Sparkling Flying Cat

The moon shone bright amid sparse stars.

At the foot of the sparsely populated Qinling Mountains, brilliant moonlight draped the earth like a gauzy veil. Even without streetlamps, they could roughly make out their surroundings.

What was more, after becoming a Beast Tamer and eating several spirit fish in succession, Chen Yuan's eyesight had improved far beyond what it had been before.

Walking at night no longer took any effort.

Chen Yuan and Zhang Hao crouched on the second-floor balcony of Uncle Zhao's house, the lights off, silent and motionless, as though they had melted into the night.

Looking down from this angle, they could see the restless Gray-Armored Mountain Pig and the towering Luminous Fruit Tree.

The night churned onward, and time slipped by.

In the pitch-black night sky,

A reddish-brown figure tore through the darkness, gliding into Uncle Zhao's farm like a ghost without making a sound.

The Sparkling Flying Cat landed soundlessly atop the Luminous Fruit Tree's crown. It folded its wing-like yellow membranes and looked down with black eyes—the clumsy, massive fat pig was still wandering beneath the tree.

"Neh."

The Sparkling Flying Cat tilted its head, feeling a trace of vexation.

Why was that hateful fellow still guarding this place?!

Thinking back to what had happened two days ago, the Sparkling Flying Cat puffed up in anger.

It was all that fellow's fault for getting in the way. Otherwise, it would have taken the fruit here long ago!

All its fault, all its fault, all its fault!

The more it thought about it, the angrier it grew. A furious look crossed the Sparkling Flying Cat's face as tiny currents suddenly flickered and flowed through the yellow air sacs on its cheeks, snapping it back to its senses.

No, no!

It could not expose itself yet!

The Sparkling Flying Cat hurriedly calmed down, drove away the violent currents, and began pondering a solution.

Taking the fruit directly definitely would not work. That hateful fellow would spot it.

Remembering how, when it had picked fruit in the tree, the Gray-Armored Mountain Pig had rammed the trunk with its body and shaken the whole tree so hard that it had nearly been rattled unconscious, the Sparkling Flying Cat's face turned green.

Bleurgh~

The sense of immersion was too strong. It swayed again and nearly fainted.

Sure enough, it could only use yesterday's method.

The Sparkling Flying Cat cocked its head and thought for a moment, deciding to lure the Gray-Armored Mountain Pig away first, then circle back to pick fruit—however much it could take, it would take.

Even if it could not pick it all, it could always come back next time to continue.

At that thought, the Sparkling Flying Cat smiled sweetly, happiness blooming across its face.

The next moment,

The Sparkling Flying Cat let out a soft breath. Its round black eyes became earnest and focused as it spread its wing-like yellow membranes. In an instant, electricity flickered.

Without further hesitation, the Sparkling Flying Cat stepped forward and leapt from the tree crown. Currents likewise surged through the yellow air sacs on its cheeks, echoing the yellow membranes that resembled a magical cloak, making for an even greater display.

The dazzling currents shattered the stillness of the lonely night sky.

The Sparkling Flying Cat danced through the air, electricity flashing all over its body. At once, it drew the furious glare of the Gray-Armored Mountain Pig below, which snorted and charged after it.

Stupid fellow!

Seeing the Gray-Armored Mountain Pig rushing toward it, the Sparkling Flying Cat secretly giggled. It controlled its flying speed while gradually moving away from Uncle Zhao's farm.

After clashing twice, the Sparkling Flying Cat knew full well that it could not fly too fast, or the Gray-Armored Mountain Pig would lose its desire to chase; nor could it fly too slowly, or the Gray-Armored Mountain Pig would catch it.

"Brother Yuan, what Extraordinary Creature is that?" Zhang Hao looked up at the Sparkling Flying Cat, confusion written across his face.

Chen Yuan examined it in the moonlight and shook his head. "I don't know."

"There are many unknown Extraordinary Creatures now. It's normal that we don't know," he added.

"I'll leave the rest to you two." Chen Yuan then turned to Spark and Cola.

