【Meridians Fully Opened!】
【Power Overflowing!】
【Evolution Beginning!】
Baji, clutching a ball, zipped across the living room walls and rooftops, his speed so fast he left behind afterimages.
Ever since waking up in this cat form, he had discovered a strange obsession with spherical and rectangular objects. If he didn’t tap them with his claws, he felt restless. Especially when excited, the urge was irresistible.
Like right now.
With all his meridians open and spiritual energy coursing through him, cultivation felt like smooth sailing.
His strength surged—like a bird soaring across the heavens, like a fish leaping through vast seas.
Freedom! Food! A feast beyond compare! Hehehe~
Baji felt pleasantly stuffed, thinking maybe he could stick around here for a while.
“Baji, come here!”
At the sound, Baji froze on the windowsill and turned toward Chen Huaian.
【Ah~ It’s the boss~】
He instinctively licked his paw, oblivious to how cat-like his behavior had become.
【Boss, you opened my meridians. Even though getting close risks exposure… I still owe you respect.】
He padded toward Chen Huaian, flopped onto the floor, and rolled over, showing his belly.
He’d picked up this trick from watching cats on TV. At first, he’d scoffed. But once he tried it, he realized how effective it was.
It was no wonder such fragile creatures as cats could survive to this day.
Otherwise, they would’ve long been exterminated by mankind.
Sometimes, acting weak was the best survival tactic.
“Looks like Baji knows I healed his legs. He’s getting more and more obedient.” Chen Huaian patted Baji’s head, deeply satisfied.
Since Baji was being so cooperative, there was no need to immobilize him with needles.
Chen Huaian aimed the watch’s camera at him and pressed Test.
A green scan line swept from Baji’s head to tail.
Chen Huaian watched as the lines around Baji twisted and flickered through several colors, like a short-circuiting light show. Finally, they locked onto a rainbow pattern, the scan line vanished, and the screen slowly went black.
Snap!
The app crashed, and the watch shut down.
Chen Huaian: “?”
“No way. This is Demon Slayer Division quality? Or… is the battery dead?”
Plugging it in, he found it truly was empty.
He pressed power and prepared to scan Baji again, charging or not.
Meanwhile, Baji narrowed his golden eyes at the device.
【Just now… that thing gave me a feeling of being spied on. Some kind of magic weapon? But it doesn’t look like one…】
To be safe, he absorbed more surrounding spiritual energy into his body.
Then he flopped back over, tail swishing across Chen Huaian’s pant leg, continuing to play the part of an ordinary kitty.
Next to him, Chen Huaian quickly opened the app again and scanned.
This time, the scan was smooth.
【Scan complete!】
A big green ✔️ appeared on the screen.
【Result: Just a cute little kitten!】
“Ohh, I knew Baji wasn’t a monster~”
Chen Huaian shook his head at his own wishful thinking.
The monsters he’d fought before were all ugly as sin, one worse than the next.
Unlike Baji—soft black fur like a lump of coal, big golden eyes gleaming like jewels.
How could something that adorable possibly be a monster?
Though… he did feel a twinge of disappointment.
“It’s fine, Baji. Now that I’ve opened your meridians, you’ll grow into a very strong monster someday!” Chen Huaian said, patting his head again.
Baji felt touched… and also awkward.
【Didn’t think you had such expectations for me…】
But as one of the Four Ferocious Beasts, his very birth was marked by calamity.
He vaguely remembered—when he was small, he couldn’t control his mind or his appetite. He devoured the corpse of Chiyou, his creator, then all life within a hundred miles. By the time he grew strong enough to control his hunger, he was already feared.
To survive, he had to fight. To survive, he had to devour.
And so he became the ferocious Taotie, dreaded by all.
If only he had been born an ordinary monster.
But he couldn’t possibly tell the boss he was a Taotie.
Otherwise, with Taotie’s reputation, the boss would strangle him on the spot.
No one would dare keep such a beast around.
And anyone who did would be hunted.
Chen Huaian didn’t notice as Baji stared at the ceiling, eyes distant, sinking into emo memories.
It was a pity Baji wasn’t a monster, but he still had another test subject in mind.
Besides Baji, there was one more “pet” in the house.
Of course, Chen Huaian wasn’t expecting anything.
But just for fun, he aimed the camera at the giant black carp in the basin.
If he hadn’t scanned it, fine.
But once he did—his face changed completely, eyes flying wide.
“Holy shit!”
“Sanling! Get out here, quick!!!”
…
Inside the bedroom, Lin Lingling flinched at Chen Huaian’s yelling.
Crap!
The moment she’d been dreading had arrived.
She drew in a sharp breath, grabbed her spear, and bolted for the door.
Even if she had to fight side by side with the boss, even if they both died here, she had to gamble for one chance at a peaceful future!
“Chen Huaian, I’ll help you!”
Lin Lingling burst out, spear in hand, sprinting across the room—
Only to see no crazed cat demon.
Instead, Chen Huaian was standing at the windowsill, cradling a thrashing black carp, looking utterly shocked.
Why was he holding a fish!? Lin Lingling froze in confusion.
The boss hefted the big carp, its tail flapping madly, and his face broke into a goofy grin.
“Haha! Sanling, guess what?!”
“You nailed it! That big black carp I bought at the market—it’s actually a monster! Hahaha!”
Big Black Carp: “…”
What the hell is this guy talking about!?
Lin Lingling stared at the fish, water spraying from its mouth, then at Baji sitting in the corner, quietly watching the show. Finally, her gaze locked on Chen Huaian’s bright, clueless grin.
The big carp was a monster?
That Baji too?
【Little brat, that trinket you gave him can detect demonic energy, eh?】
【Heh… too bad for you. This king has long since mastered hiding his aura.】
The sinister voice made Lin Lingling shiver all over.
She instinctively glanced at the corner—
And saw Baji, calmly licking his paw, eyes glinting as he gave her a look full of hidden meaning.
Girl…
This cat demon could talk.
This cat demon had brains!
Her dreams of sword flight, of immortality—
Lin Lingling’s face drained of color. A chill swept through her, her knees buckled, and she collapsed to the floor.
It was over.
This was completely Barbie-Q.
