I was approached by a cat-eared girl.

But actually, all animals that haven't developed intelligence are like this. Back then, I was in a daze every day, with only a few things on my mind: finding food, sleeping, and playing with friends.

Only occasionally would it stop its search for food and look up at the moon with a bewildered expression.

As I watched, I vaguely began to have my own thoughts and started to wonder what I was?

At that time, I didn't know that this meant I had gained spiritual intelligence. I only knew that I had become much smarter and had even started to think about such profound questions.

And being clever, I realized that the big round face in the water wasn't my friend; it looked like myself.

I'm very disappointed.

I originally thought I had friends.

There are many animals in the mountains, but ever since I found out that I am the one with the big round face, I have never met another one with a big round face in the mountains.

In other words, there is nothing in the mountains that looks like me or is similar to me.

Therefore, I am the only one.

And it's the smartest, I know that's all thanks to the moon in the sky.

From then on, I looked at the moon every night.

However, even a clever person like me has a problem – that is, filling my stomach. Although there are many animals in the mountains, there are many that I can't beat, such as that big guy deep in the forest.

I think it looks a bit like me, but it's much bigger than me, its face isn't as round as mine, and its color is different from mine. It also has patterns on its body.

It's really scary every time it screams.

I only dared to squat on the tree and peek at it from afar, never daring to get close. But I envied it because that big guy seemed to never go hungry, always finding food every day, and no animal in the mountains could beat it.

Looking at its claws, I lifted my own claws to look at them, thinking how wonderful it would be if I could grow to be as big as it.

That way I could find food every day, instead of having to catch smaller animals like I do now. Later I found out that the animal I chased every day was a rabbit. Rabbits run very fast, and I often couldn't catch them.

But there are fish in the water, so I can catch them and eat them.

The animals that swim in the water are called fish, which I only learned later. I also learned that the big guy is called a tiger, and what I am.

I am a cat.

Catching fish is not much easier than catching rabbits, because fish are in the water, and I can't swim.

I only have a chance to catch a fish when it gets close to the shore, but the fish rarely come to the shore.

To avoid going hungry every day, I thought of many other ways to catch fish, such as squatting on the shore and sticking my tail into the water, waiting for the fish to bite my tail. That way, as long as they bite, I can lift my tail and flick it onto the shore, and I've caught the fish.

It was a clever method, but few fish were interested in my tail. Later, I came up with another idea: a large tree had branches that extended into the middle of the water, and the treetops were very close to the surface.

I can simply use my tail to wrap around a branch, and my claws can just reach into the water, which greatly increases my chances of catching fish.

I admire my own intelligence.

One day, while I was catching fish, a branch broke, and I fell into the water.

The water was very cold, and I drank a lot of water. I tried to move my paws around as much as I could, but it was no use, and I started to slowly sink.

My vision started to blur, and I felt like I was going to die. Just when I thought I was going to die, but hadn't completely disappeared, a hand suddenly pulled me out of the water, and then I was on the shore.

Came alive.

I stood on the shore for a long time before I looked up at her. I didn't know what she was, but she was tall, had a big chest, and looked very imposing. She stood on two legs.

I've lived in the mountains for so long and I've never seen an animal like this before, but I think it's very beautiful.

I was observing her, and she was looking at me. After what seemed like an eternity, she finally spoke her first words, her tone tinged with surprise: "It's actually a kitten that has gained sentience."

kitten?

Are you talking about me?

I wasn't quite sure, so I just shook myself to get rid of some of the remaining water.

"Yes, I'm talking about you."

I stared at her blankly, thinking how amazing she was that she knew what I was thinking.

At the same time, the question that had been puzzling me for so long finally had an answer: I am actually a cat.

What's in the water?

“That’s a fish,” she said, then reached out her hand towards the water, and a lively fish swam into her hand.

I was stunned again. There was such an amazing way to catch fish. Although I am very smart, I couldn't figure out how she did it.

However, I quickly realized that if I used the same method, I would have an endless supply of fish.

"If you want to catch fish like me, you'll have to practice diligently."

Cultivation?

What is that?

“It’s just moon worship,” she said, then stopped talking. She built a fire on the shore using a method I couldn’t understand, then skewered the fish on a branch and roasted them over the fire.

That was the first time I had ever eaten grilled fish, or rather, cooked food.

Later, she settled down in the mountains.

She wasn't very talkative, but she would tell me about the world outside the mountains, teach me how to worship the moon and cultivate immortality, tell me what the animals in the mountains were, and sometimes even teach me to read. She even gave me a name, A-Miao.

I also understood why she was a little surprised when she first saw me, saying that I was actually a kitten with sentience.

