Chapter 289: Buying a Cat Tree for the Kittens, Fanatical Fans

"King Mu of Zhou's secret?" Ning Fei asked.

"According to folktales derived from the Tale of King Mu and the Records of the Grand Historian, King Mu of Zhou once drove a carriage pulled by eight fine steeds on a grand tour toward the west. While in Kunlun, he fell in love with a female chieftain of a local tribe."

"However, due to domestic turmoil, he hastily returned and never went back to her side as promised."

"Artifacts unearthed in various places have also corroborated the authenticity of this story."

"Could there be some other hidden truth behind it?"

Ning Fei was very knowledgeable about history, so he shared everything he knew.

"That's right. King Mu of Zhou toured the world from east to west."

Bai Yuanche then began his explanation, and Ning Fei listened quietly.

"The people, including his ministers, believed that King Mu's tour was simply to see the magnificent landscapes of the Zhou Dynasty."

"But only his trusted confidants, Mao Ban and Jing Li, knew that this wasn't the real reason for his long journey."

Ning Fei was highly intelligent. After just a few words from Bai Yuanche, he immediately caught on.

Whenever ancient emperors of Huaxia lived in times of peace and prosperity, already standing at the absolute pinnacle of power, they only sought one thing.

"King Mu of Zhou was seeking immortality!" Ning Fei exclaimed in realization.

Bai Yuanche smiled. His disciple had always been bright and quick to understand, a trait he was very satisfied with.

"Exactly. Immortality."

"A manuscript left behind by Mao Ban recorded King Mu's true goal."

"In Kunlun, King Mu encountered a mysterious tribe. His supposed affection for their female chieftain was merely a calculated deception. In truth, it was because that tribe was the Mountain Guardian Tribe of the Kunlun Mountains, and they held Kunlun's secret in their hands."

"Mao Ban mentioned that King Mu ultimately swindled the chieftain's trust and discovered that Kunlun's secret was a superlative gem. According to the legends, that gem could preserve a person's soul from decay, thereby granting eternal life."

Hearing Bai Yuanche's tale, Ning Fei cursed inwardly.

"King Mu of Zhou was a scumbag."

"However, achieving eternal life required a ritual, which had to be guided by the tribe's priest. Later, it seems King Mu and the female chieftain had a falling out. Therefore, he used stone carvings, attempting to recreate the ritual himself."

"That's the gist of the story."

So that was it.

Ning Fei nodded thoughtfully.

This story was quite bizarre. If handed over to Huaxia's screenwriters, it could easily be adapted into a TV drama.

"Master, do you think that gem is real?" Ning Fei asked.

"It's fake. There's no such thing as immortality in this world; you need to believe in science," Bai Yuanche said with a smile, shaking his head.

"However, the fact that you found the stone chamber proves the story is true and the gem does exist. I don't have any other information, but you can check the map. The object of that tribe's worship seems to be connected to the Bagua."

At that moment, Lin Chu walked out of the small villa. Seeing the two men chatting in the courtyard, she called out, "Get ready, dinner is in five minutes."

"Coming, Master's Wife!" Ning Fei replied.

Ning Fei then looked at Bai Yuanche and asked with a smile, "Master, aren't you going to look for that gem?"

Bai Yuanche shook his head. "It's not like I've never been up the Kunlun Mountains before. That gem is probably just a Night Pearl, or some other precious stone. It's useless."

"If you want to find it, go ahead. Right now, I just want to rest quietly here."

Ning Fei didn't press the matter further.

After dinner, Ning Fei drove into the city with Bai Yi to buy a Cat Tree at the Meow Meow House.

Meow Meow House was a nationwide chain specializing in cat toys and supplies. They sold cat litter, litter boxes, teaser wands, and even various kittens. It was a favorite destination for cat lovers.

People joked that Meow Meow House was an underground cat-sniffing den. Much like a cat cafe, it was also a great spot for couples on dates.

Kuncheng was primarily populated by Han Chinese, though there was also a small minority of Tibetans.

To avoid drawing too much attention, Ning Fei specifically changed into a set of casual clothes.

But the moment he stepped out of the car, he was immediately recognized.

"Ah! It's Temple Master Ning!"

"Oh my god, really? Where?"

"It really is! Come here, girls, I see a living, breathing Temple Master Ning!"

"Hubby! Where's my hubby?"

The crowd's enthusiasm made Ning Fei a bit uncomfortable. Bai Yi naturally hooked her arm around his, smiling gently. Every now and then, she puffed out her modest chest, as if asserting her territory.

