Chapter 28: The Master Is Truly Ruthless

“Ahem—” I glanced around nervously, feeling a twinge of fear.

As the sounds drew nearer, I cautiously poked my head out, my tail in tow, to take a look.

“Huh? Master?” Lifting my head, I saw my master’s boots through the little window.

Then came Wangchuan’s face, looming high above. He crouched down to look at me and reached out, flipping my ear back into place.

A bit embarrassed, I darted out the door.

The cat den was too small, and the entrance even smaller—I couldn’t possibly let my master come inside as a guest, could I?

But unexpectedly, Wangchuan simply waved a hand and stepped inside, then grabbed half my body and pulled me in!

“Ah, ah, ah—” My tail was being tugged, every muscle in my body tensed as I quickly spun around to look at my master.

“You’re not out looking for fetal souls, but instead napping here. That’s quite the leisurely life you lead, isn’t it?” Wangchuan spoke with a calm, teasing tone, as if waiting to see me make a fool of myself.

A shiver ran through me, a jolt of electricity sparking in my mind as I suddenly remembered what Wangchuan had told me earlier—he wanted me to find five fetal souls!

“Oh—oh, Master, I, I…” I stammered, my paws twitching so badly they drummed the floor like I was chasing a mouse.

My master pinned my little paws down and gazed at me, his eyes shining brightly.

“What is it? Have you become a foolish cat or a drunken one? Why is your tongue so stiff when you speak?” He gripped my mouth and started prying at my teeth!

I was terrified, struggling desperately, shaking my head and tail in protest.

But with a sudden crack, he wrenched out one of my little teeth!

“Ow, ow, ow—” I writhed in pain on the floor, my head nearly smacking the ground, my mouth filled with the taste of blood!

“Sober now?” My master smiled, twisting his wrist, and my poor little tooth vanished into who knows where.

“Sober…” I clutched my mouth, feeling utterly wretched.

“Good. Now, why aren’t you off searching for fetal souls? What are you waiting for?”

I hesitated, glancing outside at the pitch-black night, swallowing the blood in my mouth. “Right… right now?”

“Hm?” At his raised eyebrow, I immediately snapped to attention.

“I’ll go right now!”

“Good.” Wangchuan smiled, patting my head, then added, “Remember, I am your master, not your husband.”

“Eh?” I didn’t understand what he meant, but suddenly my rear was smacked hard, sending a burning sensation through me as I shot out the little window of my home!

How could my master so casually spank me like that, making me feel—

Oh, never mind, forget it. If I keep this up, I really will turn into a lovesick she-cat. Better focus on the matter of the fetal souls!

But it was so late—where was I supposed to find fetal souls at this hour?

After pondering for a long time, I decided to check in on Xiaoyun. Hopefully, she hadn’t gone to bed yet.

I grinned slyly to myself—my master didn’t know I was only pretending to obey. If he did, he’d surely bully me again.

When I found Xiaoyun, she was already asleep. I had planned to visit after eating hotpot, but I’d ended up drinking too much.

Xiaoyun tilted her head at me, a flurry of question marks popping up. “Qianqian! You’re missing a tooth!”

I covered my mouth, sighing in embarrassment. “I must’ve offended master somehow just now—he pulled it out.”

“That must have hurt!” Xiaoyun gasped, pressing her paw to my nose. “Master is always so fierce. But don’t worry, it’ll grow back in a day or two. Just be careful not to cross him again…”

“Yes, I’m not worried about the tooth, but the real trouble is, he wants me to bring back five fetal souls a day.”

“What?” Xiaoyun was stunned. “No way! Even a Guardian Cat has to find fetal souls?”

“That’s why I said it’s a long story,” I sighed, pouting as I gazed into the distance.

Xiaoyun smacked her lips, silent for a while before she finally responded, “Then what are you waiting for?”

“Huh?” Only then did I react.

Xiaoyun was a Soul-Devouring Cat; together, we could continue our mission.

Come to think of it, that wasn’t so bad!

So Xiaoyun and I joined forces once more, setting off for the human world, invincible as ever.

Time flowed almost the same in the human world and the Void Rift. It was nighttime, the hour when doors were closed, but plenty of young people were still awake, unwilling to sleep.

We snuck into a shabby old apartment complex.

No choice—the fancy buildings were too hard to break into, and the floors were so high, it just wasn’t worth the effort!

We managed to slip into a poor-looking home on the fourth floor.

