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Chapter 6: The Cat Deity's Dilemma
"In other words, this is the territory of the imperial court. Those who normally come here to offer incense and worship are the subjects of the court." Song You paused for a moment before continuing, "To take over this temple, absorbing the incense from these people, you need the permission of the imperial court or the Heavenly Palace."
"Who are they?"
"..."
Song You pondered on his choice of words before saying, "Theoretically, the imperial court governs all people in the world, and the Heavenly Palace governs all deities in the world."
"Why are you looking for me?"
"Not me, it's them. I'm just entrusted by them to come and investigate."
"Why are they looking for me?"
"To cause you trouble, I suppose."
"..."
Lady Calico fell silent at these words before resuming her forward stride. With measured steps, she approached the altar's edge and leaped up gracefully. As she squatted on the altar, her position was now just slightly lower than that of Song You, who stood nearby.
"It's those people who offered incense to me themselves." She said.
"Is this temple yours?"
"It's a temple that no one wanted."
"Even if that's the case."
"Why?"
"Because incense in this world is limited. If someone offers it to you, they won't be able to offer it to other deities, or they'll have to offer less to other deities." Song You explained, "The court and the heavenly palace won't reason with a low-level little Yaoguai like you."
"Then I won't absorb it."
"Perhaps that won't work either."
"Why not?"
"The heavenly palace has rules. Previously, there was another Yaoguai here secretly absorbing incense, and it was killed. The temple you took over originally belonged to it."
"..." Lady Calico stared at him, her eyes round and shiny.
It was difficult for humans to read emotions from a cat's face, but Song You felt that it was probably scared.
After a long time, she spoke again, "Why?"
"Perhaps it did something wrong."
"I didn't." Lady Calico stared at him, "I just helped catch mice for the people below the mountain. And I originally had a temple, a small one. Later, someone carried my clay statue to this big temple. It's not my intention to come here."
"Even a small temple is not allowed. It just wasn't discovered before, but now that it has been, even if I don't deal with you today, someone else will come for you."
"Then what should I do?"
"If you haven't harmed human lives, haven't absorbed human vitality, and haven't consumed human flesh and blood, you probably won't die."
"What will happen to me then?"
"If you don't run and don't resist, I can take you to meet them. They will handle it according to procedures and regulations." Song You said to the cat in front of him, "This might be better for you."
Lady Calico's eyes swivelled around. "Alright..."
Seeing that the Daoist's gaze shifted elsewhere, it immediately ran.
"Swoosh!"
The cat's movements were incredibly agile, especially for a cat Yaoguai with cultivation attainment. She jumped down from the altar in an instant and, in the next moment, was out of the temple gate.
Like a flash of lightning, the calico cat ran along the narrow path, leaving only the mottled shadow visible. After covering some distance, she finally came to a stop. She turned around, extended her neck, and craned her gaze over the tops of the weeds, looking in the direction of the temple.
"Hmm?" Surprisingly, the Daoist didn’t chase after her.
Lady Calico was puzzled for a moment.
After waiting for a while and seeing that no one came out, she changed her position to look inside the gate. She saw that the Daoist was still standing in the temple, not knowing what he was doing.
It was strange.
The calico cat simply sat down on the spot, sitting upright and staring at him without blinking.
Time passed slowly.
The calico cat couldn't help it and approached the temple a bit, carefully peeking inside.
But she only discovered that the Daoist was looking at her calmly, "Meeting me is your greatest luck. If someone else comes next time, they might be much more ruthless than me."
"Why didn't you come after me?"
"How could I catch up with you?"
"What if I had escaped?"
"..." Song You looked at it with a helpless expression but patiently explained, "I'm just entrusted by Wang Shangong to come and check the situation. I'm not here to capture you or punish you. Besides, the connection between this clay statue and you is deep. No matter how far you run, you'll still be found."
"Oh yeah." The calico cat widened her eyes suddenly, as if enlightened. There was also a mixture of understanding, relief, and the anxiousness and troubles born from her on her petite cat face.
What should I do? What should I do?
The calico cat was almost spinning in circles.
"It is every Daoist’s job to eliminate corrupt shrines and unauthorized temples. You should consider yourself fortunate. Because I am a fake Daoist."
"What should I do?"
"I'll take you to see Wang Shangong. He is a kind-hearted person. I will explain your situation to him and try to get them to be lenient with you. Of course, before that, I have to go down the mountain to inquire and verify what you said. After that..."
"After that?"
"You will get your result."
"What result?"
"You will probably be punished."
"Punished?"
"Most likely, you will be locked up somewhere."
"Somewhere?"
"Like a tower."
"!"
"I don't want to scare you, but that's probably how it will be most of the time."
"!!"
"Yaoguai have a long lifespan."
"!!!"
The calico cat still stared at him with wide eyes, her mind racing.
Instinct told her to run away, the farther, the better. But she was smart, and intelligence told her that staying here might be the best choice.
