Chapter Summaries

Zheng Qing, trapped in his black cat form, tried to make the gathered cats hunt mice instead of lounging around him. Their baffling tributes culminated in the Norwegian Forest Cat splashing snake blood onto him, and Zheng Qing left the chapter beating it in a fury.

• Zheng Qing grew tired of being treated as the cats’ king and stopped the blue cat from presenting him with a dead mouse.
• Zheng Qing used gestures to tell the blue cat to bring him more mice, then drove the other cats out to hunt as well.
• The blue cat returned with a sparrow, and the other cats brought an assortment of animals, including caterpillars, squirrels, and Corpse Beetles.
• The Norwegian Forest Cat brought Zheng Qing a live Grass Snake and ripped open its belly, splashing snake blood onto his face.
• Zheng Qing pounced on the Norwegian Forest Cat and beat it until he felt calmer.

Zheng Qing, disguised as a black cat, collected tributes from the stray cats and found several useful items, including a Cat's Eye Gemstone he planned to give Ilena for Christmas. After the cats returned with rats, he sent a paper crane for help, and footsteps and voices soon approached the woods.

• Zheng Qing sorted the cats' tributes, keeping dead rats and a timid Yachiyo Mountain Scorpion while setting aside a worn Potions Studies notebook for Dr. Xiao.
• He found a Cat's Eye Gemstone and decided it would make a Christmas gift for Ilena.
• The cats returned with rats, but the Norwegian Forest Cat was still missing.
• Zheng Qing activated a paper crane with his saliva and sent it flying out of the woods.
• Footsteps and quiet conversation approached from outside the woods.

Zheng Qing, transformed into a black cat, summoned his hunting-team companions to help collect the mice his feline subordinates had caught. The group discovered a Ragdoll kitten eating Fatty Xin’s discarded fried chicken, while Zheng Qing’s newfound band of cats remained nearby.

• The You Zui Hunting Team followed a paper crane into the woods and found Zheng Qing surrounded by a pile of dead mice.
• Zheng Qing greeted Fatty Xin, Zhang Jixin, Lin Guo, Lan Que, Xiao Xiao, and the others, and learned that Dylan was still asleep in his coffin.
• Lin Guo excitedly confirmed that Zheng Qing was a talking black cat, while Fatty Xin and Zhang Jixin bickered over Zhang’s hunting outfit.
• Zheng Qing asked his companions to put away the mice his subordinates had caught, pointing out that the different bite marks came from different cats.
• Zhang Jixin scolded Fatty Xin for littering, and Fatty Xin turned around to find a Ragdoll kitten eating his discarded fried chicken.

The black cat welcomed his feline subordinates back and accepted a tribute of fried chicken from the Ragdoll Kitten while the hunters prepared to leave. The Norwegian Forest Cat then returned with wounds and a clothed Little Rat in its mouth.

• The cats emerged from their hiding places, and Fatty Xin offered fried chicken to the Ragdoll Kitten.
• The Ragdoll Kitten carried the chicken to the black cat, who tasted a strip and let the kitten keep the rest.
• Lin Guo and Lan Que gathered the rats while Zheng Qing handed the notebook and Cat's Eye Gemstone to Dr. Xiao.
• Dr. Xiao asked about the notebook and whether Zheng Qing could find more, while the black cat discovered that Lin Guo's black ram had eaten his catnip.
• The Norwegian Forest Cat leaped down before the black cat with wounds on its body and a clothed Little Rat in its mouth.

Zheng Qing’s Forest Cat returned with a clothed Little Rat, prompting the You Zui Hunting Team to examine the creature and marvel at the cat’s injuries. The Little Rat proved alive and tried to escape, but a Ragdoll Kitten pinned its tail while awaiting the black cat’s decision.

• Zheng Qing recognized the Green-Vested Little Rat his Forest Cat had brought back as the Clothed Rat he had seen weeks earlier.
• Xiao Xiao examined the Little Rat while Fatty Xin and the others watched, and Elder Zhang praised the badly wounded Forest Cat.
• Xiao Xiao said the Little Rat was unusually sturdy and was pretending to be dead.
• The Little Rat sprang up and tried to flee, but the Ragdoll Kitten pinned its tail and looked to the black cat for instructions.

