Chapter 135

Chapter 135

The little black cat seemed to sense him, timidly lifting its eyes. Its golden gaze, illuminated by the flashlight, reflected a brilliant emerald green. Wang Chao’s breath hitched, his hands trembling with excitement.

Exactly the same… It was precisely how the cat looked when he first found Xiao Bao.

Heaven had given him a second chance!

A cool sensation slid across his chin. He reached up and touched it—it was his own drool.

The little black cat let out a soft, sweet meow. He restrained his right hand, stopping himself from raising the net. Exercising patience, he recalled the young man he’d met earlier that day and his methods. He deliberately softened his voice: "Here, kitty… Come here, I’ve got something tasty…"

The little black cat warily backed away two steps, but its eyes remained fixed on him, looking as though it wanted to approach but didn’t dare.

Wang Chao let out a dark chuckle. Fortunately, it was so late that most people had already returned home; otherwise, they would have realized how horrifying his laughter sounded.

A breeze blew, slowly shifting the clouds in the sky, obscuring the once bright moonlight. He tore open the packaging of the cat treat. The treat, packed with attractants, emitted a sickeningly sweet meat smell. He squeezed it onto the fallen leaves in front of him and waited for the little black cat.

The little black cat smelled it too. Its steps clearly hesitated, as if unable to resist the temptation. Yet, glancing at Wang Chao crouching nearby, it still refused to approach.

It’s the same… It’s exactly the same… Xiao Bao was just as cautious back then. So what? A starving stray, how could it resist its instincts?

As long as he was patient, it would come to him obediently, just like Xiao Bao.

The little black cat finally gave in to temptation. Its eyes locked on Wang Chao, it took two steps toward the cat treat, its tense posture indicating that it would flee at the slightest sign of danger from this strange human.

Wang Chao remained crouched in place, not moving, only calling softly: "Here, kitty… Come here… Xiao Bao…"

The kitten slowly approached the cat treat, finally lowering its head to take a taste, then began devouring it eagerly. Wang Chao smiled triumphantly. After it finished one cat treat, he tore open another and held it up to the little black cat’s mouth.

The little black cat sniffed it, then began licking again. Wang Chao reached out his hand. The moment he touched it, the kitten flinched away, watching him warily. But seeing Wang Chao’s hand hovering above its head, Wang Chao blinked slowly in reassurance, then gently touched its ear, stroking it twice. Seeing the kitten still eagerly eating the cat treat, he began petting its head.

After finishing the cat treat, the little black cat had grown accustomed to his touch and even nudged his palm with its head.

Wang Chao laughed, his eyes red. He carefully picked up the cat, repeatedly calling it "Xiao Bao," shaking with excitement.

Perfect—this time, he would definitely be patient!

The little black cat in his arms showed a flash of ferocity in its eyes. It let out a soft, sweet meow and was met with even gentler soothing in return.

"Eh? Xiao Wang, you found another cat?" Aunt Liu, who lived on the same floor, called out to him. She was with Aunt Li from the next building. Aunt Liu was a kind and charitable person and said with a smile, "Doing good deeds like this will surely bring you good karma in the future."

Wang Chao nodded. "Thank you, Aunt Liu. I’ll head up first. This little kitten hasn’t eaten for a long time. I’m going to prepare some goat milk for it."

Aunt Liu hurriedly said, "Alright, alright, you go ahead!"

Wang Chao quickly walked away.

Aunt Li watched as Wang Chao took the stairs two at a time and shook her head. "Young people these days are so hard to understand… Is he the one who keeps cats across from you? His cats… they cry far too loudly."

Aunt Liu replied, "Well, the young man has a kind heart. Those cats are all strays he rescued. He’s saved quite a few lives, you know. Stray cats—they’re always yowling when they’re in heat. And they have all sorts of illnesses—he’s told me about them. Once he nurses them back to health, he’ll get them neutered. After that, they won’t cry anymore… Just bear with it a little longer. They’re lives, after all."

"That’s good then." The voices of Aunt Li and Aunt Liu faded away. Wang Chao climbed the stairs, unable to suppress his excited smile. He was even feeling stimulated. He looked down at the little black cat in his arms and opened his apartment door.

The moment the door closed, he couldn’t resist pinching the little black cat’s tail. The kitten let out a half-choked shriek before he covered its mouth with his hand: "Shh… shh!"

"Don’t cry! Xiao Bao, you’d better live longer this time!" He licked his lips. He loved pinching cats’ tails—it caused them pain without killing them.

In the next moment, he gently soothed the little black cat again: "Sorry, sorry, it was an accident. How about some canned food? Be good, be good…"

…

That night, Wang Chao thought he heard movement outside. Holding back his irritation, he got up. It was probably those little beasts causing trouble again. He picked up the pointy scissors on his bedside table and hurried out.

As soon as he opened the door, he noticed that the cat cage was open, and there seemed to be movement in the kitchen.

It was Guai Guai’s cage.

Wang Chao smiled coldly. Now that he had Xiao Bao again, Guai Guai was no longer needed… He had originally planned to keep it alive a few more days, but since it was bringing about its own end, he couldn’t be blamed.

