Chapter 43.1 Cat Killing 03
<Previous Chapter<Table of Contents>Next Chapter>
The big black cat let out a sharp screech, and all the cats below turned their heads. Their glowing green eyes stood out in the dark. They stayed still and stared directly at Chen Yang and Mao Xiaoli.
Cats weren’t afraid of people, especially those that worship the moon and had a bit of spirituality. Mao Xiaoli whispered to Chen Yang, “Brother Chen, I’m scared. Should we leave?”
Chen Yang took a step forward, and the cats below moved their eyes. After thinking for a moment, he threw his flashlight into the group of cats. Suddenly, the chubby black cat growled and meowed, and the other cats scattered in all directions. They disappeared into the woods, leaving only the chubby black cat in front.
The chubby black cat sat in front, looking directly into Chen Yang’s eyes without fear. Its calm disposition felt strange and mysterious. Mao Xiaoli followed Chen Yang and approached, recognizing the chubby black cat and exclaimed, “Chonky?!”
The chubby black cat wagged its tail and glanced at Mao Xiaoli, showing a proud and disdainful expression on its chubby face. Chen Yang turned back and asked Mao Xiaoli, “Do you know it?”
“Yes.” Mao Xiaoli nodded with mixed feelings. “This is the famous internet cat at our school, Chonky. It weighs over twenty kilograms and shows up at the campus cafeteria three times a day, waiting for food. It eats everything, never gets sick, and leaves without letting anyone touch it. It’s very aloof. If someone tries to touch it, it gives a cold look and drives them away. It gained internet fame for being heavy, lazy, aloof, mysterious, and merciless. It has many followers.”
She couldn’t understand why a fat cat like that had so many devoted fans!
The chubby black cat glanced at Mao Xiaoli, casually flicked its tail, and licked its fur. Chen Yang squatted in front of it, stroking his chin and observing for a while before asking, “Are you a creature who became a spirit through worshipping the moon or a cat ghost who worships the moon?”
The chubby black cat remained unfazed, lifting its hind leg to continue grooming. Chen Yang looked at it in surprise and said, “You haven’t been neutered yet?” Upon hearing this, the chubby black cat finally froze, although one couldn’t tell from its weight and rolls of fat.
Chen Yang laughed and took out a box of fried small fish from his backpack. He opened it, and the smell of the fish filled the air. Mao Xiaoli squatted down, amazed. “Brother Chen, did you bring fried small fish?” As she spoke, she reached out, took one, and took a bite. It was crispy outside and tender inside.
“When I heard about what happened at school, I figured you would come here, so after eating, I bought a bag of small fish and fried them. It came in handy.”
Hearing this, Mao Xiaoli glanced at Chen Yang. “Brother Chen, did you secretly come here prepared with fried small fish because you heard there are many cats in Lychee Garden? Even if I didn’t invite you, you would have come secretly.”
“Nonsense. It was just a coincidence.” Chen Yang handed a small fish to the chubby black cat’s mouth. It took it and ate, but showed no signs of wanting to get closer. Chen Yang continued to feed it and asked, “Tell me, was the girl who was attacked on the small path in Lychee Garden last night a victim of human or cat voodoo?”
Mao Xiaoli was surprised by Chen Yang’s question. Wasn’t he afraid that Chonky, being a cat from the same group, would deceive them?
Chen Yang: “Cats have a distant nature and don’t hold strong notions of kinship. Moreover, for a cat ghost that has been alive for who knows how many years, teaching the cats in Lychee Garden to worship the moon is simply just a way to avoid the hassle of managing them. The cat ghost wouldn’t go so far as to shelter ordinary cats it doesn’t know, especially if they are causing harm to humans.”
He continued to feed Chonky while speaking. Chonky remained unfazed and calmly continued eating the small fish, showing no signs of being influenced. It was difficult for Mao Xiaoli to believe that it was an intelligent cat ghost. She even suspected that Chen Yang was tricking Chonky. However, Chonky was indeed cunning and didn’t resemble an ordinary cat.
