A cat that lingers beside a saint

Inside the Taoist temple, Su Bai sat obediently to one side, occasionally stealing glances at the old Taoist priest.

The old Taoist priest simply lay in the rocking chair, swaying back and forth.

Su Bai rolled its eyes, cautiously stepped forward, then jumped onto the old Taoist's shoulder, gently pressing down on his shoulder with its two front paws.

"Master, are you still angry?"

The old Taoist priest remained silent, but his somber expression spoke volumes.

"How about this, you whip that bird twice and let it vent its anger for you."

Not far away, Jinwu was waiting to see a good show, and he even began to imagine the old Taoist priest whipping Su Bai in his mind.

Upon hearing Su Bai's words, his face instantly darkened.

"That plague-ridden cat, what nonsense is it spouting? I didn't do anything to it!"

Su Bai ignored him, pressing from left to right, and said with a grin, "Master, if all else fails, just scold me a couple of times, and then whip him a few times. That'll make you feel better."

Su Bai's nagging wasn't entirely useless; at least the old Taoist's expression wasn't as unpleasant as before.

Seeing that the old Taoist's expression had softened considerably, Su Bai finally breathed a sigh of relief.

He was genuinely afraid that the old Taoist priest would kick him off the mountain.

After all, he has lived here since he was born in this world, and if he were to leave, he really wouldn't know where to go.

"You little cat, I told you before that supernatural powers are minor skills, don't waste your energy on such useless things."

"If your cultivation level reaches a certain point, you will naturally become proficient in all these supernatural powers and spells."

"But if you don't reach that level of cultivation, supernatural powers and spells will only become a hindrance, and may even affect your cultivation progress."

"People need to be down-to-earth. They need to learn to walk before they can run. Even though you are a cat, the same principle applies."

Su Bai leaned on the old Taoist's shoulder, nodding repeatedly as he listened to his words.

Whether he actually listened to that is another matter entirely.

The old Taoist priest didn't say much; he was already used to Su Bai's attitude of admitting his mistakes.

After all, I've watched them grow up, and they've lived like this for so many years.

Su Bai's nature is to remember the good times but not the bad.

But when it came to actually hitting him, the old Taoist priest hesitated. After all, if he really struck in anger, the consequences would be severe. He might just slap Su Bai so hard that his soul would be scattered.

……

As night fell, Su Bai nestled in the old Taoist's robe, looking at the golden crow still shimmering on the hibiscus tree, and couldn't help but say, "This bird is really too dazzling. It's one thing during the day, but it's still glowing at night."

The golden crow raised its head: "I was born this way. If you have the ability, you can try it too."

Su Bai rolled his eyes, then looked at the old Taoist priest and said, "Master, I want to go out for a walk. Come to think of it, it's been a while since I've been outside."

Upon hearing Su Bai's words, the old Taoist priest raised his eyebrows slightly.

This kitten never consults him before doing anything, so its sudden sincerity makes him feel a little uncomfortable.

Could it be that he has truly realized his mistake?

Although the old Taoist priest was somewhat reluctant to let him leave, upon closer reflection, he realized that this place was, after all, nothingness.

Within this entire realm, everything except the Sage is merely fabricated.

But the outside world is his final destination.

One day, he will have to leave.

These days, it's not a bad thing to let him go out for a walk when he has nothing to do.

This will also allow him to familiarize himself with the situation in the Three Realms and make more friends.

After pondering for a moment, the old Taoist nodded gently and said, "Go, but don't be reckless. The outside world is different from this place. If anyone asks who your master is, just say that you are self-taught."

Upon hearing this, Su Bai was taken aback.

"Master, are you abandoning me?"

The old Taoist priest stared at him with half-open eyes for a while before turning around and saying, "I'm afraid you'll cause trouble and ruin my reputation."

Upon hearing this, Wan Ling, who had been sitting to the side, couldn't help but burst out laughing.

……

In the Heavenly Court, it seems that there is never night.

Every time I step into the Heavenly Palace, the sky is always so bright.

The immortals, too, seemed tireless, flying around everywhere.

As soon as Su Bai stepped out of the void, before he had taken more than a few steps, a familiar fragrance wafted into his nostrils.

He turned around and saw Nezha staring at him with a smile.

"Little Cat Daoist, it's been a long time. You've finally come out."

"If you don't come out soon, I'm going to go inside and look for you."

"Oh, it's been a while. Little Cat Daoist's cultivation has improved quite a bit. But it's a pity that compared to me, Nezha, you're still a little bit behind."

These words were extremely unpleasant to Su Bai, but seeing Nezha put his finger in his mouth, accompanied by that sweet taste...

Oh well, if I feel uncomfortable, I feel uncomfortable.

Who can blame them when their little finger is so easy to gnaw on?

"What is the Little Cat Daoist preparing to do this time?"

Su Bai loosened Nezha's fingers, thought for a moment, and said, "I just had nothing to do and wanted to go for a walk."

"That's perfect. Today is the New Year on earth. At this time, the gods in heaven are busy descending to earth to receive incense offerings. I'll take you around for a while."

"Do immortals celebrate the New Year too?" Su Bai asked curiously.

"That's natural. The Heavenly Court exists to benefit all living beings in the Three Realms. Among these living beings, humans have the largest population and are the most intelligent of all beings. The offerings to the gods are basically made from the human race."

"The annual incense offerings in the mortal world are at their peak during the New Year period. Not to mention the gods, even the Jade Emperor and the Queen Mother cannot help but descend to the mortal world to receive incense offerings."

Su Bai looked at Nezha with a puzzled expression and asked, "What about you? Why aren't you going?"

"I?"

Nezha chuckled and said, "I am not included in the Investiture of the Gods. After the Investiture of the Gods War, I became a saint in my physical body and was later personally appointed by the Jade Emperor as the Great God of the Three Altars and Seas. Naturally, I do not need incense offerings."

"If I'm in a good mood one day, I might go down to the mortal realm and take a look. Maybe that lucky person will catch my eye. Although I can't guarantee them immortality, I can at least ensure their lifelong peace."

"Come on, I'll take you to see the largest palace in Heaven, the Lingxiao Palace. But before that, let me show you my temporary palace first."

With that, Nezha carried Su Bai and flew towards the next level of heaven.

In fact, Su Bai had overheard Yang Jian and Yang Chan talking about Nezha's palace.

It is said that after Nezha had his bones and flesh removed, his mother built a temple for him on Cuiping Mountain. Although it was later destroyed by Li Jing, it was eventually restored.

That place became Nezha's temporary palace.

Therefore, the Heavenly Palace should not be his residence, and even if it were, given Nezha's personality, he probably wouldn't even glance at it.

But if they weren't going to his residence, then where did Nezha take them flying off to?

Could it be...

Upon realizing this, Su Bai's eyes narrowed sharply.