Wait, How Did My Digital Girlfriend Become a Sword Immortal?

Chapter 112: It’s a Taotie!
[Danger! Killing intent detected!]
Baji, who had been peacefully cultivating, suddenly flipped over, feeling an overwhelming sense of suffocation, like being constricted by a giant python.
It quickly scanned its surroundings—
No threats detected.
Until—
The door to the guest bedroom creaked open.
Chen Huai’an stepped out, holding his silver acupuncture needles, his gaze sweeping the room until he spotted Baji by the windowsill.
Ever since the big blue fish had revived, Baji had relocated to the windowsill.
But, being a responsible pet owner, Chen Huai’an had moved the big blue fish into a large baby bathtub so its tail wouldn’t stick out.
"Baji, today, I bestow upon you a great opportunity!"
Chen Huai’an approached step by step, a gentle and benevolent smile on his face.
But in Baji’s eyes—
That smile was more terrifying than a rampaging Xingtian!
[It’s over! He’s giving me a ‘great opportunity’?! Has his memory awakened? Did he discover my true identity and now wants me dead?!]
Baji’s fur bristled.
It bolted.
Its current strength wasn’t enough to break through the talisman-sealed doors and windows, so it could only try its best to hide.
Baji ran.
Chen Huai’an chased.
The entire living room turned into a war zone.
One moment, Chen Huai’an was crawling under the table—
The next, he was digging behind the coffee table—
After several rounds of chaos, he finally cornered Baji against the wall.
—
"Weird."
Chen Huai’an caught his breath and frowned at Baji, who had curled into a shivering ball.
"Baji is usually so obedient. I can hold it whenever, grab it whenever—why is it so scared today?"
He thought for a moment.
Then, he remembered something.
Lin Lingling just moved in.
It all made sense.
Cats are incredibly sensitive and territorial creatures.
To them, every living thing is either a cat—big cat, small cat, or two-legged cat.
They recognize friend or foe primarily by scent.
Especially for a former stray cat like Baji, new smells were a huge source of stress.
It’s probably just stress from the new environment.
"Baji, don’t be afraid. Even if you become crippled, I’ll still take care of you for life! I’ll buy you the best cat food! And even find you a lovely calico wife!"
Chen Huai’an squatted down, his shadow looming over Baji, speaking words that made the little black cat’s soul tremble.
[Hah… so this is my fate?]
Baji’s eyes filled with sorrow.
In that glorious era of the past, it had been captured by the Celestial Clan, tamed, and forced to guard Xingtian’s severed head.
After the Great Cataclysm, it had barely survived by going into deep slumber.
Yet, now that it had just awakened, it had once again fallen into captivity.
Am I doomed to be nothing but a guard dog for eternity?!
No! I can’t give up!
Even if it costs me my life, I will fight!
Baji’s gaze locked onto Chen Huai’an’s left hand, a red glint flashing in its eyes as it crouched, preparing to pounce.
But the next second—
A sharp numbness spread through the back of its neck.
Its entire body went limp.
—
"Still gotta rely on distraction techniques!"
Chen Huai’an grinned, hoisting Baji into the air.
Just now, he had lured Baji with his left hand, while his right hand struck like lightning, grabbing the cat by the scruff of its neck—sealing its fate.
For big cats, grabbing the scruff might not work.
But for small cats like Baji?
It was an instant KO.
—
[Damn it! This wretched, weak body!]
[Move! Move, damn it!!!]
Baji struggled with all its might—
But all it could manage was a pathetic little twitch.
It felt like its entire body was frozen solid, unable to move an inch.
—
"Awoo—!"
"Awoo woo—!"
Hearing the sounds coming from Baji, Chen Huai’an was momentarily stunned.
He lifted the little black cat up to his face—
And burst out laughing.
"Wow, Baji! You can bark like a dog?!"
"Wait… no, this actually sounds more like a wolf!"
He plopped down on the sofa, still holding Baji by the scruff.
To prevent it from moving during the acupuncture, he kept his right hand firmly gripping its neck, while his left hand moved like flowing water, swiftly unpacking the needle set.
Two fingers lightly pinched a silver needle.
"Be good. This will be over in a flash."
"If we’re lucky, you might even turn into a super cat!"
"I’ll make videos of you doing backflips and barking like a dog—if you go viral, you can even earn your own cat food!"
