Chapter One: Choked to Death by Spicy Sauce

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I never believed in the coming of Death, nor did I believe in ghosts or spirits. I always thought such things were utter nonsense.

That was until one day, after returning from a job interview, I began to be relentlessly tackled by a cat.

I may not believe in ghosts, but I do believe that cats are mystical creatures. Stories abound about how a cat jumping over a corpse could make the dead rise again.

For several days, every time, without fail, it would leap at me, leaving scratches of varying severity on my body.

Today marked the seventh ambush. My skirt was torn by its claws, revealing my slender calf, and that rascal was now intently staring at my leg, still bearing fresh claw marks.

A white kitten, adorned with a beautiful red collar, its large eyes impossibly adorable.

I stood up, brushed the dirt from my clothes, and prepared to leave. Unexpectedly, the cat let out another cry, pounced, and clung tightly to my leg, digging in its claws and rubbing against me with all its might!

What on earth was it doing? Did it mistake my white stockings for a female cat?

“There, there, let go, won’t you, little kitty?”

I tried to coax it, kneeling down to gently pry its sharp claws from my stockings.

Just then, a loud explosion sounded nearby! Screams erupted. Smoke gushed from a fourth-floor window, and panicked people, covering their faces, ran from the stairwell!

A gas explosion?!

I was so shocked I could barely move, my hands trembling uncontrollably.

“Meow.” The cat looked up at me and, to my astonishment, seemed to be grinning, its whiskers twitching.

Then, it released my stocking, shook out its paws, and strutted away, tail high.

I stood there in a daze until the fire brigade arrived, dousing the fourth floor with water and carrying out many people—whether corpses or survivors, I could not tell.

Not until the police and paramedics departed did I regain my senses and hurry home.

I lived on the fourth floor too—the very floor where the explosion had taken place.

Water was everywhere in the corridor, the stair railings twisted from the blast.

On the second floor lived a big black dog, always chained by the door during the day. I was terrified of dogs, so I always tiptoed past—today was no exception.

Yet, oddly, this time the big dog was sleeping soundly. How could such a loud explosion not wake it, let alone harm it?

The blast had come from my neighbor’s place, right across the hall. The force had blown their door clean off, and my own door was warped and blackened by debris.

Entering the apartment, I found many things upended, the ceiling shedding dust and bits of plaster.

I suppose I should be grateful the ancient building hadn’t collapsed altogether. I swept up the wreckage and set about preparing dinner.

A faint, almost inaudible, “meow” drifted to me.

Startled, I turned from the stove, but saw nothing.

I switched off the noisy range hood and listened. The silence was eerie, but eventually reassured myself I was imagining things.

I thought of the cat from earlier and felt a surge of gratitude.

If it hadn’t delayed me, I might have been unlocking the door at the moment of the blast—then I’d be as shattered as my own front door.

But when I carried the food into the living room, I found the cat curled up on my sofa, leisurely grooming itself.

“Heavens, how did you get in here?”

I hurriedly set the food down, checked my crooked but firmly shut door, then stared at the white cat lounging on the sofa, my mouth twitching in disbelief.

There was a big dog on the second floor! This cat was braver than I was!

Recalling what I’d heard about cats, I dared not offend it and quickly offered my freshly cooked dishes.

But the feline lord showed no interest, giving it a glance and not moving at all.

A bit embarrassed, I thought to leave it and eat myself.

No sooner had I sat down and picked up my chopsticks than the cat flew into a rage, leaping up and sending the plate crashing to the floor with a swipe!

“My cauliflower!” I wailed, scrambling to rescue the salvaged pieces from the coffee table.

Still edible! No use wasting food!

Suddenly, the white cat sprang onto the table, swiping at me again and leaving three bloody scratches on my arm!

I gritted my teeth, trying not to be angry with the cat that had saved my life.

But every time I reached for the cauliflower, it attacked, its tail bristled into a spiky ball.

So I gave up and choked down plain rice.

The feline lord had no objection to me eating plain rice, its round eyes narrowing to slits as it watched me stuff my mouth.

We stared at each other, me and the cat—its big eyes on my small ones—until my throat was sticky and I suddenly remembered there was half a bottle of chili sauce in the fridge.

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Like a drowning person grabbing at a lifeline, I found the sauce in the fridge and quickly poured it over my rice.

I was ravenous, and after all the chaos, I appreciated food even more, gulping down mouthfuls without care.

But I ate too hastily—a chunk of meat lodged in my throat, and I choked!

Coughing violently, tears and snot streaming, I couldn’t breathe, and the rice in my mouth went down the wrong pipe.

I was suffocating, unable to inhale. My vision blurred as I coughed uncontrollably…

Was I really about to be the first person choked to death by chili sauce?

At that moment, a white blur flashed before my eyes—the white cat landed on my chest with a thud! A flying kick, Bruce Lee style!

I gasped out a desperate cough, the last bit of air squeezed from my lungs.

But instead of food coming out, I felt everything lighten… because I was dead.

I stared at my own body sprawled lifelessly on the floor, dazed, trying to step back into it.

But it was no use—I passed right through.

It took me a long while to realize I truly was dead, choked by chili sauce, never to return.

I’d just started an internship—my life was only beginning! How could I die now?

My little sister would soon be home from school. Would she be frightened to find me like this?

I collapsed in a heap, sobbing uncontrollably.

Suddenly, a soft, alluring female voice echoed in my ear.

