Unknown Intrusion

Chapter 32 Protection
This cat… Su Yu thought to himself.

"Meow meow--"

The cat suddenly arched its back, let out a threatening hiss, and lunged at the alleyway that was passing by.

"what happened?"

Song Qiongyao was puzzled. Following the cat's gaze, she saw a narrow alleyway with red brick walls piled with building materials, junk boxes, wooden blocks, and sand.

Su Yu also looked over.

There seems to be nothing there, wait... there seems to be some gray in the shadows, blurry and indistinct.

At first, nothing seemed amiss, but the more I looked, the more something felt off, and a chill gradually crept into my heart.

"wrong……"

By the time I realized it, my whole body was numb, as if my blood had stopped, time had slowed down, and even my thoughts had become sluggish.

It's a strange feeling.

Su Yu gradually forgot everything else, focusing intently on that spot, not daring to move.

It's as if this is the meaning of his life, and he doesn't need to think about anything else...

It seemed to want to rush over and merge with one, but at the same time, a faint warm current appeared in my chest, flowing slowly, dispelling the coldness wherever it passed, and restoring my sense of body.

Furthermore, both the necklace and the ring felt slightly warm.

Almost simultaneously, several urgent meows came from afar.

"Meow~ Meow meow~"

"what……"

As if waking from a deep dream, he came to his senses, his forehead covered in fine sweat. Song Qiongyao was still close to his ear, imitating a cat's meow over and over again.

Su Yu coughed because his ears felt a little itchy.

"you're awake!"

With a slight blush on her cheeks, the girl in the black dress took a half step back and then raised the white cat to shield her face.

The white cat blinked its innocent amber eyes, meeting Su Yu's gaze.

“You’re standing there, not moving or saying a word. Miss Cat is very worried about you,” the girl in the black dress explained softly, which made Su Yu understand.

"Just now, I think I saw something... blurry, gray."

"But I couldn't see clearly. I just felt cold and numb all over. I couldn't take my eyes off the screen."

"However, the protection worked."

Su Yu stared at the now-lit [Currently Active Passive Skill: Courtyard Protection LV0] and couldn't help but feel a chill.

Then, I heard a cat's voice.

Su Yu looked at Miss Cat, who waved her front paw leisurely, her posture lazy and elegant.

"So that's how it is, it's an evil force, no wonder Miss Cat..."

Shaking her head, Song Qiongyao put down the cat figurine she was holding and looked at Su Yu again, her eyes filled with worry.

“It’s rare to see Miss Cat like this… It might be a bit unsafe lately. I’ll write to my father later and ask… about what’s going on here.”

The girl in the black dress had an indescribable charm in her voice, like sunlight shining through the pure air of the forest, indescribably comforting.

"You should also be careful. Evil forces don't usually appear without reason; they might be related to you and me."

At this point, she frowned, as if she had thought of something.

"Of course, it's also possible that I'm overthinking it."

Thank you for reminding me, I will definitely pay attention.

Su Yu glanced at Song Qiongyao, his gaze lingering on her temples and the tiny, pointed cat ears.

Seemingly noticing this, the girl in the black dress remained outwardly calm, but the tips of her fair ears subtly blushed, revealing her shyness.

"Cough cough."

The atmosphere shifted slightly. Su Yu looked away and changed the subject, bringing up something else: "The things the school gave out seem to have a special use. I discovered..."

Even without protection, even without the white cat, there's a high probability that nothing will happen this time.

Su Yu looked at the necklace and ring, but without protection and reminders, they might lose their power—no power comes out of thin air.

"Oh, you noticed?"

Song Qiongyao seemed somewhat pleased, and her tone immediately became light and cheerful. "That's not a bad thing! You'll find out soon enough."

Sensing that Su Yu wanted to know more, she raised her slender, fair fingers and gently touched them to her lips, revealing a mysterious smile.

Please allow me to keep this a secret.

"If you know everything in advance, your happiness will be halved!"

"However, to be able to notice it so quickly, you really have a talent... you really have a talent!" She sincerely expressed her envy, and even Su Yu felt elated.

The sound of footsteps echoed from the wooden planks.

"Oh dear, youth is truly wonderful."

On the outer staircase of the attic, a woman wearing an apron gripped the wooden handrail, watching the young boy and girl with a smile.

"This isn't a good place for a date. Let's move up ahead; there's a coffee shop there."

Before Su Yu could speak, Song Qiongyao turned away swiftly and gracefully bowed to her.

"I'm so sorry to have bothered you!"

"Let's leave now!"

His speech was clear and fluent, so fast that people couldn't react in time. After saying those words, he practically fled in panic.

The girl in the black dress dragged Su Yu along the indicated path, the clear sound of bells ringing out, followed by a maid's polite greeting.

"welcome."

"Please come this way, gentlemen."

Slightly out of breath, Su Yu looked around. On the chestnut-yellow table was a statue.

The statue depicts a middle-aged gentleman drinking coffee, with a kind and charming expression, sitting in a large chair, with heavy books and an old-fashioned quill pen on the table.

Su Yu looked at the statue a few more times and finally saw clearly that on the edge of the gentleman's hat, there were elegant classical characters engraved, as beautiful as the veins of a leaf.

May Anke often look upon this place.

An Ke, this name was mentioned in the general education course, he was a person from more than 800 years ago.

Da Wenshi is renowned for his biography and historiography.

"Traveling through Six Kingdoms", "Illustrated Gazetteer of the Sea", "Analysis of Strange Tales"... His travels were extensive, and many biographies of him have survived, but apart from that, there are no particularly noteworthy achievements worthy of praise.

Why do people erect statues?

Song Qiongyao walked gracefully, leading Su Yu through the coffee shop.

The interior décor seems to continue the classic charm and elegant tradition, with marble tabletops and solid wood chairs with cushions.

The route is decorated with red walls, famous paintings in gilded frames, calligraphy by celebrities, and large mirrors.

Inside the bright hall, waiters in smart tailcoats and young, energetic maids came and went.

It wasn't too noisy, nor too quiet; the tables and chairs were spaced apart, and everyone was talking in hushed and polite voices.

Whether you're a short visitor in a hurry or a customer planning to while away an afternoon, you can find a suitable spot.

I sat down by the window, where the bright orange sunlight slanted through the glass and onto the clean marble floor behind me.

The waiter brought them black coffee.

Amidst the rising white steam, bitterness and fragrance intertwine, and the passage of time seems to slow down.

The cat climbed onto the black dress, its ears twitching slightly, its eyes narrowed, and it glanced around.

Then, it raised its beautiful head and meowed gracefully a few times.

"Meow." The cat's meows sounded almost like an aria.

"Is that so?" Song Qiongyao gazed at the cat with unusually gentle eyes.

The two, a person and a cat, were conversing as if no one else was around, which looked quite amusing.

After that, Miss Cat lay down softly and comfortably on the girl's lap and quietly dozed off.

"Miss Cat told me that the letter writer is right here."

"I've already seen him."

As she spoke with a smile, she seemed troubled, letting out a sigh.

"As expected, it's him again."

(End of this chapter)