She felt deeply regretful now. When those villagers moved her clay statue from the small temple to the big one, she should have secretly moved it back at night. If she had stayed in the small temple, she might not have been discovered.
After struggling for a long time, the calico cat eventually entered the temple in the end. "Where are you taking me?"
"Not far."
"Are we leaving now?"
"Tomorrow morning would be better." Song You looked up at the sky, "We’ll stay here for the night, and leave early tomorrow."
"Isn't it close?"
"Not too close."
"Alright..."
The calico cat simply sat down on the spot, staring at Song You without blinking.
"Relax a bit."
"Alright..."
"Isn't this your temple?"
"Oh yes!"
The calico cat suddenly realized it, but she still couldn't relax.
It was already dusk outside, and the three incense sticks that were lit when they arrived had burned out, leaving only a faint herbal scent.
The calico cat leaped back onto the altar, eating local river fish. Thinking that she probably wouldn't be able to finish all the meat today, she felt a twinge of pity. Turning her head, she contemplated sharing some with the Daoist below, hoping that he might later put in a good word for her. Unfortunately, the Daoist didn't eat it and only consumed what he brought himself.
As the night fell, the temperature dropped sharply.
The moon rose early in the night, rounder than the previous night. The moonlight illuminated the increasingly chilly surroundings, but the temple, lacking a door, allowed the cold wind to freely gust in.
Feeling bored after watching the moon for a while, Song You turned around and saw that the calico cat had curled up, leaving only her head and body visible, with no tail and feet in sight. She turned her head and stared at him without blinking, not knowing what she was thinking.
"What are you thinking?"
"Daoist, if I am locked up, will anyone still offer incense to me?"
"Naturally not."
"Can I go out to play?"
“Definitely not."
"Is there still meat to eat?"
“Most likely not."
"..."
The calico cat looked dejected. In fact, she still didn't know what she did wrong.
But she was just a cat.
Not to mention the imperial court and the Heavenly Palace, even many ordinary passing wanderers from the martial arts world were not someone she could trifle with.
The night grew quieter, only the sound of the wind remaining.
After a long time, the Daoist spoke again, "I also have a question for you."
"Huh?"
"I also have a question for you."
"Ask, in my temple, feel free."
"How long have you gained intelligence?"
"A couple of years."
"Just a couple of years."
"That’s a long time."
"Then how did you transform into a Yaoguai?"
"It just happened."
"Any strange encounter?" The Daoist nodded and looked at her, "For example, meeting someone, eating something unique, or staying in a particularly comfortable place for a while."
"None."
"Really?"
"..." The calico cat refused to speak, only turning her head to lock eyes with the Daoist, not blinking. After a long time, she said, "I'm very smart."
"Perhaps." Song You withdrew his gaze and stopped talking.
As time passed, the night in the mountains grew colder.
Song You leaned in a corner, closing his eyes.
The calico cat yawned while lying down, sometimes staring at Song You, sometimes coming up with various escape plans in her chaotic mind, but it was just out of boredom.
Unfortunately, now she could neither go out to play nor frolic around in the temple as she used to, creating quite a dilemma for her.
Until the early hours of the morning, the coldest time.
Another gust of cold wind entered the temple.
Song You opened his eyes a little, hugging his arms tighter, as if it could lock in warmth. Looking over, he saw the calico cat lying on a straw mat, curled up tightly, only her head and body visible, resembling a small fur ball.
Song You seemed to have some emotions stirring within, inevitably falling into contemplation for a moment.
The next morning, the roosters crowed in the village below.
The calico cat woke up earlier than Song You, sitting on the straw mat, staring straight at him, thinking about something.
Perhaps contemplating her future destiny.
Song You ate a cold-steamed bun he bought on the way yesterday, then took the calico cat down the mountain to inquire about the actual situation.
What he learned was that there was actually an adept cat deity in the temple on the mountain. Villagers told him that whenever a household suffered from severe rat infestations, all it took was to offer some fish, meat, and fragrant candles, and then that very night, the troubles would be alleviated. Word of its efficacy spread to even more distant places, attracting people from neighboring villages who sought to rid themselves of rodent nuisances.
After asking the last family, Song You stood at the door and didn't move, looking up at the distance, lost in thought.
"Why aren't we leaving?" Lady Calico followed him.
"We're leaving now."
"What are you doing?"
"Nothing."
"You're not moving."
"I'm thinking..." Song You glanced at it, "Your believers are quite widespread."
"Yes!"
"People come to offer every day, and you go to catch mice at night?"
"Yes!"
"What if it's far away?"
"Walk faster."
"It must be tiring."
"Not tiring."
"Let's go."
"Going to see Wang Shangong?"
"Yes."
The two of them walked out of the village. Song You took the lead, and Lady Calico followed not too far behind. Neither of them spoke, just walking silently. If someone else saw this scene, it might even be considered novel.
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