CAT - 2

Chapter 2

“Xiaohua?” Tan Xu asked curiously.

The abbot simply nodded and pointed at Yun Xing. “Him.”

Yun Xing, who had been enthusiastically rubbing himself against Tan Xu's legs, froze.

He immediately looked up at the abbot and began angrily meowing at him.

“You're Xiaohua! Your whole family is Xiaohua!”

The abbot couldn't help laughing.

“See? He knows we're calling him. He must really like the name.”

Tan Xu lowered his head and looked at Yun Xing, who was currently meowing furiously at the abbot.

Judging by the intensity of those meows, it didn't exactly sound like he was expressing his affection. If anything, it sounded like he was cursing up a storm.

Tan Xu hesitated.

“Are you sure he really likes the name Xiaohua?”

“Of course. I gave him that name on the very first day he came here.” The abbot nodded solemnly.

Tan Xu nodded as well.

The little calico seemed to have finally tired himsel f out from cursing. He was now glaring viciously at the abbot.

After a moment, Tan Xu asked, “Abbot, do you take care of this little calico?”

“Not exactly. He just appeared here one day. Sometimes we see him, and other times we have no idea where he disappears to. Perhaps he simply has a connection with the temple.” The abbot paused, then continued, “Although, judging by how much he likes you, I'd say he has quite a connection with you too.”

Yun Xing was still rubbing himself against Tan Xu's pant leg. Even if he couldn't become Tan Xu's master today, he was determined to leave every inch of Tan Xu's pants covered in cat hair.

Go home and wash that!

When he noticed Tan Xu looking down at him, Yun Xing quickly raised one front paw and rested it against Tan Xu's pants. Almost as if possessed, Tan Xu crouched down and gathered the kitten into his arms.

He pressed his cheek against the little cat's head before looking at the abbot.

“If he's not yours, would it be possible for me to take him home?”

The abbot looked somewhat reluctant.

Ever since this little calico had arrived, the number of visitors to their temple had increased considerably.

But when he saw the little calico curled up comfortably in Tan Xu's arms, he found himself unable to refuse outright.

Seeing the abbot hesitate, Tan Xu wasn't oblivious to people's expressions. He understood that this was essentially a rejection.

He sighed and handed Yun Xing back to the abbot.

The abbot was just about to reach out and take him when Yun Xing immediately smacked his hand twice. Then he turned toward Tan Xu and started yelling.

What do you mean, you bastard? I've been rubbing against you this whole time, and you're still going to hand me over to someone else?

Yun Xing was furious. He dodged Tan Xu's hand when the man tried to pet him.

What an ungrateful human! Don't believe me? I can take my spiritual power back right now and let you drop dead!

Seeing the little calico avoiding his hand while sitting in his arms, Tan Xu couldn't help laughing. It looked as though the cat was sulking because he didn't want to be adopted.

Tan Xu looked at the abbot.

“What do you think?”

“A nimals have their own instincts and feelings.” The abbot glanced at the visitors in the distance. “Since he's chosen you, it would indeed be inappropriate for me to stop him.”

Yun Xing nodded enthusiastically in agreement. His main reason for choosing Tan Xu was still to go home with him and teach him a proper lesson. Just when Yun Xing thought everything was finally settled, the abbot continued,

“But I can't be sure that this is more than a momentary impulse. To be honest, you're not the first person to ask if you can adopt Xiaohua.”

“How about this? If he's willing to go with you, then you can take him. If he isn't, then forget about it.” The abbot looked at Tan Xu before thinking for a moment and adding, “Come back in a month. If you still want him then, we'll talk.”

Yun Xing immediately became unhappy.

In a month? What if Tan Xu doesn't come back? How am I supposed to get my revenge then?

Tan Xu thought about the abbot's words and realized they made sense.

If anyone could simply walk in, say they wanted to adopt a cat, and take one home, then the consequences for people who abused or abandoned animals would be far too insignificant.

“All right.” Tan Xu nodded.

He looked down at Yun Xing.

“I'll come back for you in a month.”

Yun Xing's head snapped up.

What's so all right about that?!

He twisted his body and jumped out of Tan Xu's arms. Then, with his four little legs, he trotted away without looking back.

