Chapter Fourteen: Let Go of My Sister An extra chapter in gratitude for the reward from our reader "Maru is Really Delicious"!

My heart jolted with alarm—before my soul could react, my paws had already leapt out, clawing at those men!

This world is so dark. Before I became the Soul-Devouring Cat of the town, I always thought matters of passion between men and women were born of mutual consent, bringing delight to all. But now my thoughts have changed drastically; such things can be diverse, cruel, and even perverse.

And now, even a child is not spared? Is there no longer any sense of morality or humanity left?

A few men stood in a pitch-black corner of the small park, taking advantage of the dim night to lay their hands on my little sister!

“What the hell is that?”

My shadow flashed past, my claws raking across one man’s calf, instantly drawing a wail of pain!

We were in a pavilion atop an artificial rock hill. Although called a hill, it was merely a dirt mound with a dilapidated pavilion, utterly without the illumination of streetlights.

So when I darted into that pavilion, the little gangsters hadn’t even registered my presence, their entire focus on my sister!

Xin’er trembled in fear, while I shook with rage.

I wanted to scold her so badly—why would she go out in the dead of night when our elder sister isn’t home?

“It’s a cat!”

The one I’d scratched clutched his wounded leg, gritting his teeth, then produced a flashlight from somewhere.

Its weak beam swept the area, nervous and tense. I hid beneath the pavilion bench, waiting for the beam to pass before springing out again!

Another scream followed—another man had been scratched on the leg. The group stared tensely at the shadows, trying to guess where I might be hiding.

“Damn it—what the hell is that thing?!”

Frustrated by my harassment, one man pinned Xin’er against the red pillar, while two others lowered their heads, searching for me under the bench.

Xin’er struggled desperately, sobbing and calling for her sister.

I bit my lip hard, fighting the urge to cry, listening as one of the men, with a pinched nose, scolded:

“Fourth, keep an eye on the girl! We tricked her here with great effort. After we’ve had our fun, we’ll sell her off. Let us handle this damn plague cat—ow!!”

He hadn’t finished his sentence before I pounced on him with all my might!

I was already furious, and now he was talking about selling my sister? If fate hadn’t brought me here, Xin’er would have had no hope at all!

I clung fiercely to the man’s face, my claws raking wildly at the back of his head. He groped blindly, trying to pry me off, but before I could properly shred his filthy face, another man seized me by the waist and hurled me away with all his strength!

With a loud thud, I was thrown into the nearby bushes with such force that, had it not been for the cushioning grass, I might have vomited from the impact.

“Ugh…” I whimpered weakly, feeling as though every bone in my body had shattered, especially my paws.

Only now did I realize that when the master of Wangchuan River had tossed me before, he hadn’t used much strength at all. If he’d used this much, my eyeballs would’ve burst.

“No, no—”

Suddenly, Xin’er’s cries rang out. Those men had sensed trouble and were shoving her, seemingly about to drag her away!

My hind paw throbbed in agony—from the fall, something sharp had pierced right through my pad, leaving me unable to move.

“Hurry!” The men barked at Xin’er, preparing to take her from the pavilion.

“Meow—!!”

A sudden cat’s cry split the night—it was Little Yun, finally here, who leapt fiercely at the man clutching Xin’er!

Xin’er seized the chaos to flee! As for me, I pressed forward, leaving bloody pawprints with each step, determined to block any who tried to grab her again!

Two cats and three men tangled together in the pavilion.

We two little cats were no match for three grown men—our only advantage as cats was agility.

But agility is good for dodging; in a situation where we refused to back down, it wasn’t enough!

One man suddenly grabbed my tail. “Let’s see if I can’t finish you off!”

Like tossing a popsicle stick, he swung me by the tail and flung me dozens of meters away!

I blacked out from the impact, but when I opened my eyes, I immediately let out a mournful cry.

There was Xin’er, standing in the middle of the large intersection, looking around at the traffic.

The streetlights at the crossroad seemed to have suddenly gone out; both sides were showing red, so all sorts of large and small vehicles, seeing both sides red, were cutting through the intersection, trying to take a shortcut!

Xin’er was about to cross, desperate to escape the clutches of those fiends.

