Chapter 2475: Cat's Guidance
Ling Ling didn't understand but respected it. She had clashed with players in the town and was worried there might be further trouble, so she wanted to gather as much information as possible as quickly as possible.
The Cat Whisker Fruit that the Mi family official claimed to have lost—whether true or false—wasn't something suitable for them to get involved in. This wasn't an opportunity to clear the instance.
"I'm leaving first."
After breakfast, Xu Huo walked along the town's streets, casually searching for traces of the Painting Woman.
Along the way, he ran into the female traveler he had met earlier at the top of Cat Whisker Fruit Mountain. She greeted him warmly and invited him to go watch a craftsman carve fruit pits. She was carrying gifts and her own works, planning to officially become an apprentice that very day.
Since the place wasn't far, Xu Huo went with her.
The two arrived at a shop called "Small Object Carving." The female traveler pushed open the door and saw a person and a cat crouched by a shelf, hurriedly picking up Cat Whisker Fruits scattered all over the floor and placing them back on the rack.
Those were all finished products. From their guilty expressions and movements, it was obvious they had knocked the items over and were trying to cover up the mess before anyone noticed.
Meeting the female traveler's gaze, the Painting Woman immediately straightened up, pretending nothing had happened. She wiped the shelf casually while flashing a standard welcoming smile.
Mistaking her for a shop employee, the female traveler said, "I'm looking for Teacher Gui. Is she here?"
A small door at the back of the shop opened, and an old lady slowly emerged. Upon seeing her, the female traveler exclaimed in surprise, "Ma'am, it's you! We met yesterday!"
The old lady glanced at her and then at Xu Huo, who had entered behind her. "Look around at whatever you want."
"I'm not here to buy anything," the female traveler quickly said. "I heard from the townspeople that you're the best at pit carving. I came to ask if you'd take me as an apprentice."
She placed a miniature terminal on the table. "If you agree, these are my tuition fees."
The old lady didn't even look at the terminal. Instead, she fixed her gaze on Xu Huo. "What do you want to buy?"
Xu Huo glanced at the rows of finished Cat Whisker Fruits on the shelves. He picked one up at random. The outer whiskers had already been trimmed and colored into a cute little cat shape. Since the pit inside needed to be carved, the gaps in the shell hadn't been filled. If you looked closely, you could see patterns through those gaps.
"What pattern is this?" he asked after a moment.
The female traveler took it and examined it. "That's not a pattern—it's a niche script. It was popular for a while but has since fallen out of use. Things you can't understand at a glance are often the most interesting. Some people use this script for decoration."
"I don't know what it says," she added, turning to the old lady. "Ma'am, what does it mean?"
"I don't know." The old lady sat down on a nearby chair and then asked, "Are you buying anything or not?"
Xu Huo casually picked one, paid for it, and then looked at the Painting Woman, who was shrinking back. "What are you two doing here?" Including the cat.
The Painting Woman beamed. "We're just playing around."
Xu Huo's gaze dropped to the floor.
The Painting Woman quickly gathered the scattered Cat Whisker Fruits, wiped them clean, and put them back on the shelf.
Xu Huo noticed a few were broken, so he paid for those as well.
The old lady didn't mind at all. She waved her hand and prepared to head back inside to work.
The female traveler took a few steps after her, reiterating her purpose and expressing her love for carving, sincerely asking the old lady to teach her for a few days.
"I'm busy lately. Come back in a few days." The old lady didn't seem interested in earning the money and didn't even turn around.
The female traveler tried to follow, but the old lady shut the door without hesitation. Just then, a spherical robot struggled out from a corner, flew over, and chirped happily, "Dear guests, what would you like to purchase? May I introduce our products?"
It was obvious the Painting Woman had stuffed it under a pile of miscellaneous items. The female traveler, failing to become an apprentice, decided to stay nearby and visit every day, hoping persistence would eventually pay off.
"Didn't the old lady say she's busy and to come back in a few days?" Xu Huo said. "Maybe you should wait."
The female traveler smiled. "That's just a polite refusal. If I come back in a few days, she'll probably have another excuse. Talented people all have their quirks—they're not easily swayed. I'll have to put in some effort."
"Good luck," Xu Huo said, then left with the Painting Woman and the cat.
Once they turned the corner, he asked the Painting Woman, "So you two came here first thing in the morning just to cause trouble?"
The Painting Woman's fingers flew across her communicator. "The cat said it knows where the Cat Whisker Fruits are preparing for a trip."
Xu Huo looked at them in surprise. "Really?"
The Painting Woman grabbed the calico cat, held it up by its bottom, and made it explain.
The calico cat stared at Xu Huo. After a few seconds of eye contact, it meowed and then struggled violently. But the Painting Woman didn't let go easily. After a few seconds, the cat gave up and just stared back at Xu Huo.
"The old lady is going on a trip?" Xu Huo wasn't really expecting an answer from a cat. When he had entered the shop earlier, he noticed that while the shelves had plenty of finished Cat Whisker Fruits, the old lady's workshop was still full of ones she was rushing to complete. However, those weren't colored yet—she was only carving the pits.
The female traveler had come specifically to learn hand-carving, but most of the Cat Whisker Fruits the old lady was rushing through were being carved by machine. Of course, she was also doing some by hand, but there were already dozens of semi-finished products piled up.
Rushing like that definitely wasn't for selling in the shop.
Rubbing his chin, Xu Huo scratched the calico cat's head and gave it a box of cat nutrient supplement.
The cat landed with its tail held high and happily drank the supplement—animal nutrient supplements were mostly designed to make them stronger and improve their coat. Of course, it was even better if the cat enjoyed it.
"Meow~" After finishing, the cat rubbed against Xu Huo's leg and then quickly ran off, heading back toward "Small Object Carving."
Xu Huo didn't plan to wait for it, but after just a few steps, he heard a robot's chasing sounds from the street. Then the calico cat came sprinting back, an uncolored Cat Whisker Fruit in its mouth.
It spat the fruit at Xu Huo's feet, then spun around, leaped, and knocked the pursuing robot to the ground. With a triumphant look, it jumped onto the roof and quickly fled the scene.
The spherical robot, though not very agile and unable to catch the cat, still came over to retrieve the Cat Whisker Fruit.
"Here." Xu Huo placed the fruit on it. The robot thanked him and returned.
Standing at the street corner, he could see the old lady, who had been watching from a distance, close the door and go back inside.