The Husky and His White Cat Shizun follow the story of the protagonist, Mo Ran, who also goes by Mo Weiyu or the Taixian jun, as he goes back in time after committing suicide. In his second lifetime, he decides to live a little bit differently, and his main goals are to earn the gratification of those who once looked down on him and to protect the one person he loves, Shi Mei, at all costs. One of the people Mo Ran believes looked down on him in his previous life is his shizun, Chu Wanning, with whom Mo Ran has this love-hate relationship. So begins Mo Ran’s journey, which is hilarious, heart-wrenching, and sometimes frustrating.

In volume one, the story primarily focuses on Mo Ran’s first exorcism duty in Butterfly Town. Along with Mo Ran are Chu Wanning, Shi Mei, and Xue Meng, Mo Ran’s younger cousin and the young master of the Sisheng Peak. In Butterfly Town, the group learned that the Chen family’s two older sons died, and they believed that their youngest son is next. So the family asked for the group’s help to eliminate all evilness. In addition, there is also an evil spirit who cultivates her power from ghost marriages. There is a sad backstory involving the Chen family, in which, at first, they attempt to hide it when Chu Wanning asks. The backstory will make you livid. After reading the back story, I fully believe that the Chen family got what they deserved, in fact, they can all die. The second arc in volume one is the group going on a trip to Jincheng Lake to get their holy weapons. Things get messy but also interesting. My favorite part of this arc is when Chu Wanning opens the box holding Mo Ran’s holy weapon.

Volume two picks up from where volume one ended, and the group returns home from Jincheng Lake in dismay and disappointment. As if Chu Wanning wasn’t already grumpy enough in volume one, he gets grumpier when he wakes up in the body of a five to six years old. It is hilarious but gives him the advantage of becoming closer to Mo Ran. The first arch story in volume two focuses on the group going to Peach Blossom Spring, part of the immortal realm, to train with the feathered tribe. Of course, Chu Wanning has to go in his child form. This is where things get messy again, but this time it is worse. Mo Ran gets framed for murder! He and Chu Wanning believes the murder has a connection to what happened at Jincheng Lake. Eventually, they flee Peach Blossom Spring after finding that a bunch of the feathered tribe people has been murdered, one of them being the leader of the feathered tribe. This leads to the next arc of the story. Relying on some pills which give him back his adult form, Chu Wanning, and Mo Ran visit Linyi town, which belongs to the Rufeng Sect territory, hoping to win a holy weapon at an auction. They believe the weapon will lead to the culprit framing Mo Ran. They don’t win the weapon, but Mo Ran learns that the holy weapon is his from his previous life. He also discovered that he was not the only person who was reincarnated. However, his memory of running into that person gets erased by a spell which also heightens Mo Ran’s emotion to distinguish between the love and hate in his heart. Yes, this means Mo Ran’s love for Shi Mei and hatred for Chu Wanning may grow even more.

The person he liked, in this life and the last, was Shi Mei. But for some reason, moments before death, he had chosen to bury himself under the haitang tree in front of the Heaven-Piercing Tower, where he had first met Chu Wanning.

From Volume 2, page 325

So far, the story is so well written. The emotions that Mo Ran experienced are very well portrayed, and it makes the reader understand the pain he went through and that he’s not a bad person. So far, both volumes provide few details as to what happened in Mo Ran’s previous life. However, it is clear that Mo Ran started losing it after Shi Mei’s death. Shi Mei was the only one that was nice and caring towards Mo Ran, which was why his death was so brutal for Mo Ran to accept. In addition, Chu Wanning lost all his spiritual energy attempting to stop Mo Ran and was forced to become Mo Ran’s consort. To clarify, Mo Ran blames Chu Wanning for Shi Mei’s death because Chu Wanning was present at the time of the incident. Mo Ran begged him to save Shi Mei, but Chu Wanning didn’t because he had to protect the barrier that separated Earth from the demon realm. It is not known what triggered the barrier to weaken. However, I think everything will be revealed in later volumes.

Additionally, Chu Wanning is very caring toward Mo Ran. Yes, he is strict towards Mo Ran, so he disciplines Mo Ran whenever Mo Ran acts out. It’s pretty much “tough love,” but it is clear that Chu Wanning loves and cares for Mo Ran. There is little background on Chu Wanning, but in the second volume, during their stay on Peach Blossom Spring, we get a glimpse into the past about 400 years before the story takes place. This 400-year-old event, I think and hope, will be revisited in later volumes to provide more background information on Chu Wanning. Even after Chu Wanning became Mo Ran’s consort and was sexually assaulted on multiple accounts, he holds no grudge against Mo Ran. In fact, he blames himself for how Mo Ran turned out to be during the first lifetime. So while, the relationship between Mo Ran and Chu Wanning are somewhat complicated, be prepared to get butterflies fluttering in your stomach.

When he saw that Chu Wanning wasn’t getting up to make him breakfast, he didn’t press the matter. Instead, he smiled lazily and reached out, pulling Chu Winning’s face closer, and pressed a chaste kiss to his lips.”

From Volume 1, page 343

The character development is already noticeable at the beginning of volume one, and it is a good development, especially for Mo Ran. He constantly reminds himself that he is no longer the powerful Taxian Jun but a regular 15 years old teenager and that he shouldn’t live and dwell in the past. He knows that he is the cause of all the atrocities that happened in his past life and blames himself for it, which is why he wants to live differently in his second life. Chu Wanning’s development is more noticeable in the second volume, where he is a little “nicer” towards Mo Ran. The translation of the story is also perfect, and I’m glad I bought the books and did not read some online fan-based or machine translation. I’m not dissing anyone, but in the past, I have read many fan-based or machine translations, and the work was just sloppy that I couldn’t continue. Plus, I wanted to support the author. Also, the artworks on both covers are gorgeous!

Volume three is coming out in August 2023, and I cannot wait for it to come out to see the development between Mo Ran and Chu Wanning. I understand that this type of work is not for everyone. However, if you enjoy watching Chinese drama or read similar series like Heaven’s Official Blessings and Grandmaster of Demon Cultivation, then The Husky and His White Cat might be a series that you will want to check out.

Where to buy:

Barnes and Noble
Right Stuff Anime (If I remember correctly, Right Stuff anime is like a dollar cheaper than Barnes and Noble. I also purchased my two copies from this website).
Amazon (also available on Kindle)