General White Cat

The icy month of December, snow flying all over the sky.

On the long, deserted street, snow piled up a foot deep. Houses and shops all had their doors tightly shut without a crack exposed.

Frozen corpses could be seen everywhere on the street. Those not yet frozen huddled in straw mats shivering in corners. In the biting cold wind, they too would not last a day before joining the corpses lining the road.

"Hyah!"

"Hyah!!"

With shouts, three tall horses carrying three knights galloped through the long street, their hooves stomping into the snow and lifting back up again, melting the snow with their heat.

"Faster, don't be late, or it'll be off with your heads!"

The knight leading whipped his horse, spurring it to go even faster.

The other two knights said nothing, but whipped just as fiercely, clearly aware of the urgency of their task.

Galloping through the street, they headed straight for a manor at the end.

In no time, the long street was left behind as the manor gates grew near.

Seeing the three approach, the guard soldiers at the gates immediately leveled their spears, killing intent appearing in their emotionless eyes.

"By the master's orders, none shall impede!"

The leading knight reined in his horse at the gates, nimbly dismounting as he landed lightly as an autumn leaf without stirring up any dust.

Just as he landed, he threw out a token, then rushed inside carrying a box behind him.

The other two knights swiftly followed, also dismounting and rushing after the first.

The gate guards looked at the bronze token in hand and shivered inwardly.

"Release the messenger hawk at once. You three, go stable the horses!"

"Yes!"

In a flash, a fierce-eyed hawk shot into the sky with a cry, quickly flying towards the manor's center.

At the same time, in the center pavilion of the manor by the waters.

A delicate figure stood staring at a painting on the wall, behind her a meal long cold and untouched.

Though cooled, the exquisite dishes still made one's mouth water with their aroma.

Yet the girl didn't even glance at them, eyes fixed on the painting before her.

She was a girl of six or seven, dressed in palace clothes. Chubby cheeks still held some baby fat, but it did not detract from her beauty.

Young as she was, her features were exquisite as fine porcelain. Her brows and eyes already held the makings of a country-toppling beauty.

When grown, who knew how many would be bewitched unto death by her looks.

Yet this exquisite little doll stared unblinkingly at the painting on the wall.

The painting's content was simple, just a cat.

But the cat's fur was lustrous as jade, pure snowy white without a blemish.

Eyes like molten gold, pupils like vertical lines, gazing lazily at the viewer.

Atop its head a crown of egret feathers and gold, a single feather rising high. Eye corners touched with deep red shadow. Below, it trampled a devil shaped like a leather ball, pitch black with blood red slanted eyes, sending chills down one's spine.

"Scree!"

A hawk's cry suddenly came from outside. In just five breaths, a girl dressed in fine silks and glittering gold like a young noblewoman entered the room.

"Young miss, word from the gates just now."

The girl held her sleeves together and knelt on the floor, head bowed in deference and respect.

"The ones you sent to seek the white cat spirit general you saw in your dreams have returned!"

At these words, light finally entered the staring girl's eyes. She turned eagerly,

"They found my white cat general?"

"It seems so, but the people haven't arrived yet."

"I'll go greet them!"

Just as the girl started to stand, the maid stopped her.

"Young miss, you mustn't. You're of an immortal clan, how can you personally greet some lowly servants! Please wait in your room, don't make things difficult for this slave!"

Hearing her handmaid's words, hesitation appeared in the girl's eyes. But she looked at the anxious maid and nodded,

"Then I'll restrain myself and wait nicely for you, Qiu Shui."

"Thank you young miss, thank you!"

Qiu Shui exclaimed gratefully. At the same time, a shocking fact was revealed.

This girl dressed in fine silks and gold like a noble daughter was actually just a lowly handmaid to the little girl!

The girl looked outside briefly before returning to sit before the painting, pudgy cheeks on pudgy hands as she stared transfixed at the wall.

Time trickled by second by second. After nearly three hours, Qiu Shui's voice came from outside.

"Young miss, the ones who sought the white cat spirit general have arrived. Will you see them now?"

"I will!"

Calmness broke into eagerness on the girl's face as she quickly stood and nearly ran to the door.

There, a towering figure blocked her path.

"Qiluo."

"Father!"

Seeing the towering man, the girl Qiluo lightly cried 'Father'. The man nodded slightly and waved a hand, lifting Qiluo onto his shoulder with invisible power.

The reporting maid Qiu Shui now knelt like a quail on the floor, trembling as she stammered, "G-greetings, master!"

