If they kept talking like this, Wei Ming felt that sooner or later, he would be completely bewitched by Chi Lian's sweet talk. He pretended not to hear the last sentence and changed the subject to business: "The Snake Demon Case... do you already have a plan in mind?"

"No," Chi Lian said crisply. "The enemy is in the shadows while I am in the light. Rushing around would be pointless. We can only wait for it to come to us. Then, we'll deal with it as it comes. Life and death will be left to fate."

Wei Ming: ...

He turned and started walking towards the palace. "This Prince has no interest in catching a mace with my bare head. I'm going to Father Emperor to withdraw from this. If I go back to cultivating, I can at least live to eighty..."

Chi Lian blocked his path, coaxing and flattering him in a gentle tone, "His Highness is a genius of extraordinary talent and unparalleled insight. It is precisely because this subject knows his own incompetence and can only rely on you for guidance that I specifically requested The Emperor to have you preside over this case. It is already late, and I have disturbed Your Highness today. In any case, the investigation is not urgent. Your Highness should go back and get a good night's sleep first. This subject will visit your manor tomorrow."

Wei Ming couldn't be bothered to struggle with him further; it was undignified. He allowed himself to be escorted out of Chongxuan Gate, remarking sarcastically as they walked, "The Grand Preceptor is quite skilled at taking the easy way out. This was originally the duty of your Zixiao Academy. How has it now become this Prince's task?"

Chi Lian hailed the carriage waiting outside the palace gate and gently yet carefully helped him aboard, saying with a smile, "His Highness is magnanimous and benevolent. Surely you won't stand by and watch this subject run into a wall everywhere, will you?"

"Sweet talk. I'm afraid even a wall would be coaxed into a pile of mud by you, Lord Chi." Wei Ming scoffed at him, lifting the carriage curtain to bid him farewell. "Alright, let's leave everything for tomorrow. You get some rest too. Go back early, no need to see me off."

Chi Lian stood by the carriage, watching him settle inside. He then lowered the bamboo curtain to block the wind, his attentiveness covering every detail. Just as Wei Ming was about to say 'don't bother', he suddenly heard him ask in an extremely soft voice, "After what happened tonight, Your Highness hasn't asked about my origins. It's clear you've long accepted the existence of ghosts, gods, and demons in this world. If that's the case, why are you so resistant to the idea of a past life?"

"Wha..."

Wei Ming was taken aback, but Chi Lian seemed to have no intention of hearing his answer. He steadily took two steps back, nodded at the driver, and said, "Go." A crisp crack of the whip echoed in the silent, deep night, and the sounds of hooves and wheels gradually faded as the carriage departed the palace city.

The dreamscape was inverted, a gale suddenly rising at the peak of mountains and seas.

At the center of the ink-black clouds at the zenith, a scarlet light flickered, like a malevolent eye gazing down upon the Mortal Realm. Golden light poured from the churning clouds, and countless tiny runes flowed and transformed, weaving a great net that covered the sky. Stretching from heaven to earth, it pulled from eight directions, ultimately converging beneath the firmament into a white jade seal held flat in his palm.

The sun-obscuring dark clouds spread out menacingly around him. The man stood steadily atop a razor-sharp cliff, or perhaps he stood upon the very air. He never turned back, only his back remained, straight as a tall bamboo. His wide sleeves merged with the roiling wind and clouds. A colossal phantom of a Qilin emerged from behind him, its whiskers and mane bristling, looking as if it was about to tread on flames and burst through the void.

After an unknown amount of time, the white jade seal slowly rose from his hand. The formation tightened continuously, wrapping densely around the eye of the storm at the center of the dark clouds. Just as success seemed imminent, the speck of red light suddenly shot towards the southwest. The formation, as if sensing its death throes, instantly flared with a purer, more dazzling golden light.

Immense spiritual power swelled to its peak, causing the wind and clouds to change color. But in the next moment, the golden threads in the southwest, as if unable to bear the strain, abruptly snapped. The red light broke out of the formation, trailing a long, fiery tail. At the same time, the Qilin phantom in mid-air flickered, solidifying in an instant and bursting forth with a blinding light sufficient to engulf heaven and earth.

