75. *whispers* He’s allergic!

Lin Yiyun’s face grew redder and redder as he attempted to control his sneezing. His eyes watered and his nose started to run.

Wen Zhihao grimaced. Poor Senior Lin. He had never read about a xianxia protagonist who was allergic to cats, but there was a first time for everything.

And look at how hard Senior Lin was trying to pretend otherwise!

“Lin-shixiong, stop petting the cat,” Wen Zhihao said, stepping forward.

Lin Yijun glared at him with watery-reddened eyes. “You said that as long as I hug this beast, I would receive Zhou Sheng’s food box.”

Aiya, why is this young man so stubborn?

“Lin-shixiong,” Wen Zhihao said calmly, “Zhou Sheng likes cats and likes petting them too. However, if we don’t deal with your cat allergy, do you expect to sneeze whenever you’re in Zhou Sheng’s presence?”

Lin Yijun gritted his teeth. He pulled his hands away from the soft (soft, soft) cat fur and stepped back. His sneezes noticeably lessened in severity, which helped clear his mind a little. By manipulating the wind with his qi, Lin Yijun was able to breathe cat-free, calming-qi laced air.

After a few deep breaths, Lin Yijun felt more settled. As long as he breathed carefully sourced air, he could approach the demonic beast again—

“Lin-shixiong, it’s best if you wash your hands to clean away any allergens.”

Lin Yijun grimaced. All of a sudden, his hands felt dirty and itchy! “Very well.” Straightening his posture, he left the enclosure first.

The closest bathrooms were in the building next to the enclosures. While Lin Yijun was washing his hands, Wen Zhihao went to the courtyard where Huang Jialing and Cheng Yahui were still having tea.

“Back so soon?” Huang Jialing asked.

“Want more spiritual stones?” Cheng Yahui half-joked.

Wen Zhihao shook his head. “An urgent request. Cultivator Huang, is that dog still around? I mean the demonic wolf,” Wen Zhihao belatedly added.

“Yes, she is still around. Cultivator Yan Tang is currently training another demonic wolf who has not been in contact with you.”

Cheng Yahui’s eyes sparkled as they scented a little bit of a backstory.

Wen Zhihao cleared his throat, feeling inexplicably guilty. “In that case, I have a job for her. Can I borrow her for an hour? Oh, and do you have cat-allergy medicine?”

“Cat-allergies? I understand that all the mortals have petted the demonic cats without a problem.”

“It’s not them.” Wen Zhihao’s voice dropped to a whisper. “It’s Senior Lin. He’s allergic.”

Huang Jialing stared at him, dumbfounded. Of all the people, she would never have expected Senior Cultivator Lin Yijun, the sect’s genius cultivator, to be allergic to the demonic beasts she worked with every day.

“I can make anti-cat-allergy pills,” Huang Jialing said.

“Is a high-grade spiritual stone enough?” Even though Wen Zhihao wanted to save that for Sun Fuyu, buying allergy meds for Lin Yijun can be counted as investment—investment in not having a stalker anymore.

“A hundred mid-grade spiritual stones1 is enough for a jar of 20,” Huang Jialing said. “Cultivator Yan’s demonic wolf can be found in the back mountain forests, but you can summon her with this.” Huang Jialing took out a small dark grey whistle. When she blew it on it, there was no audible sound, but the qi in the air wavered.

Wen Zhihao thanked Huang Jialing and paid, confirmed to Cheng Yahui that he didn’t need more payment, and went to wait for the dog outside the building.

As Lin Yijun exited the bathroom, having thoroughly cleaned his skin and clothes of any traces of cat, the demonic wolf had arrived. The wolf immediately spotted Wen Zhihao and completely forgot about the summoning whistle in favour of happily tackling Wen Zhihao.

- You came back! Play? Sleep? Pats?

Wen Zhihao easily caught the big dog. “Careful, Xiao Yu tied my hair today,” he chided, gently nudging the dog’s head away from his face.

The demonic wolf whined playfully, her tail swishing back and forth.

Lin Yijun looked at the demonic wolf with disdain. This was the wolf that failed to capture and return Zhou Sheng.

“Lin-shixiong, you’re just on time” Wen Zhihao said, carrying the giant dog in his arms towards Lin Yijun. “You can hug this dog and I’ll give you the food box.”

“Aroff?” the wolf said confusedly as she was held out to Lin Yijun.

“You surely do not mean right here,” Lin Yijun said coldly, leaning away from the demonic beast.

Wen Zhihao nodded his head slightly. As a more sensitive protagonist, Lin Yijun might take better to cat dog therapy if he was in an enclosed room with privacy. “Cultivator Huang has many good rooms.”

