Chapter Forty-Six: The Cat Demon

So I had no choice but to step out from behind the cashier counter, staring at the girl’s two sharp, clever teeth.

It seemed I could only try the Nine Palaces Secret Art—if I could kill her, all the better.

The formula pulsed quickly in my heart, but just then...

The girl suddenly spoke: “Why are you still standing there like an idiot? Do you really want me to starve?”

Hearing her say that, it didn’t appear she meant any harm; she just wanted something to eat.

If that was the case, there was no need to make a scene. It would be easier to just go out and buy her some meat and send her off.

“All right, please wait here for a moment—I’ll go right now,” I said.

I grabbed the two hundred yuan from the cashier counter and hurried out of the hotel at a jog.

Thankfully, a few small shops nearby were still open. I managed to buy some meat easily and rushed back to the hotel.

But when I returned, the girl was gone.

Had she gotten impatient and left?

Or had she gone back to her room to rest?

But that couldn’t be—I distinctly remembered I hadn’t given her a room card.

While I stood there, puzzled, suddenly someone tapped me from behind.

I turned around—it was the girl.

She must have spotted the food in my hand from afar, and before I could offer it, she snatched it from me impatiently and started devouring a roast chicken.

Watching her eat, I couldn’t help but wonder how long she’d been starving.

“Slow down, no one’s going to take it from you!” I said.

But she didn’t even look at me; the whole roast chicken disappeared in moments.

Only after she finished all the food did she wipe her mouth and say, “Thank you, I’m going to rest now.”

“I’m truly sorry, but there are no rooms left in our hotel... you—” I started to say.

The girl’s brows furrowed. “No rooms left? Didn’t you just ask me if I wanted a single or a double? Why are you saying there aren’t any now?”

“I’m sorry, it was my mistake earlier,” I quickly explained.

She looked at me as if she knew I was lying. “No rooms is fine. We can just squeeze together here and sleep.”

Hearing this, I hastily replied, “That won’t do. Look how small the bed is—it can’t fit two people. Besides, men and women should keep their distance.”

She sashayed in front of me, showing off her figure, then said in a sultry voice, “A small bed’s fine. You can sleep on top of me—I don’t mind.”

Was there really such good fortune in this world?

Did she think I was a fool?

Forget sleeping on top of her—I’d be lucky to escape without being eaten alive.

So I said, “I’m really sorry, but you’d better find somewhere else. We’re about to close for the night.”

Her face darkened. “Say that again?”

Damn, by the look of things, she meant to turn hostile after being fed.

I was starting to regret buying her food—clearly, she wanted a full stomach before dealing with me.

“Don’t be hasty—how about this? You take the bed, I’ll sleep on the sofa,” I suggested.

Her expression softened a little.

Just then, Fatty came in, looking dejected.

But as soon as his eyes landed on the girl sitting on the bed behind the cashier counter, he perked right up. His beady little eyes gave her an obvious once-over, nearly drooling.

Before I could ask why he was back so soon, he pulled me aside.

“Brother Chu Yun, who’s this beauty?”

I told Fatty she was here to stay, but not to be trifled with.

The moment he heard she was a guest, he grinned lecherously.

“Hello, gorgeous. I’m the owner here. Is there anything I can do for you?” he said.

The girl batted her lashes at him and replied in a soft voice, “My shoulder hurts. If only someone would give it a massage.”

At that, Fatty almost skipped over to her like an eager servant.

I yanked him back and whispered, “I told you, she’s dangerous—she’s not human!”

But instead of being on guard, Fatty just replied, “Brother Chu, there aren’t that many demons in the world. She’s clearly a beauty. You’re just too timid—if you’re too scared, let your big brother handle it. I have experience.”

With that, he brushed off my warning and walked over to the girl.

Since he was set on it, I couldn’t be bothered to stop him. Fatty had some skills—handling a demon shouldn’t be too hard for him.

So I called out to him, then went to my room to sleep.

In a haze, I slept until the middle of the night, when a scream rang out from downstairs.

It sounded like Fatty. I woke Feng Zimo and rushed down.

We found Fatty clutching his neck, blood staining his clothes.

“Fatty, are you okay? See, I told you to be careful but you wouldn’t listen,” I said.

Gritting his teeth through the pain, Fatty muttered, “Damn it, if she hadn’t run so fast, I’d have finished her off.”

“All right, let’s get that wound dressed first,” I said.

I rummaged through the cashier counter for a first aid kit and some gauze.

As I bandaged Fatty’s neck, I noticed the wound was two deep puncture marks.

While I worked, I asked, “Fatty, did you get a good look at what kind of demon she was?”

“Damn it, she must’ve been a cat demon,” Fatty replied.

Once his wound was wrapped, I sent Fatty back to his room to rest while I kept watch.

Fatty didn’t argue and went to bed.

Feng Zimo and I stayed alert until dawn, but the cat demon never returned.

When we went to check on Fatty in the morning, we knocked for ages but got no response.

A sense of dread crept over me—could something have happened to him?

I didn’t hesitate; I kicked the door open.

Fatty was lying on the bed, lips blackened.

It was clear—he’d been poisoned.

Who could have guessed the cat demon would be so ruthless?

Seeing that Fatty was still breathing, we rushed him to the hospital.

After two hours in the emergency room, he was transferred to intensive care.

The doctor told us they’d done all they could.

He also explained that Fatty had been poisoned by a rare toxin and had at most seven days left.

In the ICU, Fatty lay on the bed with his eyes closed.

I called to him softly, “Fatty?”

He gave no response. Thinking about how I was partly to blame for his poisoning—if only I’d warned him more sternly, or killed that cat demon myself—remorse gnawed at me.

No—I couldn’t let Fatty die like this.

I had to find that cat demon and save him.

Leaving the hospital, Feng Zimo and I returned to the hotel.

There, I recounted everything that had happened the previous night.

I told everyone, no matter what, we had to find the cat demon within seven days.