So he stayed close, weaving in and out of the flowers beside the pavilion.
As he explored, he suddenly caught a fresh, cool scent.
This scent was very appealing to cats. Xie Qi twitched his nose and followed the aroma to its source— a slender, undernourished-looking green plant growing beneath the pavilion’s pillar.
He sniffed it closely. The cool scent entered his nose and spread throughout his limbs and body.
He sneezed and felt lightheaded and comfortable, as if wanting to roll around on the ground.
He pawed at it. The tiny plant trembled. Xie Qi tilted his head to observe it a moment, then bit off a leaf.
The green leaf tasted cool, with a faint bitterness. Yet Xie Qi didn’t mind the taste; instead, he felt his body relax deeply, the pleasant sensation urging him to eat another leaf…
One leaf after another…
Xie Qi devoured all the leaves of the plant, the cool sensation coursing through his limbs, bringing a tingling, almost intoxicating feeling.
He squinted in contentment, dizzy and happy, clutching the plant’s stem as he nibbled.
Qu Yanning, having been distracted for a moment, suddenly realized the cat was gone.
He hurried to find him and saw his usually clean-freak cat rolling on the grass, clutching a branch, eyes half-closed and pupils dilated, chewing repeatedly.
Qu Yanning: …
He crouched down and poked the exposed furry belly. “Good boy?”
Xie Qi rolled a couple of times and then curled up at Qu Yanning’s feet, leaning against his leg and continuing to nibble the branch.
Qu Yanning picked him up. His fur was dusted with dirt and fallen leaves. He brushed him clean and took the branch from the cat’s mouth to throw it away.
Xie Qi immediately protested. His paws grabbed Qu Yanning’s hand angrily, trying to bite, but hesitated when his teeth touched the skin. Instead, he clung tightly with all four paws and kicked wildly.
Only then did Qu Yanning realize something was wrong. He raised his hand slightly, and the cat lifted with it, dangling from his hand, tail flicking excitedly.
Qu Yanning: …
Did he just take some kind of stimulant?
He looked at the stripped plant and then at the wildly excited cat, suddenly understanding — he’d gotten high.
With a headache, Qu Yanning carried the hyperactive cat back. It was quite surprising that the garden still had Catnip at this time of year.
Chu Zhou watched the cat crazily trying to climb his face and couldn’t help but laugh, “What’s wrong with him?”
Qu Yanning helplessly explained, “Accidentally ate some catnip, I guess.”
Xie Qi used all his strength to break free and finally climbed onto Qu Yanning’s shoulder, where an even stronger, more enticing scent lingered.
He sprawled out with limbs spread, resting his head on Qu Yanning’s shoulder.
His wet nose pressed against Qu Yanning’s neck, the fragrant scent drifting deeply into his nostrils.
A surge of warmth rose inside Qu Yanning’s body. Xie Qi twisted anxiously, making soft guttural sounds from his throat.
His pink, rough tongue flicked out, repeatedly licking Qu Yanning’s neck.
Tickled, Qu Yanning laughed and tried to put the cat down, but Xie Qi was resolute, gripping his clothes tightly and refusing to move.
Qu Yanning had no choice but to endure the ticklish sensation, carefully protecting the cat to prevent him from falling.
Unrestrained, Xie Qi became even more daring, hanging limply like a noodle around Qu Yanning’s neck, clutching tightly with all four paws, rubbing his face, then licking again, as if he had found a great treasure. He purred contentedly.
Everyone nearby gathered to watch the spectacle. Chu Zhou stared for a moment and remarked, “This cat usually looks so aloof, didn’t expect him to be this clingy when let loose.”
Qu Yanning stroked the cat by his neck, tilting his head to nuzzle the sleek fur proudly. “Good boy has always been clingy. Now he’s just a little more so.”
After resting enough, the group moved on. Qu Yanning tried to take off the fur collar around his neck, surprisingly managing it smoothly this time.
The cat was as soft as if he had no bones. Qu Yanning held him in his arms, and the cat rubbed his fingers dependently, then sprawled into a perfect cat loaf, looking dazed.
Qu Yanning could only laugh helplessly, carefully cradling him in his arms as they continued forward.
Flower Luo looked on curiously from beside them, her eyes full of envy. “You really treat your cat well.”
