Unintended Immortality-Chapter 431: Lady Calico’s Happy Kingdom

It was now night.

A thick fog blanketed the surroundings, obscuring the stars and moon. The hazy sky was just barely brighter than pitch-black darkness, suggesting the presence of a hidden full moon.

Lady Calico lay leisurely on the sloped bow of the boat, her fluffy tail swaying back and forth, catching her own attention as she shifted her gaze left and right. From time to time, she would turn her head to glance at the Daoist, who was already fast asleep.

At this moment, she no longer dwelled on whether she was considered intelligent among the cats, because she knew for certain that Lady Calico was truly unrivaled in catching mice. Instead, her thoughts drifted back to the Sea Dragon King and the great demon they had encountered earlier in the day.

That Sea Dragon King spanned hundreds of feet in length.

Soaring into the sky, its head pierced the clouds while its tail still trailed in the sea. When it dove downward, it connected the heavens and the ocean in one seamless motion.

That was the hundred-zhang-tall white rhinoceros giant.

Its legs were like sky-piercing pillars, its eyes like stars and the moon, as if it could reach up and pluck a star or sweep aside the clouds with a wave of its hand.

Lady Calico also recalled the enormous whales that leapt out of the sea earlier.

“So big...”

Her gaze sparkled.

At some unknown moment, a wondrous wind arose between heaven and earth. This wind was magical—it blew away the mystical fog. In an instant, the clouds and mist parted, and the world became crystal clear.

Overhead hung a brilliant full moon. Moonlight spilled across the sea and bathed the bow of the boat. Half-lying there, Lady Calico found herself gazing directly at the moon.

The surface of the moon revealed mountain ridges and deep craters, and even the cracks on its surface were clearly visible. One of the mountain ridges faintly resembled a mouse...

Lady Calico stared at the moon, her mind drifting into wild and whimsical thoughts. For a moment, she imagined herself becoming larger and more impressive than the white rhinoceros giant, lifting her hand to pluck the moon from the sky.

Then she imagined herself traveling to the moon to see what was really going on with that mouse-shaped ridge. Her thoughts wandered further into other strange and fantastical ideas, until her eyes grew heavy, and her vision blurred, losing sight of the glowing moon.

Before she realized it, the tide had risen, lifting the boat higher.

Most of the maze-like deserted islands nearby weren’t tall enough, and as the sea level rose, they became half-submerged. Only a few of the larger or taller islands managed to remain above the water’s surface.

In an instant, much of the labyrinth had disappeared.

“Splash...”

Waves rolled in layer by layer, but they didn’t disturb anyone’s sleep. The small boat rocked gently with the current, drifting slowly forward. Only the swallow kept its eyes open, quietly observing the scene.

The boat’s swaying was soft and rhythmic.

Lady Calico seemed to be having a dream—

In the dream, she was still on this little wooden boat, but it seemed she had achieved great cultivation and had grown into a giant cat, even larger than a tiger. The Daoist slept soundly in front of her, looking tiny compared to her tail. Strangely, despite her enormous size, the small boat could still hold her with ease.

Even the swallow appeared to have grown larger.

Since the swallow’s cultivation level was originally higher than hers, it made sense that it would have also reached a significant stage of cultivation.

But could it be that the boat itself had also cultivated and grown stronger?

Half-asleep and muddled, Lady Calico dozed off again.

It wasn’t until dawn, when the cries of seabirds echoed, that she began to stir.

She moved her little paw, which had been covering her eyes, and squinted as the light made her eyes narrow into thin slits, her pupils nearly forming a straight line. Blinking against the light, she noticed the white mist had cleared, and there seemed to be land ahead—land that wasn’t like the desolate islands she had seen before. Panicking a little, she quickly covered her eyes again.

“Meow?”

Curious, Lady Calico removed her paw and peeked outside. Sure enough, there was a stretch of land in the distance. It appeared to be a fairly large island.

Closest to the sea was a sandy beach—the kind she liked—with dense jungle spreading farther inland.

“Eh! Daoist priest!”

Lady Calico immediately looked behind her. The boat was empty—there was no sign of the Daoist.

