The streets were gradually filling with people.
Neighbors greeted each other, some pushing wooden wheelbarrows to work, others opening their shops for business.
Anxi Street was finally coming to life.
A small black cat hid in the shadows, its eyes alert and cold, but it refused to leave.
"That bead must be really important to you," Chen Ji muttered to himself.
"Even after I teased you several times and the bead bounced away, you still won't give up."
He beckoned the cat to follow him into the clinic, but the cat remained motionless, silently observing.
Just then, there was a commotion from the food shop across the street.
A young worker removed the door panels and carried out steaming baskets of buns and bread, the steam rising in the morning sunlight.
Chen Ji looked up and saw the black cat staring intently at the baskets...
The cat's gaze reminded him of his younger self, staring at someone's instant noodles on a green train.
After a moment of hesitation, Chen Ji walked over and asked, "How much for a bun?"
The shop worker smiled.
"Ah, it's Dr. Chen. Still two coins each, same as always."
Chen Ji pulled out two coins from his sleeve—his earnings from mopping the floor yesterday, and the only money he had.
"One bun, please," he said, handing over the coins.
The worker chuckled.
"Just one? That enough for you?"
Chen Ji smiled back.
"I only have two coins. Can't afford more."
The worker was slightly taken aback.
In these times, who would admit to being so poor they couldn't even afford an extra bun? Two coins for a bun, ten for a pound of rice, twenty for a pound of eggs—even the poorest families could usually scrape together two coins.
But Chen Ji seemed completely unfazed.
"Alright then, one bun it is," the worker said cheerfully.
Chen Ji glanced at the black cat on the eaves and suddenly asked, "Do you know where I can buy fish around here?"
"You want to buy fish?"
"Just asking for now. I don't have the money yet."
The worker laughed.
"There's only salted fish around here. If you want live fish, you'll have to go to the East Market. It'll take you over an hour to get there and back."
"Is fish expensive?"
"Depends on the type," the worker replied.
"Carp and grass fish are cheap, ten coins a pound. Perch is more expensive, around thirty coins a pound. The wealthy merchants and scholars who frequent the East Market can even get sea fish. I heard that back when Luocheng was prosperous, they used to bring in a lot of sea fish every day."
Chen Ji casually asked, "So Luocheng isn't doing well now?"
"Times have changed," the worker sighed.
"In the old days, this was the capital, a place of luxury and excess. Now it's fallen on hard times. Some of the old elites still brag about it being the capital, but everyone knows the real prosperity is in the north, in Shengjing, and in the south, in Jinling."
The worker opened a basket, wrapped a bun in paper, and handed it to Chen Ji.
"Here you go."
Chen Ji took the bun but didn't eat it.
Instead, he placed it on the clinic's doorstep before picking up his carrying pole and water buckets, heading inside.
The black cat jumped down from the eaves, sniffed the bun, and then walked away, as if rejecting Chen Ji's kindness.
But after a few steps, it turned back and picked up the bun.
It stood at the clinic's entrance, watching Chen Ji carry water to the backyard, seemingly wanting to follow but ultimately deciding to leave.
...
Ever since She Dengke and Liu Quxing had their scuffle in the backyard, they hadn't shown up in the main hall.
With the master away, both of them were slacking off.
Chen Ji didn't mind the peace.
When he was hungry, he grabbed a grain cake from the kitchen; when thirsty, he boiled some water.
If patients came with prescriptions, he prepared the medicine; if they wanted a consultation, he politely declined.
He spent most of the day studying the medical compendium, focusing on the section about external injuries.
At some point, Chen Ji dozed off at the counter.
When he woke up, he saw the black cat from Wanxing Garden quietly sitting on the counter, watching him.
The cat's fur was disheveled, and there was a fresh wound on its neck, bleeding slightly.
Chen Ji smiled and greeted the cat.
"How come you're so quiet? Did you get into another fight?"
The cat raised its head slightly, as if defiant.
It looked like many men after a fight, stiff-necked and claiming, "He didn't get the better of me!"
But in reality, that's just what losers say...
"Wait a moment," Chen Ji said, going to the kitchen to fetch a fire starter.
He lit the oil lamp on the counter.
The small flame flickered, barely illuminating the room, just enough for the two of them.