—
Backflips?
Barking like a dog?!
Baji’s eyes burned with pure humiliation.
I am the ancient vicious beast—Taotie!!!
I am Taotie!!!
Even when it was captured by the Celestial Clan, it had at least been given an important role—guarding Xingtian’s severed head.
Humiliating, yes, but still dignified.
And now—
THIS HUMAN WANTS ME TO PERFORM CIRCUS TRICKS?!
UNFORGIVABLE!!!
It opened its mouth, ready to let out a furious roar—
But before it could make a sound, Chen Huai’an’s hand moved like lightning.
The silver needle struck.
In an instant—
Baji froze completely.
Even its eyes couldn’t move.
"Kekeke, little cat, if my acupuncture technique is sound, you’ll thank me one day!"
Chen Huai’an smirked.
As soon as Baji’s full meridian network appeared before his eyes, his pupils glowed with a faint golden light.
Baji’s mind went blank.
For a brief moment, it wasn’t Chen Huai’an that it saw—
It was Fuxi, Wu Peng, and Shennong—legendary figures of the ancient past.
Their shadows overlapped with Chen Huai’an, merging into one.
It felt as though the hands holding the silver needles were no longer Chen Huai’an’s, but those of the ancient saints themselves.
Even if it could move, Baji wouldn’t have dared to.
—
"No wonder they call this the Perfected Meridian-Opening Acupuncture!"
Chen Huai’an worked swiftly, every movement crisp and precise.
His mind felt clearer than ever, as if he had entered a state of enlightenment.
Compared to before, treating Baji now felt completely different.
His control over force and timing had reached a level of absolute mastery.
Not only could he pinpoint the effects of every needle before he even placed them—
He could also see all of Baji’s internal issues.
And there was something very strange.
Baji limped when it walked.
But—
Its legs were completely fine.
Was it a neurological issue?
If so, then this was easy to fix.
For a meridian-opening specialist, curing a neurological condition was barely even considered a challenge.
But nerve-related treatments were always tricky.
He would need to use at least a hundred needles—
And it would hurt.
Hopefully, Baji could handle it.
As soon as the thought crossed his mind—
His hands blurred into motion.
A row of silver needles pierced straight into Baji’s forehead.
"AWOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO—!!!!!!"
—
Creak—
The master bedroom door cracked open, just a sliver.
A pair of cautious eyes peeked out.
Lin Lingling.
She had been meditating, but suddenly heard a series of miserable wails.
They were so bloodcurdling that even she—who had seen plenty of horrors—felt a chill down her spine.
She hesitated.
What if it was some horrifying mutation?
But—
Her job was to observe Chen Huai’an.
No matter how scared she was, she had no choice but to check it out.
And when she saw—
She was stunned speechless.
Chen Huai’an was sitting on the sofa, holding a set of silver acupuncture needles—
And he was stabbing the hell out of that cat demon.
Acupuncture itself wasn’t strange.
But the way he was doing it—
Was inhuman.
His movements were too fast.
His hands moved like dancing butterflies, flickering between spots in a blur—
She couldn’t even follow it with her eyes.
—
Lin Lingling had already unlocked her body’s two primary meridians, boosting her reaction speed and perception far beyond an ordinary person’s.
If she entered the Olympics right now, she could probably shatter every world record in history.
And yet—
Even she couldn’t keep up with his hands.
—
"This… This is Kirin Arm strength, isn’t it?"
Lin Lingling gasped in awe.
His kidney health must be incredible.
—
But it wasn’t just the speed.
There was something mysterious about Chen Huai’an right now.
His eyes glowed with a faint divine light.
His entire aura had shifted.
He no longer felt like his usual charming monk-warlock hybrid.
Instead—
He resembled a divine physician.
—
But… why?
Why was he treating a cat demon?
Healing injuries?
That didn’t make sense.
The cat demon wasn’t injured.
Lin Lingling had already noticed many times—
That cat was faking its limp.
She had seen it leaping across the living room with perfectly fine legs.
Yet, it always pretended to be crippled in front of Chen Huai’an.
—
Strength enhancement, then?
Lin Lingling pursed her lips, held her breath, and continued observing.
Then—
A wild thought struck her.
What if…
What if this cat demon wasn’t just some random stray?
What if it was—
A creature that Chen Huai’an had personally raised and trained?