The Three Little Ones Volunteer for the Mission

"Awake."

Jianbing's voice came from the Calming Bell.

Meow Meow had only just lain down. At the sound of those words, his tail stiffened.

"Who?"

"The person who was tied to the stone platform."

Meow Meow opened his eyes and fell silent for a moment.

Great.

Looked like he wouldn't be getting any sleep tonight, either.

Qian Renxue hadn't gone to bed yet, either. Hearing the commotion, she quickly got up.

In the Side Courtyard, the young man had already woken up.

His face was pale, and his eyes were full of fear. When he saw the unfamiliar room and the physician standing beside him, he instinctively tried to get up.

But the moment he moved, pain made him let out a muffled groan.

"Don't move around."

Meow Meow leaped in through the window.

Hearing the voice, the young man whipped around.

When he saw a White Cat, he froze.

"A c-cat can talk?"

Meow Meow glanced at him.

"Don't waste time asking useless questions."

"What's your name?"

The young man opened his mouth, apparently still too shocked to react.

Qian Renxue stood to one side, still in Xue Qinghe's guise. She spoke gently:

"This is the Crown Prince's Mansion."

"You're safe for now."

"Last night, someone tried to use you for a bloodline experiment. We rescued you."

At the words "bloodline experiment," the young man's face went even paler.

His memories slowly began to return.

The Black Cloth Carriage.

The iron cage.

The White Tiger Cub.

The cold stone platform.

And the bottle of pungent red-black liquid.

The young man trembled slightly and said in a low voice:

"My name is Dai Lin."

"I'm from White Rock Town on the Star Luo border."

"I'm only a branch member of the Dai Family, not part of the imperial main line."

At the name Dai, Meow Meow's tail swayed slightly.

As expected, he was from the Star Luo White Tiger Lineage.

Qian Renxue continued asking:

"How did you end up in Heavenly Dou?"

Dai Lin gritted his teeth.

"I don't know."

"I only remember that a caravan came to town, saying they were collecting beast bones and medicinal herbs."

"Later, they captured me and two others from my clan."

"When I woke up, I was in a cage."

"What happened to the other two?"

Qian Renxue asked.

Fear crept into Dai Lin's eyes.

"I don't know."

"They were taken away before me."

The room fell silent.

Meow Meow didn't ask anything else.

The boy didn't know much.

There was no point in pressing him.

He was just an unlucky victim the Black Eagle Family and the Star Luo Caravan had used as a Sample.

Qian Renxue instructed the physician to keep tending to him, then ordered her guards to strengthen security around the Side Courtyard.

Only after they left the courtyard did Meow Meow speak in a low voice:

"There are still two others."

Qian Renxue nodded.

"I'll have people investigate the Star Luo Caravan."

"But if the other two have already been moved, we may not find them anytime soon."

"We still have to look."

Meow Meow said.

"Otherwise, the Black Eagle Family will try again sooner or later."

Jianbing didn't speak from inside the Calming Bell.

But Meow Meow could sense that he was tense.

White Tiger Remnant Spirits sensed White Tiger bloodlines far better than ordinary Soul Masters.

Ever since Dai Lin woke up, Jianbing had been uneasy.

When they returned to the Clear Radiance Pavilion, White Dew, Gray Ear, and Numb Tail were all there.

Numb Tail was still being punished.

He was crouched in the corner, with a strip of dried meat placed in front of him.

He wasn't allowed to eat it.

This was Meow Meow's new training exercise for him.

"Look at the food, but don't touch it."

"When you can hold out for the time it takes an incense stick to burn, you'll have passed."

Numb Tail was staring so hard that his eyes had gone glassy.

When he saw Meow Meow return, he immediately looked up as if he'd seen his savior.

Meow Meow glanced at him.

"Time's not up yet."

Numb Tail drooped again.

White Dew walked over to Meow Meow and gently rubbed against him.

Gray Ear also jumped down from the windowsill and let out a quiet meow.

Meow Meow looked at them.

"Do you want to know about the child in the Side Courtyard, too?"

White Dew nodded.

Gray Ear nodded as well.