“Brother Du never reveals his emotions and never expresses likes or dislikes towards anyone or anything. Oh, except for me. I’m the exception.” He patted Mao Xiaoli’s hand reaching for the small fish and said, “You’ve eaten too much, it might cause indigestion.” Then he turned to Chonky and spoke gently, “But Brother Du has a negative view of cats. I was curious, so I asked. Brother Du mentioned that he had encountered a fat, foolish, gluttonous, and lazy cat ghost before.”
The frequency of Chonky’s tail flicking increased, and with a meow, it swiftly snatched the small fish from Chen Yang’s lunchbox and dashed into the forest, disappearing quickly.
Mao Xiaoli exclaimed, her mouth wide open, “Did it truly become a spirit? It seems to be afraid of Du Shuo.”
Chen Yang closed the lid of the lunchbox and put it back in his bag, then stood up and said, “Let’s go back.”
Mao Xiaoli caught up and asked, “Are you sure it was a cat ghost and not something done by a person?”
“It got scared and ran away as soon as it heard Brother Du’s name,” Chen Yang pondered. “As for whether it’s a cat ghost or done by a person, it’s still up for debate. Although cats don’t prioritize kinship, they can lie if their interests or lives are at stake. After all, cats are very cunning… Has anyone ever tried to keep Chonky as a pet?”
“…Yes. All of them failed.”
“Oh.” Chen Yang nodded, then he left. Mao Xiaoli watched Chen Yang’s retreating figure and once again confirmed that he was undoubtedly a cat lover! He must have been captivated by Chonky. No cat lover could resist the domineering aura of Chonky. Mao Xiaoli had long been disappointed with the integrity of cat lovers and never had any expectations.
Chen Yang returned to the branch office, wearing a white towel after taking a shower. He brought a chair and sat across from Du Shuo. Du Shuo casually flipped through channels with a remote control, but when he saw Chen Yang sitting in front of him, his gaze fell on Chen Yang’s damp hair. “Come closer, turn around.”
Chen Yang pulled the chair closer to Du Shuo, his back facing him, his hands propped on the corners of the chair. Du Shuo took the towel from Chen Yang’s hands and started drying his damp hair. It was their routine. Chen Yang didn’t like to dry his hair after washing, and water droplets would trickle down his hair and into his collar, making it uncomfortable. However, he disliked using a hairdryer or towel-drying his hair.
Du Shuo couldn’t stand it and would often help him dry his hair. Over time, it became a habit. Whenever Chen Yang finished showering, Du Shuo would coincidentally come out with a towel to find him. The towel absorbed the water droplets from his hair, and the motion of drying his hair was just right, quite pleasant. Chen Yang squinted slightly and asked, “Brother Du, you still haven’t said why you dislike cats. You mentioned seeing a cat ghost before. Was it the big black cat in Xiaoli’s school?”
“I didn’t say I dislike cats.”
“You’re lying.” Chen Yang wrinkled his nose. “Earlier in the evening, you mentioned that cats are wicked, cunning, and vengeful. Those are strong words expressing negative emotions. Even when faced with a tremendously evil ghost, you’ve never used similar words. You definitely dislike cats.”
“If you say I dislike them, then I dislike them.”
“You’re being dismissive.” Chen Yang instinctively wanted to turn his head, but Du Shuo held him in place and told him not to move. “Then tell me, how did you come to know that cat ghost? You surely dislike that cat ghost, right? Tell me quickly. I’m not aware of many things about you, but they must be related to your past life, aren’t they?”
“What will you do if I don’t tell you?”
“If you don’t tell me, I won’t let you get on the bed.”
“You can’t stop me,” Du Shuo said coolly.
Chen Yang’s tone was even colder than his, “Can you get aroused without my cooperation?”
Du Shuo paused in drying his hair, turned his head to face Chen Yang, and said, “So, Chen Xiaoyang, are you demanding forced affection from me? Apparently, gentleness isn’t enough for you anymore.”
Chen Yang took a deep breath and stared at Du Shu., “What I meant was, without my cooperation, I can make you soften in a short period of time.”
“Can you?”
“I can!” Chen Yang stood tall and proud, feeling his masculine abilities being belittled, so he grabbed Du Shuo and wanted to test it. Du Shuo tapped his head and said, “What are you fussing about? Your hair isn’t dry yet.”
