The Cold and Heartless Human

Warm light fell upon Xie Xinsu's body. She was curled into a ball, resting on soft bedding beneath her. She felt warm and cozy, reminiscent of the days back at the Xuantian Sect when she would sleep in late. Her mind was in a daze. She felt as though she had had a dream—a dream where she left the Xuantian Sect, traveled to a new world, and began a life in hiding. It had been a nightmare. With great difficulty, she had completed her long hibernation, only for the world to reboot and turn her into an intellectually challenged cat. Thus began her miserable feline life. Fortunately... the dream was over. Just then, however, voices chatting reached her ears. "Liver organ damage, and... not suitable for neutering." "Can't be neutered? Aren't stray cats supposed to be neutered? That's what the law requires." "Its physical condition makes it unsuitable." "Oh... If it can't be neutered, then just beat it to death. That way, it won't break the law." Still half-asleep, Xie Xinsu heard that cold, heartless man's voice and bolted awake. *Meow, meow, meow?!* *Neutering?!* *No way!* *If it can't be neutered, just beat it to death so it won't be illegal?!* *This human is terrifying! What kind of logic is that?!* *Just spay me instead!* Fully awake, she realized she was still a cat. It seemed the dream just now was entirely real. Her head had gotten stuck in a manhole, and she had been rescued by this cold and heartless man. *Heh...* She had already decided that once she restored her true form, she definitely wouldn't guide this man onto the immortal path. "Meow, meow, meow!" But right now, staying alive was what mattered. For the very first time, Xie Xinsu acted cute, purely for survival. At that moment, the cold, heartless man who had wanted to kill her looked her way, his gaze calm. "What if it goes into heat?" He had asked a crucial question. "Meow, meow, meow!" Xie Xinsu shrieked in outrage. *What do you mean, go into heat?!* *How could she possibly go into heat?!* Even though she had rebooted into a cat and her brain had become groggy and muddled, she still considered herself human; she wouldn't be dominated by animal instincts and randomly go into heat. She was the Saintess of the Xuantian Sect! Even though the Xuantian Sect had fallen into decline with barely a dozen disciples left, she was the Saintess destined to lead its revival. Her master, Heyunzi, the thirty-first Sect Master of the Xuantian Sect, had once petitioned the ancestral master of the Upper Realm to bestow arts upon her. It could be said that if she progressed step by step, she had every hope of reaching the Purple Mansion realm in this lifetime. If fortune smiled upon her with an extraordinary stroke of luck, she might even catch a glimpse of the legendary Yin God realm. If she stepped into the Yin God realm, she would have the chance to ascend to the Upper Realm and become a legend of the Xuantian Sect. With peerless talent like hers, even if rebooting as a cat had somewhat impaired her brain, there was no way she would go into heat willy-nilly! Besides, solving a cat in heat? Is that something a human being would say?! "To solve this problem, besides neutering, there is another method," the smart robot Zero-One said. "What method?" "A Cat Joy Wand." As Zero-One spoke, a screen flickered on across its face. On the screen was a product listing. Among the details were some indescribable pictures. The cat's expression in the pictures looked just like that meme of the white cat eating corn. "This..." Qi Yuan looked as if he had discovered a whole new continent. He cast a glance at the black-and-white Xie Xinsu, a thoughtful look appearing on his face. "You handle it." Zero-One nodded, its synthesized mechanical voice seeming to carry a hint of amusement. Listening to the conversation between the robot and its owner, Xie Xinsu felt utterly helpless. Just like that, they had settled the most private affair of her life?! Xie Xinsu decided she would find an opportunity to slip out of this household. The people in this house were a bit too twisted. With that thought, just as she was about to look for a chance, her pink nose twitched, and Xie Xinsu's feline heart pounded with intense excitement. *A treasure! There's definitely a treasure here!* In her previous life, before the reboot, she had spent several years on this Arch Star. She was quite familiar with Arch Star. Spiritual energy in this world was exceedingly thin. Although it was slowly recovering, the gap compared to the world where the Xuantian Sect resided was still immense. However, some ruins and immortal opportunities still existed in this world. Over the next ten years, they would emerge one after another. Among them were quite a few precious treasures. With that gentle sniff just now, she caught the scent of rich spiritual energy. The source of that spiritual energy was clearly inside this very apartment. This meant that a surviving immortal artifact was tucked away in this house. The spiritual energy it emitted was exceptionally dense. At this moment, she couldn't move her furry paws. Over the past month, why had she lived so miserably? Firstly, this cat's body was far too weak. Secondly, the spiritual energy here was far too scarce. Thirdly, she lacked a cultivation method suited for this body. And fourthly, her current brain was simply not sharp enough. All these factors combined had brought her, the Xuantian Sect's number one Golden Core cultivator, down to such a pathetic state. Now, inside this apartment lay an immortal dao treasure rich in spiritual energy. She suddenly didn't want to leave. With her feline body, cultivating in the outside world was out of the question; only in a place with such dense spiritual energy could she cultivate even a little. She decided to show mercy and deign to stay in this humble mortal abode. "Alright, kick it out. After all, it's not my cat." At that moment, the cold, heartless, and bizarre man spoke again, his voice as unfeeling as ever. Xie Xinsu froze for a second, then panicked. *Meow, meow, meow!