Cats have thick pads on their paws, allowing them to run silently on flat ground. Even keen-eared experts would struggle to detect an orange cat’s movement without careful listening. Of course, even if heard, no one would pay much attention to a stray cat.

Xu Qi’an had spent half a day at the Chai residence, only vaguely aware of Chai Xing’er’s living quarters. The orange cat “aimlessly” wandered the inner courtyard, soon finding Chai Xing’er’s boudoir—a small quadrangle compound with flickering candlelight in the side rooms of the main house.

The orange cat walked slowly under the eaves, approaching the door to eavesdrop.

“Li Lang, tell me honestly, did you return to Xiangzhou for me?” Chai Xing’er’s cool, melodious voice drifted through the door crack of the brightly lit bedroom.

“Of course!” Li Lingsu’s deep, resonant voice replied, “I’ve said before, those with attachments can’t wander far. Even if they reach the ends of the earth, they’ll eventually return to their beloved’s side.”

“Then swear you’ll never leave me again.”

“Xing’er, you know I’m a wanderer…” Li Lingsu’s tone shifted, “But if you’re willing to come with me, I swear I’ll never leave you in this lifetime.”

Liar! The orange cat inwardly grumbled. This scumbag knew full well that she wouldn’t abandon the Chai family at such a critical time to elope with him, which is why he dared to make such a promise.

Unable to see inside and too short to peek through the window, the cat elegantly lay by the door, ears perked to continue eavesdropping. A cat peering through a window would be too suspicious; even a fool would notice something amiss.

Chai Xing’er sighed, “Li Lang, how can I leave with you when the Chai family is facing such turmoil?”

Li Lingsu’s gentle voice responded, “I can stay here and wait for you. Once the Chai family’s affairs are settled, we’ll roam the world together.”

A moment of silence fell before Chai Xing’er’s cool voice resumed:

“Li Lang, it’s not that I’m unwilling to wander the world with you, but in these times, why choose a life of hardship when we could have peace and joy? Though the Chai family faces great misfortune, isn’t this an opportunity for us?”

“What do you mean?” Li Lingsu’s voice changed slightly.

“My eldest brother has only three sons. The eldest died young, the second is mediocre and incompetent, and the youngest is a wastrel who only knows how to enjoy life. Now that Chai Xian has committed such a treasonous act, the position of Chai family head can only fall to me.”

Chai Xing’er continued softly, “Li Lang, my only shortcoming is that I have no children. Won’t you stay in Xiangzhou? In the future, our child could become the Chai family head.”

Li Lingsu didn’t answer immediately. After a long silence, he slowly asked, “Xing’er, tell me, are you truly uninvolved in Chai Xian’s affair?”

“You don’t believe me?” Chai Xing’er’s tone changed.

“Of course, I believe you, but this case is quite strange, and I wasn’t present at the time…”

Before Li Lingsu could finish, Chai Xing’er interrupted coldly, “I’m tired.”

Li Lingsu sighed, “Rest well. I’ll return to my room.”

Seconds later, the orange cat outside suddenly heard a thud, as if someone had fallen. Then came the Holy Son’s shocked and bewildered voice:

“Xing’er, you…”

The orange cat Xu Qi’an’s heart skipped a beat, realizing he had been poisoned. Why would Chai Xing’er poison the Holy Son? His real body was at the inn, too far to come to the rescue. Perhaps he could find the Western Region monks to pit the tiger against the wolf…

As these thoughts flashed through his mind, he heard Chai Xing’er sigh softly:

“Li Lang, you’ve changed. The old you would have embraced me without hesitation, comforting me. Now you only think of leaving. Have you forgotten our vows? Forgotten how you risked your life entering the Thousand Perils Valley just to please me?”

“What made you change your heart?”

No, young lady, he hasn’t changed his heart; he’s just kidney deficient… Xu Qi’an sarcastically answered Chai Xing’er’s question in his mind.

“What exactly do you want?” Li Lingsu’s voice was calm if a bit resigned.

Seeing that the Holy Son wasn’t panicking, Xu Qi’an decided to observe a bit longer. After all, involving the Western Region monks would have severe consequences, potentially exposing Li Lingsu’s identity and, by extension, his own. Crucially, he still wasn’t sure of Du Nan Jingang’s whereabouts.

Chai Xing’er said gently, “Of course, I want to bear your child. Heaven has sent you to me at this time, arranging everything perfectly. I’m overjoyed.”

“Then why use poison?”

“Because before that, I have three questions for you. If you lie or refuse to answer, I’ll cut off your manhood.”

As she spoke, Xu Qi’an heard the sound of scissors opening and closing, followed by Li Lingsu’s trembling voice: “What questions?”

