"Have you figured it out?"
The White Cat's body trembled, unable to help but lower its head.
"You've been counting your gains outside these days, and your cultivation has not been as focused as before."
Old Li leisurely spoke, "I knew from the first time I saw you that you're not a docile cat. It's said that stillness leads to movement, and I can see that your mind is set on leaving."
"Indeed, I have been outside..."
Du ke hesitated, but Old Li just smiled and said, "It's okay, if you don't want to say, then don't."
"Just make sure to bid farewell properly to Qian Suisui and Stuffy Gourd before you leave."
"I don't need that!"
Du ke scratched his ear, his eyes wandering, "Well... Stuffy Gourd might be fine, but as for Qian Suisui, if she knows I'm leaving Maocheng, she might just break my legs."
"Just go talk to her properly, nothing bad will happen."
Old Li waved his hand, "Enough, don't say anymore. Tonight, I will help you anchor the Five Elements Spirit."
"And regarding your absorption of the essence of the Five Elements, I will also help you solve it and leave your Five Elements Spirit behind."
"Oh, I'll put the Five Elements Spirit in the miscellaneous room later."
"Also, your crown!"
Old Li looked at Du ke and said, "Your demonic aura is getting stronger day by day. I'll make some changes to your crown, so when you leave Maocheng and encounter a Daoist, they won't immediately attack you because of your strong demonic aura."
"Okay, got it."
Du ke nodded obediently, then urged Thirteen to leave the front hall and head to the backyard.
As soon as the cat and dog left, Old Li frowned, shook his right hand, and opened his five fingers.
With Old Li opening his five fingers, five clusters of light shimmered on the tips of his fingers.
The five colored lights were: blue, yellow, red, black, and white.
"That little Taoist is quite calculating. He had already calculated that I would collect the Five Elements Spirit left behind by the Five Spirit Ghosts after I killed them, deliberately leaving that thread to let the cat come back and ask me about it."
"Such a heavy-minded person happens to be an extremely rare Awakener in the world. I wonder if this is a blessing or a curse for the common people!"
After clenching his fist and making the five-colored light disappear, Old Li pondered for a moment before sighing.
"Never mind, never mind!"
"No matter how many calculations he makes, as long as it doesn't affect me, let him do as he pleases!"
With that, Old Li continued to sharpen his knife, but the sound of sharpening was no longer as crisp as before, carrying a hint of heaviness and sluggishness.
........
In the miscellaneous room, Du ke took out the Five Elements Spirit from the black cauldron space and placed it on the ground. He then took off the Zhilin crown on his head.
"I haven't worn this thing for long, but it feels quite uncomfortable to take it off!"
Du ke flipped the Zhilin crown and then placed it on a random jade box.
"But Old Li is giving me benefits, so I have to cooperate, or else it would be too much of a loss!"
Du ke still remembered the saddle on Thirteen's back. If Old Li could give him such a treasure, Du ke didn't believe that Old Li didn't have more good things in store.
"Woof woof?"
Thirteen watched as Du ke placed all these things in the utility room, inquiring about Du ke's next plans.
"What are you up to?"
Du ke scratched his head, "I might as well take a stroll over at the Stuffy Gourd."
"Woof!"
"Yes, the Spirit Cat Shrine!"
"Wang!"
"Alright, I'll take you this time!"
Between exchanges of answers and questions, Thirteen led Du ke out of the knife-sharpening shop, heading straight for the Spirit Cat Shrine.
Although the journey from the knife-sharpening shop to the Spirit Cat Shrine was not short, under Thirteen's swift pace, they arrived in no more than half a stick of incense's time.
Du ke knew that, following the usual routine, Stuffy Gourd would be in the back at the Tan Cat Hall. He straightforwardly urged Thirteen to the rear of the Spirit Cat Shrine.
Upon arriving at the Tan Cat Hall, Du ke saw Stuffy Gourd sitting there, eyes full of compassion and depth, observing passing worshippers.
"Alright, just wait under this tree for a while!"
As Du ke's spiritual message passed, Thirteen had just laid down when the spiritual resonance of Stuffy Gourd entered Du ke's heart.
"Why aren't you keeping the old man company in the shop? What are you doing here?"
Du ke, startled by the voice, quickly looked at Stuffy Gourd, who was currently helping a worshipper with their wishes.
But only Du ke knew that this seemingly indifferent fellow was splitting his attention, with a good portion of it focused on him.
"I don't have anything for you here!"
Before Du ke could speak, Stuffy Gourd continued, "You looted the Wutong Temple's treasury. Your wealth must surpass mine now. Don't think about my resources."
"I also have to consider the future for my descendants!"
Without waiting for Du ke to respond, Stuffy Gourd said on his own, "I came to bid you farewell!"
"Farewell?" Stuffy Gourd's spiritual message carried a hint of surprise. "Are you also going to learn Si Er?"
"What does learning Si Er mean? I'm not the kind of cat that can be easily led away."
Du ke snorted unkindly, while Stuffy Gourd asked, "Isn't staying in Mao City good enough for you?"
"You made a big name for yourself at the Spirit Cat Festival. It won't take long for you to develop a resonance in Mao City."
"After you break through the barriers of the heart and gain self-awareness, you'll be able to depict a spiritual body and enter the Dao."
"I have some matters to attend to outside."
When Du ke mentioned this, Stuffy Gourd fell silent for a moment before suddenly saying, "Is it for someone?"
