"Ugh, my head hurts!"
Duke, who had just opened his eyes, groaned as his three-part mouth twitched.
The first thing that met his gaze was the ceiling, which was close at hand.
No, to be precise, it was the ceiling attached to a rope.
And Duke was inside the basket hanging from that rope.
"What is this..."
Duke turned over and stood up from the basket, looking down to see a pile of miscellaneous items. It seemed he was inside a storage room.
The storage room had everything: furniture, calligraphy and paintings, pots and pans, and most prominently, grinding stones used for sharpening knives.
As for himself, he was in a bamboo basket suspended from the ceiling, with some old clothes serving as padding.
The bamboo basket was hung by a hemp rope from the ceiling, and on the side where the ceiling met the wall, there was a wooden board wedged into the wall like a cat climbing frame.
"Last night..."
Duke recalled everything he had experienced last night, and his face couldn't help but twitch.
Damn it, that black cat was too ruthless!
How could they, as the four great spirit cats, not show any mercy?
Lost in his thoughts, Duke completely forgot how he had approached the black cat last night and mercilessly beaten them up.
And it was a face-to-face fight!
Stretching lazily, Duke didn't notice the bamboo basket swaying beneath him.
No wonder, his foundation was solid!
Jumping out of the bamboo basket, the cat landed directly on the ceiling, walked along it for a while, then climbed down the wooden board wedged into the wall, and left the storage room.
As soon as he left the storage room, Duke's ears twitched.
It was because the sound of blades rubbing against the grinding stone was constantly emanating from the front.
Clang, clang, clang...
Each time the blade was ground, it trembled.
The rhythmic grinding made the sound resemble music, reverberating through the small courtyard.
A old man was grinding the blades, with white hair and a green robe. He looked to be around sixty years old, with a slender figure that carried the weight of the green robe well.
But the most striking thing about him were his eyes, which lacked the cloudiness and dimness that a sixty-year-old should have, instead exuding a childlike clarity and focus.
The old man, completely focused on grinding the kitchen knife in his hand, pressed his thumb against the blade, while the other four fingers held the knife body, sliding it back and forth along the long grinding stone, creating a scraping sound.
The hands grinding the knife were also oddly beautiful, with rounded knuckles, slender fingers, and crescent-shaped nails without a trace of dirt.
These hands didn't look like the hands of a knife grinder, but rather like those of a painter, a musician, or a doctor.
"Awake?"
The old man grinding the knife didn't lift his head, but spoke while grinding, "You caused quite a commotion in the city last night, and Qian Sui was furious!"
"Early this morning, she went to the Spirit Cat Temple to discuss a solution with the stuffy gourd."
Duke tilted his head, his eyes questioning, but he didn't speak.
"As for your dog, it's in the doghouse at the entrance. Because the incident last night caused such a fuss, I dyed it a different color. If you're worried, you can go take a look yourself."
"Also, there's leftover breakfast in the kitchen if you're hungry."
"I lead a humble life here and can't afford to provide you with a lavish feast. If you want to satiate your hunger, go out and earn it yourself!"
As he spoke, the old man finished sharpening the kitchen knife in his hand.
He picked up a gourd ladle, scooped a ladleful of water onto the knife, washing away the rust and revealing a snow-white blade.
Once he finished sharpening the knife, the old man placed it on a nearby rack with the blade facing up and the back of the knife down. The rack had specially designed grooves that securely held the knife.
After placing the knife, the old man stretched his arms and then scooped another ladleful of clear water, pouring it onto the grinding stone, refreshing its fine texture.
"What's the matter? Don't believe me?"
The old man put down the ladle and looked toward Du Ke. His clear and innocent eyes met Du Ke's gaze, causing his heart to skip a beat.
Although the old man's eyes were clear and bright, Du Ke couldn't see his own reflection in them.
All he could see was a vast expanse of white light, as if looking directly at the sun in a mirror, where nothing could be seen except the radiance of the sun.
Du Ke stood frozen in place, as if forgetting to breathe, his mind captivated by the old man.
"Ah, indeed you're still young. You haven't even awakened the power of your own eyes!"
The old man shifted his gaze away, sighing as he continued, "Qian Sui brought you back last night and complained to me for quite a while."
