Cat Group Is Not a Cat Den

Chapter 18: A Cat Group, Not a Cat Nest

By the time Qian Renxue returned, it was already evening.

She was still in the guise of Xue Qinghe.

Robes neatly arranged, expression gentle.

From the outside, she was entirely that warm and courteous Crown Prince of the Heaven Dou Empire.

But once inside the Clear Radiance Pavilion, her shoulders relaxed slightly.

White Dew immediately jumped down from the windowsill.

The little thing ran to Qian Renxue's feet, lifted its head, and let out a soft cry.

"Meow."

Qian Renxue looked down at it, and her gaze softened a little in turn.

"Didn't run around?"

White Dew nodded very seriously.

Meow Meow was lying on a cushion, watching this scene, tail swaying lazily.

"Not bad."

"That kid White Dew is way more reliable than A Ju."

"If A Ju were in the Crown Prince's Mansion, he'd probably have already mapped out where the kitchen is by now."

Qian Renxue picked up White Dew, then looked at Meow Meow.

"What about your side?"

"Pretty good."

Meow Meow sat up.

"I've marked the Clear Radiance Pavilion. It'll be more convenient for me and White Dew to move around here from now on."

Qian Renxue's brow twitched slightly.

"Marked?"

"Just left a bit of my aura."

Meow Meow explained casually.

"Won't affect your formations, and ordinary soul masters won't be able to detect it."

Qian Renxue nodded.

She was no longer surprised by this kind of ability from Meow Meow.

This cat had too many strange tricks up its sleeve.

It could calm the mind, send messages, perform Spirit Ignition, read formations, and suppress soul beast auras.

Adding one more trick for marking a foothold was hardly unacceptable.

She walked over to the table and sat down, casually taking a small box out of her Soul Tool.

Opening the box revealed several pale golden pastries inside.

"Brought them back from the palace."

Meow Meow's eyes lit up slightly.

"For me?"

"If you don't eat them, I can take them back."

"No need."

Meow Meow moved quickly, stretching out a paw to drag one pastry over.

The pastry was small, soft to the bite.

It also carried a faint trace of soul power inside.

Nothing particularly precious, but still far better than ordinary food.

"The Heaven Dou Imperial Palace's meals aren't bad."

Meow Meow commented as it ate.

Qian Renxue watched it savoring the treat with that serious expression, and a hint of a smile crept into her eyes.

"Just ordinary snacks."

"Ordinary is fine too."

After finishing one piece, Meow Meow naturally pushed a second one over to White Dew.

White Dew lowered its head, sniffed it, and began nibbling in small bites.

Qian Renxue watched them eat, saying nothing for a moment.

Clear Radiance Pavilion was very quiet.

Outside was the Crown Prince's Mansion.

A bit further out was Heavenly Dou City.

This place was clearly situated near the center of the entire empire's power, yet at this moment it was unusually relaxed.

Qian Renxue had originally gone to the palace to see Emperor Xue Ye, then dealt with a few probing remarks from Prince Xue Xing.

On the way back, her heart had still felt somewhat heavy.

But after seeing these two cats, that heaviness faded quite a bit.

Especially Meow Meow.

This cat seemed to have a knack for making serious things less serious.

Meow Meow finished his second piece of pastry and suddenly noticed Qian Renxue had been watching him.

He looked up.

"What?"

"Is there something on my face?"

Qian Renxue shook her head.

"I just think you're different from the soul beasts I've seen."

Meow Meow's tail flicked.

"Of course."

"If I were the same as an ordinary soul beast, I wouldn't be sitting in the Crown Prince's Mansion eating pastries right now."

Qian Renxue heard this but didn't argue.

She was silent for a moment, then suddenly asked:

"Were you just now in contact with Martial Soul City?"

Meow Meow's movements paused.

"You noticed?"

"I sensed a little."

Qian Renxue looked at him.

"The bell sound on you moved a few times just now."

Meow Meow lowered his head to glance at the Calming Bell around his neck.

This thing really was hard to completely hide from Qian Renxue.

Especially now that she knew he wasn't ordinary.

"Yeah, I contacted the East Side Courtyard."

Meow Meow didn't hide it either.

"I've been away for a while, I had to check how things were over there."

Qian Renxue asked:

"How is it?"

Meow Meow was silent for two breaths.

Then his expression grew complicated.

"Better than I expected."

"Not just better."

"It's so good it's almost ridiculous."

Qian Renxue raised an eyebrow.

Meow Meow briefly explained the changes in the East Side Courtyard.

Charcoal Ball led the Black Cat on night patrols.

A Ju organized the feeding roster.

Swirl made communication bell tokens.

Blue Tail studied small formations.

Little Flame and Snowball continued guarding Bibi Dong.

Warm Nest was running normally.

The kittens were learning the rules.

The cat group even held their own meetings.

