"Wow, Father, look at that cat, it's so handsome!"
The young child sitting in her father's arms stretched out her index finger to point at the white cat, while her father also chuckled and bounced his daughter.
When it comes to recognizing cats, there is no one in the world who can compare to the people of Mao City.
As the saying goes, a cat owner needs to start from a young age.
Although this little girl is young, she already shows promising discernment, how could this not delight her father?
"In the future, Daddy will also find such a handsome cat to accompany you, okay?"
The man held his daughter and walked away, speaking to her in a soft voice, which also drew a sound of silver bell-like children's laughter.
As for Du ke, who was the subject of their discussion, there were no ripples in his heart.
He had heard himself being praised for his looks so many times that he had become numb to it.
Following behind Qian Sui, he and the black cat circled around the main hall of the Spirit Cat Temple, passed through several Moon Gates, went through several memorial gateways, and arrived in the courtyard behind the Spirit Cat Temple.
Behind the Spirit Cat Temple, there were clusters of big trees and cat climbing frames everywhere, with cats that are too numerous to count.
At the same time, on top of the cat climbing frames, there were also ropes connected to each other, and each rope was tied with a large number of wooden plaques.
The wooden plaques hung down from the ropes, intertwining into an awning, and cats of all kinds and colors walked under the wooden plaques.
As the wind blew past, the wooden plaques collided with each other, making a muffled sound.
The sound was long and lingering, and being in it, one would unconsciously feel lazy all over.
One would unconsciously want to lie down with these many cats and waste the wonderful time.
In fact, there were indeed many visitors lingering around, cuddling with the many cats in the backyard to enjoy the rare tranquil time.
Du ke followed behind Qian Sui and looked up at the wooden plaques overhead.
"I wish my young master's health improves, blessings of the Sprit Cat!"
"I wish for the good health of my children and grandchildren, free from illness and disaster."
"I hope my Older Cat at home can stay for more days, enjoy more blessings, and return to the temple later!"
"Hope to fish more Little Cats at home to eat!"
"I hope the Spirit Cat can bless me with prospering wealth and becoming rich and noble."
........
Most of the wooden plaques had beautiful wishes written on them, and a few were for praying for blessings.
Just roughly counting them, there were at least thousands of these hanging wooden plaques, and it was possible that there were over ten thousand.
It seemed that the incense offering of this Spirit Cat Temple had never weakened since the day it opened.
Passing through the awning-like wooden plaques, Qian Sui stopped under a big tree, and seeing the aloof black cat stop, Du ke followed its gaze and looked over.
Qian Sui licked its paws and washed its face, letting Du ke watch as he pleased.
Ahead, there was a small temple less than one meter high. Although the temple was small, it had red walls and green tiles, protruding eaves, and bronze bells hanging from the pointed ends of its roof.
On both sides of the temple gate, there was a pair of couplets, which read "The mountain god on the cloud platform stabilizes all directions, the jade cat on the cloud platform reveals its mighty spiritual power."
The front had the words "Tan Cat Hall" written on it.
Although the hall was small, the incense burner in front of the hall was filled with vigorous incense offerings.
Incinsed sticks fell into the ashes inside the burner, and the flickering flame danced as the wind blew, even sending wisps of smoke straight up into the sky.
Seeing the rust on the surface of the incense burner and the incense ashes inside, Du ke guessed that this incense burner must be at least a hundred years old.
What's more, the spiritual aura concentrated inside this incense burner was especially strong, so strong that even Du ke had to click his tongue in wonder.
At the moment when Du ke noticed the extremely concentrated spiritual aura inside this incense burner, a sharp gaze swift as lightning shot over like electricity.
The fur on Du ke's tail stood on end instantly upon being targeted by the gaze, looking like an exploded feather duster.
"Meow!"
Qian Sui let out a dissatisfied meow, apparently not very happy with the actions of the owner of that gaze.
Hearing Qian Sui's meow, the owner of the gaze also slowly withdrew it.
However, the sense of vigilance in that gaze was still very thick, like a wild beast guarding its prey that spotted other predators eying its food.
After the sharp gaze moved away, Du ke’s fur, which was frightened stiff just now, also gradually flattened down.
Although he still felt panicked inside, under the drive of curiosity, he still looked towards the owner of that gaze.
The owner of that piercing gaze turned out to be a big cat sitting inside Tan Cat Hall.
This big cat sat crossed-legged inside Tan Cat Hall like a Buddhist arhat, sitting on a rush cushion.
