Chapter 49 – Tang Tang is going to be a beauty

It felt like a dream, yet also seemed so real.

Tang Qing didn’t want to wake up. If there was such a beautiful world, he was willing to give everything and immerse himself in it forever.

But he still opened his eyes.

Because there was a deep male voice by his ear, calling out to him anxiously and urgently.

“Tang Tang, wake up, Tang Tang.”

“Meow~” The cat opened its vibrant, colorful eyes and looked at the man.

“My little Tang-gao, you’ve finally woken up.” Gu Mijing tightly held the cat, gently stroking its back repeatedly, tenderly caressing the wound on its back.

“99, was that a dream? Why does it feel like I’ve experienced it before?”

Seeing Tang Qing lost in past happiness and fictional fantasies, System 99 felt a pang of heartache and replied, “Host, that was based on the happiest scene in your subconscious, a fabrication. It’s not real. The more you immerse yourself in it, the harder it is to wake up, and the more dangerous it becomes.”

Tang Qing looked around. Most people were still immersed in the illusions, with only a few starting to wake up amidst the calls.

Qi Jingsheng had joined forces with Shen Miao to establish a new base in the dream, becoming the strongest existence in the apocalypse. He was smiling so widely his mouth was about to split when Shen Miao slapped him hard. His face was left with red marks, slowly coming back to reality.

“Why did Gu Mijing wake up so quickly?” Tang Qing curiously asked.

[Because the villain has strong convictions. Also, his subconscious doesn’t have much happy scenes.] replied System 99.

Tang Qing was momentarily stunned by the answer.

The giant pine tree launched another attack. Gu Mijing raised his hand, grabbing the two thick tree trunks that the pine tree had smashed down. His arm muscles bulged as he twisted and finally snapped the trunks.

Chen Ji and the others finally reacted, launching attacks against the pine tree.

Gu Mijing’s phoenix eyes narrowed, utilizing his full ability. A black mist-formed hand appeared out of thin air at the pine tree’s trunk, delving into the middle of the trunk.

The pine tree angrily shook its trunk, causing the entire forest to tremble.

Gu Mijing tightly pressed his lips, sweat beading on his forehead. Finally, a red object fell into his palm. He tucked the blood jade into his embrace and shouted loudly, “Retreat.”

The crowd withdrew, while Gu Mijing and Chen Ji continued to use their abilities in the rear, obstructing the pine tree’s attacks.

The giant pine tree seemed to have targeted the weakest creature in the team, swinging a thick thigh-sized branch toward Tang Qing. Gu Mijing swiftly shielded Tang Qing, taking the hit on his back, which immediately started bleeding profusely.

“Meow!”

Before Tang Qing could use his abilities to heal Gu Mijing, another branch lashed out towards them. Gu Mijing quickly scooped up Tang Qing, using his body to block all the attacks.

Tang Qing felt a sharp pain on his back, then was tightly held by Gu Mijing. The two were thrown high up and then violently thrown down behind the giant pine tree, far away from the main group.

The pine tree sensed that this silver-haired man had taken away its hidden treasure. It abandoned attacking the main group and instead focused its full force on reaching into the man’s chest.

“Meow!” Tang Qing wanted to warn the man to be careful, but all he could manage was an unintelligible meow.

The man shielded the cat in his arms, gritted his teeth, and with his last bit of energy, continued to attack the pine tree, sending swarms of bats towards it. The bats descended upon the pine tree, like a dark cloud, gnawing at its branches and leaves.

The pine tree was at its last life. Knowing it couldn’t retrieve what the man held, it erupted with a final burst of power. It mustered its remaining strength and thrust a broken branch, gnawed by bats, towards the man.

“Ahh—!”

Howls echoed. The wolves, drawn by the scent of blood, arrived in packs. Their amber eyes glowed like light bulbs in the dark night, emanating a hunger-filled glint as they closed in.

Gu Mijing had exhausted all his abilities, his face pale, his back covered in blood, realizing he was outnumbered.

Surveying his surroundings, he ran towards the thick bushes, holding the cat close. With unprecedented speed, Gu Mijing sprinted through the mutated bushes, which were as tall as an adult, leaving cuts on his face.

Unfortunately, fate had other plans. He quickly reached the end of the bushes.

At the end was a deep, bottomless cliff, while the howls of the wolves came from behind.

Gu Mijing didn’t want the cat to become the wolves’ prey. Glancing at the cliff behind him, he hugged the cat tightly, using his body to shield it, and leaped off the cliff, protecting the cat as they fell.

…

After a long time, Tang Qing finally managed to open his eyes.

His whole body ached as if it were splitting apart.

“Tang Tang, you’ve finally woken up,” came the urgent voice of the man. Tang Qing was held tightly against the man’s bare chest, wrapped in the man’s clothing.

He felt cold all over, only able to sense a bit of warmth by being close to the man’s skin.

He was in a very small cave. Gu Mijing had set up a wood fire, but it couldn’t dispel the cold in the cave, with a cliff outside.

He understood. Gu Mijing had triggered the “main character won’t die after falling off a cliff” law, so the next step would probably involve him encountering a Little Dragon Girl for some kind of cultivation¹like all those novel plots where the main character falls off a cliff and meets a cute woman and stuff like that…

“Tang Tang, are you okay? Your body feels so cold.”

