!

Qianyang glanced at the comments.

“New babies in the stream, please don’t report.

The streamer is not in the wrong category.

There will be occult knowledge teaching later.”

– She called me baby!

She loves me!

– She clearly loves me!

– Shut up.

I’m an old fan.

No longer paying attention to the banter in the comments, Qianyang told him to continue.

“Come to think of it, during the time she was feeding the black cat, my daughter’s health was indeed very stable!”

Brother Wang said with sudden realization.

Qianyang said, “Of course.

Spiritual creatures are not common in nature, but they’re not exactly rare either.”

“Unfortunately…”

At this point, Brother Wang let out a heavy sigh.

“About a year later, it was found dead in a garbage dump.”

Qianyang’s brow furrowed.

“Dead?

Spiritual creatures in cultivation typically have intelligence no less than humans.

Other animals keep their distance.

Generally speaking, they don’t die easily.”

Brother Wang shook his head.

“I don’t know how it died.”

“After it passed away, I accompanied my daughter to bury its body.

From then on, Yingying’s health grew weaker and weaker.

Almost every day, she couldn’t even leave the house.”

Qianyang asked, “Naturally frail?”

“Yes.

When she was little, I went to a high monk at a temple.

He said she was born weak and sickly, and very prone to… early death.”

At the last two words, Brother Wang’s voice dropped, hoarse, nearly choking up.

“Yingying is seven this year.

Just as the monk predicted, she has spent most of her days in the hospital.

Several times she nearly lost her life.”

– Wow… is this real?

– Brother Wang loves his daughter.

He wouldn’t joke about something like this.

– So what he said during the day was all true?

– Oh man, is this really so mystical?

– Better to believe it exists than not!

– For things science can’t explain, we have to rely on the occult.

Qianyang nodded thoughtfully.

“I understand roughly.

Go on.”

Brother Wang sighed.

“About two months after the black cat died, a tiny black kitten that looked almost exactly like it showed up at our door.

It was less than two months old, and it would cry outside the door every night…

Around that time, Yingying was very sick, hospitalized, in really bad shape.

None of us had the energy to deal with it.”

– Holy shit?

– Looks exactly the same, less than two months old?

– Could it be the black cat’s reincarnation??

– Wow!

Brother Wang sighed.

“Later, Yingying’s condition improved a bit.

But her grandmother was worried that stray cats might carry bacteria that could worsen Yingying’s illness.

Before Yingying was discharged from the hospital, she drove the kitten away.”

– Oh…

– If it was the black cat’s reincarnation, that’s so sad.

– The grandmother’s concern wasn’t unreasonable.

– If the child is weak, it’s true they shouldn’t keep a pet.

“When Yingying found out, she insisted that it was the reincarnation of the black cat.

She said she had to find it, no matter what.

She was frantic.

Our whole family searched for it for half a month, but we never saw it again.”

Brother Wang’s reddened eyes dropped, his voice choked with sobs.

“Master, the doctor told me that if this continues, Yingying might not survive this winter.

I… I don’t know what to do anymore.

She loves that cat so much.

I just want… at least in these final days, to let it be with Yingying.”

– Sigh…

– If I were Brother Wang, forget the occult—I would even eat shit if that meant finding it.

– Tears.

– Such a sweet, kind little girl… how could this be…

– Streamer, help him.

– Sob sob.

Where is it?

If it’s nearby, I can help search too.

[I Don’t Eat Cilantro tipped streamer Qianyang with a bunch of bananas]

[No Rule-Bending Starts With You tipped streamer Qianyang with one durian]

– Streamer, if you have real skills, show them.

– If you’re a con artist, may divine punishment strike you.

– Don’t force her to do the impossible.

– Even if the streamer has real abilities, she can’t do everything.

– Some people are just jerks.

If you’re so capable, you do it.

Brother Wang’s voice trembled.

“Master, I really have no other options…

Can you help me?”

Qianyang lowered her gaze, her expression unusually grave.

“Master…” Yang Mao stood nearby, a spatula in his hand, watching her uneasily.

He believed his master had real skills, but finding a stray cat she had never seen before was still too difficult.

After a long moment, Qianyang spoke in a heavy voice.

“You probably missed a chance to save your daughter’s life.”

– ???

– Hey…

– What is the streamer saying???

– Are you okay?

Saying something like that to a father who might lose his daughter?

– Shitty streamer.

Yang Mao crouched in front of the coffee table, frowned, did something on the screen, and said, “I kicked out and banned everyone who insulted my master.”

Brother Wang was dazed.

“Master, what do you mean…”

Qianyang said seriously, “That spiritual creature shed its mortal shell and reincarnated.

It came back to protect your daughter.”

Brother Wang looked lost.

“Then… what should I do?”

“Let me meet Yingying.”

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