Within the livestock market, the tense atmosphere became increasingly intense.
All the residents of Mao City, whether they were buyers, sellers, market assistants, or intermediaries, looked at the scruffy shepherd with cold eyes.
"What are you doing, ganging up on the outnumbered?"
The shepherd, with a fierce expression, shouted while pointing at the nearby government official, "There's an official there!"
The government official, who was pointed at by the shepherd, silently covered his ears, closed his eyes, and turned away, as if to say, "I don't know anything, do whatever you want."
This scene stunned the shepherd and caused other out-of-town merchants to burst into laughter.
"This shepherd must be visiting Mao City for the first time!"
"I can't take it anymore, it's too funny!"
"He doesn't know that the most common case handled by the government office in Mao City is actually rescuing cats?"
"That's right, the Mao City government office doesn't deal with human affairs, they specialize in cat matters. This is well known throughout Lingzhou."
"Speaking of which, Mao City is really good. The neighbors get along well, the people in the city are kind, there's hardly any trouble."
"But this shepherd also reminded us that the Spirit Cat Festival is coming soon, it will start in just a few days."
"The whole city of Mao is preparing tirelessly for the Spirit Cat Festival, and they treat cats even more attentively than before."
"But let's not imitate this shepherd!"
"Why not?"
"Is it your first time here?"
"It's my first time!"
"Have you been to the Spirit Cat Temple in Mao City?"
"If you haven't been, go take a look."
"In other cities, they worship gods and immortals, but in Mao City, they worship cats with spirits and merits."
"So, on the day of the Spirit Cat Festival, the whole city of Mao will voluntarily reward all the cats, hoping for a good harvest in the coming year."
"At the same time, there will be a grand scene of cats bestowing blessings!"
"Well, now that you mention it, I really want to see it!"
"It's fine to take a look, just don't offend the cats, or else!"
...
Listening to the whispers of the out-of-town merchants around him and looking at the Mao City residents who treated him with cold eyes, the shepherd immediately threw down the whip in his hand and spat on the ground.
"Damn it, I admit defeat today, I'll leave right away!"
Upon hearing this, the expressions of the people around him eased slightly, and the manager of the livestock market, Zhang, smiled insincerely and said, "Leaving is definitely what you should do, but first apologize to the cats in our Mao City."
"Otherwise..."
Zhang didn't finish his sentence, but the eyes of all the Mao City residents had already revealed the consequences of not doing so.
Dare not do so?
One person gives you a punch, and even if you're carried out, you'll be flattened.
"I apologize!"
Through gritted teeth, the shepherd managed to squeeze out a few words, and Zhang nodded with a smile, making a gesture of invitation.
"Please!"
The shepherd looked at Du Ke with gritted teeth, but just one glance made his eyelids twitch.
In front of this white cat, all the lambs had gathered without him knowing, and not only that, but all the lambs were showing a posture of genuflection towards the white cat.
At this moment, it wasn't just the shepherd looking at Du Ke, but everyone else as well.
And this scene was witnessed by many people, causing a lot of commotion.
"Oh my, these little lambs are all kneeling towards this cat!"
"Yes, usually lambs only kneel to their mother sheep or other lambs, but today, why did this white cat make a whole group of lambs kneel?"
"Is it trying to convey something?"
"These lambs seem a bit unusual!"
"What's going on?"
"I don't know, but this cat must be an extraordinary cat among extraordinary cats!"
"Look, the cat moved!"
........
With a cry of surprise, everyone's attention was captured by the white cat, especially the shepherd.
These little lambs were not ordinary lambs. If their flaws were exposed, their fate would be in jeopardy!
The shepherd thought of this and gave a fierce glare at Du Ke.
It was this white cat that caused him to fall into such a situation, where everyone pointed fingers at him.
And these people from Mao City, are they all crazy?
They treat a furry, three-mouthed animal better than their own fathers!
Just as the shepherd was glaring at Du Ke, Du Ke suddenly grinned, and that smile made the shepherd's heart skip a beat.
He felt that the cat's smile was extremely enchanting, exuding a wicked charm.
After Du Ke jumped down from the wooden stool where he had perched, without any hesitation, he landed on the back of the lamb nearest to him.
With just one step, the lamb's fur on its back split open like a piece of cloth that had been sewn together and torn apart along the stitches.
As the lamb's skin peeled away, a seven or eight-year-old child appeared before everyone's eyes.
After Du Ke's leap, without stopping, he jumped several more times, landing on the backs of these lambs, stirring up their spiritual essence and disrupting the fragile balance of this evil spell in order to break it.
In the blink of an eye, the lamb skins on the bodies of a dozen or so seven or eight-year-old children split open, and they stood up. These children were both boys and girls, and each of their little faces was as dark as ink.
After the lamb skins peeled away from their bodies, they didn't completely separate but still had some connecting parts.
But this didn't affect these children from bowing down to the white cat.
A slightly older child knelt before Du Ke and kowtowed while sobbing, "Thank you, cat, for saving me, thank you, cat, for saving me!"
As this child bowed, the other children followed suit.
Words of gratitude to Du Ke kept pouring out, and Du Ke opened his mouth and sucked in all the spiritual essence from these children.
