Cats had thick pads on their paws, allowing them to run silently on flat ground.
Even for experts with keen senses, it would be impossible to catch the sound of the tabby cat running unless they listened very carefully.
Of course, even if they did hear something, no one would pay attention to a stray cat.
Xu Qi’an had stayed at Chai Manor for half a day and only knew the general location of Chai Xing’er’s quarters.
The tabby cat wandered “aimlessly” through the inner courtyard, stopping and starting as it went. Before long, it finally found Chai Xing’er’s boudoir, a small courtyard, a candle flickering in a side room.
The tabby cat walked slowly under the eaves, came to the door, and pricked up its ears to listen.
“Li Lang, tell me honestly, did you really return to Xiangzhou for me?”
Chai Xing’er’s cold and melodious voice drifted through the crack in the door from the brightly lit bedroom.
“Of course!”
Li Lingsu’s deep and lingering voice replied, “I told you before, a man with attachments cannot go far, no matter if he is at the ends of the earth, he will sooner or later return to the person he loves.”
“Then swear to me you’ll never leave me again.”
“Xing’er, you know I’m a wanderer…”
Li Lingsu’s tone changed, “But if you are willing to come with me, I swear I’ll never leave you in this lifetime.”
You’re lying!
The tabby cat mumbled internally. This scumbag, it was obvious he only said this because he knew the other party wouldn’t abandon the Chai family at such a critical moment to elope with him.
It could not see what was happening inside. As a cat, it couldn’t reach the window to poke a hole and peek in. Besides, a cat poking around a window would look ridiculous.
Even a fool would know something was up.
So, the tabby elegantly lay down at the door, ears pricked, continuing to eavesdrop.
Chai Xing’er sighed, “Li Lang, after such a calamity has befallen the Chai family, how could I go with you?”
Li Lingsu’s gentle voice sounded, “I can stay here and wait for you. Once things are settled at Chai Manor, we can roam the world together.”
There was a moment of silence in the house before Chai Xing’er’s cold voice spoke:
“Li Lang, it’s not that I’m unwilling to follow you into exile, but in this world, if one can live peacefully and happily, why endure all that wandering? Though the Chai family has suffered this catastrophe, for us, is it not a good opportunity as well?”
“What- what do you mean?”
Li Lingsu’s voice changed a little.
“My eldest brother only has three sons. The eldest died young, the second is mediocre and useless, and the youngest is a wastrel who knows only pleasure. Now with Chai Xian’s monstrous crimes, after what he has done, the position of family head can only fall to me.”
Chai Xing’er said softly, “Li Lang, my only shortcoming is that I have no children. Wouldn’t it be best if you stayed in Xiangzhou? In the future, our child would be the head of the Chai family.”
Li Lingsu did not answer. He was silent for a long time before slowly saying:
“Xing’er, tell me, does Chai Xian’s crime truly have nothing to do with you?”
“You don’t believe me?” Chai Xing’er’s tone changed.
“Of course I believe you, it’s just that this case is rather odd, and I was not present at the time…”
Before Li Lingsu finished, he was interrupted by Chai Xing’er, who said icily, “I’m tired.”
Li Lingsu sighed and immediately said, “Rest well. I’ll return to my room for now.”
A few seconds later, the tabby cat outside suddenly heard a “thud” as someone seemed to fall, then heard the Holy Son’s shocked and confused voice:
“Xing’er, you…”
The tabby cat, Xu Qi’an, felt a chill in his heart. He knew the man had been poisoned.
Why did Chai Xing’er poison the Holy Son? My body is at the in, I can’t possibly rescue him in time. Oh, right, perhaps I could go find the Buddhists? Driving the tiger to eat the wolf…
As this thought flashed through his mind, he heard Chai Xing’er give a faint sigh:
“Li Lang, you’ve changed. The old you would have thrown everything aside to hold me and comfort me. Now you only think of leaving. Have you forgotten your vows and promises? Forgotten the risks you took to sneak into Thousand Tribulations Valley just to please me?
“What made you change your heart?”
No, young lady, it’s not his heart that changed, he’s just suffering from kidney deficiency… Xu Qi’an inwardly answered Chai Xing’er’s question with a sarcastic thought.
“What exactly do you want?” Li Lingsu recovered, his tone calm but carrying a note of helplessness.
Seeing that the Holy Son was not panicking, Xu Qi’an decided to observe for a while longer. After all, the consequences of drawing in monks from the Western Regions would be enormous, and would expose Li Lingsu’s identity, and in turn, reveal his own. More importantly, he still did not know where Vajra Du’nan was hiding.
Chai Xing’er’s voice turned gentle. “Of course I want to have a child with you. Heaven has sent you to me at this time, arranged so perfectly, I’m overjoyed.”
“Then why resort to poison?”
