On the way back to Underground Street, Xu Qing had barely taken a few steps when crows began circling and following him. After walking past a street or two, three or five yellow weasels were bouncing and trailing behind him.
This was only in the city; if he were in the mountain forests outside the city, hundreds of beasts would surely follow, yet without causing alarm or disturbance.
By the time Xu Qing returned to the familiar Underground Street, the small animals following him were already no fewer than seven or eight kinds.
The crows acted as guides suppressing the hall, the yellow weasels were naturally the scouts of the Transmission Hall, and a few slick gray rats emerged from the crevices of the surrounding shop doors and the grass tufts. Atop the eaves and tiles of the row of continuous buildings, a Willow Immortal was silently slithering, flicking its red tongue.
The streetlights had long been extinguished, with Xu Qing traversing alone, yet he was not lonely. Instead, it was a scene bustling and lively.
After several years of being away and given the quietness of the late night, Xu Qing did not restrain the various Immortals from the halls coming forth to welcome him.
"Xiaoliu, how has the hall been in my absence over these years?"
Now a mature Immortal, Huang Xiaoliu patiently reported on the hall's work.
In brief, thanks to the hard work of the various halls, the hall's various metrics changed year by year, and now each hall's Immortal steward had private little coffers amounting to no less than millions in incense offerings.
The incense offerings of the main hall had even reached tens of millions!
Not to mention, the Immortals had never been so prosperous, and even Xu Qing was secretly taken aback.
Who would have thought that, during this window of change spanning over a decade, the Immortal Hall would develop to this extent?
"It's all thanks to the leadership of the Sect Leader. Without the Sect Leader, there wouldn't be the present of the hall. In Xiaoliu's eyes, the Sect Leader is like my reborn parents, a saint-like existence; without the Sect Leader..."
Xu Qing interrupted while looking at the yellow weasel whose little mouth seemed smeared with honey: "The hall is mine, as well as all the Immortals'. Besides, during the years I wasn't here, it was the Profound Jade Immortal Family managing the hall for me. You should be saying these words to the Profound Jade Immortal Family."
Above, a leading white crow descended onto a monkey's shoulder, spitting words: "Every year at the hall's gathering, Xiaoliu would flatter Lady Qingqing. At that time, Lady Qingqing, like the Sect Leader, also said these words should be kept for the Sect Leader..."
As Xu Qing conversed with the Immortals without ceasing his pace, he neared the Funeral Shop, where he saw a black-clad girl dart out the shop's door and stand fixedly in the middle of the street, staring at him.
This girl was no other than the Profound Jade Immortal Family, who alone held up the entire hall in his absence from the Cat Immortal Hall.
Xu Qing waved off to the side, and the perceptive Huang Xiaoliu instantly understood, promptly issuing a Sect Leader's decree for the Immortals to return to their positions.
As the street regained its tranquility, time seemed to return to the moment Xu Qing was about to leave the hall.
As Xu Qing smiled and prepared to step forward, the girl in the black dress suddenly lifted her skirt and ran toward him.
Halfway through, the black dress fell, and a black shadow like a fledgling swallow darted into the young man's embrace.
"..."
Xu Qing raised a hand to stroke the fur of the black cat in his arms, his voice uncharacteristically gentle: "You've worked hard all these years."
Profound Jade merely snuggled against the young man's chest; though without words, the thrumming purr in her throat conveyed all she wished to say.
Returning to the Funeral Shop, the Profound Jade once again assumed an untouchable demeanor.
Xu Qing looked at the elegantly seated cat on the coffin lid, almost thinking the warmth lingering in his arms was an illusion.
"The Xu Immortal Family seems somewhat different from before."
"How different? Is it because you think I've grown much older than before?"
Profound Jade shook her head: "The aura feels different; the Xu Immortal Family seems to have deeper cultivation."
Cats often distinguish humans not merely by appearance but more so by aura and scent.
Xu Qing approached the basin, summoning a pool of clear water with the power of the Water Fiend. When he washed away all the makeup on his face, he reverted to his appearance from over ten years ago.
Profound Jade mused, "Is the Xu Immortal Family learning from humans?"
