The Cat Is Here

Zhang Tao grabbed Li Zhen in a tight embrace. He could afford not to care about Nan Yunyue, but Li Zhen absolutely couldn't be allowed to run off. Li Zhen was his own personal bodyguard. If he ran away, Zhang Tao wouldn't dare go wild.

"Damn it!" Being suddenly grabbed like that gave Li Zhen goosebumps. He swore, then sent Zhang Tao flying with an elbow strike. With a look of disgust, he said, "Get the hell away from me."

Nan Yunyue found the sight unbearable too. Since when had Zhang Tao become so shameless? And why did he have to drag Li Zhen along?

Zhang Tao rubbed his chest. He couldn't help it; Li Zhen's blow had hurt.

"You old punk, would you have come if there weren't something in it for you? Quit trying to pull the wool over my eyes!" Nan Yunyue snorted. She thought Zhang Tao was trying to fool her.

"Really! I know there's a cat over there. Look, I bought all this Cat Food just for it!" Zhang Tao shrugged and opened his big sack.

Nan Yunyue glanced inside. Well, would you look at that—it really was Cat Food. Had Zhang Tao come all the way to the Catacombs just to look for a cat?

Li Zhen was at a loss for words too. He really had come to find a cat? And what for? Li Zhen didn't understand. Zhang Tao said, "I can't say much more. Li Hanhan, trust me. We have to make this trip, no matter what. As for Nan Yunyue, you can't come. You're too weak. If we run into a monster or something, you won't be able to escape."

Nan Yunyue's enthusiasm immediately faded. Zhang Tao was right. With such a long journey ahead, her fifth-rank strength would only hold them back.

"Then I'll wait here. I want to see what kind of cat has you so worked up!" Nan Yunyue snorted and left. She wasn't planning to go anywhere for a while; she intended to stay in the Magic City Catacombs.

Zhang Tao paid her no mind and said, "Let's get going."

With that, he slung a sack of Cat Food over his shoulder and set off. Li Zhen had no choice but to shoulder a sack of his own and follow beside him. "You'd better not be trying to fool me. Otherwise, I'll break your legs!"

The two of them left Hope City. Zhang Tao said, "This way. Don't go wandering off."

Li Zhen was baffled. "What the hell? Aren't we going to that place? Why aren't we going this way?"

He didn't say it out loud; there were too many people around.

Zhang Tao rolled his eyes, grabbed Li Zhen, and ran toward the rear. That way was close to the Forbidden Sea. Zhang Tao had no intention of going through the Catacombs. There were too many King Cities there; who knew how they'd end up dying if they went that way? They were better off sticking to the edge of the Forbidden Sea with Li Zhen.

That was why Zhang Tao had insisted on bringing Li Zhen along.

"You damn..." Li Zhen was speechless. No wonder Zhang Tao had dragged him along. He still didn't know why the Mental Power Avatar his Old Ancestor had given him let him recklessly probe the edge of the Forbidden Sea, but it was certainly a good thing. At the very least, Li Zhen had a way to protect himself now.

"This route is safer, but it's a lot longer," Zhang Tao said. Then he froze. They hadn't gone far when he spotted a cat basking in the sun.

Its fur was fiery red, and it had the build of a big orange cat. It was lazily soaking up the sun.

"Cat! A cat!" Li Zhen suddenly cried out. They'd only just set out to look for one, and there it was.

Zhang Tao rolled his eyes. He wasn't blind. How could he miss a cat that huge?

When Zhang Tao and Li Zhen saw the cat, it saw them too. Grey Cat stood up and tilted its head as it looked at them. "Are you the ones bringing Cat something delicious? I can tell someone's going to bring me a treat. I've been waiting forever!"

Zhang Tao froze. Good grief, the cat could even sense that? It was incredible. He wasn't a powerhouse on the Origin Dao, yet this cat had sensed what he was thinking.

"Hehe, you must be Grey Cat. I've read about you in ancient books. As it happens, I've brought plenty of delicious food!" Zhang Tao ran over with a beaming smile and opened his sack.

Grey Cat looked at Zhang Tao and asked in a childish voice, "You know who Cat is?" But soon, its attention was drawn to what Zhang Tao had brought.

"What's this?" Grey Cat asked curiously, pawing through Zhang Tao's things.

"It's Cat Food. Cats outside eat this nowadays. Try some!" Zhang Tao said, then specially opened a can.

Grey Cat didn't hesitate. It tipped the contents straight into its mouth, and its eyes immediately curved into crescents. After savoring the taste, it said, "This is so good! Do cats outside eat this well now? They're so lucky."

Zhang Tao nodded vigorously and said, "That's not all. There are all kinds of new things, but I don't have any storage gear. Otherwise, I'd have brought them all to you."

At that, Grey Cat's eyes narrowed. The stuff was just too delicious; it was the first time it had ever tasted anything like it. Thinking that all the cats outside got to eat it while it didn't made things feel a little unfair.

"Li Zhen, hurry up and bring your stuff over. Don't just stand there!" Zhang Tao shouted.

Li Zhen responded and hurried over. A cat that could talk—good grief, it was probably a high-rank monster.

When Li Zhen opened his sack, revealing all kinds of Cat Food inside, Grey Cat's eyes lit up even more. It glanced at Li Zhen and said, "You have the aura of an annoying old man on you, but since you brought Cat Cat Food, Cat will forgive you!"

Those words left Li Zhen completely confused. What did that mean? He didn't get it.

Zhang Tao knew, though. Grey Cat must have sensed the aura of the Heaven Suppressing King on Li Zhen. After all, the Heaven Suppressing King had once robbed it. The cat might not say anything, but it knew—and remembered. Sometimes, this cat could be quite nasty.

Grey Cat swallowed all the food in one gulp so it could eat it slowly later.

"You treated me to Cat Food, so I'll treat you to a big fish. Then we'll be even!" Grey Cat said. It took out a fishing rod and cast it straight into the Forbidden Sea. In less than a second, it had hooked a Rank 9 giant fish and jabbed it dead with the rod before it even reached shore.

The enormous Rank 9 monster landed right in front of the two men. Its aura was so powerful that even Zhang Tao and Li Zhen couldn't help taking several steps back. Fortunately, the fish demon was dead; otherwise, the two of them might not have been able to withstand the pressure.

"Want me to roast it for you?" Grey Cat asked, blinking its big eyes. Zhang Tao and Li Zhen weren't doing anything, so it kindly offered.

Zhang Tao quickly shook his head. As if! This was a Rank 9 monster, and its Heart Core and Brain Core were still inside. They could be used to forge a Rank 9 Divine Weapon. Roasting it would be such a waste.

"Thanks, Brother Cat. But, Brother Cat, what will you do when you want Cat Food again?" Zhang Tao asked. After all, Grey Cat had just said the big fish made them even, and that wasn't the outcome Zhang Tao wanted.