Chapter 22: Xi Nian the Devourer Goes Online
The setting sun was about to sink beneath the city. As dusk fell, light snow drifted down from the sky.
On his way home, Xi Nian passed through the park and deliberately glanced at the lawn.
The little kitten that had been curled up there in the morning was nowhere to be seen.
"In the middle of winter… good luck to you, little guy."
Xi Nian sighed, patted the pocket where he still carried a sausage, pulled his jacket tighter around him, and continued on his way.
But when he returned to his apartment building and saw the elevator doors opening, a thick line appeared on his forehead.
"You… why are you here?!"
Xi Nian was completely dumbfounded.
Inside the elevator, a small orange tabby cat was curled up in the corner, as if it had been lying there for ages.
The moment Xi Nian appeared, the little cat yawned, rubbed its sleepy eyes with its paw, and looked at him with an innocent expression.
Xi Nian was speechless.
How did this cat know where he lived? No, it had to be a coincidence!
He pretended not to see it, stepped into the elevator, and pressed the button for his floor. As more residents entered and left, Xi Nian deliberately stood in front of the cat so no one would accidentally step on it.
The elevator went up. People came and went.
Xi Nian glanced back at the small orange tabby.
It was quiet and obedient, not making a sound.
Until the sixteenth floor.
Xi Nian hadn't moved yet when the little tabby suddenly sprang up, slipped between his legs, and walked straight out of the elevator.
"You've got to be kidding me…" Xi Nian muttered, following behind, only to see the kitten calmly sitting at his front door.
What was going on with this cat?
Inside the apartment, Diana saw Xi Nian walk in with the kitten. She blinked in surprise.
"You brought it back?" she asked curiously.
"Auntie, I should be asking you. Did you bring it back?" Xi Nian asked weakly.
"No," Diana shook her head firmly. "All these years, you're the only thing I've ever picked up."
"Fair point." Xi Nian scratched his head, then looked at the tabby strutting into the apartment as if it owned the place. "Auntie, can we… maybe keep it?"
Since it had come all this way, and with winter outside being so harsh, he couldn't bring himself to throw it out.
"I don't mind," Diana nodded. "But you'll be responsible for taking care of it."
"Of course. Honestly, I've always wanted a cat." Xi Nian grinned, scooping the tabby into his arms. "From now on, your name is… Little Crown."
The kitten blinked, clearly unimpressed with the halfhearted name.
Diana, graceful as always, smiled and said, "Go take a bath. Dinner will be ready soon."
"Got it. Come on, Little Crown, let's wash up together." Xi Nian laughed, carrying the cat with him into the bathroom.
The tub quickly filled with warm water.
Surprisingly, the little cat wasn't afraid of water. It sat calmly on the edge of the tub while Xi Nian, completely unclothed, lathered its orange fur with soap, covering it in bubbles.
When he washed its belly, Xi Nian flipped the kitten over and rubbed its soft fur. He couldn't help muttering, "So… you're a girl, huh, Little Crown?"
"Meow!"
The kitten, who had been quietly squinting its eyes, suddenly grew angry. It snapped down and bit Xi Nian's finger.
Its sharp little teeth pierced his skin, and a drop of blood splashed onto the bathroom floor.
"Little Crown!" Xi Nian yelped in pain, pulling his finger back.
The kitten looked up at him with a pitiful expression, as if realizing it had gone too far.
"It's fine, not your fault. Just don't go around biting people," Xi Nian said softly, both scolding and comforting it. He looked at his bleeding finger, now mixed with cat saliva, and reached for water to clean it—when suddenly his body trembled.
"Wait… this feeling…" Xi Nian's eyes widened. That strange, familiar sensation surged through him once again.
His normal brown eyes suddenly shifted into glowing, vertical pupils.
The Masters of Affection had activated.
"Xi Nian?"
Hearing his shout, Diana quickly opened the bathroom door.
The next instant, a monstrous barbed tentacle shot toward her face like a spear.
Diana reacted instantly, dodging to the side. From within, she saw Xi Nian standing naked in the bathtub as terrifying tentacles sprouted from his back, writhing violently, covered in sharp teeth along their edges.
In the corner, the orange tabby's eyes lit up as it watched this new form of Xi Nian.
"What in the world happened?" Diana asked, startled.
"I don't really know. Little Crown bit me, and suddenly… this happened," Xi Nian said bitterly, glancing back at the wild, thrashing tentacles behind him.
"Blood and saliva as the medium… that triggered the Masters of Affection?" Diana murmured, staring at the bloodstain on the floor and then at the cat, shocked. "But from a cat? How?"
Suddenly, one tentacle snapped backward, its gaping maw latching onto Diana's back.
Her heart jumped as a terrifying suction, like a miniature black hole, tried to pull her in. She broke free, but her clothes were torn apart instantly, revealing her flawless, sculpted body.
And it wasn't just one tentacle.
Seven or eight more lashed out, devouring towels, soap, the mirror, even the water in the tub. In less than a second, the entire bathroom had been stripped bare.
The kitten leapt safely into Xi Nian's arms, avoiding the destruction.
One tentacle coiled around Diana's slender waist. Xi Nian could feel its tongue-like texture caressing her skin.
Wait… tongue?!
He grabbed the tentacle tightly, trying to hold it back before it could swallow her whole. Diana didn't dare pull away too hard, afraid of hurting him. She thought quickly and said, "If this ability came from that cat, then it now belongs to you. Xi Nian, try to control it!"
"I'm trying!" Xi Nian grit his teeth, shutting his eyes.
In the darkness of his mind, the sensations from the tentacles grew clearer, sharper.
Slowly, they began to calm. The one wrapped around Diana's waist loosened, retreating at last.
[Please give powerstones if you're enjoying the story.
500 stones = 1 extra chapter
patreon com/GuessMyName33 for advanced chapters]