The black cat and the You Zui Hunting Team debated what to do with a clever, captured rat, unsure whether it was a transformed wizard or a clue to a rat nest. They decided that the black cat, Fatty Xin, and Lin Guo would escort it home while Dr. Xiao and Zhang Jixin carried the cats’ offerings back.

• The black cat hesitated to kill or release the clothed, intelligent rat and suggested taking it home to learn where it came from.
• Fatty Xin and Zhang Jixin warned that following the rat could be dangerous, while Dr. Xiao proposed sending an armed companion along.
• Zhang Jixin refused to go, and Lin Guo volunteered with Lan Que’s permission to travel only within the academy walls.
• The black cat assigned himself and Fatty Xin to escort the rat, brought Lin Guo along, and told Dr. Xiao and Zhang Jixin to carry the cat offerings back.

The black cat tried to direct the Forest Cat to the Green Vest rats’ nest, but the Forest Cat could not understand his gestures. Dr. Xiao used drawings to communicate with it, and it led the group toward the woods before the hunters of Youzui departed.

• The black cat gestured for the Forest Cat to lead them to the Green Vest rats’ nest, but the Forest Cat ignored him and returned to eating chicken.
• Dr. Xiao criticized the black cat’s gestures, while the Ragdoll Kitten happily took a piece of chicken and the fat man counted what remained in his bucket.
• Zhang Jixin claimed that books about animal languages existed in the library, and Dr. Xiao doubted him and said the Wizarding World lacked standardized animal-language research.
• Dr. Xiao drew a captive rat and a group of rats in his notebook, and the Forest Cat understood that he wanted it to lead them to the nest.
• The Forest Cat set off toward the woods, and the black cat said goodbye as Dr. Xiao and Zhang Jixin left together.

Zheng Qing followed the Forest Cat into the woods to search for a mouse nest, with a group of cats and his companions in tow. After Lan Que raised concerns about Zheng Qing’s unusual transformations, the group realized they had lost track of where they were.

• The cats gathered around Zheng Qing and followed him after Lin Guo explained that they treated him as their Cat King.
• Zheng Qing used his Size Spell to grow until he matched the Forest Cat, then told Lin Guo his ability came from innate cat kung fu.
• Lan Que advised Zheng Qing to have everyone sign a Silent Contract to protect the secret of his abnormal transformations, and Fatty Xin supported the idea.
• Fatty Xin and Lin Guo worried that the group had strayed beyond the academy, and Zheng Qing realized he had not remembered their route.

Zheng Qing and his companions followed the cats into an unfamiliar, deserted territory beyond Jiu You Academy and found a strange mist spreading around distant ruins. The group suspected they had reached the university graveyard, and Blue Sparrow stopped Lin Guo from rushing ahead.

• The Black Cat reassured Lin Guo that the cats could lead them back, while the fat fellow joked and shared a waffle fry with a Ragdoll Kitten that spat it out.
• Lin Guo questioned why the territory was unfamiliar and empty, making Zheng Qing uneasy.
• Zheng Qing enlarged himself to look over the trees and spotted collapsed ruins surrounded by pale blue mist spreading through the territory.
• Zheng Qing suggested the territory might contain the campus graveyard, and Lin Guo eagerly wanted to investigate.
• Blue Sparrow frowned and grabbed Lin Guo's shoulder to stop him from charging deeper into the territory.

Lan Que tried to end the expedition when it went beyond the area he had agreed to explore, but Lin Guo and the black cat persuaded him to continue cautiously toward the possible cemetery. The group stopped to question their guide, and Little Rat unexpectedly spoke up to urge them onward.

• Lin Guo asked Lan Que to investigate the possible cemetery, but Lan Que refused because the expedition had gone farther than expected.
• The black cat agreed that the group could continue briefly and retreat if danger appeared, while threatening Little Rat if it caused trouble.
• The black cat asked Forest Cat how far the rat nest was, but Forest Cat did not understand his question.
• Fatty Xin tried to communicate with Forest Cat by drawing in Cat Language, but his sketch was too unclear to help.
• Little Rat opened its eyes and complained that the group was moving too slowly, startling Fatty Xin with its speech.