The abbot looked at Tan Xu with an expression that seemed to say, See?

Tan Xu watched the little calico walk away without even turning around and couldn't help feeling a little disappointed.

Yun Xing, on the other hand, wasn't worried in the slightest. When Tan Xu leaves, I'll just follow him down the mountain. Who's going to stop me?

With that in mind, Yun Xing walked all the way to the temple entrance by himself.

He sat down and began licking his paws. Then he suddenly remembered that he'd been rolling around on the ground earlier.

There wasn't a river or stream nearby, and he had no way to take a bath. So he had no choice but to resort to the most primitive method of cleaning himself..

By licking.

Yun Xing lifted one leg and began meticulously grooming his fur. When Tan Xu came back out of the temple, this was the sight that greeted him.

The heartless little cat had abandoned him and was now sitting at the temple entrance, calmly grooming himself as though nothing had hap pened.

Yun Xing had noticed Tan Xu long ago.

Since he intended to follow this human home, he naturally had to pretend that nothing had happened.

Who would've thought this detestable human would pull out his phone and prepare to take a picture of him?

His current position was extremely indecent!

Yun Xing immediately lowered his leg at lightning speed.

That position would have exposed his... private parts. How could humans be so inconsiderate of a cat's privacy?!

“Xiaohua.”

Tan Xu crouched down.

He took a cat treat tube out of his pocket. It was one he'd gotten from a girl earlier.

The girl had originally intended to use it to feed Yun Xing, but she hadn't seen him that day and had plans that evening.

When Tan Xu noticed the cat treat in her hand, he'd offered to buy it from her.

The girl had waved him off, saying there was no need to pay for a single treat tube. She had originally bought it to feed the little calico anyway, so she simply gave it to him.

Yun Xing sat upright at the temple entrance.

When he'd seen Tan Xu about to take his picture, he'd immediately turned his back on him. Now he sat there looking like a triangular rice ball. A triangular rice ball filled with pork floss and wrapped in seaweed.

When he heard Tan Xu call his name, he slowly turned around. The first thing he saw was the cat treat in Tan Xu's hand.

He'd eaten those before. Plenty of people had been feeding them to him over the past few days. It seemed Tan Xu wasn't completely hopeless after all.

He knew enough to bring something tasty to tempt him. But no matter how much Tan Xu tried to win him over, Yun Xing still intended to go to his house and cause trouble.

After all, Tan Xu had secretly borrowed his spiritual power and prevented him from taking human form!

If that hadn't happened, he would already be on Mingwu Mountain living the glorious life of a Mountain God.

Yun Xing walked toward Tan Xu.

Tan Xu crouched down and held the cat treat up to his mouth.

Yun Xing leaned forward and sniffed it. A rich meaty aroma immediately filled his nose. He stuck out his tongue and gave it a tentative lick.

It tasted pretty good.

So he placed both paws on the hand holding the treat and began licking faster.

Tan Xu was quite cooperative as well. He slowly squeezed the meat paste upward from the bottom.

It didn't take long for Yun Xing to finish the entire treat tube. After eating his fill, Yun Xing flicked his tail. Then he suddenly remembered that his revenge plan was still unfinished.

Now that he'd eaten one of Tan Xu's treats, another brilliant idea occurred to him.

Not only was he going to go to Tan Xu's house and lord it over him. But he was going to eat Tan Xu out of house and home!

He would make sure this human understood the consequences of offending a Mountain God!

Tan Xu had no idea what was going through Yun Xing's mind. He simply reached out and stroked the kitten's fluffy head.

Yun Xing was currently busy figuring out how to put his grand plan into action.

Tan Xu was surprisingly good at petting cats. His hand moved from Yun Xing's head all the way down to the base of his tail before scratching gently beneath his chin.

Yun Xing's eyes narrowed in bliss. A soft, rumbling purr rose from his throat. For the moment, he was willing to acknowledge Tan Xu as his servant.

As long as Tan Xu was willing to serve him properly, Yun Xing could reluctantly forgive him for stealing his spiritual power.

He might even be generous enough to lend Tan Xu a little more of his spiritual power so the man could live a bit longer.

Just as Yun Xing was thinking about how to get Tan Xu to take him home while enjoying the petting from his future servant, a sudden ringtone startled him.

