Song Family Village had a sizable river, a tributary of the main river in Wanan County, and it was teeming with fish.
Here, fish wasn't considered as fine a delicacy as chicken, duck, or pork. It wasn't as filling, nor did it taste as good as pork.
It also fetched a low price at the market.
So, on the first and fifteenth of each lunar month, when it was time to burn incense, some villagers would offer him fish.
These offerings included both raw and cooked fish.
Some villagers believed Xuanqing Gong preferred it cooked, while others, insecure about their own cooking skills, offered it raw for Xuanqing Gong to prepare himself.
Seeing a black cat on the offering table, happily devouring the cooked fish, Song Xuanqing was stunned for a moment before letting out an exasperated laugh.
Where did this audacious cat demon come from? How dare it eat his offerings!
Song Xuanqing was no longer human. He had no physical body and couldn't taste food.
He *could* consume these offerings, but it was more like absorbing their essence—a tasteless, flavorless experience akin to inhaling a puff of odorless smoke.
Therefore, Song Xuanqing wasn't particularly interested in these offerings.
But his lack of interest was one thing; it didn't mean some wild cat demon could just come and help itself.
Song Xuanqing had never fought before and wasn't sure of his own strength, but judging by the faint demonic aura emanating from the black cat, he had a gut feeling he could easily handle this little cat demon.
Even as a newly born Wild God, his innate starting point was quite high.
Just as he was about to reveal himself and chase the cat away, a sudden inspiration struck Song Xuanqing. He remembered Song Xiuxiu's father and brother, who were trapped on Wolf Head Mountain.
He couldn't enter Wolf Head Mountain for the time being, but... this little cat demon could!
It was a demon, after all. No matter how weak, it shouldn't be afraid of mist and miasma, right?
With a plan forming in his mind, Song Xuanqing revealed himself in the next instant.
The moment he appeared, his aura, no longer restrained, spread out wantonly.
Normally, when Song Xuanqing didn't deliberately manifest, not only mortals but even cultivators of a low level couldn't see him.
But he was capable of taking on a physical form.
The black cat had been burying its head in the fish on the offering table, eating with great relish.
But then it sensed Song Xuanqing's sudden presence, and it seemed very close.
So close, the cat felt the aura was right above its head.
The black cat, a piece of fish still in its mouth, froze instantly.
As a demon that had embarked on the path of cultivation, the black cat could roughly gauge the strength of others from their aura.
And in the black cat's perception, Song Xuanqing's aura was undoubtedly powerful.
The cat froze for a second, and in the next, as if in a stress reaction, its fur stood on end!
It finally forgot about the delicious food, baring its fangs as it looked up in the direction of Song Xuanqing's aura.
Its eerie green eyes were filled with vigilance and ferocity. It hissed, its entire body tensed, poised to fight at any moment.
In reality, however, the black cat was panicking internally.
It looked fierce on the outside but was cowardly within; its paws were already inching backward, preparing to flee at the first opportunity.
Song Xuanqing's aura was stronger than its own; a direct confrontation was out of the question.
Song Xuanqing noticed the cat's retreating paws. With an unreadable expression, he said, "You little cat demon. You ate this god's offerings, and you think you can just walk away?"
As Song Xuanqing's voice fell, the black cat finally saw his appearance.
He had a handsome face with Sword-like Eyebrows and Starry Eyes. His long hair was held in place by a white jade pin, and he wore a fine-quality, long cyan robe.
He looked just like a refined and handsome young man.
But his slightly transparent form, the faint scent of incense, and his divine air all indicated that he was not human.
The black cat only felt that the more it looked at him, the more familiar he seemed.
Its gaze involuntarily fell upon the stone statue inside the shrine.
The statue's face was somewhat blurry, but one could still see a striking resemblance to Song Xuanqing.
Furthermore, the faint connection between Song Xuanqing's aura and the statue's left no room for doubt.
Song Xuanqing was the deity of the very statue in the shrine.
The black cat was instantly dumbfounded.
This wasn't the first time it had come to steal offerings. It had long known that the statue enshrined in Xuanqing Temple had no deity at all.
But what was this situation?
The statue had given birth to a deity?!
It had been caught red-handed stealing the statue's offerings by the deity himself.
The more the black cat looked at Song Xuanqing's expression, the more a chill ran down its spine.
The next second, it chose without hesitation... to turn tail and run!
Song Xuanqing watched it suddenly turn and leap off the offering table. He raised an eyebrow and reached out to grab it.
Song Xuanqing might look human, but he was not.
His speed was naturally something no ordinary person could match.
Before the black cat even hit the ground, it felt a large hand seize the scruff of its neck—the scruff of its destiny.
Black Cat: My life is over!
