Dark Cloud

Biodata

Power Progression

• No named realm is assigned to Dark Cloud. The documented changes concern the service pact, crystal-bead consumption, and the molten current shared with Chen Ji; the furnace fires belong to Chen Ji 13 14 15 21 30.

Background and History

Service Pact and Revenge

Dark Cloud says that sentience has been present since birth. By the time of the Double Ninth Festival, the cat has lived at Prince Jing’s Estate for three months, staying at Evening Star Court. During that period, Consort Yun’s white lion cat repeatedly beats Dark Cloud whenever she visits the court 14 24.

Chen Ji offers Dark Cloud a baozi bought with his last two coins and later treats fresh wounds at the medical hall. He writes a letter of service naming the cat “Dark Cloud,” which the cat accepts with a pawprint. Dark Cloud dislikes the name but remains close to him 13 14.

After consuming the first crystal bead, Dark Cloud returns to the estate to settle the rivalry with the white lion cat. Using an ambush near Flying White Pond, Dark Cloud defeats the former tormentor, then sneaks into Flying Cloud Court and licks every pastry left in a side room before returning triumphantly to Chen Ji 14.

Becoming Chen Ji’s Partner

Dark Cloud saves Chen Ji during a life-threatening surge of icy current by searching the medicine cabinet for a remedy. After numerous failed attempts, the cat finds ginseng and consumes the beads it produces, supplying the molten current that allows Chen Ji to survive and begin cultivation 15.

During the Liu family investigation, Dark Cloud secretly takes a ginseng root and a book Chen Ji has examined. The cat delivers both to him afterward, then helps him fight a pursuing assassin. While Chen Ji prevents the man from drawing his saber, Dark Cloud cuts his throat with a claw 20 21.

Return to Clear Peace Alley

Dark Cloud asks Chen Ji to accompany a nighttime visit to Clear Peace Alley, carrying dried fish in a small blue bundle. The destination is the cat’s mother’s home; Dark Cloud wants to see her before roaming the jianghu with Chen Ji and to let her meet him 23.

The courtyard is empty, and the mother’s cage and food bowl are gone. Dark Cloud concludes that she has probably been sold, declines Chen Ji’s offer to search for her, and curls up in his arms. On the walk home, Chen Ji promises that they will depend on each other to live 23.

Scouting and Protection

Dark Cloud becomes a source of information about Prince Jing’s household, reporting its internal gossip and the expected return of the prince’s children and the Buddhist child. Later, the cat secretly rides on Cloud Goat’s carriage, memorizes the inner prison’s location, and witnesses Bright Rabbit manifest a Yin Spirit 24 27 30.

When Consort Jing invites Chen Ji to the estate, Dark Cloud arrives urgently to warn that she knows he was the masked investigator at Liu Shiyu’s residence and intends to kill him. The warning allows Chen Ji to refuse the invitation without revealing what he knows 35.

After Chunhua’s failed attempt to frame Chen Ji for stealing a South Sea pearl, Dark Cloud brings him a round pearl and tells him not to be sad or angry. The cat later accompanies his preparations to make gunpowder, serving as a lookout and attempting to catch Old Yao’s crow when it interrupts 39 40 50.

Appearance

• Coat: Pitch-black and fluffy; the dark coloring helps Dark Cloud blend into nighttime shadows 14 20.
• Eyes: Golden, with vertical pupils 30.
• Size: Small enough to fit into two palms when curled up at a few months old 23.
• Distinguishing feature: Ten ridges on the upper palate—one more than the nine described as ideal in the cat-raising account Chen Ji recalls 14.
• Typical resting places: Chen Ji’s palm, shoulder, chest, or inside his clothes 14 22 31 50.

Personality

Dark Cloud is proud, stubborn, and eager to preserve a dignified image. The cat initially resists Chen Ji’s request to inspect the mouth, dismisses the chosen name as awful, and treats lifesaving assistance as though it were a minor favor. Praise reliably makes Dark Cloud hold the head higher 14 15.

That pride coexists with fierce loyalty. Dark Cloud tries to attack Liu Quxing for belittling Chen Ji, panics when Chen Ji is dying, and offers to perform backflips for money after learning how expensive the lifesaving ginseng was 15.

