'It would be a waste to eat the golden carp alone... I'll look for some appetizers.'
As Tang Han moved nimbly between the dense grass and tangled trees, He suddenly stopped, disgusted by the sharp smell of blood that hit his small nose.
'Actually... it's close!'
He quickly remembered: this was the smell of the red-robed cultivator's blood!
'This man... his blood smells so pungent!'
'Wait, is this because he's from a blood sect? Yes, he used blood arts against that boy and Yu Qin earlier, not to mention his red robe... does the type of art affect the blood? That makes sense.'
'But this is a monster forest, isn't it foolish to let his blood spread like this? Does he want to be a meal for one of the monsters? I don't think he's that naïve...'
'Or is he using this to warn them? Hehe, he must think all the monsters in this forest are weaker than him, so he's not taking them seriously. His blood is meant to scare them... this won't work on me!'
'Should I assassinate him stealthily?'
As soon as this thought appeared in his mind, Tang Han couldn't help but let it grow. Somehow, he thought it might be possible!
'Thinking of It, It's Possible...'
After thinking for a moment, Tang Han realized that it wasn't impossible.
Firstly, Tang Han was confident in his skills, even though he was a cat now, he wasn't "shadow's Monarch" for nothing.
Secondly, being a cat gave him an advantage, especially since his opponent was human. Would he have killed him immediately? Tang Han didn't think so. His belief was based on intuition.
Thirdly, and most importantly, the red-robed cultivator was severely injured!
He was likely in a very weakened state right now, and the fact that he was spreading his blood around to scare the beasts was a clear sign of that!
'He's probably focusing on healing that sword wound of Yu Qin...I don't think he has much energy to fight left.'
Tang Han jumped between the trees and saw him from a distance.
The man was young, with long black hair, wearing a red robe with black patterns, exuding a sinister aura that appeared like a red whirlwind, and the strong scent of foul blood that resembled rusted iron. A glowing red line ran from his shoulder to his stomach.
The blood poured from him like a waterfall, but instead of flowing outward, it defied gravity, returning to his body through glowing red lines with small popping sounds.
[Resistance!]
Tang Han activated his skill, and soon his annoyance and headache from the overpowering smell of blood faded.
'Such a perfect skill...'
'These blood droplets... he's healing himself, what a disgusting, disgusting smell!'
'With this blood scent, it's impossible for the other monsters to get close!'
As a cat, Tang Han had a keen sense of smell, and he couldn't help but be deeply disturbed by the smell of the red-robed cultivator. The rusted blood scent coming from him hit his small nose like a raging torrent.
Looking at him, he remembered something, and Tang Han couldn't help but sneer, clicking his tongue. 'Tsk tsk, should I build a relationship with him and become his pet or sworn brother, so he can lead me to his sect? Actually… hehehe, this is an opportunity.'
'An opportunity to use him to level up and whatever he got on him!'
'...Yes, this might not be as hard as I thought.'
'For caution, I need to prepare well for this.'
Tang Han had 5 stat points from the golden carp hunting mission reward, which he quickly distributed.
[You've added 3 stat points to "Defense"!]
[You've added 1 stat point to "Attack"!]
[You've added 1 stat point to "Intelligence"!]
Tang Han felt warmth flow through his small body. His appearance didn't change, but he felt his body become sturdier and safer. This gave him some confidence.
'I didn't add much to my defense, guess, I'll make hitting trees a daily routine for an hour.'
...
The red-robed cultivator, called Guan Yin, lay on an old tree.
Guan Yin was a notorious figure from the Blood Moon Sect, an evil sect.
While healing himself, he cursed, "Damn the Jade Sword Sect!"
"Who would have thought they'd send a true disciple for a treasure like this? Did I misunderstand? The rumors only said it was a treasure to increase talent..."
He gave a bitter smile to himself, sighing, "But who can blame them... Ah, a bloody era is approaching, the Heaven's Root is about to emerge! This treasure was my chance to catch up, but..."
