Chapter 425: Lady Calico Displays Her Divine Power

In the center of the capital stood the royal palace.

The palace was a small house about as tall as a person. Song You had to bend slightly to enter the door, but once inside, there was enough room to stand comfortably. The interior was about the size of half a typical village home in Great Yan. Given the cold of the island nights, a bonfire had been lit in the center of the palace hall, providing both warmth and light.

Song You sat cross-legged on the left side of the room, leaning against the wall. In front of him was a large banana leaf, neatly arranged with a modest meal: two small fish, each no wider than two fingers and perfectly identical in size, two curled-up bamboo shrimp, a skinned and beheaded mouse, and nine thin blades of grass.

The fish and shrimp were cooked, but the mouse was raw. The thin grass, about the length of a finger, looked similar to the kind Lady Calico often nibbled on along the roadside.

The meal was neatly balanced with both meat and greens, carefully presented.

Outside the banana leaf was a conch shell filled with cloudy water.

Lady Calico sat right beside Song You, and in front of her was a banana leaf similar to his. Except for the fish and shrimp, of which she had only one each, her meal was almost identical to his.

On either side of the room, several cats sat neatly in rows, likely the civil and military officials of the Cat Kingdom. They sat upright, their postures proper, and their expressions serious and attentive. Yet, many of them discreetly glanced at Song You and Lady Calico with curiosity.

In front of each cat was a banana leaf, nearly identical in size and shape. The food on their leaves was just like Lady Calico’s—perfectly portioned fish and shrimp, arranged with meticulous care. The meal reflected the formal and strict etiquette of the Cat Kingdom’s royal feast, where presentation and precision were key.

“Today, we welcome distinguished guests—a rare occasion indeed. Ministers and officials, please, enjoy the meal,” announced the tortoiseshell cat king.

“Thank you, Your Majesty,” the cats replied in unison before they began eating.

“Thank you, Your Majesty, for the warm hospitality,” Song You said, bowing respectfully toward the king.

“Mr. Song, please eat as much as you’d like!” the tortoiseshell king replied, exuding the air of a ruler. “We know that a human’s appetite is much larger than a cat’s, so we’ve prepared extra for you. If it’s not enough, feel free to let us know. My royal kitchen is always at your service!”

The king maintained a regal yet approachable tone. It didn’t immediately start eating but first lowered its head to lap up some water. Afterward, it raised its head again and addressed Lady Calico, “Lady Calico, please enjoy your meal as well—there are more delicacies to come!”

“Thank you, Your Majesty...”

“To be honest,” Song You said, “I’ve been drifting on the sea for some time, and the constant rocking of the waves hasn’t been kind to my stomach.”

“Hm?”

Several cats turned their heads, their eyes filled with curiosity and concern.

“Hahaha...” The tortoiseshell king threw its head back and laughed heartily. Its voice, like Lady Calico’s, was distinct from that of a human, making it difficult to discern gender. However, the voice had a slightly feminine tone and carried a cheerful, hearty energy.

“It seems, then, that you and I have something in common! In my youth, I could dive into the sea for fishing or lead naval battles, but as I’ve aged, I’ve lost that ability. If I spend even half a day at sea now, I get terribly seasick and end up vomiting nonstop. And if I don’t spend three to five days recovering afterward, I can’t eat properly! In fact, when I know I’m about to cough up a hairball, I’ll go spend two days at sea just to get it over with...”

The entire hall erupted into laughter, the civil and military officials chuckling merrily.

Song You glanced at Lady Calico, meeting her confused gaze. He couldn’t help but laugh along with the others.

Seeing him laugh only made Lady Calico more bewildered.

“Your Majesty has quite the sense of humor,” Song You praised while subtly observing the cats around him.

The cats present at the royal feast were, without exception, of high status. Each of them could speak, having gained intelligence and refinement. However, none of them had cultivated their abilities through personal effort; rather, their intelligence seemed to be a result of the mysterious spiritual energy of this place.

The king of the Cat Kingdom continued, “Our ancestors also came from the Celestial Empire on the mainland. They were swept across the sea and ended up here by accident. So, in a way, we are countrymen of both Mr. Song and Lady Calico. I have always admired the culture of the Celestial Empire.” As the king spoke, it turned its head and fixed its gaze on Song You.