A suffocating, wrenching pain shot through his chest. Wei Ming felt as if he had missed a step, and his eyes flew open in the dimness of his bed curtains.

From outside, perfectly timed, came the soft voice of a maidservant, accompanied by the light patter of footsteps and movement. "Judging by the time, the Prince should be about to wake up. Go get the hot water from the stove to mix, and wring out a towel... ah, where did this little cat come from?"

Wei Ming slowly exhaled, using the daylight filtering through the gauze curtains to calm his racing heart. He wasn't usually one to blame others, but at this moment, he couldn't help but curse Chi Lian—if he hadn't idly brought up the subject of past lives, it wouldn't have so immediately triggered his nightmare.

A soft cry came from outside the curtains. Wei Ming felt the corner of his quilt dip as a golden furball hopped onto his bed. It padded up his leg, reached his hand, sniffed it familiarly, gave a long yawn, and then lay down, curling into a ball, apparently intending to sleep right there.

"Meow!!!"

"Prince!"

Wei Ming threw open the bed curtains, pinched the little thing by the scruff of its neck with two fingers, and tossed it into the arms of the maidservant, Chunzhi, saying indifferently, "Take it out."

Chunzhi let out a soft cry and carefully held the cat's paws, picking up the unusually clingy animal. She was instantly smitten. "Prince, this little cat is of good quality, and it's clean. It doesn't look like a stray. Maybe it's a lost pet from some family."

Wei Ming washed his hands and face, completely uninterested. "Then take it out and ask around. But people in the Capital mostly prefer Cloud Cats. I'd say it's most likely an unwanted little mutt cat."

The so-called Cloud Cat was a cat with spots like a clouded leopard, with a small but sturdy build. It had always been highly prized, with a market price of at least twenty to thirty taels of silver, roughly a year's living expenses for a middle-class family. As for this cat, although it had yellow fur and green eyes, giving it a pleasing appearance, it was just a bit rounder than the common strays in the fields. There wasn't much difference. They probably didn't even need to look for its owner; it would likely go back on its own in a few hours.

The cat, having been looked down upon, was very displeased. It burrowed aggrievedly into Chunzhi's arms, its tail tip drooping, leaving only a fluffy, round back for him to see.

"So well-behaved, it understands human speech." Chunzhi comfortingly scratched the little cat's chin, her compassionate heart stirred with nowhere to rest. She couldn't help but plead with Wei Ming, "Prince, if this little cat is homeless, can we keep it here in the Prince's Manor? This servant will feed it myself, it won't use up the manor's food."

"As you wish." The maidservants and servants in the Prince's Manor had been with him since its establishment, and Wei Ming had always been a lenient master. "But whoever raises it is responsible for watching it. It can be mischievous, but it's not allowed to tear down the house."

"Thank you, Prince!" Not just Chunzhi, but all the maidservants in the room were overjoyed, coming forward with extra diligence to serve him. Wei Ming waved his hand to dismiss them, dressed himself neatly, and said to Chunzhi, "An honored guest is coming to the manor today. Tell Steward Yi to have everyone be more diligent and not to be negligent."

Chunzhi smiled and agreed, curtsied, and went out holding the cat.

The piece used to weigh down his robes today was that very lotus jade pendant. Wei Ming held it, lost in thought for a while. Thinking about the events of the past few days, for a moment he couldn't tell if he felt anticipation or resistance. Chi Lian's intention was obvious. He had first defeated Jinghui, and then taken control of the Snake Demon Case. In this way, no matter what Wei Ming thought, in the eyes of outsiders, he had boarded the same pirate ship as Chi Lian. When the heavenly thunder struck, it wouldn't spare him just because he was an unwilling participant.

Wei Ming's years away from the Imperial Capital were practically an open declaration to Emperor Qiansheng and all the princes that he had no ambition for the court or the throne. But how could a man like Chi Lian be content with the mere position of Grand Preceptor? No matter how transcendent the Zixiao Academy was, it was ultimately the emperor's private tool. With the change of emperors and princes vying for the throne, even those with no interest couldn't remain detached observers. How could someone already in the game just sit idly by?

