《Tales of Demons and Cats》 Glossary(Incomplete) Qi/Spiritual Energy - An energy that exists in all things. Cultivation - The act of using Qi to develop one''s body. Cultivators - People who cultivate. Sect - An organization of cultivators. Meridians - A network of vessels in the body where Qi flows. Bottleneck - A point in cultivation where all progress stops. Pills/Elixir - Drugs which can have variety of effects. Most of the time, used to boost one''s cultivation speed or heal injuries. Magical Beast - Animals capable of cultivation. **Soul Ranks** Soul Disiple - Qi Refining Soul Expert - Foundation Establishment Soul Master - Core Formation Soul Venerate - Core Scaling Soul King - Nascent SoulUnlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon. Soul Emperor - Spirit Cleansing Soul Saint - Spirit Severing Soul Ancestor - Divine Gathering Soul Demigod - False Ascension Soul God - True Ascension Soul Overgod - ??? Soul Celestial - ??? *Each stage is divided into nine grades* *Everyone that reaches Soul Overgod is killed by the members of Trimurti(Brahma, Vishnu, & Shiva) so there¡¯s no official name for the stage and the stage after it yet.* **Growth Rate**
Soul Ranks Prodigy Genius Talented Average
Soul Disciple 5 5 6 7
Soul Expert 8 9 11 18
Soul Master 10 14 18 32
Soul Venerate 15 26 35 64
Soul King 20 40 55 100
Soul Emperor 30 70 99 178
*This is true if the cultivator trains without rest and doesn¡¯t encounter any bottleneck.* Chapter 0 - Birth of a Demon Memories flashed through Mikogami Yuu¡¯s head, but it wasn¡¯t his. It was from an eight year old girl who lived in the outskirts of Orseus Kingdom. It starts from the moment she was born up till the time bandits killed everyone in her village and took her as a slave. Surprisingly, the last of her memories matched with Yuu¡¯s current situation. ¡®Geez, I wonder why that is. Oi, stupid cat, you there?¡¯ He heard groaning sounds before a beastly voice resounded in his head. ¡®Huh? Did you say something?¡¯ ¡®Oh, so you were asleep. I guess I can¡¯t rely on you. Haaaa, useless as always...¡¯ ¡®What was that!? You dare belittle the Great White Tiger, you worthless monkey!?¡¯ ¡®No, no, I would never dare mock one as stupid as you.¡¯ ¡®Y- YOU!!!......... AHAHAHAHA!!! WHY DO YOU LOOK LIKE A LITTLE MONKEY GIRL!!!???¡¯ ¡®So you really didn¡¯t know¡­ truly a good-for-nothing cat.¡¯ ¡®You better watch that filthy mouth of yours. You no longer have the strength you once had.¡¯ ¡®Yeah, I lost everything aside from my ability as a direct descendant of Susanoo. But I think that should be enough to put a certain cat at the Soul Master stage in his place.¡¯ ''Hah! Soul Master!? I¡¯m a Soul God- what!? H- How is this possible!? W- When did I lose-¡¯ ¡®You only noticed now huh? The first Great White Tiger is disappointed.¡¯ ¡®Speak! What did you do to me, you naked ape!? TELL ME THIS INSTANT!!!¡¯ ¡®How would I know?¡¯ The cat gritted its fangs before it released a deafening ¡®ROOOOAAAARRRR!!!¡¯ ¡®Keep your mouth shut if you¡¯re not going to help.¡¯ It didn¡¯t look like the cat would stop so Yuu adjusted their mental link to lessen the volume. Shortly, he looked around the carriage ¨C like him, there were four kids restrained with chains. He closed his eyes, focusing on the sounds outside. From the memories he saw, there should be twenty five armed bandits outside and a quarter of them are mounted. A few are skill users, but none are at the Soul Expert stage. A full-powered lightning should do the trick. Asking for the cat¡¯s help was also a choice, but it would be better to hide it for now. If he was truly in a different world, it would be best to keep a few secrets until he knows where he stands. Pointing his fingers at the chain on his wrist, he fired a highly compressed bolt of lightning. It melted the chain and hit his chest, but as a pseudo-lightning god, it didn¡¯t injure him in any way. In fact, ignoring the mild pain, it also livened up his poorly-sated body. Once he freed his hands, he used a similar attack on his leg, also piercing the floor. That move attracted the bandits¡¯ attention, but that was Yuu¡¯s intention from the very start. Once they surrounded the carriage, Yuu grinned viciously. And just before one could check on him, he summoned huge pillars of lightning from the sky. Each pillar was strong enough to severely injure someone at the third grade of Soul Master. How could people at the Soul Disciple stage ¨C two stages below Soul Master ¨C survive? Majority of the bandits were erased from existence in a matter of seconds. The few that survived were hunted down by Yuu who was testing his new body. It wasn¡¯t about the strength since he was literally an ordinary humanwithouthis lightning resistance ¨C it was more about adjusting to his new size. Afterward, he returned to the carriage and said: ¡°I¡¯ll give you three choices. One, serve me. If you do, I will guarantee your survival, but you will be mine until the day you die. Two, survive on your own. If that''s your choice, feel free to use what the bandits left behind. And three, die. If you think your life is not worth living, I will put an end to it. But do not worry. It will be a painless death.