It added, “I’ve heard that the Celestial Empire is vast and boundless, said to be dozens or even hundreds of times larger than the land we live on. Is that true?”

At those words, all the ministers and officials turned their eyes toward Song You, their expressions filled with curiosity and skepticism.

“Great Yan is indeed very large, vast, and expansive,” Song You replied truthfully, though he refrained from offering too many details.

“

Meow...

”

The cats exchanged glances, visibly astonished.

How big must such a world be?

Lady Calico, even more bewildered, turned her head toward Song You. Her round eyes and equally round pupils stared at him in disbelief, her mouth slightly open.

“Lady Calico, hurry and eat. It’s all your favorite food. Don’t stare at me like that with those eyes,” Song You said, smiling internally but trying to maintain his composure. He had no intention of looking down on the Cat Kingdom—he simply found the situation amusing and fascinating.

However, Lady Calico’s constant wide-eyed gaze nearly made him laugh, which would be impolite. So, he quickly turned his head to the tortoiseshell king and asked, “This island is quite far from Great Yan. Most cats in Great Yan know how to swim, but most cats dislike water. With such vast seas between us, how did your ancestors end up here?”

“It’s said that there’s another human country across the sea where cats are greatly revered. Our ancestors followed some people from the Celestial Empire on a voyage to visit that country. Unfortunately, they encountered a violent storm at sea and were swept off course, eventually landing here.”

“I see,” Song You nodded.

It was likely that, during a past dynasty, merchants or official envoys had taken cats aboard as gifts or commodities intended for foreign countries.

With that thought, he continued chatting casually with the king.

Song You learned that over a decade ago, a ship from Great Yan had also drifted to this island after an unfortunate incident at sea. The Cat Kingdom had warmly welcomed the stranded sailors and eventually helped them return home, sending them off with an abundant supply of provisions.

In return, those sailors had built this royal palace for the cats and taught the monkeys of the Monkey Kingdom how to make fire. Nowadays, the Cat Kingdom acquired its fire through trade with the Monkey Kingdom.

As the feast progressed, the ministers and officials of the Cat Kingdom ate to their hearts' content.

Among them, General Huang Zhuang, who had just returned from the Shazhou border, ate with the greatest gusto, constantly refilling his conch shell with murky water and gulping it down cup after cup.

Even Lady Calico seemed fully satisfied with her meal.

The only exception was Song You, whose food remained largely untouched.

Feeling stuck, he cast a pleading glance toward Lady Calico.

However, because he had previously told her not to stare at him, she was now fully focused on eating her meal and took a while to notice his gaze.

“...?”

Lady Calico blinked, momentarily confused, and then fixed her eyes on him again.

Fortunately, she quickly understood his silent request.

She swayed her head from side to side, then crawled over to him and picked up the raw mouse from the banana leaf with her mouth before returning to her original spot.

At that moment, Lady Calico resembled a deity descending to save him.

As for the cooked fish and shrimp, Song You tasted a little. The fish, though cooked, had no strong fishy smell, but it also lacked any saltiness. Considering that the cats of the Cat Kingdom couldn’t transform into human forms and had no hands, all their transportation and cooking had to be done using their mouths.

With that in mind, Song You figured tasting a bit was sufficient. After all, having spent so many days drifting on the sea, his appetite wasn’t great to begin with.

Afterward, three more dishes were brought out.

The first was fish eyes, considered a delicacy. The second was jellyfish, and the third was fish roe, which seemed more like a dessert. Each dish was placed in shells tied together with grass ropes. A cat carried the dishes over, carefully balancing them without spilling a drop. Another cat accompanied the server to assist in untying the ropes and retrieving the dishes, demonstrating remarkable agility.

Song You tried a bit of the jellyfish and the fish roe but left the fish eyes untouched.

The jellyfish had no salt and wasn’t even properly seasoned as a cold dish. The fish roe was completely raw.

Suddenly, a voice came from one of the ministers seated at the front, “Lady Calico, your beauty is unmatched, and your aura is extraordinary—one can tell at a glance that you are no ordinary being. We heard from the officer sent by General Huang that you were once the Cat God and possess magical powers.