A talking rat called the Little Rat told the black cat and the wizards about its awakening and the ancestor who awakened its kind. It refused to take them to the rats’ home at First University because the ancestor had not invited them.

• The black cat silenced the commotion and questioned the Little Rat about how it could speak human language.
• The Little Rat said that it and other Spirit Rats were awakened by having books hit their heads, and that some failed and were put into wooden boxes.
• The Little Rat said its ancestor had awakened hundreds of Spirit Rats and that it had come to First University because of the early Silent Tideback and the many visiting relatives.
• The black cat asked where the rats lived and whether the Little Rat could take them there, but the Little Rat refused because its ancestor had not invited them.

Andrew Taylor and his classmates met Ding Dong Ear, a talking mouse who had been carried to them by a Forest Cat. After exchanging apologies and a snack, they learned why Ding Dong Ear had been out and discovered that it could read books.

• Andrew Taylor reassured Ding Dong Ear, introduced himself under a false name, and asked his companions to stay quiet when Lin Guo nearly recognized him.
• Ding Dong Ear introduced itself by that name, and Fatty Xin offered it shredded squid as an apology.
• Andrew Taylor asked how Ding Dong Ear had ended up with the Forest Cat, and the mouse explained that it had been playing dead after approaching a nest of spiritually gifted mice.
• Ding Dong Ear remarked that the wizards were less fierce than books claimed, prompting Fatty Xin to question it about what it read and how it learned.

Ding Dong Ear explained that rats read books in their ancestors’ library and admitted it had planned to hitch a ride most of the way home. After it parted from Zheng Qing and the others, it vanished into a shrinking hole, and Lin Guo guessed that its escape was an innate ability.

• Ding Dong Ear defended the rat clan’s literacy and said rats sometimes took books from camping students’ backpacks to read.
• Zheng Qing asked Ding Dong Ear about hitching a ride, and it admitted it had hoped to be carried closer to home before slipping away.
• Ding Dong Ear said it woke early because it could no longer stand listening to the black cat communicate with the Forest Cat.
• The black cat and Ding Dong Ear exchanged farewells, and Ding Dong Ear slipped into the bushes and disappeared through a shrinking hole.
• Lin Guo guessed that Ding Dong Ear had used an innate ability without magical fluctuations, and the black cat called the cats back.

During the Linzhong Lake night patrol, Lin Guo asked Zheng Qing whether he had identified the pavilion from that morning. Zheng Qing recalled his transformation into a cat, his encounter with a talking Little Rat, and the You Zui Hunting Team’s theories about the creature, but the rat’s identity remained unresolved.

• Zheng Qing and Lin Guo patrolled their usual short stretch of Linzhong Lake in the freezing wind, with Poseidon tucked inside Zheng Qing’s cloak.
• Lin Guo asked Zheng Qing whether he had found out the issue number of the pavilion from that morning.
• Zheng Qing remembered turning into a cat, rescuing a Little Witch, becoming leader of a cat group, and meeting a talking Little Rat.
• The You Zui Hunting Team debated whether the Little Rat was a transformed wizard, an experimental subject, a mutated spirit beast, or something more sinister.
• Dr. Xiao pointed out that the Little Rat had mentioned an ancestor, but the team had failed to ask what the ancestor was.
• Zheng Qing suggested several possibilities and objected when Doctor called talking animals a rare curiosity; Xiao Xiao said the wording was poor.

Xiao Xiao and the others discussed the strange rat and a lakeside pavilion whose number had been erased, agreeing to investigate further. Later, Lin Guo suggested checking whether the number had returned, but Zheng Qing refused because they were on punishment patrol.

• Xiao Xiao said the group lacked enough clues to identify the Little Rat and asked Zheng Qing about the pavilion with no visible number.
• Zheng Qing and Fatty Xin explained that the pavilion’s Talisman Board had been scraped, leaving its number unreadable.
• Xiao Xiao planned to search the library, while Zheng Qing planned to send Dengzi a Paper Crane for information.
• Fatty Xin joked that the incident would give the university paper’s “Curiosities” section new material.
• Lin Guo asked Zheng Qing to revisit the pavilion that night in case its number had grown back.
• Zheng Qing refused because they were serving punishment patrol and could not risk leaving their duties.

