Cat Girl rushed up to the newcomer. Her eyes were a little dazed as her fair little nose twitched.
"Li Ban, why do you look like this?"
Li Ban looked down at Cat Girl. She was so close he could touch her just by raising his hand. A weary gentleness welled up in his eyes.
He touched his own cheek. "This is my original appearance. Do I seem like a stranger?"
Looking at Li Ban, whose appearance and demeanor had completely transformed, Cat Girl felt a sudden pang of heartache.
When she ran over just now, she had actually wanted to throw her arms around him to welcome him back safely. But the icy coldness in his eyes had made her hesitate, stopping her just within his reach.
If Li Ban wanted to hug her, all he had to do was raise his hand.
But he didn't.
She forced herself to speak in a relaxed tone, and finally, when he answered, she caught a glimpse of that familiar gentleness returning to his eyes.
Feeling her warm, soft body, Li Ban's rigid frame slowly relaxed, and he wrapped his arms around her in return.
"I'm back."
"You've been through a lot."
They embraced as though no one else was there. Between heaven and earth, it was as if they were the only two people left.
Li Ban closed his eyes. The figures of many people flashed through his mind.
He had once thought it was merely a tribulation. In the end, it had torn his heart to pieces. He had been forced to seal away his emotions to escape the pain quickly, allowing him to focus entirely on revenge and advancement.
Even when he saw Cat Girl just a moment ago, his welling emotions had been suppressed beneath a solid layer of ice.
One was restraining herself, the other repressing his feelings. The short distance of less than half a meter had felt like an uncrossable chasm.
Fortunately, their two hearts were united in their desire to draw closer.
In the end, Cat Girl cast everything aside and threw herself at him.
And Li Ban finally opened his weary heart.
After an unknown amount of time, Li Ban slowly opened his eyes. He raised a hand and stroked his Little Cat's impossibly soft ears.
His resolve grew even firmer.
He would absolutely never let his Little Cat fall into the Recycling Station.
His fingers brushed past her soft cat ears and gently stroked her dark hair. Suddenly, his hand paused. He pulled back slightly, loosening his hold on Little Cat.
But Cat Girl kept her arms wrapped tightly around his waist, refusing to let go.
"Little Cat, your hair—"
"It's a new element I fused with after advancing to the 6th Tier," Cat Girl said, looking up at him with a slight blush.
Although she used to joke around with Li Ban, and despite her naturally uninhibited personality—and the fact that they had hugged before—holding each other again still made her blush. She couldn't hide her violently pounding heart.
Li Ban, however, felt that things were not so simple.
He lifted her bangs with his index finger. "Is this the Cyan Silk Algae I brought out before?"
Priest Qian Que suddenly appeared beside them, also staring intently at Cat Girl's hair.
"The Cyan Silk Algae fused with chaos?"
Seeing a strange man suddenly appear beside them—one wearing robes remarkably similar to Li Ban's—Cat Girl realized he was also a Priest. She finally let go of Li Ban's waist.
Li Ban frowned. "Why did you fuse with this element? Do you feel any discomfort?"
"No." Cat Girl hurriedly waved her hands. "The Cyan Silk Algae successfully stabilized the chaos element. It's now transformed into a new superior-grade element, 'Cyan Silk.' There are no hidden dangers."
"Not necessarily," Priest Qian Que retorted, completely merciless in his bluntness. "Keep a close eye on it."
Cat Girl froze. She cast a timid glance upward and saw that Li Ban's face had completely darkened.
Li Ban knew very well that the Cyan Silk Algae fused with chaos had originally been in Priest Hunyou's hands.
For Cat Girl to have fused with this element, Priest Hunyou must have permitted it.
Afraid of making him worry, Little Cat was definitely only telling him the good news while hiding the bad. He would have to ask Priest Hunyou to get the full truth.
"From now on, you're staying right by my side!" Li Ban said bluntly.
Cat Girl stuck out her tongue. "Got it."
Holding Cat Girl's hand, Li Ban finally turned his attention to Tan Ziyuan and her guard, who had been left standing to the side this entire time.
Cat Girl introduced them. "This is Tan Ziyuan, the daughter of the Mist Valley Master. While I was investigating a case, Valley Master Tan Qiyue entrusted me to safely escort her daughter into the valley."
It was merely a precautionary measure, but unexpectedly, it really had saved Tan Ziyuan's life.
The bedraggled Tan Ziyuan hurriedly bowed in greeting.
"Greetings to the two Lord Priests." Then, looking up, she offered Cat Girl her sincere gratitude. "Thank you, Lord Cat, for saving my life."
Cat Girl had been constantly fighting earlier, and right after that, she was embracing Li Ban. Only now did Tan Ziyuan have the chance to express her thanks.
While expressing her gratitude, she stole a glance out of the corner of her eye at the two of them. They were holding hands as if no one else existed. Her ears turned red, and a pang of envy bloomed in her heart.
Although she was merely a 4th Tier Spirit Practitioner, as the Valley Master's daughter, she knew some things about Priests.
In her eyes, Priests and Spirit Practitioners belonged to entirely different worlds.
