The quiet, mysterious starry night sky resembled a dark canvas, inlaid with countless twinkling stars that shone with brilliant light. The Seven Luminaries formed a celestial array, leaving the bright moon alone, lost in some unknown reverie.
Suddenly, the moon flickered. After a flash of radiance, it returned to normal, though a close look would reveal that it had grown slightly dimmer. A scattering of tiny fluorescence converged into a shooting star, trailing a slender plume of flame as it streaked across the night sky.
"Hmm... A shooting star," the youth murmured under the night sky, lifting his head slightly to gaze at the stars. His mother had used to say that you could make a wish upon a shooting star. Ah, how he wanted a companion—preferably a female companion—to fill the emptiness of his journey.
Humming an obscure little tune, the youth walked along the narrow path between the fields, likely mistaken by more than one household for a wandering wilderness ghost. Fortunately, the youth often sang out of tune, though he didn't mind it himself.
What was the night sky of the Jiangnan water towns like? It was crisp and clear. Every star hung high, as if forever out of reach, yet close enough to touch. A faint, ethereal song drifted through the air, and the corners of the youth's lips curled upward—he was not far from home now.
The youth was named Xi, and he had been away from his hometown for three years. Having gained a wealth of experience from his travels, the sixteen-year-old Xi was now hurrying along the road home.
Walking down the country path, Xi would occasionally pause to admire the scenery he passed.
Eh? What was that? Xi rubbed his eyes and stared hard. The moon was falling... No, his mother had said that the moon and the sun stood side by side, eternal and unchanging. How could the moon possibly fall?
In the sky, that dazzling white light dragged a long flame tail as it rushed forward.
Xi had a bad premonition—his premonition was always accurate. Xi began to run, the rice plants in the fields swaying gently.
The white light grew brighter and closer. A chill rushed up Xi's back, actually causing tiny ice crystals to form.
Damn it... At this speed, I'm definitely going to get hit. Seeing the biting sharpness closing in, Xi gritted his teeth, hugged his head, and dropped to the ground.
The white light flew right over Xi's head, as dazzling as midday. It crashed violently into the paddy field, splashing water over Xi and startling the frogs into a flurry of croaks as they leaped into the darkness and vanished.
After a long while, Xi climbed back to his feet and cautiously approached the paddy field.
A crater over ten meters wide had been smashed into the lush green field, and water was gushing back into it with a loud sloshing sound.
Standing on the earthen embankment, Xi stretched his neck to peer into the deep crater. Faint wisps of fluorescent light flickered intermittently. Was there something inside that ball of light?
The ball of light gradually dissipated, and a white, cat-like creature appeared before his eyes.
How could it be a cat... Falling from the sky and coming out completely unharmed, could it be that... Xi was reminded of certain stories.
The cat had passed out, and the water was flowing in rapidly. If he ignored it, this unknown creature might be drowned alive.
Without a moment's hesitation, Xi rolled up his trouser legs, took off his shoes, and hurried down into the water.
Ugh, why was the water so cold! Xi's feet were nearly frozen stiff. Summer water shouldn't be this temperature; it was probably that white mist, which seemed to be emanating from the creature's body.
Enduring the discomfort, Xi cupped the ice-cold "kitten" in his hands and hurried toward a distant light in the distance...
"Meow?"
The sun rose, and the warm sunlight shone through the window into the room. The somewhat dazzling light made the "kitten" shrink back, burying its head beneath the duvet. It frowned and woke up.
The "kitten" stood up groggily and looked around in a daze.
With a bang, the bedroom door was pushed open. The "kitten" startled, arching its back with its fur standing on end as a hissing sound continuously escaped its mouth.
"You're awake?" The youth walked into the room. "The old man went out early; I wonder if he went down to the fields..."
"Meow-meow?"
"I wonder if he'll see that big crater," Xi muttered to himself.
"Meow-meow?"
"I forgot my shoe yesterday, and just happened to see the old man," Xi patted his chest. "It scared me so much I rushed right back. Oh my!"
The "kitten" lunged fiercely at Xi, its claws catching in his shirt. Xi staggered and tumbled headlong onto the floor...
"Young man, what's wrong with you?" The old man sat at one side of the table, picking up a piece of food and putting it into his mouth.
"Nothing, nothing, just took a fall." Xi laughed heartily, stealing a glance at the "kitten."
The old man remained unconvinced; those three red claw marks didn't look like they came from a fall—they looked more like...
"Haha... Old man, come on, let's drink." Xi poured the old man a full cup of wine.
"Good! Let's drink!" the old man said. "Young man, care for a cup yourself?"
Xi shook his head; he was not yet eighteen and couldn't drink alcohol. As for the "kitten," it simply buried its head in its food and ignored the two of them.
With time on his hands, the old man chatted with Xi about what had happened that morning. Someone had broken into his field and completely ruined it. He had followed the muddy footprints for a long time without finding anything. Thinking it was the work of some wild neighborhood kids, he had worked himself into a rage and wanted to go complain to their parents.
Xi hurriedly talked him out of it, and the old man eventually abandoned the idea. He took a vicious bite of a steamed bun, clearly still boiling with anger.
After breakfast, Xi prepared to set off. The old man handed him a wooden box, which Xi could drop off with a friend of the old man's since he would be passing right through Yichang.
Walking back along the dirt path, Xi indeed spotted a trail of muddy footprints. Smiling silently, Xi returned to the edge of the crater from the previous night.
"Look at this, this is the mess you made," Xi said teasingly. "The old man treated us so well, how could your conscience bear it?"
The "kitten" scratched its head, one cat ear drooping down. It looked as though it truly knew it had done wrong, even its cry growing much quieter.
Xi was stunned for a moment, then smiled. With a single wave of his hand, specks of green light scattered down, and the battered rice plants slowly straightened themselves out, while the surrounding soil shifted on its own to cover up the crater.
With that task done, Xi was ready to leave.
You want to follow me? Xi looked down at the "kitten" by his feet, which showed no intention of leaving.
"Meow-meow."
"Ha, alright then, I'll call you Mist from now on," Xi smiled.
The "kitten" gave a light leap and landed on Xi's shoulder. In the morning sunlight, they set off on the road home.