Chapter 110: Minor Achievement
Demon Beasts can't understand human speech.
Mo Hua now knew that very clearly.
Over the next two days, the cat demon seemed to have been thoroughly frightened by Mo Shan. It huddled inside the iron cage all day, release it, and it still refused to come out. As for attacking Mo Hua? Not a chance.
No matter what Mo Hua said, it didn't understand a word. It only glared at him with a mix of ferocity and cowardice.
The only time its eyes softened a little was when Mo Hua fed it meat.
But without its cooperation, he couldn't practice Flowing-Water Step.
What to do?
Mo Hua thought hard for two days before finally coming up with an idea.
He starved the cat demon for two days first. When it was so hungry that green light glowed in its eyes, he took out some special dried fish made by Liu Ruhua and fed it.
These small fish were also low-tier demon beasts—tough meat, fishy smell, utterly unfit for human consumption—but cats loved them.
Then Mo Hua strung several pieces of the dried fish on a cord, hung it around his neck, and pointed first at the fish, then at the cat demon.
The meaning was obvious: "If you want to eat, come and grab it yourself."
The rules were quite similar to his sparring with Bai Zisheng, only this time, his opponent had become a cat demon instead.
Even if it didn't understand words, the cat demon understood this.
Driven by hunger, it began trying to snatch the dried fish hanging around Mo Hua's neck.
But Mo Shan's fierce glare still haunted it, so it didn't dare hurt Mo Hua in the slightest, its only target was the dried fish.
Thus, inside the secluded side room, human and demon shadows crisscrossed, chasing each other in a blur.
After several days of "sparring" with the cat demon, Mo Hua had to admit, demon beasts really were stronger than cultivators.
This cat demon was only First Grade Early Stage, not even a power-type beast, yet its speed and agility were astonishing, no weaker than an average Qi-Refining Sixth Layer cultivator.
Its attacks were far more varied and unpredictable than a human's.
A body cultivator used fists and kicks, a spirit cultivator used long-range spells, both had patterns one could read.
But a cat demon? It could bite, claw, or whip its tail like a poisoned dart, angles sharp and bizarre, almost impossible to guard against.
It even had a natural ability: by channeling its demon power, it could blur its body for a short while, making its figure nearly invisible. Mo Hua had to push his Divine-Sense to the limit just to barely track it.
And this was only First Grade Early Stage! Mid- or late-stage ones must be terrifyingly fast.
No wonder hunting teams usually needed around ten Demon Hunters to form a squad.
If a Second Grade beast—on par with a Foundation Establishment cultivator—appeared, how strong would that be?
Wouldn't an ordinary cultivator be dead before realizing it?
Mo Hua couldn't help but shiver.
"I must master Flowing-Water Step. Even if I can't win, at least I can run."
He thought this quietly to himself.
Fighting a beast was also a matter of practice.
At first, unfamiliar with the cat's attack habits, Mo Hua often lost the dried fish in minutes.
The cat would then lie lazily in its cage, chewing the fish bit by bit, licking its paws, and occasionally glancing at Mo Hua with a smug, disdainful look.
But as Mo Hua grew familiar with its patterns, he began to anticipate its moves, whether it would strike with claws, bite, or whip its tail-spike.
The cat's innate tricks, so hard to guard against at first, became predictable with time. Using Divine-Sense, Mo Hua could faintly track its movements.
Snatching fish became increasingly difficult for the cat.
Sometimes, when Mo Hua got careless, it managed to grab one or two pieces.
But when he focused completely, it got none at all, just stood by the wall glaring ferociously, though its bluff had no real bite.
Knowing hunger was miserable, Mo Hua would occasionally feign carelessness and let it snatch a few.
And so, a month passed.
The cat demon wasn't well-fed, but it didn't starve either. It had grown larger, nearly five feet long.
Mo Hua knew it was time. He couldn't keep it any longer. If it grew any bigger, one careless moment might turn him from trainer to dinner.
The nature of a demon beast wasn't so easily changed.
Mo Hua didn't intend to kill it, just to release it as promised, though the cat had no idea such a promise existed.
One evening, he placed the cat demon in the iron cage, covered it with a black cloth, and carried it outside Tōngxiān City, to the foothills nearest Black Mountain's outer range.
Living creatures couldn't be stored in a Storage Ring, only in cages.
The black cloth was to prevent passing Demon Hunters from spotting and killing it outright.
After ensuring no one was around, Mo Hua lifted the cloth and opened the cage gate.
The cat demon blinked at the sight of the trees and hills, then joy flickered in its eyes.
But it didn't bolt. Instead, it watched Mo Hua warily.
Mo Hua said, "I'm keeping my promise and letting you go. But remember, don't eat humans. If we meet again, I'll kill you myself. Even if I don't, other hunters will."
"Humans don't even taste good. Eat fish instead, better smell, less trouble."
"If you don't provoke cultivators, with your agility, you'll live a long time…"
He nagged on for a bit, not caring whether it understood, then waved his hand.
"Go."
The cat demon hesitated, took a few tentative steps. When Mo Hua didn't stop it, in fact, nodded encouragingly, it grew bolder. Step by step, it neared the mountain forest, then suddenly leapt forward with a "whoosh," vanishing into the Black Mountain wilderness.
Mo Hua let out a sigh of relief.
Perfect... Flowing-Water Step was now at minor completion, enough to deal with cultivators of his realm or fend off beasts.
And the cat demon was back in the wild where it belonged.
The Black Mountain range was vast, they'd likely never meet again.
Even if they did, the cat would have grown and changed; he might not recognize it.
He only hoped it wouldn't kill any other cultivators, or get killed by one.
But that was no longer his concern.
Feeling light and content, Mo Hua clasped his hands behind his back, whistling as he strolled home.
...
Meanwhile, deep in the Black Mountain forest, the cat demon hadn't gone far.
It crouched among the grass, secretly watching Mo Hua's departing figure.
When he was gone, a trace of confusion flickered in its vertical pupils. After a moment, its pupils dilated, committing his silhouette to memory.
Then, glancing warily around, it turned and padded deeper into the mountains.
It crossed forests, leapt over a poisonous swamp, climbed up rocky slopes, and stopped by a small stream.
Sensing no cultivators or beasts nearby, it leapt into the water, washing away the dust on its fur.
When it came out and shook itself dry, the black markings on its body looked darker, and the white fur gleamed like crystal.
On its forehead, faint patterns emerged, gradually forming the shape of the character "王" (King).
(End of Chapter)