Chapter 532: Li Yu, the Celestial Being
Chapter 532: Li Yu, the Celestial Being
The woman wearing a mask and sunglasses wandered aimlessly through Mechanical City, studying the city with curious eyes.
The wealthy lady who resembled the nine-tailed fox silently trailed behind her.
With her enchantingly beautiful appearance, even strong-willed individuals would struggle to remain unaffected, not to mention ordinary people.
Her mere presence in public could have caused chaos and frenzy.
Yet as she walked through the crowded streets, not a single person glanced her way.
Occasional gazes lingered on the masked young woman before shifting away, entirely overlooking the wealthy lady.
This was clearly some spell or ability that made the wealthy lady invisible to human eyes.
Though appearing unhurried, the young woman finished touring the entire Mechanical City within an hour – faster than any vehicle.
She finally paused and turned to address her persistent follower: “Tamamo-no-Mae, now that you’re back in your hometown, must you keep shadowing me?”
Tamamo-no-Mae bowed slightly, answering respectfully: “Celestial Being…”
“Enough with formalities. Use something else.”
“Lady Li…”
“Ugh, that gives me goosebumps.”
Li Yu rubbed her arms irritably. “Can’t you use normal terms? Like ‘beauty’ or ‘big sister’? Even ancient relics should modernize. I’ll teach you gaming later – we’ll duo queue!”
Long accustomed to Li Yu’s personality, Tamamo-no-Mae avoided casual titles: “Lady Li Yu, legends state the Human Rights Coalition headquarters is my true homeland. Area 11 was merely my retreat.”
According to lore, Tamamo-no-Mae originated as a nine-tailed fox in Xuanyuan Grave, chosen by Nuwa to become Daji and bewitch King Zhou.
Whether Daji later became India’s Princess Huayang Tian remained debatable after King Wu’s revolution.
These legends grew complicated, with many elements invented in modern times.
Eventually Daji boarded Japanese envoy Kibi Makibi’s returning ship, becoming Tamamo-no-Mae in Japan.
Modern accounts indeed cite the Human Rights Coalition headquarters as her birthplace.
Li Yu waved dismissively: “Stop currying favor. You’re free now – do whatever. Just quit following me. I’ve got business.”
*Your “business” being gaming?*
Tamamo-no-Mae refrained from exposing the celestial’s true agenda – one shouldn’t embarrass immortals.
Though renowned as Area 11’s top legendary monster, she reverted to being an errand-running scapegoat fox at Coalition headquarters.
If Li Yu chose to kill her, it’d be seen as righteous demon-slaying.
Thus Tamamo-no-Mae maintained deference: “Lady Li Yu, I returned to Area 11 to settle old scores. Command me freely if needed.”
Li Yu studied her earnest face. “You’ve guessed why I’m here, haven’t you?”
Tamamo-no-Mae hurriedly denied: “I wouldn’t presume.”
Li Yu chuckled. “Relax. I’ll say if needing help. Just don’t charge in blindly before I act.”
Tamamo-no-Mae pressed her palms together: “We’ll follow your lead absolutely.”
“When will you drop this archaic speech? Whatever – not my problem.”
Li Yu waved her hand. “Sayonara. Stop following me, or I might end up killing you.”
Watching Li Yu’s retreating figure, Tamamo-no-Mae smirked.
Though a celestial being, she had the personality of a naive girl – easy to trick.
As Tamamo-no-Mae turned to leave, a hand suddenly gripped her shoulder from behind. Li Yu’s voice came: “Wait.”
Tamamo-no-Mae stiffened, slowly turning to find Li Yu standing there again despite having left moments before.
Her heart pounded with nervousness, fearing Li Yu might detect her secret thoughts.
Yet Li Yu simply smiled sheepishly, extending her palm. “My wallet’s gone. Could you lend me money?”
Tamamo-no-Mae’s eye twitched.
How does one lose their wallet? Typical of…
She didn’t question why Li Yu didn’t use phone payments, silently emptying her wallet. “Contact me if you need more.”
“No need. Money never stays long with me anyway.”
Li Yu waved the cash cheerfully before walking off. Tamamo-no-Mae immediately fled, no longer daring to think of her as foolish.
…
When Qingxue returned to the apartment, she found not Fang Cheng but a fat cat lounging on the sofa, watching a movie.
The cat munched greasy dried fish while sipping sparkling soda through a straw – the ultimate lazy life many workers envied.
Qingxue ignored her slothful sister, but Tsukikage Chuxia noticed the noise.
Looking up, the fat cat’s eyes lit up. “When did you return?”
This surprised Qingxue. Though their relationship had improved, mutual disdain remained. Why the enthusiasm?
“Today,” Qingxue replied curtly. “Where’s Lord Cheng?”
“Forget him!” The cat struggled upright, abandoning her snacks. “Let’s spar!”
“You?” Qingxue couldn’t hide her disdain. This lazy creature who avoided effort wanted to fight?
The fat cat flexed her paws. “Don’t underestimate me! I’ve changed!”
“Pass.” Qingxue jumped from the windowsill, heading to her room. She wouldn’t waste time on this foolishness.
“Haha, scared now?”
The fat cat sprang up from the sofa and attacked Qingxue mid-air.
“Stop! Taste Lady Chuxia’s Cat Cat Fist!”
Tsukikage Chuxia’s stubby claws morphed into a giant Cat Paw that slammed toward Qingxue.
Qingxue leaped aside gracefully, evading the strike.