With a sense of anticipation, he walked toward the kitchen. The kitchen was perfect—he loved the kitchen. It was easy to clean up bloodstains there, and there were plenty of tools. Eight out of ten times, he watched them struggle in the kitchen.

The kitchen door was slightly ajar. He quietly pushed it open and whispered, "Guai Guai, I’m here~"

The gas stove was on, the soft blue flames steadily bursting toward the center. He was surprised—who turned it on?

Did Guai Guai turn it on?

It seemed it had already chosen how to die.

In the next moment, he noticed that his stockpot was also on the stove… He must not have noticed earlier because it was too dark.

He closed the kitchen door to prevent Guai Guai from escaping and turned on the kitchen light.

The kitchen was empty, even clean. Nothing had changed except for the lit gas stove and the stockpot. Patiently, he called out, "Guai Guai… Guai Guai… Where are you… Come out, it’s time to eat…"

He searched around the kitchen… Nothing.

Unwilling to give up, he opened every drawer, confirming that Guai Guai wasn’t hiding inside. Suddenly, he caught a whiff of an incredibly fragrant smell drifting from the stockpot.

It was so enticing that Wang Chao unconsciously swallowed.

What was inside?

He set down the scissors. He should have a taste first. After eating, he could play a game with Guai Guai.

He stepped forward and lifted the lid of the stockpot. Inside the golden broth floated a large, round object. He blinked. Was it… a chicken?

Was the chicken he bought this big? And those hair-like things… were they hair vegetable?

He picked up a long-handled ladle and gently stirred the pot. The round object spun in the broth, and the rich, savory meat aroma grew even more intense, making his mouth water. Almost impatiently, he ladled a spoonful of broth and brought it to his lips.

Ah… It was exactly the flavor he had imagined—so fresh it made his tongue tingle.

Wang Chao ignored the heat and quickly drank the spoonful of broth, immediately going for another… No, no—he wanted the meat, the meat! He reached into the pot, grabbed hold of the hair-like strands, and tried to pull them off to put into his mouth. But with a tug, the entire thing lifted out.

The round object, tangled in what looked like hair vegetable, slowly rotated as he moved it. In that instant, Wang Chao found himself face-to-face with a pale visage. He stared blankly at the head… Right… It was a head…

It looked so familiar… Who was it…?

This face was really familiar. Who was it? Why couldn’t he remember? It felt so recognizable…

Wang Chao suddenly realized who it was—it was himself!

"Ah—!!!"

***

Wang Chao abruptly sat up in bed, staring wide-eyed at his surroundings, gasping for breath… Thank goodness, it was just a dream… just a dream.

His heart was pounding wildly. After enduring it for a moment, he decided to go find a cat to take it out on—it had to be their fault that he had such a nightmare.

He got out of bed with unusual lightness, feeling unusually light. With a soft chuckle, he headed outside. Just then, something grabbed him by the scruff of his neck. Suddenly, he went weightless, and the surroundings rapidly descended around him… Had he been lifted up?

And lifted very high.

The next instant, he was face to face with his own face.

‘Wang Chao’ looked gloomy, with a hint of a hidden smile. His own body stared back at him and whispered softly, "Now, now, why aren't you behaving? Where are you trying to run off to in the middle of the night?"

Wang Chao wanted to shout, ‘Are you crazy?’, but what came out was a series of sharp, piercing meows: "Meow—ow—ow—!"

He looked down in disbelief and realized his hands had turned into cat paws, and his belly was covered in fur.

In the next breath, ‘Wang Chao’ muffled him, clamping his jaws shut, his smile growing increasingly eerie. "What are you making noise for? Don’t you know Aunt Liu next door has been complaining?"

"It's so much work taking care of you all—why can’t you show a little consideration?"

He was going crazy—these were his own words!

—Who are you?! What do you want?!

"Wuwuwu!"

‘Wang Chao’ sat down, holding him and picked up scissors from the bedside table. "If you won't listen, then I’ll have to cut out your tongue… Come on, it won’t hurt… Open your mouth…"

……

***

"Senior Brother, something feels off over there," one Taoist priest said, pointing south.

Taoist Master Qingjing could see it at a glance—the sky in that direction was glowing with an ominous red light, a clear sign that a monster was wreaking havoc.

And no ordinary monster at that.

Not everyone could see this red light, but those who could would sense a deep, chilling dread, as if their sixth sense was screaming at them to stay away from that place.

Some couldn’t see it but still felt that same intuition.

Recalling what Chen Ji had said earlier in the day, Taoist Master Qingjing cursed under his breath and said, "What do you mean ‘off’? Qingyun, are you feeling a sense of dread…"

His junior brother nodded repeatedly. "Yes, yes! Exactly, I’ve got goosebumps all over."

Taoist Master Qingjing sighed helplessly. "Ah, that’s… because the temperature dropped tonight. Aren’t you cold without an extra layer?"

Junior Brother: "...Huh? Oh, oh, oh! I’ll go put on a coat right now. Thanks, Senior Brother!"