Numb Tail was a beat slower, but when he saw everyone else nodding, he followed suit.

Meow Meow felt a little helpless.

"The child's name is Dai Lin. He's a branch member of the Star Luo White Tiger Lineage."

"His bloodline aura is somewhat similar to Jianbing's."

"Last night, the Black Eagle Family used him as a Sample."

White Dew's expression changed at once.

Gray Ear lowered his head and sniffed, as though memorizing the scent.

Even Numb Tail stopped looking at the dried meat for once.

Jianbing said quietly from inside the Calming Bell:

"They captured two others, too."

"Yeah."

Meow Meow nodded.

"So we still have to investigate."

White Dew raised her head.

"Meow."

Meow Meow understood.

She wanted to go.

Gray Ear meowed as well.

Numb Tail looked at White Dew, then at Gray Ear, and finally let out a timid meow of his own.

Meow Meow raised an eyebrow.

"You three all want to go?"

White Dew nodded firmly.

Gray Ear nodded too.

Numb Tail hesitated, then nodded as well.

Meow Meow looked at Numb Tail.

"Pass the dried meat trial first, then we'll talk."

Numb Tail: "..."

He silently turned his gaze away from the dried meat.

Meow Meow sighed.

"You can go if you want."

"But not right now."

"The Royal Academy isn't an ordinary place."

"It's full of Soul Kings and Soul Ancestors, not to mention the people behind the scenes whose whereabouts we don't know."

"If you go now, you'll be walking into danger with no way to protect yourselves."

White Dew looked unwilling.

Gray Ear caught on quickly and lowered his head.

Numb Tail looked relieved, yet a little disappointed.

Meow Meow watched the three of them for a moment.

Then an idea occurred to him.

"How about this?"

"If you really want to help, you'll have to pass a trial first."

All three cats looked up at once.

Jianbing looked over as well.

Meow Meow shook the Calming Bell.

"The trial isn't hard."

"Just make it out alive, and you pass."

At the words "make it out," Numb Tail felt a little more at ease.

He was good at running.

White Dew watched Meow Meow intently.

Gray Ear's eyes lit up, too.

Seeing their reactions, Meow Meow added:

"But there won't be any food inside."

Numb Tail lowered his head again.

White Dew glanced at him.

Gray Ear glanced at him, too.

Numb Tail sensed their looks and quickly sat up straight, pretending he hadn't been thinking about anything.

Qian Renxue watched from the side and couldn't help smiling.

"They're still young."

"That's exactly why they need to learn the rules first."

Meow Meow said.

"The Heavenly Dou Cat Net and the Sacred Flame Spirit Cat will both keep growing. We can't have every cat wait for me to rescue them whenever they get into trouble."

Qian Renxue nodded.

That made sense.

Meow Meow lifted a paw and pointed.

The Calming Bell rang softly.

A dim Trial Ground unfolded within the bell.

This time, it wasn't the White Tiger Trial specifically prepared for Jianbing.

It was the more basic Cat Net Survival Trial.

Jungle.

Wetlands.

Ruins.

And several hidden Soul Master auras.

Meow Meow hadn't set any enemies that were too strong.

But he had added plenty of traps.

Bell Array.

Mist Scent Grass.

Fake Jerky.

And Black Eagle Pattern Cloth.

The moment Numb Tail saw the Fake Jerky, he froze.

Meow Meow said coldly:

"That's a trap."

Numb Tail immediately looked away.

White Dew went in first.

Gray Ear followed.

Numb Tail hesitated, then jumped in too.

The three cats landed, and the light around them suddenly dimmed.

The wind blew through the leaves with a rustling sound.

White Dew immediately lowered her body and sensed her surroundings.

Gray Ear sniffed the ground.

Numb Tail glanced at the jerky hanging from a branch ahead, then reluctantly turned his head away.

Watching from outside, Meow Meow nodded in satisfaction.

"Improvement."

The trial began.

The first challenge was Scent Recognition.

Several strips of cloth lay scattered through the woods.

One carried the scent of the Black Eagle Family, another the scent of the Star Luo Caravan, and a third was just an old piece of cloth left behind by an ordinary hunter.