According to her, it is now very difficult to cultivate oneself in this era, and it has become extremely difficult for animals to attain enlightenment, and they cannot even gain spiritual intelligence.

She said that I had finally gained spiritual intelligence and completed the first step of cultivation, and then told me about another path: seeking a title.

Through seeking a title, one can become either human or demon.

I can't speak, I can only meow, and I'm thinking about whether it's better to be a human or a demon.

"Humans have their advantages, and demons have theirs, but seeking a title involves extracting a wisp of a human's spiritual energy to aid one's own enlightenment. In this world, every action has its consequences, and seeking a title is inherently a shortcut. If one were to transform into a demon through this method, the sins incurred would be far too heavy..."

Then she said a lot more things that I couldn't understand, and finally told me, "Be a person."

Looking back now, I think it was from that time that the seed of wanting to be a human being was vaguely planted in my heart.

A cat wanted to become a human. At the time, I didn't quite understand what a human was, but I had heard her say that humans are the most intelligent of all beings.

It must be very difficult to become human.

I thought to myself.

But I didn't think it would be too difficult, because she knows everything and is so good to me, she would definitely help me.

But she left later.

Chapter 365 Extra Seven

I don't know when she left. I only remember that I didn't see her after I woke up. I searched for her in the mountains, but I couldn't find her no matter how hard I looked.

I never saw her again.

I'm back to living a life with just myself and my cat, sleeping all day, waking up to find food, and worshipping the moon and practicing meditation at night.

Until one day, I saw several creatures that looked similar to her going into the mountains. I thought they must be humans, but they looked much uglier, with long braids trailing behind their heads and dark skin.

They carried baskets on their backs and chatted all the way, with the word "herbs" frequently appearing in their conversations.

Gathering medicinal herbs.

Out of curiosity, I quietly followed them until a tiger roared and those people went into the belly of the big tiger.

A few days later, several more people went into the mountains. I think they were looking for the previous group. I wanted to tell them not to go any further in, because there were tigers in there.

But all I can do is meow. When they hear meowing, they just say, "Oh, there are cats in these mountains."

Later, they encountered the same tiger again, but two of them were lucky enough to escape and were not eaten.

A few days later, many more people entered the mountains. The difference was that they were carrying various weapons, including knives, sticks, bows and arrows, and large forks.

There was also a person leading two sheep.

I followed them quietly as usual, but this time I didn't meow to warn them, because I found these people a little scary.

They found a spot, took out a rope, tied the two sheep to the tree trunk, then pulled out a knife and slashed the sheep's backs, leaving two deep wounds on each sheep's back. Blood flowed out, along with a faint smell of blood and the bleating of the two sheep.

Then all of them climbed up the tree and used the leaves to cover their bodies.

I also squatted on a big tree in the distance, wanting to see what they were up to.

No one spoke, and for a moment the whole mountain seemed to fall silent. Apart from the noise of the two injured lambs on the ground bleating and stumbling around, only the occasional chirping of birds could be heard.

After an unknown amount of time, the two sheep suddenly stopped bleating and became restless. They stared warily in a certain direction, backing away step by step with their heads down, until the rope taut. Only then did they reluctantly stop, but they were still struggling.

I know why; that big tiger came.

Soon, the big tiger emerged from the nearby woods and walked toward the two sheep that were bleating incessantly. It bit off the neck of one of the sheep, and the other sheep trembled with fear but dared not move.

Just as the tiger was enjoying its meal, I heard someone from the group shout, "Fire the arrows!"

Then arrows rained down from the trees, many of them striking the tiger. After a roar, someone shouted, "The tiger is ferocious! Be careful, everyone! Fire again!"

Big bug?

Are you talking about that tiger?

As I was pondering this question, the group fired another volley of arrows, then jumped down from the tree with their weapons.

The ferocious tiger was killed by them and then carried away.

These people are amazing.

Even that big tiger was no match for them.

I'm starting to stop envying tigers; it's better to be a human.

I want to be a human.

To achieve this goal, I became increasingly diligent in worshipping the moon, and gradually grew stronger and stronger. I would grow bigger, even bigger than that tiger from back then, and my claws could carve a hole in a tree.

I moved into the tree hollow I had carved out myself and put all the treasures I had found inside.

Later, I learned to speak. During this time, I encountered countless humans going into the mountains. But I don't know when it started, their braids disappeared and they became short hair, and most of them wore green hats.

Every time they come, a lot of people come with tools in their hands. As soon as they come in, they start cutting down trees, one after another, and then they are transported away by a series of huge, strange-looking machines.