Cat Demon Raising Manual - Chapter 21

Hei Bai stared at the sudden appearance of the pink car, so startled that her fur bristled all over. She quickly darted away, glancing back to catch a glimpse of a striking figure by the car window and a pair of frosty, icy eyes.

Not daring to look any longer, Hei Bai leaped to a corner by the wall.

The boss’s matter had already been resolved. That day, Hei Bai watched Hua Wangxuan acting particularly excited. Although a faint sense of unease flickered through her, she still genuinely felt happy for her.

The three cats shared their achievements under the shed. Hei Bai overheard a human woman named Xu Xiyun expressing some lingering fear.

She had parked her car deep in the underground parking lot, very close to where the two mad dogs had been. If it weren’t for the discovery that the mad dogs had suddenly fallen to their deaths, she would have frequently passed through that area and could easily have been bitten by the aggressive dogs, infected with rabies. Moreover, the location was quite remote, making it difficult for other workers to notice her in time. The only outcome awaiting her would have been death.

Hei Bai joked at the time, “The boss has essentially saved a human life, eliminating a threat for the people.”

What the three cats didn’t realize was that if Xu Xiyun had actually died unexpectedly at the Lan Yu Square construction site, not only would the project, which would generate substantial economic benefits and provide countless jobs in the future, have been permanently suspended, but Han Youru, the head of the Lan Yu Group, would also have been deeply affected. He would have developed an intense hatred for cats and dogs, animals that carry the rabies virus, and the course of the entire story would have changed.

Hua Wangxuan’s condition at that moment was somewhat strange. Her heart was beating rapidly, her head felt dizzy, and walking seemed like treading on clouds, as if she were a human intoxicated and floating in euphoria.

Hua Wangxuan didn’t know what was happening to her. She just felt unbearably hot and dizzy, as if a fire inside her was about to burn her up from within.

In a daze, she wandered into the yard of the “bad woman.” Many peach blossoms had already bloomed, covering the branches like clouds of rouge. Upon closer look, the petals were as thin as cicada wings, tinged with light pink on the outer edges and gradually turning to a translucent white toward the center.

The intense fragrance made Hua Wangxuan sneeze, and the fur on her tail puffed up.

She shook her head, stepped on the fallen petals, and walked into a small, open room. Overcome by drowsiness, she curled up in the center, hugged her tail, and fell asleep.

A breeze blew, stirring thousands of petals that swayed gently in the wind. Pink peach blossoms drifted toward Hua Wangxuan, settling on her head and body. The petals were so light that they didn’t disturb her; she continued to sleep soundly, her belly rising and falling rhythmically with each breath. The wind was gentle, just enough to dissipate the heat radiating from her fur.

Hua Wangxuan dreamed again.

In her dream, she found herself lying on a grand, luxurious circular bed. The walls were adorned with large oil paintings, and upon closer inspection, the content of the paintings sent chills down her spine.

Each painting depicted the same girl.

The girl had voluminous, messy orange hair, with irregular streaks of milky white and deep blue at the tips. A stubborn tuft of hair always stood up on her head, sometimes arching like a scimitar and other times drooping limply, depending on her mood. On either side of the tuft were fluffy orange cat ears.

Each expression was so vivid that Hua Wangxuan felt momentarily dazed.

Until she met the girl’s eyes.

In every painting, the girl’s eyes were round, innocent almond shapes, slightly upturned at the corners with a black eyeliner effect due to her cat demon heritage. But her eyes seemed filled with sorrow.

Her right eye, golden and pure with holy light, resembled an innocent child’s, while her left eye, a jade-green vertical pupil, carried the dark, damp aura of a serpentine creature.

Yet without exception, the cat-eared girls were all bare, their bodies as thin and fragile as freshly fallen snow.

Some struggled, some seduced, some despaired, some succumbed.

The girl’s legs were perfectly proportioned, with arches curved in the distinctive arc of a feline, her ten toes painted mint green like a forest sprite. But her wrists and ankles were bound by silver chains, and thorns from nowhere scratched her delicate torso, beads of blood seeping out.

Hua Wangxuan couldn’t help but tremble, only then realizing that, like the girl in the painting, she was restrained by silver chains on her hands and feet. She struggled helplessly, the wood shavings scattered on her body exuding a deadly allure, plunging her into hallucinatory sensations.

“Someone, save me,” she pleaded. How had she taken human form? Who had kidnapped her? A series of questions swirled in her mind until a mysterious woman in a moon-white hood suddenly appeared before her.

Hua Wangxuan couldn’t make out the woman’s face, only catching a glimpse of lips as crimson as fresh blood.

The woman produced a brush and began applying gold powder to Hua Wangxuan’s collarbone and spine, tracing golden lines over every prominent bone, as if intending to dissect her.

Hua Wangxuan’s muscles twitched involuntarily, and the woman let out a soft laugh, using her sharp red nails to feel every tremor of her flesh.

Suddenly, the woman gripped her throat, a fragrance of peach blossoms escaping her lips: “Naughty little cats must face judgment.”

Hua Wangxuan’s mouth fell open, her pink tongue visible, the constriction at her throat causing drool to trickle unconsciously from the corner of her mouth.

She shook her head weakly, the hallucinations seeming to intensify, the woman before her now appeared as a blood-red man-eating flower with human hands.

“Every bone, every organ of yours will be made into specimens by me. Your skin will become my most perfect masterpiece,” the madwoman declared, lowering her head to bite a fresh mark into Hua Wangxuan’s shoulder. She licked the bleeding teeth marks and chuckled lightly.

