At first,Xu Yang thought he was imagining it. A woman who usually smiled at him suddenly pulled her basket closer when he walked past. Two children who had once chased after him stopped in the middle of the road and quietly moved aside. Even the old man who sometimes left scraps of meat near his doorway now waited until Xu Yang had passed before stepping outside. Xu Yang slowed down and looked back at them. Nobody said anything. They simply watched him until he was out of sight. Then the animals started doing it too. Dogs growled when he passed. Chickens scattered before he even came close. Even the old ox tied near the granary turned its head away and refused to look at him. Xu Yang stopped mid-step and stared at it. "What?" He blinked slowly,then glanced around at the other animals. His tail flicked once in confusion. Why are they looking at me like that? He tilted his head slightly. "Hey," he muttered under his breath,almost offended. "Can you stop looking at me like that?"
A chicken immediately flapped away in panic. Xu Yang stared after it. "I know I'm…" He paused and looked down at himself. Black fur. Small frame. Four paws. A tail. He looked back at the chicken. "Presentable?" Another dog barked once in the distance and quickly backed away. Xu Yang's ears lowered. Okay. That's definitely not normal admiration. His gaze dropped to his paws again. "What?" He stared at them for another moment before his expression slowly went blank. They're staring at the cat. A faint,deeply exhausted realization followed. Not me… Xu Yang stood there for a moment before sighing. "This is humiliating," he muttered quietly. Then,after a pause,he added,"I'm being socially rejected by livestock." He stayed close to Lin Chen after that. Much closer than usual.
When Lin Chen stopped beside the house to mend a broken basket,Xu Yang immediately settled beside his leg. Lin Chen noticed after a moment and glanced down at him. "You've been clingy lately," he said with a small laugh as he pulled a strip of bamboo through the basket. "Scared of the rain?" Xu Yang looked up at him,then rubbed his head lightly against Lin Chen's knee. He couldn't answer. If he did,everything would end. Lin Chen paused and looked down at him again. Xu Yang remained perfectly still,pretending to be nothing more than an ordinary cat.
After a moment,Lin Chen smiled and continued repairing the basket. "Then stay close." Xu Yang's ears twitched slightly. By midday,the village head called for a gathering. Nothing official. Just "a talk." Xu Yang lay beneath the bench near the courtyard,eyes half-closed,while the villagers slowly gathered around. Someone dragged a wooden stool into place. Another woman kept glancing toward the road as though expecting something to appear. "Strange things keep happening," the village head said carefully. He rested both hands on his walking stick. "Fog Sickness. That boy collapsing." "We're not blaming anyone," another villager quickly added. He shifted in his seat and glanced around. "But we should at least be careful." "But…" someone began. The voice stopped. Xu Yang's ears lifted slightly. "Animals do react to demons first," the man finally said.
A few villagers exchanged uneasy looks. One woman lowered her voice. "I saw the cat near the shrine. Late at night." "My dog barked at it for hours." another villager added. He rubbed his arm uneasily. "It wouldn't go near the road afterward." Lin Chen frowned and looked around at them. "It's just a cat." The courtyard went quiet. Nobody argued with him,but nobody agreed either. A man looked away. Someone shifted their feet. The village head slowly tightened his grip on his walking stick. Xu Yang remained beneath the bench,watching their feet move above him. Great... Now I'm officially the "seen at the shrine at night" cat... His ears tilted slightly backward. That sounds exactly like the beginning of every bad story I've ever read...A faint coldness brushed past the edge of his senses. Xu Yang's expression changed. Heaven again. But distant this time,like someone flipping through pages without reading closely...The village head cleared his throat. "We'll ask a cultivator to pass by. Just to be safe." Xu Yang's heart sank. After the gathering,Lin Chen walked home quietly. He did not look at Xu Yang. Xu Yang followed beside him for a few steps,then slowed.
Xu Yang stopped. He sat there for a moment,watching the retreating figure. He's ignoring me... he thought blankly. His tail flicked once,slower than usual. That's new... He tilted his head slightly,ears lowering as Lin Chen adjusted the basket in his arms and kept walking as if nothing was behind him. Xu Yang stayed where he was. He watched Lin Chen's back grow smaller with every step. A small,unfamiliar feeling settled in his chest. "Did I do something?" he thought,staring at him. No answer came. Only the distance growing between them. Xu Yang lowered himself onto the ground slowly and tucked his paws beneath his body. "So that's how it is." he thought quietly. His tail curled closer to his body. He remained there for a while before finally getting up.