As Qian Renxue listened, her expression shifted as well.

She had originally assumed that Meow Meow's so-called Sacred Flame Spirit Cats were just a few small spirit beasts that could be made obedient after Spirit Ignition.

But listening to this now, it was clearly more than just obedience.

These cats had begun to divide labor.

They had a system.

They had methods of communication.

And they had even started learning basic formation patterns.

This was already like a small spirit beast clan.

And one raised right next to the Pope's Palace, no less.

Thinking this far, Qian Renxue couldn't help but ask:

"Are you trying to build a spirit beast clan of your own?"

Meow Meow was taken aback.

"Spirit beast clan?"

He instinctively wanted to refute it.

But the words reached his lips and stopped.

Thinking it over carefully, it didn't seem wrong.

Though the Sacred Flame Spirit Cats were still small in scale, they already had the beginnings of a clan.

They had core members.

They had kittens.

They had those in charge.

They had a fixed territory.

They had a method of training.

And they even had an increasingly clear path of growth.

If that wasn't a clan, what was it?

He couldn't exactly call it a cat nest.

Meow Meow thought for a long while, then finally nodded.

"Pretty much."

"But I don't really like how ordinary spirit beast clans work."

"The weak obey the strong, and the strong call all the shots."

"That kind of thing is too crude."

Qian Renxue grew interested.

"Then what kind do you want?"

Meow Meow lowered his head to look at his own paws.

What kind did he want?

The truth was, he had never seriously thought about this question.

At first, he just wanted to survive.

Later, he wanted Bibi Dong to get a good night's sleep.

After that, he wanted to have more cats around him, so he wouldn't have to struggle all alone.

It wasn't until the East Side Courtyard had more and more cats that things gradually became what they were now.

He thought for a moment, then slowly spoke.

"I want them to not just live relying on me."

"And not just obey my orders."

"I want them to have their own things to do."

"Those who can patrol the courtyard, go patrol."

"Those who can study formations, go learn formations."

"Those who can soothe the mind, go accompany people."

"Those who can find food... just don't eat too much."

When he reached the last sentence, Meow Meow clearly thought of A Ju, and his tone even paused.

Qian Renxue smiled faintly at that.

Meow Meow continued:

"In short, different cats have different paths."

"They can cultivate. They can learn."

"They can guard. They can relay messages."

"They can even just sunbathe every day and play with the kittens."

"As long as they know what they're doing and why they're doing it, they're not just a chaotic mess of soul beasts."

He paused, then added another line.

"Only then does it count as a clan that can truly be passed down."

Qian Renxue was silent for a moment.

"That doesn't sound like a soul beast clan."

"Then what does it sound like?"

"Like a human sect."

Meow Meow's expression turned subtle.

"There's no need to put it that way."

"Human sects have plenty of messy stuff going on too."

"The last thing I want is for the cat clan to end up with some elder fighting for power, disciples scheming against each other, or turf wars."

Qian Renxue looked at him, momentarily unsure what to say.

This cat spoke lightly, but there was nothing simple about some of the things he said.

The Heavenly Dou Royal Family was a living example.

The sects were the same.

The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect seemed harmonious on the surface.

The Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan had strict rules.

The Clear Sky Sect went without saying—sealed off for years, its internal state wasn't necessarily clean either.

Wherever there was power, there would be division.

Wherever there was strength, there would be struggle.

That Meow Meow could already think of these things now wasn't a bad thing.

"Then how do you plan to avoid it?"

Qian Renxue asked.

Meow Meow was silent for a moment.

"I haven't figured it out yet."

He answered honestly.

"We're just starting out now."

"The cats in the East Side Courtyard mostly rely on resonance and trust."

"There won't be problems in the short term."

"But if the Sacred Flame Spirit Cats keep growing—hundreds, thousands, even more—then I definitely can't keep an eye on them all by myself."

"I'll have to set rules slowly."

"But the rules can't be too rigid either."

"Too rigid, and it stops being fun."

Qian Renxue listened, then looked down at White Dew in her arms.

White Dew lay quietly, as if she understood a little, or as if she just found it comfortable.

"This doesn't sound like you're raising cats,"

Qian Renxue said.

"It sounds more like you're raising a new soul beast civilization."

Meow Meow nearly choked on that word.

"Civilization?"

The word felt too big.

Too big for him to connect it to the cats in the East Side Courtyard all at once.

But after Qian Renxue said it, he felt like maybe it wasn't entirely wrong.

The Sacred Flame Spirit Cats were no longer just soul beasts.

They learned formations.

They learned communication.

They learned to calm the mind.

Learning division of labor.

They were even beginning to establish their own way of life.

Wasn't this the earliest form of civilization?

Meow Meow fell silent.

He suddenly felt that he had been thinking about things on too small a scale before.

He had always believed he was just saving people, raising cats, and collecting system rewards.

