The True Form of Gu Xiaoli

So Gu Xiaoli was a perfectly legal loli.

At one hundred and twenty-two years old, her actual age made her an adult in every sense of the word—an adult beyond adulthood.

Yet the longevity of the demon race allowed her to retain the appearance and mentality of a loli.

But that was not what concerned Gu Chengyin.

Ever since Gu Xiaoli had said she wanted to eat him, her tone had been far too serious to be a joke.

Which raised the question: as a cat demon who had lived for one hundred and twenty-two years, what exactly did Gu Xiaoli mean by “eat”?

The demon race naturally thought differently from humans, and she was a cat demon on top of that.

Even ordinary cats that had never cultivated into demons had behavior patterns baffling enough to leave people scratching their heads, let alone a cat demon like Gu Xiaoli, who was already half a step into the Nascent Soul realm.

“So, Xiaoli, how do you want to eat me?”

Gu Xiaoli had been nervously clutching her heart, anxiously waiting to see how Gu Chengyin would react to her age.

In her experience, foolish humans would usually make an expression that made her deeply uncomfortable after learning how old she was—as though they were looking at a monster.

Gu Xiaoli had seen that expression far too many times. Eventually, she had simply stopped letting anyone know her age.

But Gu Chengyin had not reacted that way. He had merely nodded and then let the matter drop.

At the same time, he had allowed Gu Xiaoli’s heart to settle as well.

She did not even realize that the corners of her mouth were curling upward uncontrollably.

Her spiritual-power tail perked up again, the tip curving into a pleased hook.

As for how she wanted to eat him, that question immediately sent Gu Xiaoli’s spirits soaring.

Her unease and apprehension vanished, replaced by overwhelming excitement and anticipation.

She had decided long ago how she wanted to eat Gu Chengyin. She had known from the very beginning.

It was not really eating him. What Gu Xiaoli actually wanted was to leave her scent on Gu Chengyin.

Now that Gu Chengyin had taken the initiative to ask, there was no need for her to hide it anymore.

However, she still needed to make a few preparations before getting started.

Gu Xiaoli glanced around. Her beautiful eyes instantly grew sharp.

People rarely came to this rear courtyard, but this matter was of great importance, and Gu Xiaoli did not want to leave even the slightest possibility of an accident.

After confirming that there were no other presences nearby, Gu Xiaoli raised her right hand and casually swept her slender, fair fingers through the air.

An invisible ripple of spiritual power spread out from her fingertips, expanding in all directions at astonishing speed.

In the next instant, a huge spiritual barrier appeared out of thin air.

Like an inverted glass bowl, it completely enveloped the entire rear courtyard.

The barrier’s range was immense. It covered not only the whole courtyard but also the towering locust tree whose age was impossible to determine.

Faint golden light flowed along the inner walls of the barrier, while densely packed runes flickered in and out of sight, radiating an ancient, weighty aura.

Gu Chengyin raised an eyebrow at Gu Xiaoli’s actions.

There was nothing strange about setting up a spiritual barrier.

But even if she only wanted to whisper, there was no need to make it this large, was there?

Just as Gu Chengyin was wondering about it, Gu Xiaoli’s voice rang out.

There was a hint of coyness in it, a touch of shyness, and an unmistakable anticipation that she could barely contain.

“Big Brother, you’ve never seen Xiaoli’s true form before, have you?”

Her true form?

Gu Chengyin froze slightly.

Gu Xiaoli’s true form?

If she was a cat demon, then her true form should be a cat as well.

Without thinking, he began imagining a small cat in his mind.

Perhaps a tabby. Perhaps a calico.

After all, Gu Xiaoli’s spiritual ears and tail were patterned in black, white, and orange.

Whatever the colors, it should still be a cat.

At most, it would be a little larger than an ordinary cat, or perhaps somewhat more beautiful.

And, to be honest, Gu Chengyin had never seen Gu Xiaoli’s true strength, let alone her true form.

In front of him, she was always a soft and sweet little loli. She was occasionally mischievous, but most of the time she was obedient and well-behaved.

Aside from suddenly appearing from some unexpected corner, there was almost nothing about her that resembled someone who had reached the half-step Nascent Soul realm.

Gu Chengyin knew only that Gu Xiaoli was very strong. Exactly how strong, he had never had any real idea.

Then, all of a sudden, Gu Xiaoli vanished.

There was no warning and no fluctuation of spiritual power. She simply disappeared from where she stood.

In her place was a cat.

A cat larger than the towering locust tree.

Gu Chengyin’s pupils contracted sharply, and his neck instinctively bent backward.

He had to tilt his head back as far as it could go before he could barely take in the full view of the colossal creature before him.

The enormous cat stood in the courtyard like a small mountain, its four limbs as thick as four pillars supporting the heavens.

Its paws pressed against the flagstones without making a sound.

Clearly, spiritual power was holding it aloft. Otherwise, its sheer weight alone would have crushed the entire rear courtyard.

The fur covering its body was thick and luxuriant, interwoven with three colors:

Ink-black, deep as the night sky.

Orange-gold, warm as the autumn sun.

And gleaming white, pure as freshly fallen snow.

The three colors blended together in the most natural way, forming patterns across its massive body like an ink-wash landscape painting.

It was a long-haired calico tabby.

Gu Chengyin tilted his head back to the absolute limit, the back of his head nearly touching his spine, before he could barely see the giant cat’s face.

Two eyes larger than his entire body were slightly narrowed, their amber pupils reduced to thin slits.

A warm luster gleamed within them, like two enormous pieces of amber set into the sky.

The cat’s mouth opened slightly, revealing several sharp fangs that flashed with a cold light.

Gu Chengyin now understood why Gu Xiaoli had made the spiritual barrier so large.

It was not to stop people from hearing.

It was to stop them from seeing.

With a true form this enormous, if the spiritual barrier had not concealed it, half of the Divine Capital would probably have been able to see a gigantic cat the size of a mountain crouching in the Crown Prince’s Palace.

The mere thought of that scene was horrifying enough.

So this was Gu Xiaoli’s true form?

This was the real appearance of the catgirl loli?

Just as Gu Chengyin’s understanding of reality was being violently rewritten by the sight before him, the enormous calico tabby slowly lowered its head.

The gigantic head plunged down from the sky, stirring up a powerful gust of wind.

The flowers and grass in the courtyard bent low in unison, while Gu Chengyin’s robes snapped loudly in the rushing air.

The cat’s head stopped less than three feet away from him.

Then its mouth opened—large enough to swallow an entire house in a single bite—and Gu Xiaoli’s voice came from within.

The voice was still soft and sweet, exactly the same as usual, only much louder.

A deep resonance from her enormous chest vibrated through the air:

“Big Brother, can Xiaoli eat you?”

Gu Chengyin: “......”