Douluo Dalu: Starting With Tom Cat

"You're saying that Soul Sage was driven away by some unknown powerhouse?" Shui Yunying asked as she hurried over.

"Yeah, Aunt Shui, we really got lucky. Otherwise, facing a Soul Sage, we'd all be dead meat," Shen An replied, a look of "relief" on his face, while Tom and Jerry nodded their little heads beside him.

Shui Yunying looked at Shen An meaningfully. Was it really such a coincidence? Still, she didn't press further—everyone was safe, and that was what mattered.

Shui Yue'er hugged Shui Bing'er tightly, her big eyes misty. "Wuwu, little sister, I almost thought I'd never see you again."

Shui Bing'er, still feeling a bit dizzy, twitched at her sister's words. Still, they really were lucky—to be saved by a passing powerhouse out of nowhere.

A few days later—

Tom and Jerry dashed into the room like streaks of lightning. Tom, terrified, used his paw to lock the door from the outside, then clunk! slammed it shut and swallowed the key whole—fully embracing a strategy of "no one's getting in."

Jerry immediately pulled out wooden planks, and the two little creatures frantically barricaded the door, piling up chairs and stools behind it until they finally let out a breath of relief.

Shen An blinked in confusion, watching it all from inside the room.

"All that over some girls at Tianshui Academy wanting to pet you? Aren't you being a bit dramatic?" Shen An teased.

Ever since he'd brought Tom and Jerry to Tianshui Academy a few days ago, the girls had gone crazy over them, fighting to pet them. Which wasn't surprising—if Tom the Cat appeared in real life, who wouldn't want to give him a few affectionate strokes? He was a classic, after all.

Their popularity even led to the Tianshui students showing up at the City Lord's Mansion, using Shui Yue'er's name as an excuse to come in and "look for the cats."

Upon hearing Shen An's comment, Tom pointed sadly to the top of his head, his eyes practically falling out from despair.

"What? Looks fine to me. Your fur's still full."

Tom reached up and pulled off… a bright blue wig. His scalp underneath was completely bald and raw.

Even Shen An was startled—those girls had literally petted Tom bald. Their enthusiasm was no joke.

"And Jerry? You're so small, no way they could've been rough with you."

At that, Jerry burst into sobs.

"What happened?" Shen An looked at Tom for an explanation. What could've broken Jerry like this?

Tom, looking somewhat lucky in comparison, conjured a puff of white mist from his forehead, which revealed a mental image.

Inside the all-girls Tianshui Academy, the girls surrounded Tom, petting him all over, even planting kisses that left his fur covered in lipstick marks.

Meanwhile, Jerry lounged leisurely in a little vine chair, munching on cheese, feeling grateful that girls liked cats more than mice.

But then, a sweet-looking girl approached Jerry, holding a small cage—with a little white mouse inside.

"Jerry, you're so cute! Why don't you and my Mousie have babies together? I bet your babies would be adorable!"

That single sentence scared Jerry so badly his soul almost left his body. The girl even thought she was hallucinating when it happened.

Next thing Jerry knew, he was locked in the cage. The little white mouse stared at him, hearts practically popping out of its eyes. Shen An had no idea how an ordinary mouse could show that much affection.

And so began a nightmare: the little white mouse chasing, Jerry fleeing—but no escape.

Eventually, Tom heroically descended from above, shattered the cage, and carried Jerry back to safety.

Now, Tom and Jerry knelt before Shen An, eyes filled with tears, palms pressed together in a pleading gesture—they didn't want to stay at Tianshui any longer. Could they please, please leave?

"I already promised Shui Bing'er and her sister we'd go see the Tianshui River today. Once we finish that this afternoon, we'll leave tomorrow," Shen An replied.

Tom and Jerry nodded furiously in agreement.

That afternoon, two sneaky little figures peeked left and right, scouting for danger.

"Don't be afraid, Tianshui Academy has classes right now. The girls won't be here," Shen An reassured them.

Their thumping hearts finally began to settle.

The two critters looked at him, puzzled—then how come Shui Bing'er and Shui Yue'er are out?

"Shui Bing'er's cultivation is high enough that she's mostly just staying for the Soul Master Tournament. The academy doesn't restrict her too much. Shui Yue'er got permission to take leave."

As he spoke, Shen An led Tom and Jerry toward the Tianshui River.

Over the past few days, he'd racked up a good amount of reputation points at the Tianshui Battle Arena—now totaling over 120,000. It was a good time to move on.

Outside Tianshui City, the Tianshui River stretched out wide under the blue sky. Shen An took in the view, feeling completely at ease.

The river sparkled in the sunlight like countless stars dancing across its vast surface.

Shui Bing'er's eyes lit up when she saw Shen An. She walked over and said, "This is Tianshui Lake. Isn't it beautiful? It connects to countless water veins—some even lead all the way to the sea!"

The group chatted and laughed as they walked down to the shore.

Shui Yue'er was busy with a few boats and fishing rods.

When it came to water fun, it was usually about fishing, boating, swimming, and surfing.

As for surfing, well… that wasn't exactly a thing on the Douluo Continent yet.

"Tada! I prepared a big boat and two small ones. We're totally ready! After all that training, we finally get to relax a bit," Shui Yue'er beamed.

"Big sis, you're a year older than me. If you didn't slack off so much, you'd be a Soul Ancestor by now," Shui Bing'er said, shaking her head.

Unlike Shui Yue'er, her younger sister was quite committed to cultivation.

Shui Yue'er stuck out her tongue but didn't argue. She might be the older one, but she never talked back to Bing'er—because Bing'er was usually right.

Just as Shui Yue'er pushed the large boat into the water, a sudden wave surged from the river, and the supposedly sturdy boat was instantly shattered into pieces.

???

Everyone stared at her in shock—as if to say, What kind of boat did you buy? Was that even safe to begin with?

Shui Yue'er's face turned red. "It's not my fault! I bought the best one!"

"Well, we still have the two small boats. I'll take Tom and Jerry in one, and you three can take the other," Shen An said with a smile.

"…Fine," Shui Yue'er said reluctantly. She had wanted to ride with Shen An so she could feign seasickness and "accidentally" lean on him.

That was actually her whole reason for insisting they visit the Tianshui River. Unfortunately, with the big boat gone, so was her plan.

The two small boats drifted onto the river. The moist breeze against their faces felt refreshing.

Tom and Jerry gleefully splashed their hands in the water. Tom even put on a swimsuit, ready to jump in—he was quite the swimming champ among cats.

Jerry, meanwhile, eyed the shimmering river surface and quietly wondered: Should I just row away? Tianshui City was terrifying—they even arranged a marriage! No way he was staying here.

Just then, the calm river surface began to churn, surging violently with great force.

A Soul Beast? Shen An activated his Soul Power and scanned the surroundings.

But what happened next completely defied Shen An's expectations.

The waves rolled up into enormous watery hands, flinging their boats far across the river—each hand passing them along like a relay, utterly defying natural law.

"What the hell is this?!" Shen An couldn't help but curse aloud. "This is freaking ridiculous!"