Gray Ear quickly found the Black Eagle cloth.

White Dew found the Star Luo Caravan's.

Numb Tail found the jerky.

Meow Meow: "..."

When Numb Tail came running back with the Fake Jerky in his mouth, he looked delighted.

Then a Bell Array suddenly sprang from the jerky.

Ding-ding, clatter.

The whole forest rang with the sound.

White Dew and Gray Ear both looked at him.

Numb Tail froze.

The next moment, low growls came from the woods.

Several low-tier Shadow Spirit Beasts crawled out of the grass.

They weren't strong.

But there were a lot of them.

Numb Tail spun around and ran in fright.

Gray Ear reacted quickly, circling to the side to draw two of them away.

The Holy Fire on White Dew's body glimmered faintly. A calming aura settled over them, helping Numb Tail regain some composure.

"Meow!"

White Dew called out.

Numb Tail seemed to understand.

He stopped running around wildly and followed White Dew toward a low stone cave.

Gray Ear quickly caught up.

The three cats squeezed into the cave.

The Shadow Spirit Beasts circled outside several times but didn't crawl in.

They'd passed the first wave.

Meow Meow looked like he was trying not to laugh.

"Not bad."

"Numb Tail still made a mistake, but at least he knew to run."

Qian Renxue said:

"They learned to work together pretty quickly."

"Cats naturally stick together," Meow Meow replied.

"They just never had anyone teach them how."

The second challenge began inside the Trial Ground.

This time, it was Stealth.

The three cats had to leave the cave and cross a ruined area full of Ringing Bell Wires.

White Dew was light on her feet and moved the most steadily.

Gray Ear could sniff the wind and avoid places with Soul Master auras in advance.

Numb Tail didn't look for food this time.

But he was too fat.

When he squeezed through a broken wooden frame, his rear end got stuck.

Meow Meow: "..."

Gray Ear turned back and tugged at him.

White Dew pushed him with her paws.

Numb Tail gave an anxious little cry.

The patrolling Shadow Spirit Masters outside were getting close.

Just then, Numb Tail suddenly sucked in his belly, and his whole body rolled out with a "poof."

He rolled too fast and nearly hit the bell wires beside him.

Gray Ear grabbed his tail in his teeth and pulled him to a stop.

White Dew pressed a paw against the wire.

It almost rang, but didn't.

Numb Tail lay sprawled on the ground, eyes wide.

Meow Meow watched for a while before finally commenting:

"At least he knows to suck in his belly now."

Qian Renxue put a hand to her forehead.

The three cats continued onward.

The third challenge was Retreat.

This time, Meow Meow didn't give them much time to prepare.

He released Soul King-level pressure right at the edge of the Trial Ground.

Gray Ear's fur stood on end at once.

White Dew's expression tightened too.

Numb Tail's legs went weak, and he nearly collapsed.

But he didn't yowl.

That mattered.

When the powerful Soul Master aura appeared, the three cats didn't try to fight back. Instead, they followed the method Meow Meow had taught them: split up first, regroup, then retreat toward the safe exit.

Along the way, a Shadow Spirit Beast blocked White Dew.

Gray Ear had nearly reached the exit, but he turned back and circled around to draw the Shadow Spirit Beast away.

Numb Tail stood at the exit, anxiously turning in place.

In the end, he gritted his teeth and rushed back, slamming his round body into the Shadow Spirit Beast.

Thump.

The Shadow Spirit Beast barely moved.

Numb Tail, on the other hand, bounced away.

But that collision gave White Dew a chance to retreat.

At last, all three cats rushed out through the exit together.

The Calming Bell rang once.

The trial was over.

The three cats tumbled out of the bell.

Gray Ear landed fairly steadily.

White Dew was only slightly out of breath.

Numb Tail sprawled out like a cat-shaped pancake.

"Meow..."

He seemed to be saying he never wanted to go in there again.

Meow Meow looked at the three little cats, his gaze softening.

"Not bad for a first try."

"Especially you, Numb Tail."

Numb Tail froze and struggled to lift his head.

Meow Meow said:

"Even though you were still fooled by the food."