Xu Qing chuckled: "I am human, so why imitate? It's just that human lives are generally short, and those on the path of cultivation, if they wish to dwell among mortals incognito, must make some changes."
"..."
Profound Jade stared at Xu Qing, ultimately not exposing the little trick.
"The Xu Immortal Family has likely encountered many interesting things during these years of wandering."
Seeing the faint smile on Xu Qing's face, Profound Jade abruptly changed the topic, saying, "Perhaps you've even come across white cats, orange cats, or calico cats..."
"..."
Xu Qing couldn't help but laugh: "Except for wandering spirits and ghosts, finding a living person in the Nether River is hard enough. Where would I find a cat?"
"If you speak of leopards, I did encounter one, yet this leopard and I were incompatible. Meeting it inexplicably felt irritating. Among the entirety of the Nether River, only Golden Simurgh could interact well with it..."
In the Funeral Shop, where the candlelight flickered crimson, man and cat conversed under the stars and moon, exchanging stories of the Nether River and their experiences beyond over the past decades.
"Does the Xu Immortal Family still remember the White Immortal practicing in the Hundred Herbs Cave of Moonlight Mountain?"
"That big white python? How could I forget? When we were crossing the tribulation together, I sought its advice, and at that time, I even called it senior..."
Xu Qing felt somewhat sentimental; the White Immortal was an ancient demon with likely over a thousand years of cultivation and the sole Immortal in the Jin Sect circle that Xu Qing hadn't incorporated.
Profound Jade, with some excitement, said, "The Little White Immortal of the Bao Sheng Temple has some bloodline connection with the White Immortal. A few years ago, after passing its five-hundred-year tribulation and returning gloriously, the Little White Immortal evoked considerable envy from the Python Immortal of Moonlight Mountain.
The White Immortal, inherently reclusive and disinterested in worldly cultivation, sought me out upon learning that the Little White Immortal crossed its tribulation in just over a decade. It wished to branch some of Moonlight Mountain's Immortals into the Medical Hall..."
Xu Qing slightly frowned; Little White Immortal was an external Immortal of Bao Sheng Temple, also responsible for the Medical Hall.
The incense and offerings of the Bao Sheng Temple differed from that of the Cat Immortal Hall.
A single wisp of the blood lake incense was equivalent to a thousand ordinary incense wisps, and even the Cat Immortal Hall's incense was at a one to one hundred ratio.
Otherwise, Little White Immortal's cultivation progress wouldn't have advanced so rapidly.
But speaking of this, Bao Sheng Temple's focus on protection and nurturing encompasses more significant responsibilities than ordinary halls.
Therefore, when selecting Immortals for Bao Sheng Temple, Xu Qing was always extremely cautious.
To this day, Bao Sheng Temple only had two Immortals, the Protecting Birth maiden Shiyue, and Little White Immortal.
Among them, Shiyue was still learning to read and crafting art with the embroiderer, but after a decade had passed, the young girl must have surpassed the primary education phase by now. She might even be capable of standing on her own.
Nurturing a trusted aide from a young age was perhaps no different from this.
"Those Immortals..."
Before Xu Qing could voice his concerns, Profound Jade slyly stated, "Rest assured, the Xu Immortal Family. After the White Immortal mentioned it, Sister Jin, Gu Zixu, and I carefully selected Immortals with virtue and integrity. I even invited Sister Yizhen to set an illusion for assessment..."
"In the end, out of the hundreds of Python Immortals on Moonlight Mountain, only two passed the test, while five others, though virtuous, were attracted more by the Bao Sheng Temple's incense merit than the genuine desire to safeguard and nurture."
Looking at the eloquent Profound Jade regaling various affairs of the Immortal Hall and temple, Xu Qing realized Profound Jade had far surpassed his expectations over these years.
This cat probably hadn't known a moment's leisure in those years...
"Profound Jade Immortal Family indeed doesn't need to toil so hard."
Profound Jade suddenly stopped, looking at the human she fostered in front of her, saying:
"It's not hard; even regarding matters of White Cloud Cave, the Xu Immortal Family needn't worry, as Profound Jade will always support the Xu Immortal Family!"
"..."
Xu Qing was speechless.
This isn't my concern; the truth is, this cat's been tense all along for over ten years!