"I made a promise with a little girl to protect her. It's been a long time since I left her side, and I'm afraid she'll be bullied without me around."
Du ke stated the reason directly, "I want to stay by her side, accompany her until she becomes an adult!"
"What about your cultivation?"
Stuffy Gourd, with a trace of concern, asked, "Once you leave Mao City, where will you find such a good place for cultivation?"
"People outside are not like those in Mao City, not as caring for us cats."
"I'm all good now. Later, by the girl's side, I'll have her find me a thousand poor martial artists who will do anything for cultivation, and then provide them with resources for cultivation to absorb spiritual energy for my own practice."
When Du ke said this, even the stuffy gourd on the side was shocked, hesitating even in bestowing blessings upon the child in front of him.
After a moment, the stuffy gourd continued his actions, while also sighing, "I really suspect you, kid, are not Chi Yu Xiao Fei Lian, but a Four-eared brocade thief!"
"How did you cultivate such a belly full of bad intentions?"
"Too dark-hearted!"
"Cultivation, no shivering!"
Du ke laughed it off and brushed off the matter. After all, he had experienced information bombardment in his past life, and using spiritual energy was just a matter of supply and demand!
Cats need people, and people give cats spiritual energy.
With such a simple supply and demand relationship, could it really be difficult for Du ke once he understood it?
As long as his heart was dark enough, his cultivation would progress rapidly!
"Alright, when do you plan to leave?"
"At the earliest tomorrow, at the latest the day after. It depends on my arrangements."
"Have you told Qian Suisui about it?"
"If I go to her now when she's in a bad mood, it's like dealing with a woman who's come across a sunflower. She might just break my legs."
"You have a point."
The stuffy gourd nodded in agreement, but in the blink of an eye, he remembered something else.
"By the way, can you pass down your martial arts cultivation method?"
"Qian Suisui will know my cultivation method. You can ask her for it!"
Du ke shifted the question directly to Qian Suisui, causing the stuffy gourd to look displeased, "You're afraid of getting your legs broken, but am I not afraid?"
"Do you know how fierce Qian Suisui was when she was young?"
"The 'Tiger' in Moon Shadow Black Eyes Golden Tiger wasn't just for show. As soon as her bloodline awakened, she dared to go out of the city to dig up zombies and burn them, or find wild ghosts as snacks!"
"Do you know how many times she beat up Four Ears and me when we were kids?"
"Well, in that case, come find me tonight, and I'll demonstrate my martial arts for you!"
Du ke pondered, "I'll also transfer some internal energy to you to make it easier for you to get started."
"Alright, I'll come find you tonight!"
"Okay, and I'll trouble you to inform Qian Suisui about my leaving."
Du ke patted Thirteen's head, and in thirteen seconds, Thirteen understood Du ke's meaning.
The Cat Lord was planning to run away!
When Du ke said this, before the stuffy gourd could even respond, Thirteen had already disappeared with Du ke in a flash, leaving the stuffy gourd almost spitting out old blood.
To ask him to inform Qian Suisui that White Cat was planning to leave?
As the saying goes, you're afraid of getting your legs broken, but am I, stuffy gourd, not afraid?
This black-hearted little cat!
But with a cat like this, he must be the one bullying others when he's out and about, not the one being bullied.
Thinking of this, the stuffy gourd couldn't help but flick his tail.
It's always a bit lonely when familiar faces are about to leave again!
As the Stuffy Gourd swayed its tail, the Black Cat, who had been silently guarding behind, blinked its eyes. With a graceful movement, the Black Cat disappeared from sight.
...
Late at night, during the hour of the Pig.
Old Li pushed aside the curtain of the miscellaneous room and walked in. At the same time, he said to the White Cat playing tic-tac-toe with the dog, "Come with me, tonight I will help you establish the Five Elements Spirit."
"Alright!"
Du ke drew a circle in the tic-tac-toe grid and added a straight line through three circles.
"I'll play with you later!"
Patting Du ke's head, Old Li left the miscellaneous room, and the White Cat, Thirteen, stared at the tic-tac-toe grid on the floor.
How many times had he lost since the Cat Lord taught him this game?
Strange, why couldn't clever Woof Woof win?
Well, the Cat Lord is even smarter than Woof Woof, so it's normal for Woof Woof to lose.
But, he really wanted to win once!
Just once!
Thirteen lay on the ground, sighing heavily.
...
"Stand directly in the center of the lights!"
Old Li led Du ke into his room. As they entered, Old Li pointed to a circle formed by five lights in the room.
"Alright!"
Du ke stepped into the circle, and as soon as he did, Old Li flicked his finger towards him.
A gust of wind hit Du ke's forehead, causing him to faint and collapse within the circle of lights.
"Sorry!"
Old Li apologized to Du ke and then opened his hand, illuminating five points of light in blue, yellow, red, black, and white.
"But this preparation is necessary!"
Old Li waved his sleeve, causing the White Cat's body to float in the air. With closed eyes and limbs hanging down, the White Cat was completely unaware of the changes around it.
"It's been a long time since I've used the power of the formation, I hope I haven't lost my touch!"
Old Li carried the five points of light towards Du ke.
"Summoning the Five Gods through the Five Organs, henceforth constructing the Heavenly Ascension Platform!"
"Whether you can reach that step in the future depends on your destiny!"