Chapter 126: Waiting for the Moment of Weariness

I ate until I was stuffed, then allowed myself to be carried to bed, feeling completely satisfied. Living like a person with a disability actually wasn't so bad. At the very least, now that the earlier storm had passed, I felt that Wangchuan was still mine and nothing had changed. With that thought, he pulled me into his arms, and I drifted into a wonderful sleep.

When I woke up, I saw Wangchuan standing not far away, getting dressed. Generally, he preferred wearing loose, comfortable clothing, but today he had opted for something formal, complete with a belt and collar.

"Master, where are you going?" I asked, puzzled. I crawled forward a bit, resting my groggy head on the edge of the bed.

He adjusted his cuffs as he answered, "I’m going to the Spirit Realm to get you something to eat."

"Something to eat?"

I thought of those colorful fruits he used to bring me. Honestly, they tasted much better than any fruit in the human world! Moreover, I could truly feel the spiritual energy when I ate them; it made my belly feel so comfortable that my whole being felt joyful. It made me wonder—was the little one inside me happy too?

"Yes," Wangchuan nodded. "I've noticed your bathroom habits have become more pungent lately. The little one must be starting to grow bones; it needs nourishment."

The little one was growing bones? I touched my stomach. It still didn't look like there was any bump. Just as Wangchuan had said, a small fierce beast grew so slowly—so slowly that I had lost my patience and even started to think I wasn't pregnant at all. Still, my urine had indeed developed a very strong odor recently. It wasn't a foul, stinking smell, but something strange and metallic, like raw fish. Regardless of what it smelled like, it was definitely stronger, so I always snuck away to flush the toilet multiple times, thinking he hadn't noticed. That guy with the dog-like nose.

However, I was a little dissatisfied. "Why don't you send other spirit beasts or demon beasts... why must you go yourself?"

Wangchuan thought for a long time before answering with a smile. "I don't trust what others bring back."

I was speechless. In the end, I could only watch him leave, looking forward to what he would bring back. Wangchuan said he wouldn't be gone long and would be back by evening. Based on my calculations, if he managed to return earlier as he usually did, he should be back by the afternoon.

But lunch still had to be dealt with. As I sat at the dining table waiting for Jiuyan to bring the food, I suddenly felt the wind around me shift. Lightning flashed, and dark clouds gathered overhead!

When she set the small tray down in front of me, I instinctively clenched my teeth. It was a feline reaction to battle; my teeth itched, and my claws felt restless.

Jiuyan set the items down and began to explain in detail. "Per the Master's instructions: kiwi juice, pan-fried buns with sauce, sautéed mushrooms with minced meat, and grapes for dessert."

"Thank you," I said, taking the items and lining them up in front of me. It seemed that even with Wangchuan gone, Jiuyan was still polite enough, or at least she hadn't skimped on my food.

But Jiuyan replied respectfully, "I am the Master’s cat, so I am merely fulfilling the tasks the Master has entrusted to me. You do not need to thank me."

It was a normal enough sentence, but looking at that slightly upturned, arrogant gaze of hers, I inexplicably felt a surge of anger.

"What is that supposed to mean?" I had just picked up my chopsticks, but I slammed them back down on the table with a clatter! Couldn't a person just eat in peace?

"It doesn't mean anything. Are you perhaps overthinking it?"

"I..." I looked at her blinking eyes, and she truly didn't seem to be mocking me. Was I overthinking it? But then, Jiuyan’s next words made me feel that I hadn't been overthinking it at all.

"After all, since the Master dotes on you, I should naturally do things for you." The first half was normal. The second half made me slam my chopsticks down again after I had just picked them back up.

"But if he stops doting on you, then you are... nothing."

Those last few words were soft, yet they felt like a bomb dropping on my head. Much like that pig, a mushroom cloud erupted in my mind, and my fury soared to the heavens!

"You are looking for a fight!" I stood up abruptly, facing this cat who was about my height, feeling no fear at all.

"Not at all. How would I dare to quarrel with you?" Jiuyan smiled slightly and bowed again. "One does not need to quarrel with a vase; one only needs to... wait."

Wait?

"Wait for what! You're the vase!" I shouted angrily, though her relaxed attitude made it impossible to truly throw a tantrum.

"Oh, I apologize," she suddenly said. "I used the wrong word. You aren't a vase; you are just... a little toy."