¡± He gave them half a day to think. But in the end, all four chose to die. It didn¡¯t surprise him. After all, they saw their loved ones die right before their eyes. It was too much for children younger than ten, especially if they¡¯ve been living peaceful lives before the bandit attack.Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more. Without a word, he gave them their wish and walked away. ¡®Haaaa, would¡¯ve been nice if at least one became my servant. It¡¯d be too boring with just you.¡¯ ¡®Are you saying I, the Great White Tiger, am not enough!?¡¯ ¡®You¡¯re more than enough, oh Great White Tiger.¡¯ He said sarcastically. ¡®That¡¯s it! Let¡¯s fight, one on one, hand to hand, no lightning!¡¯ He clapped. ¡®Oh, that was a great rap. You have a nice future ahead of you.¡¯ ¡®Y- You- YOU!!!¡¯ ¡®Anyway, do you think our fight with Satan has something to do with this?¡¯ After a whole minute of growling, the cat said: ¡®I do think that¡¯s the case. Something might¡¯ve triggered during our clash with that fool and that something sent us here.¡¯ ¡®So even you aren¡¯t sure¡­ do you think it¡¯s possible for us to return?¡¯ ¡®I don¡¯t. Even the likes of the Christian God can¡¯t send us back.¡¯ ¡®Even the Christian God you say, how are you so sure about that?¡¯ ¡®He already failed at world traveling. You remember that arc thingy? That was supposed to go to another world, but all it did was cause a rejection phenomenon in the form of a flood. He also lost a large portion of his power back then, leading to the angel-fallen angel war.¡¯ ¡®Wait, hold on¡­ are you serious?¡¯ That¡¯s not what the bible says. ¡®Do you really think the first Satan would dare attack if the Christian God was at his full power? He¡¯s the one true god! Not even the combined powers of the current gods can defeat him. But of course, he pales in comparison to the members of Trimurti. They work at a universal scale. If it¡¯s them¡­ maybe they are the ones that sent us here!¡¯ ¡®Ok, enough of the god-talk. The scaling makes my stomach churn.¡¯ ¡®You speak as if you weren¡¯t a god before.¡¯ ¡®Well, I only became one by absorbing the previous Susanoo so I don¡¯t really see myself as one.¡¯ The cat snorted. ¡®As if a single Shinto God could compare to a Divine Beast like me.¡¯ ¡®Anyway, so we really are stuck here huh? I guess that means no more delicious pizzas¡­¡¯ ¡®Yes, unless we become as strong as the overpowered trio. Unfortunately, they¡¯d zap us to death once we reach even a fraction of their strength.¡¯ ¡®It seems even entities like them want to hog their position.¡¯ ¡®It¡¯d be more surprising if they welcomed new celestials with open arms. It¡¯s already a miracle that all three of them are working together.¡¯ ¡®Ok, I¡¯ve decided.¡¯ He clapped loudly. ¡®On what, becoming a celes-¡¯ ¡°I¡¯ll introduce the concept of pizza to this world!¡± ¡®Are you serious!?¡¯ ¡®No, I¡¯m not as stupid as you.¡¯ ¡®Y- YOU!!!¡¯ ¡®Jokes aside, we can¡¯t move around with our current level of power. We have to focus on cultivation for the mean time. Let¡¯s see¡­ reaching the Soul King or Nascent Soul stage should be enough.¡¯ After another minute of growling, the cat said: ''It shouldn¡¯t take us long since the spiritual energy in this world is muchdenser compared to our world.¡¯ ¡®And we won¡¯t encounter any bottlenecks since our souls alreadyreached the higher stages.¡¯ ¡®What about pills? It¡¯d be faster if we have cultivation pills.¡¯ ¡®If I find ingredients then maybe I can make some¡­ for myself.¡¯ ¡®What about me?¡¯ ¡®I thought your kind naturally grows stronger as time passes.¡¯ ¡®That¡¯s when we¡¯re still growing! I¡¯m already an adult so I have to cultivate in the same way you naked monkeys do!¡¯ ¡®You belittle your own race too much, have faith will you?¡¯ ¡®Grrrr! Just give me pills if you can make them!¡¯ ¡®Is that a proper way to ask for a request?¡¯ He grinned. ¡®Y- You dare make me beg?¡¯ ¡®So what if I do?¡¯ He grinned even wider. ¡®¡­please¡¯ ¡®Please what?¡¯ If it was possible, his grin would¡¯ve reached the sky. ¡®Please share some pills with me!¡¯ ¡®Sorry, don¡¯t have any on me right now. Try again later.¡¯ ¡®ROOOOAAAARRRR!!!¡¯ A ball of light jumped out of Yuu¡¯s chest which morphed into a fearsome white tiger¡­ at the size of a cat. As Yuu stared at the hissing cat, tears formed on the corner of his eyes. ¡°T- That form... pft!¡± Seeing that, the cat became even more enraged and finally jumped with the intention of attacking. But a bolt of lightning descended faster than it could reach its target, paralyzing its whole body. ¡®CURSE YOU AND YOUR STUPID LIGHTNING!!!