This woman is a yandere… The orange cat Xu Qi’an bared his teeth, instinctively pressing his legs together, then realizing he was in a female cat’s body.

He suddenly found himself looking forward to the upcoming events.

“Have you ever loved me?” Chai Xing’er asked softly.

“Of course! My feelings for you are as true as heaven and earth. If there’s even a shred of falsehood, may I never achieve enlightenment.” Li Lingsu declared loudly.

“Though my love for Xing’er is sincere, how can you be sure I’m telling the truth?” Li Lingsu laughed bitterly.

“Li Lang, you needn’t test me. To be honest, I put a love parasite in the wine you just drank. When you left without a word that day, I was heartbroken. I went to the Southern Borderlands and sought a love parasite from the Love Parasite Tribe.”

“If you truly love me, the parasite won’t harm you. Otherwise, you’ll suffer unbearable pain. Moreover, the mother parasite is in my body, so you can’t lie to any of my questions.”

Am I just destined to clash with love parasites in this lifetime? Li Lingsu’s face turned pale.

Chai Xing’er calmly continued, “Second question: Have you ever loved other women?”

Woohoo! The Holy Son’s little brother is doomed… Xu Qi’an’s cat face could barely conceal his amusement.

As long as the Holy Son’s life wasn’t in danger, other issues weren’t too serious. For a scumbag, losing everything was the best punishment.

Li Lingsu didn’t answer her.

Chai Xing’er narrowed her eyes, crouching beside him and speaking softly, “Why won’t Li Lang answer me?”

Li Lingsu sighed, “I just feel sad. When we first met, the moment I saw you, I silently vowed that you would be the woman I’d protect and cherish in the future. I followed my heart’s will without questioning the reason.”

“Now I realize that what you lacked was a sense of security. That’s why I wanted to protect you at all costs back then. I suppose my sudden departure must have been a terrible blow to you. Alas, it’s all my fault. Besides you, I have looked at other women, like my mother.”

“Xing’er, I’m very grateful to have returned at this time to face the storms with the Chai family together.”

Apart from your mother, what about others? Speak clearly! Impressive, hiding a half-truth, half-lie answer amidst a flood of sweet talk, thinking it would fool anyone? The orange cat Xu Qi’an was furious.

Clang!

The scissors fell to the ground, followed by Chai Xing’er’s joyful, tearful voice: “Li Lang, Li Lang…”

…

The orange cat Xu Qi’an waited outside the door for a quarter of an hour, hearing the woman’s gasps and the creaking of the bed. Knowing that the Holy Son had begun his forced performance, he finally left.

Yandere women are trouble. Otherwise, Brother Cheng’s fate today could be yours tomorrow… Chai Xing’er was indeed highly suspicious. Judging by the criminal motive, she stood to gain the most…

While searching for the Buddhist monks’ quarters, he pondered these thoughts. Soon, he found the courtyard where the monks were staying.

Monks kept a regular schedule; only the western room in the courtyard still had lights on, while the rest were dark.

The orange cat Xu Qi’an silently entered the courtyard, catching a strong scent of meat.

The door to the western wing room was slightly ajar. Several burly monks sat around a fire pit with a large pot steaming above it, the source of the meat aroma.

Unlike Chan masters, warrior monks didn’t have to follow strict precepts. “Meat and wine pass through the intestines, but Buddha remains in the heart.” Moreover, like other martial artists, warrior monks followed the path of refining essence into qi, requiring large amounts of food.

Xu Qi’an peered through the doorcrack but didn’t see the fourth-grade warrior monk Jing Yuan or any Chan masters. He felt slightly relieved.

“Do you know why Master Du Nan left midway?” asked one warrior monk, his mouth full of greasy food, as he glanced at his fellow disciples.

“No idea!” The other monks shook their heads.

Du Nan Jingang isn’t here? The orange cat Xu Qi’an’s heart leaped with joy, then instinctively wondered: What could be more important than retrieving the Pagoda of Myriad Buddhas? After all, it contained Shen Shu’s severed arm.

“I think Master Jing Xin meddles too much. If we had rushed to Yongzhou earlier, we could have gathered intelligence sooner and ambushed that person. By delaying, we’ve lost the initiative,” the monk who had spoken earlier shook his head.

“It doesn’t matter. That person doesn’t know we’ve uncovered his true identity. Besides, this time we have not only Master Du Nan but also Arhat Du Qing and Jingang Du Fan leading a group of fellow disciples. Even if that person grew wings, he couldn’t escape,” another monk slurped his meat soup and chuckled.

Who is “that person”? Arhat Du Qing and Jingang Du Fan leading Buddhist monks together… Xu Qi’an’s heart sank. After brief consideration, he had a guess—the Buddhist sect was coming for him.

