Spirit Ignition, Three Cats

Chapter 12: Igniting Three Cats

Qian Renxue was taken aback by this.

"Keep cats?"

"Yes."

Meow Meow flicked his tail, his tone very natural.

"This place of yours is hidden deep. It's not suitable to have too many people."

"But cats are different."

"They can guard the gate, patrol the courtyard, watch the herb garden, and they won't talk out of turn."

"If someone really does come, you can't always go greet them yourself, can you?"

Qian Renxue frowned in thought.

The more she thought about it, the more it seemed to make sense.

This villa was originally a secret property left by the Qian family on the outside.

If she let people in, whether from Martial Soul Hall or the Heaven Dou side, it wouldn't be very safe.

But if it were just a few cats, it would be much simpler.

Cats run around everywhere; no one would pay them any mind.

And cats wouldn't gossip.

Thinking this far, she looked up at Meow Meow.

"You want to use Sacred Flame Spirit Ignition on a few more Sacred Flame Spirit Cats here?"

Meow Meow nodded.

"Something like that."

"With a few guarding the place, you'll have less to worry about."

"If I come again later, I won't have to sneak through the formation every time."

Qian Renxue looked at him for a moment, then finally nodded.

"There are indeed three little stray cats that often come to the herb garden in the back mountain."

"They usually steal spirit rats from the edge of the garden, and they also squat outside the hot spring to sunbathe."

"I haven't bothered with them."

"If you want to try, go take a look."

As soon as she said this, a system prompt rang out in Meow Meow's mind.

[Ding, detected binding scenario "Qian Family Villa".] [Sacred Flame Spirit Ignition limit increased: 12→15.] [New slots: 3.]

Meow Meow's eyes lit up instantly.

Great!

Exactly three slots.

This system finally acted like a human... no, like a system for once.

"Let's go."

Meow Meow jumped down from the stone stool.

"Take me to see them."

Qian Renxue watched this white cat, who had been acting lazy just a moment ago, suddenly become full of energy. She didn't say anything and turned to head toward the back mountain.

Behind the villa was a small bamboo grove.

At the end of the bamboo grove was a modest herb garden.

By the edge of the garden were some small medicinal herbs she usually couldn't be bothered with. The truly valuable things were all in the inner courtyard; these outside were mostly just to nourish the soil.

And those three cats were often active around this area.

Just as Qian Renxue led Meow Meow to the edge of the bamboo grove, a rustling sound came from the grass ahead.

The next moment, two little cats poked their heads out.

One was completely black, but its four paws were white. Its eyes were bright, and its movements were quick.

The other was pure white, with a touch of light gray at the tips of its ears. Its fur was longer than the first one's, and it looked much quieter.

The two cats had originally wanted to pop out and see who had come.

But as soon as they saw Qian Renxue, their movements clearly paused.

Then, when they saw the white cat beside her, their expressions instantly changed.

As if a little afraid, yet also wanting to draw closer.

There was always a subtle, oppressive sense between the Sacred Flame Spirit Cat and ordinary cats.

Especially since Meow Meow's cultivation was now far above theirs.

It was normal for them to be nervous.

"Just two?"

Meow Meow narrowed his eyes and swept his spiritual power to the side.

He quickly discovered that there was an even weaker aura hidden in the crevice of a rock behind them.

"There's one more."

With that, he raised a paw and pointed at the rock.

"Come out on your own."

Qian Renxue was slightly startled.

She clearly hadn't noticed that there was another one hiding behind.

The next moment, a smaller kitten slowly crawled out from the rock crevice.

Its fur was a light milky gold, its belly pure white, and it was noticeably smaller than the other two. Its steps were a bit unsteady, as if it were the weakest of the three.

As soon as it came out, it first rubbed against the black cat beside it.

Clearly, they were familiar.

Qian Renxue glanced at the three kittens, her expression shifting slightly.

"I hadn't noticed this one before."

"It probably hides deep most of the time."

"It's too small, and too timid," Meow Meow said casually.

After speaking, he stepped forward and began to seriously examine the three little ones.

The black one was the most lively.

The white one was the most steady.

The last milky gold kitten, though the smallest, was the most clingy to the other two.

No need to guess—these three had grown up together.

"Not bad."

"The lineup is pretty complete."