He wasn't afraid of being dragged into this, nor did he mind dealing with dangerous shoals and turbulent currents. But if he was destined to die, he wanted to be a ghost who knew why.

After he was lost in thought for a good while, Yi Dayou came in from outside, stood behind the screen, and reported, "Prince, the Grand Preceptor from the Zixiao Academy requests an audience."

"I know," Wei Ming clenched the jade pendant in his palm. "Have him wait in the East Hall. I'll be right there."

Compared to the manors of other favored princes, Prince Duan's Manor could only be described as quiet and simple. Yet, while it lacked ornate architecture and precious treasures, it was managed with great elegance and order. The servants were few, but they acted with calm efficiency, showing remarkable discipline. As Chi Lian observed with a cool eye, it had some of the orderliness of the inner palace gardens, showing that Prince Duan clearly had a capable and efficient confidant planning for him behind the scenes.

The moment Wei Ming entered, his gaze was involuntarily drawn to him. Chi Lian was wearing a smoky-cyan Daoist robe today, with a silver crown and a snow-white sash. He was turned sideways to the door, his silhouette exceptionally smooth and handsome. Hearing footsteps, he turned to look, a ripple seeming to stir in his eyes, a smile on his lips that could practically light up the entire hall.

"His Highness."

Wei Ming noticed that compared to the title "Prince," Chi Lian seemed to prefer calling him "His Highness," and he said it with particular solemnity... as if what he was actually saying was "Your Majesty."

"You're here." Wei Ming waved his hand, signaling that he needn't rise to bow, and sat down beside him, asking casually, "Have you eaten?"

Chi Lian was slightly taken aback. Wei Ming understood and said, "Good, you haven't. Keep me company." He then called a servant in to set out the meal. "Bring a set of bowl and chopsticks for the Grand Preceptor."

Chi Lian snapped back to his senses and quickly said, "His Highness, there's no need..."

"What, have you started fasting?" Wei Ming made a gesture as if to press him down. "It's fine. If you don't want to eat, just sit here and keep me company for a bit. I can't just have you sit there and watch, that would be too neglectful."

Since he wasn't intentionally putting on the airs of a prince, Chi Lian relaxed and went along with his wishes, smiling. "This subject would be impolite to refuse Your Highness's generous offer."

To his horror, Wei Ming discovered that whenever Chi Lian yielded even slightly, the sentiment 'so well-behaved' would pop into his head unbidden, as if he were an old father tormented for years by an unfilial son, or a doting dad who spoiled his child unreasonably.

"Right, this is for you." Wei Ming reined in his wild thoughts and untied the jade pendant from his waist. "I might have taken this by mistake at the palace banquet a few days ago. It's a good time to return it to its rightful owner."

Chi Lian didn't take it. A very strange expression suddenly appeared on his face, as if someone had just stepped on his tail.

His gaze slowly swept from Wei Ming's fingertips holding the pendant to his face. Then, completely out of the blue, he asked, "Has Your Highness gotten a cat?"

Wei Ming replied, baffled, "No, though one did show up at the manor this morning... What's with that look on your face?"

Chi Lian didn't answer. Wei Ming stared in confusion at his cold eyes, which held a hidden killing intent. Suddenly, inspiration struck, and he understood the unspoken meaning, asking in disbelief, "No way, you're jealous already?!"

"..."

Chi Lian's expression was cold as he said flatly, "I am not."

Wei Ming was skeptical. Peeking at his expression, he said, "Alright, alright, you're not. But you've reminded me. They say Cloud Cats are popular in the Capital lately. They're considerate and perfect for relieving boredom. Maybe I'll get one tomorrow to raise... What are you doing?"

Chi Lian gripped his wrist. If he had a tail, it would certainly be bristling right now. "You're not allowed to."

Just a moment ago, Wei Ming was marveling at how unusually agreeable he was, and in the blink of an eye, his wrist was being brazenly held. It gave him a sense of 'it's finally happening'. He couldn't help but suppress a laugh and ask, "Such resentment. It seems you've been holding a grudge for a long time. So, in our past life, what were you that I raised? A kitten, a puppy, or... a son?"

Chi Lian: "..."

Author's Note:

Wei Ming: Turning the tables and becoming the daddy