Chapter 30: Earning the Title—Beast Tamer!
After the black cat got smacked by a fish's tail, it flew into a rage. Its paws, wrapped in boundless fury, swiped furiously, and in an instant, it muddied the water by the stream.
"Little kitty!"
Ji Ruo's eyes lit up. Holding two fish, he walked over. "I love little kitties! Come here and let me pet you!"
"Ji Ruo, maybe you shouldn't. What if it's a demon—" Liang Shixian started, but before he could finish, Ji Ruo was already greeting the cat. "Hello, little kitty! My name's Ji Ruo. Want to come play with us?"
Ji Ruo wasn't being arrogant. The black cat had even been bullied by a fish. It hardly looked like anything powerful.
And since it wasn't powerful, yet dared to lie by the stream and fish so openly, it was probably very hungry.
Ji Ruo took less than a second to reach that conclusion, then stepped forward.
His thinking was simple: catch the cat and give it a good petting!
The black cat finally noticed the two of them and stopped muddying the water. It arched its back and eyed them warily, issuing a tiny, mewling threat: "Meow!"
The cat looked only a month or two old, a tiny kitten through and through. Its attempt to look fierce was unbearably cute.
Ji Ruo grinned and took a few more steps.
The black cat turned and ran.
It wasn't particularly agile, and its steps were even a little unsteady.
It struggled up the trunk of a nearby tree. From its perch, it looked down at Ji Ruo, then at the stream it had muddied. Its eyes were full of reluctance and resentment.
It was afraid of Ji Ruo and Liang Shixian, but it couldn't bear to leave either. I want to eat fish so badly!
Liang Shixian came over to Ji Ruo and lowered his voice. "Ji Ruo, cut it out. We're still taking the exam—no, we're already outside the Martial Exam Designated Area. Ten Thousand Beast Mountain is too dangerous. If you want to pet a cat, I'll give you one when we get back. My cat's about to have kittens anyway."
"Class monitor, have you ever heard the legend of fishing fanatics?"
Liang Shixian stared blankly. "What legend?"
Ji Ruo smiled. "Wherever there's a river, they cast a line. Wherever there's water, they stop!"
"?"
Liang Shixian looked puzzled. "What does that have to do with us?"
"People who love cats are pretty much the same."
".But that black cat seems really afraid of us."
"Don't worry. I have a way to get it down." As he spoke, Ji Ruo tucked one fish into his pocket, then brought his palms together around the other.
His palms suddenly turned bright red. The heat even made the air shimmer.
" sizzle~~~"
Liang Shixian: "???"
As the faint, strange aroma of fish, tinged with a hint of rawness, drifted over, Liang Shixian was utterly stunned.
Did you seriously learn Iron Sand Palm just to cook?!
"Little kitty, do you want some grilled fish?" Ji Ruo said with a smile, holding up the little fish he'd grilled with Iron Sand Palm and waving it at the black cat.
"Gulp~"
The black cat in the tree swallowed. The strange, familiar aroma teased its senses. A hint of longing showed in its eyes, along with a little hesitation.
"Meow meow meow~ Come on, come on, let me pet you, and I'll treat you to fish!"
Ji Ruo spoke with a beaming smile. He looked just like a shady old man trying to lure a little girl over to see his goldfish.
Of course, Ji Ruo could never become a shady old man. After all, he was younger and handsome.
The black cat wavered. Even Liang Shixian could see how torn it was.
The way it dawdled only made it cuter.
Then, whether it was truly starving or Ji Ruo's Diplomatic Spokesperson title was boosting his words' persuasive power, the black cat actually began to climb down from the tree.
It walked toward Ji Ruo, stopping after every step, still torn.
But perhaps the temptation of Iron Sand Palm–grilled fish was too much. Before the black cat could make up its mind, its body had already carried it right up to Ji Ruo.
Ji Ruo crouched and gently held the grilled fish out to it.
"Meow~ Meow~ Eat up, eat up." Ji Ruo cheerfully spoke to the black cat in his own invented cat language, translating as he went.
The black cat glanced at Ji Ruo, seemingly unable to understand what sort of cat gibberish this creature was speaking.
Liang Shixian: "."
How childish! This was way too childish!
The black cat cautiously licked the grilled fish Ji Ruo held out. Its eyes lit up, and it began eating in tiny bites.
Its eyes brimmed with contentment and happiness. It had never eaten fish this delicious before!
