Shao Yanzhe was startled, stumbling and falling to the ground, which coincidentally helped him evade the Court Lady’s grasping hand.
Scrambling away from her, his originally clean clothes were now soiled with dirt. The fabric, having been washed numerous times, was extremely fragile—with just a slight strain, it tore into small strips.
Within a few dozen meters, the edges of his clothing had turned into tassels, and the fabric on his arms and legs had split open in several places.
In his current state, if he were to sit by the roadside, he would look exactly like a beggar.
Shao Yanzhe glanced around out of the corner of his eye and, not seeing the white gauze, inwardly breathed a sigh of relief.
Just then, he met the seemingly amused eyes of the Court Lady, who had suddenly appeared in front of him.
And there, arrayed before her, were sharp black bamboo poles, their ends pointed like steel needles.
Shao Yanzhe’s eyes widened abruptly, his pupils reflecting the needle-sharp bamboo, and only one thought echoed in his mind:
I’m done for!
He instinctively closed his eyes, but the expected pain never came. Instead, he felt as if he had passed through a cool, thin mist, causing him to shiver involuntarily.
Sensing something amiss, Shao Yanzhe turned to look behind him and just saw the Black Cat retracting its right front paw from the back of the Court Lady’s neck.
On the Court Lady’s originally pale neck, a red circular pattern had appeared, with a somewhat complex character at its center.
He looked closely and quickly recognized it as the seal-script version of the character “seal”.
Just as he was about to move closer to examine it, the hovering Black Cat suddenly lost its balance and plummeted toward the ground.
Shao Yanzhe instinctively lunged forward, cushioning the Black Cat’s fall.
With a thud, the Black Cat landed on his back. The impact was heavier than he had anticipated, and darkness clouded his vision—had his spine broken?
Fortunately, it wasn’t that bad. His spine was intact. With difficulty, he grabbed the Black Cat, sat up, and checked its condition.
The faint glow of the half-moon above provided enough light to see the scene clearly without being completely in the dark.
After confirming that the Black Cat’s limbs, tail, and head showed no obvious signs of injury, Shao Yanzhe breathed a sigh of relief.
But when he noticed the dampness around the Black Cat’s mouth, his heart leaped into his throat, and a distinct smell of blood wafted into his nostrils.
His expression immediately changed to one of utter despair, as if he had just lost his parents.
“Kitty! Kitty, don’t die! Waaah! What will I do if you die!”
Then, Shao Yanzhe received a swift swipe of a paw across his face.
“Stupid two-legged creature! This great one will outlive you by eons!”
Seeing the Black Cat full of vigor, Shao Yanzhe ignored the stinging pain on his face and broke into a relieved smile.
“That’s great! I’m so glad you’re okay!”
Overjoyed, he hugged the Black Cat tightly, his expression genuinely heartfelt.
The Black Cat, held in his embrace, was taken aback by Shao Yanzhe’s sincere concern. A flicker of guilt passed through its heterochromatic eyes—one gold, one black.
It hadn’t expected this foolish two-legged creature to be so worried about it. Even after being struck, he showed no anger!
But then again, it was the two-legged creature’s fault for cursing it to die—that was why it had lashed out.
Exactly!
It was all the two-legged creature’s fault! Hmph!
“Hmph! Release this great one!”
With that, the Black Cat extended both front paws and pushed against Shao Yanzhe’s arm.
“Alright, releasing you now.”
Gently, Shao Yanzhe set the Black Cat down on the ground.
The Black Cat shot him a glance, glared fiercely at Shao Yanzhe, then turned around and whipped its tail hard against his calf as if venting its anger.
Shao Yanzhe paid no mind. He followed behind the Black Cat until they reached the motionless Court Lady.
“Crouch down!”
The Black Cat lifted its head and commanded.
Shao Yanzhe obediently crouched.
The Black Cat, thoroughly pleased, swiftly leaped onto Shao Yanzhe’s shoulder, then lightly tapped his shoulder with its tail, signaling him to stand up.
Shao Yanzhe rose slowly, doing his best to keep his upper body steady.
