See All the Flowers in One Day

Dong dong dong~~ Clang clang clang~~

The drummer vigorously beats the drums, and the lively drumming resonates throughout Zhuangyuan Road. At the same time, Zhang Zongcheng waves the cat flag on the side of the arena.

On the cat flag, a white cat with a feathered crown drives a wolf-dog, the wolf-dog charges forward, and the feathered crown white cat looks back, its golden eyes gazing as if making eye contact with the flag bearer.

Wearing a fur-lined robe, Zhang Zongcheng feels the robe hindering him while waving the flag. He decides to take it off, bare-armed, cheering for the white cat on the arena.

"Everyone, this is the cat I endorse, the general that Zhang insists on supporting with all his wealth!"

"Now, my general has returned, and I want to announce it to the whole city!"

Zhang Zongcheng vigorously waves the cat flag, making a rustling sound, displaying a majestic presence.

"General White has returned!!"

Everyone on Zhuangyuan Road gathers in front of the white cat's arena, watching Zhang Zongcheng, excited and wild, waving the flag and shouting. They all turn their eyes to the white cat on the arena.

The white cat on the arena sits upright, wearing a majestic pheasant feather crown. With a sweep of his golden eyes, no one dares to meet his gaze, instinctively averting their eyes.

As if staring at this white cat would cause a stinging sensation in their eyes.

"Roar!"

Du Ke roars, coordinating with Zhang Zongcheng waving the flags below, attracting everyone's attention.

Every face shows a look of amazement.

"What a mighty cat!"

"Yes, so divine!"

"Look at the cat's fur color, like flawless jade. Those eyes... Oh my, so majestic!"

"The roar is like a tiger roaring on a mountain, breaking gold and cracking stones. Those who hear it tremble. What a good cat, a great cat!"

"You're all just looking at the cat. Do you know this cat is the one and only hero who brought back the children of Mao City?"

"Brother, are you telling the truth?"

"Of course!"

"And the wolf-dog pulling the cart below, the cat stands proudly at the front, and the babies sleep soundly on the cart. Doesn't that prove anything?"

"Oh, if that's the case, this white cat is truly a spirit cat!"

"That's right!"

"I heard this white cat previously broke up a human trafficking ring in the North Market, saving many children!"

"Oh, if that's the case, this cat can definitely enter the Spirit Cat Temple!"

"That's absolutely true!"

Among the discussions, Zhang Zongcheng plays with the cat flag even more energetically, and the drummers and gong players use all their strength to add joy to the lively scene.

In the growing crowd, Miao Yeqing, the Lord of Mao City, also mixes in with his chief manager Chang Mo.

Miao Yeqing looked at the majestic white cat on the stage, then at the baby on the cart, and instantly felt all the gloom in her heart dissipate, a smile blooming on her face.

Chang Mo saw Miao Yeqing's brilliant smile and wiped the corners of his eyes with his sleeve.

It's not easy, it's really not easy!

Our city lord has finally smiled again!

After Miao Yeqing smiled, before she could speak, a loud cry caught her attention.

"My child!!"

Following the sound, a man with a honest and simple face was holding a child, laughing wildly.

Beside the man, a young woman was crying with her face covered.

"He's back, he's finally back, my precious child is finally back!"

As this couple cried tears of joy, the parents who had lost their children in the city arrived one after another, each picking up their own child, crying and laughing, the scene almost spiraling out of control.

All the parents with children at home, upon seeing this scene, also hung their heads and wiped away tears.

Only those who have been parents know this feeling, if it were them, they would not be any better off than these people.

After more than forty pairs of parents vented their emotions, they began to ask those around them.

"Who brought back my child?"

"Yes, who did this good deed!?"

"Great kindness will never be forgotten, willing to offer eternal tablets to thank the benefactor!"

"May I ask which benefactor performed this kind act, please speak up so we can show our gratitude!"

"Everyone, can anyone explain?"

......

When the fathers of the children all spoke up, some pointed towards the white cat on the stage.

"Which white cat brought them back!"

"Yes, it's the cat on the stage that brought them back!"

"Oh, you didn't see it, this white cat guarded the baby on the cart, while the wolf-dog pulled the cart all the way here!"

"We should thank that cat!"

.....

Amidst the crowd's cheers, all the parents of the children looked towards Du ke.

As Du ke stood on the stage, before he could react, a man handed his child to his wife, then knelt down in front of the stage.

"Great kindness will never be forgotten!!"

The other parents of the children also came forward to kneel and bow, seeing this scene, Zhang Zongcheng was extremely pleased.

This cat did not disappoint his expectations, nor the title of General bestowed upon him!

Thinking of this, Zhang Zongcheng waved the flag with all his might, and as the flag fluttered, Du ke took two steps forward and let out a low howl.

"Awoo~~"

The sound, as if comforting these parents, also prompted a man to stand up and say to his wife, "Where's our cat?"

"Here, here it is!"

His wife immediately took out the cat and handed it to the man, who held it above his head and said to the onlookers, "Witnesses, I, Zhao Dabao, hereby nominate this white..."

Zhao Dabao glanced at the name of the cat on the stage, paused, and said, "This white General is the top scholar cat in this Spirit Cat Festival!!"

"Witnesses, I do not regret my decision!"

