Dreaming for 10,000 years

Chapter 394 Decision
Hearing the old beggar's words, and seeing the questioning look in Xiaolingdang's eyes, Yu Tian gritted his teeth and said, "Impossible! The Cat God really exists!"

The old beggar shook his head and smiled, then walked to the fire in front of the two men, plopped down in front of the fire, and said, "I've traveled all over the country and seen people worshiping the Yellow Immortal, worshipping the Fox Fairy, and even rats are worshipped as household guardian spirits!"

"There are no cats worshipped! Cats are special."

Are cats special? Yu Tian didn't know either!
But he had already said "Cat God," and he couldn't go back on his word in front of Little Bell. Besides, he really didn't know that even a carp could call itself "Pioneer Li Pioneer," but there was no such thing as a Cat God.

“I have seen the Cat God!” Yu Tian said, feigning nonchalance. “Although you are old, you have never seen anything in this world.”

“You only see the world from ‘my’ perspective, which is not the whole world.” He mimicked Shi Fei’s voice in his dream. “What you see is just a drop in the ocean.”

The old beggar looked at the stubborn boy, chuckled, and found it amusing. He tilted his head and said, "Little brat, you've got quite the nerve!"

Yu Tian said, "I've met people from the Russian people. When they're young, one of them can eat the equivalent of dozens of people's food. When they grow up, they can shatter a star with a single punch!"

"I have seen the chief of patrols in Lion Camel Ridge, who has three demon kings. I have seen the master of the Wind God Leg, who can easily stir up a sky-covering tornado in the desert."

“I have also met a gentle cat god who imparted words and knowledge to beggars like me.”

Finally, Yu Tian said loudly, "These are all things you've never seen before. Can you deny their existence?"

Little Bell listened intently, her eyes wide open. The old beggar, however, shook his head repeatedly, his wrinkles crinkling into a deep frown: "A fool's dream!"

The old beggar's smile vanished, and he said seriously, "Young man, once you leave this temple, don't go around spreading rumors about a cat god." He lowered his voice, "Cats are not allowed to become gods."

Seeing the boy's puzzled look, the old beggar said, "Legend, just a legend, a long, long time ago. There was a cat god who was proud and willful and offended many, many gods."

"So the other gods joined forces and, taking advantage of the cat god's weakness, seized the cat god's power and killed the cat god's offspring."

"From then on, there was no more Cat God in the world."

The Cat God seems to be a special being in this world? The old beggar's reasoning was sound, and Little Bell hesitated, looking at Yu Tian.

Can believing in such a deity truly bring peace to one's life?
“Heh…” Yu Tian said after hearing the old beggar’s words, “You just said that cats can’t become gods, but now you’re saying that there used to be a very powerful cat god.”

Isn't this a contradiction?

A burst of sparks suddenly erupted from the fire, casting flickering light on the three men's faces. In the dim light, the old beggar's expression shifted between light and shadow. His withered fingers trembled slightly, clearly not expecting the young man to stump him.

"I don't know what to do!"

The old beggar suddenly stood up, the gourd at his waist clinking together with a crisp sound. His wide sleeves stirred up a gust of wind, nearly extinguishing the campfire.

Yu Tian stared intently at his movements until the hunched figure completely disappeared into the night before slowly exhaling a breath of stale air.

Little Bell gently tugged at Yu Tian's sleeve, the fabric rustling softly as it rubbed together. "Yu Tian, ​​should we still believe in the Cat God?" Her voice was as light as a feather.

Yu Tian didn't answer immediately. He listened intently, and only after confirming that the old beggar's footsteps had indeed faded into the distance did he whisper, "That person wasn't a good person."

“But he looks kind and gentle.” Little Bell poked at the fire, sparks reflecting on her puzzled face. “He looks like a strange, wandering traveler.” “Looking like a good person doesn’t necessarily mean he’s good! Looking like a bad person, he’s probably bad.” Yu Tian said, “Do you remember the auntie from River God City?”

Little Bell suddenly shivered, remembering the aunt who had given her steamed buns. The woman's smile revealed wrinkles at the corners of her eyes like blooming chrysanthemums, yet she had turned around and sold her to a priest.

Yu Tian rubbed the hairs standing on end on his arms. From the moment the old beggar stepped into the temple, he was on high alert, like a cat with its fur standing on end. His days begging on the streets had taught him that the more friendly a stranger seemed, the more wary he should be.

Because people who speak kindly to a little beggar are bound to want something from the little beggar.

The little beggar had nothing; he was worthless except for himself.

As for old beggars... very few beggars live to a ripe old age. Most beggars die of illness, starvation, freezing, or being beaten to death. The beggars who live to old age are usually adopted children, sent to beg so that they can care for them in their old age and see them off in death.

Therefore, Yu Tian had long been wary of an old beggar who suddenly appeared.

Little Bell also fell silent. She suddenly remembered the old beggars in River God City, who were always accompanied by several thin, sallow-faced children. The food those children begged for would first be offered to their "grandfather."

Is this old beggar who suddenly appeared trying to trick them into becoming his grandchildren?

“So he was talking about the Cat God.” Little Bell leaned closer to Yu Tian.

"They're probably lying to us," Yu Tian said decisively. "There are plenty of monsters in these deep mountains, and they're just out to trick people like us, trying to eat us alive, leaving not even bones!"

A night wind swept through the dilapidated temple, making the broken window frames creak. Little Bell unconsciously shrank her neck, and through the shaky temple door, she could see the distant mountains lying in the darkness like giant beasts.

She suddenly felt as if countless eyes were staring at them from within those dark mountain shadows.

Yu Tian gently patted Xiao Lingdang's thin shoulder: "You go to sleep first, I'll keep watch."

"Hmm," Little Bell responded vaguely, curling up like a kitten and resting her head on Yu Tian's lap.

The firelight danced on her tender face, her eyelashes casting dappled shadows in her eye sockets, trembling slightly with her breath.

As Xiao Lingdang's breathing became even and deep, Yu Tian gazed at the flickering flames, lost in thought. The old beggar's words were like a thorn, deeply embedded in his heart.

Is there really no Cat God in this world? But the words have already been spoken. Should I tell Little Bell that it's all a lie?

What should he do?

He looked out at the dark night sky beyond the campfire, and he thought of the golden carp at the River God Temple, the mountain demon he had encountered in the mountains, and the high and mighty gods.

Gods, gods, why are you so high above!
He couldn't help but ask the question. He couldn't help but think of that desert again; he had rarely dreamed lately, but he hadn't dreamed of that desert at all.

After a long, long time, Yu Tian suddenly made a decision.

Since there is no cat god in this world, he will create one!
Since the gods are high above, he wants to make Little Bell believe that there is at least one god in this world who is on their side.

(End of this chapter)