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Chapter 109: The Cat Demon (Part II)
Chapter 109: The Cat Demon (Part II)
"What kind?" asked Aunt Jiang.
"It looks like a cat, not long after it was born. It's only two or three feet long, and its fur pattern isn't fully grown yet..." Aunt Jiang described.
"Can I have it? I'll pay for it with spirit stones!" Mo Hua quickly offered.
Aunt Jiang waved her hand dismissively. "If you want it, I'll ask your Uncle Chu to bring it to you tomorrow. There's no need for spirit stones."
Mo Hua insisted on paying, but Aunt Jiang refused just as firmly. "Liujie has done too much for me, and you're helping our family with the array. I can't accept those spirit stones no matter what..."
People like Aunt Jiang, who seemed introverted and shy, could sometimes be the most stubborn.
Mo Hua had no choice but to agree not to pay with spirit stones, but he planned to ask his mother to give Aunt Jiang a little extra in her salary this month.
"But what do you want a demon beast for? They can't be kept as pets," Aunt Jiang asked curiously after a while.
All demon beasts had an innate hostility towards cultivators.
Some demon beasts ate meat and would hunt and devour cultivators, feasting on their flesh and blood.
Even those that didn't eat meat would still attack cultivators weaker than themselves, ripping them open and then leaving them to die.
Young demon beasts had the same nature, so they couldn't be kept by cultivators.
Some cultivators in Tongxian City had tried to keep demon beasts as pets.
While the beasts were young, they seemed harmless, but once they matured and their bodies grew stronger, their taste for human blood would awaken. Inevitably, they would turn on their masters, killing and devouring them.
Many cultivators had met their end in the belly of a demon beast they had tried to keep as a pet.
Aunt Jiang, thinking that Mo Hua was too young to understand the nature of demon beasts, worriedly said, "Keeping a demon beast is very dangerous..."
"Aunt Jiang, don't worry. I don't plan to keep it as a pet," Mo Hua explained.
Aunt Jiang nodded. She would inform Mo Hua's parents about the demon beast anyway, and Mo Shan, being a demon hunter, was familiar with such creatures. She didn't think there would be any problems.
The next day, Aunt Jiang brought the cat demon with her.
This was Mo Hua's first time seeing a young demon beast, and he couldn't help but examine it closely.
The cat demon was skinny and small, its fur wrinkled, and its patterning mostly white with a mix of dark lines. However, its fur looked dull due to the dirt and grime that covered its body.
Despite its small size, the cat demon had sharp claws and two long fangs protruding from its mouth. Its eyes held a cautious yet fierce wildness.
Mo Hua had told his parents about the cat demon the night before, so when Aunt Jiang brought it over, Mo Shan was there as well.
The cat demon was locked inside an iron cage, its bars scratched and marked.
Perhaps due to Mo Shan's profession as a demon hunter, his hands stained with the blood of countless demons, the cat demon, though exuding a murderous aura, kept its head down and didn't dare to act out.
Mo Shan frowned as he examined the creature.
"Dad, what kind of demon beast is this? A cat?" Mo Hua asked.
"It's too small to tell for sure," Mo Shan mused. "Some demon beasts have very different appearances as adults compared to when they're young, which makes identification difficult. But from its appearance, I'd guess it's either a Night Cat or a type of Glow Cat."
"Are cat demons one of the faster demon beasts?" Mo Hua inquired.
Mo Shan nodded. "Indeed. Cat-type demon beasts may not have the strongest physical prowess, but they are agile and cunning, making them tricky opponents."
Mo Shan brought the caged cat demon to a small side room in their home, which had been used for storing miscellaneous items. Mo Hua had requested the room, and Mo Shan had cleared it out for him.
Mo Hua explained his plans to use the demon beast to practice his movement techniques, and although Mo Shan had some concerns, he eventually agreed.
The cat demon's youth and relatively weak strength made it an ideal target for Mo Hua to practice his agility without the risk of ending up in the belly of a full-grown demon beast should he make a mistake.
The cat demon eyed Mo Hua warily, sniffed the beef a few times, and then devoured it greedily.
Chu's uncle hadn't fed the cat demon, intending to kill it eventually.
After eating the beef, the cat demon's complexion improved slightly.
"You practice first, and I'll watch from the side," Mo Shan said, still concerned about Mo Hua's safety.
Mo Hua gently opened the iron cage.
In the instant the cage door opened, the originally weak cat demon's eyes suddenly flashed with ferocity. It vanished from in front of Mo Hua and reappeared, its sharp claws aiming straight for his eyes.
"Indeed, cunning and vicious!"
Mo Hua was secretly startled, but he had expected as much.
Mo Hua, at the fifth level of Qi Refinement, possessed spiritual sense beyond that of ordinary people. The cat demon, being young and only at the early first-grade level, couldn't hide its movements from Mo Hua's spiritual sense, despite its ghostly speed.
Mo Hua tilted his head back, narrowly avoiding the cat demon's claws.
Even before the cat demon landed, it adjusted its posture in mid-air. As soon as it touched the ground, it shot toward Mo Hua like an arrow.
Mo Hua's eyes narrowed slightly as he propped himself up with one hand and flipped lightly in the air, once again dodging the cat demon below him.
However, the cat demon suddenly disappeared from view.
Mo Hua's pupils constricted as he focused his spiritual sense, only detecting a presence behind him after two breaths.
Mo Hua sidestepped, but he was still a moment too slow. A sharp claw sliced through the air, leaving a white trail and tearing his sleeve to draw a thin line of blood.
The cat demon licked the fresh blood off its claw, its eyes gleaming with increasing ferocity.
"Seeking death!" Mo Shan roared, his right hand clenching into a fist. Flames ignited, and he made a move to crush the cat demon to death.
"Father!" Mo Hua quickly stopped him. "It's just a minor injury, nothing serious."
Mo Shan's hand was already raised halfway, and he shook his head. "This damned beast has tasted human blood. It cannot be spared."
"Father, I'll only keep it for a month," Mo Hua insisted.
After all, young demon beasts were hard to come by, and most cultivators would kill them on sight, regardless of their age.
Some demon beasts would even bite their young to death to prevent them from falling into the hands of cultivators.
Mo Shan frowned for a moment, then sighed as he looked at Mo Hua's determined gaze. He lowered his hand and said, "Fine, keep it for a month."
Turning to the cat demon, Mo Shan's eyes turned sharp as a sword. "However, if this cat demon injures you again, I will crush it to death immediately."
Cowed by Mo Shan's imposing manner, the cat demon curled up in the corner, shivering.
Mo Hua breathed a sigh of relief and smiled. "Father, don't worry. I was just careless earlier."
Then, addressing the cat demon, he said, "Behave yourself this month and accompany me in practicing my movement techniques. After a month, I'll let you go."
"Hua'er, demon beasts can't understand human language," Mo Shan interjected.
"What if it understands?"
"Alright then..." Mo Shan gave in, seeing Mo Hua's childish insistence.
"Wear the vine armor to protect yourself from its innate demonic powers. And if, during this month, this cat demon shows a craving for human blood or loses control of its red eyes, kill it early on."
Mo Shan gave further instructions.
Mo Hua listened attentively, committing his father's words to memory, and nodded repeatedly.
(End of Chapter)
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