But as soon as he absorbed one batch, another batch of children emerged, instantly bringing joy to Du Ke.
Seeing this scene, the expressions in the eyes of the shepherd were no longer just anger but also murderous intent.
Whether they were people from Mao City or outsiders, they stared at the shepherd with angry and hateful eyes.
"Well, no wonder you wouldn't sell me lambs!" a man named Zhan gritted his teeth, his arms clenched into fists out of anger, and the veins on his arms bulged. "So you're involved in kidnapping and turning people into livestock!"
"Fuck your mother!"
"Damn it, if it weren't for this cat figuring out the truth, we would still be kept in the dark!"
"Your mother's soaking rain, doing such a useless job of giving birth to a son without an asshole, aren't you afraid of divine retribution!"
"Heh~~tui!!"
"What nonsense, doing this damn cursed thing."
"Our storekeeper previously said that this cat rode a dog into our grain shop but turned around and left. There might have been a sign, but we never expected it to be for this matter!"
The one who spoke was none other than the former assistant of the grain shop. He stared at the shepherd with gritted teeth, his face filled with anger.
Upon hearing this, the people around them cast a different look at the white cat.
This was truly a spiritual cat!
But when they looked at the shepherd, their expressions turned into pure anger and murderous intent.
A person from Mao City kicked over a constable and said to him, "Stop pretending to be blind and deaf. There's a human trafficker who kidnaps people and makes them into livestock. Shake him up quickly!"
The constable who was kicked over glanced at the sheep pen, then at the shepherd, and immediately took out a firework from his pocket, lighting it up into the sky.
Swoosh~~~Crack!
After the long and urgent sound, a resounding explosion spread in all directions.
"Don't worry, within the time it takes to brew a cup of tea, our constable brothers will be here!"
After throwing away the firework he used to send the message, the constable patted his butt, drew his own constable's sword, and grinned at the shepherd.
"Damn, so you're a human trafficker?"
The rest of the people rolled up their sleeves, picked up their tools, and approached the shepherd, their faces filled with anger.
"Don't worry, we have the time it takes to brew a cup of tea!"
As Manager Zhang's gloomy voice sounded, the shepherd also wore a dark expression and opened his fur coat.
"A bunch of ignorant mortals, do you even know who you've provoked?"
As soon as he finished speaking, a white figure pounced on him from behind, causing the shepherd to fall face-first into the dirt before he could even use his spells.
Seeing this, others immediately rushed forward, and the shepherd curled up, staring silently at the white cat that was giving him a wicked smile.
Du Ke, who had pounced on the shepherd earlier, turned around and searched for his own dog.
It's time to leave!
As they say, once the matter is done, brush off the dust and leave without a trace.
Today, Du Ke will learn from the elegance of the ancients.
Just as Du Ke was about to ride on the back of his dog, someone stood in front of him.
"Oh, Lord Spirit Cat, you can't leave yet."
A constable rubbed his hands together and flattered, "You helped us expose this damned human trafficker today. We must properly reward you!"
After the constable said this, Manager Zhang also squeezed out from the crowd.
"Yes, this cat deserves a reward, a good reward. Where is the assistant who spoke earlier?"
"Here, here!"
The assistant, who had kicked the shepherd twice in the groin, also squeezed out of the crowd, complaining, "Oh, you can't line up to hit him? Don't squeeze!"
When the assistant said this, everyone stopped their actions and looked at him in unison.
"What's wrong? What's wrong?"
The assistant crossed his arms protectively over his chest, wearing a frightened expression.
"What you said makes sense!"
There was an old man who raised his thumbs up to the companion while the companion stood with hands on hips. "That's right, I gave him a hard kick in the crotch just now!"
"Hey hey hey, everyone line up, line up!"
"Let me go first!"
"I'm older, I should go first!"
"Old man, don't cause trouble with your walking stick, watch us."
"Little Left, Little Right, our years of practicing the Black Tiger's Heart Extraction finally come in handy!"
"Hahaha, watch me steal the peach like a monkey!"
.........
Amidst the clamor, Duke urged his dog to hurry and leave. He had already gained quite a lot today and needed to go quickly.
He would buy rice and noodles for Old Li at the other market.
But as Duke was about to leave with his dog, Manager Zhang shouted loudly, "Hey, that spirit cat took off with the dog!"
"Quick, chase after them!"
"We can't let them get away, I haven't brought out the premium dried fish I smoked at home yet!"
"The cat food I made at home also smells delicious!"
"Are you the only one with delicious cat food? Mine is not bad either!"
"Don't let him get away, even if we have to force it, he must receive a reward!"
"I just got the pheasant feather crown I prepared for the spirit cat back home, catch up to him and let me put it on him!"
"I don't have anything else, but I have money, I'll stuff it in his pockets!"
"Catch up to him, catch up to him!"
"Hey, I'm telling you guys, there are still kids here, leave a few to watch over them!"
..........
Duke sat on the dog's back, turned his head and glanced at the crowd chasing him, and immediately became furious.
I still have important things to do, why are you chasing me?
Stop chasing, I do good deeds without seeking recognition!