Chen Ji blew out the flame on the wood chip and muttered, "You keep fighting with Yunfei's cat, and Jingfei doesn't even treat your wounds? Maybe you should avoid it for a while, or you might get killed."
The cat raised its head again, as if disagreeing.
"Don't be stubborn," Chen Ji gestured.
"You're still so small, probably not even a year old. It's much bigger than you, so it's normal you can't win. Revenge is a dish best served cold. Wait until you're strong enough to take it on."
Chen Ji became serious.
"But remember, when you do, make sure it's a one-hit kill. Don't give it a chance to fight back."
The cat seemed to ponder this, its eyes thoughtful.
Chen Ji was puzzled.
"Can you really understand what I'm saying?"
The cat didn't respond.
Chen Ji smiled.
"Let me put some medicine on you."
He quickly flipped through a medical book, muttering, "Let's see what's good for external wounds... Ah, cnidium seeds. There's plenty of this, and if I take just a gram, Old Yao won't notice."
The cat, which had been tense, relaxed slightly.
Chen Ji took some dried cnidium seeds, ground them into powder, and turned to the cat.
"I'm going to apply some hemostatic powder. Don't scratch me, okay?"
To his surprise, the cat didn't flinch or move away as he applied the powder, as if it knew this was for its own good.
The cat sat still like a small statue, its eyes following Chen Ji's movements.
Gradually, its tense body relaxed.
The cat's thick fur required careful examination, which took some time.
When Chen Ji finished treating all the wounds, he smiled.
"All done!"
He then noticed the cat had fallen asleep, its tiny head resting on his hand.
Chen Ji remained silent for a long time, his hand unmoving.
The two of them stayed in the small circle of light, quiet and gentle.
Chen Ji looked down at the cat and murmured, "I guess you're the only one I can talk to."
He leaned against the counter, his eyes on the flickering flame.
"Back at Qingshan Hospital, I thought I wouldn't die. I had everything prepared, even a mental illness diagnosis to get away with murder. But in the end, I was the one who got killed. But it's fine, as long as I got my revenge."
"Li Qingniao told me that people from the Northern Continent were responsible for smuggling me here. I don't know what he meant. Where is the Northern Continent? What are the Forty-Nine Heavens? How did I suddenly get reborn as a young apprentice, living alone in this world..."
"When I found out from my master that I still had family, I wasn't really excited... Well, maybe a little. But that evening, as the sunset faded, I felt like the world had abandoned me."
"Maybe that's a bit melodramatic..."
Chen Ji rambled on, pouring out his secrets and confusion to the sleeping cat.
Since coming to this world, he had no one to trust, no one worth trusting.
All his secrets and doubts had been buried inside, until now.
He chuckled softly, feeling a bit ridiculous, and whispered to the cat, "Thank you for listening to me. I feel much better now."
At that moment, the cat opened its eyes and gently placed its paw on Chen Ji's wrist, as if comforting him.
Chen Ji stared at the furry little paw for a long time, then asked, "I guess you lost to the white cat, and Jingfei and Chunrong were so disappointed they didn't treat your wounds or feed you. That's why a cat raised by a noblewoman would be so interested in a meat bun, right?"
The cat silently watched him.
Chen Ji asked seriously, "How about this? When I'm able to leave the clinic, you can come with me and wander the world together?"
The cat looked confused.
"No, we need some ceremony!" Chen Ji pulled out a piece of paper used for prescriptions and clumsily wrote an ancient ritual for hiring a cat: "The cat of Luocheng, shrouded in dark clouds, today Chen Ji hires 'Dark Cloud' to his home. As there are no fish, a crystal bead is offered as a token. The Kitchen God witnesses this bond, and the City God ensures kindness and loyalty."
When he finished writing, he took out a red ink pad and looked at the cat.
"If you really understand me and are willing to follow me, then press your paw here."
The cat hesitated for a moment, then lifted its paw, dipped it in the ink, and pressed it onto the paper.
In the next moment, the paper spontaneously combusted, turning into sparkling embers in the air.
Chen Ji watched the dazzling scene and murmured, "This world really isn't normal..."
A voice asked, "What's not normal?"
Chen Ji slowly turned his head toward the cat...
(End of Chapter)