Xu Yang sat on the fence nearby,tail wrapped neatly around his paws.His gaze drifted back to the sick chicken.Lin Chen had crouched beside the coop and was checking the other chickens one by one.He gently lifted one bird,examining its wings and feet before setting it back down."Strange." he murmured."You were fine yesterday." The chicken gave a weak cluck and stumbled sideways.Lin Chen quickly caught it before it fell."Easy." He frowned and touched its feathers."You're getting weaker."
Xu Yang's ears twitched.He watched Lin Chen carefully turn the chicken around, checking its eyes."Did you eat something you shouldn't have?" Lin Chen asked softly. Xu Yang almost sighed.Of course it didn't answer...His eyes narrowed as he looked toward the ground around the coop.There was nothing unusual at first—only damp soil,scattered straw,and a few grains of feed.
But the strange sensation was still there.He shifted his paws on the fence and leaned forward slightly.So it's already started... It's just First day.Not even a full day...His tail tightened slightly around his paws.Why would I get a calm tutorial phase?That would be too kind...Lin Chen stood and looked toward the house."I'll get some water." He took two steps,then glanced back at the chicken."Don't die before I come back."
Xu Yang's ears lifted.Lin Chen noticed him sitting on the fence and smiled."What are you looking at?" Xu Yang stared at him."..." Lin Chen waited."You look very serious for a cat." Xu Yang slowly blinked.Lin Chen shook his head with a quiet laugh."Never mind.I'm talking to myself again." He went inside.Xu Yang watched him disappear through the doorway,then looked back at the coop.But what am I supposed to do?...He glanced toward the house again.
He could already hear Lin Chen moving around inside,cupboards opening and closing as he searched for something.I'm just a cat.A newly reincarnated… whatever I am...Do I warn him?Even if I try,I'll just meow.And he won't understand anything beyond "hungry stray animal noises." Xu Yang opened his mouth slightly,then stopped himself."Meow?" The sound came out small and completely useless.He stared at the ground."Great.Very convincing." His ears flicked back slightly.Do I ignore it?Pretend I didn't feel anything?That feels worse.Another pause.Or do I just… watch?...That's all I can do right now,isn't it?Watch and survive until I understand more.
Xu Yang lowered his head and studied the chicken again.It had stopped moving for a moment.Lin Chen returned with a wooden bowl filled with water and crouched beside it."Here.Try this." He gently brought the bowl closer.The chicken pecked once,then pulled its head back.Lin Chen's expression tightened."You don't even want water?" Xu Yang's claws pressed into the fence.He could feel that strange presence again.This time,it seemed slightly stronger.
Lin Chen didn't notice.He dipped his fingers into the bowl and carefully wet the chicken's beak."Come on." His voice softened."Just a little." Xu Yang stared at him.He's actually worried about it.He looked toward the edge of the coop,where the damp earth disappeared beneath a few loose pieces of wood.Something about that spot bothered him.His body moved before he could think. He jumped down from the fence and padded toward it.
Lin Chen glanced over."Where are you going?" Xu Yang ignored him and sniffed near the wood.He immediately pulled his head back.Lin Chen noticed."You found something?" Xu Yang looked at him,then at the ground."..." Lin Chen crouched beside him."Is it there?" Xu Yang tapped one paw against the dirt.Lin Chen stared at the spot, then moved the loose wood aside.There was nothing underneath except damp soil and a few dead leaves.He frowned. "Nothing."
Xu Yang's tail flicked.What did you expect?A glowing sign saying "mysterious curse starts here"?Lin Chen looked at him again."You really are strange." Xu Yang turned away.Lin Chen smiled and scratched lightly behind his ear.Xu Yang's eyes narrowed,but he didn't move away then the chicken suddenly made a weak sound behind them.Xu Yang's head snapped around.Lin Chen immediately stood."What happened?" The chicken trembled once,its wings twitching.