The man called master didn't even glance at Qiu Shui, only carefully carried his daughter out of the pavilion to the door.

There, three figures knelt. They were the knights who had galloped through the long street.

Before them lay a box imprinted with mystic runes.

"Greetings, master."

The leading knight kneeled and paid his respects.

"Did you bring it back?"

"By your grace, we have found the white cat spirit general the young miss saw in her dreams!"

The knight replied softly. The master looked towards the box, as did the girl Qiluo, anticipation and longing in her eyes.

"Open it!"

"Yes!"

The knight slapped the box. Invisible energy burst forth as the box slowly opened a crack.

As the crack opened, the box swiftly collapsed into scattered planks.

Inside was a cat identical to the one in Qiluo's painting.

"Ah!"

Qiluo's eyes widened, mouth opening slightly.

"Is this your white cat general?"

Qiluo's father, Su Youdao, gently asked his daughter on his shoulder, indulgence in his eyes. Qiluo gazed at the curled up white furball, tears welling up.

"Yes father, it's the white cat general I saw in my dreams!"

Qiluo could barely restrain herself from leaping down. But her father held her back.

"Don't hurry, the cat is before your eyes. Where could it run off to?"

"You're right father, but I still want to hold it."

Qiluo could hardly suppress her delight. The cat's ears twitched as it slowly uncurled itself.

"Tsk!"

Du Ke sucked in a breath as he slowly opened his eyes.

"My head hurts so much, should've known better than to sneak father's vintage wine."

Opening his eyes, the first thing Du Ke saw was a pair of tall black boots embroidered with soaring dragons.

Looking up, he saw a handsome yet stern face looking at him with neither sadness nor joy, like gazing at a handful of gravel.

The man was huge, like a giant.

"Old man, who are you?"

Du Ke blurted instinctively, but all that came out was a soft mew.

"Meow~~"

"Why am I speaking like this?"

Du ke realized there was something wrong. Not only was this person as tall as a giant, but why did he meow when he opened his mouth to speak?

As Du ke's gaze moved back, he slowly looked down. All he saw was a pair of cat paws covered in white fur coming into view.

"My hands!!"

"Why have my hands become like this?!"

Du ke lifted up a pair of cat paws covered in white fur. As his gaze followed the cat paws moving again, he saw a furry little belly.

"My body...."

"Why have I become like this?"

A kind of indescribable panic instantly seized Du ke's heart. Du ke instinctively wanted to run away.

Although he didn't know where to run to, running away first was the right thing to do.

When people face things they cannot comprehend, their first reaction is to flee and avoid them.

But as soon as Du ke tried to move, the next second he felt as if his neck was being choked by a rope. Not only could he not move freely, but breathing was also difficult. What's more, a strange feeling of fear grabbed his heart.

Can't move, moving will lead to death!

But this bizarre change further intensified the panic in Du ke's heart. Exerting all his strength to stretch out his limbs, he let out a mournful cat's wail.

As his limbs extended cat claws, leaving scratch marks on the ground, he also pounced swiftly.

"Ah, my white cat general!"

Su Qiluo instinctively cried out. But the knight who had escorted the box back took out a jade pendant from his arms. He used the thumbnail of his little finger to cut the pad of his thumb and squeezed out blood to smear on the jade pendant.

"Restrict!"

The next second, Du ke felt as if his neck was caught in a noose and he was magically hoisted up by some invisible force.

"Meow!!"

Du ke, letting out a miserable cat's wail, had eyes rolled back as if about to faint.

"Don't you dare hurt my white cat general!"

Suddenly a delicate cry rang out. The knight who had taken out the jade pendant saw a flash of shadow before his eyes. Immediately after, he felt as if he had been rammed head-on by a tall horse, his whole body flying out like a broken kite.

The jade pendant he had used to control Du ke was also knocked into the water.

As Du ke caught his breath, he also looked at the petite figure. With just a push from this young girl, the cloaked man had flown away,

as if rammed head-on by a truck. What's more, after crashing into a pillar and slowly sliding down it, he spit out a mouthful of blood, yet still lived.

Such injuries would have killed anyone else instantly.

Even if one had tremendous vitality, they would die.

Yet this man not only didn't die, but struggled to get up and knelt on the ground.

"I deserve death!"

A difficult plea made Du ke return to reality. Du ke looked at the little girl, then turned around and ran.

No matter what was going on, run first and talk later!