Chapter 108: Cat Monster (Second Update)_1
“It’s like a cat that was just born not long ago, only two or three feet long, with patterns that haven’t even fully developed…” Aunt Jiang said.
“Can you give it to me? I’ll buy it with Flower Spirit Stones!” Mo Hua hurriedly said.
Aunt Jiang waved her hand, “If you want it, I can have Uncle Chu bring it to you tomorrow, there’s no need for Spirit Stones.”
Mo Hua insisted on giving Spirit Stones.
Aunt Jiang firmly refused, “Sister Liu has helped me too much already, and you have helped us with Drawing Formations, I couldn’t possibly take the Spirit Stones…”
Aunt Jiang, who seemed shy and introverted, could sometimes be the most stubborn.
Mo Hua had no choice but to agree not to give the Spirit Stones, but thought of speaking with his mother about giving Aunt Jiang some extra salary this month.
“However, what do you want with the Monster Beast? Monster Beasts cannot be tamed.”
After a while, Aunt Jiang asked curiously.
All Monster Beasts naturally harbor malice towards Cultivators.
Some Monster Beasts that eat flesh will hunt Cultivators and devour their flesh and blood.
Even those that do not consume flesh will hunt down Cultivators weaker than themselves, eviscerating them before striding away.
Young Monster Beasts also possess such nature, and so cannot be raised by Cultivators.
Some Cultivators in Tongxian City had once raised Monster Beasts.
When the Monster Beasts were young, it was fine as their strength was weak, and they would not turn on their owner. But once they grew stronger and tasted human blood, they would seize the opportunity to kill their master and consume their flesh and blood.
Many Cultivators ended up as food for the Monster Beasts they had raised as pets.
Jiang Yun thought that Mo Hua, being young, might not be aware of the nature of Monster Beasts, so she expressed her concern, “Raising a Monster Beast is very dangerous…”
“Aunt Jiang, don’t worry, I’m not taking it to raise,” Mo Hua explained.
Jiang Yun nodded. Anyway, she would tell Mo Hua’s parents about the Monster Beast when she brought it over. Mo Shan was a Monster Hunter and was more familiar with Monster Beasts, so there probably wouldn’t be any issues.
The next day, Jiang Yun brought over the Cat Monster.
This was the first time Mo Hua had seen a young Monster Beast, and he couldn’t help but look it over multiple times.
The Cat Monster was both skinny and small, with wrinkled fur and primarily white patterns mixed with dark Patterns, but its coat appeared extremely dim due to the dirt it was smeared with.
Despite its small size, the Cat Monster had sharp claws, two long fangs at the sides of its mouth, and while its gaze was cautious, it also held a fierce wildness.
Last night, Mo Hua had told his parents about the Cat Monster, so when Jiang Yun brought it over today, Mo Shan was standing to the side.
The Cat Monster was confined in an iron cage, which bore scratch marks.
Perhaps because Mo Shan was a Monster Hunter, and his hands bore the blood of too many Monster Beasts, the Cat Monster, despite the fierce light in its eyes, simply lay down its head without daring to act rashly.
Mo Shan looked at the Cat Monster with a frown.
“Dad, what kind of Monster Beast is this? A cat?” Mo Hua asked.
“It’s too small to tell. Some Monster Beasts look very different when they’re adults compared to when they’re juveniles, which makes them hard to identify. However, judging by its appearance, it’s probably either a Night Cat or a Fluorescent Cat,” Mo Shan speculated carefully.
“Are Cat Monsters one of the Monster Beasts that move quickly?”
Mo Shan nodded, “Right, feline Monster Beasts do not possess the strongest bodies, but they are incredibly agile and their movements are unpredictable, which makes them quite a handful.”
Mo Shan brought the Cat Monster locked in the iron cage to a side room in their house.
The side room was originally used for storage, but Mo Hua said he needed it, so Mo Shan cleared it out temporarily.
Mo Hua told Mo Shan about his plan—he wanted to use the Monster Beast to practice his movement technique.
Mo Shan had some concerns, but he agreed nonetheless.