"Even though you got stuck."

"Even though you couldn't knock anyone over."

Numb Tail's head sank lower and lower.

"But you turned back to save White Dew in the end."

"That was good."

Numb Tail's eyes brightened.

White Dew came over and gently nudged him.

Gray Ear brushed him with his tail.

Numb Tail perked right back up.

Meow Meow found it amusing.

"Alright, don't get too proud."

"Starting today, the three of you will enter the trial once a day."

"After seven days, whoever can get through it consistently will be allowed to take part in official operations for the Heavenly Dou Cat Net."

The three cats nodded together.

This time, even Numb Tail didn't hesitate.

Qian Renxue watched them and suddenly said:

"They're growing quickly."

"Mm."

Meow Meow nodded.

"Being an ordinary cat doesn't mean you're useless."

"Give them a chance, and they can learn too."

After saying that, he remembered something and looked at Numb Tail again.

"But I'm still confiscating the jerky."

Numb Tail: "..."

The pride that had just risen in him crumpled at once.

White Dew's tail swayed gently.

Gray Ear lowered his head to lick his paw.

The atmosphere in Clear Radiance Pavilion was unusually relaxed.

But soon, footsteps sounded outside the door.

A personal guard reported from outside:

"Your Highness, the young man in the Side Courtyard is fully awake."

"He says he has something important to report."

Qian Renxue looked at Meow Meow.

Meow Meow's smile faded.

"Let's go."

In the Side Courtyard, Dai Lin had already sat up.

His face was still pale, but his eyes were much clearer than they had been last night.

When he saw Qian Renxue enter, he hurriedly tried to bow, but she stopped him.

"Stay lying down while you speak."

Qian Renxue said.

Dai Lin nodded. His voice was still weak.

"Your Highness, the people who rescued me weren't just from the Black Eagle Family."

"While I was being escorted, I heard a name."

Meow Meow's ears perked up.

"What name?"

Dai Lin looked at the talking White Cat, still not quite used to it.

But he knew this cat had saved him.

So he lowered his voice and said:

"Dugu."

The air in the room went still.

Qian Renxue's expression changed.

"Dugu?"

Meow Meow was stunned, too.

Dugu Bo?

No.

Given Dugu Bo's personality, he might not be involved in an experiment like this with the Black Eagle Family.

Besides, the Black Water Pollution and White Tiger Blood experiments didn't seem like his style at all.

Afraid they might misunderstand, Dai Lin hurriedly added:

"I only heard them say, 'It's hard to get around Dugu's Poison Array.'"

"They also said that if they could use Black Water to wear down the Poison Array, they could get close to a Medicine Garden."

A Medicine Garden.

A Poison Array.

Dugu.

Those words together instantly brought a place to Meow Meow's mind.

The Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well!

Sunset Forest.

Dugu Bo's lair.

One of Tang San's greatest opportunities in the original story.

Meow Meow's tail went still.

The Black Eagle Family's goal might not be limited to the White Tiger Sample.

They were also targeting Dugu Bo's Medicine Garden.

Qian Renxue had clearly thought of Dugu Bo, too.

She said softly:

"Poison Douluo, Dugu Bo."

Meow Meow looked at her.

"You know him?"

"I've heard of him,"

Qian Renxue said.

"One of the Titled Douluo. Reclusive, and skilled in poison."

"He often ventures into Sunset Forest."

Meow Meow's heart sank.

This plotline had finally collided with the original story's main plot.

Sunset Forest.

The Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well.

The place Tang San would visit in the future.

If the Black Eagle Family got involved ahead of time, who knew how badly they might throw the timeline into disarray?

Still, that might not be a bad thing.

Tang San shouldn't be the only one to claim everything there.

Meow Meow narrowed his eyes.

"Qinghe."

"Hmm?"

"Investigate the outskirts of Sunset Forest."

"Especially the places where Dugu Bo has been active."

Qian Renxue nodded.

"I'll look into it."

Seeing how serious they both looked, Dai Lin said quietly:

"I also heard them say that the shipment from the Star Luo Empire was just the first step."

