Douluo Dalu: Starting With Tom Cat

After performing a series of professional medical maneuvers, Tom began pulling items out of seemingly nowhere: a small lamp, alcohol, iodine, bandages, and a variety of jars and bottles. He was preparing to treat Zhu Zhuqing's injuries, which required removing her outer garments.

Shen An, standing to the side, wisely chose not to interfere. In moments like this, adding another pair of hands would only cause chaos.

Tom suddenly froze, his cat face scrunched up in realization. Wait... there's no water to clean the wounds!

But then, his eyes lit up as he remembered Zhu Zhuqing pulling out the jerky from a small pink pouch earlier. Tom rummaged through her belongings and found the pouch.

He reached inside but came up empty. Frustrated, he handed the bag to Shen An, mimicking a drinking motion to indicate his need for water.

Shen An took the pouch and immediately noticed it wasn't ordinary. It felt incredibly smooth, even more luxurious than the finest silk, and faint streams of air seemed to flow around it.

This must be a Soul Guidance Device, Shen An thought, marveling at the object. But... how does one use it?

He hesitated and decided to try channeling his soul power into it.

In an instant, he sensed a small space within the pouch. However, while he could feel the contents, he had no idea how to retrieve them.

Just then, Zhu Zhuqing let out a faint groan, and her blood-streaked wounds began turning an ominous black. The wolf's claws are poisoned!

There was no time to figure it out. Shen An poured every bit of his soul power into the pouch and yanked hard.

With a sudden whoosh, a pile of items materialized on the ground: clothes, food, a water pouch, some gold and silver coins... and certain personal, distinctly feminine items.

Cough! Shen An quickly averted his gaze, cheeks burning, and handed the water pouch to Tom.

Tom nodded, sterilized the surrounding area, and meticulously began treating Zhu Zhuqing's wounds with alcohol. He then donned a pair of white gloves and prepared to clean and bandage her injuries.

Meanwhile, Shen An busied himself collecting the scattered items. After all, they belonged to Zhu Zhuqing.

However, when it came to the personal items—soft, lacy pieces in white, pink, and with intricate floral embroidery—Shen An hesitated.

He sneaked a glance at Tom, who was fully engrossed in tending to Zhu Zhuqing, and quickly scooped up the intimate garments.

"Wow... these are... quite large," he muttered, comparing one to his own hand.

"Twelve years old and already this developed?!" Shen An sighed, marveling at how quickly people in the Douluo Continent matured.

Feeling flustered, he hurriedly tossed the garments into the pile of Zhu Zhuqing's belongings.

A faint whimper from Zhu Zhuqing drew Shen An's attention.

"Cough!"

He quickly withdrew his hands and sat down, trying to look innocent. Not me. I didn't do anything!

Wait... why am I feeling guilty?!

Having finished collecting the scattered items, Shen An decided he needed a distraction. He turned his attention to his system and remembered the 1,000 fame points he had earned after meeting Zhu Zhuqing.

"1,000 fame points equals one draw. Perfect!" Shen An grinned.

But then he noticed a small note on the screen:

"10 consecutive draws guarantee a rare item!"

Shen An's enthusiasm faltered. This feels way too similar to those gacha games back on Earth... except worse, since it doesn't even say what's in the pool or what the guarantee is!

He thought about saving up for a 10-draw.

And then immediately decided against it. "Nah. Life is short. Yolo!"

With no special effects or fanfare, a simple message popped up:

[Congratulations! You have drawn a pair of Balenciaga logo-patterned black stockings.]

[Item stored in inventory.]

"...Seriously? That's it?"

Shen An's lips twitched in disbelief. What kind of nonsense is this "miracle single draw"?!

Curious, he summoned the stockings from his system's inventory. For the first time in his two lifetimes, Shen An found himself holding a pair of stockings.

The system description read:

"Balenciaga Logo-Patterned Stockings: Increases attack speed by 25,000. Wearing them will greatly enhance critical hit rates. Best paired with twin ponytails!"

Shen An stared at the description, dumbfounded.

"What the fuck is this?!"

He shook his head, comparing the stockings' feel to Zhu Zhuqing's silken garments. To his surprise, he found the stockings inferior. Blushing, he quickly glanced over at Zhu Zhuqing, feeling inexplicably guilty.

Still, the hoarder in him couldn't bring himself to discard the stockings.

My storage space is massive. I'll just keep everything, no matter how ridiculous.

By then, Tom had finished treating Zhu Zhuqing's wounds. He flashed an "okay" gesture to Shen An before collapsing onto the ground in exhaustion.

Shen An's heart softened as he watched the tired cat. He gently picked Tom up and cradled him in his arms, ensuring he rested somewhere warm and comfortable.

Soon, Tom's light snores filled the air. Shen An chuckled, adjusted Tom's position, and prepared himself to stand guard through the night.

With Zhu Zhuqing unconscious and Tom asleep, Shen An couldn't afford to relax. The memory of the wolf attack still sent chills down his spine.

As the night passed, the darkness slowly gave way to the faint glow of dawn. Shen An, exhausted, finally allowed his eyes to close, succumbing to sleep.

The rising sun painted the sky in hues of red and orange. Zhu Zhuqing stirred, her consciousness slowly returning.

Her body trembled slightly as memories of the wolf attack surfaced. Did I escape?

She recalled the peculiar cat that wielded strange weapons, defeating two hundred-year-old soul beasts and forcing the pack to retreat.

As she moved, pain radiated from her shoulder and waist. Looking down, she saw her wounds had been expertly treated and bound with bandages.

But then, Zhu Zhuqing froze.

Wait. Where are my clothes?!

Realization struck her. Someone must have undressed her to clean and bandage her wounds. Although it was undoubtedly done to save her life...

This is so embarrassing!

Her pale cheeks flushed crimson as she glanced at the sleeping Shen An and Tom.

It didn't take long to figure out who had dressed her wounds. Tom, cute as he was, didn't have the dexterity for such a meticulous job.

Her eyes lingered on the neat, snug bandages, even tied with a little bow. It has to be him...

Her emotions were a mix of gratitude, shame, and a strange sense of betrayal. I have a family destiny and a marriage pact, yet... he's seen everything?!

As Zhu Zhuqing's gaze bore into him, Shen An stirred. Groggily opening his eyes, he saw her awake, staring at him with an expression he couldn't quite decipher.

"Uh... morning?"