33. Tempting the Electric Mouse, A New Era of Cat and Mouse

"Sound Shift, Shadow Instant Kill!"

Zhu Zhuqing's vermilion lips parted slightly, and her figure had already appeared at the nape of the Giant-Toothed Hound's neck, her claws slashing down.

The Giant-Toothed Hound yelped in pain, its steps faltering as it staggered and crashed into a tree trunk.

Boom!

The trunk snapped clean in half.

"Pika." The Golden Soul Beast curled up in fright, turned its head, and saw the massive beast lying on the ground. It stood upright, looking confused. "Pika, pika?"

Then it spotted a person—no, a cat—landing lightly on the ground, its cheeks crackling: "Pika, pika!"

Zhu Zhuqing saw the Golden Soul Beast covered in dust, its dark eyes still filled with lingering terror, and her heart clenched as if someone had twisted it.

"Little one, it's okay!" Zhu Zhuqing's voice was as gentle as she could make it, bending down and slowly approaching the Golden Soul Beast.

The Golden Soul Beast stood frozen in place, then suddenly cried out: "Pika, pika!"

And in an instant, it vanished again.

"Don't run, I mean no harm." Zhu Zhuqing stood helplessly, and the shadows on the ground suddenly deepened.

She looked back—the Giant-Toothed Hound stood right behind her, baring its teeth and glaring, one massive paw swinging down.

"Sound Shift."

Zhu Zhuqing dodged quickly, flashing to a spot far from the camp, and then broke into a run!

The Giant-Toothed Hound snarled, drooling, and lunged at Zhu Zhuqing, transferring its craving for the Golden Soul Beast onto her.

It chased her for who knows how far, and at some point, Zhu Zhuqing, the target, had vanished, yet the Giant-Toothed Hound still charged on.

Before long, a dark figure appeared at the spot where the Golden Soul Beast had just been saved. By the moonlight, one could make out a pale face and purple-black clothes.

"Little one, where are you?" Zhu Zhuqing called softly. When there was no response, she thought of the little one's dirty face and couldn't help feeling a pang of worry.

Maybe the little one hadn't eaten in a long time either.

Zhu Zhuqing picked some common wild fruits nearby, confirmed they weren't poisonous, then plucked a large leaf, placed the fruits on it, and left them under a tree. She herself crouched in the tree, watching quietly.

After a long wait, the Golden Soul Beast finally appeared again.

This time, Zhu Zhuqing saw it clearly—the Golden Soul Beast was actually an Electric Mouse, and the red marks on its cheeks were where it controlled its lightning.

The Golden Soul Beast clearly spotted the leaf full of fruit. Overjoyed, it still kept a wary eye on its surroundings.

Its eyes were full of fear as it approached cautiously, each step requiring a long pause to observe.

Only after confirming there was no danger did it start to feast with abandon.

"So cute!" Zhu Zhuqing murmured softly, her cold eyes filled entirely with the tiny golden figure, her heart nearly melting. "I want to take it away right now."

But she chose not to go out, afraid of scaring it, and just watched quietly.

The Golden Soul Beast buried its head in the meal, quickly devouring all the wild fruits, then patted its round belly with satisfaction: "Pika, pika!"

Zhu Zhuqing watched the Golden Soul Beast leave, then used Sound Shift to return to camp, her mind full of the adorable little golden creature.

She had to find a way to take it with her.

Soon, the sun clocked in for work, meaning their new day of hunting soul beasts was about to begin.

By the trio's unspoken understanding, ordinary soul beasts in the area were no longer a match for them in one-on-one fights.

Even so, Su Yan only dared to pick loners or herbivorous soul beasts when acting as bait.

"Let's get ready to head out." Su Yan spread out a sheepskin scroll and began to orient himself.

"Let's stay a few more days," Zhu Zhuqing said. "There's a soul beast nearby I want to capture."

"Alright, need help?" Su Yan asked.

Zhu Zhuqing shook her head. "Not for now."