Hua Wangxuan felt her teeth chattering, her body temperature plummeting rapidly. She was going to die, she realized, at the hands of this insane woman.

In the darkest hour before dawn, the woman locked her into a life-sized self-portrait frame, plunging her into complete darkness.

Shen Qingyan returned to the studio only to realize she had left the garage door open. Fortunately, nothing of importance was stored inside. Just as she was about to drive in, an orange figure gave her pause.

A cat?

Shen Qingyan stepped out of the car and approached the furry mass. As she discerned what it was, a glimmer of light sparked in her dark eyes.

It was that unique calico cat.

Sleeping so soundly? Weren’t felines supposed to be highly alert even in sleep, roused by the slightest disturbance?

Shen Qingyan looked down at Hua Wangxuan, who was sleeping like a log, and crouched curiously, gently plucking the peach blossom from her head.

Her gaze swept over Hua Wangxuan, suddenly noticing the constant trembling of the furry body, even as the eyes remained tightly shut.

Having a nightmare? Shen Qingyan wondered. A cat’s nightmare probably involved not getting enough to eat or being swallowed whole by a giant shark.

Shen Qingyan decided to move Hua Wangxuan outside so she could park the car.

Her fingers pinched the scruff of Hua Wangxuan’s neck, feeling like soft, pliable sponge, her fingertips sinking in effortlessly.

Unable to lift with one hand, Shen Qingyan slipped both hands under Hua Wangxuan’s armpits and picked her up. Throughout the process, the cat remained motionless, only subconsciously kicking her hind legs a few times in the air like a rabbit.

Shen Qingyan breathed a sigh of relief at the sight. She had thought Hua Wangxuan was dead. Thankfully, there was still a reaction.

After moving the little truck cat aside, Shen Qingyan drove the car into the garage, her lips unconsciously curling into a smile. She felt that Hua Wangxuan had walked right into her trap this time. She wouldn’t let her off so easily.

Still asleep, Hua Wangxuan shivered involuntarily and drowsily woke up. She blinked her eyes and realized her surroundings seemed to have changed.

Shen Qingyan stepped out of the car, the low, narrow heels of her shoes making heavy sounds as they tapped against the stone steps.

From bottom to top, the view was bright and pleasant, until her gaze finally settled on the woman’s strikingly beautiful face.

Hua Wangxuan let out a soft meow.

So, she had wandered over to this pretty woman’s place. Hua Wangxuan felt as though she had just woken from a long and terrifying dream. She stood up, shook the petals off her fur, and stretched lazily.

“Hey, little cat, want to stay and be my cat?” Shen Qingyan crossed her arms and looked at Hua Wangxuan on a whim.

Hua Wangxuan tilted her head, yawned sleepily, tears nearly welling up in her eyes. She licked her paw but didn’t respond to Shen Qingyan’s question.

Her head was still fuzzy, and the cat didn’t feel like dealing with anyone.

“Want some dried fish?” Shen Qingyan asked with a probing expression, taking a few steps closer to Hua Wangxuan.

Hua Wangxuan lazily glanced at Shen Qingyan and continued licking her paw.

Did she think she couldn’t smell the messy scents of other cats on this woman?

A human with such chaotic loyalties wasn’t worth her attention.

Shen Qingyan raised an eyebrow slightly. It seemed she could detect a look of disdain on the cat’s face.

“If you don’t say anything, I’ll take it as a yes,” Shen Qingyan said to herself, subtly moving closer to Hua Wangxuan.

Hua Wangxuan wasn’t completely indifferent. She turned in another direction, presenting her backside to Shen Qingyan, her ears twitching and flattening slightly, a classic tsundere pose of refusal to communicate.

“Then from now on, you’ll take my surname. Your name will be Shen Xiaohua.”

Hua Wangxuan couldn’t help but let out a meow. What nonsense was this woman babbling about? When had she agreed to become her master?

She was a cat with standards and pride. Even if this human was somewhat good-looking, she lacked beautiful, fluffy fur and strong, powerful limbs. She didn’t want a fickle follower.

“Shen Xiaohua, look what this is?” Shen Qingyan pulled out a can of meat from who-knows-where. The sound of the lid being peeled off was all too familiar, causing Hua Wangxuan to instinctively turn her head, her eyes locking onto the can as if equipped with a targeting system.

“So, you’re not deaf after all,” Shen Qingyan said with a sly smile in her eyes.

Hua Wangxuan let out a soft snort, condescendingly glancing at Shen Qingyan’s face before shifting her gaze slightly to the can of meat in her hand.

“An opened can of meat, and no little cat wants to eat it?” Shen Qingyan deliberately tempted her, her dark eyes slightly lowered, casting a shadow. Her tear mole looked pitifully charming, like the serpent that tempted Eve to pick the apple. Her lips were a glossy red bean color, looking as though they might taste delicious.

“Then I’ll just have to throw it in the trash, what a waste.” Shen Qingyan’s voice was filled with regret as she tilted her palm slightly, appearing genuinely determined to discard the food.

Hua Wangxian stomped over angrily, standing upright on her hind legs while pawing at the air with her front feet.

You wicked woman, how could you do something so cruel? Hurry up and give her the canned meat!

Shen Qingyan feigned surprise, covering her mouth with her hand. “So Shen Xiaohua wants to eat the canned meat? Well then, I’ll give it to you. Thank you for helping me get rid of it.”

Setting down the canned meat, Shen Qingyan watched as Hua Wangxian devoured it with great relish. She narrowed her eyes and revealed a triumphant smile.