Qu Yanning smiled gently and softly pinched the cat’s ear.
……
After touring the ecological park, it was about four or five in the afternoon when Chu Zhou received a message in the Helper Group asking where everyone was.
The group shared their location and tagged Chu Zhou’s team, telling them to hurry over because they were preparing to go to the Ghost House.
Chu Zhou asked if they wanted to go. The other girl hesitated a bit, but Flower Luo was very interested and insisted on going.
Seeing that Flower Luo wanted to join, Chu Zhou and the others didn’t mind. The group set off towards the themed amusement area.
The rest of the guild members were already there.
When they saw Chu Zhou and Zhang Ren holding hands, they teasingly made exaggerated gestures and called out teasingly.
Chu Zhou instinctively tried to pull his hand back, but Zhang Ren held it tighter and calmly said, “We’re going in.”
Neither of them was embarrassed. If the others teased, it would ruin the fun.
The rest of the group whispered among themselves as they walked toward the entrance.
Chu Zhou glanced at Zhang Ren in surprise, thinking that although this quiet guy seemed reserved, he sure had thick skin.
“What are you looking at?” Zhang Ren turned his head toward him.
“Just looking around.” Chu Zhou averted his gaze and shook his linked hand. “Let’s go in.”
Qu Yanning followed behind them. The Ghost House was dimly lit. When the cat entered, Qu Yanning carefully placed him back in the bag, holding the bag protectively while looking around.
The first scene inside was the Corpse Cave. The walls were covered in green moss, with faint dripping water sounds. Many corpses hung from ropes on the ceiling.
Perhaps having faced real ghosts before, Qu Yanning noticed his courage had grown significantly— he even observed the corpses’ details closely.
However, the corpses were made quite crudely. The dim lighting and dripping sounds intensified the realism, making the scene truly frightening.
Screams came from ahead. Qu Yanning, trailing behind because he was examining the corpses, quickened his pace to catch up but was suddenly grabbed by the arm.
“!!!!”
Qu Yanning’s heart skipped a beat, nearly jumping out of his throat. He stiffly turned around, only to meet Flower Luo’s smiling face.
Qu Yanning: “…”
He patted his chest in relief and said to Flower Luo, “You almost scared my heart out.”
Flower Luo smiled sweetly, hands behind her back, but for a moment, her image seemed blurred as if a ghostly shadow appeared.
Qu Yanning blinked, thinking he’d imagined it, but the shadow became clearer.
Flower Luo asked, “Why are you looking at me like that?”
Her lips moved playfully, but from Qu Yanning’s angle, it looked like a human-shaped phantom merged with her body. The phantom’s mouth moved, and Flower Luo’s body mirrored the movement.
Qu Yanning instinctively stepped back and pointed behind Flower Luo. “There’s something behind you—”
“I’m not scared of you,” Flower Luo said without turning, making a ghost face at Qu Yanning.
The ghost face was surprisingly convincing. Qu Yanning chuckled awkwardly, hugged his bag, took a few steps back, then turned and ran.
“Hey!” Flower Luo shouted after him, “Why are you running? I’m not scaring you anymore!” She stomped her foot, watching Qu Yanning’s back as he ran away.
Just as she was about to chase after him, her body suddenly froze.
A cold breath brushed her neck, sending goosebumps all over. Flower Luo glanced sideways and faintly saw a half-rotten human head.
“Ah—!!!!”
Flower Luo screamed, almost running out of the building. Qu Yanning pushed her back and then quickly ran out ahead.
The workers disguised as ghosts happily shuffled their heavy bodies into the corner, proud at having successfully scared someone.
Qu Yanning caught up with Chu Zhou and the others, patted his rapidly beating chest, and gasped, “Zhou… Zhou Zhou.”
Chu Zhou turned around at his voice. “Why are you so out of breath? It’s not that scary here, is it?”
Qu Yanning waved his hand, calming his breath as he stepped in with them. “Flower Luo is acting strange.”
He explained what he had noticed. The figure in Flower Luo’s body was clearly a foreign presence. Perhaps Flower Luo’s soul was truly trapped somewhere.
Chu Zhou exchanged a look with him, both recalling the two times they’d received distress signals in the game Green Grasslands.
Maybe, that really was Flower Luo herself sending out a call for help.
Premium Chapter
Login to buy access to this Chapter.