Chapter 476 - 241: The Youth Heads East, The Weirdness of Lu Town

Chapter 476: Chapter 241: The Youth Heads East, The Weirdness of Lu Town

Xi’er had spent several sleepless nights sewing this uniform, made specially for the Orange Cat.

The fetching black short robe came with a sash. After putting on the robe, the Orange Cat skillfully tied a perfect bow at its chest—as if it had practiced a thousand times for the day it would finally go on duty in uniform.

The robe was open at the chest. The Orange Cat stood steadily on the boy’s head, one paw lazily tucked into its lapel. Paired with the cinched waist sash, the cat’s posture seemed to carry the lazy, fetching charm of a young wife.

Zheng Xiu couldn’t see the Orange Cat standing on his own head.

He could only raise the Red King Mirror to take a look. ’Hiss... Did Xi’er make this? Why does it look like some kind of sexy bathrobe?’

’It’s good-looking, sure, but on a little female cat... I suppose it’s not entirely out of the question.’

’If I get the chance, I’ll have my own Gold Medal Tailor make an adult version.’

Zheng Xiu nodded. His thoughts had gone astray. He calmly tucked the Cat Mirror back into his belt.

The Orange Cat felt exceptionally heavy, about half a pound heavier than a month ago. Zheng Xiu tried shaking his head but failed to dislodge the cat, so he gave up.

Xiaofeng Miao seemed to understand that among everyone present, Zheng Xiu was the only designated poop-scooper who could understand its language, so it had always been reasonably polite to him. While Feng Bei was giving her instructions, the Orange Cat, with the air of a big sister, patted the whorl of hair on Zheng Xiu’s head. It looked at Feng Bei, its lips curling slightly as if to say, ’Don’t you worry. I’ll take care of him.’

The interaction between Zheng Xiu, Feng Bei, and Xiaomiao gave Yin Qingqing, who was observing coolly from the side, the sudden image of a weary mother struggling to discipline two unruly kids. She shook her head hard, trying to dispel the fantasy, and waited quietly for the Young Master to give his next command.

After Feng Bei handed over the Orange Cat, a large crowd arrived to see them off.

"Young Master."

"Young Master~"

"Young Master!"

"Young Master, mmm~"

Their gazes toward "Pony Zheng Xiu" were all strange in their own ways.

Back when Zheng Xiu had deliberately appeared as "Zheng Er," he had at least made a few clumsy excuses to cover it up. Now, he wasn’t even bothering to pretend. He ignored the maids’ strange looks, puffed out his chest, and accepted their calls of "Young Master."

’I’ll just treat it as role-playing.’

’Not for any other reason, just for the thrill of it.’

’Pony Zheng Xiu and all that.’

Jing Xuemei shoved a heavy package into Zheng Xiu’s arms.

A tempting aroma of fish faintly wafted from the package.

"What’s this?"

Squatting on Zheng Xiu’s head, the well-dressed Orange Cat silently wiped its mouth.

Feng Bei smiled and explained, "Xiaofeng’s snacks. Her favorite fried fish cakes."

As Feng Bei spoke, the Orange Cat reached for the package, but Feng Bei slapped its paw away. "Stop fooling around. Have you forgotten how much weight you’ve gained? When you’re out, you listen to him. Two pieces a day at most. If you eat any more, you won’t be able to fit into this outfit."

The Orange Cat was shocked and retracted its paw.

Feng Bei’s meticulous, housekeeper-like arrangements for his departure filled Zheng Xiu’s heart with warmth. ’Speaking of which,’ he thought, ’Second Lady has been managing the internal affairs of the Red King Mansion for all these years. It’s about time it had a proper mistress.’

"Sister, a hug."

With outsiders present, Zheng Xiu couldn’t blow his cover. He could only give Feng Bei a look that said, *you know*, and open his arms for a hug.

"...Get lost."

Feng Bei was speechless, wondering to herself if this "Incarnation" of Zheng Xiu’s came with personality-altering side effects. As Zheng Shan, he had been heroic and magnanimous. As the Richest Person, he was calm and dignified. As Zheng Baimei, he possessed the demeanor of an immortal sage. Yet now, as a "pony," he could so smoothly put on an act of childish innocence.

’How strange,’ Feng Bei wondered to herself, smiling as she waved the boy away. Dejected, the boy walked a few steps with a pained expression. Suddenly, a gust of wind seemed to sweep in from behind, and two large, soft pillows pressed heavily against the back of his head. Feng Bei had hugged him, but she broke away in an instant.

Zheng Erniang, Zizi, Bobo, Pingping, and Lily all stared with their mouths agape. It was the first time they had ever seen such a shy, girlish expression on Feng Bei’s face.

Zheng Xiu turned to look back, but Feng Bei’s expression was calm. She tucked her long hair behind her ear and said coolly, "Alright now."

"Meow!"

[Let’s move out!]

The Orange Cat seemed to consider itself the master, ordering "Zheng’s Coachman" to get a move on.

Hearing the cat’s meow, the corner of Zheng Xiu’s mouth twitched. He was beginning to regret mastering the new [Foreign Language] Skill; aside from getting on his nerves, it was utterly useless.

The bulging package was stuffed full of fried fish cakes. Every two cakes were wrapped together in a piece of oiled paper, implying the little cat had quite the appetite, polishing off two at once. The large bag of fish cakes felt like it weighed a good twenty pounds.

Zheng Xiu had intended to ask Yin Qingqing to use her [Time Demon] Miracle Technique to store the fish cakes. But the moment he conveyed this to her, the Orange Cat—which had been squatting obediently on his head just a second before—bristled, its fur standing on end. It looked ready to fight Yin Qingqing to the death, which stunned the poor girl, who had just been rubbing the skin on her arm to prepare for the Casting.

In the end, left with no other choice, Zheng Xiu had to carry the package himself.

As he walked, it gave Zheng Xiu the distinct impression that he had become the Orange Cat’s personal mount.

After a tearful farewell from the rest of the household, Zheng Xiu, Yin Qingqing, and the Orange Cat headed out of the city. Having been a Prince for a while, it was a rare chance for Zheng Xiu to be low-key, using an alias to go out after so long. He felt the taste of "freedom" in the very air.

The sun was bright, and beautiful scenery was everywhere.

「Outside the city gates.」

「The Post Station.」

Several well-muscled horses were already prepared. A straight-backed old man stood as tall and straight as a pine, his dark red uniform fluttering in the wind. The uniform was embroidered with a red cloud pattern—the official field uniform of the Dawn Department. A Xi’er original, guaranteed to be top-quality.