Dark Cloud is vindictive toward enemies but affectionate with trusted people. Revenge includes both beating the white lion cat and licking its household’s pastries; tenderness appears in the dried fish saved for the cat’s mother and the attempt to comfort Chen Ji after his betrayal by others 14 23 40.

Abilities & Skills

Sentience and Communication

Dark Cloud understands human speech and has been capable of responding since before the service pact 14.

• Chen Ji’s apparent conversations with Dark Cloud are his understanding of cat language, not the cat speaking ordinary human language 15.
• Other listeners hear meows, allowing Dark Cloud to warn Chen Ji in front of people who cannot understand the message 15 35.
• The ten palate ridges lead Chen Ji to wonder whether Dark Cloud’s unusual anatomy explains the cat’s intelligence; this remains his speculation 14.

Crystal-Bead Consumption and Molten Current

Dark Cloud consumes crystal beads and returns a hot, powerful current to Chen Ji 14 15.

• Ginseng touching Chen Ji can absorb his icy current and become consumable beads 15 21 30.
• The returning current suppresses dangerous cold and fuels Chen Ji’s furnace fires 15 21 30.
• Dark Cloud can deliberately pour the remaining current into Chen Ji through physical contact 15.
• This process depends on Chen Ji and the bead-producing material; Dark Cloud is not shown creating the beads independently 15 21 30.

Combat and Mobility

Dark Cloud possesses fighting instincts and battle intuition far beyond those of ordinary cats 14.

• Defeats the white lion cat through positioning and an ambush even when their strength is nearly equal 14.
• Can inflict a fatal throat wound on a human opponent while coordinating with Chen Ji 21.
• Climbs pillars, crosses rooftops, and makes rapid leaps; by Chen Ji’s sixteen-furnace-fire stage, Dark Cloud moves almost too quickly to distinguish clearly 14 23 50.
• Remains slower than Old Yao’s crow and cannot catch even one of its feathers during their chase 50.

Stealth and Reconnaissance

Dark Cloud uses small size, dark fur, and patience to move through guarded spaces 14.

• Evades an estate guard by remaining curled in shadow until the search ends 14.
• Retrieves portable objects without drawing attention, including a book and ginseng root 20.
• Memorizes the secret inner prison’s location after following Chen Ji’s carriage 27 30.
• Has sufficiently good hearing that Chen Ji assigns lookout duty during his gunpowder preparations 50.

Equipment and Items

• Small blue cloth bundle — Used to carry dried fish intended for Dark Cloud’s mother; Chen Ji ties it to the cat’s back for the journey to Clear Peace Alley 23 24.
• Letter of service — Chen Ji’s written agreement naming Dark Cloud. Accepted with a vermilion pawprint, it dissolves into starlight rather than remaining a physical possession 13.

Relationships

• Chen Ji — Contract partner and closest companion. Their bond combines shared cultivation, coordinated fighting, and a promise to depend on each other 13 15 21 23.
• Dark Cloud’s mother — Missed deeply despite their separation. Dark Cloud saves dried fish for her but finds her former home empty 23.
• Old Yao — An indulgent elder who feeds Dark Cloud prized pastries and candied fruit. The cat’s affectionate interruptions soften his treatment of Chen Ji and help draw out explanations about cultivation 27 30 31.
• White Prajna — Consort Yun’s white lion cat and Dark Cloud’s former tormentor. Dark Cloud reverses their rivalry after consuming the first bead and later proposes another beating to help cover Chen Ji’s ginseng expenses 14 22 30.
• Old Yao’s crow — Introduced as a new friend, but repeatedly pursued by Dark Cloud. The crow easily evades the cat and responds with mocking calls 30 31 50.
• Consort Jing — A resident of Evening Star Court whose activities Dark Cloud monitors. The cat exposes her planned ambush and her familial connection to Liu Shiyu 27 35.

Notable Quotes

“It sounds awful!”
— On being named Dark Cloud 14

“How about you take me to the heavenly street to perform for money? I can do backflips!”
— Offering to help repay Chen Ji’s ginseng debt 15

“She might not miss me, but I just wanted to come see her...”
— About visiting the cat’s mother 23

“How many roast chickens can that buy?”
— Responding to Chen Ji’s accounting 40