She’d always been timid. Though strong despite having no parents, under my protection, she was like a little princess—innocent and not very self-reliant.

I’d regretted not teaching her to fend for herself since the day I died. If I’d forced her to do things on her own, maybe things would have been better.

I’d always thought I would be with her, at least until she married and her children married.

Who could have imagined I’d die so soon, leaving her alone in this cruel world?

“Xin’er!” I called out with all my might.

She immediately turned, searching all around. “Sister?!”

Ironically, the road wasn’t even that big, yet out of nowhere, a tremendous blue truck appeared, barreling straight toward her!

“Ah!” Xin’er shrieked, covering her face.

I instinctively sprang forward, wishing to shield her from what was about to happen.

The blue truck roared past, followed by the screech of brakes, leaving a black skid mark across the road!

I stared blankly ahead, my paws limp—thrown so far, even if I’d tried my hardest, I could never have made it in time…

The truck stopped right where Xin’er had stood. The driver got out to check, as if he’d hit something.

“No…”

I collapsed, not from pain, but from sheer terror and weakness. I couldn’t even bring myself to look.

The little thugs panicked, shouting, “We’re done for—someone’s dead! Run, hurry, run!”

In the confusion, they bolted from the park pavilion, vanishing into the night.

I lay open-mouthed on the ground, stars swimming before my eyes. I didn’t know what was happening—perhaps I was too shocked to accept it.

Xin’er was just a child. How could this have happened?

All because I, her sister, failed to protect her!

If I hadn’t acted as I did, perhaps I wouldn’t have doomed Xin’er…

I fell into endless guilt and confusion. With my precious little sister in mortal danger, I no longer knew if I was alive or dead.

A cold wind swept fallen leaves along the road as the driver checked the scene, cursing under his breath. My heart pounded violently, as if it would burst.

“Damn it, can’t you look after your kids?!”

Cars were smashed all over the intersection—the traffic lights were broken, and the driver had run the red in a malfunctioning state. This was only a small crossroad near the park, so he merely cursed, climbed back into his truck, and drove away.

I stared numbly as the blue truck vanished. A girl in blue clothes was hugging my sister, comforting her gently.

At that sight, joy flooded me uncontrollably. This girl was truly a goddess come to save both my sister and me—she had saved both our lives.

Xin’er sobbed helplessly, mouth open, still calling for her sister.

I struggled to drag my injured leg toward them, but the road was crowded with cars. As a battered, nearly crippled cat, how could I possibly reach the middle of the street?

But before I could cross, the girl led Xin’er carefully back to the roadside.

Perhaps it was the glare of headlights earlier, but as the girl approached, I noticed her attire for the first time.

She wore black cloth shoes with white socks, a blue-and-white floral skirt, and a washed-out pale blue cheongsam top—she looked exactly like a girl student from the French Concession of yesteryear!

Moreover, wasn’t she the same girl who, that very morning when I was caught in the electric net, had burst from the crowd and used a thin bamboo pole to lift me away—swinging me like a golf club?

“Alright, alright, don’t cry…” She bent to Xin’er’s level, stroking her hair gently. “It’s all over now. There’s nothing to be afraid of.”

I dragged my crippled paw forward, a splinter still embedded in my pad, leaving a trail of blood wherever I went.

But the thought of seeing Xin’er kept me going, step after painful step.

Just then, the girl suddenly embraced Xin’er tightly. Out of nowhere, a black crow swooped down!

Because of the girl’s movement, the crow missed its mark and crashed headfirst into the ground, then vanished as if it had never existed, dissolving into a wisp of black smoke.

What was that?

I reached my sister’s feet, looking up at the girl who had saved her, trying my best to smile.

I wondered if my bedraggled appearance and awkward grin might frighten her, but I did my utmost to appear friendly.

But the girl wasn’t scared—she smiled gently at me and said to my sister, “Sweetheart, haven’t you wanted to see your sister? Go ahead and pet this cat…”

Xin’er was still timid, not daring to reach out.

I looked up at the girl, who was still smiling gently, suspicion blooming in my heart.

Who was she? Why had she appeared twice now? And how did she know about the bond between Xin’er and me?