The Cat God of the Cat Temple

Yun Yin Temple has a little calico cat named Lili, whose Buddhist name is Pear.

As the temple's resident mascot, Lili is busy with work. Worshippers often offer it cans of cat food and call it the "Cat God," asking it to bless them.

Being a god is great, except no one can understand what gods say.

It would be even better to have a divine interpreter, Lili thought.

*

One day, Lili rescued a man who was on the verge of death at the temple gate.

It was just another ordinary day for the Cat God. Lili grumbled, "Humans are so fragile. The kitty has to rescue you, too."

Lu Nanjin's eyes snapped open. They were usually sharp and decisive in the business world, but now they were bloodshot.

He froze. The one who had saved him was... a little cat?

The cat shook out its paws and muttered to itself, "Your forehead looks dark. You must have done a lot of bad things. I suggest you donate some cans of cat food to this god, and I'll bless you."

Lu Nanjin's pupils shook.

Was he hallucinating?

He asked the cat, "Are you talking?"

"You can understand me!"

The Cat God felt a little self-conscious, but was delighted all the same. "In that case, you can be my divine interpreter!"

In short, the Cat God needed someone to translate. As for payment, well... it would make an exception and let its divine interpreter pet the god once!

*

The young heir of the Lu family was famous for his ruthless ways. Recently, he had been photographed visiting an ancient temple all the time. But instead of worshipping a god or Buddha, he was worshipping... a little cat?

The cat was sleek and shiny, with a round face. Sitting on a prayer cushion, it really did look rather divine.

Lu Nanjin, who was rubbing the cat's head, replied: "I'm serving as the Cat God's divine interpreter."

Netizens were baffled. "Has he changed his ways?"

The video went viral, and the comments section exploded. Some said it was staged, others called it a publicity stunt, and some insisted the cat had to be a spirit that had attained human form.

But most people just asked, "Which temple is it? I want to worship there too!"

*

The Cat God became famous, and people gradually began to realize that the little cat really did have a touch of magic.

A cat owner was being abused at home. Lili sat outside the window for three days waiting for evidence, and scratched the abuser's face to ribbons along the way.

Someone complained about seeing a ghost. Lili chased after the ghost of a little dog and saved a solitary elderly person who was on the verge of death.

Someone else had lost a bird. Lili rallied all the stray cats in the city and solved a major poaching case in a single night.

A saying spread around town: "Better to pray to a cat than to a god. Better to offer cans than to burn incense and paper offerings!"

As offerings of incense and cans piled up, the worshippers founded the Cat God Cult and even commissioned a statue of Lili.

One worshipper clung to Lili's paw. "Cat God, could you be as nice to me as you are to your divine interpreter?"

Lili meowed.

Lu Nanjin shot him a cold glance and translated: "The god says to come back after you've drained all the water out of your head."

Lili jerked its head up from the divine interpreter's arms. "?"

The kitty didn't say that!

The days went by, and to Lili's surprise, an actual god came to find it.

"Hello, Cat God. This is the Celestial Bureau's Office on Earth. You've received enough offerings to become a real Cat God!"

Reader's Guide:

1. One-on-one romance, both leads' first times. Extreme cat lovers, beware.

2. The little cat is a god. Lots of fluff, with a little modern supernatural activity. Zero horror.

3. It can turn into a human. About half cat, half human? The little cat is a male calico, and as a human he's a beautiful catboy.

Theme: Live well