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Holy King Spirit Cat: Guardianship and Redemption Through Time
墨書 Inktalez
1
I am a cat, though I am an American Curl, I am the Spirit Cat of the Kucha Ancient Kingdom, the Saint King, and Kumarajiva. I have another identity, which is the resting place of the soul of Fan Tian, the female disciple of the Saint King, before her death.
I am the Holy Relic of Kucha, accompanying the Saint King Kumarajiva as he saves lives. The old king of Kucha respects me, and the queen loves me, but my master has been frowning and troubled ever since the incident involving my previous life, Fan Tian, in Yanmen. He no longer smiles.
"Meow meow meow~" I, Fan Tian, am worried for the first time about being a cat.
Like in my previous life, I am still a foodie, but the tense war in Kucha has left the people hungry. My master Kumarajiva has donated a lot of food, and all the gold I had in my master's possession was also donated to comfort the people of Kucha suffering from war.
In the temple, I am just a familiar face to my master. However, as a Holy Relic, I believe my offerings should be slightly improved.
Today’s meal consisted of only a small bowl of vegetarian rice; the grains were hard and difficult to swallow. These days, my master Kumarajiva has been distracted by a matter concerning my previous life—Fan Tian's body was wrapped in horsehide and sent back from Yanmen. He must travel thirty miles to receive my remains and return home.
I lay at my master's feet pretending to nap, wanting to tell him that I have safely returned home.
2
Four years ago today was my first battle against an enemy force of three hundred thousand troops at Ghost Gate Slope.
At that time, I was a sixteen-year-old goddess of war, wearing a fierce golden mask and wielding a spear, gaining fame through the Fan Family Spear Technique.
Though I am female, I did not disgrace my mission and became the Sea-Settling Divine Needle on Kucha's border; in that battle, three hundred thousand enemy troops were completely annihilated.
Standing amidst the blood and carnage for the first time made me tremble at the brutality of war.
The bones lay bare underfoot; the air was thick with death.
The enemy could be crushed; their banners extinguished; we tread upon their entrails soaked in blood.
Only my elite unit from the Fan Family Army remained among Kucha's forces—a total of ten thousand troops.
At the end of the war, I rode out slowly on my chestnut steed from among the remnants of soldiers; in the chilling wind behind me rode a procession carrying the remains of descendants from the Fan Family.
After this battle, I had no family left. From then on, I fought for my family's honor.
In Kucha, there was only one person whom I feared—Kucha Saint King Kumarajiva. He was my only family in Kucha.
3
At that time, Kumarajiva had achieved remarkable success in Mahayana Buddhism.
With stability returning to Kucha's warfare, he wanted to spread Buddhism to the Eastern lands.
If not for being Kucha's goddess of war, I would also want to leave with my master.
But now, as Kucha's only ace warrior in battle, national honor prevents me from leaving.
My master said, "Fan Tian, the stable lives of Kucha's people rely on its generals; you are working hard too."
I said indignantly, "Am I just a hardworking representative in the eyes of my master?"
The image of my defiant demeanor reflected in my master's gaze. His eyes darkened as he turned away and said sternly, "Disciple, you should understand that I do not give praise lightly. I see your efforts."
I thought to myself that an opportunity to show off in front of my master had come. With determination, I threw him a long spear and picked up another for myself, gripping it tightly before shouting, "Master, let's have a competition! Let's see if Fan Tian deserves better praise!"
Kumarajiva couldn't help but laugh. Saint King Kumarajiva was not only a learned monk but also a powerful martial artist. In the blink of an eye, we were evenly matched in combat.
That day, as he looked at me, there was a complexity in his expression that I couldn't comprehend—admiration mixed with envy. His deep, composed eyes sparkled like stars, resembling a mortal star fallen into the galaxy.
My master was very strict with me; every time we discussed the wisdom of Buddhism, it felt like my intellect was being crushed. Yet, my natural talent in martial arts earned his affection.
This could be considered one of the greatest rewards of these years spent with my master in the temple, becoming like family.
On New Year's Day, Kucha was bustling with activity. My master left the Mountain Gate early and descended the mountain. It wasn't until evening that I saw him return. Having not eaten meat for a long time, my small frame still had decent strength. After completing the tasks my master assigned me, he rewarded me with a roast goose.
In today's war situation, being able to buy a roast goose required great effort from Master Kumarajiva. Since childhood, I had loved eating roast goose; this little detail was known to my master.
He said, "Fan Tian, you need nutrition to grow. In the future, whenever I have something delicious to eat, there will be roast goose for you!"
As a top foodie, I naturally felt happy when my master spoke like this. However, I wasn't a spoiled child; I immediately retorted, "Master is generous to Disciple; Disciple is grateful! Disciple will exchange achievements for it in the future!"
Kumarajiva looked at me with amusement, as if he saw my true self through his deep and wise eyes. "What do you want to exchange for?"