By the time he returned to the house,Lin Chen had already gone inside. Xu Yang stopped at the doorway and looked in. Lin Chen was sitting with his back toward him,quietly repairing the basket. He didn't turn around. Xu Yang stood there for another moment before slipping inside without making a sound. That night,Xu Yang did not sleep. He remained curled near the window,eyes open as the village slowly became quiet.Every few moments,his ears twitched toward sounds outside. He finally lifted his head and looked toward the dark fields. Something is wrong... He slipped out just before dawn,moving low and fast toward the fields. I need to leave traces.
Near the old shrine,Xu Yang found it again. A lingering demon scent. The same one from before. He stopped beside the broken stone steps and lowered his nose toward the ground. Xu Yang hesitated before deliberately scraping the earth with his claws. A little dirt scattered across the path as he moved the residue from one spot to another,leaving just enough demonic trace to confuse the origin. He stepped back and studied his work. "Clever." Xu Yang's ears twitched. He didn't turn. A soft laugh came from behind him. "You're framing me." the fox demon said mildly. He stepped out from the shadows,his silver hair catching the faint morning light. "Or at least borrowing my reputation."
Xu Yang finally turned to face him. His eyes were sharp even in cat form. "I'm buying time." he said quietly. The fox demon studied the disturbed ground,then looked back at him. "For what?" Xu Yang said nothing. His gaze shifted toward the village in the distance. The fox demon sighed and folded his arms loosely. "You know humans don't forgive uncertainty." "I know!" Xu Yang replied,his ears flattening in irritation. He immediately lowered his voice. "That's why I'm doing this." "And you know Heaven doesn't either." Xu Yang went quiet. His claws pressed into the dirt. "Then why are you still here?" For a moment,the fox demon's expression changed. The faint amusement disappeared from his eyes. "Because my friend hates loose threads."
Xu Yang stilled. The fox demon looked toward the shrine. "You're not the first anomaly." he continued softly. "But you're the first that feels…familiar." Xu Yang swallowed. Familiar? The word stayed in his mind longer than he wanted it to. "Leave the village!" the demon advised. His voice was quieter now. "Soon." Xu Yang looked back toward the houses. His gaze stopped on one particular roof. Lin Chen's house. "I can't yet!" he said. The fox demon watched him for a long moment. Then he gave a quiet laugh. "You're worse than I thought." Xu Yang glanced at him. "Is that supposed to be an insult?" "It depends." The fox demon stepped backward into the shadow of the trees. "I'll divert attention. Once." Xu Yang watched him disappear. After a moment,he lowered his head slightly. It was more than most demons would do. When Xu Yang returned,the village was already awake. Voices drifted through the streets,and people were moving around the well.
Xu Yang slowed when he saw the unfamiliar figure standing there.There was cultivator who wore blue robes and sword resting at his side. Xu Yang lowered his head and forced his steps to become uneven. He deliberately limped slightly,keeping his body small and ordinary.The cultivator's gaze shifted toward him. Xu Yang's chest tightened. He can't see me clearly... He kept walking,pretending to be interested in a patch of grass beside the road. Don't look at me too long...His ears angled backward without permission. Just see a cat. Just a normal cat. That's all I am...
The cultivator's eyes lingered a fraction longer than comfortable. Xu Yang felt his heartbeat quicken. Why is he looking like that?He's measuring something...His claws pressed lightly into the ground. No. No,don't do that. Don't notice me properly...The cultivator finally looked away. Xu Yang didn't relax. He simply continued walking,keeping the same slow,slightly uneven pace until he passed beyond the man's sight. Only then did he allow himself to breathe normally. That was too close...
That night,Lin Chen finally spoke. "They asked me questions." Xu Yang,curled beside him,opened his eyes. Lin Chen was lying on his side,staring at the ceiling. His voice was quiet. He didn't look at Xu Yang as he continued. "About you." Xu Yang's heart began to pound. Lin Chen lowered his gaze toward him. "I told them you're just a cat." Xu Yang slowly moved closer. "Because that's what I believe."Xu Yang pressed against his side,his body trembling slightly. Lin Chen noticed. His hand hovered for a moment before settling gently on Xu Yang's back. He stroked his fur once,then stopped. "But…" Lin Chen hesitated. His fingers curled slightly against the black fur. "If you ever need to leave…I won't stop you." Xu Yang closed his eyes.
