Peking Opera Cat: I Became A Zi's Brother

"..."

Under the cover of night, the bonfire in the ruins of Dazong crackled, and sparks rose up, drawing tiny streaks of light in the night sky.

“I didn’t expect that I’m getting more and more used to it now~”

Wu Song waved the flaming whistle stick, and the orange-red rhythmic force flowed along the stick, picking up the charred beams.

The flame pattern on his tail flickered with his movements, and his cat claws were covered in dust, but he still moved the broken bricks and tiles nimbly.

"..."

Yun Bai leaned against a half-broken wall, dried blood scabs still stained among his fluffy white hair, his amber pupils reflected the flickering firelight, and his thoughts drifted away.

"Senior Sister, try this!"

The gray little tabby cat disciple stood on his hind paws and came over with the pottery bowl wrapped in his tail. The steam rising from the bowl was filled with the fragrance of herbs.

Yun Bai's nose twitched slightly. This was a decoction made with the healing herbs unique to the mountains behind Da Zong. The bitter smell concealed a familiar warmth.

"Haha~"

She remembered when she first joined the fighting sect, her master always liked to use the same herbs to treat their injuries. At that time, she was still a young kitten who couldn't even perform basic boxing.

……

The Siamese cat, emitting an ice-blue aura, stood with a gun in hand, the ice crystals on the tip of its tail trembling with every breath.

When he used the Mysterious Ice Dragon Flying, the entire arena froze instantly, and the flying ice spikes reflected colorful light in the sunlight.

"What are you thinking about? Your ears are standing up like antennas."

Wu Song's furry tabby tail swept across the back of her paws. The sturdy orange tiger cat sat down on the ground, and its fluffy tail swept away the gravel like a broom.

"Looking at the way you were in a daze, I thought you were possessed by Chaos."

Yun Bai patted his paw lightly, and the pads of his paw felt rough from years of martial arts training.

"I remembered what happened in the town. Remember our first mission? That guy thought he had learned the art of fire judgment and insisted on challenging the bandit leader alone, only to get beaten so badly that his tail stood on end."

"Ha ha!"

Wu Song laughed so hard that he clapped his front paws on the ground, and his beard trembled.

"If I hadn't used the wind blade to entangle the bandit, he would have been turned into a cat skewer! Also, he held up his shield and blocked the middle, like a small mountain, protecting the rest of us."

Yunbai's tail unconsciously wrapped around the stone pillar beside him, and his voice became softer:

"I joined after that mission, too. When he used his icy energy to track the bandits' base, even the dew in his footprints condensed into a map. At that time, I thought..."

She paused and looked at the disciples carrying stones in the distance.

"It would be great if Da Zong could have such wisdom."

Wu Song put away his smile, and his tiger eyes looked at the charred foundation of the martial arts hall:

"This time it was all thanks to Brother Mo's purification. When you were unconscious, the ice talismans were condensed using your own rhythmic energy."

He suddenly lowered his voice and turned his ears alertly.

"Honestly, Senior Sister, do you feel the way Brother Mo looks at you..."

"Freeze said!"

Yun Bai's ears turned red instantly, and he swung his claws to hit his shoulder, but the wound was hurt and he groaned.

Wu Song immediately leaned over nervously, his nose almost touching her forehead:

"How is it? Is the wound hurting again? I'll go call the doctor!"

"it's okay no problem!"

Yunbai struggled to sit up straight, and wrapped his tail around Wu Song's paw to comfort him.

"I was just thinking about the Rhythm Transmission Array. I have the blueprints, but the core component, the Flame Soul Crystal, has been corrupted beyond recognition by Chaos. Even if I find a replacement, I'll have to carve the runes all over again..."

"Wow……"

Before he finished speaking, cheers suddenly came from afar.

Three young disciples were surrounding an old gray cat, which was curling its tail around a cracked clay pot. Its cloudy eyes were gleaming.

"This is the spare Flame Soul Crystal left by the old sect leader! I hid it in the cellar back then. I never thought it would come in handy!"

"!"

Wu Song rushed over, his orange hair exploded into a fluffy ball:

"Great! Wait till I clean this thing..."

"do not move!"

Yun Bai stepped forward quickly, his cat's paws emitting a water-blue light.

"Chaos residue burns claws."

She carefully suspended the crystal, and the rhythmic force seeped into the cracks like a silk thread, peeling off the pure red core inside.

"Very good……"

When the crystal regained its brilliance, all the cats present held their breath unconsciously - the dancing flames were like Da Zong's inextinguishable fighting spirit.

……

In the following days, the ruins turned into a bustling reconstruction site.

The disciples were divided into three teams: one team used their rhyme power to crush the rubble and turn the scorched earth into a flat foundation; one team, led by Wu Song, climbed the steep cliffs of Dazong to collect special stones;

Yun Bai led his disciples who were good at runes to re-carve the ancient totem on the surface of the Flame Soul Crystal.

The tip of her tail was dipped in cinnabar, and every stroke was accompanied by a faint resonance of rhythmic force. The rune lines were like living flames, winding and wandering on the surface of the crystal.

……

On a full-moon night, Yun Bai squatted alone at the ruins of the martial arts training ground.

The moonlight shone on her white hair, giving it a pearly luster.

Suddenly, familiar footsteps were heard behind me, carrying with them the unique burning sensation of fire.

"Senior Sister, are you secretly practicing again?"

Wu Song shook off the gravel on his tail, holding an oil-paper bag in his mouth.

"Here, your favorite sweet-scented osmanthus cake comes from Granny Li's house at the east end of town."

Yun Bai's eyes lit up, and he took the still warm pastry with his hands.

The sweet smell brought back more memories: "I remember back then, every time we passed through town, we would rush to grab the last three pieces of candy cake. Xiaobai would get them all over his face and then compete with Xiaoqing to see who could lick them cleanest."

Wu Song's fangs flashed in his smile, his beard trembling. "You always give in to us and only eat the scraps yourself. And Brother Lei..."

He suddenly stopped, digging the ground with his claws unconsciously.

"By the way, is he okay now?"

Yun Bai's ears instantly felt hot, and the cake almost slipped from his claws:

"Don't, don't talk nonsense! Brother Lei is worried about all the injured cats."

She lowered her head and stared at the osmanthus flowers on the cakes, her voice as light as a feather.

"But... that time in the Misty Forest, if he hadn't used his rhyme power to sense the direction, we might not have been able to get out. His claws held my tail at the time, and it felt so cold, but also so reassuring."

Wu Song's tail brushed lightly across her back:

"Sister, once the Dazong is rebuilt, let's go find them. I want to show Brother Lei that my flame whistle stick can now split three layers of ice shields!"

"..."

Yun Bai looked up at the starry sky, where a few shooting stars streaked across, looking very much like the trail of light they were leaving behind.

"Yes. Once the rhythmic energy transmission array is restarted, the sound of the clan bell will spread throughout the cat land. When that happens, we will let all cats know—"

A faint flame ignited at the tip of her claws, echoing the lights of the reconstruction site in the distance.

"Chaos can destroy our home, but it can never burn the pride of Da Zong!"

"!"

At this time, the clinking sound of stones colliding came from afar, accompanied by the shouts of young disciples one after another.

In the interweaving of moonlight and firelight, the outline of Da Zong is gradually emerging from the scorched earth, and the bond of Xingluo Ban, like roots buried deep underground, is taking root deeper in the hearts of every cat.