Fate Is Not a Command

Chapter 19: Fate Is Not a Command

Qian Renxue looked at Meow Meow, her expression serious.

"You just said the cat colony wasn't a nest."

"What does having them gathered together do for you?"

Meow Meow was taken aback by the question.

Then he fell silent.

It was a very precise question.

So precise that, for a moment, he really didn't know how to answer.

The system giving him rewards was one thing.

But setting the system aside, what did the Sacred Flame Spirit Cat clan itself mean to him?

Just making things livelier around him?

Just giving him more helpers?

Or had he simply gotten addicted to raising cats?

Meow Meow licked his paw and thought for a long while. Then he suddenly remembered the scene in the East Side Courtyard he had seen earlier through the Calming Bell.

Those cats weren't decorations.

Charcoal Ball patrolled at night.

A Ju handled logistics.

Swirl delivered messages.

Blue Tail studied rune formations.

Snowball and Little Flame guarded Bibi Dong.

Every cat had a job to do, and each was slowly contributing its strength to the whole clan.

At the thought, Meow Meow realized he could perhaps put it another way.

"Qinghe."

"Hmm?"

"Do you know why Soul Masters establish sects, academies, and families?"

Qian Renxue's brows shifted slightly.

"Legacy, resources, protection, and influence."

"Exactly."

Meow Meow nodded.

"Then why don't most Soul Beasts have those things?"

Qian Renxue didn't answer right away.

Of course, Soul Beasts on the Douluo Continent had their own groups.

Wolf packs, tiger prides, snake nests, and bands of apes.

Even in places like the Star Dou Great Forest, powerful Soul Beasts such as Daming and Erming guarded their territories.

But those groups were mostly held together by bloodlines, territory, and strength.

They were nothing like human sects and academies.

Meow Meow continued:

"Soul Beasts live a long time, but they learn slowly."

"Many spend thousands or even tens of thousands of years doing nothing but fighting over territory, competing for food, and hiding from Soul Masters."

"Even those with intelligence mostly just cultivate on their own."

"They don't have a reliable way to pass their experience on to the next generation."

Meow Meow paused.

"So I want to try."

"Try what?"

"Try to see if Soul Beasts can have their own legacy, too."

Qian Renxue's gaze sharpened slightly.

Those words carried considerable weight.

If anyone else had said them, she would most likely have dismissed them as wishful thinking.

But they'd come from Meow Meow.

From the Moon Spirit Cat who had already helped a group of ordinary cats gradually develop their own roles and rules in the East Side Courtyard.

That made all the difference.

Meow Meow extended a paw and tapped the tabletop lightly.

The Calming Bell chimed softly.

Ding.

A pale silver screen of light appeared.

It showed two young white kittens, recently born.

They looked almost alike.

Their fur was the same color.

Their auras were similar, too.

Qian Renxue looked down.

Meow Meow explained:

"These are the two kittens recently born in the Warm Nest in the East Side Courtyard."

"They have similar talents."

"I want to show you the two paths they might take."

Qian Renxue didn't interrupt.

The scene shifted.

The first Little White Cat was taken under Snowball's wing.

Every day, it listened to her purr, learned how to soothe others, and followed her as she got to know people and kept watch over the study.

At first, it did nothing but sleep in the corner of a desk.

Gradually, it learned to keep its breathing quiet while Bibi Dong dealt with documents. It learned to read the emotions of human Soul Masters, and when to approach and when to back away.

Several years later, it could soothe the mental fluctuations of Low-Rank Soul Masters on its own.

Eventually, it became a Sacred Flame Spirit Cat dedicated to companionship and calming others.

The other Little White Cat, meanwhile, was taken under A Ju's wing.

It spent all day around the kitchen.

It learned to beg for food and act cute, to remember who gave it the most meat, and to lead the other kittens away from bad-tempered attendants.

It wasn't especially diligent in cultivation.

But it quickly learned how to deal with people.

Several years later, it became the cat in the East Side Courtyard best at "building connections" with outsiders.

They had the same origins.

The same bloodline.

But their paths led to different destinations.

Qian Renxue watched closely.

Meow Meow showed her several more scenes.

A black cat followed Charcoal Ball and eventually became a patrol cat.

A gray cat followed Blue Tail and eventually learned the simplest Soul Power inscriptions.

A tabby followed Swirl and eventually became a messenger cat.

And an utterly ordinary kitten, raised in the Warm Nest, never achieved much cultivation. Still, it eventually learned to understand simple commands and help look after the younger kittens.

Scene after scene flashed past.

Qian Renxue's gaze gradually changed.

She understood.

Meow Meow wasn't simply nurturing the strong.

He was finding a path for every kind of cat.

Those who could fight would fight.

