Cat Demon Raising Manual - Chapter 8

Hua Wangxuan dashed through the narrow alley, the scent of moss from the brick walls filling her nostrils, damp and gloomy. Behind her, a snarling gray-furred wild dog bared its fangs.

With the wind whistling past, Hua Wangxuan leaped nimbly onto the wall, dislodging clumps of soil. Dust settled on her messy back fur as she stood high, taunting the wild dog.

Catch her? Not a chance.

Hua Wangxuan smirked arrogantly, her tail flicking like a fishing rod. The gray dog suddenly arched its back, its front claws scraping harshly against the stone wall, startling her.

She wrinkled her nose, sensing something amiss as the wild dog grew increasingly ferocious.

Could it be so eager to advance that it believed eating her flesh would turn it into a demon?

Hua Wangxuan jumped to the other side, her heart trembling as she watched the dog barking madly at her.

A dark shadow lingered at the alley’s entrance, as if waiting for this moment. Spotting its target, it lunged abruptly. Sharp claws grazed her right leg, and a black dog charged straight for her throat.

Hua Wangxuan’s tail bristled like a thorn bush. Her right leg, unfortunately scratched, oozed a little blood. She awkwardly dodged the black dog’s attack, and the wounds from her previous tribulation seemed to have reopened.

Beads of blood from the injury on her right leg stained her white fur. Realizing the black dog was trying to flank her from the left, she limped on her hind leg and struggled to climb a crooked utility pole.

The gray and black dogs circled below, snarling viciously at her. Hua Wangxuan curled her large tail, which had lost a few tufts of fur, panic flashing in her eyes.

Her injured leg couldn’t support her for long; she would soon fall from the pole.

The two wild dogs, aware of her predicament, paced below, their fierce eyes fixed intently on her.

The standoff dragged on. Hua Wangxuan’s limbs trembled, the pain in her injured leg becoming unbearable.

Sweat seeped from her paw pads, and she slipped slightly without realizing it. The two dogs’ eyes lit up, drooling as they waited for their prey to fall.

Evening approached, the sun gradually sinking behind the mountains.

As soon as her shift ended, Lin Zhixuan promptly pulled down the clinic’s rolling shutter, packed her things, and headed home.

Lin Zhixuan’s home wasn’t far from the clinic, about a twenty-minute walk. Thinking of the cat care guidelines she’d seen in a video today, she pursed her lips, feeling she still hadn’t done enough.

Though she lived on a lower floor, she hadn’t installed window screens. Moreover, she needed to stock up on specialized pet disinfectant, secure fragile items at home, and monitor her cat’s stool for signs of health.

These were areas she needed to improve. Since she’d decided to adopt Mimi, she ought to address these gaps. Lin Zhixuan tightened her grip on the groceries, she planned to try making cat food.

Her Mimi seemed more interested in human food, only nibbling on cat kibble now and then.

She rarely cooked, usually ordering takeout or eating out, and wasn’t sure if Mimi would like her homemade meals.

When it came to cooking, she had no confidence.

It wasn’t a matter of precise measurements or timing the heat.

After nearly blowing up the kitchen once, she’d sworn off cooking altogether.

Lin Zhixuan walked ahead intently when the sound of a bicycle bell chimed behind her. She instinctively moved aside.

A gust of wind swept past as a high school girl in uniform sped by on her bicycle, rushing past her.

Lin Zhixuan’s gaze fell on the girl’s unique hairstyle, and for a moment, her feelings grew complicated.

Back in her day, she had been the obedient type with the same straight bangs and ponytail every day. Had high schoolers nowadays become this bold and expressive?

The freshly gutted fish in her bag seemed to twitch a few times, as if still reacting to its final moments. Lin Zhixuan’s attention shifted back to the bag in her hand.

Wu Wei pedaled along her usual route home. Her grandmother, Wan Jinhua, had recently been busy with her senior citizens’ music troupe, they had a performance coming up next month.

Lately, Wan Jinhua wouldn’t return home until eight or nine in the evening after preparing dinner. Wu Wei thought it was a good thing her grandmother had her own hobbies and wasn’t dedicating her entire life to her.

Suddenly, Wu Wei slammed on her brakes, splashing water from a puddle on the ground. Ignoring how dirty it was, she grabbed her backpack and hopped off the bike.

Two fierce-looking stray dogs were bullying a pitifully chubby calico cat.

The white fur on the cat was stained with reddish-brown blood, clearly, the stray dogs had bitten her. Trembling, she clung awkwardly to a utility pole, looking both miserable and comical.

At a glance, the calico seemed somewhat familiar, but Wu Wei didn’t have time to dwell on it. She glared fiercely at the two strays and shouted, “Hey! Get lost!”