During a night patrol, Zheng Qing and Lin Guo spotted a mysterious white shadow and cautiously investigated. Lin Guo mistook a sudden noise for a threat and attacked with talismans, only to discover the target was a Little White Cat.

• Zheng Qing promised Lin Guo they could revisit the pavilion during the Hunting Team’s next night training, likely the following week.
• Zheng Qing spotted a faint white shadow on a bench, and he and Lin Guo prepared spells and talismans before approaching it.
• When the shadow vanished, Zheng Qing led Lin Guo toward the spot to search for traces.
• A sudden sound startled Lin Guo, who threw several talismans and began preparing another spell despite Zheng Qing’s warning.
• Zheng Qing stopped Lin Guo from attacking further, and they saw a Little White Cat glaring at them through the lingering talisman smoke.

Zheng Qing and Lin Guo encountered Little White Cat while patrolling, and Zheng Qing recognized it from an earlier meeting. After Poseidon greeted the cat, it returned to sit near Zheng Qing and stared at him, leaving both wizards wondering whether it knew him.

• Lin Guo startled Little White Cat by throwing Inferior Talismans at it, and Zheng Qing scolded him for not looking first.
• Lin Guo complained that Zheng Qing and the others would not let him gain practical experience, and Zheng Qing suggested other activities instead of hunting.
• Zheng Qing recognized Little White Cat from the night he had encountered it as a black cat and approached it with an offer of food.
• Poseidon crawled out of Zheng Qing's cloak and greeted Little White Cat, which waved back before retreating from the fox's excited advances.
• Zheng Qing called Poseidon back, and Little White Cat returned from the Tree to sit nearby and stare at Zheng Qing.

Jiang Yu struggled to carry out her plan to use her kitten form as bait for the kitten’s killer, realizing she needed help but ruling out her friends for different reasons. Remembering how safe Black Cat had made her feel, she searched the grove for him that night.

• Jiang Yu recalled how danger, patrols, and sleepiness had repeatedly thwarted her attempts to investigate in kitten form.
• Jiang Yu decided not to ask Li Meng, Liu Feifei, or Zheng Qing to help her.
• Jiang Yu imagined catching the killer alone but remembered the threats she had faced and how reassured Black Cat had made her feel.
• Jiang Yu used the Transfiguration permit she had obtained that morning to search the grove for Black Cat.

Jiang Xiao Mao, trapped in her Little White Cat form, tried to get two night patrol officers to help her find a Big Black Cat by using the Yu Step to communicate. Zheng Qing and Lin Guo failed to understand her message, and she left alone.

• Jiang Xiao Mao heard Zheng Qing and Lin Guo approaching during her search for the Big Black Cat.
• Lin Guo suspected the Little White Cat had confronted them because of Zheng Qing, but Zheng Qing denied knowing her or having a Little White Cat among his subordinates.
• The Little White Cat circled the wizards using the Yu Step, hoping they would understand her message.
• Zheng Qing guessed that the cat was trying to communicate, but neither he nor Lin Guo could interpret her steps.
• Jiang Xiao Mao gave up and walked away, while Zheng Qing and Lin Guo realized too late that they should have memorized her movements.

On the Heavy Snow solar term, Zheng Qing woke in the quiet dormitory and reflected on how the little elves he had helped were now eagerly tending to him. After accepting their service, he stepped onto the balcony and discovered the cold weather had brought snow.

• Zheng Qing woke at lunchtime and found Fatty and Xiao Xiao away, while Dylan's bed curtains remained shut.
• The little elves brought Zheng Qing everything he needed to wash and dress, and he recalled how their new habits had grown more independent and attentive.
• Zheng Qing remembered Dr. Duzem's argument that the elves' choices should be respected and that extending their lives was fair compensation for their service.
• Zheng Qing brushed his teeth and walked onto the balcony, where the cold air jolted him awake.
• Zheng Qing exclaimed that it had snowed, while the tiny figure on his toothbrush scolded him for talking and getting toothpaste foam on the brush.