Rumors traveled faster than fog.Xu Yang learned that by the third day.It started small. At the well, few villagers stood together with buckets in their hands,keeping their voices low even though everyone nearby could still hear them."I heard the boy should've died." one of them said."My aunt said something dark was clinging to him,"another woman replied."And then the cat jumped.""You saw it?""I saw the cat on him.""Maybe it was just a wild animal.""Then why did the boy wake up right after?"
The group went quiet for a moment before someone whispered,"Maybe that cat isn't ordinary."Xu Yang lay on the roof beam above Lin Chen's door,eyes closed.Every word reached him clearly.That's exactly what I was worried about...Of course it spread...His tail flicked once against the wood.Nothing stays small in villages like this...He let out a slow breath.Now everyone's attention is going to drift here... He looked at villegers and sighed.This is why people say "don't act without thinking."...See? Results...
His ears tilted slightly as more voices drifted from below.He shut his eyes a little tighter.I didn't even do anything on purpose.I reacted once,and now I'm the center of a story..."Cat saves boy from unseen force." Great.I've been upgraded to folklore status in three days...His claws shifted slightly against the beam.Below him,Lin Chen stepped out of the doorway carrying a clay pot.He paused when he heard the villagers talking and glanced toward the well."You're still talking about that?" he asked.The villagers looked at each other."People are curious."one man said.
Lin Chen gave a small shake of his head. "The boy is fine now.That's what matters." "But what about the cat?"someone asked. "What about it?""You really don't think it's strange?"Lin Chen looked up at the roof for half a second.Xu Yang's ears twitched."It's a cat,"Lin Chen said simply."Cats do strange things."A few villagers laughed,but the conversation did not end."They say it hissed like it saw something.""No,no,animals do that sometimes,"one of the villagers said."But still…"
Xu Yang's tail flicked once,not from fear,but calculation.Lin Chen poured water into a clay pot and shook his head."People get strange when they're scared,"he said lightly."They'll forget soon."Xu Yang did not believe that.Fear forgotten too quickly was never natural...People don't "forget" when something doesn't make sense.They adjust the story...His tail curled slightly.And I'm already inside that story...he pause.That's the problem...He shifted subtly on the beam,adjusting his balance.Right now I'm a "cat that chased away something unknown." Tomorrow I'll become "a sign." After that… something worse.
His ears flicked faintly as voices drifted from the village below.Attention spreads. Interpretation spreads even faster.By the time I blink twice,I'll probably have a temple name.He exhaled quietly.I don't like being noticed.A brief pause.In my old life,attention meant inconvenience.Here… it feels like exposure.
Outside the village,the market road was busier than usual.Travelers passed through more often.Cultivators too,though they pretended not to be.Xu Yang noticed their glances.Some slowed down near the village entrance.Some looked toward the houses before continuing.Others quietly checked the road behind them as if expecting something to follow.By afternoon,Lin Chen left again,this time to deliver grain to a nearby settlement.He tied the cloth bundle securely across his shoulder and looked down at Xu Yang."Stay here,and don't wander too far."
Xu Yang flicked one ear."I know you don't understand me,"Lin Chen added with a small smile,"but you always look like you're listening."Xu Yang looked away.Of course I'm listening.You're the one who talks too much...Lin Chen laughed softly and headed down the road.Xu Yang watched him go, unease pressing heavier than before.The moment Lin Chen disappeared around the bend,Xu Yang hopped down from the roof and slipped into the tall grass beyond the houses.He needed to listen.
Two travelers stood beneath a tree,robes dusty from long travel.One of them rubbed his shoulder and glanced toward the village. "You felt it too,right?"he murmured.The other nodded slowly.Xu Yang crouched lower,his belly nearly touching the grass.His ears pointed toward them."It's not a demon outbreak,"the first continued.He looked toward the village again."If it were,Heaven would've cleared it already."
The second traveler frowned and folded his arms."Unless Heaven doesn't consider it worth clearing."Silence followed.The first traveler gave a quiet scoff."This land isn't important enough to hide anything dangerous."Xu Yang's claws sank into the dirt.He almost moved,then forced himself to stay still.The travelers continued walking. "Still,keep an eye on the road?"the second one said."Why?""Because weak things can become strong."The first traveler glanced back."If it gets worse,we leave a message at the next sect station.""Agreed."Their voices slowly faded as they moved farther down the road.
Xu Yang stayed hidden until their footsteps disappeared completely.Only then did he slowly loosen his claws from the dirt.Heaven doesn't consider it worth clearing.That sentence kept repeating in his mind.He lifted his head slightly and stared after the travelers.So I'm inside something even Heaven ignores?That either means it's insignificant…or it's hiding under something else...His tail flicked once.And those two travelers…they didn't sound scared.They sounded like they were analyzing it...
His ears tilted slightly.Like it's a known category.Just not my category...So I'm the only one treating this like an unknown disaster?...He huffed softly.That's…not great.Then another thought slipped in sharper,more alert.But if it's "weak enough to be ignored,"why do I keep feeling it?...He went still.And why did the chicken die first?...His gaze slowly lifted toward the direction the travelers had come from.What if it's just…a signal?His pupils narrowed.
Xu Yang pushed himself slightly forward on the branch,peering into the distance.Okay... Now it's interesting.His tail steadied.I'm not just surviving a weird village anymore...he paused for seconds before continuing pause.I might be standing at the edge of something that even "Heaven" decided not to look at...That night,rain returned.Xu Yang lay curled near the window,watching water streak down the paper panes.He listened to the steady tapping for a while,his ears twitching whenever the wind pressed against the roof.
