Cat Net First Lesson

Chapter 26: Cat Net, First Lesson

The next evening, Meow Meow did not rush to the Black Eagle Family.

He first asked Qian Renxue for something.

"A small, plain bell tag—the more ordinary, the better."

"And some minced meat, nothing with too obvious a flavor."

Qian Renxue raised an eyebrow at that.

"What are you planning?"

"A lesson."

"For whom?"

Meow Meow flicked his tail.

"For cats."

Qian Renxue was silent for a breath.

She had grown accustomed to Meow Meow's various strange arrangements by now.

But "giving a lesson to cats" still made her pause for a moment.

Seeing her silent, Meow Meow explained seriously:

"The ordinary cats I took out yesterday had a lot of problems."

"They could track, but didn't know when to retreat."

"They could scent, but didn't know what to remember or what to leave alone."

"Especially Numb Tail—he was still staring at dried meat halfway through the mission."

At this, Meow Meow's tone grew heavier.

"That's very dangerous."

Listening, Qian Renxue gradually understood.

He wasn't fooling around.

Ordinary cats could serve as eyes, but they couldn't rely on instinct alone.

If they truly wanted to spread a cat net across Heavenly Dou City, these cats first needed to learn the most basic rules.

"I'll have it prepared."

Qian Renxue said.

"But I can't send too many things directly from the Crown Prince's Mansion."

"Don't worry."

Meow Meow nodded.

"This Cat understands that much."

"A large-scale outflow of cat food from the Crown Prince's Mansion doesn't sound normal either."

Qian Renxue: "..."

Soon, the items were ready.

A bag of plain minced meat, a dozen plain bell tags, and a few clean cloth strips.

Meow Meow stored them all in the Calming Bell, then left the Clear Radiance Pavilion with White Dew.

Jianbing followed as well.

He still couldn't leave the Calming Bell for long, so he could only shrink inside that warm glow of Holy Fire, secretly watching the outside world.

The place Meow Meow chose was in West City.

The backyard of an abandoned tavern.

It wasn't large—half the courtyard wall had collapsed, the roof let in the wind, and on ordinary days, no one came except wild cats and rats.

For the first lesson of the Heavenly Dou Cat Net, it was just right.

Gray Ear arrived first.

Numb Tail came second, still holding a piece of crust he'd stolen from somewhere in his mouth.

Scrawny Yellow and Black-and-White appeared afterward.

Besides them, three unfamiliar wild cats also showed up.

A Calico.

A Short Tail.

And a small, pale-furred Little Gray Cat.

Seven cats crouched in the yard, all staring at Meow Meow.

Meow Meow looked at them.

For a moment, he felt an indescribable sensation.

The cats from the East Side Courtyard, after undergoing the Sacred Flame Spirit Ignition, had mostly gained intelligence.

These few were different.

Their eyes held more wildness, wariness, and anticipation for the meat paste.

Especially Numb Tail.

He kept staring at the bag beside Meow Meow.

The corner of Meow Meow's eye twitched.

"First rule."

"No sneaking food during the mission."

Numb Tail's ear twitched.

As if he understood, or as if he was pretending not to.

Meow Meow glanced at him.

"Numb Tail, especially you."

Numb Tail immediately lowered his head.

Beside him, Gray Ear let out a sound as if gloating.

"Don't laugh either."

Meow Meow looked at Gray Ear.

"You're in charge of leading the way. If a companion runs off, that counts as you failing to manage them."

Gray Ear sat up straight at once.

White Dew stood beside Meow Meow, quiet as a little gentleman.

Meow Meow glanced at her, feeling quite satisfied inside.

Sure enough, his own cat was steady.

"Today, I'll teach three things."

"Recognizing scents."

"Stalking."

"Retreating."

The few wild cats raised their heads in unison.

They might not fully understand these three words, but the Holy Fire Aura had already let them grasp the general meaning.

Meow Meow first took out a piece of black cloth.

This cloth had been brought back from the Western Suburb Hunting Ground last night, carrying the scent of a Soul Master from the Black Eagle Family.

"This scent, remember it."

"From now on, in the city, the hunting grounds, or at alleyways, if you encounter it, keep watch first."

"Don't approach, don't call out."

"Just remember where it went."

The seven cats gathered around to sniff.

After sniffing, Scrawny Yellow sneezed.

Numb Tail, on the other hand, took a step back with some disgust.

Meow Meow nodded.

"Right, that's the smell."

"Unpleasant, but important."

Then he took out a small wisp of polluted aura sealed by the Sacred Flame.

As soon as the aura spread slightly, several cats immediately bristled.

White Dew also narrowed her eyes.

Jianbing shrank back inside the Calming Bell.

