Chapter 189 – His tail hooked onto the man

Translator: ChuRen/ YuQiChen

The next day, Tang Qing woke up feeling sore all over. It felt as if his lower body was about to split apart, and even the cat ears on his head drooped limply.

He vaguely recalled what had happened the night before.

Apparently, due to the medicine’s effects, he had clung to Sephiroth for a long time last night…

Okay, he admitted it—he had been a little “enthusiastic” at first, actively cuddling the man’s strong, sexy chest, even placing his furry ears into Sephiroth’s hands, asking him to touch them.

In the end, he had hooked his tail around the man’s waist, rubbing his furry tail against those tight, well-defined abs.

He couldn’t really be blamed for that…

Mainly, it was that medicine—those damn herbs—making his whole body burn uncomfortably, like being bitten by ants: itchy and hot.

And Sephiroth, this ice-cold vampire, slept right beside him like a refrigerator, constantly tempting him.

It was only natural that he lost control.

He’d only made the mistake every cat makes.

But later, when the medicine wore off, after hours of battling, he was so exhausted that not even a toe could move, and he no longer wanted more.

Yet the man hadn’t released, and Tang Qing couldn’t understand how he survived a millennium—did he really take that long every time?

No matter how much he begged, the man ignored him completely and refused to let him go.

That cold vampire prince had one hand circling his tail, the other rubbing his ears, making him lie face down on the bed, bend his supple waist, and pose in a humiliating position…

And called him “a naughty little kitten”.

Just thinking about it made him angrier.

“Ahhhhhhh!!”

(╯‵□′）╯︵┴─┴

That damned ancient monster!

“99, what’s the progress on the worldline now?” Tang Qing really didn’t want to stay another second. He just wanted to finish the mission and get out of here as soon as possible.

【 Host, the male and female leads have already become a couple; their relationship is very stable. A few days ago, they found a long-reclusive priest, who was moved by their sincerity. The priest made an exception and came out of seclusion, teaching them how to fight against vampires and how to make a large number of tools.】

【 They will attack Castle Csejte soon.】

Tang Qing was momentarily stunned. He hadn’t expected the plot to progress so quickly.

Tang Qing asked, “Will they be able to defeat Sephiroth?”

【 In the original world, the protagonists fought the villain many times but always failed. Later, with the priest’s guidance, their combat power increased significantly. Eventually, when the villain defeated the male lead and was about to drain the royal pureblood female lead…】

【 …he fell in love with her, grew soft-hearted, and was ultimately killed by the female lead in return.】

Tang Qing asked, “Then… is it possible that their upcoming attack on Castle Csejte will succeed?”

【 You have essentially reached the final showdown stage between the leads and the villain earlier than in the original timeline. According to the original story, the villain’s combat power is stronger.】

【 Unless the leads can find this world’s villain’s weakness.】

Finally, System 99 reminded him,【 If the leads and the villain begin their battle, host, you must find a chance to assist the leads and then seize the opportunity to escape from Castle Csejte.】

Tang Qing hadn’t expected the leads’ progress to be so swift.

He walked through the castle with a heavy heart until he unconsciously arrived at the Eternal Grounds.

Under the dim sky, every tombstone was shrouded in heavy shadows, silently telling the stories behind them.

He stopped before the tombstone engraved with Julian’s name, deep in thought.

He missed Julian a bit.

In this world, besides Princess Lily’s friendship, only Julian had truly treated him sincerely.

As he stared intently at the tombstone, he suddenly noticed a small hole near its edge. The hole was concealed by grass and was hard to spot.

Carefully examining it, Tang Qing discovered that the hole seemed to lead to an underground passage beneath the graveyard. But the opening was very small—no adult could pass through.

“99, this hole is so tiny. How can I get through?” Tang Qing muttered to himself.

【 Host, I can help you transform into a cat to go through.】 System 99 said, 【 Because your data is very special, I don’t know how to explain it, but your energy fluctuations are somewhat similar to this villain’s magic.】

【 Anyway… to transform you into a cat requires just a little energy; it’s not difficult.】

Tang Qing hesitated for a moment but decided to explore.

“Alright.”

Although he found System 99’s words strange, considering the system’s nonchalant attitude about turning him into a cat, he decided to trust its abilities.

He took a deep breath.

Suddenly, a sleek, pure white cat appeared.

Cats are born stealthy—its four white paws had thick pink pads that made no sound when they touched the ground.

The white cat pushed off with its front paws, sprang up on its hind legs, and gracefully jumped into the hole.

The passage was dark and deep. Tang Qing relied on the cat’s keen night vision, carefully crawling through the narrow, damp tunnel until he finally reached a stone chamber.

