Chapter 120 - The Cat Problem - [Draft] (Patreon)

[Table of Contents]

The cat girl had jet-black hair, the bangs of which rustled in the wind in front of her white feline pupils set upon blue irises. One of her tails was cloud white, while the other was just as black as her hair, as were her black, furry ears that were fluffy, pierced with wooden rings. On her black tail, there was a white thread ribbon tied into a butterfly, and on her white tail, a black one.

Her clothes were reminiscent of an Eastern kimono, yet there were flares here and there that reminded Yung of clothes from the ancient Sinic dynasties, such as the mandarin collar and frog-button closures at the front.

Her garment was primarily light indigo shapes intermixed upon a white background, accented with a subtle pattern of chrysanthemum flowers in a slightly lighter pink shade. The clothes hugged her form loosely, allowing freedom of movement while maintaining an elegant silhouette, despite literally standing upside down under the thick tree branch. The sleeves were long and wide like a kimono’s, yet tapered tight at the wrists in a more Chinese style.

Around her waist, there was a wide sash dyed in a darker navy blue colour with white dots. The sash was tied at the back in a large, decorative knot.

And on the right side of the sash, there was the whip, coiled innocently, whose gruesome visage betrayed it. The weapon looked as though it had been pulled from a Fiend’s back, then attached to a leather-bound handle with claws acting like nails. The edges of the spines were blade-like and pointed outward, while the scales on the spines were reversed, resembling fish-scaled hooks.

Almost all of the whip seemed to be made of bone, except for the fall hitch and cracker, both parts gleaming metallic silver.

The cat girl looked left, then right, then left again. She didn’t move, but her face was an utter look of concentration. She frowned, then squinted harder, as if trying really hard to see something that wasn’t there.

<Undaunted Darkness: I don’t think you appreciate how broken your innate magic is, Yung. She is five major realms above you, and you made her squint.>

<Yung: Who is she?>

<Undaunted Darkness: Heck if I know.>

<Yung: Then what the hell was with those dramatic messages?>

<Undaunted Darkness: Dramatic? This is no drama. She’s a hell’s damned Black Cat Yao from the Mi Clan. And from that tail, probably a mix of blood, but since the tail is so white, it means she’s descended from the main house of those creeping nyanners and is probably out on an errand. Which means if she is actually the one who wants you dead, then you are dead the moment she finds you. Keep her squinting!>

<Yung: … Take a deep breath.>

There was silence; no more messages came. A minute later,

<Undaunted Darkness: I told Sis Yafeng.>

<Yung: Good. Same. And… And Nanya too.>

<Undaunted Darkness: Me as well. No shame in letting a lady hold the door open when the lady is an arsonist while the door wants to eat you with its wooden maw.>

<Yung: Tell me about this Black Cat.>

<Undaunted Darkness: The Black Cat Yaos, the Mi Cat Clan of the Eclipse Killed Hollow.>

Yung gulped. He took a step back. How does an Eclipse kill a Hollow? He needed to ask a death god.

Yung shook his head.

<Yung: D-Do you think if I hit her with a Pink Heart Beam, she’ll go away?> Yung didn’t think so, but it was better to ask.

<Undaunted Darkness: Maybe if she was in the Unfolding Heaven 1st Realm… No. Not even then. These assassins undergo special training to defend against evil powers like yours.>

<Yung: So she really is an assassin! Wait, aren’t you one too?>

<Undaunted Darkness: No I am not. What gave you that weird idea?>

Yung didn’t know how he should reply to that. He could say all the black and shadows, but then he’d be stereotyping. So he changed the subject.

<Yung: A bunch of kids just ran under the tree.>

<Undaunted Darkness: They’re safe. If she so much as tickles a mortal child, the Enclave will tickle her back.>

<Yung: Stop saying it all weirdly. My point was, they can’t see her.>

<Undaunted Darkness: It’s strange that you can. I’m in the same realm as her, so I can vaguely make out her presence.>

Yung was impressed. He didn’t know that the silly Haochen was so strong.

Wait… vaguely? Yung looked at the cat girl good and hard, from her fluffy ears to her two furry tails.

Why can I see her so clearly if Haochen, who is a 6th realmer, can’t? Could it be that Yung’s cheat really was so awesome?

He did have his Link Sight on. He had it tuned so that his brain wouldn’t get overwhelmed by the infinity of ‘threads’ that made up everything. From Null Threads to the myriads of Empathic Links. He could only see those relevant to him now.

As Yung concentrated, he noticed more and more details. Clips. Wooden sandals. The qi in her feline eyes.

The qi everywhere.

In the ground, the sky, the houses, the trees.

Yung remembered that he could see the faint Fear qi and Void qi in those fungus-like threads that lined the walls of the cavern during the Foxmoth hunt.

Qi.

It too connected.

In Yung’s eyes, they emitted light which he could capture. Yung nodded, convinced of his own argument.

<Undaunted Darkness: I have to see through your shadow. And your shadow is weird. As if it’s being cast by the light of a different sun.>

Yung thought too much. He blushed.

<Yung: Okay, so not shooting beams at her.>

<Undaunted Darkness: They’re here.>

<Yung: Nanya and Yafeng?>

<Undaunted Darkness: You wish. Sis Yafeng will be back after putting the gates on the Lost Place entrance. My subordinates are here.>

<Yung: Oh right… I forgot about them.>

Su Haochen was only part of the Black Clad Fox Yaos. He was the leader, but there were a few more. Good, more Yaos to protect him.

