Chapter Fifteen: The Crow Brings Calamity

Before I could inquire further about the little girl's identity, a deafening crash erupted!

In the distance, the traffic lights suddenly began to flicker erratically for no apparent reason.

Because of this, several cars were thrown into confusion, unsure whether to stop or go. Two of them collided with a loud bang, and a tire flew off one of the vehicles!

It fell right before my eyes, landing with a crash exactly where the crow had just touched down, gouging a terrifying crater into the earth.

The tire, still smoking, bounced and rolled to the side.

Startled, I stumbled back two steps, only to hear my little sister’s wailing cries!

Out of habit, I wanted to comfort her as I used to, but my paws were still just paws, not hands.

The young girl quickly tried to calm her. “It’s all right, it’s all right. It’s only a car accident. Don’t be afraid. I’m here, everything’s fine!”

Xin’er, timid as always, continued to sob, choking out, “I want my sister! I want my real sister! Why hasn’t she come home? Why isn’t she coming back? She doesn’t want me anymore...”

Listening to Xin’er’s tearful pleas, I almost wanted to reach out a paw to tell her I was right there!

I longed to embrace her, but I could do nothing.

Pain wracked my entire body, especially my hind legs, which couldn’t support me to get close to Xin’er.

The explosive crash had truly terrified her. She was so young—how could she withstand such a fright? Cold sweat drenched her brow.

My poor sister, frightened half to death earlier by those wretches, now had to endure the shock of the accident, the tire flying from the sky and landing beside her—how could she not be terrified?

Still, I was puzzled. Why did the tire land precisely where the crow had fallen? Was that crow an omen of some kind?

Xin’er kept crying out, “My sister hasn’t come home for so long, I haven’t seen her in forever. She must not want me anymore! I’m so scared, I just want my sister…”

She broke down completely, squatting on the ground as tears streamed down her face.

Seeing Xin’er cry, the young girl panicked a little, quickly trying to comfort her. “Sweetheart, don’t cry. I promise you, your sister will be back in ten days, maybe half a month.”

But Xin’er wouldn’t listen, shoving the girl’s hand away. “I don’t want you as my sister! I want my real sister!”

The girl smiled helplessly. “I am talking about your real sister.”

But Xin’er was beyond hearing. Fragile as she was, left alone at home for so long and now faced with so many horrors, she was utterly undone.

I forced myself forward despite the pain, resting my paw by her foot, whimpering softly, trying to comfort her.

Perhaps that was all I could do.

As her sister, now departed—now a so-called Soul-Eating Cat wandering the mortal world—I did everything for her. And only now did I realize, because of my own negligence, my sister was being subjected to such terror!

She had never suffered so much since birth. If our parents could see how poorly I was caring for her, how heartbroken and furious would they be?

My desperation to comfort her nearly drove me to crawl into her arms.

But when Xin’er glanced at me, she recoiled in horror—perhaps because I looked so hideous now—and pushed me away with trembling hands.

“What are you? Don’t touch me! Don’t touch me! I want my sister!”

Xin’er’s mind had snapped; she couldn’t even communicate normally, waving her little hands to keep me at bay.

I sighed, realizing that as a cat, it was better to keep my distance.

The young girl glanced at me, then checked over my battered body, gently consoling, “Don’t be afraid. It’s all right… Don’t be sad, either.”

Her voice was calm, strangely familiar. I twitched my ears, trying to remember where I’d heard it before.

Xin’er kept sobbing. The girl patted me, then scooped me into her arms, speaking to Xin’er.

“This kitty is your sister’s. I’ll take you home first, then give the kitty a bath, so she won’t look so scary.”

Though Xin’er wouldn’t listen, the mention of “home” caught her ear, and she cried harder.

“No! I don’t want to go home. There’s no sister at home—I don’t want to go! She promised she’d come back. I want to find my sister!” She broke free and tried to run.

The girl, still holding me, hurried after her!