¡¯ Yuu laughed out loud, his now high pitched voice echoing throughout the forest. He stopped only when the cute white feline looked away saying ¡®I hate you¡¯. He wrapped his arms around the cat and apologized. ¡®Sorry, I went too far. Please forgive this worthless monkey, oh Great White Tiger.¡¯ ¡®Hmmp! You don¡¯t sound the least bit sincere!¡¯ ¡®As proof, I will change my ways. I promise to give a portion of the pills I make to you and worship yourotherworldly cuteness until the day I die.¡¯ ¡®The first one, I accept. But not the last one! I¡¯m not cute!¡¯ ¡®How humble, as expected of the Great Cute Tiger.¡¯ ¡®I-AM-NOT-CUTE!!! And don¡¯t change my name you damned monkey!¡¯ ¡®I retract what I said earlier. You¡¯re more than enough for me, oh Cute White Cat.¡¯ He started rubbing his cheeks to the fuming cat. ¡®For the last time, I AM NOT CUTE!!! AND STOP CHANGING MY NAME!!!¡¯ The cat tried to scratch Yuu on the face, butthe girl''s bodygenerateda violent spark, paralyzing it yet again. ¡®I hate you! I hate you! I hate you! I HATE YOU!!!¡¯ Once it could move, it jumped back to Yuu¡¯s soul and said: ¡®I¡¯m never leaving this place ever again!¡¯ Yuu wanted to tease it some more, but he decided to let it cool down a bit first. Wait, maybe he went too far this time¡­ After a bit of thinking, he decided to properly apologize to his partner. It took him seven days to repair their relationship though ¨C what a fragile-hearted divine beast. Chapter 1 - Soul Disciple Stage Qi or Spiritual Energy exists everywhere, but only one out of a thousand people can sense them. Even fewer can use them, and such people are referred to as cultivators ¨C the term came from the fact that cultivators use Qi to develop their bodies. There are many ways to cultivate, but the stages are the same for everyone. The first is Origin or Blank stage. As the name implies, people at this stage have no Qi. They could gather some but never actually use them. It¡¯s only after their bodies get used to Qi that they move on to the next stage: Soul Disciple. Soul Disciple or Qi Refining stage is considered the true start of cultivation. In this stage, Qi freely passes through the body, but it¡¯s only by integrating that energy into oneself that the cultivator gets stronger. It is divided into nine grades. And each time one reaches the next grade, he or she gains a large increase in strength ¨C it¡¯s the same for the following stages. That boost influences the gap between cultivators. Even if they are only one grade a part, the one with a higher grade will win ten out of ten matches if both of them have the same skill level. Currently, Rydia Crowe is¡­ stuck at the Soul Disciple stage. She was able to breeze through each grade thanks to her special cultivation technique and it would¡¯ve been easy for her to move to the next stage. Unfortunately, she drank a pill which blocked her own meridians. Now, no amount of mediation shows progress. And it might stay that way for quite a while. ¡®I didn¡¯t believe it was possible for people to shoot themselves in the feet. But now you have proven that it¡¯s indeed possible. I have to admit, I¡¯m quite impressed.¡¯ A beastly voice said. A vein popped out in the ten-year-old girl¡¯s forehead. ¡®Shut up¡¯ ¡®Oh, was that perhaps not intended? Was the pill supposed to have a different effect?¡¯ Using the materials she gathered in the past two years, Rydia made a pill that would¡¯ve helped her reach the Soul Expert stage faster and boost her cultivation speed for at least two grades. Unfortunately, she made a slight miscalculation and clogged her meridians in the process. As to why a former Soul God could make such a mistake, it was because the ingredients weren¡¯t the same as the ones on earth. She had to change the formula, but she only had her own sense of smell as reference. Furthermore, it has been a long time since she last created one. Of course she knew it could fail, but not to this extent¡­ ¡°Haaaaaaaaaaaaaa¡± Now she has to create a pill that could fix her body or use needles to manually cleanse her meridians. With how her first pill turned out, the latter would be the best course of action. But to do that, she has to find some good quality needles and she won¡¯t find them in a mountain. She could ask Byakko to find some; despite the cat¡¯s attitude towards her, he would do what he¡¯s told. But maybe it was time for her to visit a city. After all, a life of pure cultivation was too boring. With a plan in mind, she stood up and stretched. ¡®What¡¯s your next move, little monkey?¡¯ Byakko asked, still giggling slightly. ¡®I give up on cultivation. I will spend the rest of my life as a normal human.¡¯ ¡®Y- You wouldn¡¯t dare.¡¯ ¡®I can no longer cultivate, what else can I do?¡¯ She faked a sad expression. Byakko jumped out of her soul, morphed into a white haired kid around her age, and grabbed her by the collar of her robe. ¡°This isn¡¯t like you!¡± ¡°You¡¯ve only been my familiar for five years. What would you know?