Chapter 2 - The fish in the Cat's mouth

LI YU WAS DELIGHTED. So there was someone who didn't kiss up to Master Cat!If a cat's intellect could be compared to that of a two-year-old, then this large white cat was a spoiled child. No one had ever denied it anything.It had always gotten anything and everything it wanted. How dare this person presume to stand in the cat's way when it had a fish in its mouth! The white cat spun on the spot a couple of times, deciding it would demonstrate just who the real master was here. With the fish held firmly inits jaws, it pounced on the young man's shins.THWACK!!!The white cat pounced so hard that, even trapped inside its mouth, Li Yu could feel its muscles tense up. But its target didn't even flinch.Yowling, the cat bounced off the young man's firm legs. Li Yu felt its jaws loosen around him with a rush of elation, and rolled out of its mouth and onto the floor. Luckily, Master Cat wasn't very far from the ground, so the impact wasn't too harsh.The white cat froze. Letting out a "meow," it readied itself to recapture its prey. Li Yu had only just managed to escape the cat's mouth—how could he let it snatch him up again? Desperate, he flapped his tail wildly and leaped into the air…only to leap so far that his tail slapped the cat right in the mouth with a resounding smack!Li Yu was speechless. So was the white cat.No way! All he wanted was to escape! How did he manage to accidentally slap the cat instead?! If fish could sweat, Li Yu would have been sweating bullets. As a fish that dared to slap a cat in the face, wasn'the asking to be eaten immediately?With its fur standing on end from the sudden slap, the white cat raised one heavy paw and pressed it down on Li Yu's body. To the little fish,the cat's sharp claws might as well have been made of steel. Li Yu continued to struggle. Ow, don't press on my head! It hurts, it hurts, it hurts!As a fish that dared make such a scene in front of a cat, it was awonder he hadn't been swallowed already. Was his illustrious life reallyabout to come to an end in a cat's mouth? Under the cat's paw, Li Yu's bodyhurt all over. He went limp from the pain, but unwilling to accept his fate,the tip of his tail still trembled.It was then that he saw a pair of pitch-black, cloud-patterned boots slowly approaching. When the white cat caught him the second time, theyouth in the luxurious robes noticed the commotion too.Li Yu wasn't sure if he was imagining things now that his death was imminent, but he thought the young man had glanced over in his direction, just briefly.But how was that possible? Neither Gao-gonggong nor Xiaolinzi deigned to spare him an extra glance. Just the briefest look at his opulent robes was enough for Li Yu to see that this youth was someone of status.Was it really possible someone like that would notice a little fish like him?Li Yu's reserves of energy were almost depleted, and he could hardlylift his tail anymore. He laid there quietly, channeling the last of his strength into just taking breath after difficult breath. Fish couldn't stay out of waterfor too long. Nor could they bear being bitten or clawed at by a cat. Poor LiYu had managed to check both boxes.With a swish of his robes, the youth crouched down. Li Yu watchedhis handsome face grow larger and larger as it drew closer and closer…This face was handsome in the extreme, but as cold and beautiful as icy frost. The hair at his temples was so neatly arranged that it could have been cut by a knife, and he had eyes like cold stars, skin as pale as jade, red lips, and snowy white teeth. If Song Yu or Pan An4 were still alive, he probably could have given them a run for their money.Li Yu's vocabulary was quite limited when it came to compliments,so his brain very quickly ran out of words. Back when he was still human,he had been very confident in his own appearance and thought he wasrather good-looking. Did the heavens know he was close to death anddeliberately arrange for him to meet a more beautiful, ethereal man just sohe could die with jealousy in his heart?Whether you were a fish or a person, being close to death really brought out your honesty. Okay, fine. It was true, he was a little jealous.Experiencing the phenomenon known as terminal lucidity, Li Yu'sbrain started to spiral into nonsense. Next