Xu Yang's body stiffened.The strange presence seemed to move through the air for a brief moment,then faded again.Lin Chen hurried back to the coop."Stay here." Xu Yang followed anyway."I said stay." Xu Yang ignored him.Lin Chen glanced down at the cat."You're stubborn." Xu Yang stared at the chicken.Stubborn is better than useless...His claws shifted slightly against the wood beneath him.I don't even know the rules of this sickness.Is it poison?Curse?Spiritual contamination?...I used to read novels like this.Characters always figured things out fast.Why can't I just… do that?He glanced again at the chicken,then at Lin Chen.Right now,I'm just sitting here pretending I have control... but I don't...
Lin Chen squatted beside the coop, checking the chicken carefully. "You didn't eat anything bad, did you?" he muttered, more to himself than to the animal. Xu Yang's ears flattened.The presence pulsed once, as if reacting to attention.Xu Yang shifted his weight and let his spiritual senses open just a crack so small even he almost didn't notice it.The world sharpened. He immediately regretted it. The chicken's body was wrapped in something thin and gray, like smoke pressed too tightly against flesh. It wasn't alive, not exactly. More like a fingerprint mark.
Lin Chen sighed and lifted the chicken gently. "I'll ask Granny Wei if she's seen this before."Xu Yang jumped down from the fence and followed, keeping his pace casual.
People moved around as usual, but Xu yang noticed small things. a child tripping for no reason, a basket rope snapping suddenly, a dog whining at nothing.No single event was alarming. Together, they formed a pattern.
Granny Wei lived near the edge of the village,her house leaning slightly to one side with age. She opened the door before Lin chen could knock. "You too?" she asked, eyes sharp. Lin Chen blinked. "You've seen this already?"
Granny Wei stepped aside,revealing two more chickens lying motionless inside. "They were fine yesterday." she said. "This morning, they wouldn't eat. Wouldn't move." Xu Yang stayed close to Lin Chen's feet, head lowered. Granny Wei glanced at the cat. "That's a good-looking one."Lin Chen smiled. "Found him in the forest."Granny Wei studied Xu Yang for a long moment. Xu Yang forced himself to yawn."…Hmm." she said at last."Animals feel things before people do."Xu Yang's tail flicked once.
So… what do you want from me?...Xu Yang shifted subtly,keeping his expression as "normal stray cat" as possible.I just got here.I don't even know how this body fully works yet,and now I'm supposed to sense disasters?...His ears angled slightly toward Granny Wei.Don't look at me like that.I don't know anything useful...Granny Wei reached into a drawer and pulled out a small pouch, opening it slightly.The smell of dried herbs spilled out."I'll burn these tonight," she said."Just in case."
Lin Chen nodded slowly."Do you think it's something bad?" Granny Wei hesitated.Her fingers tightened around the pouch."There are years," she said slowly,"when the world feels thinner.Things slip through easier." Xu Yang's ears twitched sharply.Thinner?What does that even mean?..He stared at her for a moment,but Granny Wei had already closed the pouch and put it away.
They returned home before noon.The chicken didn't survive.Lin Chen buried it behind the house,marking the spot with a small stone.Xu Yang watched silently.Lin Chen stayed there for a while after placing the stone.He brushed the dirt from his hands and looked down at the grave."It was healthy yesterday." he murmured."I don't understand."
Xu Yang sat a few steps away,watching him.He wanted to say something,but there was nothing he could say that wouldn't come out as a useless meow.Lin Chen eventually stood."Come on." He looked down at Xu Yang."Let's go inside." Xu Yang followed silently.Death here felt… incomplete.As if something had taken a bite and left the rest behind...
Xu Yang stared at the fresh mound of dirt. One moment it was fine…and now it's gone... How long until I end up like that?... His ears lowered slightly.If even a chicken doesn't survive this…what am I supposed to do?...Great.I reincarnated into a world where random animals drop dead and I'm the weakest thing here...His gaze dropped to his small paws.I'm next,aren't I?..How long can I survive like this?His tail curled tighter around him.If I stay here,I die.If I move,I still don't know anything.Either way…His eyes drifted back to the grave.I'm just waiting for my turn...This is really not the kind of "new life" I was hoping for...
Xu Yang lay awake,eyes open,staring into darkness.The small house creaked whenever the wind pushed against the walls.Lin Chen was asleep on the other side of the room.Xu Yang remained near the stove,his body curled tightly against the floor.The presence was closer now.Not inside the house,but circling it.