"A guard, a medicine keeper, and a cute one—got them all."

When Qian Renxue heard the last part, she raised an eyebrow slightly.

"A cute one?"

Meow Meow was completely unashamed.

"Is there a problem?"

"When it comes to keeping cats, it's never just about function."

"Cuteness is also a skill."

Qian Renxue: "..."

She suddenly realized that she was getting more and more used to the strange things this cat occasionally said.

Meow Meow didn't dawdle any longer and got straight to work.

He first looked at the black cat.

"You first."

The black cat was clearly startled and instinctively wanted to retreat.

But for some reason, looking at Meow Meow's pale golden eyes, it stopped halfway.

Instead, it slowly shuffled forward two steps.

Meow Meow nodded in satisfaction.

"Not bad courage."

The next moment, he raised his paw, and a wisp of pale golden flame descended.

The flame was small.

And not hot.

When it landed on the black cat, it merely curled around it gently.

The black cat's fur instantly bristled slightly.

Then, the flame slowly sank into its body.

It stiffened at first, then the entire cat went still.

Its eyes gradually grew more lively.

A moment later, an extremely faint fire mark appeared on the black cat's forehead.

Though subtle, its aura was now completely different from before.

It looked down at itself, then up at Meow Meow, and its gaze clearly held a newfound closeness.

The system prompt chimed at the same time.

[Ding, Spirit Ignition successful.]

[Obtained: Sacred Flame Spirit Cat ×1]

Meow Meow was in a good mood and turned his gaze to the second white cat.

"You, come here too."

The white cat was much more obedient than the black one; it walked up almost as soon as he finished speaking.

Meow Meow raised his paw again.

A spark of Sacred Flame descended.

This time went even smoother.

The white cat only trembled lightly before completing the Spirit Ignition.

The fire mark on its forehead was slightly fainter than the black cat's, but its eyes were much gentler. As soon as the ignition finished, it walked over to Qian Renxue's feet and gently rubbed against her.

Qian Renxue looked down at it, and for the first time, a clear change appeared in her eyes.

"It..."

"Closer to you."

Meow Meow flicked his tail.

"Normal."

"This place of yours is naturally heavier with Light Soul Power, so it's easy for it to bond with you."

"Besides, it's going to be guarding your courtyard in the future. If it doesn't bond with you, should it bond with the Herb Garden?"

Qian Renxue listened and actually found it somewhat reasonable.

Finally, only the smallest milk-gold kitten remained.

But it was clearly much more nervous than the other two.

Though it knew it had to come forward, its four paws shuffled for a long time before it shrank back in place, too scared to move.

The black cat and white cat both turned to look at it.

"Meow."

"Mew."

It was like they were calling it over.

The little one still didn't dare.

Meow Meow watched its pitiful state and couldn't help but feel a bit amused inside.

"Your courage is really tiny."

Even so, he walked over himself.

Once in front of the little one, he didn't immediately perform the Spirit Ignition. Instead, he lowered his head and sniffed it first.

A very faint, very light scent of herbs.

Seems it had spent plenty of time wandering around the Herb Garden.

"Alright."

"Since you're this small, This Seat will do it personally."

He raised his paw and gently pressed it onto the milk-gold kitten's head.

This time, the firelight fell slower and softer.

The little one shuddered at first, then, as if sensing it wasn't unpleasant, slowly squinted its eyes.

When the Spirit Ignition finished, the fire mark on its forehead was actually the clearest of all, like a tiny warm light nestled in its fur.

And the first thing it did upon completing the ignition was lift its head and gently rub its forehead against Meow Meow's paw.

Meow Meow looked down at it, and his mood lifted a little.

"Not bad."

"At least it wasn't a waste."

"It knows to rub back."

The system prompt rang out again right after.

[Ding, Spirit Ignition successful.]

[Obtained: Sacred Flame Spirit Cat ×1]

[Ding, Spirit Ignition successful.]

[Obtained: Sacred Flame Spirit Cat ×1]

All three succeeded.

Meow Meow looked at the three kittens before him—one black, one white, one cream-gold—and felt a wave of relief wash through him.

This trip to Yujing... no, to this place, hadn't been a waste after all.

Meanwhile, Qian Renxue stood to the side, watching the entire process with keen attention.

It wasn't that she lacked experience.

