Chapter 27: This Is My Husband The actor had gone missing, and the author was running all over the place trying to catch a cat, so apologies for being twenty minutes late.

“Pff!” I nearly coughed up blood from that slap, my four paws smacking the ground with a thud!

Enduring the pain in my back, I flipped upright, pressing my front paws down warily as I eyed this guardian cat, now identical to me, unsure of her intentions.

She shook her head, then suddenly grinned and shouted, “You too, huh! My name’s Xiaomi!”

This—this—this... That was quite the delayed reaction!

Before I could respond, Xiaomi stretched out her paw once more...

I was just a Soul-devouring Cat before! Though now I’m the same as them, they used to be Soul-calming Cats, granted special powers by their master. Dodging them was genuinely difficult!

So, as her paw spun down for the second time, Fishball raised her head, zoomed forward, and collided with her!

“Hey!” Xiaomi shook her paw and smiled, “Let me treat you! Hotpot!”

“Huh?” Now it was my turn to be dumbfounded, gazing blankly at this cat.

Fishball grinned, then leaned close to my ear, whispering, “Any cat who can become a guardian cat is extraordinary—be careful.”

“Uh, I understand.” Fishball meant, anyone who can leap into molten steel is no ordinary cat!

“Come on, come on!” Xiaomi was about to raise her paw again, but Fishball crashed into her with a bang.

This cat—seems rather peculiar!

So, all the way back, my journey was filled with the sounds of collisions, Fishball bumping into Xiaomi repeatedly, and Xiaomi gleefully responding every time.

We returned to the new guardian cats’ house—a six-story building, with little platforms perfect for climbing and leaping.

At each entrance hung a small portrait, painted in the likeness of a kitten, signifying which one lived on that floor!

So adorable—As I searched, I found on one floor... Ow! Why is the sixth floor’s portrait my own, with my ears flipped?

At that moment, I wished I could claw down that foolish self-portrait!

I suddenly realized these residences must be assigned according to rank.

I live on the sixth floor, Fishball on the fifth, the gray cat on the fourth, Xiaomi on the third, Yueke the calico on the second, and Ningning on the first.

“Hotpot! It’s here!”

Xiaomi spoke with a heavy, cute nasal tone, reminiscent of a little elephant blowing a trumpet.

The hotpot was delicious, and the other kittens were invited too. Like Fishball, they were all Soul-calming Cats, so they already knew each other.

Fishball took the opportunity to introduce their names.

The calico’s name was Yueke. Initially, she seemed a bit aloof, but upon meeting her, she proved to be gentle.

The yellow-and-white cat was Xiaomi—a bit of a joker, her behavior always a little odd and startling.

The gray kitten was named Luoning, with beautiful blue eyes. She always quoted poetry, but... her timing was always off.

For example, as we all lapped from tiny wine cups, she suddenly shouted, “Sing to the wine! How brief is life!”

The other kittens looked awkward, only Yueke chuckled, “Luoning is always like this, you’ll get used to it…”

Indeed, Fishball was right—every guardian cat was unusual!

So what about me? What kind of cat am I?

This became clear after three rounds of drinks.

Turns out—I’m a dumb cat.

“La la oh lei oh... Lu li la la oh lei oh...” Yueke was a bit tipsy, spinning circles around the room.

But hers were human-shaped circles—she appeared as a girl of sixteen or seventeen.

Luoning too, wearing small glasses, dressed in formal lace, with fine silver threads dangling beside her ears.

Truly the image of a cultured, artistic forest maiden!

And Xiaomi, who didn’t look very old either, held a huge platter, “Qianqian! I made stir-fried rice cakes with carrots! Eat, eat!”

I looked at the transformed kittens before me, feeling a bit unhappy.

“I don’t want it—”

Sob, sob... I’m the only cat who can’t take human form! All the others can!

Frustrated, I lapped up several bowls of wine, growing tipsy, my tongue stiff.

After dinner, everyone went out to throw away the trash, even Fishball had transformed, carrying drunk me in her arms, smiling innocently.

I used to wonder why Fishball had so many pockets on her chest—now I understood, they were for carrying me!

So, at that moment, I sat in the largest pouch on Fishball’s chest, like a baby kangaroo.

I had no choice—my four paws were limp, so being carried was inevitable.

We decided to stroll around the courtyard to walk off the alcohol.