Having said that, Zhao Dabao immediately placed the cat tokens into the bucket in front of the platform.

Witnessing this, the parents of the other children followed suit, placing their own cat tokens into the bucket.

"I, Zhang Yinfu, nominate this cat as the general!"

"I, Yezhiqing, nominate this cat as the general!"

"I, Wuyoug, nominate this cat as the general!"

"I, Lvcairen, nominate this cat as the general!"

...

Amidst the cheers, cat tokens were thrown into the bucket, expressing the trust and admiration these token contributors had for Duke.

However, in the blink of an eye, the buckets in front of the platform were piling up.

Among the spectators, a beautiful woman walked forward, holding a cat token. After tossing it into the bucket, she exclaimed, "I, Miaoyeqing, also choose General Bai as the top-ranked cat for this Spirit Cat Festival!"

As soon as Miaoyeqing made her statement, the enthusiastic atmosphere instantly cooled down.

Duke turned his gaze towards Miaoyeqing. The woman wore a blue dress with a modest neckline, revealing a glimpse of smooth, white skin.

What caught everyone's attention even more was her aura - elegant and noble, unlike something one could cultivate in an ordinary household.

Zhang Zongcheng put down his cat flag, staring blankly at Miaoyeqing.

After a moment, he exclaimed, "City Lord!?"

"City Lord?"

Duke blinked and looked at Miaoyeqing again.

Others also exclaimed in surprise.

"This year, the City Lord is here too!"

"Wow, apart from catching a glimpse of the City Lord at the annual festival, it's rare to see them otherwise!"

"The City Lord also chose General Bai?"

"Then, count me in! I'll choose him just like the City Lord!"

...

Miaoyeqing had just expressed her choice, and many people threw their cat tokens into Duke's bucket. The citizens who had already chosen other cats now regretted their decisions. How could they have decided so early?

In no time, the bucket in front of the platform was overflowing, resembling a small mountain.

Simultaneously, those who had used up their cat tokens took out money and threw it onto the platform.

The sound of coins hitting the ground formed a continuous line, making Duke grimace in pain. The platform where Duke stood was covered in a thick layer of coins.

Seeing this, Zhang Zongcheng's wife couldn't help but smile. With her husband selecting such a cat, she could proudly walk the streets in the future.

"Director Zhang!"

The official in charge of the Spirit Cat Festival approached the platform. While clasping his hands in a bow, he stepped aside, revealing several strong men holding iron rods behind him.

"It's time for us to parade!"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Zongcheng said, "Didn't Linue mention that we would only parade after selecting the top three?"

"Director Zhang, your General Bai has already garnered enough support and funds in such a short time. It's only fitting for him to be the top choice this year."

"Is this not enough?"

With this statement, the crowd unanimously agreed.

"Yes, General White should be like this!"

"I agree!"

"I agree too!"

"Let's parade, this excellent cat deserves our support!"

......

At this moment, the other supporters also stepped out from the crowd, holding cat tokens and bowing to Zhang Zongcheng.

"Manager Zhang, we admit defeat!"

"Yes, this year's top honor belongs to your General White!"

"We acknowledge your leadership!"

"Here is the cat token as proof!"

.....

As they spoke, the other supporters also threw their cat tokens towards the token mountain to show their sincere acceptance.

"Since that's settled, let's start the parade!"

Miao Yeqing also made a final decision, and Mrs. Zhang directly placed her child on Zhang Zongcheng's neck.

"Husband, lead our child to clear the way for the General!"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Zongcheng raised the cat flag in his hand and gently touched the child on his neck.

"Very well...." Zhang Zongcheng scanned the surroundings, raised the cat flag in his hand high, and exclaimed, "Let's parade!!!"

"Guards, get in position quickly, lift our esteemed Cat Lord for the parade!"

The officials waved their sleeves to signal the guards to position themselves. The guards quickly inserted their iron rods into the platform and lifted it up. However, as they lifted it, several guards exchanged glances.

Why does the platform seem heavier than usual this year?

Nevertheless, they could handle it!

As the guards lifted the platform, Thirteen anxiously called out to the cat, and Du ke immediately beckoned to Thirteen.

"What are you waiting for down there, come up!"

With the cat's permission, Thirteen immediately jumped onto the platform, landed next to Du ke, and lay down, guarding Du ke.

"The cat flag leads the way, everyone step aside!"

A gong sounded, causing everyone to move aside. Zhang Zongcheng also raised the large flag and took a step forward.

"Cat Lord, let's parade!!!"

Listening to the cheers, Du ke also patted Thirteen's head and boldly proclaimed, "Thirteen, today the Cat Lord will show you all the flowers in the city!"

"Roar!!!"

Thirteen roared and followed along, while the people on the side supported by throwing their ribbons, embroidered balls, and dried flowers towards Du ke.

The parents who had lost their children also held their recovered children and surrounded the platform, following it as it moved away.

People watched as the platform left, some following along, some stopping to watch.

Two scholars also clapped and celebrated.

"Situ brother!"

Scholar Zhang Wending asked his friend beside him.

"Wasn't the Spirit Cat Festival splendid?"

Situ Ji stared at the departing cat and instinctively replied, "Splendid!"

"Hahaha, that's why I say Mao City is truly a utopia!"