Cat Demon Raising Manual - Chapter 24

Something bad is bound to happen…

The painting vividly depicted the scene from her daytime fantasy, though with a pinkish hue, it now resembled a peach blossom demon.

Shen Qingyan rested her head on one hand, her gaze involuntarily drifting to the soundly sleeping Hua Wangxuan. Its expressive eyes were tightly shut, its fluffy tail clutched in its arms, forming a shape like a dandelion puff. Its white whiskers trembled slightly with each breath.

I must be losing my mind, it’s just a cat. Shen Qingyan rubbed the bridge of her nose, shaking her head with a self-deprecating smile.

She put away the painting of the cat-eared girl and stored it in a cabinet. Picking up her brush again, she carefully observed Hua Wangxuan’s form.

Slightly larger than an ordinary cat, with fluffier and longer fur, its coat displayed a harmonious blend of colors, making it perfect for detailed brushwork.

With a few light strokes, a slumbering calico long-haired cat came to life on the paper.

It’s missing a background. Staying indoors all the time makes its demeanor feel different.

Remembering her friend’s mention of social allergies, Shen Qingyan decided to take Hua Wangxuan to the park the next day for a picnic and sketching session on the lawn.

As these thoughts crossed her mind, Shen Qingyan began planning the food to bring. Her own breakfast and lunch were simple, just two sandwiches would suffice.

As for Shen Xiaohua’s meal, she pondered for a moment: some boiled shrimp, a few eggs, she’d eat the whites and leave the yolks for the cat, a sweet potato, and two cups of yogurt, which both she and the cat could enjoy.

With the next day’s meals sorted, Shen Qingyan headed to the kitchen to prepare dinner.

She tied her hair up, securing it with a chopstick, and put on an apron. But before she could take more than a few steps, a wave of dizziness washed over her. Recalling the doctor’s warning after her vaccination, she leaned against the sink, bowing her head to steady herself.

Mild fever, fatigue, dizziness, nausea, and muscle soreness, all could be normal side effects. Unfortunately, Shen Qingyan was experiencing every one of them.

She rubbed her left arm, feeling weak. After preparing a small vegetable salad, she lost her appetite after just a few bites.

Shen Qingyan filled the cat’s bowl with some shrimp and kibble, glanced at Hua Wangxuan still in the studio, and then retreated to her bedroom to sleep.

Exhausted and drained, sleepiness quickly overtook her. Shen Qingyan closed her eyes and locked the door behind her.

It was only eight o’clock, but Hua Wangxuan, having slept nearly the entire day, was just beginning its nocturnal adventures.

A tingling, slightly painful sensation at the base of its tail prompted Hua Wangxuan to lick the spot. It leaped off the daybed, glancing around but finding no sign of Shen Qingyan.

Hua Wangxuan meowed a few times, sniffing the air for traces of her scent. It followed the trail to Shen Qingyan’s bedroom, where the scent was strongest, but the door was firmly shut. It meowed again outside, yet received no response.

Displeased, Hua Wangxuan flicked its tail and wandered away, feeling somewhat dejected. Its nose twitched, catching a different scent, and it followed the aroma to the food Shen Qingyan had prepared.

Though it hadn’t had much of an appetite all day, having only eaten a bowl of kibble, a few cat sticks, some dried fish, and a quail, the sight of the food in the bowl reawakened its cravings. As it buried its head in the meal, a strange warmth began to surge within its body once more.

In the blink of an eye, Hua Wangxuan found herself farther away from the bowl. Looking more closely, she realized her once-sharp claws had vanished, replaced by hairless limbs and slender, elongated fingers.

Exactly like a human’s!

Hua Wangxuan blinked in disbelief and raised her right hand to examine it. But still unaccustomed to her new body, she appeared to outsiders as if she were kneeling on the ground, hands braced, with her bottom raised high. Suddenly withdrawing her right hand caused her to lose balance, and she tumbled forward, her chin bumping hard against her left arm.

A delicate, girlish sound escaped her lips, clear and melodious, like a freshly pulled radish from the earth, crisp and sweet.

“Did I turn into a human?” Hua Wangxuan snapped out of her daze from the pain, straightening her upper body and sitting in a squatting position. The reason she didn’t sit flat was mainly due to the fluffy tail sprouting from her tailbone, which was getting in the way.

She examined her hands and then checked the rest of her body, relieved to find her tail and ears still intact.

Bare and without the protection of fur, she felt a bit cold and exposed. The human body was so troublesome and fragile, utterly inconvenient.

Crawling on her hands and knees into the courtyard, Hua Wangxuan moved unsteadily. She even felt that the once-ordinary ground had turned into an instrument of torture, scraping her palms until they ached.

“Bad… bad woman…” Hua Wangxuan opened her mouth, trying to wake Shen Qingyan inside the house. Unfortunately, the other was sound asleep and didn’t hear a thing.

At a loss, Hua Wangxuan looked toward the peach blossom tree in the center of the courtyard. Her palms were red and raw from the sand, and her knees were similarly scraped. Too afraid to go further, she gave up, shivering as she hugged her knees for warmth.

So this was what it felt like to be without fur. Humans were far too fragile, no wonder they always wore layers of clothing to protect themselves.

Tears welled in Hua Wangxuan’s eyes from the pain. She swore she never wanted to transform into a human again.

At the same time, she was puzzled. She hadn’t undergone the ninth heavenly tribulation, so why had she suddenly turned human?

Recalling the teachings of her elders, Hua Wangxuan remained baffled and frustrated.