to his ear, the large white cat meowed extremely unhappily—and all of a sudden, the pressure on hisbody disappeared, and the sharp claws that had held him down so tightlywere gone!Li Yu couldn't believe his luck. He tried moving his fish body. The pain was still intense, but…he really could move. What happened? Why would the white cat let him go for no reason? Li Yu looked up slightly and saw the cat rising up into the air! The youth in the opulent robes had pickedit up roughly by the scruff of its neck.Although this was a rather burly cat, it was obviously an expensive breed, with its pure snow-white fur and eyes like clear blue sapphires. Mostpeople would at least pity this soft white fluffball and treat it tenderly, evenif they didn't care for the noble consort. But this youth's expression wasindifferent, with absolutely no regard for the cat at all.Li Yu didn't understand what was happening. But what was mostimportant here was that there was a sliver of hope for his life as a fish.Thank the heavens, and thank this beautiful man!!Having been dragged away from both the fish and the floor by force,the cat let out a furious, shrill yowl, its claws slashing wildly in the air.Perhaps this would have been enough to intimidate anyone else—but thetall young man was unimpressed.Xiaolinzi, who had belatedly rushed to the scene, immediately fell tohis knees upon witnessing all this. Li Yu couldn't help feeling shocked through his haze of pain. What was Xiaolinzi doing? There was no way hewas kneeling because he wanted to save an ingredient, right?Reality soon proved him wrong: Xiaolinzi was kneeling before the finely dressed youth. Kowtowing, he stumbled over his words. "Prince Jing,th-this is the noble consort's precious Master Cat, please have mercy…"Li Yu was stunned. This youth was a prince? Prince Jing?Hearing "noble consort" or "gonggong" had been one thing, but whydid "Prince Jing" sound so familiar? But the thought only crossed his mindfor a second. Li Yu had more important things to worry about; his fish lifewas still in danger.The extravagantly dressed youth, Prince Jing, scoffed. His dark eyes swept across Xiaolinzi, but he made no move to release the cat.The white cat had been yowling vigorously, but it seemed to have exhausted itself, its cries getting quieter and quieter. Prince Jing, exuding acommanding air, ignored it. Xiaolinzi remained kneeling on the ground,more and more sweat collecting on his forehead.Li Yu was still lying on the ground. He was extremely grateful thatthis Prince Jing saved him from the large white feline bully, but could someone pay attention to him and put him back in the water? He was aboutto turn into a dead fish!What to do… Li Yu wearily curled his tail, but no one could hear his thoughts."Your Highness, Your Highness… Wait for this old servant, I'mcoming!" Another unfamiliar figure came running from the distance,hollering and yelling. It was an older eunuch. He came to a stop in betweenPrince Jing and Xiaolinzi, then took a huge gulp of air. This was PrinceJing's personal servant, Wang Xi."Wang Xi-gonggong, you're here!" Xiaolinzi's eyes brightened, thinking his savior had arrived. He hurried to bow as he said, "Please,please help me ask Prince Jing for forgiveness…""Forgiveness?" Wang Xi had finally caught his breath. He glanced carefully at Prince Jing's expression before shooting a fierce glare at Xiaolinzi. "This cat was the one that jumped at His Highness. Are yousaying His Highness can't punish it?"Xiaolinzi felt the world spin. He whimpered, "That's the nobleconsort's prized Master Cat…"Wang Xi had already recognized the white cat, but as soon asXiaolinzi brought it up, his rage shot through the roof. "It's just a cat! Howdare it try to act like a master in front of His Highness!" he spat."W-Wang-gonggong…" Xiaolinzi had a sinking feeling he had misspoken and hurriedly slapped a hand over his mouth. While the noble consort's cat was essentially half a master compared to servants like him, itwas nothing in front of descendants of the dragon!Indignant with fury, Wang Xi spat on Xiaolinzi and cursed him out.Xiaolinzi trembled all over, head lowered, and was even more afraid tospeak than before. After he was done with his tirade, Wang Xi turned backto look at Prince Jing. The prince's icy eyes moved