¡± ¡°I may not know everything, but I know that you¡¯re the strongest Susanoo, the strongest Shinto God, the strongest Lightning God, and the one I, the Great White Tiger, regards as a worthy master. If you are still the same person I know, you won¡¯t give up like this!¡± ¡°I- I don¡¯t know what to say¡­¡± She didn¡¯t expect that kind of encouragement from him. ¡°You don¡¯t have to say anything, just keep moving forward like you always do.¡± Byakko smiled. ¡°And I, the Great White Tiger, will always stay by your side.¡±This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. At that point, Rydia was truly lost for words ¨C how could she say everything was a joke!? ¡°Umm......... sorry¡± ¡°What are you apologizing for? It¡¯s nothing.¡± ¡°No¡­ it¡¯s not that.¡± Should she admit her sin, or should she not? ¡°You see¡­¡± After what Byakko did, she should. ¡°It was a lie.¡± ¡°What was that? What did you say?¡± ¡°I- It was a joke, I don¡¯t really plan on giving up¡­¡± She looked down in guilt. ¡°But I didn¡¯t expect you to do that¡­ I¡¯m sorry.¡± ¡°Wait, so you don¡¯t plan on giving up?¡± Rydia lowered her head. ¡°I¡¯m sorry!¡± Byakko stared at her, his face slowly distorting into an expression of rage. Soon, he tried to push her down. ¡°HOW DARE YOU TOY WITH ME!!!¡± Overcome with guilt, Rydia took a step back instead of protecting herself by using her ability. But that messed up Byakko¡¯s timing. She was indeed pushed to the ground, but Byakko fell with her. Worse, her shoulders were pinned down and so were her lips¡­ yes, her new body¡¯s first kiss was taken. Byakko immediately jumped away. She, on the other hand, stared dumbly at him. Once their eyes met, they went pale. And after a while, their floodgates were released¡­ ¡°¡°BLEEGH!!!¡±¡± ¡°No! It can¡¯t be! IT CAN¡¯T BE!!!¡± ¡°My lips! MY LIPS HAVE BEEN TAINTED BY A MALE APE!!!¡± ¡°Aren¡¯t you the one who kissed me!?¡± ¡°You¡¯re the one who made me do it!¡± ¡°I did not, you homophobic cat!¡± ¡°Shut your mouth, you hideous mongrel!¡± And that was the beginning of a verbal war. But unlike usual, there was no clear winner. In a way, it may even be said that both lost. *** Due to her guilt, she overreacted when her lips touched Byakko¡¯s. But it was only after she has cooled down that she realized how childish her outburst was. The same goes for Byakko. Luckily, both agreed to forget about that horrible experience. Now Rydia is looking at the base of the mountain from the cave opening. After taking a deep breath, she ran down at full speed. Her meridians might be blocked, but that didn¡¯t mean her body weakened. Her disability to use spiritual energy aside, she still had her strength as a ninth grade Soul Disciple. As she moved, a large eagle approached her ¨C the fact that it was pointing its talons at her proved that it didn¡¯t come for a friendly chat. Realizing its intention, she called a bolt of lightning from the sky and zapped it to death. Authority of Lightning ¨C that was the ability Rydia got from her bloodline, and it was as potent as the one who first wielded it: the original Susanoo. With it, she could create and control all forms of lightning. She also has resistance to the element. It scales with her soul rank, and at the ninth grade of Soul Disciple, a full-powered lightning from her could annihilate a fifth grade Soul Master. Unfortunately, her meridians are blocked so her ability currently scales from the Origin stage. But that¡¯s more than enough to deal with a monster way below the Soul Master stage. There were more of the truck-sized eagles, but after seeing one of their kind die, they dropped the idea of making a food out of her. Once she entered the grassland, the ground wobbled like the waves of a sea and black figures emerged ¨C they were four feet tall monsters that looked like a mix of a dog and an armadillo. She grabbed one by the neck and dodged the others. In a few steps, she threw the monster forward to intercept the same type of monster, but at the size of an adult elephant. The moment the two collided, she sent a kick to the larger monster¡¯s chin. When it fell over, she ran past it and kept going at a blinding speed. She encountered a few more types of monsters, but not a single one managed to stop her. ¡°Ok, now where should we go?¡± ¡®You ran all the way here without a direction in mind?¡¯ ¡®Bingo!¡¯ ¡®You fool! Do you want us to get lost!?¡¯ ¡®Do we even know where we are?¡¯ ¡®We¡­ I¡­ that¡¯s not that point! It¡¯s common knowledge to plan first before acting!¡¯ ¡®Says who?¡¯ ¡®Grrrr...... forget it¡­ just go where you want to go.¡¯ ¡®You should¡¯ve said so from the start.¡¯ Byakko placed his paw across his face in spirit form. ¡®Why did I choose you as my master¡­¡¯ ¡®Don¡¯t be like that. Didn¡¯t you say I¡¯m a worthy master?¡¯ ¡®And didn¡¯t you play with this poor beast¡¯s heart, you black-hearted demon?¡¯ ¡®I- I did say I was sorry.