The events of this journey had been unlucky, and he couldn't help but feel more hatred for the damn Jade Sword Sect.
Suddenly, Guan Yin frowned, sensing something approaching him. Normally, he would spread his spiritual sense around, but he focused most of his energy on healing himself, not wanting to return to the sect in this condition.
The silver moonlight revealed a small creature walking towards him, a fluffy black cat with eyes that glowed like lanterns as it looked at him.
"A cat? And it doesn't fear my aura... it's not even a demonic beast yet."
His bloody eyes gleamed, and he muttered, "Interesting."
In fact, Guan Yin wasn't particularly fond of cats, but he couldn't help but feel cautious given the circumstances in this forest and his frustration with Yu Qin. He sighed, then spread his spiritual sense around, but as soon as he was about to extend it further, he felt pain in his chest. He quickly withdrew his spiritual sense to prevent worsening his injury.
The cat approached slowly, lying down before him and meowing softly.
"Miaw..."
Its cute little belly was exposed to him.
Guan Yin raised an eyebrow, then remembered, "It gave me its belly... Does that mean it's lowering its defenses for me? Who would've thought the trivial teachings of Elder Sister Ying would yield results one day."
Guan Yin played with the cat for a moment, then shook his head and stopped. His injury was severe, and although it had been temporarily stabilized, he was still in danger of it flaring up suddenly.
"Damn you, Yu Qin and his intense sword intent..."
As Guan Yin remembered what had happened earlier, a shiver ran down his spine. He was fortunate to have survived.
Yu Qin was a true disciple of the Jade Sword Sect, a genius unlike anything seen in thousands of years!
At the age of twenty, not only had he mastered his sect's secret technique that no one had been able to learn for centuries, but he had also mastered Sword Intent! This was a brutal genius!
For that reason, his injury was extremely hard to heal!
"Ah, what an arrogant creature!" After playing with the cat for a little while, Guan Yin felt the pressure of ease and sighed, petting the cat's head, "You're a cute little thing! After I heal myself, guess I'll take you with me to the sect, to Elder Sister Ying, I think she will like you."
"But now I need to heal myself."
"Miaw...?"A bright light flashed in the cat's round eyes as it lay on the ground, looking incredibly cute. Who could resist such cuteness?
Guan Yin couldn't resist, Elder Sister Ying made of that.
"Ah, fine!"He muttered, saying like a tsundre, while playing with it again: "I'll name you Xiao Hei... no, no, I'll name you Long Hei!"
"Miaw!"
The cat nodded in annoyance like it didn't like the name, but would take it anyway.
Seeing its behavior, Guan Yin couldn't help but sigh. He placed the cat on his lap, closed his eyes, and focused on healing his injury.
After a few minutes, the cat felt that Guan Yin had fallen into deep concentration.
The cat, of course, was Tang Han.
He was speechless.
'No matter what information he spouted...'
'You lower your guard this easily? Man, I'm a beast!'
'This was easier than I thought.'
'Ah, credit to Elder Sister Ying... girl, I thank you.'
'As for you...'
Suddenly, the light in Tang Han's eyes disappeared with his cuteness, and his pupils narrowed like slits as a mysterious and calm aura surrounded him.
He extended his claw, raising it toward Guan Yin's throat. The atmosphere around him was calm, and despite the movement of his hand, it made no sound or change in the air. Tang Han realized in that moment that, regardless of his skills as an assassin, this cat body was perfect for him!
It was incredibly agile and flexible, and his actions made almost no sound.
In the next instant, Tang Han activated his skill: [Cat's Claw!]
"Whoosh!!"
In less than a second, Tang Han felt—
"Crack!"
Suddenly, Tang Han heard a sharp sound as a crimson aura glowed from a pendant around Guan Yin's neck. The cracks spread through it, and the shards broke apart in an instant.
'Damn!'
Once he saw that, Tang Han realized his assassination had failed!