Chapter 108: The Cat Beast

"What kind?"

"It looks like a cat, just born, only two or three chi long, its markings haven't fully developed..." Jiang Yi said.

"Can you give it to me? I'll pay with spirit stones!" Mo Hua hurriedly said.

Jiang Yi waved her hand. "If you want it, I'll have your Uncle Chu bring it to you tomorrow—no need for spirit stones."

Mo Hua insisted on paying with spirit stones.

Jiang Yi firmly refused. "Liu Jie has helped me too much, and you've even helped our family draw array patterns—these spirit stones, I absolutely cannot accept..."

People like Jiang Yi, who appear shy and reserved, are sometimes the most stubborn.

Mo Hua finally agreed not to pay with spirit stones, but decided to tell his mother and increase Jiang Yi's salary this month.

"But why do you want this beast? Beasts can't be kept."

After a while, Jiang Yi asked curiously again.

All beasts harbor innate hostility toward cultivators.

Some beasts eat meat and hunt cultivators, devouring their flesh and blood.

Some beasts, even if they don't eat meat, still hunt weaker cultivators, gut them open, and then walk away.

Young beasts share this nature, so they cannot be kept by cultivators.

Some cultivators in Xiancheng have kept beasts before.

When young, beasts are harmless—weak, they won't turn on their masters—but once they grow stronger, their bodies harden, and they taste human blood, they seize the chance to kill their masters and devour their flesh.

Many cultivators have ended up swallowed whole by beasts they kept as pets.

Jiang Yun, thinking Mo Hua was too young to understand a beast's nature, worried: "Keeping a beast is very dangerous..."

"Auntie Jiang, don't worry—I'm not keeping it," Mo Hua explained.

Jiang Yun nodded. Either way, she would tell Mo Hua's parents when she brought the beast. Mo Shan was a beast hunter, familiar with beasts—nothing should go wrong.

The next day, Jiang Yun brought the cat beast.

This was Mo Hua's first time seeing a young beast; he couldn't help but examine it several times.

The cat beast was thin and small, its fur wrinkled, its markings mostly white with dark patterns, but caked in mud, making its coat look dull.

Despite its size, the cat beast had sharp claws and two long fangs at its mouth; its eyes, wary, held a wild, ruthless ferocity.

Last night, Mo Hua had told his parents about the cat beast, so today, when Jiang Yun brought it, Mo Shan stood nearby.

The cat beast was locked in an iron cage, the bars marked with scratches.

Perhaps because Mo Shan was a beast hunter, his hands stained with too much beast blood, the cat beast, though eyes blazing with malice, only lowered its head, daring not to act.

Mo Shan frowned at the cat beast.

"Dad, what kind of beast is this? A cat?" Mo Hua asked.

"Too young to tell. Some beasts look vastly different as juveniles versus adults—it's hard to identify. But judging by its appearance, it's probably either a Night Cat or a Glow Cat."

"Are cat beasts among the fastest beasts?"

Mo Shan nodded. "Correct. Cat-type beasts aren't particularly strong physically, but they're swift and elusive—hard to deal with."

Mo Shan brought the cat beast in its iron cage to a side room in the house.

This side room had originally stored clutter; Mo Hua said he needed it, so Mo Shan cleared it out temporarily.

Mo Hua told Mo Shan his plan—he wanted to use the beast to practice his body movement.

Mo Shan had reservations, but agreed.

The cat beast was young and weak—perfect for practicing body movement. Otherwise, facing a full-grown beast directly, one misstep could mean being swallowed whole.

Still, Mo Shan warned: "Even young beasts can have potent innate abilities and deceptively cunning minds—don't let your guard down."

"Mm." Mo Hua nodded, took out several pieces of beef, and tossed them to the cat beast.

The cat beast eyed Mo Hua warily, sniffed the beef a few times, then devoured it ravenously.

Uncle Chu had caught the cat beast and, planning to kill it eventually, hadn't fed it.

After eating the beef, the cat beast's condition improved slightly.

"First, practice once. I'll watch from the side."

Mo Shan, still worried for Mo Hua's safety, stood by and said.

Mo Hua gently opened the iron cage.

The moment the cage door swung open, the previously weak cat beast's eyes suddenly blazed with malice—it vanished from Mo Hua's sight in an instant, reappearing with both sharp claws aimed straight for his eyes.

"Truly cunning and ruthless!"

Mo Hua was secretly startled, but this was still within his expectations.

Mo Hua was at Qi Condensation Fifth Layer; his spiritual sense was already extraordinary. The cat beast, young and only early first-grade, moved with ghostly speed—but every motion was crystal clear in Mo Hua's spiritual sense.

Mo Hua tilted his head back, avoiding the cat beast's claws.

Still airborne, the cat beast adjusted its posture; the moment it landed, it shot toward Mo Hua like an arrow.

Mo Hua's gaze sharpened; he braced his hands on the ground, flipped lightly through the air, evading the cat beast beneath him.

But then, the cat beast suddenly vanished.

Mo Hua's pupils contracted; he focused his spiritual sense. Two breaths later, he sensed movement behind him.

Mo Hua sidestepped—but was a fraction too slow; a claw slashed out, leaving a streak of white light, tearing his sleeve and drawing a thin trail of blood.

The cat beast landed, licked the blood from its claws, its eyes blazing with even greater malice.

"Die!" Mo Shan roared, clenching his right hand, flames igniting as he prepared to crush the cat beast outright.

"Dad!" Mo Hua quickly stopped him. "It's just a light wound—no big deal."

Mo Shan's hand hung midair; he shook his head. "This vile creature has tasted human blood—it can't be spared."

"Dad, I'll keep it for just one month," Mo Hua insisted.

After all, young demonic beasts weren't easy to find. Most cultivators who encountered one—whether young or adult—would simply kill it on the spot.

Some demonic beasts, to keep their cubs from falling into a cultivator's hands, would even bite their own young to death.

Seeing Mo Shan frowned for a moment, then looked at Mo Hua's resolute gaze, sighed and withdrew his hand, saying:

"Fine, then we'll keep it for one month."

Then Seeing Mo Shan turned his head, looked at the cat demon, his gaze sharp as a sword. "But if this cat demon hurts you again, I'll crush it to death on the spot."

Intimidated by Seeing Mo Shan's presence, the cat demon curled up in a corner of the wall, trembling.

Mo Hua let out a breath of relief and said with a smile:

"Dad, don't worry. I was just careless just now."

Then Mo Hua said to the cat demon: "Behave yourself this month. Keep me company while I practice my movement technique. After one month, I'll let you go."

Hearing this, Seeing Mo Shan couldn't help but say: "Hua'er, demonic beasts can't understand human speech."

"What if it does understand?"

"Fine then…" Seeing Mo Shan saw that Mo Hua was being childlike, so he let it be.

"Keep the vine armor on, be careful of the demonic beast's innate demonic power. Also, if within this month this cat demon shows any sign of craving human blood, or its red eyes losing control, kill it sooner rather than later."

Seeing Mo Shan added another reminder.

Mo Hua listened carefully, silently committing it to memory, then nodded again and again.