The Cat Net's First Lesson

The next evening, Meow Meow didn't hurry to the Black Eagle Family.

First, he asked Qian Renxue for something.

"An unmarked Small Bell Token. The more ordinary, the better."

"And some minced meat. Nothing with a strong smell."

Qian Renxue raised an eyebrow.

"What are you planning?"

"Starting a class."

"Who's the class for?"

Meow Meow flicked his tail.

"Cats."

Qian Renxue fell silent for a moment.

She was slowly getting used to Meow Meow's strange plans.

But "starting a class for cats" still made her pause.

Seeing that she didn't respond, Meow Meow explained seriously:

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

"They can follow people, but they don't know when to retreat."

"They can smell things, but they don't know what to remember or what not to touch."

"Especially Numb Tail. He was staring at the dried meat halfway through the mission."

Meow Meow's tone grew more serious.

"That's dangerous."

As she listened, Qian Renxue began to understand.

He wasn't fooling around.

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

If they were really going to spread the Cat Net throughout Heaven Dou City, the cats first needed to learn the most basic rules.

"I'll have someone prepare it."

Qian Renxue said.

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

"Don't worry."

Meow Meow nodded.

"I understand that much."

"If the Crown Prince's Mansion started sending out cat food in bulk, that wouldn't exactly look normal."

Qian Renxue: "..."

The supplies were ready soon.

A bag of ordinary minced meat, a dozen unmarked Small Bell Tokens, and a few clean strips of cloth.

Meow Meow put everything into the Calming Bell, then left Clear Radiance Pavilion with White Dew.

Jianbing came along too.

He still couldn't stay outside the Calming Bell for long, so he had to curl up in its warm glow of Holy Fire and secretly watch the world outside.

Meow Meow chose a spot in West City.

The back courtyard of an abandoned tavern.

It wasn't very big. Half the courtyard wall had collapsed, and the roof let in the wind. Apart from wild cats and mice, no one came here.

It was just right for the first lesson of the Heavenly Dou Cat Net.

Gray Ear arrived first.

Numb Tail was second, with a piece of pastry crust in his mouth that he'd stolen from who knew where.

Scrawny Yellow and Black-and-White appeared next.

Three unfamiliar wild cats came as well.

One was a Calico.

One had a Short Tail.

And one was a pale-colored Little Gray Cat.

The seven cats crouched in the courtyard and looked at Meow Meow.

Meow Meow looked at them.

For a moment, he couldn't quite put the feeling into words.

After being awakened by Sacred Flame Spirit Ignition, most of the cats in the East Side Courtyard had gained some intelligence.

These cats were different.

Their eyes held more wildness, wariness, and anticipation of the minced meat.

Especially Numb Tail.

He kept staring at the bag beside Meow Meow.

Meow Meow's eye twitched.

"First rule."

"No stealing food during a mission."

Numb Tail's ears twitched.

He looked like he understood, but also like he was pretending not to.

Meow Meow gave him a look.

"Numb Tail, that means you especially."

Numb Tail immediately lowered his head.

Gray Ear gave a seemingly gloating meow beside him.

"You don't get to laugh, either."

Meow Meow looked at Gray Ear.

"You're in charge of leading the way. If your companions run off, that means you haven't kept them in line."

Gray Ear sat up straight at once.

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

Meow Meow glanced at her, feeling pleased.

His own cat really was dependable.

"Today, you'll learn three things."

"Scent Recognition."

"Stealth."

"Retreat."

The wild cats all looked up at once.

They might not have fully understood those terms, but the Holy Fire Aura had already helped them grasp their general meaning.

Meow Meow first took out a piece of black cloth.

He'd brought it back from the Western Suburb Hunting Ground last night. It carried the scent of a Soul Master from the Black Eagle Family.

"Remember this scent."

"If you come across it in the city, at the hunting ground, or at an alley entrance, watch first."

"Don't approach. Don't meow."

"Just remember where it goes."

The seven cats gathered around to sniff it.

After sniffing, Scrawny Yellow sneezed.

Numb Tail, meanwhile, took a step back in distaste.

Meow Meow nodded.

"Right. That's the scent."

"It stinks, but it's important."

Then he took out a wisp of Pollution sealed by the Holy Fire.

As soon as a little of its aura escaped, the cats' fur stood on end.