¡¯ Rydia scratched her head meekly. ¡®There wouldn¡¯t be wars if a simple apology could solve everything.¡¯ ¡®But sometimes it does.¡¯ ¡®Fool! This is the time when you should ask me what I want!¡¯ ¡®Nah, I already know you like catnips.¡¯ ¡®How many times do I have to tell you; I¡¯m a tiger, not a cat!¡¯ ¡®Based from studies, tigers are a part of the cat family.¡¯ ¡®Y- You! Stop using irrelevant topics to mess with me!¡¯ ¡®It¡¯s not irrelevant! It¡¯s science!¡¯ ¡®Science is the worst thing humanity ever created!¡¯ ¡®No, it¡¯s math.¡¯ ¡®ROOOOAAAARRRR!!!¡¯ Byakko began raging inside her soul. After giggling for a bit, she said: ¡®Thank you¡¯ ¡®Huh? What are you up to now, you hateful ape?¡¯ ¡®I know I was acting that time, but I truly appreciate your encouragement. That alone puts you at the third place of my best friend ranking.¡¯ ¡®As if I¡¯d want to be placed in that worthless ranking of yours.¡¯ ¡®Don¡¯t be shy, buddy.¡¯ ¡®Don¡¯t call me that¡­ and why am I in third place? Not that I care, but if you¡¯re going to add me, shouldn¡¯t I be at first place? I¡¯m the Great White Tiger you know.¡¯ ¡®Simple ¨C the first two are better.¡¯ ¡®I wonder what kind of gods could be better than me.¡¯ ¡®Nope, not gods, they¡¯re ordinary people.¡¯ ¡®And you dare place me beneath them!?¡¯ ¡®Anyway, thank you.¡¯ ¡®You think you can get away like that!?¡¯ ¡®Umm¡­ what do you want?¡¯ Chapter 2 - The Kings Agent After days of non-stop running, Rydia reached a city, one behind a six-meter tall wall. Two men in gray armor guarded the gate, but she didn¡¯t need to worry about entry. As she passed through the entrance, all she got was a scornful gaze from one of the gatekeepers. Inside were structures of varying sizes and another wall deep within the city. It was still early ¨C the sun rose just one to two hours ago ¨C yet there were already a number of people going on with their daily lives. It also seems like her fashion sense wasn¡¯t completely out of place as she could see some wearing plain robes. But since hers was a bit tattered and she was naked underneath, she still stood out. She also had no footwear so she probably looked like a beggar to them. Eyes followed her as she searched for a shop, but she ignored them. Unless it physically affected her, she wouldn¡¯t care what they do. They could even verbally assault her and she wouldn¡¯t bat an eye. Once she entered a shop, the middle-aged man behind the counter only looked at her for a second before saying: ¡°I won¡¯t give you anything so go bother some other shop.¡± She simply smiled at his obvious disdain and stretched her hand forward. Soon, a hand-sized sphere of lightning appeared on her palm. ¡°Sir, as you can see, I¡¯m not a mere beggar.¡± The middle-aged man¡¯s eyes almost jumped out in surprise. ¡°Now dear sir, I have a stone I want you to appraise.¡± Rydia pulled a shiny blue stone from her pocket and showed it to him. ¡°I killed quite a number of monsters to get that. Do you know what that is?¡± His eyes widened even more. ¡°A- An Aqua stone?¡± ¡°So you do know¡­ oops, I mean ¨C Ah, so it¡¯s called an Aqua stone. Geez, I wonder how much it sells. I don¡¯t know.¡± Rydia spoke in a monotonous tone¡­ she doesn¡¯t know anything but acted as if she does. He stared at her for a short while before coughing out ¡°Thirty silver coins.¡± Rydia chuckled. ¡°Come on sir¡± Then her eyes turned cold. ¡°Stop testing waters, you¡¯re wasting my time. Give me a proper price now or I¡¯ll sell this for forty silver coins at a different shop.¡± ¡°F- fifty, I¡¯ll give you fifty silver coins!¡± ¡°Tsk! Just tell me from the start if you don¡¯t want it. I could be selling this at a different shop by now you know.¡± She spoke with disdain as she returned the stone to her pocket. ¡°Fifty five! That¡¯s the best I could offer!¡± ¡°Shut it old man, we¡¯re done here.¡± She turned around and walked away. ¡°Sixty! That¡¯s the highest bid you¡¯ll get in the city for that stone!¡± She looked at him with a sweet smile. ¡°I knew you had it in you, sir.¡± The middle-aged man shuddered at her sudden change of mood. To think he treated such a scary girl as a beggar earlier¡­ she wouldn¡¯t seek revenge right? Once she got the money, Rydia asked: ¡°Say, do you have clothes that would fit me?¡± It was a shop for magical items so there weren¡¯t any clothes on display.This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon. ¡°If you¡¯re fine with old ones then I¡¯ll give some for free.¡± He said, wanting to get on her good side. ¡°Great!¡± Rydia clapped her hands. ¡°And can I take a bath too?¡± *** Now in a gray dress with her hair tied in a ponytail, Rydia walked out of the shop. She was already cute before, but now she looked even cuter ¨C some children couldn¡¯t help but stare at her in admiration. She still ignored them though. Why would she bother with people she didn¡¯t know? She walked along the street, her direction pointing to a certain tailoring shop that the old timer told her about. There, she could finally get her hands on some needles. ¡°Why hello there young lady, are you looking for something?