Chen Yang instantly deflated, kicked Du Shuo’s foot, but Du Shuo stared back expressionlessly. Chen Yang obediently turned around to dry his hair and said, “Husband, can you tell me, please?”
“Don’t be so clingy. Don’t think about doing anything until your hair is dry.”
Chen Yang became frustrated. “Am I trying to initiate intimacy? I want you to tell me about the cat voodoo. Will you tell me? If not, I’ll sleep downstairs tonight!”
Sleeping in separate rooms was the last resort. Du Shuo couldn’t help but miss the obedient Chen Yang right after they got married. Back then, Chen Yang treated him more like a father than a husband. His eyes were filled with adoration, extremely well-behaved, and followed his every word.
Chen Yang sighed softly, “And then you made me call you ‘husband’ in bed.” He paused for a moment before adding a remark, “Beast.”
Du Shuo simply lifted Chen Yang up and placed him in his lap. Chen Yang struggled, his face cold as he said, “Let go, my hair isn’t dry yet.” Although he resisted, his struggle wasn’t too forceful, clearly contradicting his words.
“It’s not something particularly special. You previously mentioned about the calamity caused by cat voodoos during the Sui and Tang dynasties before, which led to people’s dislike of cat ghosts and similar creatures.” Du Shuo effortlessly held Chen Yang in his arms, turning him around to face away and resumed drying his hair. While drying, he explained, “During the reign of Emperor Yang of Sui, the sister-in-law of Empress Dou, Dugu Tuo, had a maidservant named Xu A’ni who kept a cat ghost. Dugu Tuo sought wealth and directed his schemes towards Empress Dou, causing her to suffer from the invasion of the cat ghost.”
Chen Yang nodded, “I know. It’s recorded in both unofficial historical accounts and official historical records. So far, it’s one of the most credible pieces of evidence for the existence of cat ghosts.”
Nowadays, hardly anyone practices the craft of creating cat voodoo. Throughout several dynasties, bans were imposed on keeping cat ghosts as pets, resulting in the discontinuation of their lineage. While some families still worship ancestral cat ghosts, although they bring fortune, they also bring misfortune. Those who keep cat ghosts rarely receive good fortune, and over time, the lineage was severed. Therefore, despite the records of cat ghost in the field of ghost studies, Chen Yang had never truly encountered one.
However, Ma Shanfeng claimed to have seen a Furry Ghost Deity in Chengji County, which was likely a cat ghost. He said that the cat ghost had been passed down through generations in that family, serving them by transporting wealth and causing the deaths of many. The family should have been wiped out, but they used some dark sorcery to transfer their sins onto others. Consequently, when the cat ghost was killed, the family suffered in turn, facing an extremely tragic fate.
“After the incident with Dugu Tuo’s cat ghost, Emperor Yang of Sui was furious. He launched an extensive investigation into cat ghost keepers in the capital, implicating thousands of households and tens of thousands of people. Many lives were lost, and others were banished. During the reign of Emperor Gaozong of Tang, a similar incident occurred, where numerous people were implicated due to the outbreak of cat voodoo and cholera in the palace. That period was bustling with activities in the underworld, dealing with countless lost souls and wandering ghosts, distinguishing who was innocent and who was wronged. It added a lot of workload. Eventually, when the cat ghosts were caught, their souls were refined, breaking free from the cycle of reincarnation and falling under someone’s control. It was difficult to pass judgment on their sins. Those cat ghosts were incredibly cunning, even trying to deceive me.”
“So, you were successfully deceived and that’s why you despise cat ghosts even more?”
Du Shuo’s gaze turned cold and fierce. “In the six realms of existence, no soul can deceive the Great Emperor of Fengdu!”
“Huh?”
Du Shuo snapped back to reality. “What I meant to say is that the Great Emperor of Fengdu can pass judgment on cat ghosts. No matter how cunning they are, they can’t deceive him. However, later on, while being escorted to the underworld, a cat ghost tricked the ghost officials and escaped to the mortal realm, hiding and accumulating merits. Normally, merits and wrongdoings can offset each other, but the crimes committed by the cat ghost are truly hard to balance against its merits, making it necessary to allow it to linger in the mortal realm until its merits were exhausted before being escorted back to the underworld. That’s why I say it’s cunning and wicked.”