The Cat Monster was young and not strong, which made it just right for practicing the movement technique. Otherwise, directly facing an adult Monster Beast later on, a single misstep could indeed result in being devoured.
Nevertheless, Mo Shan still cautioned, “Even young Monster Beasts have some innate Monster Powers that are very troublesome, and they are also exceedingly cunning. You cannot afford to take them lightly.”
“Mhm,” Mo Hua nodded, took out a few pieces of beef, and tossed them to the Cat Monster.
The Cat Monster looked at Mo Hua warily, sniffed the beef a few times, and then wolfed it down.
Uncle Chu had captured the Cat Monster and, thinking it was going to be killed sooner or later, hadn’t fed it.
Having eaten the beef, the Cat Monster’s condition seemed to improve.
“You practice first; I’ll watch from the side,”
Mo Shan was still worried about Mo Hua’s safety and stood by, speaking.
Mo Hua gently opened the iron cage.
The instant the cage door opened, the originally weak Cat Monster’s eyes suddenly flashed with ferocity, and in a flash, it vanished from Mo Hua’s view, reappearing with its sharp claws aiming straight for Mo Hua’s eyes.
“As expected, it’s cunning and vicious!”
Mo Hua was inwardly shocked, but all this was still within his expectations.
Mo Hua, at the fifth level of Qi Refinement, possessed Divine Sense far beyond the ordinary. Since the Cat Monster was young and its strength was only at the initial stage of the first rank, its movements were ghostly and swift, but they were crystal clear in Mo Hua’s Divine Sense.
Mo Hua tilted his head back and dodged the Cat Monster’s sharp claws.
While still in the air, the Cat Monster adjusted its position. As soon as it landed, it charged at Mo Hua like an arrow.
Mo Hua’s gaze became focused, and with a hand pressing on the ground, his body lightly flipped in the air and he evaded the Cat Monster below him.
But then, the Cat Monster suddenly disappeared from sight.
Mo Hua’s pupils constricted, and his Divine Sense concentrated; it took another two breaths before he sensed a presence behind him.
Mo Hua turned aside to dodge, but he was still a fraction too slow. A whitish gleam of sharp claws cut through the air, tearing his sleeve and leaving behind a thin trail of blood.
The Cat Monster landed and licked the fresh blood on its claws, its fierce eyes even more intense.
“Seeking death!” Mo Shan shouted angrily, his right hand forming into a gesture as flames flared, ready to crush the Cat Monster to death right then.
“Dad!” Mo Hua urgently called out to stop him, “It’s just a light injury; it’s not serious.”
Mo Shan’s hand, already raised mid-air, shook his head and said, “This creature has tasted human blood. It can’t be left alive.”
“Dad, I’ll only keep it for a month,” Mo Hua insisted.
After all, it was not easy to find young Monster Beasts. Most cultivators encountering Monster Beasts, whether they were young or adult, would kill them on sight.
Some Monster Beasts would even bite their young to death to prevent them from falling into a cultivator’s hands.
Mo Shan frowned for a moment, looking at Mo Hua’s resolute gaze, sighed, and withdrew his hand:
“Fine, keep it for a month.”
Then Mo Shan turned his head, his eyes fixed on the Cat Monster like sharp swords, “However, if this Cat Monster injures you again, I’ll crush it to death.”
Intimidated by Mo Shan’s aura, the Cat Monster curled up in the corner, shaking violently.
Mo Hua breathed a sigh of relief and smiled:
“Dad, don’t worry, I was just careless just now.”
Then, facing the Cat Monster, Mo Hua said, “Be good this month, accompany me in practicing movement techniques; after one month, I’ll set you free.”
Upon hearing this, Mo Shan couldn’t help but say, “Huar, Monster Beasts can’t understand human speech.”
“What if it does understand?”
“Alright then…” Mo Shan, seeing Mo Hua’s childlike nature, let it be.
“Wear the Rattan Armor and be careful of the Monster Power Talent of the beasts. Also, if within this month this Cat Monster shows any desire for human blood, or any signs of uncontrollable rage, you must kill it sooner,”
Mo Shan further cautioned.
Mo Hua listened attentively, committed it to memory, and nodded continuously.