Then,far from the village,deep within the forest,a man stood beneath the trees.He wore dark layered robes,the fabric clean and elegant,flowing naturally even when there was no wind.His long black hair fell smoothly over his shoulders,not a single strand out of place.It moved lightly whenever he did,but never looked messy.He simply stood there. His eyes were sharp,cold,and steady as he gazed toward the distant lands below."Still no trace,Wang Xiao?"The voice came quietly from behind him.
A taller,broader figure stepped from the shadows,crimson markings tracing faintly along his neck and jaw.His golden eyes remained fixed on the man before him."Only remnants,"the demon said."The correction failed.The fragment slipped away."Wang Xiao's expression remained unchanged. "Nothing slips away without leaving a mark." "There is a mark."The demon's voice lowered."The same one."
For a moment, Wang Xiao said nothing.Rain gathered along the edge of his sleeve before falling into the grass."It should have ended years ago,"the demon said."It did not."Wang Xiao's gaze settled on the distant mountains."Then we were mistaken about its ending.""The disturbance is weak,"the demon said."Yet the trace runs deeper than it should.""Weakness does not make something harmless.""Nor does a trace prove its return."
Wang Xiao finally turned toward him."You felt it."The demon gave a slow nod."I did."Wang Xiao looked away again."Then keep it from Heaven's sight."The demon's expression tightened."If Heaven notices first,there will be no room left for us to act.""Exactly."The rain grew heavier, covering the forest in a thin veil.The demon looked toward the distant village."There is something there."Wang Xiao's eyes remained cold and unreadable."I know."
Back in the village,Xu Yang was falling.There was nothing beneath him,nothing above him,nothing around him except endless darkness.He tried to move his paws,but his body only kept dropping faster."Wait—"His voice disappeared into the rushing wind.His ears flattened against his head as the cold air tore through his fur.His claws stretched out,desperately searching for something to grab,but there was nothing.His heart pounded harder with every second.
Then,far below him,a tiny light appeared.Xu Yang stared at it.At first,it looked like a distant star.But as he kept falling,it slowly grew larger and larger.Until he could finally make out what was below him.He saw forest and Houses.His eyes widened.He knew this place.It was the village."No way…"The ground was coming closer far too fast. "No,no,no—"Xu Yang twisted his body,trying to slow himself down,but nothing worked. His paws moved wildly through the air,and his tail went stiff with panic.His claws were completely useless.
The ground rushed toward him."I'm going to die again!"He braced himself for the impact. But just before he hit the ground everything disappeared.Xu Yang froze.Then he realized he was falling again.He stared into the darkness in disbelief."You've got to be kidding me."There was no village and forest this time.There was only darkness.He kept falling until,far below him,another light slowly appeared.
Xu Yang's stomach dropped."Not again…" The light grew larger.As before,the same forest came into view.Then the same road. Then the same village.He was falling toward it again."No!"He twisted his body and reached out with his paws,trying to turn himself away,but his body refused to obey. His heart hammered against his chest as the ground rushed closer and closer.He could see the trees.He could see the houses.He could even see the path below him.His claws stretched forward helplessly."Please stop—"The ground was almost there.
He woke suddenly,heart racing.The rain had stopped.Xu Yang stayed still for a long moment,breath uneven.Again?.His chest rose and fell too fast,the feeling of empty air still clinging to him like the dream hadn't fully let go.Why am I always falling?... I already died once.Isn't that enough?...His claws pressed lightly into the bedding beneath him,grounding himself.His ears twitched faintly.Xu Yang swallowed hard.Is this a warning?Trauma?Or is this world just adding nightmare effects for free?He lifted his head slightly,listening.
Xu Yang slipped outside,padding softly across the wet ground.His paws made almost no sound as he moved past the sleeping houses.At the edge of the village, near the old shrine no one used anymore, something waited.Xu Yang stopped immediately.He did not approach.Instead,he sat several steps away and stared at the dark entrance,his eyes narrowed.
The shrine's door creaked open slightly and cold draft slipped through the gap,but there was no wind outside.Xu Yang's ears flattened.A shape lingered inside.Xu Yang recognized the feeling instantly.His fur rose along his back,but he forced himself to stay still.He did not move closer.He did not run. He simply watched until the darkness inside the shrine slowly became still again.Xu Yang remained there until dawn.By morning,the shrine was empty.But a single footprint remained in the mud.Xu Yang stared at it for a long time.
They're circling now,he realized.Heaven had checked.Demons had noticed.And somewhere far away,someone cold-eyed was staring in his direction without knowing why.Xu Yang returned to Lin Chen's house just before sunrise and curled up as if nothing had happened.When Lin Chen returned later,he frowned at the muddy paw prints near the door."Did you go out last night?"he asked.Xu Yang yawned wide.Lin Chen shook his head."Be careful.Strange things are happening."Xu Yang closed his eyes.Of course they are...Trust me,I know...His tail flicked once.Who else here knows better than me?...
He resisted the urge to sigh dramatically which, unfortunately,would probably just sound like weird cat behavior.I'm the one getting haunted by suspicious fog,random demon rumors,creepy smiling women, prophetic falling dreams,and a "nine mandatory deaths" situation...he paused for seconds before continuing .You're worried about "strange things."...His ears twitched slightly.I am the strange things...Actually,no.I really hope I'm not...He mentally corrected himself immediately.I'd prefer to be an innocent bystander with excellent survival instincts...