Living room.

The sounds of Cat and Mouse kept coming from the TV.

A cat, not yet fully grown, lay sprawled across the couch, eyes half-closed, deeply asleep. Its legs were spread wide, and its paws were raised, displaying soft, pink pads that resembled four delicate plum blossoms.

Zhou Li lightened his footsteps.

He had brought back the half-finished vase he had made, placed a sheet of paper underneath, and carefully set it on the coffee table, examining it from every angle.

The style of the vase was quite ordinary, devoid of many embellishments. He was still a beginner and lacked the skill for fancier designs. However, there was a certain curvature to the body of the vase, reminiscent of the side profile of a voluptuous woman, which was quite pleasing to the eye.

Huai Xu yawned nearby and said, "Not bad. It could sell for half a coin when fired."

"How much is half a coin?" Zhou Li asked quietly.

"Just half a coin, five zhu coins," Huai Xu replied without particularly lowering his voice. Instead, he glanced at Tuanzi with his peripheral vision. "Why are you speaking so softly? Afraid of waking this silly cat? If you let her sleep this long in the afternoon, she'll be bothering you all night."

"Let her sleep," Zhou Li whispered. "Is the purchasing power of five zhu coins high?"

"It's decent. A bushel of grain only cost a few coins back then."

"That's not bad..."

Zhou Li was quite content. He even found himself thinking that if he had been born in ancient times, he might have been able to make a living with this craft.

Then Huai Xu poured cold water on his enthusiasm. "It's mainly because this clay is good; it fires very finely."

Zhou Li was speechless. He shook his head, trying to forget the comment.

Then he glanced at what Huai Xu had made.

It was a round, three-legged vessel made of two identical hemispheres. The lower part had three feet, and the upper part also had three feet.

It was indeed better than what he had made.

"What is this?"

"A 'Dun'," Huai Xu said after a moment's thought. "I'll get some pigments later, draw some patterns on it, and after it's fired, it'll surely be worth a lot of money."

"Where will you fire it?"

"I'll find a factory that specializes in firing this kind of thing and sneak it in when they're not looking."

"Be sure to sneak mine in as well," Zhou Li said sincerely.

"Yours..."

Huai Xu looked at his vase, hesitating. He mainly thought it was a shame to use such fine Kaolin Soil to fire something like that, but he ultimately agreed. After all, it was Zhou Li's money.

Zhou Li had bought Kaolin Soil.

Pottery in the past wasn't all made from Kaolin Soil. While widely distributed, it wasn't found everywhere. Initially, people fired pottery using ordinary earth. However, they soon discovered that different types of earth produced pottery with varying characteristics, and items made from common earth were of poor quality. So, people began using clay—mostly common clay—reserving Kaolin Soil for crafting porcelain or white pottery.

Zhou Li took out the rest of the clay and said thoughtfully, "I think I can try to make a clay figure. There are spells in Carving Technique that use clay figures too."

"You're aiming for higher difficulty now?" Huai Xu chuckled.

"I was originally studying carving."

"Hmm... that is true." As Huai Xu spoke, he picked up the remote control. "I'll turn the TV off for you."

"Don't—" But the words had barely left Zhou Li's mouth when the TV screen went dark.

Huai Xu looked at him, puzzled. "What's wrong? This little thing isn't watching anyway. Don't tell me you want to watch it?"

As Huai Xu spoke, Zhou Li felt an itch on his back. Turning his head, he saw that Tuanzi had woken up. Her little body was wiggling unconsciously, her small paws flailing as if trying to grab something in the air, brushing against his clothing.

A tiny whimper, as faint as a mosquito's hum, escaped her.

Tuanzi groggily opened her eyes. The first thing she saw was Zhou Li's back, so close it seemed like a wall to her.

Recognizing Zhou Li by his scent, she flipped over, pressing close against his back as if hugging him. Her voice was soft and lazy, "Zhou Li... when did you get baaack...?"

"Just now," Zhou Li said.