Those who could calm others would do so.

Those who could deliver messages would deliver them.

Those who could manage logistics would take care of that.

Even if a cat's talent was average, it wasn't useless.

As long as it found the right place, it could become part of the clan.

"This is a little like a Soul Master Academy."

Qian Renxue spoke quietly.

"But not quite the same."

"Soul Master Academies are mostly about teaching people to grow stronger,"

Meow Meow said.

"My cat colony teaches them how to survive first."

Qian Renxue fell silent.

The words were simple.

Yet they made her think of Spirit Hall.

Spirit Hall gathered Soul Masters from across the land, awakened the Martial Souls of commoners, and provided subsidies to Soul Masters.

In a way, it also taught low-ranking Soul Masters how to survive.

But Spirit Hall had become much more than that by now.

It had the Pope's Palace.

The Worship Hall.

The Elder Hall.

Branch halls throughout the land.

And an ever-growing share of power and strife.

Meow Meow's cat colony was small, yet Qian Renxue suddenly felt that it had something cleaner than many major powers.

Meow Meow saw her expression and added:

"You asked what it does for me."

"It's simple."

"The more steadily they live, the more they learn, and the more cats who are willing to follow me, the stronger the Holy Fire Resonance I can feel."

"This resonance isn't as simple as Soul Power."

"It's more like a direction."

Qian Renxue frowned.

"A direction?"

"Mm."

Meow Meow nodded.

"An individual cat might want fish today, sunbathing tomorrow, and a nap the day after."

"There's nothing wrong with that."

"But if a whole group of cats knows they belong to the Sacred Flame Spirit Cat lineage, knows what they're meant to protect, learn, and pass down, then their spirits will begin to move in the same direction."

"The steadier that direction becomes, the more clearly I can feel the response as the head of the cat colony."

Qian Renxue's eyes flickered.

"That sounds like faith."

"Not quite."

Meow Meow shook his head.

"Faith is too heavy a word."

"I don't want them to see me as a god."

"Then what is it?"

"A bond, I guess."

Meow Meow thought for a moment.

"You could also call it the clan's recognition."

As he spoke, the Calming Bell chimed softly once more.

This time, a faint glow of fire appeared on the screen.

The flames were small.

Yet strands of light gathered from different directions.

Some came from the East Side Courtyard.

Some came from the Qian Family Villa.

And one faint strand came from White Dew.

Those flames didn't turn directly into Soul Power.

But whenever one drew near Meow Meow, it steadied his mind, brightened the Holy Fire, and made the Calming Bell's chime clearer.

Watching this, Qian Renxue finally understood what Meow Meow meant by "help."

This wasn't about how much Soul Power a single spirit fruit could grant.

Nor was it about how much cultivation absorbing a single Soul Ring could add.

This was a whole species feeding back to its source.

Over the long term.

Slowly.

But steadily.

"No wonder you've grown so quickly."

Qian Renxue said.

Meow Meow didn't deny it.

"It's part of the reason."

"But I can't rely on them entirely."

"If I didn't cultivate on my own, all this feedback would go to waste."

Qian Renxue nodded.

It suddenly occurred to her: what if this model expanded?

What if there were more and more Sacred Flame Spirit Cats?

What if every cat could find its place within the group?

Then the feedback Meow Meow received in the future would probably become more and more frightening.

And more frightening still, this feedback wasn't taken by force.

It wasn't gained through killing.

Nor was it obtained by hunting Soul Rings.

It was built up, little by little, through nurturing, companionship, and passing things down.

That was entirely different from how most Soul Masters grew on the Douluo Continent.

"This path might really go a long way."

Qian Renxue said softly.

Meow Meow's tail paused slightly at her words.

He looked at Qian Renxue.

"You think it can go far?"

"Yes."

Qian Renxue answered seriously.

"But it won't be easy."

"The more cats there are, the more problems there'll be."

"They listen to you now because there aren't many of them, and because you're their source."

"But if different branches, regions, and duties emerge in the future, disagreements are bound to come."

Meow Meow felt a headache coming on.

"I knew it."

"Even having too many cats causes trouble."

Looking at him, Qian Renxue's eyes held a hint of amusement.

"Didn't you say people were more troublesome than cats?"

"Well, cats aren't exactly simple either."

Meow Meow sighed.

"Especially one like A Ju."

"That one cat is enough trouble for three cats."

Qian Renxue finally smiled.

It was a faint smile, but a genuine one.

When White Dew saw her smile, she let out a soft meow too.

The atmosphere in Clear Radiance Pavilion grew much lighter.

After a while, Qian Renxue continued.

"But your approach has given me some ideas."

"What ideas?"

"The same applies to Spirit Hall."

Qian Renxue spoke softly.