Meow Meow quickly used the Sacred Flame to suppress that wisp of aura.

"This scent is more dangerous."

"Don't linger if you smell it."

"Come back immediately to report."

"Don't touch it."

"Can't lick it."

Numb Tail hadn't planned to lick it in the first place.

But hearing Meow Meow specifically call out "can't lick it," he felt a vague twinge of guilt and quietly shuffled half a step back.

Meow Meow noticed.

"Move around again, and you get no food today."

Numb Tail froze immediately.

After scent recognition came stealth.

Meow Meow set up a few broken wooden planks in the yard and hung several small bell plaques.

The requirement was simple.

Walk from one end of the yard to the other without touching the bells.

Gray Ear went first.

He kept his body low, his paw steps light, barely making any bells ring.

Meow Meow nodded in satisfaction.

"Not bad."

"From now on, at the West City alley mouth, you'll be the first pair of eyes."

Gray Ear's tail noticeably perked up.

Numb Tail went second.

He did well on the first half.

But when he passed by a bag of minced meat in the second half, his paw slipped, and the bell plaques clattered in a noisy mess.

Meow Meow: "..."

Numb Tail: "Mew..."

"No foraging during missions."

Meow Meow repeated expressionlessly.

Numb Tail lowered his head in apology.

White Dew let out a soft mew beside him, as if reminding him to focus.

Jianbing whispered from inside the bell:

"He really loves to eat."

Meow Meow sighed.

"Even you noticed that."

Last came retreat.

Meow Meow didn't say much.

He did only one thing.

He used the Holy Fire to condense a Soul King-level aura and pressed it down over the yard.

Seven ordinary cats instantly flattened themselves.

"When you encounter this kind of aura, run."

Meow Meow said.

"Don't look."

"Don't test it."

"Don't think about eavesdropping."

"And don't stay for half a piece of meat."

Numb Tail shrank again.

"It's best if you can relay a message back."

"If you can't, still come back alive."

"The Cat Net isn't here to get you killed."

That last line, all the cats understood.

Gray Ear's gaze shifted slightly.

He was a wild cat.

He'd survived this long by being fast to run.

But this was the first time anyone had told him that running back wasn't shameful—it was part of the mission.

Meow Meow looked at them, a hint of emotion stirring in his heart.

Ordinary cats aren't stupid.

They just haven't been taught.

If someone taught them, they could do a lot too.

One lesson took most of the night.

The results weren't perfect.

Numb Tail was still drawn to food.

Scrawny Yellow tended to sneeze while sneaking.

Black-and-White liked to stop halfway and watch the commotion.

Calico was too timid.

Short Tail had a habit of jostling with other cats for position.

Only Gray Ear performed the best.

Meow Meow finally divided up the meat paste.

But each cat only got a little.

"Only get food if you complete the mission."

"No food if you mess around."

"No food if you get exposed."

Numb Tail stared at the meat paste, as if earnestly memorizing these three rules.

Meow Meow found it a bit headache-inducing.

"Are you listening to the rules, or to the food?"

White Dew let out a soft meow.

As if to say, it's the same thing.

After the lesson ended, the system prompt sounded.

[Ding, Heavenly Dou Cat Net Phase One training complete.]

[Ordinary cat members: 7.]

[Core training content: Scent recognition, Stealth, Retreat.]

[Reward: Meow Wish Value × 40.]

[Heavenly Dou Cat Net stability increased.]

Meow Meow's mood improved quite a bit.

This showed the direction was right.

Even if these were just ordinary cats, they could be gradually integrated into the system.

Given enough time, the cat net in Heavenly Dou City would slowly take shape.

On the way back to the Crown Prince's Mansion, Jianbing remained silent.

It wasn't until they were almost at the Clear Radiance Pavilion that he asked in a low voice:

"Do I have to learn this stuff too?"

"Of course."

Meow Meow said.

"Right now, you're even more fragile than them."

Jianbing was a little unconvinced.

"I'm a White Tiger."

"A White Tiger still needs to learn retreat."

Meow Meow's tone was very flat.

"Otherwise, if you get stuffed into a bottle again, I'll have to fish you out."

Jianbing fell silent.

After a moment, he said quietly:

"Then I'll learn too."

Meow Meow nodded.

"That's right."

"Only by surviving can you have the right to talk about the future."

Inside the Clear Radiance Pavilion, Qian Renxue hadn't slept yet.

Seeing Meow Meow return, she asked:

"How was the first lesson?"

Meow Meow jumped onto the table and lay down.

"Barely passable."

"At least Gray Ear is usable."

"Numb Tail still needs strict handling."

When Qian Renxue heard that name, a hint of amusement flickered in her eyes.

"That cat who's always thinking about food?"