Far above the village,a single lamp burned beside an open window. Wang Xiao sat quietly at the table,one hand resting beside an open scroll. His eyes moved over the same line twice before stopping. He lifted his gaze. The flame moved. A faint change had passed through the air. Wang Xiao did not react at once. He waited a moment,then slowly closed the scroll. His fingers rested on its cover as he looked toward the window. Nothing. He reached for the cup beside him,took one small sip,and placed it back exactly where it had been. His eyes returned to the window. The room was still. Wang Xiao stood. His long robe fell into place as he walked to the window. He opened it slightly and looked out into the night. Only distant mountains and dark clouds. He stayed there for a few breaths. Then he closed the window and turned away. He picked up the scroll again,but this time he did not open it. For some reason,he no longer felt like reading.
Back in the village, the cultivator did not say what he had come for. The man in blue robes simply stayed. Three days. Three days of asking simple questions. Three days of walking through the same places. Three days of watching without making it obvious. Xu Yang noticed every time. When the cultivator stopped near the market, his eyes moved across the villagers before resting on Xu Yang for a moment. When he spoke to the old women near the well, he listened more than he talked. When children ran past him, he simply stepped aside and let them go. He looked like an ordinary person. That was what made Xu Yang uneasy.
Xu Yang kept his head low and moved around like he always did. Sometimes he stopped under a wall. Sometimes he scratched at the dirt or lay in the sun. To anyone watching, he was just a lazy cat. Inside, however, he never relaxed. The cultivator's power was quiet and controlled. He followed Heaven, but he was not blindly loyal to it. He was a mid-rank executor. Someone sent to check things, not make decisions. Which meant... If he found something wrong, he would report it. Xu Yang's ears twitched. And I really don't want to know what happens after that report...
On the fourth morning, the test began. Xu Yang felt it before anyone else. He had just stepped out from under a wooden cart when the air around him suddenly changed. He stopped. Invisible spiritual threads spread through the village, passing through the houses and wells before reaching him. Xu Yang's body went stiff. Don't react... The threads stayed around him for a moment before pulling back slightly, as if confused. Xu Yang forced himself to relax and lowered his head.
Near the well, the cultivator frowned and raised one hand, feeling the threads in the air. Lin Chen noticed. "Is something wrong?" The cultivator lowered his hand. "No. Just checking that everything is peaceful." Xu Yang's steps slowed.His tail twitched once. That sounds like something you say right before deciding that nothing is peaceful... He kept walking, pretending not to notice. So this is the checking. I'm being checked... Xu Yang almost laughed. Of course I am....
By noon, three talismans had been placed around the village. One was hidden under the old bridge. Another was placed behind the well. The third was hidden under the wooden platform near the village entrance. Nobody seemed to notice. Xu Yang did. He stood across the street, staring at the last talisman from the shade of a doorway. His ears slowly dropped. That was when he knew. I can't stay. His eyes moved toward Lin Chen's house. It's too dangerous now. If I stay any longer, I don't know if I'll even see the next morning. His chest tightened at the thought. Xu Yang looked away. I have to leave the village. At least for now...
That night, he waited until the village became quiet. Doors were closed. Lamps went out one by one. Even the cultivator's footsteps had stopped. Xu Yang slipped outside without making a sound. He did not go toward the shrine. Instead, he went the other way, into the hills where the mist stayed longer and the paths slowly disappeared. He ran not as a demon but as a cat that did not want to be caught.
Branches brushed against his fur. Small stones moved under his paws. He kept running until the village lights disappeared behind the trees. He ran until his lungs hurt and the warmth in his chest began to throb. Only then did he slow down. Xu Yang stumbled to a stop beside a pine tree and lowered his head, breathing hard. For a moment, he only listened. Nothing. Then a voice came from nearby. "You're late." Xu Yang's head snapped up.A dark shadow stood between the trees. Xu Yang froze. The figure was partly hidden by the mist. He could only make out a tall shape leaning against a pine tree, arms crossed loosely. A faint red mark showed beneath the edge of his sleeve, glowing once before fading again. Xu Yang's eyes narrowed. He couldn't see the person's face clearly, but that presence... His ears slowly lowered.