Wen Zhihao took Lin Yijun to his favourite room in the building by the enclosures, which had big windows and thick mats laid on the ground. Warm sunlight spilled through the windows, but from the outside, those windows would appear as solid walls.

“Lin-shixiong, sit.”

Lin Yijun sat down gracefully on the mats, legs crossed. He wasn’t following this junior’s command, he was merely doing what he wanted.

“Lin-shixiong, hug.”

Before Lin Yijun could parse the sentence, over a hundred catties of demonic wolf was dropped on him.2

“She’s big and nice, isn’t she?” Wen Zhihao coaxed, scratching the dog’s ear.

Lin Yijun didn’t deign to respond to Wen Zhihao. He breathed carefully, his breath deepening with each cycle. He relaxed as he realised there was no adverse reaction this time. In the future, he’d tell Zhou Sheng not to pet demonic cats anymore and pet this wolf instead!

Lin Yijun’s hands dug into the wolf’s fur. His bottom jaw jutted out slightly in disgruntlement. The wolf’s fur wasn’t as soft as the cat’s.

He rubbed a little harder, annoyed that it wasn’t as soft, annoyed that this wolf hadn’t found Zhou Sheng properly. The wolf squirmed slightly, and Lin Yijun’s eyes narrowed even more, scratching harder.

The wolf completely blissed out with the firm scratches. She relaxedcompletely over Lin Yijun’s lap, her tail swung back and forth happily.

“Doesn’t she feel good to pet?” Wen Zhihao said softly.

“Mediocre.”

The wolf started to make a low, throaty brrr sound, contentment clear.

“She likes you.”

Lin Yijun’s heart turned sour as his stomach tightened.

“Hm, just keep petting her like that. She likes you.”

She...likes me?

Lin Yijun’s eyes became slightly unfocused as his stroking and scratching became mechanical. The wolf’s weight anchored him. What a simple beast. She liked him just because he petted her? Tch, what low standards!

So Lin Yijun kept petting the wolf. His lips curled up slightly as the wolf's tail wagging speed increased. An unfamiliar warmth spread through his chest as his eyes unconsciously softened.

Wen Zhihao nodded to himself. Animal therapy success rate, 100%.

75. *whispers* He’s allergic!

Lin Yiyun’s face grew redder and redder as he attempted to control his sneezing. His eyes watered and his nose started to run.

Wen Zhihao grimaced. Poor Senior Lin. He had never read about a xianxia protagonist who was allergic to cats, but there was a first time for everything.

And look at how hard Senior Lin was trying to pretend otherwise!

“Lin-shixiong, stop petting the cat,” Wen Zhihao said, stepping forward.

Lin Yijun glared at him with watery-reddened eyes. “You said that as long as I hug this beast, I would receive Zhou Sheng’s food box.”

Aiya, why is this young man so stubborn?

“Lin-shixiong,” Wen Zhihao said calmly, “Zhou Sheng likes cats and likes petting them too. However, if we don’t deal with your cat allergy, do you expect to sneeze whenever you’re in Zhou Sheng’s presence?”

Lin Yijun gritted his teeth. He pulled his hands away from the soft (soft, soft) cat fur and stepped back. His sneezes noticeably lessened in severity, which helped clear his mind a little. By manipulating the wind with his qi, Lin Yijun was able to breathe cat-free, calming-qi laced air.

After a few deep breaths, Lin Yijun felt more settled. As long as he breathed carefully sourced air, he could approach the demonic beast again—

“Lin-shixiong, it’s best if you wash your hands to clean away any allergens.”

Lin Yijun grimaced. All of a sudden, his hands felt dirty and itchy! “Very well.” Straightening his posture, he left the enclosure first.

The closest bathrooms were in the building next to the enclosures. While Lin Yijun was washing his hands, Wen Zhihao went to the courtyard where Huang Jialing and Cheng Yahui were still having tea.

“Back so soon?” Huang Jialing asked.

“Want more spiritual stones?” Cheng Yahui half-joked.

Wen Zhihao shook his head. “An urgent request. Cultivator Huang, is that dog still around? I mean the demonic wolf,” Wen Zhihao belatedly added.

“Yes, she is still around. Cultivator Yan Tang is currently training another demonic wolf who has not been in contact with you.”

Cheng Yahui’s eyes sparkled as they scented a little bit of a backstory.

Wen Zhihao cleared his throat, feeling inexplicably guilty. “In that case, I have a job for her. Can I borrow her for an hour? Oh, and do you have cat-allergy medicine?”