Their status, strength, and even lifespans were worlds apart.
Therefore, Tan Ziyuan hadn't expected that the fiercely independent and proud Cat Girl from her mother's letters would actually share a mutual affection with a Lord Priest.
Yet, on second thought, it seemed perfectly natural.
Perhaps only a Priest—someone who walked high among the heavens—could tame Cat Girl's rebellious nature?
Unaware that the young woman before him had let her imagination run wild, Li Ban nodded. "That works out well. I have some business and wish to pay Valley Master Tan a visit."
Beside him, Priest Qian Que chimed in, "I'll wait for you at Priest Hunyou's manor."
Mist Valley was a faction under the joint jurisdiction of the Imperial Dynasty and the Mist Realm.
As a leader-level Priest of the Myriad Ancient Pagoda, Qian Que would not casually call upon its Valley Master.
Li Ban nodded.
Although he had never been to Priest Hunyou's manor, Priest Qian Que would leave a tracking signal for him.
Once Priest Qian Que vanished, Li Ban raised a hand and conjured two pale-gray clouds.
"Let's go. We'll head straight into the valley."
Li Ban pulled Cat Girl onto one cloud, letting Tan Ziyuan and her burly guard step onto the other.
Riding the clouds, they soon entered Mist Valley.
Mist Valley was perpetually shrouded in a faint fog. While it wasn't as utterly opaque as the Mist Zone, where one couldn't even see their own hand, it was thick enough to block out many prying eyes.
Of course, such an obstruction had no effect on the gaze of a Priest.
Empowered by his Spirit Eye Technique, everything Li Ban looked down upon in Mist Valley was perfectly clear.
At the valley's entrance lay a natural labyrinth of barriers. Had they traveled on the ground without a guide familiar with the terrain, they would have been delayed here for the better part of an hour.
But for a Priest, all they had to do was fly right over it.
Naturally, Mist Valley wasn't completely defenseless against airborne enemies.
Many vampire bats lurked within the steep cliffs flanking the valley.
If someone barged in on a flying beast, as Du Xiucai had done, that swarm of bats would force them into a bitter retreat.
However, against a Priest, mere vampire bats were entirely inconsequential.
A simple casting of World Without Me was enough to make it impossible for the bats to even detect their presence.
Even without resorting to techniques, a Priest simply unleashing their overwhelming spiritual rhinoceros pressure would be enough to leave the little beasts shivering in their caves, too terrified to emerge.
Cat Girl had frequently traveled in and out of Mist Valley in recent days, but this was her first time entering from the sky.
Facing a Priest's might firsthand caused the pressure weighing on her heart to spike sharply.
This pressure stemmed not only from her thirst for strength but also from her feelings for Li Ban. The stronger her love grew, the deeper her fear became—the fear that one day, she would no longer be able to keep up with his footsteps.
Leaving them forever separated, worlds apart.
Tightening her grip on Li Ban's hand slightly, Cat Girl didn't let go, nor did she utter a single word.
They swiftly pushed deeper into Mist Valley. Led by Young Miss Tan Ziyuan, they arrived at Lingxiao Manor, which was nestled halfway up a mountain.
The depths of the valley were strangely free of mist, leaving the scenery perfectly clear.
Massive swaths of trumpet creepers clung to the manor's walls. Their blossoms swayed in the breeze, forming a vibrant tapestry of alternating orange and crimson.
The pavilions and towers here were almost entirely draped in vegetation, exuding a rich, natural aura.
Even though it was already the twelfth lunar month, the climate here was as warm as early summer.
Just as Li Ban prepared to land, the manor's main gates swung open. A woman he recognized from the Recycling Station walked out with a contingent of guards filing out behind her.
They stood outside the gates and bowed deeply toward the sky.
"Welcome to Mist Valley, Lord Priest." Standing at the forefront, Valley Master Tan Qiyue caught sight of her daughter on the second cloud. The corner of her eye twitched, but she respectfully cupped her hands in greeting.
Li Ban lowered the two clouds to the ground, his gaze lingering on Tan Qiyue for a few moments.
'The current Valley Master looks a bit younger than the Tan Qiyue in the Recycling Station.'
In truth, their temperaments were vastly different.
But that was simply the result of their differing experiences.
"Mother!" The moment her feet touched the ground, Tan Ziyuan threw herself into her mother's embrace.
Seeing her closest kin finally caused the delayed terror to set in. She had narrowly escaped dying at the hands of assassins today.
Seeing her daughter's bedraggled state, Valley Master Tan knew she had suffered immensely during this time.
However, this was not the time to comfort her in front of an audience.
She patted her daughter's hand and pulled the girl behind her.
"May I ask what pressing matters bring a Lord Priest to our valley?"
"I am Li Ban, a Priest of the Myriad Ancient Pagoda. I do indeed have a matter I wish to discuss with the Valley Master in private."
Tan Qiyue was somewhat surprised.
She had never met Priest Li Ban before, so she certainly hadn't expected him to immediately request a private audience.
However, he was a white-robed priest. Moreover, Mist Valley was backed by Priests from both the Imperial Dynasty and the Mist Realm. Under normal circumstances, there was no need to worry about Li Ban making things difficult for them.