Recalling the clues he had exposed in Leizhou, although it was surprising that the Buddhist sect had guessed his identity, it was also understandable.

“They’ve dispatched an Arhat and two Jingangs. Hiss, the Buddhist sect takes me seriously. Fortunately, the old Controller defeated the Glazed Bodhisattva. Otherwise, I wouldn’t even have a chance to escape.”

“This female Bodhisattva, who controls the Traveler’s Avatar, could be called the fastest in the world.” The orange cat Xu Qi’an felt both relieved and burdened.

Another warrior monk said, “I think Master Jing Xin has his considerations. Don’t forget, if it weren’t for his intervention in the bandit troubles a few days ago, we wouldn’t have encountered that bandit leader who possessed dragon qi.”

“Heh, now he’s laid down his butcher’s knife and turned over a new leaf, converting to our Buddhist faith… Who’s there?” The warrior monk suddenly shouted.

Simultaneously, the half-open door swung wide, illuminating the orange cat on the threshold with an amber glow.

“Meow~~” The orange cat called softly, its amber eyes staring intently at the iron pot.

So it was just a cat attracted by the smell!

The monk who had spotted it softened his expression and tossed a piece of fatty meat to the doorstep.

Damn, couldn’t you give me some lean meat… The orange cat Xu Qi’an reluctantly picked up the fatty meat and fled under the monks’ shooing.

Leaving the courtyard, he hadn’t gone far when he suddenly saw a figure emerge from the darkness—an expressionless burly man.

The orange cat Xu Qi’an initially thought it was someone from the Chai residence and paid no mind. But as the figure drew closer, the cat’s body suddenly stiffened. Though the man’s complexion seemed normal, he had no heartbeat, no breathing, like a walking corpse…

This was a corpse!

Although the Chai family was known for controlling corpses, it was unlikely that someone would have the habit of randomly manipulating corpses late at night…

As this thought flashed through his mind, he saw the corpse brush past him, circle the monks’ courtyard, and head toward the inner compound.

I should follow and see… The orange cat Xu Qi’an gracefully tailed the corpse. After about a quarter of an hour, the corpse stopped at a secluded courtyard in the inner compound.

“It” paused briefly outside the courtyard, then suddenly sprang up, leaping over the two-meter-high wall and landing inside.

“Who goes there?!” A shout came from within the courtyard.

The next moment, there were several thuds, accompanied by muffled groans and the sound of bodies falling. Then all was quiet.

The orange cat Xu Qi’an waited outside for a few minutes before darting out, easily scaling the wall as if it were flat ground, and entering the courtyard.

This was entirely the orange cat’s ability; the Heart Parasite could only control low-intelligence creatures, not grant abilities.

Good thing I’m controlling a cat. If it were a dog, it might have already ended up in those monks’ stomachs… He inwardly grumbled as his amber gaze swept across the courtyard.

Two bodies lay unconscious in the yard.

The door to the main house stood ajar, pitch black and eerie inside.

The orange cat Xu Qi’an swiftly passed the unconscious figures and darted into the dark room. The room was sparsely furnished, with a black hole near the window extending deep underground.

The stone cover was propped up high; this hole had just been opened.

Without hesitation, the orange cat plunged into the opening.

A staircase led down from the hole, descending into the earth. A faint light rose from below—the glow of an oil lamp.

Guided by the weak light, the orange cat silently walked down the stairs, reaching the bottom after a few minutes.

A musty odor assailed him, accompanied by a pungent smell.

The orange cat Xu Qi’an nearly fainted; a cat’s sense of smell is dozens of times more acute than a human’s.

The stench is overwhelming… The orange cat Xu Qi’an staggered, taking a while to recover.

It was the smell of decomposing corpses!

The entire underground chamber reeked of corpses.

He discovered that the chamber was vast, with many interconnecting passages, more like a miniature underground maze.

After silently walking for a moment, a tunnel appeared before him.

On both sides of the tunnel stood corpses, silent and still. Men and women, old and young, some in burial clothes, some in long dresses, some in scholar’s robes…

Their eyes were closed, face pale, yet they seemed as if they might awaken at any moment.

Additionally, the ground was littered with head coverings, presumably pulled off the corpses’ heads.

…

Back at the inn, Mu Nanzhi finished reading her leisurely book and stretched, ready to crawl into bed.

Suddenly, she heard rapid breathing. On the small couch next to her, Xu Qi’an lay on his side, eyes closed, breathing heavily.

“What’s wrong?” Mu Nanzhi was startled, still caring deeply for him.

Xu Qi’an didn’t open his eyes, replying as if in a dream: “Heaven… heaven on earth…”