“Cat-allergies? I understand that all the mortals have petted the demonic cats without a problem.”

“It’s not them.” Wen Zhihao’s voice dropped to a whisper. “It’s Senior Lin. He’s allergic.”

Huang Jialing stared at him, dumbfounded. Of all the people, she would never have expected Senior Cultivator Lin Yijun, the sect’s genius cultivator, to be allergic to the demonic beasts she worked with every day.

“I can make anti-cat-allergy pills,” Huang Jialing said.

“Is a high-grade spiritual stone enough?” Even though Wen Zhihao wanted to save that for Sun Fuyu, buying allergy meds for Lin Yijun can be counted as investment—investment in not having a stalker anymore.

“A hundred mid-grade spiritual stones1 is enough for a jar of 20,” Huang Jialing said. “Cultivator Yan’s demonic wolf can be found in the back mountain forests, but you can summon her with this.” Huang Jialing took out a small dark grey whistle. When she blew it on it, there was no audible sound, but the qi in the air wavered.

Wen Zhihao thanked Huang Jialing and paid, confirmed to Cheng Yahui that he didn’t need more payment, and went to wait for the dog outside the building.

As Lin Yijun exited the bathroom, having thoroughly cleaned his skin and clothes of any traces of cat, the demonic wolf had arrived. The wolf immediately spotted Wen Zhihao and completely forgot about the summoning whistle in favour of happily tackling Wen Zhihao.

- You came back! Play? Sleep? Pats?

Wen Zhihao easily caught the big dog. “Careful, Xiao Yu tied my hair today,” he chided, gently nudging the dog’s head away from his face.

The demonic wolf whined playfully, her tail swishing back and forth.

Lin Yijun looked at the demonic wolf with disdain. This was the wolf that failed to capture and return Zhou Sheng.

“Lin-shixiong, you’re just on time” Wen Zhihao said, carrying the giant dog in his arms towards Lin Yijun. “You can hug this dog and I’ll give you the food box.”

“Aroff?” the wolf said confusedly as she was held out to Lin Yijun.

“You surely do not mean right here,” Lin Yijun said coldly, leaning away from the demonic beast.

Wen Zhihao nodded his head slightly. As a more sensitive protagonist, Lin Yijun might take better to cat dog therapy if he was in an enclosed room with privacy. “Cultivator Huang has many good rooms.”

Wen Zhihao took Lin Yijun to his favourite room in the building by the enclosures, which had big windows and thick mats laid on the ground. Warm sunlight spilled through the windows, but from the outside, those windows would appear as solid walls.

“Lin-shixiong, sit.”

Lin Yijun sat down gracefully on the mats, legs crossed. He wasn’t following this junior’s command, he was merely doing what he wanted.

“Lin-shixiong, hug.”

Before Lin Yijun could parse the sentence, over a hundred catties of demonic wolf was dropped on him.2

“She’s big and nice, isn’t she?” Wen Zhihao coaxed, scratching the dog’s ear.

Lin Yijun didn’t deign to respond to Wen Zhihao. He breathed carefully, his breath deepening with each cycle. He relaxed as he realised there was no adverse reaction this time. In the future, he’d tell Zhou Sheng not to pet demonic cats anymore and pet this wolf instead!

Lin Yijun’s hands dug into the wolf’s fur. His bottom jaw jutted out slightly in disgruntlement. The wolf’s fur wasn’t as soft as the cat’s.

He rubbed a little harder, annoyed that it wasn’t as soft, annoyed that this wolf hadn’t found Zhou Sheng properly. The wolf squirmed slightly, and Lin Yijun’s eyes narrowed even more, scratching harder.

The wolf completely blissed out with the firm scratches. She relaxedcompletely over Lin Yijun’s lap, her tail swung back and forth happily.

“Doesn’t she feel good to pet?” Wen Zhihao said softly.

“Mediocre.”

The wolf started to make a low, throaty brrr sound, contentment clear.

“She likes you.”

Lin Yijun’s heart turned sour as his stomach tightened.

“Hm, just keep petting her like that. She likes you.”

She...likes me?

Lin Yijun’s eyes became slightly unfocused as his stroking and scratching became mechanical. The wolf’s weight anchored him. What a simple beast. She liked him just because he petted her? Tch, what low standards!

So Lin Yijun kept petting the wolf. His lips curled up slightly as the wolf's tail wagging speed increased. An unfamiliar warmth spread through his chest as his eyes unconsciously softened.

Wen Zhihao nodded to himself. Animal therapy success rate, 100%.