* She didn't want to leave! If she left, she might become a stray cat again. She needed to stay here and cultivate. She cried out anxiously, her meows sounding quite pitiful. "Master, it seems it does not want to leave," the robot Zero-One chimed in helpfully. Xie Xinsu paused, surprised. This robot seemed pretty smart. She cried out even more enthusiastically. She had to stay here to cultivate! As for that Cat Joy Wand, once she achieved success in her cultivation, would she still fear something like that? "Besides eating, all it does is sleep and poop. It can't do a backflip, and it can't stir-fry. What use is it? I never keep a freeloading cat." The cold and heartless man was cold and heartless indeed, already thinking of exploiting her. Without overthinking, Xie Xinsu twisted her body and leaped up, performing a clean backflip. Right now, she was putting in every ounce of effort. After all, a cat that could do backflips and understand human speech was exceedingly rare. With this flip, shouldn't she easily win over the man before her? Sure enough, the cold, heartless man looked at her with a strange glint in his eyes. "Has this cat... mutated? It can understand human speech?" The robot Zero-One also looked at Xie Xinsu with an inscrutable expression. "It does seem different from other cats." For some reason, pinned beneath the gazes of this human and robot, Xie Xinsu felt as though she were a piece of merchandise. The cold, heartless man stared at her, apparently contemplating whether to keep her or toss her out. At this moment, the robot Zero-One spoke up. "Master, one can make money by shooting videos these days. We can keep this cat and film videos to earn money. The money earned can be used to upgrade my components, which will also save Master money." The robot Zero-One was very considerate. Presently, it yearned for upgrades and modifications. In the past, however, all upgrades and modifications had been funded with its master's money. Aspiring to become its master's number-one little assistant, Zero-One didn't want to trouble its master with everything. It wanted to earn money too, striving to improve itself and be of great use to its master. "Fine. In that case, do as you see fit. Oh, and don't let it caterwaul in heat and disturb my martial arts practice. When I practice martial arts, I need to stay focused." Cultivating immortality had already become second nature; Qi Yuan could cultivate anytime, anywhere. Practicing martial arts, however, was a first, so Qi Yuan took it very seriously. Hearing this, Xie Xinsu let out a sigh of relief. At the same time, she stole a glance at this cold, unfeeling, yet somewhat good-looking man, thinking to herself: *Man, what era do you think this is? Still practicing martial arts? Martial arts pale before immortality cultivation. If you serve this young lady well, I might just show mercy and bestow an immortal opportunity upon you.* Watching the cold and unfeeling man walk away, Xie Xinsu was overjoyed. The living room was hers! With no one around, the pressure vanished, and she could begin attempting cultivation. The spiritual energy here was very rich. As for the robot Zero-One? That wasn't even human. Xie Xinsu knew that the robots in this world were extremely ordinary, not smart at all, and lacked self-awareness. If one could develop consciousness, that would truly be absurd. Only magic treasures refined by cultivators at or above the Purple Mansion realm could possibly give birth to sentience. This pile of scrap metal didn't need to be treated as a real living being. She was just about to leap away and find a comfortable spot to cultivate. Suddenly, a pair of ice-cold hands grabbed hold of her. "Please complete the cat stir-fry video with me!" the robot Zero-One said stiffly. Its tone lacked the softness it had when speaking with Qi Yuan. *Meow, meow, meow?!* Xie Xinsu yowled. *Are you out of your mind? You're really making a cat stir-fry? How could a cat cook?!* Xie Xinsu pretended not to understand, putting on an innocent look. *Cats don't understand human speech. Cats don't have to work... That's totally normal, right?* Unfortunately, Zero-One couldn't care less. "Oh, you said yes. Good... Let us shoot the video! If the filming is unsuccessful, I will test the Cat Joy Wand on you tonight!" "Meow?!" Xie Xinsu was left utterly speechless. *Threatening a cat?! Does this robot have a loose screw?! How could such a robot exist in this world?!* She planned to keep playing dumb. Alas, Zero-One gave Xie Xinsu no chance to react at all, clutching her legs and darting straight toward the kitchen. "Meow, meow, meow!" *This is animal abuse!* Xie Xinsu yowled, but to no avail. Against a robot, she had zero ability to resist. Two hours later, Xie Xinsu curled up listlessly on the floor. These past two hours had been excruciatingly exhausting. Under the intimidation of the robot Zero-One, she had dutifully begun her humiliating feline existence and stir-fried dishes. Not only that, coerced by Zero-One, she had even danced to several of the most popular viral internet dances. It had been profoundly shameful. Right now, every inch of her body ached, devoid of any strength. *Once my cultivation recovers and I return to human form, I will tear this stinking robot into a thousand pieces!* Perhaps because Zero-One seemed so utterly vicious in Xie Xinsu's eyes, that cold, heartless man now appeared surprisingly handsome and agreeable. *Still... why is this robot different from the ones I've seen before? Even on Can Star, where technology is most advanced, their robots aren't this intelligent, are they?* During the two hours she was coerced by Zero-One, she had vaguely noticed that Zero-One was distinct from any robot she had previously encountered. Those other robots, for instance, were mere dunces devoid of any emotional color. Zero-One was different—it even knew how to threaten her. *Is everyone in this household bizarre?* *Could it be that the immortal dao treasure influenced them?* Xie Xinsu thought to herself. *No, I must cultivate. I must rise again!* She decided to begin cultivating. Finding a safe spot, she assumed a meditative posture and started to cultivate. What she didn't know was that a pair of mechanical eyes was already fixated on her. The recording function had been activated, and the video of a cat meditating in cultivation was being recorded. Zero-One returned to its room to edit the video and add voiceover. About half an hour later, Zero-One, under the username "Working Hard to Earn Money for Batteries," posted a video: "My cat has become a spirit! Not only can it stir-fry, it can even sit in meditation to cultivate!"