A woman and two children, with the husband seemingly just home from work and showering in the bathroom.

The woman’s fever burned fiercely, so Xiaoyun and I exchanged a glance, ready to pounce!

But as we moved our paws, a small wooden board beneath us was suddenly pulled away!

Our footing slipped and we both fell! Xiaoyun reacted quickly, grabbing the board above, and caught me below!

Our paws hooked together, but we kept sliding down.

My hind legs scrambled desperately, leaving scratch marks on the wall!

But paws are paws—those slippery pads aren’t much good for saving your life! I was the first to fall!

Then Xiaoyun landed on top of me with a thud.

“Ow, my back…” I wailed.

Landing alone wouldn’t have hurt, but with Xiaoyun crashing down on me, all her weight landed on my spine—it felt like my back was about to snap!

Xiaoyun hurriedly crawled off, apologetic, and whispered in my ear.

“I saw a black tail up there just now—could it be…?”

A black tail?

I glanced upward, feeling uneasy.

That board had been holding steady beneath us; though flimsy, it shouldn’t have slipped away—unless someone had done it on purpose!

But humans wouldn’t bother with such mischief. If Xiaoyun saw a black tail, I couldn’t help but think of Ningning!

But Ningning knew I’d been promoted to Guardian Cat. Even if I was still being punished by my master, she wouldn’t dare go after me so brazenly.

So who could it be?

I narrowed my eyes, peering up, when I heard faint pawsteps from either side.

Luckily, being a cat, my ears were sharp—I instantly pinpointed the direction.

The cat moving about was clearly trying to stay hidden, not wanting to be discovered.

But tough luck—I heard it anyway. I bared my teeth in a silent smile and spoke softly.

“Come out. I see you.”

“Huh?” Xiaoyun hadn’t heard the strange sound, but hearing me speak, she looked puzzled.

I snickered, addressing the darkness, “I know it’s you. Come on out—no need to hide. If you dare to mess with us, you should dare to face us.”

Sure enough, as soon as I finished, a jet-black cat emerged from the corner, her dark green eyes blazing with fury in the night.

She looked at us, her expression uneasy.

“So it was you,” I sneered.

In the entire Void Rift, no one else would dare target me so openly—only the bold and brash Ningning.

“How did you know it was me?” Ningning looked astonished, thinking she’d hidden well, yet somehow I’d found her.

“But I didn’t know,” I shot Xiaoyun a sly grin, my face full of mischief. “I was just bluffing, and you came right out. I never named you—how did you know I meant you, silly?”

“You—” Ningning raised her paw, her face twisted with anger!

Without another word, she lunged at me, jaws snapping for my neck—she meant business!

“Hey—hey!” I dodged as she bit at me, but a black blur darted out of sight!

It was pitch black—no streetlights here. Fighting a black cat in the dark put us at a disadvantage!

Besides, Ningning was once a Soul-Pacifying Cat, while Xiaoyun beside me was only a Soul-Devouring Cat!

We could fight her off if we tried, but a black cat against two white ones at night—who had the upper hand was obvious!

I signaled Xiaoyun to dash for a patch of light!

She understood immediately, and together we ran to the only streetlamp in the entire old complex.

We made it without trouble!

Now the tables had turned; with both sides exposed, even a black cat couldn’t take advantage in the light!

Ningning seemed to realize this, and leapt from the shadows, letting out a near-rending yowl!

It was both a warning and a battle cry!

I wasn’t sure we could win, but Xiaoyun and I exchanged a look and pounced together!

Three cats tangled in a wild fight, hissing and spitting. Humans still awake threw open their windows to shout at us.

“Who let these stray cats run wild!”

A slipper flew down and we scattered, each leaping for safety.

But it didn’t last long. On Ningning’s second attack, our necks were nearly bleeding from her bites!

I just wasn’t in good shape—Wangchuan had pulled one of my canines earlier, and now I had to fight! I was clearly at a disadvantage.

All I had left were my claws.

“Yow—” The three of us arched our backs, circling each other, then lunged into another brawl!

I kicked at Ningning’s belly with all my might, while Xiaoyun bit furiously.

But even so, Ningning began to gain the upper hand.

The two of us just didn’t have her experience or special abilities, and we quickly began to tire…

Just then, with a thunderous crash—something fell from the sky, I don’t know what—and Ningning before me shattered!

She shattered!

She exploded into fragments!