Chapter 30

Qingyao stopped crying the moment the cat approached her.

She carefully reached out her cold, small hand to touch it, but the cat dodged, twisting its body away. It paced around her, sniffing the air as if verifying something. Yet, the more it sniffed, the more wary the cat became, and it slowly began to back away.

*Strange. Why does this human cub carry the scent of a Great Demon?*

Seeing the cat retreat, Qingyao instinctively crawled toward it. But the cat was below the steps, and as she reached the edge, the ground was wet. Her hand, coated in cold water, stung as if sliced by a blade. She quickly pulled back, her eyes brimming with tears, and she began to sob again with a pouting lip.

The cat let out a soft, melodic mew. Its round eyes remained fixed on Qingyao, looking deeply concerned for the cub.

Qingyao wailed, and the wind caught her falling tears, making her face sting. Cold and damp all over, Qingyao—who had never experienced such discomfort—felt wronged to the extreme, and her cries grew louder.

*This will attract humans.*

Not all humans are kind; they might take her away from her parents to a place where she could never be found.

Libai was very experienced in this regard. She had seen far too many cases of humans snatching up kittens, and she feared this human cub might be taken away if left alone.

Libai looked at her, torn. She wanted to leave but could not bring herself to abandon the child. After pacing in a circle, she jumped back up the steps to Qingyao, rubbed her tail against the girl’s arm, and tilted her head to lick the tear tracks off her face.

The soft, warm touch was familiar and comforting. Qingyao turned, reached out, and pulled Libai tightly into her embrace.

Qingyao rubbed her face frantically against the cat’s head, whimpering while mimicking the sounds of a kitten—it sounded almost identical to the real thing.

Pressed down, Libai felt a bit suffocated and wanted to bolt, but the sound of the crying made her hesitate.

*It’s too cold here. I must get the cub out of here immediately.*

After letting the girl hug her for a moment, Libai twisted her waist and wriggled free. She nuzzled the cub’s arm to urge her to follow. Qingyao was used to playing with foxes and understood the body language well; she quickly followed the cat as it crawled toward the side.

This area was outside the range of the hallway surveillance cameras, and the lighting was much dimmer.

Qingyao paused, looking at the cat in confusion. The next second, she saw the slender cat begin to stretch and grow, transforming into the size of a large dog. Its thin body filled out, becoming rounded. The large cat grabbed her by the nape of her neck, trying to lift her, but it underestimated the weight of the cub. Well-fed every day, Qingyao was a little dumpling, and Libai failed to lift her after several attempts.

Giving up, the cat stood on its hind legs and meowed at her twice.

Qingyao knew this gesture well. She quickly climbed onto its back, flipped her legs over, wrapped her arms around the cat’s neck, and rested her chin on the top of its head.

This was how the foxes usually carried her at home.

The long-lost sensation made the cub briefly forget her troubles, and a smile appeared on her face.

Libai felt the weight on her back with some confusion. The scent of the Great Demon still clinging to the cub made her extremely uncomfortable. *Is she the Great Demon’s rations? Did she run away? Will the Great Demon be angry if I take her like this?*

Libai vaguely felt that taking this cub would bring danger, but she could not leave her here.

The weather was too cold; even an adult cat could freeze to death in these conditions, and a human cub who couldn't walk and wasn't dressed warmly was in even greater peril.

The city did not seem to have heard rumors of the Great Demon killing anyone yet. She hoped that what she was doing would not result in something bad.

With the cub on her back, Libai ran forward at full speed.

The night wind was biting. Qingyao lay flat against the large cat’s back, having no idea where she was being taken.

After running for an unknown amount of time, the cat slowed down. A yellow dog appeared beside them—a common, scruffy-looking stray from the countryside, thin but spirited, with ears standing tall and eyes that seemed to glow with intelligence.

The yellow dog looked at the human on her back and barked.

"Where did you get a human cub? Are you finally planning to prey on humans?"

Libai growled at it, "This is a cub I saved. Eating humans here? Do you want to be killed by them?"

The yellow dog’s expression softened, though its gaze remained on the cub. Qingyao, on the cat’s back, turned her head. Upon seeing that it was a dog, she lifted her head and began to bark back at it.

*It’s the yellow dog I’ve seen before.*

The yellow dog stared at her. The cub looked slightly familiar, but it couldn't quite remember where it had seen her.

"Where are you taking her? Where are her parents?"

"I don't know. I found her outside."

"An abandoned child? You could take her to the police station; the humans there will find her a new home. Or are you planning to keep her?" The yellow dog blocked Libai’s path.

Libai stopped. "Stupid dog, can't you smell it? The scent on her."

The yellow dog leaned in close to the cub’s feet and sniffed. It jumped back several meters in shock. "The scent of a Great Demon! You stole the child of a Great Demon! Are you crazy?"