¡± A young man in extravagant clothing said. And from the way he looked at the girl much younger than him, he was probably interested. ¡°No¡± She said as she walked past him. ¡°Wait!¡± The young man grabbed her by the shoulders. ¡°Do you not know who I am?¡± She shoved his hands away and whispered to his ears. ¡°I¡¯m an agent of the king. If you don¡¯t want your family to suddenly vanish then I suggest you stop this foolish act now.¡± Her voice carried coldness, yet the smile she showed a bit later was the complete opposite. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, young master. Please forgive this little one for ignoring one such as you.¡± ¡°I- It¡¯s fine, you are forgiven.¡± The young man said, his face visibly pale. ¡°Many thanks, young master.¡± She gave a curt bow before leaving. ¡®Your ability to lie never ceases to amaze me.¡¯ ¡®That''s nothing compared to the time with Zeus. Too bad you weren¡¯t there to see it.¡¯ ¡®No, I¡¯m trying to criticize you, not praise you.¡¯ ¡®I know, I¡¯m just toying with you, oh Cute White Cat.¡¯ ¡®Y- You¡­ forget it, I¡¯m going to sleep.¡¯ ¡°Aww, aren¡¯t you going to rage like you usually do?¡¯ ¡®Zzzzzzzzzz¡¯ She chuckled. ¡®Enjoy your nap then, Byakko. Sweet Dreams.¡¯ After a while, she reached the tailoring shop and got what she needed with one silver coin. With her goal accomplished, it was time to enjoy a city life. She wasn¡¯t in a rush anyway, so she decided to spend the rest of the day checking every shop in the city that would pique her interest. It has also been a very long time since she last ate good food so her first stop would be an eatery. ¡®Oh, and maybe I¡¯ll drink a bit of wine too.¡¯ *** Wang Xiao Yu was the second daughter of Sky Garden Sect¡¯s grand elder, yet she was the least talented among her peers. No, forget about talent, she couldn¡¯t even get past the Origin stage. Despite the resources her family spent, she didn¡¯t show any improvement. In the end, her family gave up and disowned her. She was allowed to stay in the outer sect, but she was treated like trash. From a pampered heir, she turned into an insect that even the lowest members of the sect could bully. Still, she didn¡¯t give up. She tried different ways to prove she was worth something. When none of the sect¡¯s techniques could help, she decided to go on a journey. She was permanently banished from the sect in the process, but that was fine. As long as she grew stronger, she believed she would once again recieve her family''s affection. With her mortal body, she traversed dangerous lands. Most of the time she ran away, but that was all against beasts way above her level, ones that could¡¯ve killed her with a single thought. As for the ones she culled, none of them were weaker than her. In fact, they were at least twice as powerful as her. Her senses were honed to their utmost limits. Sadly, a mortal was a mortal. There was a limit to how much she could reach. At the age of fourteen, she received a severe injury that further decreased her power. And at her weakest, she was stabbed by a thief. Now she lay in an alley somewhere in the city of Reid, blood seeping out of her stomach. Tears also dropped, but not due to pain ¨C her life was going to end without seeing her loved ones. Her efforts up till now were all for naught. Why did she even try so hard? Why was she even born? ¡°Oh, you¡¯re still alive.¡± A girl¡¯s voice said. The girl moved her into a sitting position, and looked her in the eye. ¡°I¡¯ll make this fast, serve me. If you do, I will save your life. If you don¡¯t, I¡¯ll leave your life at the hands of a random physician.¡± She wasn¡¯t sure if what the girl was telling the truth or if a physician could even help her. As an experienced fighter, she could tell she was a few steps away from death¡¯s door¡­ but she decided to make a gamble. Even though she knew full well that it would be pointless to keep on living, she nodded. She lost consciousness shortly, not knowing that her decision would change her life forever. Right Hand of the Lightning Goddess ¨C that would be her title in a distant future. Chapter 3 - Radiant Wheel Burst There was no special reason why she asked the girl to be her servant, she simply liked the girl¡¯s Asian look... and she was under the influence of wine. Yup, she, a ninth grade Soul Disciple, got drunk. ¡®I can¡¯t believe my body is weak to booze...¡¯ ¡®May I remind you that you drank five bottles of the strongest wine the pub could offer?¡¯ ¡®Yeah¡­ there¡¯s that... ahahaha!¡¯ ¡®Why did they even allow you to drink? Are they too retarded to realize you¡¯re under aged?¡¯ ¡®As the saying goes ¨C where there¡¯s money there¡¯s a way.¡¯ ¡®Whoever created that quote is the worst scum of humankind.¡¯ ¡®Ouch¡¯ She grabbed her chest as if she was in pain. ¡®You¡­ forget it. What¡¯s the little monkey¡¯s condition?