"I originally wanted to bid for that Soul Bone and give it to you as a gift, but I didn't expect things to turn out like this," Xue Qinghe said with a hint of regret.
"You were bidding for the Soul Bone… for me?" Shen An was utterly astonished.
"Of course. Otherwise, why do you think I brought you to the auction house? It's not just to broaden your horizons," Xue Qinghe said with a light chuckle.
Shen An's lips curled into a smile. "Haha, Brother Xue, I appreciate the thought. But saving someone makes this trip worthwhile enough."
Xue Qinghe looked at Shen An seriously. "We'll let it go this time. But next time, I'll definitely give you an even bigger surprise."
Warmth welled up in Shen An's heart—Xue Qinghe truly had nothing but goodwill toward him.
"Alright, I'll look forward to it," Shen An replied with a smile.
"Okay, I still have things to handle, so I'll head back. You should go home and explain the situation with the cat girl to those two friends of yours." Xue Qinghe waved as he said goodbye.
He had deliberately emphasized the word "friends."
Wait a second—friends? Ning Rongrong?
Suddenly, Xue Qinghe's face changed. Ning Fengzhi had just been there a moment ago and probably hadn't gone far. He needed to catch up and whisper a few things in his ear. There was no way he could let Ning Rongrong keep living with Shen An.
A little troublemaker like her would only get in the way of Shen An's cultivation. As a good friend, it was his duty to help Shen An stay on track.
Xue Qinghe rushed off before Shen An could even respond, leaving him watching the prince's retreating figure in confusion. Was he always this busy?
Given how conspicuous the cat girl looked, Shen An decided to take out Tom's vintage car. At least inside the car, she wouldn't attract too much attention.
With Tom at the wheel, they headed back to their little courtyard.
Before long, they arrived home. Tom even gave a red balloon a squeeze to announce his return.
At that moment, Jerry, who had been sleeping soundly all day, stepped out of his mouse hole feeling refreshed and stretched. He just happened to see Tom getting out of the car.
As everyone knows, bickering is a daily routine for cats and mice. Without a second thought, Jerry dashed over to Tom, ready to sneak in a kick to his backside.
Just as he was aiming for the perfect angle, a fluffy white cat tail accidentally brushed against Jerry.
Annoyed, Jerry brushed it aside. A cat's tail? Couldn't it see he was busy?
But as he prepared to deliver a solid kick to Tom, a cold sweat suddenly broke out on Jerry's forehead.
Wait… a cat tail? Pure white?
He distinctly remembered Tom's tail being blue and white. So where did this white tail come from?
There's a new cat in the house?!
Jerry swallowed hard, his face drained of color.
"AAAHHH!" With a high-pitched scream, he bolted straight back into his hole.
Scared the mouse me half to death!
Watching Jerry flee, Tom showed a sly grin—he hadn't bullied Jerry in ages. Now was the perfect time for some fun.
He chased after Jerry without hesitation. In a panic, Jerry looked back while running, not noticing he was going the wrong way.
BANG!
With a loud crash, Jerry ended up plastered against the wall beside the hole to his room. The plaster cracked and fell, and he floated down like a sheet of paper.
Tom burst into hearty laughter, slapping his thighs with glee. Nothing pleased him more than seeing Jerry in a mess.
The cat girl was startled by the scream and instinctively sought safety. In moments of fear, people always seek someone they can rely on.
Naturally, with Shen An nearby, he was the obvious choice.
She immediately dove into Shen An's arms, and he was instantly overwhelmed by a sensation of incredible softness.
Right at that moment, Zhu Zhuqing and Ning Rongrong had rushed out, alarmed by the scream and crash.
In an instant, Shen An felt like the very air around him had frozen.
Both girls locked their gazes on the cat girl curled up in Shen An's embrace.
A girl. Pretty. Great figure. And… with cat ears and a cat tail.
These features immediately set off alarm bells for the two girls.
"Shen An!!!"
Moments later, they were all seated in the living room. The cat girl was there too, though visibly tense.
Ning Rongrong sneered, "Shen An, you'd better explain why you left the house with one cat and came back with two. I didn't take you for the type with such... specific tastes."
"Isn't Zhuqing enough for you? She can use her Martial Soul too. Isn't her figure better than the cat girl's?"
Though Zhu Zhuqing didn't say a word, her icy gaze said plenty. The rise and fall of her chest made it clear her emotions were anything but calm.
But the moment she heard Rongrong's last comment, her cheeks turned bright red. Ugh, Rongrong, stop talking nonsense!
Seeing her worried, the cat girl was even more anxious. She quickly moved to explain—after all, Shen An had been kind to her, and she didn't want him to be misunderstood.