"Chirp." Spark slowly nodded.

"Awoo!"

Cola was brimming with fighting spirit and had just opened its throat to answer loudly when Chen Yuan covered its mouth and warned, "Keep it down. Don't alert the enemy!"

"Awoo, awoo." Cola's eyes widened as it nodded repeatedly.

Then,

Spark spread its wings and soared high. Its orange-yellow figure shot into the night sky and vanished in the blink of an eye.

Cola had initially planned to jump directly down from the second floor, but when it poked its head out and saw the height, its legs trembled so badly that it abandoned the idea.

Taking the stairs was fast too.

Seeing the two little ones off to chase the Sparkling Flying Cat, Zhang Hao could not help feeling eager to join in. "I'm a Beast Tamer now, at least. How about I release the Gray-Armored Mountain Pig to lend a hand?"

Chen Yuan said flatly, "If the Gray-Armored Mountain Pig can keep up, go ahead and release it."

Zhang Hao immediately wilted. He first let out a long sigh, then said despondently, "My poor Gray-Armored Mountain Pig. Everyone looks down on you, yet you're the funniest one of all."

Chen Yuan did not laugh. Instead, he looked solemnly at Zhang Hao. "Haozi, pet beasts are very intelligent. They listen carefully to every word you say."

Zhang Hao's expression shifted slightly.

"Sometimes it may be a joke, but if the other party doesn't find it funny and even feels offended by it, then it's..." Chen Yuan trailed off.

Zhang Hao pressed his lips together, his usual playful grin gone. He nodded heavily. "I'll pay attention to that."

Chen Yuan said, "There are no useless pet beasts, only useless Beast Tamers."

Zhang Hao: "..."

Elsewhere,

"Neh, neh."

Seeing that they were getting farther and farther from Uncle Zhao's farm while the Gray-Armored Mountain Pig behind it was still snorting and chasing desperately, the Sparkling Flying Cat wore the look of someone whose scheme had succeeded and abruptly stopped in midair.

Enough, enough. Time to turn back and pick fruit.

The Sparkling Flying Cat thought happily as it prepared to turn around. Then, from the corner of its eye, it suddenly caught sight of an incomparably swift blaze piercing the dense night and roaring straight toward it!

"Neh!"

The Sparkling Flying Cat was startled. Its pupils trembled as it tried to control its shivering body and dodge the sudden attack, but the terror in its heart suppressed its instinctive reaction, leaving it frozen stupidly in place.

The surging firelight drew nearer and nearer. A scorching heat rushed head-on, and the raging flames swallowed its entire vision in an instant.

Bang!

The flame skimmed right past the Sparkling Flying Cat. The blistering heat wave ravaged its body, and thinking it had been hit, the Sparkling Flying Cat let out a scream and fell toward the ground.

"Chirp?"

Spark frowned in midair, looking puzzled.

That Flame Surge had been purely meant as a warning. It had clearly not struck the Sparkling Flying Cat's body, so why had it still fallen?

Spark could not make heads or tails of it. It could only fold its wings and slowly descend to the ground, staring at the unconscious Sparkling Flying Cat in deep thought.

A moment later,

Cola and the Gray-Armored Mountain Pig arrived one after another.

Cola examined the Sparkling Flying Cat with its eyes closed, then looked at Spark. "Awoo, awoo?"

Did you kill it?

Master told us to bring it back alive.

Hearing that, Spark's brow furrowed even deeper. It let out a low chirp. "Chirp, chirp."

No. My attack clearly didn't hit it.

It... it seemed to have fainted from fright.

Spark's answer was full of uncertainty. Even it began to doubt its control over its own skill.

It had clearly deliberately avoided its body when attacking.

"Snort, snort."

The Gray-Armored Mountain Pig glared fixedly at the motionless Sparkling Flying Cat. Its front hooves continuously pawed at the ground, hot breath puffed from its nostrils, and its thin pig tail swished from side to side.

A powerful grudge was gathering.