Holding onto the neck of the roast goose and taking a bite, I laughed and said, "Roast goose! Actually, fatty meat, braised pork, and chicken legs are all fine too, but my favorite is still roast goose!"
Kumarajiva patted my head gently to soothe my proud emotions. "In the future, as long as you come home, Master will make it for you! Kucha needs you! Master also... needs you!"
That winter year, he started to say something but never had the chance to finish his words.
When spring arrived the following year, world-renowned monks came to pay their respects. Kucha's prominence around the western regions suddenly peaked.
Before dawn broke, my master was taken from the Meditation Room to the World's Temple. When I woke up and heard that he was citing scriptures and debating with others at the World's Temple's Hall of Scriptures, I quickly set off to support him. Upon arriving at the scene, I was astonished by the grand spectacle that nearly made me drop my jaw.
The bustling World's Temple rivaled the gathering of a Thousand Buddhas; it was a magnificent sight with the entire Kucha Royal Family present.
As soon as I peeked out from behind someone, Master Kumarajiva spotted me. He lowered his head with a smile that radiated warmth and kindness like morning sunlight. In that instant, we had reached the pinnacle of our debate under broad daylight.
"Here in this court are ministers and noble officials? Heroes and legends throughout history? Who among them is like me—concerned for the world and striving for all sentient beings without end? Buddhism knows no bounds."
His voice cut through like a sharp blade; having witnessed countless wars and bloodshed myself, I couldn't help but smile slightly—this was truly my master.
His eloquence shone brightly on its own; it was hard to look away from him—but he was still just my master after all. Among his many disciples, I was merely one who found refuge under him.
He held a unique place in my heart; however, this sentiment was something I would never share with anyone else.
I sat on the ground, and all ten thousand members of my Fan Family Battle Group were present to cheer for my master. I could still handle such a scene. The King of Kucha nodded in my direction upon seeing us, but little did I know that the king's attention had a significant impact; all the World-renowned Monks turned their gazes toward me.
"The Kucha Goddess of War is truly beautiful! I thought she would be big and burly! That petite figure is really charming!" The Rouran King exclaimed as he saw me, his eyes lighting up. I am someone who appears cold on the outside but is warm on the inside. Even when talking to royal family members, I would not lower my status.
The Rouran King's jest displeased my Fan Family Army greatly. We squeezed our water bags and aimed them at the king's direction. With a loud "bang," water splashed everywhere as the bags burst at our feet. Although I, Fan Tian, am a woman, I am not someone who can be toyed with by royal authority.
The Fan Family team narrowed their eyes at the Rouran King; after all, we were a united front of ten thousand people. The Rouran King cleared his throat cautiously and shifted his position, realizing that he should not underestimate me. However, as a king, he still had to maintain some dignity. Just as he was about to mention me to the King of Kucha, my master was watching closely.
Within minutes, the Rouran King was escorted out of the World's Temple. It was said that he would not have the chance to join such grand occasions again in the future. My master's unreserved support warmed my heart; he truly is my master.
To show that I am a low-key goddess of war, I shifted my position and sat among the audience where I wouldn't be noticed, continuing to doze off. At that time, amidst the division of the Five Barbarians, even the Western Regions could not escape turmoil. Now that war had broken out, nowhere was safer than Kucha.
After the morning assembly ended, Kumarajiva stood before me. His tall figure felt like the largest natural barrier, while his gentle aura resembled the warmest rays of spring sunlight. I didn't want to open my eyes; I knew it was my master.
He cleared his throat and turned to glance at me with his hands behind his back, appearing somewhat mysterious. Then he flicked his index finger lightly as if awakening a mysterious power. When I woke up, I felt that my short sword had been drawn from my waist. Looking at Kumarajiva filled me with wonder.
"Fan Tian, look at you! If it weren't for your master's protection, wouldn't you be at someone else's mercy now?!"
I had many thoughts but kept them to myself; without my master, it would have been impossible for anyone to get close. My master played with my short sword before finally returning it to my waist.
"Master?!" I didn't mind what had just happened. He responded with an "mm," just like when he first found me on the battlefield and took my hand to say, "From now on, Kumarajiva will be your family!"
This time, he took my hand again and said, "Fan Tian, remember today!" Today is one of the most important days in my master's life.
On this day, Master Kumarajiva was elected as Saint King, and on this day, I was dispatched by the King of Kucha to guard the border. My master used my one-year duty as a guardian spirit as a reason to buy more time for my Fan Family Army's strength.
My Fan Family Army exists specifically to protect the Kucha Royal Family; although it is called the Fan Family Army, it is essentially the king's elite troops. Now in this army, I am the only member of the Fan Family; everything I do must be done with utmost caution.
I clasped my fists in front of my master and immediately said, "Master, if I were not the Kucha Goddess of War and you were not Saint King, we would just be ordinary family members. Can we live peacefully together for a lifetime?"
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