The River-Cat's Repayment: Spilling the Heavens' Ink

Cui Heng is a lowly vat-stirrer at the Zhenliu Spirit-Works, his hands perpetually scarred from brewing the volatile spiritual lacquer that arrogant cultivators use to paint their weapons. When he sacrifices his month's wages and his only healing salve to save a dying, rust-scaled river-cat from being tortured by the inner disciples, he expects nothing in return. But the beast is actually Baozong, the ancient Lord of the Ebbing Tide - a primordial spirit of misfortune. To repay the kindness, Baozong takes up residence in Cui Heng's apron pocket and bestows a unique karmic aura: anyone who directs malice or haughtiness at Cui Heng instantly has their own spiritual power converted into agonizing, slapstick bad luck. As the inner disciples mysteriously trip into their own boiling vats and suffer humiliating cultivation deviations whenever they try to bully him, Cui Heng finds himself accidentally rising to the top of the sect. But as ancient enemies awaken to hunt the Lord of the Ebb, can a humble vat-stirrer protect the grumpy, fish-obsessed deity that changed his life?