Moreover, this cat had an imposing manner with the face of a lion, the waist of a jade lady, the back of an immortal, and a pair of deep eyes.
However, there was compassion and grief in its eyes, like those of Buddha.
Seeing this big cat, Du ke’s ears twitched. Because this was none other than the most mysterious among the four great divine cats—the Lion-faced Arhat.
Du ke still clearly remembered the tone used by the little black fat cat Yue Yun when he talked about this Lion-faced Arhat.
It was as if he was telling some legendary tale.
But now, the Lion-faced Arhat, which was veiled in the most mystery according to the Record of Rare Beasts, was actually residing inside this small hall in the backyard of the Spirit Cat Temple in Mao City.
This rendered Du ke somewhat speechless and rather amused.
He wondered if these worshippers and incense offerers knew that the one they were worshipping was one of the four great divine cats.
"Meow!"
Just as Du ke stared at the Lion-faced Arhat, Qian Sui let out a loud meow. Du ke's expression changed, as Qian Sui was telling him to take a good look at what the Lion-faced Arhat was about to do next, and how he did it.
After a brief stunned moment, Du ke also curiously looked towards the Lion-faced Arhat with curiosity.
Sitting inside Tan Cat Hall, the Lion-faced Arhat had a solemn expression. Although the hall was small, Du ke somehow felt as if he was looking up at a Buddha statue inside a grand temple.
"This guy's strength is not weak!"
Du ke secretly clicked his tongue. Qian Sui had already attained the Dao, so this Lion-faced Arhat must also be quite powerful.
He wondered how the strength of that Four-eared brocade thief who was said to have been abducted by the Knife Grinding Old Man compared. If he had also attained the Dao, wouldn't Du ke be the weakest?
At this moment, an old woman holding a jet black wicker basket in the crook of her arm led a little girl with her hair in ox horn braids to the door of Tan Cat Hall.
The old woman immediately knelt down with her granddaughter upon arriving at the door, placing the basket in front of the hall so that the Lion-faced Arhat inside could see what was inside.
"Tan God, please save my granddaughter!"
The old woman lifted the thick cotton cloth inside the basket. Inside laid a weak and skinny little cat not even as big as a child's palm.
The little cat was so skinny that even its ribs could be clearly seen. Its eyes were caked with a thick layer of eye discharge, and its mouth and nose emitted weak and intermittent whimpers.
Whenever it let out a whimper, the cat seemed to gasp for breath with great difficulty, as if it took a lot of effort.
It looked like a case of inborn frailty that would soon lead to premature death.
"This is my cat’s posthumous kitten, Little Cat."
The old woman looked at the little cat in the basket with unwillingness and affection in her eyes.
"My home is near the woods and mountains where there are many snakes, insects, rats and ants.
I raised Little Cat to guard the house and courtyard. He worked hard without slacking for so many years.
He even gave his life fighting several grass snakes to protect my naughty granddaughter. "
"This kitten is the posthumous kitten left by Little Cat. I've taken him to the cat doctor. He said the kitten has inborn weakness. Without a mother cat to nurse him, he won’t live past three days."
"I beg the Tan God to help him get through this difficult time!"
As the old woman spoke, she also kowtowed to the Lion-faced Arhat along with her muddled granddaughter.
And the moment the old woman kowtowed, Du ke’s eyes widened, because this old woman who seemed to have one foot in the coffin suddenly emitted a strong aura.
The moment this aura emerged, the silent Lion-faced Arhat lifted his paw and pointed at the little cat. Immediately, several cats rushed out from the side, poking their heads into the basket to carry the kitten away in their mouths.
Seeing her kitten being taken away, the old woman also showed joy on her face, knowing that her little cat was saved. She kowtowed again to express her thanks.
When she kowtowed this time, the Lion-faced Arhat used his nose to inhale the aura she emitted. After absorbing the aura into his body, the gaze of the Lion-faced Arhat became even more profound, and the aura around his body also increased greatly.
Witnessing this scene, Du ke suddenly understood why this Lion-faced Arhat chose to reside in Tan Cat Hall—
because he was emulating the deeds of deities by eliminating disasters and solving difficulties, and taking in the spiritual offerings from worshippers who prayed and made incensed offerings to him for cultivation.
If this was the Lion-faced Arhat's cultivation method, what about Qian Sui’s method? What about that missing Four-eared brocade thief? Would he do the same?
"Meow!"
Amid Du ke’s contemplation, Qian Sui let out a meow and patted Du ke’s little head with his paw.
Kitten!
How does the cultivation method of we spirit cats compare with your martial arts cultivation?