“Oh, I mean no disrespect or doubt. We are simply in awe of your abilities and curious by nature. Would Lady Calico be willing to demonstrate a small display of her powers to satisfy our curiosity?”

The surrounding cats immediately turned their heads and looked at Song You, waiting for his response.

“It’s entirely up to you, Lady Calico,” Song You replied with a smile, turning to her.

“Alright!” Lady Calico instantly stood up.

Lady Calico’s appearance seemed to embody both human and feline standards of beauty. When she rose, she not only captured Song You’s attention but left every cat in the hall mesmerized, their gazes frozen on her. Beyond her striking beauty, she possessed an aura of divine elegance—a remnant of her time as a Cat God.

Every part of her exuded sacred perfection, causing the surrounding cats to lower their heads in humility, suddenly feeling ashamed of their own ordinary appearances.

“This place is too small!” Lady Calico declared seriously, then began walking toward the exit.

The ministers and officials exchanged glances, and soon, the king stood up, followed by the prime minister, and then nearly all the cats in attendance. One by one, they filed out to follow her.

This left only Song You and General Huang Zhuang behind.

Song You figured that the door to the palace hall was too narrow, and squeezing through it repeatedly would be inconvenient. So, he simply bent down and peered outside through the doorway. General Huang, on the other hand, had eaten so much that his belly was round and full, making it impossible for him to move.

Luckily, he was already seated at the edge of the doorway. Slumped lazily, he only needed to crane his neck a little to see the events unfolding outside.

Then, a loud explosion echoed through the night—

Boom!

A massive flame exploded in the sky, lighting up the night.

Thankfully, the fire had been directed upward. Had it fallen to the ground, it could have covered the entirety of the palace, including its multiple courtyards and numerous large and small halls, and illuminated the entire capital of the Cat Kingdom as if it were daytime.

In an instant, countless cats were startled.

Some jumped high into the air, others bolted in every direction. The panic wasn’t limited to the ministers and officials—throughout the entire capital, the sound of terrified meowing filled the air.

“There’s more!”

Lady Calico transformed back into her human form and quickly returned to the palace hall. She rummaged through the Daoist’s satchel and pulled out her small flag. With a wave of her hand, she scattered a plume of black smoke.

The smoke hit the ground and transformed into a ferocious tiger.

Roar

...

It was a massive tiger that had become a demon with stripes on its body. Though the palace hall could accommodate dozens or even hundreds of cats, it suddenly felt far too small for this beast. Just one of its paws was larger than an average cat.

Its enormous, muscular frame exuded an imposing presence that left the entire palace—and the entire capital—in stunned silence. Cats everywhere were frozen, watching with wide eyes and trembling hearts.

But Lady Calico wasn’t done. She continued waving her flag, summoning three more tigers of varying sizes. To the cats, each of them was a towering giant.

Even the king and the grand general couldn’t help but tremble.

None of these cats had ever seen a tiger before. Some had never even heard of one.

To them, it wasn’t a tiger—it was a divine creature, a god among cats, a legendary celestial feline warrior.

“Come back!”

Lady Calico waved her flag once more. The tigers, momentarily confused, looked at her, then obediently dissolved back into black smoke and returned to the flag.

The civil and military officials of the court, as well as the citizens of the capital, were still in shock and confusion.

General Huang was so frightened that he couldn’t stop hiccupping.

It took a long time before the tortoiseshell king, accompanied by the ministers and officials, returned to the palace hall. They all resumed their previous seats, but this time, whether it was the king or the ministers, they treated Lady Calico with the utmost respect.

Their reverence was akin to that shown to a deity.

With the Cat God present, few of the cats dared to meet Song You’s gaze directly. Even those who had previously considered it impolite for him to leave most of the food untouched now reconsidered their judgment, reflecting that perhaps the differences between Cat Kingdom and Great Yan’s culinary traditions had made the meal less appealing to him.

Hic...

General Huang’s hiccups continued without pause.

Taking advantage of the calmer atmosphere, Song You asked the king about the Little Kingdom.