Xu Yang pressed himself closer to the floor, breath shallow.His heart was already beating too fast,and he could feel every heavy thump against his ribs.His paws trembled slightly against the floorboards.He tried to stop them,but the small shaking only became more noticeable.He tucked his paws underneath his body and forced himself not to move.His fur had risen along his back,and his tail had gone stiff.His throat felt dry even though he kept swallowing.He did not cultivate.Did not reach outward.He waited.A soft scratching sound came from outside.
Xu Yang's ears shot upright.His whole body jerked before he forced himself down again. His heart slammed violently against his chest,and for a moment he was afraid the sound was loud enough to wake Lin Chen. The muscles in his legs tightened instinctively,ready to spring,but he didn't know where he would even run.His claws slowly dug into the floorboards.
The door did not move,but something brushed against the wall,lingering too long to be coincidence.Xu Yang glanced toward Lin Chen.He hadn't woken up."Don't..." Xu Yang whispered so quietly that even he barely heard himself.What now?...His mind snapped instantly into alertness.Don't start this again.Not now...His body stayed still,but every instinct screamed at him to move.His paws shifted beneath him,then froze.
He wanted to run.He wanted to hide.He wanted to wake Lin Chen.He wanted to do anything except stay there and wait for whatever was outside to decide what happened next.But his body refused to move.I'm not listening.I'm not reacting.It's nothing...He forced the thought down like a command.Just ignore it.If I don't acknowledge it,maybe it doesn't count.His ears twitched despite him trying to control them.No.Don't react.That's how you die in horror stories.You react,you lose.
A faint pressure lingered near the wall again. Xu Yang's stomach tightened,and a cold shiver ran from his ears all the way down his spine.He could feel the tiny muscles in his legs trembling.His claws pressed harder into the floor until they nearly hurt.He turned his head slightly and stared at the wall.A shadow seemed to move outside,but when he blinked,it was gone.Xu Yang swallowed. His mouth felt strangely dry.It's probably just wind.Or animals.Or…something normal...
His claws pressed lightly into the floor.I just got here...I don't have the luxury to investigate every creepy thing that passes by...Please just go away...He stayed perfectly still and closed his eyes.
Morning came with fog.Lin Chen stepped outside, frowning. "That's unusual…" Xu Yang followed, fur bristling.The fog smelled wrong.Xu Yang stopped walking.Lin Chen took another step and froze.Something stood ahead. A figure, barely visible.It was talk. Its outline flickered, as if struggling to stay defined.Lin Chen swallowed. "Hello?" Xu Yang's instincts screamed. The figure shifted closer. Xu yang's body moved before his mind could stop it.He hissed loud, Sharp, Feral.The sound cut through the fog like a blade.The figure recoiled Just a little. Xu Yang dropped to the ground, rolling onto his side and curling up, as if frightened by his own noise. Lin chen stumbled backward, heart racing."It's just fog." he muttered desperately. "Just fog."
By noon, the village looked normal again. That evening, a stranger passed through the village. He wore plain robes, unremarkable in every way. There was no visible weapon a obvious cultivation aura.But Xu Yang felt it instantly.The man stopped near Lin Chen's house and looked around slowly, as if confirming something. His gaze fell briefly on Xu Yang.Then man smiled politely and moved on.Lin Chen exhaled."Travelers come through more often these days." he said casually.Xu Yang did not respond.
That night, as he curled up to sleep, the warmth in his chest stirred faintly. Xu Yang stared into the dark.Why it's like Heaven noticed...His gaze drifted toward the ceiling, as if he could see beyond it.If I'm really in a cultivation world… then everything probably gets "noticed!" eventually...His claws curled slightly. I'm definitely in the first category...
Xu Yang frowned slightly.Don't start glowing at me now…I'm trying to sleep. I don't even know if I'm lucky or cursed anymore.
If something noticed me… and didn't act…
Xu Yang's eyes narrowed slightly in the dark.
It means I'm not worth its attention yet... I should use that time.He exhaled slowly, forcing his body to relax.Sleep first. Survive first. Understand later...But even as his body curled tighter into rest, his mind refused to fully settle.