Rather, this transformation from ordinary cat to Sacred Flame Spirit Cat was simply too direct.

Soul power changed.

Their eyes changed.

Even the wildness and wariness that had been there before were replaced by an indescribable intelligence.

She had known before that Meow Meow could perform Spirit Ignition.

But seeing it with her own eyes was still completely different from hearing about it.

"Is this your method?" she finally asked.

"Pretty much."

Meow Meow didn't intend to explain in detail. He simply gathered the three cats over to his side naturally.

Then, he looked up at Qian Renxue.

"Alright."

"Now it's time to name them."

With that, he turned to the black cat first.

"From now on, you're Ink Shadow."

The black cat's ears perked up, clearly remembering.

"You're White Dew."

The white cat let out a soft "mew."

"As for you—"

Meow Meow looked down at the cream-gold kitten, thought for a moment, and gave his tail a light flick.

"You'll be A Yu."

The little one blinked its eyes. Though it didn't fully understand, it still let out a happy cry.

"Mew!"

Qian Renxue listened from the side, her brow twitching slightly.

"You name them quickly."

Meow Meow looked up at her.

"It's just naming, not picking a soul skill name for a spirit."

"As long as it's good enough to call them by."

With that, he nudged the three cats toward Qian Renxue.

"From now on, these three stay with you."

"Ink Shadow patrols the courtyard at night. White Dew follows you. A Yu watches the Herb Garden and the hot spring first, and learns the layout along the way."

"With them here, at least when you come back, the courtyard won't feel so cold and empty."

Qian Renxue looked at the three cats before her, silent for two breaths, then gave a slight nod.

"Alright."

That single "alright" was very soft.

But Meow Meow could still hear her satisfaction.

Then again.

Who could refuse three newly awakened kittens that already knew how to rub against people?

Not to mention that White Dew had already run over to nuzzle her ankle again.

In the end, Qian Renxue couldn't hold back. She bent down and picked up White Dew.

Her movements weren't exactly practiced.

But it was already clearly much smoother than when he first picked up Meow Meow.

Meow Meow watched from the side, his tail flicking lightly.

"Very good."

"At this rate, the first young master of Martial Soul Hall to be healed by a cat won't be far off."

Thinking this, he suddenly felt that his earlier words about "turning Martial Soul Hall into a home" weren't entirely impossible.

At least now, the Pope's Palace had a cat.

Qian Renxue's place also had a cat.

And further on...

"Forget it."

"One step at a time. Don't get carried away."

Even as he thought this, Meow Meow naturally hopped back onto the stone bench under the eaves.

Sitting there, he started pondering other things.

A few fruits still remained in the jade plate.

The Herb Garden was still there.

The hot spring was still there.

Three cats had appeared in the courtyard.

And in the system, there were still four gift packs unopened.

Thinking this, Meow Meow's paws itched.

But Qian Renxue was still right there; he couldn't suddenly zone out and open the system in front of her.

That would be too weird.

So he had to suppress the urge for now, pretending to be nonchalant as he stared at the fruits.

Staring, he suddenly remembered something.

This place now had three cats, that was true.

But three clearly weren't enough.

The side courtyard was spacious enough.

But it still lacked some liveliness.

Especially compared to the East Side Courtyard, the difference was stark.

There, cats chased their tails during the day, patrolled the courtyard at night, and kittens tumbled around by the warm nests.

Here, it was quiet, truly quiet, but too quiet.

So quiet it almost had no trace of life.

Thinking this, Meow Meow suddenly looked up at Qian Renxue.

"Qinghe."

"Hm?"

"Don't you plan to keep more in the future?"

Qian Renxue was looking down at White Dew and raised her head at the words.

"Keep what?"

"Cats."

Meow Meow said it as if it were obvious.

"You can't just rely on these three, right?"

"In a while, if I'm not here, this place will still be too empty."

Qian Renxue looked at him, not answering right away.

Meow Meow didn't rush to say more either.

He just lightly tapped the stone bench with his tail, as if mentioning it casually.

"Forget it."

"We'll talk about it later."

"Let them get familiar with the place first."

With that, he slowly closed his eyes.

On the surface, he looked sleepy.

But in truth, his mind had already sunk into the system interface.

Four gift packs.

Finally, he could open them.