Irritated by the fat cat’s antics, she retaliated.
Chill swiftly spread from her, using dust and moisture in the air to form a two-meter-tall Ice Giant.
The Ice Giant lumbered toward Tsukikage Chuxia, intent on tossing the feline troublemaker outside.
Tsukikage Chuxia’s Tail whirred like helicopter blades, lifting her airborne.
“Catch me if you can!”
She zipped around the living room, dodging the Ice Giant’s grabs.
Qingxue’s eyes glowed lightly blue. Frost encased the fat cat mid-flight, freezing her into an Ice Block that plummeted downward.
Before impact, Tsukikage Chuxia burst free. Her enlarged Cat Paw shattered the charging Ice Giant effortlessly.
“?!”
Qingxue’s eyes widened. “Since when did you become this strong?”
It made no sense. Over six months, the lazy cat had only accompanied her on two months of training, then idled in Mechanical City claiming to rebuild the information network.
Qingxue had endured brutal battles throughout Hokkaido to advance to monster-level power.
How did this slacker fat cat grow so powerful?
Tsukikage Chuxia hovered aloft, hurling a flurry of afterimage Cat Cat punches.
“Hahaha! This is my training payoff! ORAORAORAORA!”
Qingxue raised an ice wall, blocking the assault while puzzling over the cat’s sudden prowess. Having just returned, she knew nothing of the Divine medicine.
“What’s happening here?”
Uka Kaori descended the stairs, alerted by the commotion.
Qingxue shifted to human form and bowed. “Madam.”
Though no longer bound by servitude, Uka Kaori remained her adoptive mother in spirit.
The older woman appraised Qingxue’s monster-level advancement with rare warmth. “Good to see you well.”
Tsukikage Chuxia halted her attacks. “Just sparring, Madam!” She taunted Qingxue: “What’s wrong, Ice Queen? Chicken now?”
She needed to settle their rivalry before Fang Cheng returned. Once that lazy cat took Divine medicine too, the distance between them would widen again.
Qingxue’s voice carried a cold edge. “You truly wish to continue?”
Tsukikage Chuxia waved her claws and raised her middle finger, shouting, “Of course! If I back down, I’m a small dog. Come at me!”
Qingxue silently pulled out her phone and dialed Tsukikage Hoshi’s number. “Madam Tsukikage, this is Qingxue. I must report that Tsukikage Chuxia has been slacking off for three months—”
“Ahhh! You traitor!”
Tsukikage Chuxia hadn’t expected Qingxue to snitch right in front of her. She shrieked and lunged to stop her. “Shut up!”
But it was too late. The boss lady’s roar erupted from the phone: “Tsukikage Chuxia, you’re dead!!”
…
When Fang Cheng and Asaka Akihime returned, they found the fat cat sprinting desperately inside the running cage.
“Fat cat, did you eat spoiled dried fish?” Fang Cheng stared in disbelief. “Did you get addicted to this torture device?”
Tsukikage Chuxia shot him a glare. If he hadn’t invented this hellish cage, she wouldn’t be suffering.
But she couldn’t stop—the phone beside her was still on a video call, and the boss lady might check anytime. If she slacked off, the boss lady would storm from the Iron Fortress to skin her into cat jerky.
Seeing her silent, Fang Cheng grinned. “Want me to add more functions?”
She screamed, “Get lost!”
“Sure. I’ll make a rolling cage.”
“…”
Amid Tsukikage Chuxia’s cursing, Fang Cheng and Asaka Akihime entered the apartment and found Qingxue conversing with Uka Kaori.
Qingxue turned at the noise, her gaze meeting Fang Cheng’s. Three months of brutal battles had dulled her human emotions, her body and mind shifting toward becoming a full monster.
The complete form of a Snow Cat was an icy, emotionless monster, and Qingxue’s heart had hardened like frost. Yet Fang Cheng’s warm gaze thawed that ice slowly.
She stood, eyes locked on his, and whispered, “Lord Cheng, I’m back.”
Fang Cheng smiled. “Good timing. I’ve got a gift for you.”
The gift was Divine medicine. After injecting everyone else, only Qingxue remained.
He led her to the training ground and administered the dose himself—a privilege previously given only to Kanzaki Rin. Over time, he’d grown closer to this loyal, aloof cat.
The results differed starkly. The fat cat had ballooned into a giant Snow Cat with brute strength but no spell boosts. Qingxue, however, froze the entire training ground into a frigid vault, though her transformation lacked the spectacle of Kanzaki Rin’s ace advancement.
In the frozen training ground, Qingxue shifted to cat form and sprawled across Fang Cheng’s lap, savoring a rare massage. He, too, enjoyed petting her soft fur—a mutual benefit.
Suppressing soft mews, Qingxue recounted her three-month ordeal, focusing on one trend: foreign monsters were flooding Hokkaido.
From the West, Southeast Asia, even the Middle East—all at least monster level, like the Love Flame Ghost from Korea. Their goal? Scouting Hokkaido before the Lord of All Monsters awakened.
Initially outmatched, Qingxue had fought to stalemates, then victories, enduring countless life-or-death struggles.
Fang Cheng stroked her fur. “You didn’t need to push so hard.”
“Without strength,” she replied flatly, “how can I work for you?”
“I want you strong for self-defense, not to—”
Suddenly, Qingxue shifted to human form, pinning him down in a dominant position. Their noses nearly touched, breaths mingling.
Her icy-blue eyes glistened faintly as she murmured, “Do you truly not need me?”