Fate Is Not a Command

Chapter 19: Fate Is Not a Command

Qian Renxue looked at Meow Meow, her gaze somewhat serious.

"You just said the cat group isn't a cat nest."

"Then how does them gathering together actually help you?"

Meow Meow was stunned for a moment at this question.

Then he fell silent.

The question hit the mark.

So precisely that he found it hard to answer right away.

The system giving 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 having more helpers?

Or simply getting addicted to raising cats?

Meow Meow licked his paw and thought for a long time. Suddenly, he recalled the scene of the East Side Courtyard he had glimpsed through the Calming Bell.

Those cats weren't decorations.

Charcoal Ball patrolled at night.

A Ju handled logistics.

Swirl relayed messages.

Blue Tail studied formation patterns.

Snowball and Little Flame guarded Bibi Dong.

Every cat had its own task, and each was slowly channeling its strength into the entire group.

Thinking of this, Meow Meow suddenly felt he could phrase it differently.

"Qinghe."

"Hm?"

"Do you know why soul masters form sects, academies, and clans?"

Qian Renxue's brow twitched slightly.

"Legacy, resources, protection, and influence."

"Right."

Meow Meow nodded.

"Then why don't most soul beasts have these?"

Qian Renxue didn't answer immediately.

Of course, soul beasts on the Douluo Continent had groups too.

Wolf packs, tiger prides, snake dens, ape troops.

Even places like the Star Dou Great Forest had extremely powerful soul beasts like Daming and Erming guarding their territories.

But those were mostly maintained through bloodlines, territory, and raw strength.

They were nothing like human sects or academies.

Meow Meow continued:

"Soul beasts live long, but they learn slowly."

"Many soul beasts spend thousands or tens of thousands of years only knowing how to fight for territory, grab food, and hide from soul masters."

"Even if they have intelligence, most just cultivate on their own."

"They don't have a stable way to pass experience down to the next generation."

Meow Meow paused here.

"So I want to try."

"Try what?"

"Try to see if soul beasts can have their own legacy too."

Qian Renxue's gaze sharpened.

Those words carried weight.

If anyone else had said them, she would most likely dismiss it as delusion.

But the one saying it was Meow Meow.

The Moon Spirit Cat who had already made a group of ordinary cats slowly form divisions of labor and rules in the East Side Courtyard.

That's where the difference lies.

Meow Meow extended a paw and tapped lightly on the tabletop.

The Calming Bell chimed softly.

Ding.

A pale silver light screen floated up.

In the image were two little white kittens, just born.

They looked about the same.

Same fur color.

Same aura too.

Qian Renxue looked down.

Meow Meow explained:

"These are two kittens born recently in the warm nest at the East Side Courtyard."

"Their talent gap isn't large."

"I'm showing you two paths they might take in the future."

Qian Renxue didn't interrupt.

The image continued to shift.

The first little white kitten was kept by Snowball's side.

Every day, it listened to purrs, learned to calm, followed along to recognize people, and also accompanied the study.

At first, it just napped at the corner of the desk.

Later, it gradually learned to lower its breathing when Bibi Dong was handling documents, learned to distinguish the emotions of human Soul Masters, and learned when to approach and when to back off.

A few years later, it could already soothe the mental fluctuations of low-level Soul Masters on its own.

After that, it became a Sacred Flame Spirit Cat specializing in companionship and calming.

The other little white kitten was taken by A Ju.

It spent all day hanging around near the kitchen.

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

It didn't train very diligently.

But it quickly learned how to deal with people.

A few years later, it became the cat best at "networking" in the East Side Courtyard.

Same origin.

Same bloodline.

Yet their final paths were different.

Qian Renxue watched very seriously.

Meow Meow switched to a few more sets of images.

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

A gray cat followed Blue Tail and learned the simplest soul power engraving.

A tabby followed Swirl and became a messenger cat.

And there was one utterly ordinary kitten that grew up long-term in the warm nest. In the end, though it didn't have much cultivation, it could still understand simple commands and help look after the younger kittens.

Scene after scene flashed by.

Qian Renxue's expression shifted little by little.

She understood.

Meow Meow wasn't simply raising the strong.

He was finding a viable path for every kind of cat.

Those that could fight, went to fight.

Those that could calm, went to calm.

Those that could relay messages, relayed messages.

Those that could handle logistics, handled logistics.

