Meow Meow Meow

Chapter 69: Fear

As the golden sun slowly descended from the West, changing from a golden hue to a sunset red, the surface of the stillness og the lake illuminated my wind-blown messy fur. As the stars and the moon filled the night sky, the last traces of warmth disappeared into the coldness.

In my dazed and half-awake state, I could hear what seemed like Bi Qingshen Jun’s sighs and breathing from the bell, but when I paused to think about whether I should ask if it was him, the sound quickly faded.

In the end, I awaken by the sound of a howling wolf. I stood up, shook my body to rid it of the grass and leaves, and then one step at a time, I walked towards the cave.

Seeing me return, the mouse that I had come across and captured in the cave back in Luoying Mountain, Mouse Jing, he immediately offered me a delicious carp to eat. Although I had an empty stomach, I had no desire to eat anything, and then just waved my paws to set him free. I then went towards the bear skin mat and sat there to continue to be in a daze.

After I had granted him freedom, Mouse Jing’s face was full of tears and he hurriedly knelt down to give me his many thanks, and then promptly ran out.

I suddenly remembered a problem, and immediately went to block his only exit.

“King, you…..didn’t you grant me a way out?” Mouse Jing’s two legs trembled from fear, and with slurred speech, he begged, “Cat…..cat chasing mouse is not fun.”

I stared at his semi human form and gently asked, “Why do you want to achieve enlightenment?”

“I…..I have only cultivated for 300 years, and just recently achieved enlightenment. I have not done anything bad…..and have overcome some stuff!! King, please have mercy!” Mouse Jing knelt down again with a forehead full of cold sweat.

I hesitantly asked again, “Why do you not want to become a mouse? And why would you spend 300 years to become a demon?”

“I…..” Mouse Jing gave several strange glance, and did not answer my question.

“Speak!” I flashed my claws out and mercilessly roared.

Mouse Jing limped to the ground from dread, and then hurriedly exclaimed, “Because I don’t want to be a mouse! A mouse’s lifespan is only 2 years, and there are predators everywhere! A cat will eat me, a snake will eat me, an owl will eat me…..I don’t want to sleep to sleep in the cold and damp cave for the rest of my life, and always be afraid of not seeing the sun next day!”

I blankly stared at him from shock, “But…..you are a mouse though.”

“That’s because the heavens did not let me choose my creation!” Mouse Jing wiped a single tear away, and then firmly said, “Thus I had to change my own fate with my own hands, every year, the number of mice that want to become immortals number to the tens of millions. They have to give up their pleasures and work hard in cultivation, but the vast majority still die at two years, and the ones that are successful are very few. But after one becomes a demon, there is still thousands of more years of penance to go, and only if you don’t do any evil or wrong doings, will you finally be able to become an immortal.”

“Why would one want to become an immortal?” I asked.

“Because I don’t want to live dishonorably under the claws of others, nor be frowned upon, and because I don’t want to be controlled by destiny, instead, I want to be in control of my own fate.” Mouse Jing became more excited little by little, and seeing that I did not give an answer, he suddenly lowered his head down and became scared, “I beg of you, don’t kill me…..I…..really don’t want to die…..”

I nodded my head, turned around and walked towards the cave, letting Mouse Jing to freely bolt away.

From within my brain came tingling sensations. I fell onto the rug on the ground with my eyes closed, and dreamt of returning to what appeared to be my homeland.