But now, looking back, every step he had taken seemed to be pushing these cats away from ordinary soul beasts.

Pushing them toward a new position.

Not human.

Nor ordinary soul beasts.

But something in between, yet with their own path—the Sacred Flame Spirit Cat.

"Cat Clan Civilization..."

Meow Meow repeated it in his mind.

It sounded absurd.

But it was also quite interesting.

Qian Renxue watched him lost in thought and suddenly grew curious.

"What benefit does this have for your cultivation?"

Meow Meow was startled.

This question stumped him.

Benefits?

The system certainly gave rewards.

Meow Wish Value, gift packs, Spirit Ignition limits, Cat Pet Skills, cultivation cards.

But he couldn't say that.

Setting the system aside, what was he really doing all this for?

If it was purely to grow stronger, that wasn't entirely true.

If it was purely for sentiment, that was too vague.

Thinking it over, Meow Meow found he could hardly answer.

Seeing that he wasn't speaking, Qian Renxue didn't press him.

The Clear Radiance Pavilion was quiet for a long while.

Finally, Meow Meow spoke.

"I don't know."

Qian Renxue looked at him.

Meow Meow was very frank.

"At least I don't know right now."

"At the very beginning, I just wanted to make things livelier around me."

"Later, I realized that with more cats, you have to manage them."

"Managing them turned into this."

"As for where it will end up, I haven't figured that out either."

"But I think this is something worth doing."

After hearing this, Qian Renxue's expression grew somewhat complicated.

These words didn't sound like a lie.

Nor did they sound like something to brush her off.

It was just a very straightforward answer.

He didn't know.

But he thought it was worth doing.

Sometimes, that kind of answer was more convincing than all those high-sounding principles.

Qian Renxue said softly:

"Then do it."

Meow Meow looked up at her.

Qian Renxue's expression was calm.

"You've turned a group of ordinary soul beasts into what they are now—that means this path has meaning."

"Heavenly Dou, Martial Soul Hall, soul beasts, humans—none of it matters."

"What can truly walk all the way isn't just power."

"It's order."

Meow Meow blinked.

"You talk a lot like a crown prince for someone who is one."

Qian Renxue glanced at him.

"I am the crown prince."

Meow Meow: "..."

She said it so smoothly he almost forgot she was faking it.

But that only proved how deeply she'd settled into the role of Xue Qinghe.

Meow Meow thought for a moment, then said:

"Qinghe."

"Mm?"

"Have you ever thought about what kind of Martial Soul Hall you want in the future?"

Qian Renxue's movements paused.

The question caught her off guard.

She'd been fed a lot since childhood.

The glory of the Angel Lineage.

The duty of Martial Soul Hall.

The expectations of the Worship Hall.

And Qian Daoliu's training for her.

Of course she knew what she was meant to do.

Infiltrate Heavenly Dou.

Seize control of the empire.

Coordinate with Martial Soul Hall to unify the continent.

And finally inherit the Angel God's throne.

But if someone asked her what kind of Martial Soul Hall she wanted...

For a moment, she had no answer.

Meow Meow didn't push.

He just lowered his head and took another bite of pastry.

Qian Renxue was silent for a long time before she said:

"I never thought about it before."

"Then think about it now."

Meow Meow's voice was soft.

"The road's still long anyway."

"Better to know clearly than to stumble to the end in a daze."

Qian Renxue looked at him.

After a long moment, she nodded gently.

"Mm."

The system prompt chimed softly at that moment.

[Ding. Qian Renxue's mental state fluctuates.]

[Qian Renxue's trust increased.]

[Meow Wish Value +30.]

Meow Meow glanced at the prompt and wasn't surprised.

Some words were more useful than soul skills.

Especially for someone like Qian Renxue.

She didn't lack strength.

She didn't lack status.

She didn't lack a goal.

What she lacked was an answer she had truly thought through for herself.

Outside the Clear Radiance Pavilion, the night of Heavenly Dou City slowly settled in.

Lamps within the estate lit up one by one.

Qian Renxue held White Dew and sat quietly.

Meow Meow lay by the table, no longer speaking.

After a long while, Qian Renxue suddenly asked:

"Do you think, if Martial Soul Hall could be like your cat group—each doing its own duty, instead of everyone fighting for power—would it be much better?"

Meow Meow lifted his eyes.

"It would."

"But humans are more troublesome than cats."

Qian Renxue was slightly startled.

Then she let out a soft laugh.

"Indeed."

Meow Meow smiled too.

"So This Cat raises cats first."

"Humans? Take it slow."

With those words, he lay back down on the cushion.

No gift packs were opened tonight.

No fighting either.

They just talked about things that seemed far away.

Yet Meow Meow vaguely felt that this night might be more important than winning a battle.

Because from this night on, Qian Renxue was no longer just thinking about completing her mission.

She began to wonder where she truly wanted to go.