Even if talent was mediocre, it wasn't useless.

As long as it found the right position, it could become part of the group.

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

Qian Renxue said softly.

"But not exactly the same."

"Soul Master Academies mostly teach people how to grow stronger."

Meow Meow said.

"My cat group—I teach them how to survive first."

Qian Renxue fell silent.

Those words were simple.

Yet they made her think of Martial Soul Hall.

Martial Soul Hall gathered soul masters from across the land, awakened martial souls for commoner soul masters, and distributed soul master subsidies.

In a sense, it too taught low-level soul masters how to survive.

But the Martial Soul Hall of today was no longer just that.

It had the Pope's Palace.

It had the Worship Hall.

It had the Elder Hall.

It had branch halls everywhere.

And with them came more and more power and conflict.

Qian Renxue suddenly felt that although Meow Meow's cat group was small, it possessed something that many large organizations lacked—purity.

Meow Meow, seeing her expression, continued:

"You asked earlier what benefit this brings me."

"It's actually very simple."

"The more stable they live, the more they learn, and the more cats are willing to follow me, the stronger the Sacred Flame 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.

"A single cat might want fish today, sunbathing tomorrow, and sleep the day after."

"Nothing wrong with that."

"But when a group of cats all know they belong to the Sacred Flame Spirit Cat lineage, know what they must protect, learn, and pass down, then their spirits converge toward one direction."

"The steadier that direction, the clearer the feedback I receive as their master."

Qian Renxue's eyes flickered.

"That sounds like faith."

"Not entirely."

Meow Meow shook his head.

"Faith is too heavy."

"I don't want them to treat me like a god."

"Then what is it?"

"Bonds, I suppose."

Meow Meow thought for a moment.

"Or you could call it clan recognition."

As he said this, the Calming Bell chimed softly once more.

This time, a faint patch of firelight appeared within the light screen.

The flames were small.

But they gathered from different directions, thread by thread.

Some came from the East Side Courtyard.

Some from the Qian Family Villa.

And one very faint thread came from White Dew.

Those flames did not directly transform into soul power.

Yet each thread, as it drew near Meow Meow, steadied his spirit a little more, brightened the Sacred Flame a little more, and made the Calming Bell's chime a little clearer.

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

This isn't about how much spirit power one fruit grants.

Nor is it about how much cultivation one spirit ring raises.

This is a clan's feedback to its source.

Long-term.

Slow.

But steady.

"No wonder you've been able to grow so fast."

Qian Renxue said.

Meow Meow didn't deny it.

"That's part of the reason."

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

"If I don't cultivate myself, this feedback is just wasted."

Qian Renxue nodded.

She suddenly thought, if this model expanded.

If there were more and more Sacred Flame Spirit Cats.

If every cat could find its place in the clan.

Then the feedback Meow Meow would receive in the future might become terrifyingly immense.

And what was even more frightening was that this feedback wasn't taken by force.

It wasn't gained through killing.

Nor was it obtained by hunting spirit rings.

It was accumulated slowly through nurturing, companionship, and inheritance.

This was completely different from how most soul masters on Douluo Continent grew.

"This path might really go far."

Qian Renxue said softly.

Hearing this, Meow Meow's tail paused slightly.

He looked at Qian Renxue.

"You think it can go far?"

"It can."

Qian Renxue answered seriously.

"But it's difficult."

"The further you go, the more cats there are, and the more problems there will be."

"Right now they listen to you because there are few of them, and because you're the source."

"In the future, if there are different branches, different territories, different duties, disagreements will come eventually."

After hearing this, Meow Meow's head ached.

"I knew it."

"More cats means more trouble."

Qian Renxue looked at his expression, and a hint of amusement crept into her eyes.

"Didn't you say people are more trouble than cats?"

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

Meow Meow sighed.

"Especially A Ju."

"One of him is worth three troublesome cats."

Qian Renxue finally smiled.

It was a faint smile, but genuine.

Seeing her smile, White Dew let out a soft cry.

The atmosphere in the Clear Radiance Pavilion lightened considerably.

After a moment, Qian Renxue continued:

"But your method has given me some inspiration."

"What inspiration?"

"Martial Soul Hall is the same."

Qian Renxue said softly.

"If you rely only on strength, commands, and fear to maintain it, the people below will eventually fall into chaos."