"If it relies only on strength, commands, and fear to hold itself together, the people below will fall into chaos sooner or later."

"If every kind of person has a place of their own, knows what they're doing, and understands what they can gain from it..."

"Then it can become a force that truly lasts."

Meow Meow looked at her.

"You've started thinking about Spirit Hall?"

Qian Renxue didn't deny it.

"Mm."

She paused.

"In the past, I only thought about completing my mission, taking control of Heaven Dou, and paving the way for Spirit Hall."

"But now that I think about it, if Spirit Hall really does stand at the top of the continent one day, how will it govern the continent?"

"By killing?"

"By oppression?"

"By having Titled Douluo stationed everywhere?"

"That might hold things together for a while, but not forever."

Meow Meow said nothing.

He only listened quietly.

This was the change he wanted to see.

Qian Renxue was no longer simply carrying out the will of Qian Daoliu and the Worship Hall.

She was beginning to seek her own answers.

At that moment, the system's notification rang out quietly.

[ Ding. Qian Renxue has begun thinking about "the order of a force." ]

[ Qian Renxue's storyline has progressed. ]

[ Meow Wish Value +50. ]

Meow Meow glanced at it, satisfied.

Qian Renxue really was a key figure.

Even a small shift in her state of mind brought a decent reward.

But he didn't show it.

Qian Renxue suddenly looked at him.

"Can you show me those scenes again?"

"Sure."

Meow Meow nodded.

"But don't watch for too long."

"These are only possibilities, not certainties."

"How each cat chooses to live in the future is still up to them."

Qian Renxue nodded lightly.

"I understand."

Meow Meow conjured another light screen.

This time, the scenes showed more than the cats in the East Side Courtyard.

They also showed Ink Shadow, White Dew, and A Yu at the Qian Family Villa.

Ink Shadow guarded the formation.

White Dew stayed by Qian Renxue's side.

A Yu watched over the Herb Garden. Later, she even learned to tell which spirit herbs were suitable for kittens, which were suitable for cultivation, and which only looked tasty but shouldn't be touched.

Watching A Yu diligently examine the herbs, Qian Renxue's expression shifted slightly.

"Isn't she the youngest?"

"Being the youngest doesn't mean she's useless."

Meow Meow replied.

"She just needs to be given a place that suits her."

"Look. Keeping her in the Herb Garden is much more reliable than having her patrol the courtyard."

Qian Renxue nodded.

After watching a little longer, she suddenly asked,

"What about White Dew?"

White Dew heard her name and lifted her head.

In the scenes, White Dew spent most of her time with Qian Renxue.

She wasn't strong.

She wasn't noisy either.

But whenever Qian Renxue spent too long handling government affairs or became tense, White Dew would quietly draw near.

Sometimes, she simply lay beside the desk.

Sometimes, she let out a soft meow.

Yet time and again, that little bit of quiet companionship kept Qian Renxue from pushing herself too hard.

Qian Renxue looked at her future self in the scene, her expression complicated.

That wasn't the past.

It was a possible future.

She saw exhaustion in the scene.

And companionship, too.

White Dew looked up at her, then rubbed against her wrist.

Qian Renxue lowered her head and stroked her.

"So she can help me that much, too."

Meow Meow said softly,

"Keeping someone company is a skill in its own right."

Qian Renxue fell silent for a long time.

At last, she gave a quiet reply.

"Mm."

That night, Qian Renxue watched many scenes of the cat group.

Some were successful.

Others failed.

Some cats went far.

Others were lazy.

Some became managers.

Others spent their whole lives basking in the sun.

Meow Meow didn't deliberately make every scene look good.

That wouldn't have been realistic.

He wanted Qian Renxue to understand that whether it was a group or a force, not every member would become strong.

But as long as the group kept moving in the right direction, and its rules could make room for different kinds of members, it could keep going.

The light screen slowly faded only after night had fallen deep.

Qian Renxue didn't speak right away.

She looked as if she had a lot on her mind.

Meow Meow didn't disturb her.

White Dew lay in her arms, breathing softly.

After a long while, Qian Renxue finally spoke.

"Meow Meow."

"Mm?"

"If one day I really get to decide Spirit Hall's future..."

"I want it to be more than a force that conquers the continent."

"It should give more Soul Masters a place of their own."

Meow Meow's eyes lit up slightly.

"That's a good idea."

Qian Renxue looked at him.

"But it'll be hard."

"Hard things are worth doing."

Meow Meow flicked his tail.

"Anyone can do something simple."

Qian Renxue smiled.

This time, she didn't argue back.

Outside Clear Radiance Pavilion, night had fallen deep over Heaven Dou City.

But that night, something inside Qian Renxue seemed to have just been kindled.