After a brief moment of deliberation, Tan Qiyue readily agreed.
She ordered her subordinates to take her daughter back to rest, while she personally led Li Ban toward her study.
But while she went alone, Li Ban brought Cat Girl along with him.
Naturally, Tan Qiyue didn't dare raise any objections. Upon entering the study, she took the initiative to close the doors and windows.
Even though she knew a Lord Priest would surely have his own methods to prevent eavesdropping, she still needed to display her sincerity through her actions.
Despite being led into the study by the hand under the watchful eyes of the crowd, Cat Girl didn't show the slightest bit of embarrassment.
She had always been thick-skinned. Having quickly moved past her initial awkwardness, she was now able to face the stares of outsiders with perfect calm.
Once they were both seated in the study's guest chairs, Li Ban finally released Cat Girl's hand. From his Cubic Space, he withdrew a small booklet.
"Divine Control Needle Technique"
"This is a needle technique that an old friend entrusted me to pass on to you."
Tan Qiyue had assumed Li Ban had a task for her. She hadn't expected him to be delivering something to her instead.
Stepping forward to accept the item with both hands, Tan Qiyue instantly froze.
"Divine Control Needle Technique?"
Wasn't this the very acupuncture manual she had been attempting to write for the past two years?
She had only just settled on a title for the medical book yesterday. How was it that someone was handing her a manual with the exact same name today?
Flipping through a few pages, Tan Qiyue was shocked to see incredibly familiar handwriting and an even more familiar choice of phrasing.
She felt a surreal illusion that she had penned the book herself.
However, she quickly realized that the text contained knowledge and concepts she was currently entirely unaware of.
Perhaps only her late master could have written something so thorough and comprehensive.
Because Li Ban was still waiting, she didn't have time to read further. She looked up and urgently asked, "Priest Ban, may I ask who left behind this 'Divine Control Needle Technique'?"
"I cannot say. I can only tell you that this medical book was specifically designated for the Valley Master of Mist Valley."
Lowering her head to stare at the words "Divine Control Needle Technique," Tan Qiyue couldn't shake the nagging feeling that she might have written it herself.
Yet she was absolutely certain she hadn't suffered any memory loss.
As the Valley Master of Mist Valley and a master physician in her own right, she was confident in her ability to discern the authenticity of the book's contents.
Since the Priest was unwilling to reveal its origins, she decided to press the matter no further for now.
Even if she was burning with curiosity, given her lack of familiarity with Li Ban, she didn't dare interrogate him.
Holding the book respectfully with both hands, Tan Qiyue expressed her solemn gratitude.
"Thank you, Priest Ban, for taking the trouble to deliver this to me. This medical book is invaluable, and I am willing to pay a heavy sum as compensation."
She quickly followed up.
"Of course, I know that a Lord Priest cares little for worldly wealth. I can exchange the payment for Spiritual Rhinoceros Fruits, or I can provide you with a rare good-grade element."
'Another superior-grade element?'
But Li Ban gently shook his head. "There is no need. The person who entrusted me with delivering this has already paid my compensation."
With that said, Li Ban stood up.
"The item has been delivered, so I will take my leave."
Cat Girl immediately stood up to follow him, though she didn't forget to add, "Valley Master Tan, you can simply hand my reward over to Priest Hunyou."
Li Ban found this a bit strange. Was Cat Girl working for Priest Hunyou now?
Tan Qiyue rose to her feet once again to urge them to stay.
She was still immensely curious about the origins of the medical book.
If she could keep Li Ban here for an extra day and build a bit of rapport with him, Priest Ban might be willing to drop a few clues.
"Priest Ban, Inspector Cat, please wait."
She spoke to Li Ban first. "Priest Ban, this 'Divine Control Needle Technique' is incredibly precious to me. If I am not allowed to show even a small token of my gratitude, accepting such a heavy gift without reason will likely leave me unable to sleep or eat in peace."
"The valley has recently cultivated a new type of vine. Once it matures, it will be a powerful good-grade element, possessing both offensive and defensive capabilities, along with healing properties. Even if you have no need for it, you can pass it on to a loved one."
Without waiting for Li Ban to refuse, Tan Qiyue stepped forward and smiled at Cat Girl. "Inspector Cat, Priest Hunyou already informed me that the work you've done over the past six months more than covers his required compensation. He will no longer collect payment on your behalf. Since you also saved my daughter's life, I would like to offer you three Spiritual Rhinoceros Fruits. Please, you must accept them."
Li Ban could tell that Tan Qiyue knew a standard good-grade element wouldn't tempt him. Thus, she was hinting that he could gift the element to Cat Girl while simultaneously stepping forward to build rapport with the girl herself.
However, after a moment of thought, he realized that it really was a good idea to secure more high-quality elements for his Little Cat.
His experiences upon leaving the Recycling Station had only solidified one thought in his mind.
He had to help his Little Cat become a Priest as well.
He had once promised her that, if he had the power, he would take her up to see the world above them.
But now, he had decided to let his Little Cat fly up and see it for herself.