"She said you were wild and unruly, blindly practicing techniques, causing your aura to be chaotic and messy, and yet you boasted about speaking human language."
With these words, the old man shook his head, seemingly agreeing with what Qian Sui had said.
Du Ke remained silent, squatting at the entrance of the cluttered room, gazing at the old man.
When the old man saw Du Ke's silence, he smiled and said, "Why so quiet? Aren't you capable of speaking human language?"
"Or perhaps you don't trust this old man?"
Du Ke remained silent for a moment, then asked, "Where am I?"
"Heh, your voice is quite clear."
The old man laughed and pointed to the entrance of the main hall, saying, "Go and see for yourself."
Du Ke followed the direction the old man pointed and saw a door with a green curtain hanging in front of it. Through the gaps in the curtain, he could vaguely see a glimmer of light.
"Turn around and take another look later."
Du Ke withdrew his gaze and continued asking, "Why did you bring me here?"
"It was Qian Sui who brought you here. Although I gave my consent, this is ultimately a matter for your Spirit Cat lineage."
"Qian Sui?"
Du Ke tilted his head and asked, "The Moon Shadow Wutong Golden Silk Tiger?"
"Yes, that's her. Her name is Qian Sui, and she's a young lady of several decades!"
As he spoke, the old man smacked his lips, saying, "I don't know if I'll live long enough to see my great-grandkittens. That girl is too stubborn."
"And that black cat..."
Before Du Ke could finish speaking, the old man interrupted, saying, "She's called Qian Sui!"
"Alright," Du Ke sighed and covered his forehead, "What did Qian Sui use last night?"
"I saw smoke emanating from her body, which transformed into wicked beasts. With those beasts protecting her, she flew through the skies and disappeared. It was quite miraculous."
"Want to learn?"
The old man could see what Du Ke was thinking at a glance, and Du Ke nodded without hesitation.
"I want to learn!"
"If you want to learn, go find Qian Sui. She will teach you, but with your current state, it will be difficult for you to succeed."
"What do you mean?"
Du Ke frowned deeply. "You said earlier that my energy was chaotic, and now you're saying it would be difficult for me to learn this technique of the Smoke Beast. What does that mean?"
"Look at yourself. Do you even resemble a cat?"
The old man pointed at Du Ke and berated him, "You look seven parts human, three parts monster, but not even a trace of a cat!"
"You practice martial arts and cultivate a demonic body, yet you haven't integrated the two. Instead, you let them intertwine and become a mess. It's like mixing black sesame seeds with white sesame seeds in a plate."
"Am I practicing it wrong?"
Du Ke furrowed his brow, contemplating. Was his practice really chaotic?
With the Black Cauldron as the foundation and the Tiger-Leopard Stance as the basis for martial arts, although he was exploring step by step, each step was solid.
Later on, he acquired the Demon Sealing Meditation Scripture, which allowed him to temper his demonic spirit and refine his divine soul.
Moreover, the Demon Sealing Meditation Scripture and the Tiger-Leopard Stance complemented each other, producing an effect greater than the sum of its parts.
He also had various pills like Blood Feast Dan, Moonlight Dan, and Sun Essence Dan, refined through the Black Cauldron. He didn't need to worry about poison from the pills, so he focused on cultivation, making rapid progress.
And yet, this old man claimed his practice was too chaotic?
Seeing Du Ke's expression, the old man also guessed what was on his mind and chuckled. "Didn't Qian Sui mention that the Spirit Cat has its own cultivation method?"
"She mentioned it, but only said that the Spirit Cat has its own path and won't dirty it by merging with others."
As Du Ke said this, he smacked his lips.
"That sounds pretty arrogant!"
"Heh, of course. The Spirit Cat's cultivation method is not only unmatched, but also unique in the world."
"Little guy, why did you abandon what suits you best and choose the most difficult path?"
"Why abandon what is most suitable for you and choose the most difficult path?"
Facing the old man's mocking gaze, Du Ke smacked his lips again.
"Can you teach me?"
"Do you really want to learn?"
"I want to learn!"
Du Ke nodded vigorously, but the old man smiled and said, "If you want to learn, then first learn how to be a cat!"
"With your current state, I'll say it again."
"Seven parts human, three parts monster, yet not a single trace of a cat-like appearance!"