With the traffic lights out and chaos on the roads, a child running wild could easily be hit again.

I was struck by realization. Now I understood why Xin’er was wandering outside so late—it was already past ten and she still hadn’t come home.

I’d thought perhaps she’d run out of money and went out to find a classmate or buy food, only to be targeted by criminals.

Now I knew: because I’d been gone so long, without a word, she was terrified, convinced I’d abandoned her, and so she’d gone out to look for me.

She might have been searching for a long time already…

A sharp ache shook my heart. I wanted to hold Xin’er and weep with her!

But I couldn’t.

Not only was I unable to hug her, but Xin’er was now so afraid of me, she didn’t even want to see me.

For now, my only hope was to regain my human form, so I could truly go home and care for her again.

The girl soon caught Xin’er by the wrist, gently leading her off the road.

Xin’er resisted, stubbornly shaking her hand, refusing to be taken home, crying and protesting all the while.

Sometimes children are impossible to reason with—especially a child like Xin’er, whom I’d spoiled nearly rotten. The girl, faced with such a willful, miserable child, could only sigh in frustration.

Xin’er stood there crying for what felt like ages, truly terrified. As midnight approached, the girl had no choice but to sweep her into her arms.

“No matter what, I’m taking you home first! We’ll talk about everything else once you’re safe!”

With that, she tried to carry my sister away.

Luckily, she kept me in her arms as well. She’d saved my life twice now, and her voice was so familiar, I didn’t resist, feeling strangely at ease.

But just then, I saw it—a huge black crow swooped down from the sky again!

We were just about to cross the street when it hurtled straight at us!

The girl reacted instantly—one glance upward was all it took. She scooped Xin’er up and leapt away!

Like a martial arts master from legend, her long legs pushed off fiercely, carrying her several meters clear!

The crow crashed into the ground, dissolving into a wisp of black smoke before vanishing without a trace.

I stared, mouth agape, at the spot where it had landed, my heart pounding with fear and confusion.

What was that creature? What did it want? Why did it keep coming after us?

No—after Xin’er!

Thinking back, dread crept over me. Could it be…?

Before I could finish the thought, the car that had lost its tire exploded with a thunderous boom!

Sparks flew everywhere, shards of glass and metal rained down—landing exactly where we’d almost crossed the street.

If the girl hadn’t acted so quickly, dragging us across the zebra crossing, we’d have been blown to pieces like the car.

She exhaled in relief, then, without missing a beat, sprinted all the way home with Xin’er in tow.

I could hardly believe my eyes—she ran straight to my house!

She found our old apartment building with ease, then reached beneath the doormat and found our hidden house key!

Who was she? How could she know so much about us?

No one else knew where we kept our house key!

And as we passed the big dog on the second floor, she knew I was afraid of dogs—she wrapped me up tightly so neither the dog nor I could see each other.

So she knew me very well.

She brought my sister home, and I followed them in. She took Xin’er to bed, comforting her while I sprawled in the living room.

This was only the second time I’d come home since becoming a Soul-Eating Cat. Gazing at my reflection in the distant mirror, I finally understood why Xin’er had pushed me away.

I looked like something pulled from a garbage heap—hardly recognizable as a cat.

My right leg was bloody, my head was covered in wounds, my fur caked with dust, and a sharp twig was still wedged in my paw.

I gave a bitter laugh at what I’d become.

But a few seconds later, I glanced at the clock and gasped.

It was eleven o’clock! Only one hour left to return to Wangchuan—and we still hadn’t gathered enough soul fragments!

Where was Xiaoyun? I’d been so preoccupied with Xin’er, I’d forgotten all about her!

Flustered, I tried to rush back out to find her—only to be scooped up by someone.

“Qianqian, don’t be afraid.”

It was that gentle voice—the girl who’d just put my sister to sleep. She came out of the bedroom, picked me up and held me in her arms.

Stunned, I stared at her. “How do you know my name is Qianqian? How do you know where I live? How do you know about me and my sister?!”