“Oh,” Chen Yang nodded. Suddenly, he grabbed the towel on his head, turned around, and stared at Du Shuo intently. After a moment, he asked, “Brother Du, so you’re from before the Sui and Tang dynasties, about 1,400 years old. That’s so ancient. I’m not even a fraction of your age. But when I call you ‘old and unkempt,’ you refuse to acknowledge it and keep wearing that cold expression. How can you have the audacity to be cold-faced with me when it’s clear that you’re much older than me?”
Chen Yang embraced Du Shuo with both hands, their noses touching. Teasingly, he wiggled his body like a restless doll, playfully swaying and flicking Du Shuo’s little tail, both annoying and amusing him.
Suddenly, Du Shuo bit onto Chen Yang’s mouth, sealing it shut, preventing him from speaking. He was already much older than Chen Yang. He called his little wife “little wife” every day because Chen Yang was truly young. Chen Yang’s age didn’t even amount to a fraction of his own, and he himself couldn’t recall how he had agreed to the marriage proposal in the first place, let alone truly regarding Chen Yang as his wife.
After the kiss, Chen Yang rested his head on Du Shuo’s shoulder and said, “You’ve been serving in the underworld for 1,400 years, and you’re still just a little ghost official?”
Du Shuo’s expression slightly stiffened. “Haven’t I been promoted recently?”
“That was only recently.”
“Accumulating merits is not easy, and being a ghost official is already challenging, let alone getting promoted,” Du Shuo quickly changed the subject. “Yangyang, if someone deceived you, what would you do?”
“It depends on the situation.”
“What do you mean?”
“If someone unrelated deceives me, I’ll just vent my anger by giving them a beating. But if it’s you who deceives me, it also depends on the circumstances.”
“What do you mean by ‘depends on the circumstances’?”
“It depends on the extent of your deception. In a minor case, we might argue and vent our frustrations, and then everything would be fine. In a major case, divorce might be on the table.”
“No.” Du Shuo’s expression turned serious. “Regardless of what I do, you can vent your anger in any way you want, except for divorce.” He softened his tone. “Besides, I wouldn’t deceive you. Even if I did, it would always be for your own good. Or sometimes, I might think it’s unnecessary to tell you something, leading to misunderstandings that keep growing, but it wouldn’t be intentional deception.”
Chen Yang leaned back, staring at Du Shuo with suspicion. “Did you deceive me?”
“No, just an example.”
“Really?”
“Hmm.” Du Shuo maintained a calm expression, meeting Chen Yang’s gaze directly. Chen Yang slowly dispelled his doubts, considering that Du Shuo’s character would never resort to such lowly deceitful tactics. As a result, he smiled with relief and said, “Brother Du, do you think it’s possible for us to have a cat as a pet?”
“Impossible. It’s never going to happen in this lifetime,” he declared firmly. His lifetime was long, very long indeed.
“Oh.” Chen Yang lowered his gaze, his fingers toying with the hem of Du Shuo’s garment, somewhat disregarding Du Shuo’s words as mere whispers in his ears.
“Chen Xiaoyang, I’m serious. Having a cat, especially a cat ghost, is out of the question. Get rid of any thoughts about it from your mind!”
Chen Yang lifted his gaze and planted a kiss on the corner of Du Shuo’s lips. Du Shuo maintained a stern face and stared at him. Chen Yang leaned in and kissed him twice more, causing the rigid lines on Du Shuo’s face to soften slightly. Holding Du Shuo’s face, he proceeded to kiss from the left side to the right, from the top to the bottom, completing a round of kisses before obediently asking, “Still mad?”
How could anyone stay mad in such a situation? Du Shuo’s mind was clouded with desire now, completely dismissing any objections to owning a cat, especially a cat ghost. That’s why, when facing Du Shuo, if soft words didn’t resolve the issue, a kiss would be added, and if one kiss wasn’t enough, a hundred more would follow.
Chen Yang smiled brightly and kissed Du Shuo’s lips, knowing that would surely do the trick.
If you enjoy this novel, support the Translator ginevre on her ko-fi account :))
<Previous Chapter<Table of Contents>Next Chapter>