“Sorry, I’m really sorry I killed you.”

I looked up, searching, but saw no one.

“You should have died long ago—I’ve been holding it off for you. If you’d made it past seven days, you’d be fine. Who knew you wouldn’t last…”

I followed the sound, and finally, incredulously, stared at the cat before me.

“Are you… talking to me?”

If I still had a heart, it would have leapt out of my chest. Perhaps, after death, one could understand the speech of animals?

The cat nodded. “Dying isn’t so bad, really. It’s peaceful…”

Listening to its nagging, my mind crumbled. I shot to my feet, tears streaming, and wailed at it.

“How can I die? My sister is only eight! How will she survive alone?”

The white cat opened its mouth, but said nothing.

“My father died early, my mother’s whereabouts unknown—it’s just me and my sister. Now I’m dead—what will happen to her…”

I clung to the wall, sobbing out my self-pity. Though I wept, there were no tears—only a wretched, grating sound.

After a while, the cat reached out a paw and patted me.

“If you like, you could become a cat like me. I’ll take you to Wangchuan—he’ll know what to do!”

Before I could reply, the white cat opened its mouth wide and bit me!

Instead of being intangible as a soul, everything went black—I lost all sense.

When I opened my eyes again, I was in a pitch-dark room, surrounded by a dense, white mist. I could see nothing.

“Hey!”

Terrified, not knowing what was happening, I called out blindly.

The white cat darted out of the darkness.

“Wangchuan is here! Quick, kneel!”

“Who is Wangchuan?” The King of the Underworld? Why kneel?

“Just do as you’re told—kneel, quickly.” The white cat waved its paw impatiently.

After some hesitation, I finally knelt, uncertain. The white cat sat beside me, looking up at a patch of black mist before us.

Time seemed to freeze.

After what felt like an eternity, a deep, steady male voice resounded through the silent, dark room.

“What have you brought back this time?”

“She’s a woman with some fate tied to my kind. Her life is over—she wants to be a cat!” the white cat answered respectfully, its tail held high.

“No!” I tried to explain. “I just want to stay with my sister!”

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“Oh?” There was a strange note in the man’s voice.

From the darkness, a figure emerged. The white cat immediately sidled up to his feet, rubbing against him ingratiatingly.

Kneeling, I saw he was much taller than I—at least six foot one, if not more—his build was long and athletic.

He wore a black robe, the collar and cuffs embroidered with intricate golden threads, and behind him, the mist formed the shape of wings.

As our eyes met, he gave a curious smile.

“Are you… are you an angel?” I blurted, not knowing why I asked.

“Angel?” He laughed again. “No, to be precise, I am a demon.”

A shiver ran through me as I noticed the hint of fangs beneath his lips—sharp, gleaming white, and frightening.

“Will I… will I ever see my sister again?”

When I glimpsed those black, spectral wings, I was convinced—this man was truly someone formidable.

“You can,” he scoffed. “But you must work for me.”

“What do you mean?”

He flicked a red collar, streaked with dark gold, onto the floor before me. It landed with a cold, metallic clink, gleaming ominously.

“You have two choices. First, put on the collar, become my cat, and obey my every command. Second, refuse, and I’ll send you on to your next life.”

I stared at the collar on the ground. The white cat glared at me, as if urging me to put it on.

After a long hesitation, I picked up the collar but didn’t fasten it around my neck.

“Can I ever become human again?” I looked up at him, my feelings impossible to describe.

“You can,” he answered firmly. “As long as you do as I say.”

His words made me tremble uncontrollably.

I could be human again! I could be by Xin’er’s side, just like before!

Looking at the leather collar in my hand, I steeled myself. I was already dead—what more could I lose?

With a decisive click, I fastened the collar around my neck. Even as a soul, I could feel its cold weight pressing down, so heavy.

“My name is Wangchuan. From this moment, I am your master. You will do as I command.”

“When can I become human again?!” I asked urgently, thinking of my sister, who would soon be home from school.

Immediately, my body convulsed and I collapsed with a thud!

It felt as if I’d been electrocuted—every part of me disassembled and then reassembled, agonizingly!

The white cat rolled its eyes and whispered in my ear, “In the future, when Lord Wangchuan speaks, you must answer 'yes' or 'understood,' and only ask questions if he allows.”

I bit my lip and nodded, my body still wracked with pain, stifling groans.

“Kneel properly, you foolish woman.”

At the white cat’s rebuke, I knelt in place at once.

Sure enough, the pain subsided. I kept my mouth shut, not daring to speak.

“Familiarize yourself with your new body.”

At Wangchuan’s command, I instinctively looked at myself.

But there was no body, only a soul!

Yet, in the next moment, my entire form contracted uncontrollably, my hands slowly moving to my chest…

Looking down, my hands had transformed into two fluffy, silver-white paws—prettier even than the white cat’s.

I lifted my paw to examine it. The pink pads were tightly pressed together, and when my paw moved, they moved too.

Almost instinctively, I stuck out my tongue and licked them—soft and tasteless, but the sensation was oddly pleasant, so I licked a few more times.

The strange feeling in my palms was unlike anything I’d ever known; it made my whole body tingle. I lifted a leg high and licked the fur on my belly with my raspy tongue.

“Most promising,” the man chuckled softly.

“Meow.” I tried to reply, but only a cat’s cry came from my lips.

I looked at him anxiously, uncertain what tasks he might demand of me.