“Because, before that, I have three questions for you. If you lie or refuse to answer, I will cut off your cock.”
As she spoke, Xu Qi’an heard the sound of scissors opening and closing, and Li Lingsu’s quavering voice, “What questions?”
Holy fuck she’s completely deranged… The tabby cat, Xu Qi’an, bared its teeth, instinctively pressing its hind legs together, then realised that the body he was currently possessing was that of a little female cat.
Suddenly, he began to look forward to what would happen next.
“Did you ever love me?” Chai Xing’er asked softly.
“Of course. My heart for you is as steadfast as Heaven and Earth. If I harboured even the slightest pretence, may I never be reborn.” Li Lingsu declared loudly.
“Though I am utterly devoted to Xing’er, how do you know my words are true?” Li Lingsu added with a bitter smile.
“Li Lang, you need not test me. I’ll be honest, I laced the wine you just drank with Desire Gu. The day you left without a word, I was heartbroken. I personally travelled to the Southern Marches to seek the Desire Gu from the shaman clans.
“If you truly love me, the Desire Gu will not backlash; if not, you’ll endure unbearable agony. Moreover, the mother Gu is within me. For any question I ask, you cannot lie.”
Why is my fate so ill-starred with the Desire Gu in this life… Li Lingsu’s face turned pale.
Chai Xing’er said blandly, “Second question, have you ever loved any other woman?”
Whew! The Holy Son’s little son is doomed… Xu Qi’an the cat could barely hide his amusement.
As long as the Holy Son’s life was not at risk, everything else was trivial. For a scoundrel like this, poetic justice meant losing both the chicken and the eggs.
Li Lingsu did not answer her.
Chai Xing’er narrowed her eyes, squatting beside him, and asked softly, “Why won’t you answer me, Li Lang?”
Li Lingsu sighed:
“I only feel sorrow. When we first met, the moment I saw you, I quietly vowed in my heart that you were the woman I wanted to care for and cherish. I acted on my heart’s desire, without considering the reason.
“Now I understand that your weakness is your lack of security. That was why, back then, I would have risked anything to protect you. Thinking back, my departure must have hurt you deeply… Ah, every mistake was entirely mine. Besides you, I have looked at other women, my mother, for instance.
“Xing’er, I’m very glad to have returned at this time, to face the storms of the Chai family together with you.”
And besides your mother? Say it plainly, man! Do you think you can fool anyone by slipping in a half truth in a torrent of sweet words? Xu Qi’an the cat was furious.
Bang!
The scissors fell to the ground, followed by Chai Xing’er’s tearful, joyful voice, “Li Lang, Li Lang…”
…
The ginger cat waited outside the door for a quarter of an hour. When it heard a woman’s panting and the sound of a bed creaking, it knew the Holy Son had been forced to go to work, so it left.
Women with a feeble and sickly disposition should be avoided, or else Honest Brother’s fate today would be yours tomorrow… Chai Xing’er is indeed very suspicious; judging by her motive, she is the one who stood to benefit most…
While searching for the monks’ quarters, he thought about this. Before long, he found the courtyard where the monks were staying.
The monks lived by a strict routine. Except for one room on the west side where a lamp was still burning, the other rooms were all dark.
The ginger cat slipped silently into the courtyard and was immediately greeted by a rich aroma of meat.
The door to the western wing was ajar. Several burly monks were sitting around a stove. A large pot was simmering on top, steam rising as the scent of meat drifted out.
Warrior monks were different from Zen masters. They did not need to keep to the strict precepts and could eat meat and drink wine, what passed through the intestines did not matter as long as Buddha was in the heart.
Furthermore, like all martial artists, warrior monks followed the path of Refining Vitality, which required tremendous amounts of food.
Xu Qi’an glanced through the crack in the door. He did not see Jin Yuan, the fourth-rank warrior monk, nor were there any Zen masters in the room, which put his mind at ease.
“Do you know why Patriarch Du’nan left halfway?”
One of the warrior monks, his mouth greasy from eating, swept his gaze around at his fellows.
“No idea!”
The others all shook their heads.
Vajra Du’nan is not here? The ginger cat could not help feeling pleased, but then instinctively wondered: what can be more important than retrieving the Stupa tower? After all, the severed arm of Shenshu is being held inside.
“To be honest, I think Uncle Jingxin is too meddlesome. If we set out for Yongzhou earlier, we could have gathered information and set an ambush ahead of time. Waiting for a precise moment has made us lose the initiative.”
The monk who had spoken earlier shook his head.
“It does not matter. That person does not know we have discovered his true identity. Besides, this time, as well as Patriarch Du’nan, Arhat Duqing and Vajra Dufan are also present with other brothers. Even if that person sprouts wings, they will not be able to escape.”
Another monk took a sip of meat broth and gave a chuckle.
