Volume 3, Chapter 201 – My Name is Yaoyao

Once bitten, twice shy ¹ 一朝被蛇咬，十年怕井绳 (yī zhāo bèi shé yǎo, shí nián pà jǐng shéng), literal translation: once bitten by a snake, afraid of well ropes for ten years. Overly cautious of anything that resembles what hurt you before . If a Human Skin Mask could turn her into a woman, what would a female cat’s pelt transform her into? Even a fool knew the answer. For a moment, Qi Huang felt her soul flee in terror.

“Why are you just standing there? Hurry and find a hiding spot! This dress I transformed into can block divine sense detection. As long as you don’t make a sound, he’ll never find you.”

The red-eyed cat urged impatiently.

Snapping back to reality, Qi Huang immediately flew low to the ground and soon found a small cave to duck into. Subconsciously, she’d clearly decided that turning into a female cat was still better than dying.

Once safely inside, she finally had time to examine the dress she was wearing. It was undeniably beautiful—a black, straight-collar ruqun that reached her waist. Though the overall tone was cool, the fabric was so sheer it draped over her legs with a hazy allure, accentuating their curves. Sparse patterns of blood-red cat eyes dotted the fabric, adding a mysterious charm. The upper garment and chest wrap followed the same design. Had she not been wearing men’s clothes underneath, the effect would have been irresistibly seductive—like a little black wildcat, a perfect blend of sensuality and aloofness.

“Whatever you do, don’t probe him with divine sense.”

The red-eyed cat’s warning was low but firm.

Qi Huang nodded frantically. She wasn’t stupid—even if this dress could truly “hide” her, releasing her divine sense would instantly give away her position.

“Hmm?”

Ye Donglai’s divine sense suddenly lost its target. Puzzled, he descended nearby, peering around cautiously.

“How strange! How did she just vanish?”

After a long observation yielded nothing, his expression wavered between shock and suspicion. He switched back to divine sense scanning.

Qi Huang could practically feel his divine sense sweeping over her multiple times. But heeding the cat’s warning, she didn’t dare even breathe loudly.

“She couldn’t have disappeared into thin air. She must be using some secret technique to evade my divine sense.”

After a moment of contemplation, a mocking smile curled on Ye Donglai’s lips. “Fellow Daoist, no use hiding! I see you!”

‘He sees me?!’

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Qi Huang shuddered but quickly steadied herself. This old fox is almost certainly bluffing. Why else would he kindly announce it?

“To be honest, you’ve truly surprised me. Shielding from divine sense—in all my years, only Nine Nether Demon Cats have been capable of that. Yet you’ve mastered such a technique too! But shielding isn’t the same as true invisibility!”

With a light tap of his right foot, he murmured, “Earth Resonance.”

THUD!

The ground trembled faintly at first, then erupted into violent shaking, like a trampoline gone wild. Seismic waves rippled outward in all directions, as if a stone had been dropped into a still lake.

Though the tremors seemed subtle, their destructive power was undeniable. Everything they touched—plants, trees, rocks, even birds and beasts—crumbled into dust. A once-vibrant mountain range turned to barren wasteland in moments.

Qi Huang, still tense, suddenly found herself floating mid-air. She was about to demand an explanation from the red-eyed cat when she noticed everything around her vibrating. Anything larger than a fingertip dissolved into fine powder, scattering across the ground.

‘What kind of…’

Her blood ran cold. This level of devastation was unheard of.

By the time the tremors ceased, the entire mountain had been reduced to a desert, nothing but endless sand in sight.

Ye Donglai observed for a long while, his frown deepening. “How peculiar… Did she truly vanish?”

Qi Huang didn’t dare exhale. Even from this distance, the pressure was overwhelming—though perhaps that was just psychological.

Silence followed.

With the red-eyed cat staying quiet, Qi Huang remained on high alert, her nerves stretched taut.

Two excruciating hours later, her mental exhaustion peaked. Finally, the cat spoke.

“Alright, the old man’s gone.”

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The moment Qi Huang relaxed, the black ruqun slithered off her body, leaving her to plummet.

“OW!”

She landed hard on her backside, yelping instinctively.

“Quit whining! Want to lure that old bastard back? With all that padding, you shouldn’t even feel it!”

The red-eyed cat’s scolding was merciless.

Qi Huang blinked. Her rear did hurt less than expected. For once, she was grateful for her feminine form—had she still been male, that fall might’ve crippled her.

“Couldn’t you warn me before ditching me?”

She rubbed her sore backside, grumbling.

“How was I to know you’d be so useless? A Divine Realm cultivator who can’t even brace for a fall?”

The cat hovered mid-air, oozing disdain.

“Uh—”

Qi Huang had no retort. She couldn’t exactly admit she was just a Pseudo-Divine Realm fraud.

“How’d you know he left?”

Desperate to change the subject, she seized the first question that came to mind.

“Can’t you sense it yourself? At the Divine Realm, your senses surpass ordinary cultivators’. At this range, you don’t even need divine sense. Unless… you’re a fake?”

The cat’s piercing question struck a nerve.

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“Ahem! Just… nerves!”

Qi Huang’s face flushed. Coughing awkwardly, she suddenly realized—”Wait, so you’re a Divine Realm expert too? Then why were we hiding? Couldn’t you take him?”

“You were the one hiding. I was just playing along.”

The cat’s tone was matter-of-fact.

Qi Huang nearly choked. The injustice burned—they could’ve fought back, yet she’d been scrambling for her life like a headless chicken.

“Quit dawdling. Let’s move before he circles back.”

At the cat’s urging, Qi Huang shot into the sky, the red-eyed feline perching smugly on her shoulder.

“By the way, what’s your name, cat servant?”

The cat’s sudden question caught her off guard.

“Qi Huang. And don’t call me that.”

“After how well you tended to my feline brethren in the Yuxiao Sect, ‘cat servant’ fits perfectly.”

“That was basic decency! I’m not some obsessive cat lady who dresses pets in costumes, so drop the title.”

She had standards. “Cat servant” sounded downright subservient.

“Luckily for you, that ‘basic decency’ earned you all these Nine Nether Demon Cats.”

The cat’s tone was oddly sage-like.

“What do you mean?”

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“Those demon cats? I stole them from other cultivators. Seeing how you cared for the ordinary ones, I deemed you a worthy… attendant. That’s why I brought them.”

A cold snort.

“So that’s what happened!”

Qi Huang’s naivety shattered. She’d assumed the ordinary cats had attracted them—but no, it was her kindness repaid.

“Right, what should I call you?”

It belatedly struck her that she knew nothing about this creature.

“Call me Yaoyao. In your cage is my sister, Mimi—the Nine Nether Demon Cat the Yuxiao Sect lost.”

“Wait, I heard the sect only had one demon cat.”

“Because I went blind. Without tears to harvest, they stopped considering me a ‘cat’.”

A bitter laugh.

“Blind? Your eyes look fine now.”

“That’s because I’m already dead. What you see is just a manifestation of my resentment.”

The words dripped with haunting melancholy.

“WHAT?!”

Qi Huang’s spine turned to ice. Her foot slipped mid-air, nearly sending her crashing back to earth.