"Why did you turn off Lord Dumpling's TV?" Tuanzi's voice was incredibly cute.

"Huai Xu turned it off."

"It's all Huai Xu's fault..."

"He said you were asleep and was worried the TV noise would disturb you," Zhou Li defended Huai Xu.

"Nonsense. Lord Dumpling was clearly still watching."

"I see."

Perhaps Lord Dumpling has X-ray vision, Zhou Li mused, allowing her to see the television through her own eyelids and my body. Or maybe it's like the divine sense found in xianxia novels. Strangely, he found the latter explanation more plausible.

Zhou Li paused. "Then I'll ask Huai Xu to turn it on for you again."

Tuanzi still clung to Zhou Li's back, emitting a soft hum of agreement, her tail rhythmically tapping the sofa, showing her cheerful mood.

Zhou Li turned to look at Huai Xu.

He saw Huai Xu roll his eyes at them and snort, "So childish." Then Huai Xu picked up the Tao Dun and the vase and vanished, clearly not wanting to hear any more of their immature conversation.

Zhou Li didn't mind and went to get the remote control himself.

WHOOSH! His vision blurred for an instant, and the remote control vanished.

Zhou Li was suddenly at a loss for words.

What a shame, Zhou Li thought. The Old monster is over two thousand years old and has a childlike heart, but he still knows nothing about the power of technology.

"Xiao Ai."

"I'm here."

"Turn on the television."

"Turning on the television for you."

"Lord Dumpling, come and watch TV! Don't sleep anymore, or you won't be able to sleep tonight." Zhou Li quickly pulled Tuanzi from behind him and settled her onto his lap.

"MEOW."

The first thing Tuanzi caught sight of was the clay on the coffee table. Her little face showed a trace of confusion as she turned to Zhou Li. "Zhou Li, are you playing with mud? You're so big, and you're still playing with mud?"

"Yes."

"Aren't you afraid of getting all messy?"

"Not afraid."

"Hmm... Lord Dumpling wants to play too!"

The little creature instantly perked up. She struggled to jump from Zhou Li's lap to the coffee table but misjudged the distance and fell short. Not only did she fail to make it across, but her chin also hit the edge of the table before she tumbled down. Yet, she seemed unfazed. She scrambled back up and immediately tried to jump onto the coffee table again. This fearless, reckless persistence, never learning from her mistakes, was quite similar to Brother Nan's.

Soon, Zhou Li's clay was stamped with a tiny plum blossom imprint.

「Early Tuesday morning.」

Yin Le pulled open the curtains. Downstairs, a car was already waiting for him: a black Hongqi sedan, its hood emblem highly recognizable.

He hesitated for a moment, then picked up his phone. He found Zhou Li in his contacts and stared at the name for a long time before typing and sending a message.

Yin Le: I'm heading to the airport now.

Zhou Li: So early. Have you had breakfast?

Yin Le: Just woke up, haven't freshened up yet. There should be breakfast prepared in the car.

Zhou Li: Oh, have a safe trip.

Yin Le: Are you really not coming with me? Do you realize that if you come, you could immediately attain a position that most people strive for their entire lives to reach? Even most ancient Heavenly Masters never reached such heights.

Yin Le: It's not too late to change your mind. If you agree, I'll come and pick you up right now.

Zhou Li: Not going.

Yin Le: Are you that averse?

Zhou Li: [Picture]

Zhou Li: This is the vase I made in my ceramics class yesterday. What do you think?

Yin Le: Ugly.

Zhou Li: ...

Yin Le: Your character is exactly like that of Master Ming from the legends.

Yin Le: I still can't understand why It chose you two.

Yin Le: I'm going to wash up.

After sending the messages, he put down his phone and went into the bathroom. He washed his face first, then brushed his teeth while looking in the mirror. Outwardly, he appeared composed, but inwardly, he felt a degree of apprehension. Never mind the more complex matters that lay ahead; even the meeting he was flying to today felt more intricate than anything he had ever experienced.

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