Ji Ruo had only roughly grilled it with Iron Sand Palm, forcing it to cook without adding any seasoning. The taste might have been hard for a human to bear, but to the black cat, it was the difference between raw and cooked food!
In a sense, it had completely overturned the black cat's eating habits. For the first time in its life, it had tasted something so delicious.
Ji Ruo set the grilled fish on the ground in front of the black cat and, taking the opportunity, reached out to rub its little head.
The black cat stiffened, but perhaps having its head petted really did feel good. It kept eating while closing its eyes in enjoyment.
At the same time—
[Congratulations, young host! You have triggered a functional achievement: Just fool around a little, and a strange cat will come to you!] [Title obtained: Beast Tamer!] [Beast Tamer: Comes with a special skill—Contract; grants passive ability—Common Tongue] [Contract: When neither party feels significant resistance and their strengths are not too far apart, you may form a contract with a non-native creature, creating a relationship with a master and a subordinate.] [Common Tongue: Languages are universal, allowing for barrier-free communication.] [Note: Contract complete. Those who break their word shall suffer the Punishment of Eating Rocks!] [Note: Barrier-free communication is the foundation of all contractual relationships!] [Note: Be a kind-hearted, good kid~]
Ji Ruo was overjoyed.
This achievement actually awarded him a title!
Happily, he scratched the black cat under the chin. It closed its eyes in comfort.
"Is it tasty?"
"Meow meow~ (Tasty! Delicious!)"
He really could understand it now!
Common Tongue was terrifyingly powerful!
Ji Ruo was even happier. "Want to try even tastier grilled fish?"
Liang Shixian watched Ji Ruo start chatting with the black cat and covered his face helplessly. "You're really having a conversation with it now?!"
"Meow~ (I do!)"
"Then sign a contract with me. After we do, I'll take you to eat delicious food."
Now that he'd tested Common Tongue, Ji Ruo planned to try Contract next.
Besides, keeping a cat wasn't exactly unacceptable.
This black cat had come from the Ten Thousand Beast Mountain Secret Realm. Whether it was a demon or a demonic beast, it was naturally far superior to any ordinary cat sold in human society.
Bloodline and all that—could an ordinary cat compare to a Secret Realm cat?
"Meow meow meow~~ (Okay, okay!)"
At that moment, the black cat still had no idea what the problem was.
If her "older sister" woke up, she'd probably be so angry she'd fall back into hibernation. She'd told the cat to stay alive, and somehow it had ended up becoming a human's pet.
How was she supposed to get revenge now?!
[Contract completed!] [Congratulations, young host! You have gained a new pet!] [Click to view Pet Details.]
So it was done?
Ji Ruo froze for a moment, then suddenly felt a sense of control over the black cat.
A Master-Servant Contract!
The black cat also instinctively felt close to Ji Ruo. After finishing the grilled fish, it came over and rubbed against his pant leg.
"Meow meow meow~ (Master, I'm still hungry~)"
Without thinking, it called him Master. The black cat didn't find anything strange about it.
"Wait while I catch you some fish. We're having a feast today!" Ji Ruo laughed.
Liang Shixian: "?"
Can you really understand cat noises, or what? How are you having such a coherent conversation?
Ji Ruo picked up the black cat. It looked only a month or two old and wasn't very big, so he set it right on top of his head. Then he crouched by the stream and activated Thunder Breathing. With Thunderclap and Flash boosting his hand speed, he scooped fish out of the stream one after another, moving too fast for the naked eye to follow.
You had to admit, Ji Ruo was truly down-to-earth. He used Iron Sand Palm to stir-fry rice and cook, and Thunderclap and Flash to catch fish.
Watching Ji Ruo scoop fish out of the stream and toss them onto the grassy bank, the black cat's eyes sparkled.
As if remembering its own attempt to catch fish, it cheered, "Meow~ (Master, you're amazing!)"
Ji Ruo smiled. "Little kitty, let me give you a name. How about Wangcai?"
The black cat wrinkled its nose. "Meow meow meow~ (What an awful name! I don't want that one. I already have a name!)"
"You have a name?"
The black cat lifted its chin. "Meow! (Of course! My name is Rosie!)"
This tiny kitten really had a name of its own?
And the name didn't sound very much like a demon or a demonic beast. Curious, Ji Ruo opened Little Rosie's Pet Details.
(Each click counts as one day.)
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