“La la la la—” Yueke was still singing, “Someday, I’ll find the most handsome tomcat and marry him!”

“Hic—” I burped softly, feeling dazed.

“I want to find the most elegant cat and discuss poetry and life together.” No need to guess, that was Luoning.

“I! Want to find! The best fighter! To wash my socks! And brush my teeth!” Xiaomi giggled, sounding like a madam from an old brothel.

“Ew—” Everyone snickered, “You’re looking for a butler, aren’t you!”

Xiaomi laughed, hiccuping several times.

A small black cat passed by, glancing at us as we staggered along.

Except for me, they were all in human form, swaying drunkenly.

Ningning narrowed her eyes, clearly unhappy she wasn’t invited to our gathering.

But it wasn’t our fault—she was never very likable, often bullying others. Who could befriend her?

Ningning said nothing, watching for a moment before turning away. The others didn’t notice and resumed their conversation.

“Fishball, what kind of female cat do you want?” The question was a little teasing.

I buried my paws, Fishball shook her head shyly, and patted my head.

“Just a silly, cute one.”

My head dropped instantly, feeling a little annoyed.

The kittens all laughed, “Of course—being a tomcat, you need a sweet, adorable mate! What about Qianqian?”

I blinked, surprised to be asked, now in full pet mode.

As I glanced up, I saw a massive cat statue in the distance!

I immediately lifted my paw, “That one! That would make the perfect husband! Mighty and majestic! Hic—”

A little puff of wine escaped me, and I jumped out of Fishball’s pocket, rushing toward the statue.

It was a huge cat, its four paws not round like ours, but sharp, muscular claws.

Its body was streamlined, lined with powerful muscles.

The eyes were black, with a dark blue center—I wondered what kind of gemstone made them so beautiful.

The stripes were also dark blue, and at that moment, it was roaring upward, looking incredibly cool!

Most importantly, as I approached the statue in my drunken haze, I realized it wasn’t just a cat.

It resembled a leopard, or perhaps a lion or tiger—its ears were round like a beast, not pointed.

Two enormous fangs, a sharp little horn atop its head, tufts of fur bristling, and a huge black wing like a pterosaur arching from its back.

Between the wing bones were bony spikes, teeth-like protrusions.

Its tail was wrapped with many icy blue rings, ending in a spear-like tip, curling behind in a dazzling display that nearly brought me to tears!

Such a perfect statue! How could anything be so flawless! Like a fusion of a Western dragon and an Eastern tiger or leopard!

“Qianqian, you’re in heat—” Yueke laughed, chasing after me as she found me gawking at the statue.

I wiped the drool from my mouth, “So what if I am!”

Perhaps because I’d become a cat, my aesthetic had changed.

Now, in my eyes, this was the ideal man! The most handsome! So perfect!

Even though—it was only a statue!

Fueled by drunken courage, I didn’t care if it was right or wrong; I leaped onto the statue’s pedestal and sat beside the giant cat.

Apparently, my paw was the only thing large enough to compare, but no matter!

I hugged the statue’s paw and declared, “If I’m looking for a husband, it has to be like this! Handsome and mighty! Look at those muscles…”

“Hopeless romantic…” Luoning smiled with narrowed eyes.

Fishball’s expression looked unpleasant, but I continued to snuggle against the statue’s cold paw.

“If only I could have paws this big someday!”

Without thinking, I sat up and scratched the statue—maybe bronze or iron—with all my might!

Screech! I left a mark!

“Perfect!” Seeing the slightly exposed color beneath the claw mark, I wobbled and announced, “From now on, this is my husband—hic!”

The kittens exchanged glances, then burst out laughing, quickly pulling me off the statue’s paw.

“Qianqian drank too much—let’s get her home quickly!” The kittens hurriedly carried me back.

Whether it was drunkenness or something else, I kept clawing and howling, “My husband—no!!”

Back home, I fell asleep, and upon waking, only remembered the statue; the rest was recounted to me by Fishball and the others as I sobered up.

So, from the bottom of my heart, I knew I was just a dumb cat! But—not the silly cute kind Fishball wanted, just silly, not cute!

On my first day as a guardian cat, I got drunk and embarrassed myself—utterly mortifying.

But to my even greater dismay, that night, as I lay in my little nest, I heard strange pawsteps approaching!

Thud—thud—

It sounded like a big cat!