Had she done anything to accumulate virtue?

Unable to figure it out, she stopped trying. Stumbling and bumping along the way, she rolled back into the studio and stared helplessly at the chaise lounge she used to leap onto with ease.

After tugging at it for a while and pulling the cushion down, she still couldn’t jump up. Resigned, Hua Wangxuan curled up on the cushion, tucking her tail between her legs, and gently licked her sand-scraped knees.

Spitting out sand and retching, her eyes reddened, she looked utterly pitiful.

She had no idea how to turn back into a cat. All she hoped was that Shen Qingyan would give her some clothes to wear when she saw her tomorrow, it really was a bit cold.

Her waist-length orange hair cascaded like silk, enveloping her fair, delicate body, which resembled fine mutton-fat jade. Her wrists and ankles were particularly slender and pale, like jade flutes, with joints tinged red, exuding an air of pristine purity.

Even with a few patches of dirt here and there, her skin appeared even more tender and luminous.

Hua Wangxuan felt she had rarely been in such a sorry state. As she brooded, tears threatened to spill. She sniffled, trying to suppress the wave of sadness.

A cat queen never lowers her head, for her crown might fall.

Hua Wangxuan tried to cheer herself up, but the sour bitterness was unstoppable, if it didn’t seep out through her eyes, it escaped through her nose.

As a result, a glistening snot bubble emerged from her nostril, popping with a soft pfft before she wiped it away with her hand.

Unable to hold back a sneeze, Hua Wangxuan rubbed her chin against her tail. Her forehead felt slightly warm, and she fell asleep in that uncomfortable position.

As night fell, a hazy mist seemed to emanate from the sleeping Hua Wangxuan. She frowned uneasily and let out a soft whimper.

Her form as a cat-eared girl didn’t last long. In an instant, Hua Wangxuan reverted to her cat form. The moment her thick fur returned, she relaxed, her brow smoothing out.

The next morning, Shen Qingyan woke from a deep sleep, feeling noticeably less dizzy than before.

After washing up and getting dressed, she seemed to remember something. Before even stepping into the studio, she called out the name “Shen Xiaohua” from the courtyard.

Her gaze swept over the scattered petals in the yard, and though she found it a bit odd, she didn’t notice anything particularly unusual, so she dismissed the thought.

As she approached the studio, Shen Qingyan saw Hua Wangxuan sleeping on a cushion that had fallen off the daybed.

Shen Qingyan raised an eyebrow slightly, assuming Hua Wangxuan’s restless sleeping had knocked the cushion down. But as she drew closer, she noticed that the once beautiful kitten now looked disheveled, as if she’d been in a fight with a stray.

Shen Qingyan paused, then crouched down, noticing that Hua Wangxuan’s fur looked dull and limp, lacking its usual luster and fluffiness.

Had something happened overnight? Could a thief have broken in and mistreated the cat?

Though puzzled, Shen Qingyan felt a twinge of distaste. She fetched a damp cloth and wiped Hua Wangxuan’s forehead. But as she moved to clean her paws, she noticed something amiss.

Why were her paw pads so worn, and why were there patches of fur missing around her joints?

It didn’t look like bites from another cat, more like she’d been dragged and rubbed against the ground.

Before Shen Qingyan could even touch the sore spots, Hua Wangxuan’s paws twitched reflexively.

“Shen Xiaohua, what exactly did you do last night?” Shen Qingyan’s lips pressed into a thin line, her eyes darkening, a clear sign she was getting angry.

Hearing her voice, Hua Wangxuan’s eyelids fluttered a few times before she opened her eyes, meeting Shen Qingyan’s shadowed gaze.

Startled, Hua Wangxuan let out a meow. Since her paw pads still hurt, she performed a brief breakdance-like shuffle before collapsing onto the cushion in a “Ge You slouch,” gazing innocently at Shen Qingyan.

So early in the morning, and not a peep from her.

Who’s the cat here, anyway? Hua Wangxuan couldn’t help rolling her eyes, stewing in frustration.

“Where did you go last night to end up in such a state?” Shen Qingyan demanded, completely forgetting that the creature before her was just a cat who couldn’t speak human language.

Hua Wangxuan, hearing Shen Qingyan’s question, was also taken aback. Remembering how she’d suddenly turned into a human form last night and endured all sorts of hardships, she couldn’t help muttering under her breath.

Shen Qingyan’s eyebrows lifted slightly as she watched Hua Wangxuan, who, though clearly not saying anything pleasant, seemed to have regained some spirit.

At least she’s lively again.

“I’ll go prepare breakfast,” Shen Qingyan said, her gaze sweeping over Hua Wangxuan’s paws. “Looks like we won’t be going far today.”

Thinking about having class tomorrow, Shen Qingyan stood up and brushed his sleeves, his expression inscrutable.

Hua Wangxuan seemed to sense the chill emanating from Shen Qingyan. She pursed her lips and stopped her cheerful chattering.

After Shen Qingyan had completely left, Hua Wangxuan looked down at her disheveled fur and began grooming it with a hint of distress.

The wound on her paw pad healed rapidly after a few licks.

Hua Wangxuan felt relieved that Shen Qingyan hadn’t discovered her human form. Her intuition told her that if he found out, something unpleasant would surely happen.

The next moment, Hua Wangxuan was so frightened by her own premonition that she let out a hiccup.

After finishing her meal, she needed to find a way to slip away. Hua Wangxuan stole a glance in the direction Shen Qingyan had left, quietly contemplating her next move.