Before she could speak, Shen An flicked his finger against Ning Rongrong's forehead.
"Ow! What was that for?" Rongrong rubbed the red mark, pouting in protest.
"That's for talking nonsense," Shen An scolded.
He'd long since figured out Rongrong's personality—give her too much leeway, and she'd push things too far.
"But you brought a cat girl home out of nowhere, and I'm not even allowed to say anything?" she said, looking wronged. Zhu Zhuqing also gave him a questioning look.
"This girl was rescued from the Heaven Dou Auction House by Xue Qinghe and me. Uncle Ning was there too." Shen An briefly explained what had happened.
"So pitiful? That auction house is disgusting. They're trafficking people now?"
After hearing the story, Ning Rongrong's initial hostility turned into sympathy. She looked at the cat girl with a gentle expression.
Even Zhu Zhuqing, though often cold, showed clear compassion.
Innate Soul Power of level seven. That talent wasn't inferior to hers before she consumed her immortal herb.
Yet seven years had passed, and the girl still hadn't obtained a Soul Ring. She had been constantly hiding, and even so, had been captured and sold like a pet.
Even the brutal competition in the Star Luo royal family wasn't as hopeless as her life had been—a tragedy from beginning to end.
"It's already late tonight, so I'll let her stay here for now. Tomorrow, when I head to Sunset Forest to get a Soul Ring, I'll take her too. After that, I'll send her to Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School—Uncle Ning is willing to take her in."
Shen An explained calmly.
"No wonder there were always new pretty young ladies working as maids in the sect. So they were all girls Dad rescued from the Heaven Dou Auction House?"
Rongrong mumbled softly to herself.
Shen An was surprised. He had thought Ning Fengzhi was helping out only because he asked. Turns out, the man had been doing this long before.
Rongrong's father really is a kind man, Shen An thought to himself.
"What's your name?" Zhu Zhuqing asked curiously.
The cat girl shyly shook her head. She had been on the run for so long, how could she have a name?
After being caught, they only ever called her "cat girl" in the auction house.
It made her feel completely humiliated—those people didn't treat her like a person, but like an object, a toy.
She looked timidly at Shen An. "Sir, could you give me a name? I don't want to be called 'cat girl' anymore."
A name? Shen An perked up. Now this was something interesting.
He looked her over carefully—snow-white cat ears and a long white tail. For a moment, he thought of "Toodles Galore."
Maybe that could work?
But then he glanced at Tom and Jerry still bickering in the background and immediately gave up the idea.
Forget it. If I really name her that, what if it brings up painful memories for Tom? He got strung along so badly by that white cat.
"How about this: my surname is Shen. If you don't mind, you can take my surname. As for your given name—how about Yi?"
The cat girl—no, Shen Yi—softly repeated the name, "Shen Yi… Shen Yi…"
Her eyes lit up with a gentle glow.
At that moment, she no longer felt like a commodity to be traded.
She was finally… a person.
Shen Yi stood up and gave Shen An a deep bow.
That night, Tom set up a bed for Shen Yi. Their courtyard had plenty of rooms, and having one more person wasn't an issue—especially just for a night.
But having a cat set up a bed for her completely stunned Shen Yi.
Have I been too sheltered? Since when can cats make beds—and do it better than I can?
And that was just the beginning.
At dinnertime, Shen Yi eagerly volunteered to help.
Shen An had saved her, was helping her get a Soul Ring, and had even offered her shelter. She wanted to repay him, even if it was in some small way.
But Shen An shook his head helplessly. It wasn't that he was cold-hearted—it was just that her help really wasn't needed.
He led her to the kitchen door. Shen Yi's heterochromatic eyes widened in disbelief, and her mouth hung open.
She saw her savior cat—Tom—holding a knife in one hand and a spatula in the other, all while using his tail to toss in spices.
Are cats in big cities always this amazing?
When it was time to eat, Shen Yi only intended to take a few symbolic bites. After all, she had just arrived and felt it would be rude to eat too much.
But after the first bite, she couldn't stop.
It was just too delicious!
Even the meals at the auction house—high-quality food meant to keep her in top condition for sale—couldn't compare.
Some of those meals even included rare Soul Beast meat, yet none of it tasted as good as what her savior cat had cooked.
I think… I might've been rescued by someone truly incredible, Shen Yi thought.
Interestingly, Jerry seemed scared of Shen Yi and kept his distance during dinner.
"You can rest well here tonight. Tomorrow, I'll take you to Sunset Forest to get your Soul Ring."
That night, in her room, Shen Yi's tears soaked into her pillow.
I will repay you. I swear I will.