Chapter 109: Cat Demon
"What kind of beast was it?"
"Looked like a cat," Aunt Jiang said. "Just born not long ago, about two or three feet long. Its fur pattern hasn't even fully grown in yet…"
"Then can you give it to me? I'll pay you with spirit stones!" Mo Hua said quickly.
Aunt Jiang waved her hand. "If you want it, I'll ask your Uncle Chu to bring it over tomorrow. No need for spirit stones."
Mo Hua insisted on paying.
But Aunt Jiang firmly refused. "Sister Liu has already helped me so much, and you've drawn arrays for our family too. There's no way I can take your spirit stones."
Aunt Jiang, though usually shy and quiet, could be incredibly stubborn at times.
Mo Hua had no choice but to agree not to pay, though he secretly decided to tell his mother to give Aunt Jiang a little extra salary this month.
"But what do you want the demon beast for? You can't raise those."
After a pause, Aunt Jiang asked curiously.
All demon beasts naturally harbored hostility toward cultivators.
Some hunted humans for meat, devouring their flesh and blood.
Others, even those that didn't eat meat, still killed weaker cultivators, gutting them before wandering off.
Even young demon beasts had the same instincts, so cultivators could never keep them as pets.
Some cultivators in Tōngxiān City had tried raising demon beasts.
When they were small, it wasn't so bad, their strength was weak, and they didn't attack their masters. But once they matured, grew stronger, and tasted human blood, they'd seize the first chance to kill their owner and feast on their flesh.
Many cultivators had perished that way, buried in the bellies of their own pets.
Aunt Jiang thought Mo Hua was too young to understand such dangers, so she warned him worriedly, "It's really dangerous to keep a demon beast…"
"Don't worry, Aunt Jiang, I'm not keeping it as a pet." Mo Hua explained.
Aunt Jiang nodded. In any case, she would tell Mo Hua's parents before handing it over. Mo Shan was a demon hunter and familiar with demon beasts, so she figured nothing would go wrong.
...
The next day, Aunt Jiang brought the Cat Demon over.
It was the first time Mo Hua had ever seen a young demon beast. He couldn't help studying it closely.
The Cat Demon was small and thin, its fur wrinkled and patchy. Most of its color was white with dark streaks, but the mud covering it made its coat look dull and lifeless.
Despite its frailty, its claws were sharp, and two slender fangs jutted from its mouth. Its wary eyes glimmered with feral savagery.
Mo Hua had told his parents about the Cat Demon the night before, so when Aunt Jiang arrived with it, Mo Shan was standing by.
The creature was locked in an iron cage, the bars marred with claw marks.
Perhaps because Mo Shan's hands were stained with the blood of countless demon beasts, the Cat Demon—though glaring fiercely—lowered its head, not daring to act rashly.
Mo Shan frowned as he looked at it.
"Father, what kind of demon beast is that? A cat?" Mo Hua asked.
"It's too young to tell," Mo Shan said thoughtfully. "Some demon beasts look completely different when they mature. Hard to recognize. But judging from its shape, it could be a Night Cat or a Glowing Cat."
"Cat demons are among the faster ones, right?"
Mo Shan nodded. "Yes. Cat-type demon beasts don't have strong bodies, but they're swift, agile, and their movements are unpredictable, quite troublesome opponents."
Mo Shan carried the cage into a side room.
That room had been used for storage, but since Mo Hua asked for it, Mo Shan cleared it out.
Mo Hua then told his father his plan, he wanted to use the demon beast for body movement training.
Mo Shan hesitated but eventually agreed.
A young demon beast was weak enough to be useful for training. Facing a mature one right away would have been suicidal.
Still, Mo Shan warned him, "Even a young demon beast can have dangerous innate powers, and they're cunning by nature. Never let your guard down."
Mo Hua nodded, taking out a few chunks of beef and tossing them into the cage.
The Cat Demon eyed him warily, sniffed the meat, then devoured it ravenously.
Uncle Chu hadn't fed it, assuming it would be killed soon anyway.
After eating, the Cat Demon's spirit visibly recovered.
"Go ahead and practice. I'll be watching," Mo Shan said, still uneasy.
Mo Hua slowly opened the cage.
The moment the latch clicked, the Cat Demon's weak aura flared, its eyes flashing murderously. In a blur, it vanished, then reappeared right in front of Mo Hua, claws slashing straight for his eyes.
"As expected, vicious and deceitful!"
Mo Hua was startled, but not unprepared.
He was at the fifth level of Qi-Refining, and his Divine-Sense was far sharper than ordinary cultivators'. The Cat Demon, on the other hand, was only at first-rank early stage, so although its movements were fast and ghostly, every twitch of its body was perfectly clear within Mo Hua's Divine-Sense.
He tilted his head back, narrowly dodging the claws.
The Cat Demon twisted midair, landing lightly, and lunged again like an arrow.
Mo Hua braced his hands on the ground and flipped backward, narrowly avoiding it again.
But the Cat Demon suddenly vanished.
Mo Hua's pupils shrank. He focused his Divine-Sense, and after two breaths, detected a faint movement behind him.
He dodged sideways, but a moment too late. A sharp claw tore through his sleeve, leaving a shallow bloody scratch.
The Cat Demon landed and licked the blood from its claw, its eyes glowing even fiercer.
"Courting death!" Mo Shan roared, flames bursting from his clenched hand, ready to crush the beast.
"Father, wait!" Mo Hua quickly stopped him. "It's just a scratch!"
Mo Shan's hand hovered midair. He shook his head. "It's already tasted human blood, it can't be kept."
"Father, I'll only keep it for one month," Mo Hua insisted.
After all, young demon beasts were rare. Most cultivators killed them on sight, and many demon beasts would even slaughter their own young to prevent them from falling into human hands.
Mo Shan frowned, then sighed at Mo Hua's determined expression and withdrew his hand.
"Fine, one month."
Then he turned his gaze on the Cat Demon, his eyes sharp as blades. "But if it injures you again, I'll crush it instantly."
The Cat Demon shivered, curling up in the corner, trembling in fear.
Mo Hua let out a breath of relief and grinned.
"Don't worry, Father. I was just careless earlier."
Then he turned to the Cat Demon and said, "You'd better behave. Train with me for one month, and after that, I'll let you go."
Mo Shan couldn't help but say, "Hua'er, demon beasts don't understand human speech."
"What if this one does?"
"…Alright then." Mo Shan smiled faintly, his son's childishness was harmless enough.
"Wear your vine armor," Mo Shan reminded him. "Beware of its innate demon powers. And during this month, if it ever shows signs of bloodlust or red-eyed frenzy, kill it early."
Mo Hua listened seriously, memorizing every word, and nodded repeatedly.
(End of Chapter)