“Meow?”

Lady Calico grew puzzled. She quickly stood up and scurried around the boat, looking left and right.

She checked the bow to see the island, then the stern to peer into the sea below. Still, there was no trace of the Daoist.

Yet, his bamboo staff was still on the boat.

Just as a sense of panic started to well up within her, she returned to the center of the boat, only to hear the Daoist’s voice suddenly coming from behind her. “Why are you so alarmed?”

“Meow!” Lady Calico whipped her head around and, out of habit, looked up at the sky.

But it was still empty—there was nothing to see.

“...?”

She tilted her head upward, turning in several directions as though showing off the flexibility of her neck—or perhaps as if an invisible bug in the sky was teasing her, making her seem a little silly.

But no matter how she turned, she still couldn’t spot the Daoist.

“Lady Calico...”

The Daoist’s voice came again.

This time, it was clear—it was coming from directly behind her.

And it was level with the ground.

Lady Calico finally lowered her gaze, and there, right before her eyes, was the Daoist, now smaller than her tail.

“...!”

The cat’s pupils shrank instantly as she froze for a moment, then her heart leapt wildly. “I've really grown bigger!”

But she quickly heard the Daoist’s tiny voice. “I’ve gotten smaller.”

“You’ve gotten smaller?”

“Yes.”

“Hmm?”

Lady Calico lowered her head slightly, staring at the Daoist with her round, wide-open eyes, finding the situation incredibly strange—

In the past, she would usually have to look up to see him, but this time, they were at eye level. In fact, when she stood upright, her eyes were even slightly higher than his.

How amusing was this little Daoist priest?

Lady Calico’s paws twitched uncontrollably, itching to poke him, though she managed to restrain herself for the moment. Instead, she kept her gaze fixed on him intently. “Why did you get so small?”

“Because we’ve arrived at the Little Kingdom.”

“The Little Kingdom!”

“Yes.”

“Do you really shrink when you arrive there?”

“Yes.”

“Why didn’t I shrink?”

“Maybe because you’re not human.”

“Are all the people in the Little Kingdom as small as you?”

“I’d imagine so.”

“Imwagine swo...”

Lady Calico swayed her head playfully, softly repeating the phrase in a singsong tone. Her paws lifted slightly and then fell back down several times, revealing the inner struggle and hesitation in her heart.

At that moment, the Daoist glanced back at her, then turned around and began walking forward, taking long strides as he boldly stepped over her tail. He approached the bamboo staff, which was thicker than his entire body. Lady Calico sat upright, curious to see how this tiny Daoist was going to lift such a large staff.

To her surprise, the Daoist extended his hand and pointed at the staff, speaking a single word, “Shrink!”

The bamboo staff instantly responded, shrinking rapidly.

In the blink of an eye, it had shrunk to a suitable size—green and slender, resembling the stem of a blade of grass.

The Daoist bent down, picked up the bamboo staff, and walked to the edge of the boat. With a casual leap, he jumped effortlessly onto the boat’s railing, which was three or four times his height.

“You can jump pretty high!”

Lady Calico couldn’t help but follow him. Finally spotting an opportunity, she raised her paw, intending to gently pat the Daoist on the head, just like he often patted her.

But before she could touch him, a small bamboo stick suddenly blocked her paw.

“Lady Calico, control your paws.”

“You’re so small now, Daoist priest. I could probably bite your head off in one gulp,” she teased.

As she spoke, she leaned in closer to him and actually opened her mouth.

There really was an irresistible urge to take a bite.

“Control your mouth as well,” the Daoist’s calm voice came again.

“Okay...”

The cat quickly shut her mouth, pulled her head back, and stuck out her tongue to lick around her lips, trying to hide her embarrassment. She then turned to look at the swallow on the bow of the boat. “Huh? Why didn’t the swallow shrink?”

The swallow replied, “Only humans shrink.”

“What a pity...”

Lady Calico swayed her head from side to side again, still playing around.

She saw the Daoist standing on the edge of the boat, while she stood below him. Rising up on her hind legs, she placed her paws on the boat’s railing, allowing her to peer over it and gaze into the distance.