"Soul beast..." Tang Chi muttered, shivering. That thing—you could capture it?

Even Xue Ke looked puzzled, blinking her clear eyes, unable to understand.

Over the next few days, Zhu Zhuqing volunteered for night watch. Every night before dark, she prepared wild fruits and left them in the same spot.

The Golden Soul Beast showed up every time, as if on cue.

It was as if a pact had formed between the girl and the mouse.

She fed; it was fed.

Seeing that the time was ripe, Zhu Zhuqing prepared a net bag and gave it a hard tug—sturdy.

"I'll take the night watch again tonight." Zhu Zhuqing headed into the woods with the net bag.

"I'll help you." Su Yan followed. "Tang Chi, protect Princess Xue Ke."

The two walked into the forest. While there was still light, they set down the net bag, covered it with dead leaves, and finally placed a leaf full of wild fruits on top.

Everything was ready—all they had to do was wait.

Night fell.

"Hell Spirit Cat, possess."

"Blazing Spirit Cat, possess."

In an instant, a flash of fire lit up the dim forest. Su Yan quickly withdrew his martial soul: "Blazing Spirit Cat, dismiss!"

Without Martial Soul Possession, he couldn't gain the little cat's night vision, leaving him staring into the darkness outside.

Fortunately, the heavens were cooperative—the moonlight was bright, and Su Yan could make out the situation in the woods by its faint glow.

Before long, the Golden Soul Beast arrived to keep the appointment, but this time, the human side was about to break that agreement.

Su Yan heard a rustling sound, and a small golden figure came into view.

The Golden Soul Beast, completely off guard, pounced on the leaves and began eating wild fruits.

Zhu Zhuqing leaped down from a tree, and the net bag shot into the air, catching the Golden Soul Beast mid-swing.

"Pika, pika!" The Golden Soul Beast panicked, its limbs flailing, its lightning-shaped tail trembling slightly.

"God Pikachu!" Su Yan exclaimed. No wonder this little thing looked so familiar.

The moment that sound came out, it was that familiar tone!

He jogged over to the net bag and, by the moonlight, got a clear look at the Electric Mouse inside.

Golden fur, red cheeks, lightning tail.

Pika, pika, Pikachu!

"God Pikachu!" Su Yan was overjoyed, ecstatic, his hands flailing with nowhere to put them.

He regretted not coming sooner!

Making Brother Pika suffer, covered in dirt.

This was entirely his fault!

"Yan-ge, do you recognize this soul beast?" Zhu Zhuqing tied the rope securely and walked over, a rare bright smile on her face. "Little one~"

"Its name is Pikachu. To be precise, it's not a soul beast, but a Pokémon!" Su Yan rattled off knowledge. "Pikachu, Electric-type. Its signature move is Thunderbolt—it can release a voltage equivalent to a hundred thousand volts from the electric pouches on its cheeks. Extremely powerful."

Zhu Zhuqing didn't know what a volt meant, but with a hundred thousand in there, it had to be a formidable skill.

Pikachu curled up in the net, trembling. It could feel the two strange humans sizing it up, and its heart sank.

This little mouse was done for.

"God Pikachu, we sincerely invite you to become our partner!" Su Yan's tone was gentle, his words earnest, his dark eyes fixed on Pikachu without moving.

Pikachu ignored him, even turning its back to him. Its electric pouches crackled twice, as if expressing dissatisfaction. What kind of person just says that without even letting it down from the net?

The atmosphere turned icy, cold and nothing else.

Zhu Zhuqing pulled out some wild fruits and held them out to Pikachu: "Pikachu, these are for you."

Pikachu recognized the familiar wild fruits, its dark eyes glistening as it looked at Zhu Zhuqing.

So it was you!

But when it saw the pointed ears on Zhu Zhuqing's head, the slender whiskers by her cheeks, and the furry claws instead of hands holding the fruits, it jerked its own paws back in shock.

That was an instinctive reaction to a natural enemy.