Chapter 33: Did You See My Kitten?

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Lima Plain is the most fertile place located within the borders of the Balak Kingdom, which is a vassal state of one of the two empires — Heaven Dou Empire — of the Douluo Continent. Among the five powerful states affiliated with Heaven Dou, there are four kingdoms and one principality, and Balak is one of the kingdoms and is extremely powerful in terms of national strength.

On a small path in Lima Plain, a girl was walking alone.

This girl had smooth black hair casually draped over her shoulders, fair skin, and an exceptionally tall and voluptuous figure. However, in contrast to her appearance, an air of coldness emanated from her, a genuine coldness. Her pitch-black pupils seemed lifeless, conflicting with her exquisitely beautiful face.

"Meow~"

A meow sound rang out, causing the cold-hearted girl to stop in her tracks and assume a defensive posture, vigilantly observing her surroundings.

Rustle~

A rustling sound came from the grassy bushes ahead, and the girl furrowed her delicate brows, staring intently at the source.

"Who's there?"

The girl spoke with a cold voice, uttering these two words.

The bush shook, and a furry paw emerged from it. Then, a small furry head popped out, shaking it to survey the surroundings before entirely emerging from the bushes.

It was a cat, a soul beast?

The icy girl thought to herself upon seeing the creature before her.

This creature looked like a cat, something she was very familiar with. It should be a soul beast, but it was very small, probably around one year old and not even a ten-thousand-year soul beast. It posed no threat to her.

Thinking this, the girl relaxed her guard but continued to keep her gaze fixed on the little creature blocking her path.

This little kitten had silver and black striped fur all over its body. It had the appearance of a young tiger but lacked the black stripe resembling a king on its forehead.

This little kitten appeared unafraid of the girl before it. It stood in the middle of the road, lifting its head to gaze at her. Likewise, the icy girl did the same, silently observing the little kitten before her.

This scene, a small cat and a girl quietly locking eyes, appeared unusually peaceful.

As she looked at the adorable creature before her, the girl's pitch-black, icy, and indifferent eyes couldn't help but soften.

"Meow?"

The little one broke the tranquility, being the first to break the silence, seemingly asking why the girl had been staring at it all this time.

The adorable meow sound was like a bomb, exploding in the girl's heart, making her breath quicken involuntarily.

"Meow... Meow?"

The girl couldn't help but mimic the little kitten's meowing, but then realized that her behavior was a bit silly. A blush emerged on her normally cold cheeks.

But then she thought that there was no one else nearby, so why should she feel embarrassed? This relaxed her mood.

Seeing this, the girl slowly squatted down and extended her fair and tender palm towards the little creature before her.

"Meow~, little kitty, come here. Meow~"

The girl's cherry blossom lips parted, imitating a cat's meowing as she spoke, her cold tone softening quite a bit.

"Meow?"

The little one, tilting its head in confusion, meowed back at her. It seemed to wonder why this person had been staring at it all along.

Although this adorable sound puzzled the girl, she realized that her feline language wouldn't be understood by this creature! But judging by its gestures, it seemed like it wanted to come closer.

"Meow, meow, meow, come on, little kitty, come over." Seeing the doubtful look on the little one's face, the girl became even more captivated and urged the little one.

Feeling that this creature held no ill intentions toward it and sensing a familiar aura from it, the little kitten extended its furry paw and walked towards her.

Seeing the little one approaching, a trace of delight flashed in the girl's eyes, and her expression became even softer.

The kitty walked up to the girl and squatted in front of her, its emerald green feline eyes curiously glancing at her. The girl gazed at the little kitten in front of her and felt like she couldn't control her hand. She raised her right hand and gently touched its furry and smooth head.

I touched it! It didn't resist my actions. It seems to really like me.

Watching the little one being caressed by her, seemingly enjoying it, the girl felt a bit happy.

Feeling uncomfortable in this position, the little kitten changed its posture, transitioning from squatting to lying on the ground, enjoying the girl's touch.

The girl, not content with just rubbing its head, slowly let her palm glide down and began stroking the little one's back.

The fur is so smooth and has such a nice texture! It feels so comfortable to touch, calming one's mood.

Seeing this little stray cat, it seemed that she had found herself a companion! Moreover, this little kitten didn't seem to dislike her either!

Looking at the little one enjoying her palm, the girl felt a sense of satisfaction.

I need to give it a name. What should I call it?

How about Yumi?

The name popped into her mind, and the girl nodded, thinking it was a good name.

