Publish Time: 2026-07-09 00:32:00
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“Pitter-patter…”
Rain truly fell that night, each drop landing on the roof tiles with a crisp sound. The feeling was quite different, carrying the taste of rain. Closing his eyes, Chen Changsheng felt like he could almost see the misty scene of mountain rain in the darkness.
Ruyi finished her meal, cleaned up the dishes, and left. Inside the house, Chen Changsheng lay on the bed, already asleep.
Only the Tabby Cat remained, crouching under the eaves, eyes watching the raindrops fall.
Lihua licked its paws, noticing the rain drifting further inside. It scooted backwards, retreating step by step, until it bumped against the doorway.
It was calculating just how long it had been away from home.
The mortal world was fun, but Lihua missed Mo Yu too. It wondered if Mo Yu felt okay back at Cloudtop Manor, or if it was bored.
Lihua stared at the rain for a long time, lost in thought.
The rain grew heavier. Lost in its thoughts, Lihua was startled by a sudden deafening clap of thunder.
“BOOM!”
Flashes of lightning lit up the sky.
Lihua flinched and shuffled even further back inside.
Its expression turned ugly; thunder frightened it deeply.
The sound of thunder also woke Chen Changsheng lying on the bed. He paused, sat up, and reached to light a candle.
He remembered buying some years ago; they were stored in a drawer. He found the candles, but they were damp and unusable from too long in storage.
It wasn’t a problem though. With a touch of his finger, the candle ignited.
The sudden light in the darkness caught Lihua’s attention.
It turned its head and saw Chen Changsheng walking over carrying the candle.
“Why sit at the door?” Chen Changsheng asked.
As he spoke, sprawling webs of lightning illuminated everything, followed quickly by the rumbling thunder that made the crouching cat jump again.
Lihua’s expression was awful. By the candle’s faint light, Chen Changsheng could see the fur standing up on its back.
Lihua sidled closer to Good Human Chen. It let out a breath and said, “Thunder. Lihua… is a little scared.”
“Oh?”
Chen Changsheng asked, “Why not come inside?”
He had left the door open for it.
Lihua answered, “Wanted to watch outside for a while.”
Chen Changsheng sometimes didn’t quite understand Lihua’s thoughts. He knew the cat wasn’t very bright, like a child, yet it also occasionally gave him a feeling of hidden wisdom shining through simple actions.
“Good Human Chen…”
“Yes?”
“Why… why thunder comes?”
“Because it is nature,”
Chen Changsheng explained. “Wind, fire, rain, thunder. The seasons turn. Though the thunderclaps are frightening, the sprouting land beneath enriches, letting plants grow anew after the storm. In the mortal world, the rumbling thunder also strikes fear into the hearts of evil spirits, sweeping away the negative. This is the natural rhythm, the Heavenly order, one of Earth’s core principles.”
“Oh…”
Lihua didn’t understand.
It just knew it sounded scary.
“Once before… thunder nearly struck Lihua. Mo Yu saved Lihua.”
Lihua said, “So Lihua thinks thunder is bad. That’s why it’s scared.”
It was talking about when they escaped the Spirit Cage.
Lihua turned to Chen Changsheng and asked, “Is Lihua… a bad thing?”
“Of course not.”
“Then why did thunder want to strike me?”
“Probably…”
Chen Changsheng thought for a moment. “Probably because Heavens, like Earth, often operates on broad strokes. Sometimes… discerning true good from evil, the truly harmful from the harmless, in that instant, Heavens do not always see clearly.”
The rolling Heavenly Thunder, how could it pay attention to each little one? It merely follows rules laid down long ago. Sentiment should not sway it, could not sway it. It must strike as commanded. It was intended that way, could only be that way.
Otherwise, chaos would ensue.
“Hmm…”
Lihua sort of understood this time. “Feels… not good.”
“It is somewhat not ideal, truthfully.”
Chen Changsheng smiled. “But there’s no way. If Heavens held compassion, judging good and evil by the emotional standards of human hearts… fairness would be impossible. The world would fall into disarray.”
“How would it fall?” Lihua asked curiously.
Chen Changsheng pondered. “Hmm…”
“Malicious spirits could cloak themselves in righteousness. The boundary between righteous and evil could vanish entirely. Sorting good from evil would become ever more difficult. Ghosts and monsters would shake off the shadows, walking openly beneath the sun. Cultivators’ hearts would lose the drive to sever evildoers. All would mingle until distinguishing them became impossible.”
“Sounds… a bit messy.”
“Lihua needs more experience in the world,” Chen Changsheng said. “Otherwise, Lihua won’t grasp things easily when others speak. It might seem silly. Not that you lack knowledge, just… that your experience is limited.”
Lihua blinked. “How to gain experience?”
Chen Changsheng smiled. “At least understand why thunder comes, perhaps.”
“Oh…”
Lihua felt this was hard, but not impossible; it was quite eager to learn.
Chen Changsheng exhaled softly. “The wind’s rising now. Don’t crouch outside any longer. Be careful of catching a chill.”
“Lihua doesn’t catch chills.”
“Will Lihua crouch out there all night then?”
Lihua paused, then said, “Better not…”
It followed Chen Changsheng into the house.
Chen Changsheng promptly shut the door, sliding the bolt across.
The partly burned candle was placed on the table, providing some light. This way, the night wouldn’t feel so frightening.
Chen Changsheng wasn’t scared of the dark. It was for Lihua. Not that the cat was afraid either – cats aren’t frightened of darkness. But a little light truly made it feel much calmer.
“BOOM…”
“Pitter-patter…”
Thunder and rain mingled together.
With every thunderclap, Lihua would open its eyes.
“Good Human Chen.”
Chen Changsheng, who had just closed his eyes, asked, “Still scared?”
“Mhm.”
Lihua, lying on the table, lifted its head toward Chen Changsheng. “Can… can Lihua sleep by the bed?”
“Before… when thunder came… Lihua always slept close beside Mo Yu. But Mo Yu isn’t here…”
Chen Changsheng heard this and said, “Of course you can.”
Lihua hopped onto the bed, curling up beside Chen Changsheng’s pillow.
It felt much calmer.
“Sleep,” Chen Changsheng whispered.
“Mm. Good Human Chen sleep too.”
“Mm.”
Quiet settled in the room. The rain still tapped rhythmically against the roof tiles outside, slowly easing into a lighter drizzle. No more thunder resounded for the rest of the night.
Lihua the cat gradually drifted into deep, peaceful sleep.
Chen Changsheng lay with his hands under his head, no trace of sleepiness in him.
He was thinking about some things.
Lihua had reminded him.
Heavenly Dao was said to judge the world only by its broad strokes – rigid standards, devoid of feeling or mercy.
In the old records: good and evil were distinguished by merit or karmic retribution. Righteous and evil energies were differentiated by their Qi – upright forces like noble scholarly ambition, unwavering righteousness fostered such good Qi, while sinister forces tread evil paths through the Devil Qi. Evil spirits, born of darkness in corpse Qi or ghostly essence, were thus hated by the Heavens themselves.
At its core, Heavenly Dao functioned strictly by established rules. Sentiment or pity had no place within its judgments.
But him… Chen Changsheng…
Ever since he awoke within this very existence, the Heavens seemed to shower him with blessings. Divine Decrees, whatever he sought… almost always materialized.
‘Could Lihua have been right about something back then…?’
Chen Changsheng understood then: sleep would likely elude him this whole night.
The doubt remained. He still couldn’t find solid proof to refute the unsettling possibility.
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