Douluo Dalu: Starting With Tom Cat

"Tian Ya, Tianshui City really is something else. Just look at all these pretty girls—those long legs, so fresh and delicate."

A tall, disheveled middle-aged man with an obvious air of indulgence leered as he spoke.

"It's truly a nourishing place. No wonder they say the Tianshui Academy is famous for its beauties," another sleazy-looking man puffed on a cigar, swaying his head with a lecherous grin.

"Ugh, and you're saying this right in front of me. Have you ever considered how I feel?" A hair-raising, androgynous voice interjected.

A swarthy, slightly overweight middle-aged man, oozing sleaziness from every pore, waved his fingers in a nauseatingly delicate orchid pose and complained with a resentful look.

Tian Ya and E'Kao both fell silent, their eyes resting awkwardly on this unfortunate friend of theirs, a chill creeping through their bodies.

"We're doing this for you, aren't we? Once we've had our fun, we'll bring a few virgins to that esteemed lord."

"If the lord is in a good mood, maybe your little issue can be fixed."

Tian Ya looked at Bu Le with an evasive yet pitying expression.

Who could understand the pain of being in their line of work—filthy soul-snatchers—and losing the one tool they couldn't live without?

Honestly, even now they still couldn't believe it: their like-minded companion had his manhood destroyed by a cat.

Fortunately, when they were hunting soul beasts as a group for Bu Le, they encountered a mysterious stranger.

The stranger slaughtered all their temporary teammates—but spared the three of them.

The bloody scene haunted Tian Ya's memory to this day.

"Jie jie jie... You three have quite unique auras—excellent potential. I'll spare your lives. From now on, serve me by capturing soul masters."

"Do well, and I'll teach you secret arts to rapidly raise your cultivation. Perhaps I'll even heal that injury."

They hadn't believed him at first. But the man held a blade to their throats and forced them to take a mysterious poison—after that, they had no choice but to believe.

"Hehe, I knew Tian Ya cared the most about me," Bu Le grinned, his greasy face twisting into a coquettish expression that had no business being there.

A drowning man will grasp at any straw—what if the mysterious man really could make his manhood grow back?

"Ugh!"

Tian Ya and E'Kao couldn't help themselves. Their stomachs turned violently, the nausea unbearable. So damn disgusting.

They had come to Tianshui City with a plan—to prey on female soul masters.

After all, none of their victims ever lived. Might as well have some fun first, then hand the women over to that lord. A perfect arrangement.

The three men began to seriously observe the passersby on the street, silently gauging the strength of their soul power. They didn't want to pick a fight with someone too powerful—it was best to target someone roughly on their level.

"Ah! Old E'Kao! Tian Ya! Look!" Bu Le shrieked, his eyes flaring with hatred as he pointed a trembling orchid finger at a small blue cat.

Tian Ya and E'Kao followed his gaze and their eyes lit up. "Damn, what a fine pair of chicks!" Drool practically dripped from their chins as they ogled the Shui Bing'er sisters.

Bu Le angrily smacked the two of them. "Look at that cat! That's the one that ruined me! And that mouse on its shoulder too!"

"Heh heh, that's it? Don't worry, Bu Le. Me and Old E'Kao will get your revenge." Tian Ya patted his chest in assurance. "We'll tail them quietly and wait until they're somewhere remote… heh heh heh."

His eyes remained glued to Shui Bing'er. She was just too tempting.

As for whether they could take the group down, Tian Ya didn't worry. He and E'Kao were high-ranked Soul Kings. He could clearly sense the strength of their targets.

Only that girl with ice-blue hair had decent cultivation—around the Soul Ancestor level. And that young man named Shen An? He didn't even register on their radar. Barely a trace of soul power.

"Hmm?" Shen An instinctively felt eyes on them—a swordsman's sharp intuition.

He quickly spotted the three hiding figures. His brows furrowed. Just one glance at them was enough to turn the stomach.

Looking around at the bustling street, Shen An smiled. "I remember there's a river just outside Tianshui City. Tom's been wanting to go swimming. Shall we go take a look?"

Tom tilted his head at Shen An, a puzzled expression on his face that said, Since when do I want to swim?

The Shui sisters stared blankly at Tom. Were they seeing things? Why did Tom have a bunch of question marks floating above his head?

"Damn, they're really leaving the city. What a heaven-sent opportunity."

Outside Tianshui City, a man in a black robe watched the streets from the shadows. A chill radiated from him that even the forest mosquitoes dared not approach.

"Jie jie jie... Sending those three degenerates to hunt soul masters is much faster than roaming the wilderness. If anything goes wrong, just toss them aside."

"If only the Spirit Hall didn't exist..." the black-robed man sighed again.

Without Spirit Hall's relentless pursuit, Wu Zhong couldn't imagine how easy and prosperous life could be. Their cultivation would soar.

But because of Spirit Hall, they had to be extremely careful even when they fed. They always had to dispose of the corpses afterward.

Sometimes they barely got a few bites in before being forced to relocate.

Even someone like him didn't dare enter major cities carelessly, afraid of being detected by Spirit Hall.

Like a rat in the gutter, afraid to appear in the sunlight.

The higher the cultivation, the worse it got. Their evil techniques weren't yet perfected. The more they consumed, the heavier the resentment and karma they absorbed. It became far easier for experts to sense them.

Their soul power aura was simply too distinctive.

"Hm? Why are those three leaving the city? Wait… they're tailing that group." Wu Zhong murmured, a cruel smile curling beneath his black hood, like a hunter spotting prey.

"I've heard of dogs swimming, but this is the first time I've heard of a cat swimming," Shui Bing'er said curiously.

Tom raised his head proudly—as if saying, How ignorant. Cats can swim just fine. Breaststroke, butterfly stroke, freestyle, dog paddle—cough cough.

The point was: if Spike could swim, so could he. If Spike couldn't, he still could.

Shen An led the group, deliberately heading toward deserted and remote areas. Finally, they reached a forest with no one around.

"Come on out." Shen An casually plucked a falling green leaf from the air and spoke coolly.

"Oh? So you actually noticed us. We underestimated you," Tian Ya sneered as the trio stepped from the shadows, eyes locked on the Shui sisters—while Bu Le's gaze fixated on Tom.