You are a cat demon

You happily settled down in Cherry Blossom Village.

This stunningly beautiful village, nestled amidst mountains and water, is like a paradise on earth. Its name naturally comes from the cherry blossom trees that grow on the surrounding mountains. It is said that these cherry blossoms have been blooming for hundreds of years, never missing a spring. In most cases, cherry blossom trees can live for twenty or thirty years, but their lifespan can vary depending on the variety or their environment. Most of the cherry trees here are weeping cherry and early-blooming varieties; barring any unforeseen circumstances, they could easily live for hundreds of years. Similarly, Sakura Village itself has a history of over a hundred years.

One important reason you're happy to stay here is that there are no exorcists or other great demons here.

You've overheard the locals chatting about how peaceful this place is because of a sacred tree called the "Demon-Suppressing Tree," which grows not far from the village, just across a field of lilies. As the name suggests, the Demon-Suppressing Tree is extremely effective against demons, monsters, and evil spirits, but harmless to humans. It's like a powerful spiritual barrier around the village, preventing monsters from causing trouble. With no monsters around, there's no need for exorcists.

The matter is very strange.

Aren't you a demon? Why haven't you sensed anything unusual since you came to Sakura Village? So far, there's nothing about you that makes you uncomfortable. Did the Demon-Suppressing Tree neglect its duty? Or is it that your demonic aura, you little cat demon, is too weak and has been completely ignored? If it's the latter, then it's truly... not very harmful, but extremely insulting.

Moreover, there's another strange place.

Although the demon-suppressing tree is considered the guardian deity of this Cherry Blossom Village, the villagers don't visit it to offer thanks as often as you might expect. They all seem to hold an indescribable reverence for the tree, and since you arrived, the phrase you've heard most often is—

"Don't go near the Demon-Suppressing Tree! Do you hear me, Ruoye?!"

"I know, I know!"

The man who took you in was giving his five-year-old daughter a few instructions. The pretty little girl nodded very seriously, but to you, her earnestness seemed rather ridiculous, like a child pretending to be an adult. After giving her a few more instructions, Xiao Ruoye skipped off to play with her friends. The man, still seemingly worried, looked towards the door several times.

Your nominal "master," Zhang Qingshan, is the village chief of Sakura Village and one of the best hunters for miles around. It's said that in his youth, he hunted countless monsters, and the pile of monster bones hanging on his gate are his spoils. For ordinary humans who aren't exorcists, this record is quite remarkable. This man has had a tough life. Villagers say he once had a beautiful wife, and they were the happiest couple in the village until their daughter, Ruoye, was born. His wife fell seriously ill after childbirth, and despite visiting many places, no diagnosis could be found. Various herbal medicines and traditional Chinese medicines failed to help, and she passed away soon after. From then on, this man not only had to manage the daily affairs of the other villagers but also care for his young daughter…

Forgive me, when you first found out about this, your eyes almost popped out of your head. For the next few days, you kept staring at Village Chief Zhang Qingshan with a very strange look, as if you were looking at an alien visiting Earth. He even thought that something dirty had possessed him. After a few days, he started carrying a peach wood sword with him and hanging a cross around his neck.

It's no wonder you were so surprised.

Your cat demon clan has always only had "mothers," never "fathers." Males do not fulfill any obligation to raise their cubs, not even their own. If a male cat demon sees a lively and cute kitten appear before him, he will kill and eat it without mercy. In the eyes of every adult male cat demon, this is a potential rival, a delicious snack.

Your body has only just entered human society, but your mind is still that of a cat demon. This has left your brain completely bewildered. You even concluded that it was all a conspiracy, and that he might just want to fatten up the adorable Ruoye before eating her...

Afterwards, when you think about your own wildly unrealistic ideas, you find them a bit ridiculous.

However, that's what they say. But even if we take a step back, let alone him, if someone were to have such a malicious thought one day, I think you would definitely not sit idly by.

because……

You don't know either.

The moment you were hugged by this strange girl who was so excited to see you for the first time, you felt a tingling sensation all over your body. It was so comfortable that you didn't want to leave for even a second. This feeling was even better than rolling around in a field full of catnip, as if you were in heaven. You didn't even dare to touch her arms. Her arms were so soft and fragile, like a precious and delicate object. You could only retract your claws into their sheaths.

Human babies must have magic, you think.

You've always seen young creatures as food, and you could take their lives without batting an eye. But this human cub has stirred a protective instinct in you, a bloodthirsty and murderous cat demon, making you, who are usually aloof and arrogant, want to get closer.

This feeling is indeed strange, yet you don't feel anything is wrong. Only a subtle sense of regret arises, as if you've been doused with a bucket of cold water. Suddenly, you realize that the feeling from last time is more cherished...

Wait, when was that?

You were completely dumbfounded.

Have you really forgotten something?

……

Gradually, you lowered your guard.

Actually, you were already somewhat moved.

Your leg injury healed quickly, thanks to Village Chief Zhang Qingshan. The night you arrived at his house, he examined your injured leg carefully, clicked his tongue a few times, and said it was a kind of poison from an arrow poison flower. He said you weren't severely poisoned, and your good constitution saved your life; if it had dragged on any longer, things might have been different. As he spoke, he took out a bag of white powder and sprinkled it on your wound. The powder was made from a mixture of several kinds of monster bones and lily flowers, and it sounded quite precious.

Note that you've always been reluctant to call Village Chief Zhang Qingshan "Master," because you are ultimately a wild cat demon. Bloodlines cannot be changed, and you know you can never truly integrate into the human race like a dog. Since ancient times, humans have never fully domesticated cats. Humans believe they have mastered the aloof and proud cats, but in reality, in the cats' eyes, the relationship between them and humans is far from master-servant. To put it bluntly, the cats treat humans like underlings; in their eyes, humans are nothing more than strange-looking, upright, giant cats that bring them food and clean their litter box. You are, after all, a cat demon with some intelligence; you shouldn't be so…so…vulgar.

Moreover, in this chaotic world, conflicts and disputes between humans and monsters are constant. You are just lucky that your true identity has not been discovered, but that does not mean you are really safe. You are just safe for now.

However, you had already planned it out in your mind: once this winter ends, once the ice and snow melt and the weather warms up, your leg should be fully recovered, and then you can return to the jungle and resume your normal life.

Of course, you will remember this kindness, and next spring you will hunt some delicious animals to give to them.