Tang Qing was indeed shivering, so he stopped his scattered thoughts and moved closer to Gu Mijing, absorbing the warmth from the man’s body. However, he still felt his own body temperature continuously draining away.

Seeing the cat in his arms moving slowly, Gu Mijing grew anxious.

“Tang Tang, don’t move. I’ll go get some water for you to drink.”

It was hailing outside. Gu Mijing held some ice in his hands, using his body heat to warm it up before handing it to Tang Qing.

Tang Qing reluctantly stuck out his tongue and licked a few times, feeling less parched.

Gu Mijing then took out the blood jade he had obtained from the pine tree and hung it around Tang Qing’s neck.

“Tang Tang, try absorbing the energy from the blood jade. It can help you recover.”

Tang Qing doubted it and thought that it was just wishful thinking. The effects of the blood jade were subtle and gradual, so it couldn’t bring about significant changes so quickly.

Gu Mijing kept comforting the cat in his arms, kissing its forehead.

Tang Qing tried to nuzzle the man’s neck with his head, trying to soothe him.

The furry bundle nestled in his arms, but the warmth was missing. Gu Mijing looked down, wishing he could endure everything for the cat.

Without hesitation, he used his nails to cut a wound on his wrist and put it into Tang Qing’s mouth.

Tang Qing was startled.

The man was offering his blood for him to drink.

“I have healing abilities by nature, and blood has healing properties.” The man’s voice was stern yet resolute.

Tang Qing tried to turn his head away to avoid the man’s wound.

The man, however, held his head with one hand, gently prying open his mouth with his fingers, and placed the wrist wound in his mouth.

The man had long lost color in his face, his abilities depleted, and a large bloody wound on his back had not healed. Tang Qing knew he was at his last straw, and the outcome of this bloodletting would only drain his last strength in vain.

Tang Qing tried hard to turn his head away, blood trickling from his mouth and dripping onto the ground.

Tang Qing’s actions clearly showed his refusal.

“Tang Tang, whether you drink it or not, I will still offer it,” the man said calmly, showing no emotion as the fresh blood flowed.

His face was paler than the cat’s fur, but his movements were strong and unwavering, continuously forcing the wound open and the crimson blood streamed into Tang Qing’s mouth.

Tang Qing’s mouth was pried open by two fingers, and he was forced to swallow mouthful after mouthful of the fresh blood.

Gu Mijing’s blood was very metallic.

The man’s body temperature wasn’t high, but his blood was hot, and his limbs began to regain warmth.

After drinking several mouthfuls of blood, Tang Qing finally gained strength. He extended his white claws, placing them on the man’s arm, trying to push his hand away.

The man chuckled softly, retracting his hand and gently asked, “Does my liittle Tang-gao pity me?”

“Meow~” The sweet, soft voice of the cat was the response.

The man’s face was as white as paper.

Gu Mijing struggled to stand up again, fetching some wood from the edge of the cliff to add to the fire, ensuring it would burn for a long time. He melted some more snow to give Tang Qing to drink.

Once he had completed these tasks, he finally relaxed, sitting down against the hard wall of the cave.

The man looked at the beautiful cat in his arms, lamenting, “Tang Tang, I haven’t waited for you to transform into a human yet.”

He reached out to stroke the cat’s fluffy head repeatedly. The soft and gentle touch made him feel surprisingly warm in the midst of adversity.

Burying his head again, he kissed the cat affectionately, “My little Tang-gao is truly sweet.”

Tang Qing raised his head. The once shining heterochromatic²imagine if I typed homophobic instead eyes now held a watery gleam.

“I blame myself for being too greedy, rushing you to transform without proper preparation and coming to the Devil’s Deep Forest, causing you harm.”

Tang Qing shook his head repeatedly. It was all because he was too weak, unable to help in any way. Gu Mijing was too eager to awaken him, to protect him, to even offer his blood to drink.

“I was too impatient. My Tang Tang, no matter what form you take, even if you’re a ragdoll cat for a lifetime, so what? My little Tang-gao, you are so beautiful. Even if you’re just a cat, you are my little fairy.”

“I’m willing to always care for my little Tang-gao, waiting for you forever.”

The man buried his head in the cat, feeling its warmth.

Tang Qing leaned against him, unsure if it was an illusion, but he felt the man’s body temperature dropping.

“Meow~” The man suddenly fell silent, and Tang Qing felt a bit scared.

“Little Tang-gao, your voice is so sweet,” the man closed his eyes, his voice low, almost inaudible.

“Meow~”

Tang Qing felt a bit anxious. He remembered he was also a healer with abilities. Could he possibly heal Gu Mijing?

It was as if some force was urging him on.

He placed his entire paw on the man’s shoulder, coiled up his body, slightly lowered his head, and licked the man’s thin lips.

The man’s lips were pale, a bit chapped.

Tang Qing repeatedly moistened his lips, his tongue slipping into the man’s mouth.

The man felt the cat’s kiss, tried to open his eyes to look, but found the cat in his arms suddenly becoming very heavy, the furry touch disappearing.

In its place was a smooth and delicate piece of snowy skin.

PS. I forgot to post the pic for Cat Tang Tang in this world

The author had provided a pic as an example

No wonder Shen Miao calls him little fairy

• 1
  like all those novel plots where the main character falls off a cliff and meets a cute woman and stuff like that
• 2
  imagine if I typed homophobic instead