The dogs remained unmoved, even shifting into aggressive stances.

Wu Wei frowned. She really didn’t want to get a rabies shot, she hated injections more than anything.

But she couldn’t just stand by and do nothing. Wu Wei had always believed in fighting fire with fire, whether dealing with bullies or arrogant strays.

Swinging her heavy backpack, which weighed over ten pounds, she wielded it like a formidable weapon, cutting through the air with force.

“Get lost, or I’ll beat you dogs up!” Wu Wei said coldly, issuing her final warning.

The two strays were clearly no pushovers. They bared their teeth, eyes gleaming with menace, and lunged at Wu Wei in the next second.

But Wu Wei was no easy target either. Her long, lean legs, packed with wiry muscle, kicked out like a whirlwind, striking the gray dog squarely in the chest.

Her backpack followed right after, smashing hard into the black dog’s head. The impact left the dog dazed and whimpering in pain.

“Think you can intimidate me? I was causing trouble back when you were still chewing on bones somewhere!” Wu Wei cursed as she fought, kicking and hitting without holding back.

Her movements were sharp and efficient, any onlooker might have mistaken her for a modern-day Wu Song.

Her face glowed with excitement, strands of hair flying in the wind. Her fists were relentless, driving the two strays back step by step as they yelped in agony.

The momentum had completely reversed. Perched on the utility pole like a mascot, Hua Wangxuan watched in stunned silence. Taking advantage of the heated battle below, she quickly scrambled down and hid behind a trash can, peeking furtively from the corner.

Why didn’t she seize the chance to run? As a cat with a strong sense of feline integrity, she couldn’t possibly do something so shameless when a human female was standing up for her. If other cats or dogs found out, how could she ever hold her head up in the neighborhood?

She had her pride, after all.

Hua Wangxuan’s heterochromatic eyes watched stealthily from the shadows, her claws unconsciously curling in tension, her tail stiff as a corncob.

Her pupils trembled incessantly as she anxiously scratched at the trash can.

Then, suddenly, she let out a sigh of relief.

She watched as the human girl defeated two wild dogs, sending them scurrying away with unwilling whimpers as they disappeared into the dark alley.

The battle was intense, and it stirred her blood with excitement.

This human girl before her was simply too fierce. In her memory, human girls were always fragile, some even panicked at the sight of a mouse, their features contorting in fear.

What a promising candidate for a follower. Hua Wangxuan’s eyes sparkled as she looked at Wu Wei. After the wild dogs fled in defeat, she walked right up to the girl.

Meow~

Hua Wangxuan plopped down in front of Wu Wei, exposing her snow-white, soft belly.

This was the spot human girls loved most. To win over this girl, she was willing to invest heavily.

Why isn’t she petting me yet? Stop pretending to be reserved.

Hua Wangxuan let out a sweet, coaxing meow, urging Wu Wei to hurry up and get closer.

This was a cat’s gracious gift to a kind human.

Wu Wei tilted her head, puzzled as to why this chubby cat was pulling a “fall-and-frame” act in front of her. She had just saved the cat, was it too injured to move?

Her gaze fell on Hua Wangxuan’s injured right paw, and she hesitated.

She didn’t have much money on her. If she took the cat to the vet for a check-up, she’d have to ask her grandmother for some cash.

Wu Wei sighed softly and decided to see this through to the end.

“Hey, can you still walk? If you can’t move, I’ll take you home with me. Don’t bite me, or I won’t save you,” Wu Wei said in a negotiating tone, tentatively reaching out to stroke Hua Wangxuan’s head.

Seeing that Hua Wangxuan didn’t resist but instead narrowed her eyes contentedly and rubbed against her hand, Wu Wei felt reassured. She promptly lifted Hua Wangxuan by the scruff of her neck.

“Stay still, stay still. I’m taking you home,” Wu Wei said nervously, striding over and placing Hua Wangxuan into her bicycle basket.

Curled up in the basket, Hua Wangxuan’s eyes quickly welled up with tears.

It hurts so much, but I have to keep my composure.

What’s the girl planning? Has she fallen for my beauty? Hua Wangxuan blinked, quietly watching Wu Wei without attempting to jump out.

Wu Wei smiled with relief. “You’re quite heavy, but it’s good that you understand human language.”

For half the journey home, Wu Wei pushed her bicycle, keeping it steady. Hua Wangxuan, remarkably understanding, didn’t try to run off.

Wan Jinhua, who had already prepared dinner, sat on the sofa watching TV, her expression somewhat distracted.

Why hasn’t my granddaughter come home yet today?