“That person,” who is he talking about? Arhat Duqing and Vajra Dufan had mobilised the Buddhist monks together… Xu Qi’an’s heart sank. After a little thought, he made a guess, the Buddhists were after him.
Thinking back to the clues he had exposed back in Leizhou, it was surprising but not unreasonable that the Buddhists had deduced his identity.
They’ve mobilised an Arhat and two Vajras. Hiss, the Buddhists really do take me seriously. Fortunately, the old Jianzheng dealt with Vaidurya Bodhisattva; otherwise, I would not even be able to dream of escaping.
This female Bodhisattva with her Walker Dharma Aspect is said to be the fastest in the world. The ginger cat felt both relieved and heavy-hearted.
Another monk said, “I think Uncle Jingxin has his own reasons. Do not forget, it was only thanks to him interfering in that bandit disaster in the villages a few days ago that we encountered the bandit chief who possessed the Dragon Qi.
“Hey, now he has laid down his sabre and reformed, and has become a Buddhist… Who’s there?”
The warrior monk suddenly shouted.
At that moment, the door that had been left a little open was pushed wide, and the orange glow illuminated the ginger cat at the threshold.
“Meow~”
The ginger cat mewed softly, its amber eyes fixed on the iron pot.
So it’s just a cat drawn in by the smell!
The monk who had found it softened his expression and tossed a chunk of fatty meat to the doorstep.
Damn, could they not have thrown some lean meat… The ginger cat grudgingly picked up the fatty meat. Chased off by the monks, it scampered away.
After leaving the courtyard and walking only a few steps, it suddenly saw a figure coming out of the darkness, a large, expressionless man.
The ginger cat originally thought he belonged to the Chai family and paid little attention. But as he drew closer, the cat suddenly froze. The man’s face looked no different to an ordinary person’s, but he had no heartbeat, no breath, like a walking corpse…
No, it was a corpse!
Although the Chai family was famed for controlling corpses, there should be no reason for anyone to be manipulating corpses to wander around at night…
Just as this thought flashed by, the cat saw the corpse brush past it, skirt around the monks’ courtyard, and head towards the inner quarters.
Let’s follow and see… The ginger cat quietly tailed it. After about a quarter of an hour, the corpse stopped at a deserted courtyard deep in the inner compound.
“He” paused outside the yard, then suddenly straightened and leapt nimbly, clearing the two-metre-high courtyard wall and landing inside.
“Who’s there?!”
A shout came from within.
Next came a flurry of loud thuds, muffled groans, and heavy thumps, then all fell silent.
The ginger cat waited outside for several minutes before suddenly leaping up, walking along the wall as if it were flat ground, and easily vaulting over the top to enter the courtyard.
This was entirely the ginger cat’s own ability. The Desire Gu could only control creatures with low intelligence and could not grant any new abilities.
Fortunately, I took control of a cat. If it had been a dog, it would probably be in those monks’ stomachs by now… he thought ruefully, sweeping his amber eyes over the courtyard.
Two figures lay unconscious in the yard.
The door to the main house stood wide open, the inside pitch black and eerily chilling.
The ginger cat leapt past the two unconscious guards and darted into the dark room. The furnishings were sparse, but there was a gaping hole by the window leading deep underground.
The stone cover for the hole had been lifted high, someone had opened it just now.
The ginger cat hesitated not for a moment and slipped inside.
A stairway had been built in the entrance, leading downwards, with weak light shining up from below, it was the glow of oil lamps.
Following this dim light, the ginger cat walked soundlessly down the stairs. A few minutes later, it reached the bottom.
The stench of rot hit it in the face, carrying a pungent, choking odour.
The ginger cat nearly fainted; a cat’s sense of smell was dozens of times stronger than a human’s.
The stench is overwhelming… The ginger cat wobbled, steadying itself after a while.
It was the odour of corpses!
This cellar was filled with the stink of dead bodies.
He saw that the cellar was very large, criss-crossed with passages, more like a miniature underground maze.
He moved quietly for a while before coming to a corridor.
On each side stood corpse after corpse, men and women, old and young, some in burial robes, some in long dresses, some in scholar’s gowns…
They all had their eyes shut, faces pale, as though they might awaken at any moment.
And all over the floor lay hoods, suggesting that those hoods had been pulled from the corpses’ heads.
…
In the inn, Mu Nanzhi finished reading her light novel, stretched her back, and was about to crawl into bed to sleep.
But just then, she suddenly heard rapid breathing. On the small bed next to her, Xu Qi’an lay on his side, eyes closed, his breath heavy.
“What’s wrong?”
Mu Nanzhi was startled and, despite herself, found she was worried about him.
Xu Qi’an did not open his eyes, replying in a sleep-talking voice, “He… heaven on earth…”
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