"This is a human cub—a human cub raised by a Great Demon. I found her under the corridor," Libai emphasized.

The yellow dog paced back and forth, contemplating. Months ago, it had encountered a Great Demon, and the sheer ferocity of it had left the dog terrified. Such encounters were rare decades ago, but in recent years, it had been strange; they had encountered many powerful, vengeful spirits. While demons had some capacity to resist ghosts, both the cat and dog valued their lives and had never faced them head-on, always fleeing at first sight. That was how they had survived until now.

Both knew that things would only get more dangerous. Their strength was too low; protecting themselves was barely manageable, let alone shielding anyone else.

Yet, they had many attachments. If only they could find a powerful and kind protector.

Such an opportunity was too hard to come by, and who could guarantee the Great Demon wouldn't use them as emergency rations?

The yellow dog stared at the plump Qingyao. This cub was very well-cared for; her arms were like segments of lotus root, and her cheeks were chubby. Clearly, she ate well.

"Fine. Take her back."

The two set off again. The city lights flashed in a kaleidoscope of colors, and they eventually stopped outside the perimeter wall of a residential complex. The landscaping was lush, remaining green even in winter.

Libai nimbly leaped over the high wall and followed a small path through the grass to a building. There was a basement on the lower level, though half of it was above ground, with iron bars on the high windows to keep people out.

The inside was dark, but the faint sound of many cats could be heard.

The large cat instinctively tried to jump onto the window, but halfway up, she realized she was carrying a child and couldn't squeeze through. She had to flick her tail and head toward the door.

The iron gate was locked. The cat stood aside and meowed. The yellow dog leaped high, and through some method, the lock clicked open.

As they entered, a strange odor hit them—a damp, cold mustiness, the scent of cats, and a faint stench.

The room erupted with a chorus of sounds; there were at least seven or eight cats and dogs inside.

The floor was scattered with cushions, pillows, beanbags, cat trees, old clothes, and cardboard boxes. In the corner sat several bowls containing leftover cat food and gnawed bones.

This was clearly a sanctuary for stray cats and dogs.

All these cats had been brought back by Libai. The yellow dog usually thought she was overly sentimental, unable to stand seeing injured or abandoned kittens. The moment she saw one, she would bring it home. As soon as one was sent away, she would find another, forcing them to live here to look after the kittens, venturing out to forage for food every few days.

Of course, half of them had been brought here by the dog itself—it couldn't resist doing the same thing.

Libai nudged a gray cat curled up in sleep and placed the cub onto a cushion.

The displaced cat meowed in annoyance but didn't move far; it tucked its paws in and curled back up beside the cub.

Leaning against the warm, furry body of the cat, Qingyao’s cold, blue-tinged skin slowly began to warm up.

The yellow dog dragged over some old clothes with its mouth and covered the cub. When its paws brushed the girl’s icy hand, it lowered its head and licked her fingers, trying to warm her.

Wrapped in the clothes, Qingyao felt the damp heat on her hand. She poked her head out, looked at the yellow dog, and reached out to hug its head before it could pull away.

The yellow dog froze, not daring to move, allowing the cub to hold it.

Qingyao excitedly barked. She had wanted to touch the dog the last time she saw it, and now, she finally could.

The yellow dog stood stiffly for a moment, then lay down in front of the cub. It licked her hair, which was damp from the fog, and curled its body around her in a semi-circle, keeping her firmly enclosed.

Qingyao leaned against the dog’s belly and yawned.

Usually, even if she woke up halfway through the night, she would fall back asleep quickly, and it was already quite late.

She was sleepy again.

Qingyao closed her eyes, feeling as if she were back with the two demons. She held tightly to the yellow dog’s belly and drifted off to sleep in that semi-prone position.

Libai transformed back to her original size and let out a soft, tiny mew.

"I didn't expect you to like this human cub."

The yellow dog hated being touched by humans. When foraging, it would only let people it had known for a long time touch it, and it would never eat food offered by strangers, often scaring them off instead.

The yellow dog looked up at her.

"Aren't you the same? You never used to bring humans home."

Libai turned her head away. "You aren't with me all the time; how would you know I didn't?"

"Were you a pet cat before?"

Libai hissed at her, then quickly lowered her voice for fear of waking the cub. "So what if I was? Is it shameful to be a pet? I don't believe you haven't thought about acting cute for humans. That shopkeeper who always feeds you meat has been wanting to take you home for ages, and you were tempted, weren't you?"

The yellow dog let out a muffled rumble. "I was not. What’s so good about humans? They’re stingy and selfish. Who knows when they’ll just kick you out and discard you?"

It didn't want to experience the cycle of hope and disappointment; it preferred to remain a stray.

Libai asked softly, "If the opportunity arose, would you leave with me?"

The yellow dog didn't answer; even its rumbling purr ceased. It was unclear whether it had agreed or refused.