"That's the one."

Meow Meow looked somewhat helpless.

"If he lives to old age, it'll definitely be from experience gained through eating."

White Dew returned to the windowsill and quietly lay down.

Jianbing stopped moving inside the Calming Bell as well.

Meow Meow glanced at the documents on the table and noticed Qian Renxue was still investigating the Black Eagle Family and the Western Suburb Hunting Ground.

He asked:

"Any new leads?"

Qian Renxue handed over a piece of paper.

"Three months ago, the Black Eagle Family received a shipment from the Star Luo Caravan."

"On the surface, it was beast bones and medicinal herbs."

"But that caravan used a pass token issued under Uncle Xue Xing's name."

Meow Meow sat up.

"Prince Xue Xing's token?"

"Mm."

Qian Renxue nodded.

"He may not be directly involved."

"But this thread can no longer bypass him."

Meow Meow stared at the records on the paper, silent for a moment.

"We can't investigate him directly."

"Too conspicuous."

"Start with the caravan first."

Qian Renxue shared the same view.

"I'll have people look into the Star Luo Caravan's stopping points."

"Also, Ning Fengzhi might know something."

Meow Meow thought it over.

"You can probe Ning Fengzhi, but don't expose the Cat Net to him."

"That man's too clever."

"If he knows too much, he'll eventually guess it's you."

Qian Renxue glanced at Meow Meow.

"You're very guarded against him."

"All clever people need guarding against."

Meow Meow said with full confidence.

"Especially clever people who seem very gentle."

Qian Renxue didn't argue.

Ning Fengzhi was indeed that kind of person.

The room fell quiet for a while.

Then Qian Renxue suddenly spoke again:

"There's also new information from Fasnuo Province."

Meow Meow's ears twitched.

"Tang San?"

"Mm."

Qian Renxue handed over another brief.

"Notting Academy record."

"Tang San has obtained his First Soul Ring."

"Soul ring source: Datura Serpent."

Meow Meow stared at those few lines, his heart stirring.

Here it comes.

Blue Silver Grass paired with Datura Serpent.

Yu Xiaogang's first set of theoretical practice.

Following the original trajectory, this was the start of Tang San's First Soul Ring.

Qian Renxue asked:

"Do you see any problem with this?"

Meow Meow didn't answer immediately.

The Datura Serpent as a First Soul Ring, for ordinary Blue Silver Grass, was indeed decent.

It had toughness.

It had toxicity.

It could also supplement control.

But the problem was, Tang San wasn't just Blue Silver Grass.

Was this choice the right one for him?

Looking at the original outcome, it was certainly usable.

But stepping outside the original, did Yu Xiaogang truly know the essence of Tang San's Blue Silver Emperor?

No.

He only based it on Blue Silver Grass, gambling on a path of poison and control.

"I can't see any problem for now."

Meow Meow said.

"But this Yu Xiaogang has quite the nerve."

Qian Renxue said:

"The Datura Serpent's age isn't low."

"For a child who just awakened, it's indeed risky."

Meow Meow nodded.

"If he succeeds, it proves his theory right."

"If he fails, the child pays the price."

These words made Qian Renxue's gaze pause.

She looked at Meow Meow.

"You don't like this person?"

Meow Meow thought for a moment.

"I can't say I like or dislike him yet."

"It's just that a theory master probably shouldn't treat others as tools to prove his own theories."

Qian Renxue was silent for a moment.

She had never met Yu Xiaogang.

But she understood those words.

"I'll have people continue recording."

"Mm."

Meow Meow nodded.

"Don't alert anyone."

"Let's watch Tang San's side for now."

He closed the briefing.

Over in Heavenly Dou City, the Black Eagle Family matter still wasn't settled.

The Star Luo White Tiger lead had just surfaced.

And the thread of Tang San and Yu Xiaogang was slowly moving forward at Notting Academy.

More and more things piling up.

Meow Meow flopped back onto the cushion, his tail curling around his body.

"What a life."

"Really doesn't let a cat have a moment's peace."

Qian Renxue looked at him, her tone flat:

"You could just not get involved."

Meow Meow closed his eyes.

"Having seen this much, I can't exactly pretend I didn't."

After speaking, he yawned.

"Sleep first."

"Tomorrow, keep investigating the merchant caravan."

Qian Renxue gave a slight nod.

Outside, the sky was about to brighten.

Inside Clear Radiance Pavilion, it finally grew quiet.

And in distant Notting City, a Blue Silver Grass youth who had just obtained his First Soul Ring was organizing his first Soul Skill Insights.

He still didn't know.

His name had already appeared in the line of sight of a White Cat inside the Heavenly Dou Crown Prince's Mansion.