He cracked one eye open and glanced at Tan Xu.

The man withdrew his hand and stood up, pulling his phone from his pocket. The trouser leg that had ridden up slightly when he crouched slowly fell back into place.

Yun Xing's gaze traveled upward along those long legs.

So long.

Hmph. I can't even see his face.

Application to become his servant: rejected.

Tan Xu answered the phone. His grandmother's voice came through the receiver. Her gentle voice also drifted faintly toward Yun Xing on the breeze.

Yun Xing's ears twitched slightly. He heard the old woman asking whether Tan Xu had gone into the temple to pray and what kind of fortune stick he'd drawn.

Yun Xing couldn't help shaking his head.

Nope. Tan Xu was too busy feeding a cat. He didn't do anything important at all.

He's a grown man and still needs his grandmother to remind him to do things. Isn't that embarrassing?

Tan Xu glanced back at the temple and answered softly, “I did. Don't worry. The fortune says things will keep getting better for me from now on.”

Yun Xing stood up and circled Tan Xu once. He carefully sensed the man's aura. Then he nodded firmly. Tan Xu hadn't lied.

The aura of death around him really did seem to have weakened a little.

Yun Xing hadn't expected this temple to be able to divine something like that.

From what he'd observed over the past few days, the temple's usual routine was simply to take people's money and give them a bundle of incense in return.

The last time, two worshippers had come.

One donated ten yuan, but the abbot wouldn't let him have his merit recorded in the temple's ledger.

Another donated one hundred yuan, and the abbot immediately had his name entered into the ledger.

Yun Xing had never used human money before, but he knew one thing very clearly.

One hundred was bigger than ten!

Yun Xing couldn't help curling his lip. Everyone says all living beings are equal. Looks like Buddha doesn't accept believers who donate less than one hundred yuan!

Unlike them, Yun Xing did his best to fulfill the wish es of everyone who fed him cat treats. Buying him cat treats was essentially making an offering to him.

Yun Xing understood that perfectly well.

Although helping people fulfill their wishes consumed some of his spiritual power, their affection toward him caused his spiritual power to grow even more.

Even though his spiritual power was slowly recovering now, he still couldn't let go of the amount Tan Xu had taken from him.

Because Tan Xu had stolen far too much.

Losing that much spiritual power, combined with the fact that no one was going to Mingwu Mountain to worship the Mountain God, had left him with insufficient power to transform.

As for Tan Xu's wish, it was nothing more than wanting to live a little longer. If Tan Xu was willing to offer him one hundred thousand cat treats.

No, ten thousand.

Yun Xing could reluctantly consider forgiving him for his disrespect. He could even help Tan Xu live a little longer.

With that thought, Yun Xing lifted his head and let out a loud,

“Meow.”

He wanted to make sure Tan Xu remembered he was there. Sure enough, Tan Xu noticed him. The man looked away from the temple and lowered his gaze toward him.

Then, still holding his phone in one hand, he crouched down and used the other to stroke Yun Xing's head.

Yun Xing meowed twice in satisfaction. This servant isn't completely hopeless after all. Tan Xu ended the call and slipped his phone back into his pocket.

Then he used both hands to rub Yun Xing's head.

Perhaps remembering the abbot's words, he asked, “Xiaohua, do you want to come home with me?”

Yun Xing had just heard Tan Xu's normal speaking voice on the phone.

Now, hearing him deliberately put on that high-pitched, babyish voice made every hair on his body stand on end.

Human, don't talk like that. You're scaring me!

Even though Yun Xing had goosebumps all over, he still remembered that Tan Xu was currently indebted to him for ten thousand—no, one hundred thousand—cat treats.

He hurriedly meowed twice at him. But Tan Xu clearly didn't understand a word. He si mply continued, “I'll come pick you up in a month, okay?”

Yun Xing finally couldn't keep pretending. He burst out furiously, “I said I want to go home with you now! Are you deaf?!”

Seeing the little calico suddenly start meowing frantically, Tan Xu was momentarily confused.

He began to wonder whether something was wrong with the cat. So he crouched down. “What’s wrong?”

Yun Xing glared viciously at Tan Xu. Then he raised his paw and gave him two solid smacks.

I want to go to your house!​