Song Xuanqing lifted the cat to eye level, a faint, unreadable smile on his face.
"You ate this god's offerings and thought you could just run off without paying a price?"
Song Xuanqing glanced at the messy offering table.
The black cat struggled for a moment, but finding it couldn't break free at all, its face turned ashen with despair.
"Meow~"
It was just a little kitty. What could it possibly offer Song Xuanqing?
Song Xuanqing was a god, far stronger than it. What use could a newly-formed wild cat demon be to him?
Was it going to lose its life over a few fish?
My life is over!
The black cat had not yet refined the bone in its throat, so it couldn't speak human language.
But Song Xuanqing understood the cat's meaning.
"This god can overlook the matter of you stealing the offerings, but you must do one thing for me."
The cat's limp, drooping head immediately shot up.
What? This god wasn't going to kill it?
That was great news!
As for what it had to do for Song Xuanqing, that wasn't important!
As long as it managed to leave this temple today, it would never come back!
"Meow, meow, meow!"
(Venerable God, please speak! This humble demon will not shrink from any danger!)
The corner of Song Xuanqing's mouth twitched. Why was this cat acting like such a sycophant?
Shaking his head, Song Xuanqing said, "This god needs you to go to Wolf Head Mountain and find a father-and-son pair of hunters. They are from Song Family Village. Find them and bring them back to Song Family Village."
After speaking, Song Xuanqing paused and added, "Even if the father and son have already died on Wolf Head Mountain, you must still return and tell this god the result."
The black cat found this a bit strange. Why would such a powerful god care about the lives of two mortals?
But the cat didn't say anything and agreed at once.
"Meow, meow, meow!"
(Rest assured, Venerable God! I will definitely bring them back for you!)
Song Xuanqing didn't believe for a second that this cunning cat demon would obediently go look for the hunters.
It was more likely to disappear the moment it left Xuanqing Temple.
So, he had a backup plan.
And while he was at it... he would also test a theory.
"If you can bring the father and son back before the hour of Zi tonight, this god will reward you with something."
The black cat was puzzled. What thing?
The next moment, the black cat felt a faint, delicate fragrance waft around its nose.
It was very much like the scent of burning incense, but purer, lighter, and imbued with a divine quality.
It couldn't help but twitch its nose, inhaling that wisp of fragrance.
Instantly, the black cat felt a cool sensation rush to its brain, bringing with it incredible clarity.
Things it hadn't understood during its cultivation were suddenly crystal clear.
It even felt as if it were on the verge of an epiphany.
At the same time, a warm current coursed through its body.
The black cat felt its cultivation level rise by a small margin.
Song Xuanqing watched as his system panel showed 'Incense Value -1' and his gaze fell upon the black cat.
"How do you feel?"
This was the first time Song Xuanqing had used Incense Value on another... another cat.
He didn't know what the effect would be.
When he absorbed it himself, it just made his mind feel cool and clear, and his cultivation rose slightly.
Perhaps it was because he had only absorbed a small amount.
He didn't have that much Incense Value to absorb right now anyway.
Incense Value seemed to be very important to the system, but Song Xuanqing was still unclear about its uses.
It couldn't possibly be just for him to absorb, right?
Song Xuanqing felt that simply absorbing the Incense Value didn't have a significant effect.
The black cat opened its eerie green eyes. Its gaze was completely different from before, now much gentler and more docile.
The black cat suddenly felt that Song Xuanqing bore it no ill will. He hadn't made things difficult for it even after catching it stealing offerings.
He had only asked it to go to Wolf Head Mountain and bring out two mortals.
And he had even given it such a wonderful thing.
The black cat didn't know what Song Xuanqing had just done, but the benefits it received were self-evident.
The black cat immediately became obedient.
"Meow, meow, meow."
(Venerable God! I feel stronger! And I now understand all the cultivation problems I had before!)
Seeing the change in the cat's attitude, Song Xuanqing knew that the single point of incense had a significant effect on it.
It was probably because the cat's cultivation level was still low.
But in any case, the black cat should now obediently go to Wolf Head Mountain and bring back Song Xiuxiu's father and brother for him.
Song Xuanqing nodded. "Go to Wolf Head Mountain and bring back the father and son. After you do, this god will grant you what you just received one more time."
Black Cat: "Meow, meow, meow!"
Song Xuanqing watched the agile shadow of the cat disappear into the night, let out a long breath, and prepared to return to his statue.
As he turned, however, the corner of his eye caught a glimpse of something green and familiar on the plate of fish the cat had been eating.
Song Xuanqing picked up the green leaf, which must have been a garnish, and as he looked at it, his eyes suddenly widened.
"Is... is this catnip?!"
Proofreader: Peter Pan