Ning Fei entered Meow Meow House and took a liking to a pale yellow Cat Tree.

A Cat Tree was exactly what it sounded like—a multi-tiered structure for cats to climb up and down, featuring a few plush platforms where they could rest.

More and more people gathered inside Meow Meow House. Many held up their mobile phones, surrounding Ning Fei to take pictures.

Ning Fei bought the Cat Tree, along with a teaser wand, some catnip, and a cat ball. Then, grabbing Bai Yi's hand, he fled the scene like he was flying.

"Hehe, brother, how does it feel to be so popular?" Bai Yi asked with a smile from the passenger seat.

"Phew! Not great." Ning Fei shook his head before driving away.

Upon returning to his room, Ning Fei began assembling the Cat Tree.

Bai Yi changed into some loungewear and came to his room to help.

The room was quite warm, so Bai Yi was only wearing two thin layers.

The moment Ning Fei brought the Cat Tree in, the Xiao Heijiu instantly showed great interest. They scurried beneath it, eager to climb up.

"Hold on a minute, it's not set up yet."

Ning Fei scooped up the three little guys with both hands and set them aside. However, the kittens were bursting with energy and immediately bounded right back to resume their climb.

Ning Fei carried them away again, and once more, they scampered back.

Seeing this, Ning Fei shook his head and called out, "Little Fox."

Little Fox immediately bounded over, planting herself in front of the three Xiao Heijiu to block their path.

The Cat Tree Ning Fei bought didn't just have a stationary frame with platforms; it also included a few smaller components that needed to be mounted on the wall.

Specifically, these included a wooden tunnel, a suspension bridge, a small cubby, and jumping platforms.

Bai Yuanche had prepared this room specially for Ning Fei. It served as his bedroom, meaning he could decorate it however he pleased.

"Cats like climbing to high places. They especially love the feeling of looking down from above," Ning Fei explained.

He first secured the lower section of the frame to the wall. The remaining pieces were positioned much higher, which would typically require bringing over a table to stand on for installation.

But Bai Yi volunteered, saying, "Brother, let me install them."

Ning Fei smiled gently. "Do you know how?"

"Don't underestimate me, it's just mounting a few shelves. Lift me up," Bai Yi pouted.

"Alright, I'll lift you."

Bai Yi slipped off her slippers and sat on Ning Fei's shoulders, allowing him to hoist her straight up.

Ning Fei gripped her calves with both hands to help her stabilize.

Bai Yi was very light.

"Brother, go slow. I feel like I'm floating," Bai Yi said playfully, clutching the Cat Tree parts.

Without a proper center of gravity up there, it was quite unsteady, making it easy for her body to sway. Every now and then, Bai Yi flailed her arms in a panic, trying to grab onto something, but there was nothing above her to hold.

Fortunately, Bai Yuanche and Lin Chu were downstairs watching TV. Otherwise, if they had walked past the hallway, they would have heard a few breathy whimpers of "ah, ah" slipping out of Ning Fei's room.

It didn't take long for the two of them to find their balance. Installing the Cat Tree wasn't complicated—it only involved nailing a few components to the wall—and Bai Yi easily handled it.

"Brother, how's my handiwork?" Getting down from Ning Fei's shoulders, Bai Yi blinked her large eyes, eagerly awaiting his verdict.

Ning Fei looked up. The Cat Tree was perfectly positioned, at just the right height, and straight as an arrow. He praised her, "Not bad at all."

At that moment, the Xiao Heijiu also sprang into action.

The three little black kittens each found a spot and began scrambling up, having the time of their lives. When they got tired, they found elevated platforms to lie on, gazing down below.

The Cat Tree was large enough, and since Little Fox was still small, she could easily climb up as well.

However, foxes didn't favor high places. Little Fox merely picked one of the lower platforms and laid down to rest.

Seeing the Cat Tree, Little Fei refused to be outdone. He took off from the ground and flew straight to the very top, startling the Xiao Heijiu.

Seeing that everyone else had made it up, Little Dog paced around the floor anxiously, pawing restlessly at the ground.

Little Dog's aggrieved expression seemed to say, "The clown was me all along."

Ning Fei let out a helpless laugh.

All the other little ones could play on the newly installed Cat Tree—only Little Dog couldn't climb it.

"You can play with the cat ball."

Ning Fei couldn't play favorites, so he gave the cat ball originally meant for the Xiao Heijiu to Little Dog.

Little Dog caught the ball in his mouth, tipping his head up, and gradually calmed down.

Standing nearby, Bai Yi found the scene incredibly beautiful and giggled softly.