Half a month had passed since the "Meow Meow Hammer" incident, and during this time, Shen An had been staying at home practicing his sword skills and playing with his cat. Of course, his daily strength training was never neglected—who wouldn't love gaining three pounds of strength just by lifting dumbbells?
Zhu Zhuqing hadn't returned to the Heaven Dou Royal Academy either.
Her reasoning was that the daily three pounds of strength gain far outweighed the benefits of the academy's simulated training environment.
Ning Rongrong, however, scoffed at this explanation. In her eyes, Zhu Zhuqing simply didn't want to leave Shen An's side.
Interestingly, even though Shen An hadn't left the house during this period, his fame value had still risen to 330,000. Still, it was a far cry from the two million milestone he was aiming for.
One morning, at Shen An's home.
"Knock, knock, knock."
The sound of knocking came from the door. Tom, who had been curled up on the sofa sleeping, twitched his ears.
Like a snake, his body stretched out, his head reaching the door first while the rest of his body seemed to follow with a strange elasticity.
As everyone knows, cats are the most curious creatures, so any little noise in the house would always get Tom's attention first.
The door opened, revealing a soldier clad in armor with a sword at his waist, exuding an air of solemnity and discipline.
The soldier was momentarily stunned—why was a cat opening the door? And why was it standing on its hind legs? Before he could process this, the door slammed shut in his face.
Wait, what just happened? Did the door just open and close on its own?
Inside, Tom was pressing his body against the door, his heart racing. The person outside looked so intimidating, fully armed—what if he was a bad guy? Tom was scared.
"Excuse me, is Master Shen An home? I am Li Xun, a palace guard, here on the orders of the Crown Prince to deliver a letter inviting Master Shen An to the Moon Pavilion."
Jerry, watching Tom's antics from the side, couldn't help but chuckle. Useless cat—the guy's just here to deliver a letter, and you're scared?
Jerry scurried over to Tom and gave him a swift kick, sending him flying. Then he opened the door and greeted Li Xun.
Li Xun, seeing the door open again, was puzzled—why was there no one there? Then he felt a tug on his boot and looked down.
In his field of vision was a small brown mouse, pinching his boot. To his shock, the boot visibly dented under the mouse's tiny paws.
Li Xun was at a loss for words. His boots were made of iron—how could a mouse pinch them like they were made of soft clay? This didn't make any sense!
Before coming, Crown Prince Xue Qinghe had warned him that Shen An's household was a bit unusual and to stay calm no matter what. But Li Xun couldn't help feeling a bit unnerved. This was just too bizarre.
Jerry pointed at the letter in Li Xun's hand, then at himself.
Li Xun hesitated. The Crown Prince had instructed him to deliver the letter to Shen An personally. Should he hand it over to a mouse?
"Hello, I'm Shen An. You can give the letter to Jerry—the little brown mouse," Shen An's voice came from inside the house.
Li Xun immediately bowed in respect. This was the Crown Prince's friend, after all—he had to be courteous.
He handed the letter to Jerry and quickly left. The cat and mouse were just too strange. Even thousand-year soul beasts weren't this bizarre. He didn't want to stick around any longer.
Jerry took the letter and deftly opened it, ready to read it himself. But just as he was about to start, a claw tapped his head.
Jerry looked up to see Tom, who pointed at his own kicked backside, giving Jerry a stern look. "What are you going to do about this?"
Jerry chuckled awkwardly, then held up the letter and gave a thumbs-up, signaling that there was something good inside. Tom immediately leaned in, and as he read, his eyes lit up.
Shen An watched the two little troublemakers with a wry smile. The letter was meant for him, but they were already diving into it. From the look on Tom's face, it seemed like good news.
Tom excitedly ran over to Shen An and handed him the letter.
The handwriting on the letter was elegant and dignified, clearly Xue Qinghe's own. The paper even carried a faint, pleasant fragrance. Shen An couldn't help but wonder—did Xue Qinghe use a sachet or something?
The content of the letter was simple: Xue Qinghe had some free time recently and wanted to relax. Since Shen An was his only friend, he was inviting him to the Moon Pavilion the next day to enjoy some music.
After reading the letter, Shen An had one thought: Why write a letter for something so simple? Was it for the sake of ceremony?
As Shen An was silently complained, Tom kept jumping around excitedly, pointing at himself. Jerry, perched on Tom's shoulder, also looked at Shen An with anticipation.
"You two want to go too?"
Both Tom and Jerry nodded vigorously. Xue Qinghe? They wanted to see a guy flirt with another guy (smirking face).
…
The next day.
In the most bustling area of Heaven Dou City, Shen An, accompanied by a cat and a mouse, stood out like a sore thumb. They eventually stopped in front of an elegant, ancient-style pavilion.
The pavilion was tall and exuded a refined aura.
The people entering and leaving were all dressed impeccably, and two graceful women stood at the entrance. From inside the pavilion, the soothing sound of music could be heard. Overall, it was a place of high class.
Speaking of music, it had been a while since Tom and Jerry had shown off their skills. Shen An wondered if there'd be a chance for them to perform and boost his fame.
As Shen An approached, one of the women at the entrance asked politely, "May I ask if the guest has an invitation?"
Shen An was momentarily taken aback. Xue Qinghe hadn't mentioned anything about an invitation. "I don't have one, but I was invited by Xue Qinghe."
The woman's expression immediately turned respectful. "Ah, you must be Master Shen An. The Crown Prince is on the fifth floor. Please follow me."
The woman led Shen An to the fifth floor, where only a graceful, noble woman and Xue Qinghe were present.
Xue Qinghe noticed Shen An's arrival but gestured for him to remain quiet, pointing at the woman.
The woman held a delicate golden harp in her hands, her slender fingers gently plucking the strings. The music that flowed from the harp was soothing and enchanting.
As the piece ended, Xue Qinghe opened his eyes with a look of satisfaction. "Aunt Yuehua, your music is truly unparalleled. Every time I listen, it refreshes my spirit."
"You flatter me, Crown Prince. It's an honor to have my music appreciated by you," Tang Yuehua replied modestly.
"Shen An, what do you think of the music? This is the owner of the Moon Pavilion, Tang Yuehua. Every noble considers it an honor to receive her guidance."
Xue Qinghe's tone was full of confidence in Tang Yuehua's abilities, as her musical talent was indeed the highest he had ever encountered.
"It's not bad," Shen An replied honestly.
"Haha, I knew no one could resist—wait, did you just say 'not bad'?" Xue Qinghe's face froze in disbelief.
Tang Yuehua also looked at Shen An with surprise. She wasn't angry—her temperament wouldn't allow her to be upset over a casual comment. But her keen intuition told her that Shen An genuinely thought her performance was just "not bad."