The Daoist immediately noticed something intriguing about the island.

The spiritual resonance of the land here was different from that of the northern and central regions, but equally profound, revealing itself unmistakably as the essence of the Eastern Soil.

Meanwhile, the cat’s sharp eyes caught movement in the jungle.

The white dog was walking out of the forest and onto the beach.

It seemed as though someone was seeing it off, for it kept turning back, bowing politely toward the person behind it, as if telling them not to follow too far. From time to time, it glanced up at the seabirds in the sky, likely concerned about the threat these gulls could pose to the little people on the island.

But it was too far away to see the details clearly, and she couldn’t hear what the dog was saying.

The white dog had only taken a few steps across the beach when it suddenly looked up and froze in place. In the next moment, it quickened its pace, running toward them.

Reaching the shore, it dove into the sea and began swimming toward the wooden boat.

The white dog was getting closer and closer.

Song You stood steadily on the boat’s railing, unaffected by the boat’s gentle swaying with the waves. He looked down at the white dog and asked, “Mr. Bai, have you consulted the leaders of the Little Kingdom? Have they granted permission for me to come ashore and retrieve the treasure?”

The white dog lifted its head, its face emerging from the water. Instead of answering right away, it swam to the side of the boat and climbed aboard. Once on the deck, it shook the water from its fur at the bow, far from Song You. Only then did it lower its head, casting a curious and puzzled look at him.

“How did you end up here, sir? If it weren’t for my trust in your character, I might have suspected you of following me all the way,” the the white dog said. ƒгeeweɓn૦vel.com

“I have no idea how I got here either,” Song You replied truthfully. “I fell asleep, and when I woke up, I was already here.”

“Last night, the wind blew away the fog, and the rising tide submerged the deserted islands,” the swallow standing at the stern explained. “The sea became almost completely open, and the waves carried the boat here.”

“Haha!” The white dog showed no suspicion, only laughed heartily. “It seems that you, the cat, and the swallow are all destined to be here in the Little Kingdom. It seems I wasn’t even needed as a guide.”

“Has the Little Kingdom granted permission?” Song You asked, standing next to the cat. He was only about the height of a palm, appearing especially small beside her.

But his gaze remained steady as he continued, “Our promise remains. If the leaders of the Little Kingdom do not agree to let us come ashore, we will leave and find another way to return. I imagine that by the time we return, the fog over the sea will have lifted again.”

“Haha! There’s no need for you to make another trip!”

The white dog, still soaked and with its fur clumping into pointed strands, maintained an elegant air. It bowed respectfully, standing upright as it said, “Thanks to the trust of some old friends in the Little Kingdom, I have successfully persuaded them.”

“Then I must thank you, Mr. Bai!” Song You gave him a respectful bow.

“Please, you are welcome to come ashore!”

“And Lady Calico...”

“Since she is a destined visitor, no formalities are needed. Just be sure not to frighten the local people.”

“Understood...”

Song You tapped the boat with his bamboo staff, and the small boat began moving toward the island.

“Whoosh...”

The wooden boat slid onto the sandy beach and gradually came to a stop.

“I can carry you down!” the cat said.

“That won’t be necessary.”

“Fine, suit yourself!”

“...”

Song You jumped off the boat, landing steadily on the ground.

A sudden gust of wind swept past him as the cat landed gracefully beside him.

The long-haired Lady Calico looked both majestic and elegant. Her fur ruffled slightly in the sea breeze, making her appear even more spirited and imposing. Song You had no intention of returning to his normal size, remaining as he was. His clothes, shoes, and bamboo staff had all shrunk proportionately. Standing next to this large, impressive cat, he looked almost like an ordinary person accompanied by a mighty beast.

Lady Calico lowered her head to look at him, her eyes sparkling with delight. The more she looked, the more satisfied and amused she felt. “I can carry you in my mouth!”

“I appreciate the offer.”

“Fine, suit yourself!” Lady Calico shook her head, a bit disappointed.

The good news? She was only a little disappointed.