slightly, and Wang Xiimmediately understood.Holding his hands up daintily, he turned around and loudly yelled,"This cat has offended His Highness, and His Highness is disciplining it alittle. Why are you getting so worked up?"Since the cat in Prince Jing's hand had failed in its attempts tointimidate him, its temper had more or less subsided. It seemed to realize ithad hit a brick wall and settled on sticking out its pink tongue and mewling pitifully.Most people's hearts would've softened at this point. But Prince Jingwas not most people. He waited until the white cat stopped meowing and demurely lowered its head and then casually tossed it at Xiaolinzi.Cats didn't fear heights. It soared from Prince Jing's hands and eagerly threw itself straight into Xiaolinzi's arms. Xiaolinzi barely had anymeat on his bones, and he nearly coughed up blood when the cat collidedwith his chest.Wang Xi coughed lightly. "His Highness is evidently in a good moodtoday, as he only reprimanded it a little. You'd better keep an eye on it,though. Should there be a next time… Hmph, I've lived to this age, and Ihave never seen anyone dare to anger His Highness twice.""This servant understands!" Xiaolinzi kowtowed several times in arow.Prince Jing waved a hand carelessly. Wang Xi spat at Xiaolinzi againand followed behind the prince.Wait, they were going to leave? Just like that? Li Yu had waited so eagerly for so long, but this Prince Jing, who hadsaved him and even spared him an extra glance, didn't seem to have any intention of helping him further.Escaping from the jaws of the cat had already taken everything Li Yuhad. Since no one could understand him, all he could do was muster up thelast of his strength to curl his tail. His fish tail struck the floor lightly. Once,twice. His plea for help was so weak and pitiful, it was practically inaudible. It was enough to make anyone lose hope. But each time Li Yu wanted to give up, he pushed himself to keep going. Perhaps if he persevered, there would be a miracle.There wasn't.He kept swishing his tail until he couldn't lift it anymore. The boots that had once saved him didn't stop for him again. Li Yu gradually lost consciousness, his tail falling still. The air settled around him. Prince Jing was already several meters away when he suddenly paused and turned around. A hint of confusion flashed across his cold eyes."Your Highness, wh-what's wrong?" Wang Xi also looked around,perplexed. Xiaolinzi had already run off with the white cat. There was no one else here.Brow furrowed, Prince Jing made a shushing motion and walked back, Wang Xi following a few steps behind. The prince's attention wasfocused on the ground below his feet—he seemed to be looking forsomething. He soon arrived back at the spot where he had stopped before.Suddenly, he paused and crouched down."Your Highness, please don't trouble yourself. What do you need?Let this servant do it instead!" Wang Xi clamored to stop Prince Jing, butthe prince took no notice. He stubbornly pulled Wang Xi aside and picked something up from the ground with his own hands…A palm-sized fish, to be exact. A fish that had been clamped between the jaws of a cat and was now covered with wounds. "Your Highness, this…" Wang Xi trailed off uncertainly. Isn't this avery ordinary carp? Why did Your Highness come back for this fish? This was the first time he'd ever been unsure he could understand His Highness. Prince Jing hesitated for a moment. He reached out and touched the limp fish tail with his finger. The tail flopped against the floor lightly, weakly. Prince Jing's expression darkened. But the way he held the fish was exceedingly gentle."Your Highness! Your Highness, please let me!" Wang Xi spread his arms. Prince Jing shook his head, holding the fish himself, and headed straight for the nearest garden. A dazed and uncomfortable Li Yu felt a long awaited warmth. He could have sworn it was blankets and a pillow. Sob sob sob, life as a fish was much too hard. But if he was going todie and turn back into a human, perhaps all this suffering would be worth it.Li Yu was already celebrating on the inside when he heard the soundof the system: ‹Congratulations, user, the first part of the 'Moe Pet System'main quest, 'Tyrant's Priceless Pet Fish—First Meeting with the Tyrant,'has been completed.›