On the first night in the new place, Li Ao slept like a little pig all the way until dawn.
The round and fluffy little piggy woke up from his cardboard box bed, stretching lazily with his tiny paws pointing to the sky before rolling over to paw at Xun.
The little black dog had been sleeping a lot these past few days and usually stayed dozing even after the kitten woke up. Li Ao stepped around in the cool fur, pawing enough before yawning and preparing to weigh himself.
He was very mindful of his weight now—of course, not for losing it, but for gaining it. The little kitten took a deep breath, stood on the scale with a serious face, and waited for the reading.
[Your weight is: 4KG]
Fierce Cat disbelievingly lowered his head, jumped off the scale, and weighed himself again.
[Your weight is: 4KG]
Impossible! The scale must be broken! Li Ao terrifiedly planted his paws on the ground and smacked the display screen in fury. He clearly ate his fill every day—how could he have lost weight?!
“Machine!” He wanted to find the robot but discovered it wasn’t in the room. “Xixi!” He bolted toward the door, only to realize he didn’t know the way.
Li Ao was dumbfounded. He dragged his big tail, turned his head around, sniffed the air, and finally ran off in one direction.
The early spring weather was slightly cool, carrying a faint floral fragrance—this was Delphi’s morning.
Orange-yellow dawn light filtered through new tender leaves on fine branches.
Even without Zerg interference, under the interstellar environment, this land remained barren. Li Ao rubbed against an unknown scrawny flowering tree, stood up on his hind legs, and scratched at it a few times with his claws.
After scratching, he continued forward, not noticing that at the claw marks he left, tiny firefly-like specks of light flickered and surged into the branches.
There weren’t many people in the castle. Li Ao trotted along the paths and arrived at the edge of the woods.
This was probably the densest little forest in Delphi, stretching from behind the castle all the way to the distant mountain base.
Tree shadows swayed faintly, morning light piercing through the mist.
A sound rustled from the woods, like footsteps on leaves.
The kitten’s light-capturing pupils slowly dilated, reflecting a figure.
A golden lion cloaked in white feathers emerged from the thin mist. The dawn light was hazy, shadows interweaving, its golden mane brushed by the wind.
He strolled unhurriedly and stopped quietly before the little kitten.
Li Ao barely reached his leg height. He lifted his small head, eyes misty. Without any dramatic scene, on this peaceful spring morning, he suddenly spoke up and called out, “Daddy.”
The Empire’s supreme being lowered his head for his beloved son. “Mm, Daddy’s here.”
The little kitten got shy after calling out, his tail hurriedly wrapping to his side as he tried to bury his face in his paws. Too short to reach, he secretly glanced at the big lion and met the other’s gaze.
“!” Li Ao whipped his head away and buried his face into the lion’s belly like a baby chick.
Isiris crouched down, tilting his head to lick the little kitten’s body. It was his first time as a father, first time grooming a cub—his movements unskilled, his strength poorly controlled. The eight-catty kitten staggered from the lick and fell over, unable to flip back, his white fluffy belly facing up.
“Sorry.” It was Isiris’s first time apologizing. He looked down at the little cub he’d licked over, paused silently, then simply continued lowering his head to groom him with his tongue tip.
Before Li Ao could react, a large lion tongue with barbs licked from his chest all the way to his belly, warm breath carrying a damp sensation. The big tongue rolled, flipping the little kitten over. Soon, his originally fluffy soft fur was licked into a mess, plastered to his body, making him look a size smaller.
But Li Ao couldn’t see. With his fur smoothed down, he half-closed his eyes and purred contentedly. After the engine-like rumbling went on for a bit, he stood up, kneading the lion’s belly with his paws one after another, then lowered his head to lick Daddy’s fur.
His tiny mouth was so small that after licking forever, saliva -100, lion fur smoothed +0.5.
Since his parents’ fall, no one had ever licked Isiris’s fur. He lowered his head onto his paw, his eyes gentle as he watched the kitten cub bustle about.
“Big lionji.” Li Ao panted, leaning against the lion’s thick mane and plopping down on his butt. “Kitty can’t take it anymore. You’re too big—shrink next time, okay.”
Childish babble, utterly adorable.
No matter how vast his spiritual power, he was still just a cub not yet six years old.
“Leo.” Isiris asked, “When’s your birthday?”
“July 31st!” The little kitten rolled over. “Grandma said Li Ao was born on the last day of July.”
“Is that so?” Isiris asked a few more questions, then realized the “Earth” the kitten mentioned used a calendar almost identical to Delphi’s.
The interstellar standard had the universal Star Calendar, fixed interstellar days and hours. But Delphi was different—they always used the Delphi public calendar, and bloodlines from the Eastern side even muttered about the Delphi lunar calendar.
That Earth was a bit peculiar… Could a low-level civilization planet have such a coincidence?
But these weren’t things for a cub to worry about. Isiris withdrew his thoughts and softly asked the kitten, “How did you run out by yourself?”