<Yung: Where are they?>

<Undaunted Darkness: Protecting me, of course! That cat girl is scary. Do you know that an average Mi clan 6th realmer is as strong as a 7th realmer from other forces? This generation even has a Dao Child. The Dao Child of the Veils. I ain’t going nowhere near one Mi girl with White Tiger blood!>

<Yung: … I thought you were meant to protect me!>

<Undaunted Darkness: So better make your way back to the hotel. I would grab you through the shadows but that assassin will definitely notice. Just… walk back.>

<Yung: You’re both 6th Realmers. Is she that strong?>

<Undaunted Darkness: The Mi clan are like rats even though they are cats. Originally servants to the White Tiger Clan of the Holy Demonic Empire, they are the original inhabitants of the Void Connecting Land Bridge. They know this place even better than the Su Clan, who were actually forced to move here from the Gilded Radiance Continent after the… Thing. The Mi are strong. Why else do you think we haven’t been able to drive them out despite having the Revival Sword Tower, and despite them being clear affiliates of the White Tigers? That girl… she gives me the creeps.>

Yung was already running.

<Yung: What if you and Miss Maid team up and—?>

<Undaunted Darkness: If we go all out, there will be harm to the mortals. The Enclave stops her from going all out. But it also shields her. That’s probably why she’s just standing there in a populated area.>

<Yung: Using civilians as meat shields! How evil!> Yung said, making his way to the Dim Gold Hotel, which had a few hundred of the shields cramped inside. He did feel guilty.

<Undaunted Darkness: The Mi cultivate killing. They are probably the best cultivators of Death other than our Matriarch. No, that’s not exactly—Aunt cultivates death itself while the Mi cultivate the act of killing. If a Mi goes all out, every last iota of their power will go towards reaping the life of their target. They don’t do civilian casualties and since you are a cultivator, I doubt the enclave will stop her. Unless…>

Yung ran even faster. He just had a thought. A horrible thought.

<Undaunted Darkness: You are… No. Hehe. (≖⌣≖) >

<Yung: What the fuck is that?>

<Undaunted Darkness: Ask Nyanya. Hurry back.>

<Yung:… My stealth will run out in—about forty minutes.>

<Undaunted Darkness: Oh no. Whatever shall we do?>

<Yung: Stop speaking like Nanya!>

A few seconds passed. Yung saw people still worshipping the sky. There was a dog sniffing around a pile of discarded street food. The basket full of dried meat was turned over, its contents spilling onto the ground. The owner must have discarded it before running away.

Yung saw a woman huddling between two houses, hugging a young girl of about three. The girl giggled, pointing at the sky and saying something. The woman paled, then put her palm over the girl’s mouth.

<Undaunted Darkness: Let’s spring a trap. Get her real good!>

<Yung: Heck no!>

<Undaunted Darkness: Sis Yafeng agrees. Be bait. Don’t worry. You can’t die.>

<Yung: Go suck a—>

***

The game vanished.

Mi Tungmei squinted.

He was just there. He ran back to the city after this enclave appeared and then disappeared into thin air while standing in front of the hotel door.

The game did that in the past too; Mi Tungmei had been observing him for a while. Some innate power or a boon granted by the Su foxes.

This time, though, he vanished the moment she was about to make her move.

Did he sense danger? How? The Mi clan’s killing intent cannot be felt. For they felt nothing while killing. It was not an intentional act. It was like a mortal's heartbeat, involuntary yet there.

But the game felt something.

How amusing.

This was prey worth a hundred and fifty thousand contribution points. Usually, this much was given only for Unfolding Heaven 2nd Realm targets.

Those favoured by the Su were given special treatment. Even so, this was excessive.

Although not as many points as a Su head could be worth, the points also signified how tricky the target could be.

Not to mention the danger. Even after careful planning, one wrong step and the Mi would be the one to die.

The Su were unfair like that.

Mu Tungmei took a step forward, then landed in front of the Dim Gold Hotel.

Inside, the building was packed with mortals and cultivators.

Mi Tungmei contemplated whether she should push the door open.

The hotel itself looked normal. She couldn’t discern any formations.

But inside, she could see a few cultivators. Their bodies reeked of blood; they probably were not the sort the Enclave would leave alone.

But it did.

Why?

Everyone knew that the Su had mystical formations that could literally defy the heavens in strange ways.

Mi Tungmei guessed that one such formation was planted here.

Did that mean if she went inside and took care of a few side-errands, there would not be a karmic backlash?

Was she willing to test it out despite the risks?

Mi Tungmei took a step back. She appeared on the bank of the Red Hole.

Her eyes scanned the waterline.

There was something deep under this lake that the Mi clan had told her to investigate.

A place that called the void.

The Su clan had apparently already dismantled it. But the patriarch was adamant.

Mi Tungmei pondered if she should just complete this task, then get out of here. There was a constant pressure from above, as if the heavens were scrying her every move, and the moment she went out of bounds, they would send down their divine punishment.

She could actually break through to the Harmonious Heaven Realm anytime she wanted. But there was something she must accomplish before that.

That’s why she was farming so many contribution points, exclusively taking on errands from her Maternal White Tiger clan.

Mi Tungmei looked up, her body moving faster than her gaze, and she appeared in front of the hotel again.

The game appeared. He was lounging in the lobby of the hotel with three other Su foxes playing mahjong.

“Ron,” Mi Tungmei said the words when you win off of someone else’s discarded tile. She unclasped her whip.