¡¯ Rydia glanced at the girl sleeping on her bed. ¡®Her life¡¯s no longer in danger. She just needs to rest for a month or two.¡¯ Making the girl drink some medicinal pills and hitting a few pressure points were enough to save her life. But the girl''s meridians were still blocked, and it was much worse than Rydia¡¯s case. For Rydia, there were a few solid objects in her spiritual vessels which hindered the flow of Qi. The girl¡¯s spiritual vessels, on the other hand, were filled to the brim ¨C it was like a river of hardened cement. And it wasn¡¯t inborn ¨C someone clogged her meridians on purpose. ¡®As for her meridians; it¡¯ll take me a while to cleanse them, a week at most.¡¯ ¡®Are you sure you want to take her in?¡¯ ¡®I asked, she accepted, that¡¯s all there is to it.¡¯ ¡®I¡¯ll just remind you ¨C you were drunk.¡¯ ¡®My gut feeling is telling me to keep her so I will.¡¯ ¡®If you¡¯re that stubborn about it then I¡¯ll leave it at that. Just remember that you have no promise to keep with that little monkey. Furthermore, you only said you¡¯d save her, not make her serve you forever. You can abandon her whenever you want.¡¯ ¡®You¡¯re surprisingly serious about this, what¡¯s up?¡¯ ¡®Nothing, it¡¯s just a reminder.¡¯ There was something behind his words, but since he didn¡¯t want to speak, Rydia didn¡¯t ask any further. ¡®Anyway, time to do a little cleaning. Byakko, I¡¯ll be borrowing some of your Qi ok?¡¯ With a deep breath, she began fixing her meridians. *** ¡®Done¡¯ Rydia closed her eyes, indulging in the sensation of flowing Qi ¨C finally, she could cultivate again. A short while later, she sterilized the needles and hid them in her interspatial ring, a magical item with a pocket dimension. She could store items inside it and retrieve them with a single thought. It was quite a handy item, and it was quite expensive too. It could only store a small room¡¯s worth of items yet already cost her eight aqua stones ¨C yes, she had more. On the bright side, she was able to buy plenty of things with her remaining money without a care where she would hide them. Pills, mixing materials, unnecessary toys, she has them all in the ring. With a smile, she went to the window and stared at the morning sky. Well¡­ not morning. The sun rose a long time ago so it was probably past noon already. ¡®Congratulations, it only took you four days to fix the fruit of your idiocy.¡¯ ¡®And I even got a servant as a bonus.¡¯ ¡®Haaaa, where do you get all those retorts from?¡¯ ¡®My mind, obviously.¡¯ ¡®See? It doesn¡¯t even take you a split second to think of a way to irritate me.¡¯ ¡®That¡¯s because you get angry at everything.¡¯ ¡®Nonsense, I have the patience of a saint. You¡¯re just a very hateful person.¡¯If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. ¡®Is it just me, or did you stop calling me monkey?¡¯ ¡®It would be rude to the race if I keep treating you like one of them.¡¯ ¡®Hoho, you¡¯re getting better at this.¡¯ ¡®It¡¯s all thanks to a certain girl with the heart of a demon.¡¯ ¡®It¡¯s nothing.¡¯ She bowed in an exaggerated way. ¡®By the way, you seem to be fine with being called a girl.¡¯ ¡®I¡¯d only be postponing the inevitable if I reject my current gender so I might as well embrace it. But of course, I still swing the same way.¡¯ ¡®Is that why you picked up the little monkey?¡¯ Byakko began to giggle. ¡®You¡¯re really going all out today, huh?¡¯ ¡®What was that? Did you say something? Sorry, can you repeat what you said?¡¯ ¡®Two can play at that game.¡¯ She grinned wickedly. *** ¡®Come on, I already said I''m sorry.¡¯ Rydia said¡­ in a very apologetic tone. ¡®Don¡¯t talk to me. I hate you.¡¯ With Byakko suppressing their mental link on his own, Rydia decided to leave him alone ¨C it would only backfire if she forces herself onto him. But seriously, what was up with Byakko? He didn¡¯t talk much when they were still on earth. Well, he was asleep most of the time back then while now he¡¯s active due to cultivation. But hey, even in the past two years he didn¡¯t speak unless she initiated a conversation¡­ was she really influencing him? That would be bad, very bad. Maybe she should tone down her teasing a little. It would be bad if Byakko grew up to be a mischievous person like her, especially if she would be the target of his pranks. As she pondered, a ferocious growl reached her ears. When she looked at the growl¡¯s origin, she saw a red-faced girl holding her stomach. Rydia immediately wore a smile and said: ¡°Good morning¡± ¡°G- Good morning¡± The girl said meekly¡­ and in a different accent. There was a glint in Rydia¡¯s eyes ¨C a fellow Asian! ¡°I¡¯ll go downstairs to eat, want to come too?¡± She said, giving face to the girl. ¡°I don¡¯t have-¡± ¡°Money? I¡¯ll pay for you. It¡¯s a master¡¯s job to feed his servants after all.¡± She extended her hand. ¡°So, will you come or not?