White Dew narrowed her eyes too.

Jianbing curled up inside the Calming Bell.

Meow Meow immediately used the Holy Fire to suppress the wisp.

"This scent is even more dangerous."

"If you smell it, don't linger."

"Come back and report at once."

"Don't touch it."

"Don't lick it."

Numb Tail hadn't planned to lick it.

But when Meow Meow specifically said "don't lick it," he inexplicably felt guilty and quietly shuffled half a step backward.

Meow Meow noticed.

"Keep moving around like that, and you won't get any food today."

Numb Tail froze at once.

After Scent Recognition came Stealth.

Meow Meow set several broken planks around the courtyard and hung up a few Small Bell Tokens.

The task was simple.

Walk from one end of the courtyard to the other without making any of the tokens ring.

Gray Ear went first.

He crouched low and stepped lightly, barely making any of the bells ring.

Meow Meow nodded in approval.

"Not bad."

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

Gray Ear's tail lifted noticeably.

Numb Tail went second.

He did fine for the first half.

But when he passed the bag of minced meat in the second half, his paw veered aside, setting off a clatter of ringing tokens.

Meow Meow: "..."

Numb Tail: "Meow..."

"You can't go looking for food during a mission."

Meow Meow repeated it with a blank expression.

Numb Tail lowered his head in apology.

White Dew gave a soft meow beside him, as if reminding him to pay attention.

Jianbing quietly said from inside the bell:

"He really loves food."

Meow Meow sighed.

"You figured that out, did you?"

Finally, there was Retreat.

Meow Meow didn't explain much.

He did just one thing.

He formed a Soul King-level aura with the Holy Fire and pressed it down over the courtyard.

The seven ordinary cats immediately flattened themselves against the ground.

"When you encounter an aura like this, run."

Meow Meow said.

"Don't look."

"Don't test it."

"Don't try to eavesdrop."

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

Numb Tail shrank back again.

"If you can send back a message, that's best."

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

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

The cats all understood that.

Something changed in Gray Ear's eyes.

He was a wild cat.

He'd survived this long by being fast on his feet.

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, feeling a little moved too.

Ordinary cats weren't stupid.

There was simply no one to teach them.

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

The lesson lasted most of the night.

The results weren't perfect.

Numb Tail was still easily distracted by food.

Scrawny Yellow tended to sneeze while using Stealth.

Black-and-White liked to stop and watch the action halfway through.

Calico was too timid.

Short Tail, meanwhile, liked to fight other cats for a spot.

Only Gray Ear did well.

Meow Meow handed out minced meat at the end.

But each cat got only a little.

"You get food when you complete the task."

"No food if you mess around."

"No food if you give yourself away."

Numb Tail stared at the minced meat, as if carefully committing those three rules to memory.

Meow Meow looked a little exasperated.

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

White Dew gave a soft meow.

As if to say, they were the same thing.

After the lesson ended, the system notification sounded.

[ Ding, the first stage of Heavenly Dou Cat Net training is 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 felt much better.

This proved that the approach was right.

Even ordinary cats could gradually be brought into the system.

Given enough time, the cat network in Heaven Dou City would slowly take shape.

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

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

"Do I have to learn this stuff, too?"

"Of course."

Meow Meow replied.

"You're even more fragile than they are right now."

Jianbing looked unconvinced.

"I'm a White Tiger."

"White Tigers have to learn Retreat, too."

Meow Meow's tone was even.

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

Jianbing fell silent.

After a while, he said softly:

"Then I'll learn, too."

Meow Meow nodded.

"Now you're talking."

"You have to survive before you can talk about the future."

Qian Renxue was still awake in Clear Radiance Pavilion.

When she saw Meow Meow return, she asked:

"How did the first lesson go?"

Meow Meow jumped onto the table and lay down.

"Good enough."

"At least Gray Ear is useful."

"Numb Tail still needs close supervision."

A hint of amusement appeared in Qian Renxue's eyes at the name.

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

"That's the one."

Meow Meow sounded a little helpless.

"If he lives to old age, it'll definitely be thanks to all the experience he's gained from eating."

White Dew returned to the window and curled up quietly.

Jianbing had also stopped moving around inside the Calming Bell.

Meow Meow glanced at the documents on the table and saw that Qian Renxue was still looking into the Black Eagle Family and the Western Suburb Hunting Ground.