Li Ao remembered then, pouting aggrievedly. “Why did I whoosh again?” Anxious, he gestured with paws and feet. “I weighed myself, it said 4, less than 5!”
Isiris’s nose tip lightly booped the kitten’s head. “It’s normal. You’re still small—normal kittens your age weigh only six or seven catties. Once you return to standard weight, it won’t drop anymore. Then as you grow and eat well, you’ll slowly get heavier.”
This kitten cub looked round and puffy, but that was just fluffed fur. Once licked smooth, he was clearly short and small.
Li Ao didn’t fully understand but caught the key point. “Gotta eat hard, huh.”
Isiris chuckled lowly. “Yes.” Sensing something approaching, his golden lion eyes narrowed slightly. A black clump, scarlet beastly eyes. Isiris said, “Little one, your puppy’s come to find you.”
The little kitten perked his tail excitedly and rushed to greet Xun. “You’re awake! Xun’s been loving sleeping in lately.”
The black-furred chestnut ball was a bit unhappy about the lion scent all over the kitten, rubbing while replying, “Li Ao.”
The little kitten planted his paws, resisting the puppy’s enthusiastic nuzzling. “Your back itches? Come here, I’ll scratch it for you.”
Li Ao’s paws reached Xun’s back, rubbing the meat, then suddenly surprised. “Xun, you have a lump.” He pulled the puppy back to the lion, too urgent to mind shyness, meowing, “Daddy, puppy has a little lump on his back.”
Isiris covered Xun’s back with his big paw and said lowly, “He’s like you—about to grow wings.”
“Really?!” The little kitten joyfully pulled Xun to bounce around. “Great! Once your wings grow thick, Li Ao can teach you to fly!”
A little thing whose five-centimeter legs plus flapping wings could only get seven centimeters off the ground was going to teach someone else to fly.
Setting aside the amusement, Isiris’s golden pupils narrowed slightly. He stood, nudged the kitten’s butt. “Let’s go, time for meals.”
Only S-Rank Xenoids could shapeshift freely. They followed instinct, morphing into the most powerful form allowed by the laws to reach evolution’s limit.
Twenty years ago, Isiris battled a newborn S-Rank Xenoid. It was a red dragon, flame-like scales covering its body, burning wings fanning devastating firestorms with each flap.
It was a battle that could end an era. If he’d lost, humanity would have no hope left.
Had that red dragon not just been born with immature consciousness, the battle’s outcome would be uncertain. Even so, he’d paid with his left arm to slay the flaming monster under his blade.
“I want five bowls this time! Gonna grow to 30!” The kitten, determined to fatten himself up quick, declared loudly.
“Xun too!”
The golden lion walked behind the two little ones, his pace gradually slowing as his form quietly shifted while moving.
Sharp claws retracted, thick beast paws turned to slender fingers, golden mane slid down into soft hair, shoulders straightened, beastly outline replaced by humanoid in the interplay of light and shadow.
The man wore only simple sleeves from the collar’s transformation, bare feet on the ground.
This little monster was different from that S-Rank Xenoid. Much smaller, yet harder to fathom. Was he unaware of his own existence, or skilled at disguise? Worth considering.
His right hand stroked the scar where his left arm connected. Golden eyes turned cold. He could kill that one, so he could slay this one too. But for now, he was the kitten’s puppy—watch closely.
“Brother.” Reniya held a little white lion cub at the road’s end. Seeing them, she smiled and greeted.
“Leo.” Reniya squatted down. “Where did our little kitten go?”
Influenced by Grandma, Li Ao naturally liked females. He recognized this auntie—Xixi said she was his aunt.
“Dudu.” The little gap-toothed one shyly shifted his feet. “I went to the little woods with Daddy.”
“Is that so?” The little guy’s lively look felt fresh to Reniya. She scratched under the kitten’s chin, set the little lion cub on the ground, supported his skinny shoulders, and said to the kitten, “This is brother Ryan. You met last night, right?”
Li Ao nodded. He felt that after one night, this white lion had gotten even thinner.
“Leo.” Reniya tucked back a loose strand of silver hair from her temple. Just as she was about to continue, Isiris cut her off. “Reniya.”
A flash of urgency passed through the woman’s amber eyes. She shot to her feet. “What’s wrong with letting him try? He can even revive the Mother Tree—why can’t he save Ryan?!”
“Mom.” Ryan coughed twice and tried to tug at her skirt hem.
“Reniya, I’ve told you already: don’t pin your hopes on the little cat.” If it could heal him, that would naturally be great. But if it couldn’t, did she really want to burden such a young child with that pressure? If Li Ao’s spiritual power truly worked on Ryan, then letting them spend time together would reveal the results naturally. Why force the issue like this?
“But Ryan can’t wait!”
“Mom—” The little lion’s coughing grew even more severe. Li Ao pursed his lips, then suddenly spoke up. “His body… has no yarn threads.”