"If every type of being has its own place, knows what it's doing, and knows what it can gain."

"Then that is a force that can truly be sustained."

Meow Meow looked at her.

"You're starting to think about Martial Soul Hall?"

Qian Renxue didn't deny it.

"Mm."

She paused.

"Before, I only thought about completing the mission, controlling Heavenly Dou, and paving the way for Martial Soul Hall."

"But now that I think about it, if one day Martial Soul Hall really stands at the top of the continent, how will it govern this continent?"

"By killing?"

"By oppression?"

"By having Title Douluo sit in command?"

"These can hold for a while, but they can't hold forever."

Meow Meow didn't speak.

He just listened quietly.

This was the change he wanted to see.

Qian Renxue was no longer merely executing the will of Qian Daoliu and the Worship Hall.

She was beginning to think of her own answers.

The system prompt also chimed softly at that moment.

[Ding. Qian Renxue has pondered "force order."]

[Qian Renxue route advanced.]

[Meow Wish Value +50.]

Meow Meow glanced at it, satisfied in his heart.

Qian Renxue really was a key figure.

Just a slight shift in mindset, and the reward was not low.

But he didn't show it.

At that moment, Qian Renxue suddenly looked at him.

"Can you show me those scenes a few more times?"

"I can."

Meow Meow nodded.

"But don't watch for too long."

"These are only possibilities, not certainties."

"How each cat walks from here on still depends on them."

Qian Renxue nodded gently.

"I understand."

Meow Meow projected the light screen again.

This time, the scenes weren't just of the cats in the East Side Courtyard.

There were also Ink Shadow, White Dew, and A Yu from the Qian Family Villa.

Ink Shadow guarding the formation.

White Dew staying by Qian Renxue's side.

A Yu watching over the herb garden, later learning to distinguish which spirit herbs were suitable for young cats, which were good for cultivation, and which only looked tasty but couldn't be touched.

Qian Renxue watched A Yu's earnest herb-identifying expression, and her eyes shifted slightly.

"Isn't it the smallest?"

"Being the smallest doesn't mean being useless."

Meow Meow said.

"It just needs the right place."

"Look, it's more reliable staying in the herb garden than sending it to patrol the courtyard."

Qian Renxue nodded.

After watching for a while longer, she suddenly asked:

"And what about White Dew?"

White Dew heard her name and lifted its head.

In the scene, White Dew mostly followed Qian Renxue from then on.

It wasn't strong.

Nor was it noisy.

But whenever Qian Renxue had been handling government affairs for too long, or when her emotions were tense, it would quietly draw near.

Sometimes it just lay by the desk.

Sometimes it just let out a soft meow.

But many times, it was precisely that bit of quiet that kept Qian Renxue from pushing herself too hard.

Qian Renxue looked at herself in the scene, her expression somewhat complicated.

That wasn't the past.

It was a possible future.

She saw exhaustion in the image.

And she saw companionship.

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

Qian Renxue lowered her head and stroked it.

"So it can help me this much too."

Meow Meow said softly:

"Being there is also a kind of skill."

Qian Renxue was silent for a long time.

Finally, she gave a soft reply.

"Mm."

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

Some were successes.

And some were failures.

There were cats that wandered far away.

And cats that slacked off.

There were cats that became managers.

And cats that spent their whole lives just basking in the sun.

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

Because that wouldn't be real.

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

But as long as the overall direction remained, as long as the system could accommodate different existences, then it could keep moving forward.

It wasn't until late into the night that the light screen slowly faded.

Qian Renxue didn't speak immediately.

She looked like she had been thinking a lot.

Meow Meow didn't disturb her either.

White Dew lay in her arms, its breathing very light.

After a long while, Qian Renxue finally spoke.

"Meow Meow."

"Mm?"

"If one day, I really can decide the future of Martial Soul Hall."

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

"It should allow more soul masters to have their own place."

Meow Meow's eyes lit up slightly.

"That's not a bad idea."

Qian Renxue looked at him.

"But it's hard."

"If it's hard, it's worth doing."

Meow Meow flicked his tail.

"Simple things—anyone can do them."

Qian Renxue smiled.

This time, she did not argue back.

Outside the Clear Radiance Pavilion, Heavenly Dou City had already fallen deep into night.

But that night, something inside Qian Renxue's heart seemed to have just been lit, just a little.