The chamber was filled with ancient decorations and tools.

This castle sure liked to design these little hidden places.

No wonder Tang Qing often ran into Sephiroth in the Eternal Grounds—it turns out there was this chamber beneath, where Sephiroth must be resting.

Thinking this, Tang Qing quietly padded about on all fours, silently investigating.

He noticed one stone wall of the chamber was carved with intricate totems, seemingly telling an ancient story.

The white cat lightly jumped onto the stone wall’s base, studying the images carefully.

The carvings depicted a beastly figure surrounded by dark red bloodstains. It appeared to represent the origin of vampires—a pitiful person cursed by dark forces.

Next, the wall showed vampires awakening under moonlight and attacking villagers. People resisted with stakes dipped in holy water and crosses, in a bloody and brutal scene.

It was the vampire clan’s origin and their entanglement with humanity, roughly matching what Tang Qing had heard before.

He scanned quickly until his eyes caught a line of small characters further down.

When vampires grow powerful enough, they defy divine law and suffer backlash—divine punishment descends. When punished, bones burn as if aflame, joints feel hammered by mallets, and the flesh is tormented as if gnawed by thousands of ants.

The coffin that hides the vampire during burial can temporarily ease the pain. But as the divine punishment grows stronger, the agony only becomes harder to bear.

There are only two ways to lift the divine punishment:

First, by drinking the blood of the person with the purest bloodline.

Second, by gouging out one’s own heart and sacrificing it to the priest.

Only then did Tang Qing understand why he often encountered Sephiroth in the Eternal Grounds.

It turns out Sephiroth was suffering from the backlash of his excessively powerful abilities and needed the Eternal Grounds for relief.

Strangely, that meant Sephiroth’s coffin should be here as well.

But Tang Qing had visited the Eternal Grounds many times and never saw Sephiroth’s tombstone.

What could that mean?

As Tang Qing pondered, he suddenly heard strange muffled groans from another room.

He carefully approached, hoping to catch a glimpse from a distance.

What he saw surprised him: Sephiroth sitting on the ground, covered in wounds.

Sweat beaded densely on his forehead, his stern, perfect face paler than ever before. His body trembled continuously, teeth clenched, occasionally letting out muffled groans.

It looked like he was enduring intense pain.

“System, what’s wrong with Sephiroth?” Tang Qing asked, puzzled.

【 Host, the villain was ambushed and injured by the protagonists during his outing today. Also, the divine punishment descended today, making him more prone to losing control than usual.】

Tang Qing nodded in understanding.

Seeing such a weakened Sephiroth surprised him. After all, Sephiroth had always appeared lofty, powerful, and fearless in his memory.

【 Host, this is the villain’s moment of greatest weakness. You can use the signal firework Shax gave you to call the protagonists here for an attack.】 System 99 reminded.

“Ah…?” Tang Qing’s eyes widened slightly.

【 Host, have you forgotten your mission? You must protect the protagonists and ensure their victory in the decisive battle against the villain.】

“Oh… right…” Tang Qing murmured.

He spoke, but his mind went completely blank.

【 Host, hurry up!】 the system urged.

“I-I’m a cat now, I can’t,” Tang Qing replied.

【 Oh right, that’s true,】 System 99 said, falling silent.

Tang Qing felt lucky that System 99 was oblivious enough not to remind him to leave the hole, transform back into human form, and then send the signal firework.

“Tangtang?”

While Tang Qing hesitated, the man’s sharp gaze swept over and landed on the white cat. His expression immediately softened.

The white cat padded over and approached the man.

“Tangtang, in your country, do close people call you that?”

“Meow.” The white cat leaned in and gently rubbed its furry head against the man.

There was a clear, tinkling sound.

The man reached into his pocket and took out a bell necklace.

The necklace was made of two exquisite silver bells, shining and adorned with delicate engravings. In the centre of each bell was a small crystal emitting a faint blue glow.

“Tangtang, I saw this little trinket at the market today,” Sephiroth said, tenderly fastening the necklace around the little white cat’s neck.

Actually, what the system didn’t mention was that Sephiroth had risked going out in daylight these past two days to buy herbs at the human market¹words cannot describe how much I hated the system here.

But prolonged exposure to sunlight worsens the divine punishment’s backlash for even a powerful vampire prince like him.

Tang Qing looked up at the weakened man.

Unable to resist, he extended a pink tongue and licked Sephiroth’s scarred, battered hand.

“Meow.”

The kitten’s voice was soft, yet it felt like a gentle scratch to the heart.

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  words cannot describe how much I hated the system here ↩︎