Rebirth: My Life as a Cat in the Forbidden City IV

"So, was it you little rascals who caused all that commotion?" I stared at the four tiny creatures before me, momentarily speechless.

I'd nearly scared out of my nine lives.

The adorable kittens were lined up in a neat row, squatting and gazing at me with their large, round eyes that glowed a luminous yellow or green. Sigh, kittens are simply irresistible. Even as a feline myself, I couldn't help but be enchanted by their charm.

I recognized these four. In fact, there wasn't a single animal in the Forbidden City that I didn't know. That included the over 200 cats residing here, the ducks and mandarin ducks in the pond, the pigeons that circled the outer gate, the rather intimidating cats on Jing Shan Hill across from Shenwu Gate, and the sparrows that came to steal my food daily—I'd already given them a stern warning, Still, now, I shared my meals with them to protect them from other cats.

I wondered if this made me a pet owner. It was ironic that even as a cat, I car for others.

"They don't understand what you're saying. At least, they don't speak human," the boy's voice cut in.

I was utterly confused. "They came here with you, and yet you tell me they don't understand human language? How do you communicate with them then?"

"What if we all speak cat?"

By the time I realized I'd asked a stupid question, it was too late. The damn brat had already replied with a sarcastic tone. However at this point, I didn't want an answer.

"But you said earlier that it wasn't strange for a cat to speak English..."

"Indeed, it's not strange at all. Some cats speak English, some speak French, some play ping pong, some know kung fu, and some can't do anything. Isn't that normal?"

"If you can't do kung fu, I'll beat you up right now."

"If you could, I wouldn't stop you."

"Nevermind. Let's get back to the original topic. Do you know what's going on with me? Why did you call me here tonight? And what are these little guys here for?"

"Since you've asked so sincerely, I'll be kind enough to tell you." The tabby cat licked its paw meticulously with its wet tongue, then gently wiped the fur around its eyes, its movements slow and rhythmic.

"I don't know who you are or how you got here. If I did, I wouldn't have asked you those questions in the first place. But don't worry, although I don't know your situation, I've gradually remembered something from when I was young. The elders of my clan had prophesied that something like this would happen. And they told us that to get closer to the truth, we needed to hold a cat moon-worship ceremony on the night after the Mid-Autumn Festival."

"I think your explanation is a bit too hasty. You didn't just make this up, did you?"

"Although it sounds like it, I'm sorry to say that I'm not lying to you. I deliberately waited until yesterday to expose you, just for this moment. These four were also carefully selected by me, with BaZi that match the requirements of the ceremony."

“BaZi，what is it?"

"It's hard to explain, but it's a bit like astrology. In traditional Chinese culture, it refers to the four heavenly stems and earthly branches that correspond to the year, month, day, and hour of a person's birth. Each combination represents different yin-yang and five-element attributes, and together they form a person's BaZi or Four Pillars of Destiny. It encompasses a person's entire life and can be used to predict the future and avoid misfortune."

"That's amazing! Can you calculate mine for me? My birthday is..."

"Forget about foreigners. That's not something the local deities would care about. If you're still alive after tonight's ceremony, I could find a master to calculate it for you."

"Great, great. Wait, what do you mean 'if I'm still alive'?"

With a leisurely air, it slowly surveyed its territory, pausing occasionally to touch a golden-glazed tile with its nose or rub its head against the statue at the top.

In the soft moonlight, the cat's outline softened, its fur shimmering like silk. "Chin, one of the nine sons of the dragon in ancient Chinese mythology, has a powerful ability to devour, symbolizing the devouring and expulsion of evil forces."

Tilting its head slightly, the cat looked at me with an almost supernatural interest. There was no warmth in its eyes, only cold calculation.

"The moon-worship ceremony is to borrow the essence of the moon to seize the spirit of the chin and thus achieve our goal. If you want to gain something, you must pay an equal price. I don't know what the gods want, but I know what we can afford to give at most."

I was almost scared out of my wits by everything I had just seen and heard.

How could I be about to sacrifice my life without knowing anything? At that moment, I thought being a cat wasn't so bad after all. Whether I was human or not didn't matter, how I became like this didn't matter, I just wanted to live.

"Time's up." The boy looked up at the sky, where the sun and moon rose together, like the red horns of a demon. Suddenly, it stood up abruptly, clasped its front paws together, and bowed to the moon. The four kittens tilted their heads back and let out a series of tooth-clicking and howling sounds.

I wanted to run, but my legs were weak. As I listened to their sounds, my head began to ache and my vision blurred.

My will to survive flared up, and I raised my front paws in an attacking posture, shouting, "I'll fight you!" and swung my fists wildly.

In the blink of an eye, the scene before me changed. It was daytime, and I was standing in a familiar yet slightly strange courtyard, feeling a bit lost.

It was snowing.