He asked:

"Any new leads?"

Qian Renxue handed him a sheet of paper.

"The Black Eagle Family received a shipment from the Star Luo Caravan three months ago."

"Officially, it was beast bones and medicinal herbs."

"But that caravan traveled under a pass issued in Uncle Xue Xing's name."

Meow Meow sat up.

"A pass from Prince Xue Xing?"

"Mm."

Qian Renxue nodded.

"He may not have been involved personally."

"But we can't ignore him anymore."

Meow Meow looked at the records on the page and fell silent for a moment.

"We can't investigate him directly."

"That would draw too much attention."

"We should start with the caravan."

Qian Renxue had the same idea.

"I'll have someone look into the Star Luo Caravan's stops."

"Also, Ning Fengzhi might know something."

Meow Meow thought it over.

"We can sound out Ning Fengzhi, but we can't let him find out about the cat network."

"He's too clever."

"If he learns too much, he'll eventually figure out that you're behind it."

Qian Renxue glanced at Meow Meow.

"You're very wary of him."

"You have to be wary of clever people."

Meow Meow sounded perfectly justified.

"Especially clever people who seem so mild-mannered."

Qian Renxue didn't argue.

Ning Fengzhi really was that sort of person.

The room fell quiet for a while.

Then Qian Renxue suddenly spoke again:

"There's news from Fasinuo Province, too."

Meow Meow's ears twitched.

"Tang San?"

"Mm."

Qian Renxue handed him another report.

"Notting Academy's records."

"Tang San has obtained his First Soul Ring."

"The Soul Ring came from a Datura Serpent."

Meow Meow looked at those few lines, and his thoughts stirred.

It had begun.

Blue Silver Grass paired with a Datura Serpent.

Yu Xiaogang's first theory put into practice.

According to the original course of events, this was the beginning of Tang San's First Soul Ring.

Qian Renxue asked:

"What do you think is wrong with it?"

Meow Meow didn't answer at once.

As a First Soul Ring, a Datura Serpent's was indeed a good choice for ordinary Blue Silver Grass.

It offered toughness and poison.

It could also make up for a lack of control.

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

Was this the right choice for him?

Judging by the original story, of course it worked.

But setting the original story aside, did Yu Xiaogang really know the true nature of Tang San's Blue Silver Emperor?

He didn't.

He was simply using Blue Silver Grass as his basis and betting on a path of poison-based control.

"It's hard to see a problem for now."

Meow Meow said.

"But this Yu Xiaogang is pretty bold."

Qian Renxue said:

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

"For a child who's only just awakened, it really is risky."

Meow Meow nodded.

"If he succeeds, the theory was right."

"If he fails, the child was just unlucky."

Qian Renxue's gaze paused at that remark.

She looked at Meow Meow.

"Do you dislike him?"

Meow Meow thought about it.

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

"I just think that a grandmaster of theory shouldn't treat someone else as proof of his theories."

Qian Renxue fell silent for a moment.

She had never met Yu Xiaogang.

But she understood what Meow Meow meant.

"I'll have them keep monitoring things."

"Mm."

Meow Meow nodded.

"Don't alert them."

"For now, we'll just keep watching Tang San."

He closed the report.

The Black Eagle Family in Heaven Dou City still hadn't been dealt with.

The Star Luo White Tiger lead had only just surfaced.

And the threads involving Tang San and Yu Xiaogang were slowly unfolding at Notting Academy.

There was more and more to deal with.

Meow Meow lay back down on the soft cushion and curled his tail around himself.

"Honestly."

"Not a moment's peace for a cat."

Qian Renxue looked at him and said calmly:

"You don't have to get involved."

Meow Meow closed his eyes.

"We've already seen this much. How can we pretend we didn't?"

After speaking, he yawned.

"Let's sleep first."

"We'll continue investigating the caravan tomorrow."

Qian Renxue nodded gently.

The sky outside was beginning to brighten.

At last, Clear Radiance Pavilion fell quiet.

Meanwhile, in distant Notting City, a Blue Silver Grass boy who had just obtained his First Soul Ring was organizing his first set of Soul Skill Insights.

He still didn't know.

His name had already caught the attention of a White Cat in the Heaven Dou Crown Prince's residence.