Ruan Shu was dumbfounded, looking from one to the other.
“Qiuqiu?”
Both Qiuqius responded to her, bouncing happily above the clouds—one large, one small.
“Qiuqiu, how did you split into two? And why is one of you so big?”
Her voice almost cracked from the surprise. She couldn’t revert back to her human form, and now Qiuqiu seemed to have an issue too. What was going on?
“Qiuqiu, uh… you guys okay? Do you feel uncomfortable at all?”
The sight of these two Qiuqius, one big and one small, made Ruan Shu worry a lot. She could guess that it was due to her healing her older cousin, but she had no idea whether this split, with one Qiuqiu even growing larger, was good or bad.
Fortunately, both spiritual Qiuqius seemed to be in good shape. After a bit of chatting with them, Ruan Shu finally pulled her consciousness out of her mental sea.
Meanwhile, Ruan Xinglan, who had been comfortably petting the cat, noticed that this little one seemed to be feeling down. He pinched her soft, white paws, half-closed his eyes, and asked in a gentle voice.
“What’s wrong?”
This little sister had brought him quite a few surprises. Healing Jingshen—if word got out about such an ability, his “little sister” would become a sought-after treasure throughout the universe.
Even he was becoming more patient with this small creature. Besides, in her soft star beast form, he had to admit, squeezing those plush little paws felt amazing. This tiny, squishy body was light to hold and always ready to be pet, far better than his pesky little brother.
“Meow meow.”
The cat meowed softly. But Ruan Xinglan couldn’t understand her now, so she figured it was better to wait until her cousin could find a way to change her back.
The ragdoll cat retracted her paw, tucked her little hands under herself, and lay on his knee, her tail hanging down and swaying slightly.
Ruan Xinglan didn’t press any further.
Before long, Ruan Qingran arrived and got straight to the point, picking up the cat and starting to examine her.
However, after a thorough check, his expression turned serious.
“There’s nothing wrong, so why can’t you change back?”
The cat looked at him with an innocent, pitiful gaze. She had no idea either.
“Meow meow meow…”
Brother, what if I can never change back?
“Don’t worry.”
It seemed Ruan Qingran understood her. He patiently reassured her, “It’s probably related to the surge of healing energy you released at the end. I’ve been analyzing your blood and fur to monitor your health, and so far, there’s no sign of any physical issues.”
He scratched her chin, and Ruan Shu tilted her head up, trustingly placing her chin in his hand. Watching from the side, Ruan Xinglan narrowed his eyes, letting out a cold scoff in his mind. This little one seemed to like everyone in the family.
Except him.
Ruan Xinglan hadn’t realized it himself, but when he first came back, he didn’t think much of this little creature. Several times, he’d even tried to get her attention just to annoy his older brother.
Yet, over time, he began comparing himself to others without realizing it. Three days ago, when Ruan Shu had fainted from overexerting herself to heal Ruan Linzhan, he’d actually been worried. He’d cursed her in his heart for being foolish, wondering how she could risk herself so recklessly for someone else—it was downright idiotic.
“Let’s go to the hospital. I’ll use better equipment to check your Jingshen. Since there’s nothing wrong with your body, let’s focus on examining your mental state.”
Ruan Shu nodded and started to gesture with her paws while meowing.
Both Ruan Qingran and Ruan Xinglan watched, but the latter frowned, completely baffled by her gestures.
Ruan Qingran, however, occasionally nodded along. “You’re saying your Jingshen Qiuqiu split into two?”
The ragdoll cat happily nodded.
Ruan Xinglan on the side: “…”
This was definitely not because he was too slow to understand.
As the “brains” of the family, Ruan Xinglan was convinced that the problem lay with Ruan Shu’s unorthodox way of communicating. What kind of self-invented language was this, anyway?
As for why Ruan Qingran could understand it, Ruan Xinglan figured it must be because his cousin’s mind worked in unusual ways too.
But the hospital visit was still necessary. Ruan Qingran took Ruan Shu with him, while Ruan Xinglan left to attend to other matters.
At the hospital, after performing a Jingshen scan on Ruan Shu, Ruan Qingran’s pupils narrowed when he saw her Jingshen rating.
Ruan Shu’s Jingshen level had risen from F to E! She had jumped an entire level!
And she’d done it without consuming any Star Tempering Fruit. How was this even possible?
Ruan Qingran double-checked her results twice, and each time, the outcome was the same.
A person’s Jingshen level is usually fixed after awakening. The only known way to enhance it is by consuming Star Tempering Fruit.
This fruit, however, doesn’t guarantee an improvement for everyone; it depends on both talent and luck. Those with good fortune and high talent might leap an entire level, while others might see no change or only a minor boost.
Moreover, Star Tempering Fruit is exceptionally rare and expensive, far beyond the reach of ordinary people.
Yet here she was, Ruan Shu’s Jingshen advancing without any Star Tempering Fruit!
Ruan Qingran was initially shocked but quickly calmed down.
His little cousin had even cured Jingshen pollution; an increase in Jingshen was just another remarkable thing, right?
Though his face appeared calm, his mind was a whirlwind. A talent that could heal Jingshen pollution was already enough of a marvel. Now, she could even elevate her Jingshen on her own. What kind of extraordinary being was his little cousin?
As Ruan Shu came out of the testing equipment, she noticed her brother’s worried expression, and her heart skipped a beat. Was she really stuck this way? Would she have to stay as a cat forever?
While being a cat wasn’t the worst, she still wanted to be human, to talk to her dad and brothers.
The thought of being trapped as a silent cat hit her hard, and tears welled up as she started to cry pitifully.
Ruan Qingran snapped out of his thoughts, immediately lifting the little cat into his arms and asking anxiously.
“What’s wrong? Do you feel unwell?”
Ruan Shu buried her entire cat head into his chest, clutching his shirt with her tiny paws and crying her heart out, her soft meows filled with sorrow, as if leaving final words.
‘If I can never talk to my brothers again, you’ll have to spend more time as a star beast to keep me company. I haven’t even finished my felt projects. I still want to write and do so many things, but my little paws are too clumsy. Why can’t I speak even though I turned into a star beast? Couldn’t Dad and my brothers learn a little cat language for my sake?’