¡± After a few seconds of silence, the girl stood up and grabbed her hand. The two went down shortly, and along the way, Rydia introduced herself. ¡°I¡¯m Rydia Crowe. You¡¯re free to call me whatever you want as long as it¡¯s not too girly.¡± She got her name from her body¡¯s previous owner. It wasn¡¯t for a grand reason like respecting the dead. She simply decided to take the place of someone who no longer existed. ¡°My name¡¯s Wang Xiao Yu, my family name being Wang.¡± ¡®The last name being stated before the first¡­ how nostalgic.¡¯ ¡°May I call you Xia?¡± ¡°I- If that¡¯s what master wants¡± Xia said, visibly shaken. ¡°Then Xia, do you know what cultivation is?¡± ¡°Yes¡± Xia¡¯s face darkened for a split second, and it didn¡¯t go unnoticed. She immediately understood that Xiao had a bad experience connected to cultivation, obviously due to her blocked meridians. ¡°How far would you go to gain the ability to cultivate?¡± ¡°I-¡± Noticing the implication of Rydia¡¯s words, Xia stared at the girl a head smaller than her. ¡°I would do anything, master.¡± ¡°You see, I¡¯m quite a selfish person. I don¡¯t like the idea of people leaving me after I do my best to help them. In a way, I¡¯m like an overly attached parent.¡± Rydia looked Xia in the eyes. ¡°If I help you, I expect an eternal service, not a simple thank you. Are you fine with that?¡± ¡°I- I-¡± ¡°I know it¡¯s not an easy decision to make so I¡¯ll give you until night time to think-¡± ¡°I will¡­ I vow to serve you forever.¡± ¡°Betrayal, regardless of the reason, means death you know?¡± ¡°I have no plans on betraying master.¡± ¡°Then that settles it.¡± She smiled at Xia. ¡°Welcome to the club. Oh, and you don¡¯t have to be so formal with me. As long as it doesn¡¯t irritate me, you¡¯re free to act as you wish.¡± She pulled Xia''s hand. ¡°Now on to the land of food!¡± Once they reached the first floor ¨C which was a pub ¨C Rydia chose a random table and ordered two soups since Xia needed food that was easy to digest at the moment. They conversed as they waited, but it was mostly her talking and Xia reacting. Still, she kept going to lighten up the mood and become closer with her new servant. She didn¡¯t know what topics were taboos for the girl so she brought up funny yet irrelevant ones. By the time their food came, Xia was in a far better mood. She still looked reluctant, but she was now smiling at Rydia¡¯s jokes every so often. Unfortunately, someone barged into their personal space. ¡°May I sit here, ladies?¡± It was the young man that tried to hit on Rydia yesterday, and it seems he was no longer afraid of her. Not knowing what card the young man would play, she said: ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡± ¡°Thank you¡± The young man smiled and took the seat beside her. Since they looked friendly with each other, Xia didn¡¯t say anything and kept eating her food. ¡°Hey, did you know? Acting like an agent of the king is a major crime.¡± ¡°Oh, is that so?¡± Not fazed by the young man¡¯s threat, she took another sip of soup. ¡°May I, Sirius A. Bartlon, second son of the city lord, ask for your name?¡± ¡°Certainly¡± She nodded. ¡°I¡¯m Gosak A. Chinpo of the Large Chinpo household.¡± ¡°Chinpo? Did you come from another country?¡± ¡°Yeah, something like that.¡± ¡®Ahahahaha! He doesn¡¯t know I told him to go suck a c*ck!¡¯ ¡°So that means you¡¯re just a simple girl with no power right now. Not only can I do whatever I want with you, I can also make your life miserable by telling everyone about your little lie.¡± ¡°Exactly, I don¡¯t have anything that would benefit you so go find yourself a better lady.¡± ¡°You seem to be misunderstanding something. I¡¯m not searching for a wife.¡± He grabbed her by the chin and forced her to look his way. ¡°I¡¯m looking for a toy.¡± ¡°Master!¡± Xia stood up, ready to attack. But Rydia stopped her. ¡°I¡¯m fine, go finish your food.¡± ¡°So you do know when to back down.¡± The man grinned evilly. ¡°I don¡¯t want to be your toy, please find someone else.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t have a say in this. If I say I want you, you will be mine.¡± ¡°Is that so¡± ¡®Byakko, be prepared to protect Xia.¡¯ She closed her eyes, gathering Qi on the outer layer of her skin. The young man interpreted it as a sign of submission and moved his face closer to hers, intending to taste her lips. ¡®Divine Chaos, Radiant Wheel Burst¡¯ Before the young man could kiss her, an invisible force burst out of her body which pushed everything away. ¡°Sorry, but I don¡¯t like men, especially pedophiles.¡± A second later, a dozen men stood up. ¡°Get her!¡± Once they heard the young man¡¯s voice, they closed in to Rydia. Without waiting for her command, Byakko jumped out of her soul in his human form and stood beside the surprised Xia. ¡°If it¡¯s a fight you want.¡± She grinned viciously. ¡°It¡¯s a fight you¡¯ll get!¡± Pumping her fists, she rushed forward. ¡°Let¡¯s get this party started!¡±