"If they can get the Immortal Herbs in that Medicine Garden, they can stabilize the White Tiger Sample."

Meow Meow said nothing more.

Immortal Herbs.

That word had finally come up.

Good.

The original Douluo plot was starting to converge on them.

Meow Meow felt a little conflicted.

Tang San was still at Notting Academy.

But the Black Eagle Family had already set its sights on the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well.

If they ignored this, then later on, not only Tang San but even Dugu Bo might get dragged into it ahead of time.

"Get some rest for now."

Meow Meow looked at Dai Lin.

"What you've told us is important."

Dai Lin nodded.

"Thank you... Lord Cat."

Meow Meow: "..."

Lord Cat?

Never mind.

It was better than Master Cat.

After they left the Side Courtyard, Qian Renxue asked:

"You want to go to Sunset Forest?"

"We'll have to go sooner or later,"

Meow Meow said.

"If the Black Eagle Family has its eye on the place, their next move won't be small."

"And if Dugu Bo gets dragged into this, things will be even more troublesome."

Qian Renxue pondered for a moment.

"We can't easily take on a Titled Douluo right now."

"I know."

Meow Meow nodded.

"So we're not going to take him on."

"We'll first find out what the Black Eagle Family is planning."

"And..."

He paused.

"If that Medicine Garden really is Dugu Bo's territory, then we absolutely can't let the Black Eagle Family get there first."

Qian Renxue looked at him.

"Do you know what's in there?"

Meow Meow flicked his tail.

"I'm not sure."

"But a Medicine Garden that's caught the Black Eagle Family's interest and is connected to Poison Douluo..."

"It definitely isn't an ordinary place."

Qian Renxue didn't press him further.

She was already used to Meow Meow occasionally knowing strange things.

When Meow Meow returned to Clear Radiance Pavilion, the three kittens were already resting nearby.

White Dew was still very well-behaved.

Gray Ear slept warily.

Even in his sleep, Numb Tail reached out a paw to grab at the air, as if he were trying to catch some jerky.

Meow Meow looked at them and suddenly felt his plans still weren't enough.

The Heavenly Dou Cat Net had to be established as soon as possible.

Once the Sunset Forest plotline began, they would need eyes throughout the city and beyond.

He opened the System Panel.

[Current Main Plot Connections: Heaven Dou Royal Academy, Black Eagle Family, Star Luo White Tiger, Sunset Forest, Dugu Poison Array.]

[Prompt: The originally planned Opportunity Thread has shifted.]

Meow Meow looked at the words "Opportunity Thread," his expression shifting slightly.

As expected.

Tang San's opportunity had already been stirred ahead of time.

That was both bad news and good news.

The bad news was that things would get more chaotic.

The good news was that he could get involved early.

He closed the panel and looked out the window.

"Tang San, Tang San."

"You're still studying at Notting."

"Someone's already got their eye on the place where you'll get your cheat."

Meow Meow gave a soft shake of his head.

If Yu Xiaogang heard about this, he could probably write three essays of theoretical analysis.

But it wasn't their turn yet.

Meow Meow lifted a paw and gently tapped the Calming Bell.

"Jianbing."

"I'm here."

"Rest up properly."

"We might be going to Sunset Forest next."

Jianbing raised his head.

"Are there White Tiger Samples there?"

"Maybe,"

Meow Meow said.

"But there's more likely to be a whole lot of poison."

Jianbing fell silent for a moment.

"Then I'll keep resting for now."

"Smart."

Meow Meow nodded in satisfaction.

Then he looked at Numb Tail, curled up in a ball.

"And the rest of you."

"You three little ones."

"If you're still falling for Fake Jerky seven days from now, you can forget about leaving Heaven Dou City."

Numb Tail twitched in his sleep.

It was impossible to tell whether he had heard.

Outside Clear Radiance Pavilion, dawn had broken.

A new wind blew into Heaven Dou City.

Far away, deep in Sunset Forest, a spring of ice and fire flowed quietly through a valley shrouded in Poison Mist.

Several Immortal Herbs swayed gently in the mist.

No one yet knew that they had already drawn the attention of several factions.