"I, I, I..." I suddenly felt tongue-tied, not knowing how to respond.

"After all, vases aren't that ugly, whereas little toys come in all shapes and sizes. Even if they are ugly in a unique way, they still manage to amuse."

I gripped my chopsticks and plopped back onto my stool, suppressing my anger. "I don't want to fight with you, so please shut up."

"Is what I said not true?" She actually retorted! She dared to be aggressive!

I couldn't hold it back anymore, so I tried to reply calmly. "Yes, demon beasts, spirit beasts, immortal beasts, and monsters—they all look beautiful. I am just a human, and this is how I look. My parents gave me this appearance, and I'm happy with it! Wangchuan likes it, so what does it have to do with you?!"

"True, the Master likes it," Jiuyan nodded. "But can you guarantee how long he will like you? A year? A decade? A century? A millennium?"

I watched her silently as she spoke. The more she talked, the more cynical the smile on her lips became.

"You know how long the Master's lifespan is. Living for another few tens of thousands of years is no problem for the Four Perils. Do you truly think you are any different from the various 'little toys' he has had in the past?"

I didn't know if I was different. I had never seen those things, so how could I possibly know? Regardless, I knew Wangchuan wasn't a promiscuous man. Although the time we had been together was short, he wasn't the type to jump into bed the moment he met someone. If he were truly licentious and depraved, with the thousands of female cats under his command, it would never have been my turn. I figured if he were like that, he would have had them serving him in bed in rotation, without a moment's rest. It wouldn't be surprising if he changed partners every few days, or even two or three times a day.

I gritted my teeth. "But at least he dotes on me, not you."

Jiuyan smiled. "That's right. The Master dotes on you, and you are favored, but your intelligence is truly lacking."

"How so?" Even though I was angry, I had to admit that this woman's words carried some weight. Perhaps listening to a few of them and correcting my flaws wouldn't be a bad idea.

"Everyone in the Illusion Realm says the Master has found a stupid human lover who insists on taking on everything herself. You are the type who can't do anything right. Furthermore, you are quick to pick fights and get into trouble without knowing how to extricate yourself. Tsk, tsk... one day, you might even drag him down with you."

"I..." I suddenly felt my confidence waver. "He is willing to support me because I can't do things well! The trouble I get into is only because his presence draws the resentment of others..."

Before I could finish, she interrupted me.

"The teeth marks on his hands—those were made by you, right?"

"So what if I bit him!!" I said indignantly, but Jiuyan continued to argue with a slow, deliberate smile.

"A female can be willful, but she shouldn't be reckless. Acting spoiled and playing petty is fine, but being arrogant and biting people is just a case of 'princess syndrome' born from being spoiled. Given enough time, anyone would grow to hate you."

Jiuyan was lecturing me. I was indeed in the wrong, but I couldn't stand it—what right did she have to stand there and lecture me?

"Wangchuan likes it! He likes me biting him, and he hasn't said anything. What right do you have to interfere?"

"Indeed, you are favored. You currently possess supreme affection, but do not forget: no matter who it is, if one lives solely on the affection of others, in the end, one is nothing more than a pointless ornament. Even if you are beautiful and unique, in his eyes, you will eventually be no different from the rest."

"I!" I froze. Was she really going this far just because I bit Wangchuan once?

"The Master is the Master; he is noble. Just because you can serve him and make him happy, it doesn't mean you are supreme. There is no female who can gain pleasure by stepping on a male, hitting him, or biting him; those are just the beginning. Your human vices—treating love as a reason to hurt, treating affection as an excuse to bully a male—tsk, how foolish."

I bit my lip, feeling awkward. "But... but I'm carrying his little one! I..." I felt that I at least had the right to throw a tantrum with Wangchuan, didn't I? In any case, I wasn't just some absolute pet cat. I had climbed into his bed, I was carrying his offspring, and we even had a formal marriage of sorts. Wasn't that enough?

"You're stuttering, which proves that you lack confidence in this pregnancy, don't you? Does having a cub mean you can be arrogant? Isn't that just a joke made by someone looking for an excuse to act out?"

"At least you don't have one." I narrowed my eyes, on the verge of losing my mind.

"True, I don't. That is why I am waiting." She squinted and leaned in close to me. "Waiting for the moment you are finally cast aside."