"From now on, will you be with me, little one?" the girl whispered to the kitten in a soft voice, though her tone still carried a hint of coldness.

The kitten did not make a sound; it just flicked its furry ears a few times.

Seeing its behavior, the girl couldn't help but curl her lips.

"It seems like you're agreeing. From now on, your name will be Yumi! How about that? Doesn't it sound nice?"

"Meow?" The little kitten suddenly meowed in confusion. Why did this person suddenly give it a name? But indeed, it sounded much better than its original name.

After playing with the little one for a while, the girl stood up. Although stroking a cat felt great, she couldn't waste any more time as she still had a journey ahead.

"Yumi, come with me to Suotuo City," the girl said calmly, carrying the kitten from the ground.

"Meow?" The girl hadn't walked for long when she stopped, furrowing her brows and vigilantly observing her surroundings.

Because she had sensed someone approaching with hostile intentions.

"Meow?" The little one meowed in confusion. The girl patted its head to comfort it, saying, "Don't be afraid. I'll protect you."

Swoosh~

Several figures emerged from the woods by the roadside, surrounding the girl in the middle.

This was troublesome.

Seeing herself being surrounded by the five figures, the girl realized she had made a mistake by being distracted with petting the cat; otherwise, she could have noticed them earlier and escaped.

"Hahaha, I didn't expect that today's prey would be such a beauty! It seems luck is on my side!" A rough and loud laughter echoed from the forest, followed by a tall and muscular man walking out. He had scruffy facial hair, a scar on his right cheek, and an exposed upper body adorned with countless scars on his tanned skin. He carried a large curved blade over his shoulder and exuded a menacing aura. A group of lackeys followed him.

"Hehe, boss, didn't I tell you? She's a top-notch beauty," a skinny and sleazy man beside him flattered.

"Hahaha, yes, after I'm done, you'll be next. Hahaha!" The big man laughed heartily, his eyes filled with desire as he gazed at the girl before him.

"Thank you, boss. Thank you, boss." The narrow-eyed man hurriedly thanked his boss.

"Disgusting."

Hearing their comments, the girl's icy voice whispered coldly.

These remnants really thought they could capture me.

Although she was feeling annoyed, she didn't say anything. Her expression grew even colder, and her soul power burst forth, causing her pitch-black long hair to rise, and two yellow soul rings appeared beneath her feet, rhythmically swirling around her body.

This girl was a great soul master.

"Spirit Awakening!"

The girl whispered, and her body began to change. Her originally pitch-black eyes turned into red and blue heterochromatic eyes. Two black cat ears grew on top of her head, and a black tail emerged from her back. Her fingernails became sharp claws.

"Hahaha, so your spirit is a cat. Cat Ear Maiden, that makes me even more excited," the big man said excitedly upon seeing the girl's transformation. His aura started to surge as he released his three soul rings—a white one and two yellow ones. He was a Soul Elder. There were no changes in his appearance, but the pair of environment-moving knives in his hands were his martial souls.

The henchmen also released their own soul power. Observing them, the girl noticed that apart from their leader being a Soul Elder, there were four Soul Grandmasters among them, and the rest were Soul Masters. Additionally, their soul rings were all white and yellow, posing little threat.

The girl knew that she wouldn't win against them. Although her soul ring configuration was better than theirs, she was only a Second-rank Soul Master while they had a Third-rank Soul King and several Great Soul Masters. She had no chance of winning. However, as a master of agility, she was quite skilled in running away.

"Attack! Capture her alive!" The big man roared, and his lackeys instantly rushed forward.

Here they come.

The girl thought to herself that she needed to find an opening and escape with her extreme speed. 

Just then, the girl saw a pale blue crescent moon blade over ten meters long streak towards them, accompanied by a fierce wind, blowing her long hair and making it flutter in the wind.

Boom~

The crescent moon blade struck the middle of the girl and the group attacking her, producing a loud bang and raising a cloud of dust.

Once the dust settled, a deep trench appeared on the ground.

Everyone was startled, relieved that the attack didn't hit them; otherwise, they would have been sliced in half.

"Who is it?"

The big man shouted frantically, then turned to look in the direction the attack came from.

The girl, extremely surprised, also followed the direction of the attack and saw a young man dressed in a grayish-blue linen robe on a ten-meter-tall tree. He had long black hair tied into a ponytail, a long sword and a long knife hanging from his waist, and a carefree smile on his face. His gaze was sharp as he looked over.

"Excuse me, have you seen my little kitten?" a calm voice echoed in everyone's ears.

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