The Black Cat, with one golden and one black eye, scrutinized the Court Lady up and down, a hint of smugness flashing in its narrowed feline eyes.
“Meow!”
It let out a triumphant cry toward the Court Lady.
Hmph! It had eaten the two-legged creature’s fried fish!
No one would dare harm the two-legged creature!
Shao Yanzhe also observed the Court Lady, his eyes filled with curiosity. Her skin was paler, her pupils darker, her hair longer, and there was more water on the ground. Was she really a ghost?
He thought this and voiced his question aloud.
Hearing his query, the Black Cat let out a displeased meow.
“Hmph! It’s just a layer of Painted Skin!”
With that, it pounced directly onto the Court Lady, clawing at her face.
In the next moment, the Court Lady’s skin shattered, revealing the rotting, bluish-red flesh beneath. Through the decaying skin, the stark white bones underneath were visible.
“Gasp!”
Shao Yanzhe stumbled backward in fright, his eyes darting away, but his curiosity about seeing a ghost for the first time drew his gaze back.
“Tch! Coward!”
The Court Lady sneered at Shao Yanzhe’s reaction.
“Stupid cat! You’d better let me go, or you’ll regret it!”
“Meow!”
The Black Cat let out an angry cry, then dashed swiftly toward the study.
Seeing this, Shao Yanzhe glanced at the Court Lady and hurried after it.
When he entered the study, he saw the Black Cat standing on the desk, staring at the now-blank scroll hanging on the wall. Then, with a powerful push of its hind legs, it leaped toward the scroll, clawing at it fiercely.
A scream of extreme agony echoed from outside.
Shao Yanzhe shuddered in fear and instinctively looked toward the Court Lady. He saw her collapse to the ground, then transform into a wisp of black mist that drifted over.
He instinctively dodged, his eyes following the black mist as it floated into the blank scroll.
The previously empty scroll now depicted a Court Lady reading a book. He wasn’t sure if it was his imagination, but she seemed to look somewhat listless compared to before.
Suddenly, he noticed something new on the scroll.
Taking a few steps closer, he saw a line of small characters in the bottom right corner, where there had been nothing before.
[Year of Xirui, Third Month of Spring, Painted for My Wife Wei Yue. Qingxi Shen Moyuan]
Shao Yanzhe stared at the last three characters, “Shen Moyuan,” feeling they looked familiar, though he couldn’t recall where he had seen them before.
Suddenly, the Black Cat began to vomit, interrupting Shao Yanzhe’s thoughts.
Shao Yanzhe hurried over and saw the Black Cat lying on the ground, its body twitching intermittently. Dark red liquid flowed from its mouth, mixed with some fragmented pieces.
“What… what’s wrong with you?”
Shao Yanzhe knelt helplessly before the Black Cat, wanting to reach out but afraid of causing it further injury, so he dared not touch it.
But the Black Cat’s eyes were tightly shut, utterly incapable of answering his questions, and he grew increasingly agitated.
Suddenly, he sensed a piercing gaze fixed upon him. He jerked his head up and met a pair of eyes brimming with malice.
The owner of those eyes was none other than the Court Lady residing within the scroll.
Shao Yanzhe glanced at her, remaining perfectly calm and unshaken by her presence.
Noting his starkly different demeanor compared to before, a flicker of astonishment passed through the Court Lady’s eyes.
Then, she watched as this scholar stood up, walked over to the lamp stand, picked up the oil lamp, and approached her. He finally stopped before the scroll, staring quietly at her.
Under his intense gaze, the Court Lady inexplicably felt a sense of danger.
But immediately, she found her earlier thought ridiculous.
Shao Yanzhe’s dark eyes fixed on the Court Lady as he spoke politely and earnestly, “You and the Black Cat are both supernatural beings. You must know what’s wrong with it and how to save it. May I ask if you could tell me?”
The Court Lady let out a light laugh, her gaze mocking as she replied, “Of course I know! But why would you think I’d tell you? That wretched cat injured me earlier—how could I possibly guide you to save it?”
She flicked her sleeve dismissively, eyeing Shao Yanzhe with indifference. “I advise you to use this time to flee quickly. Once I break free again, no one will be able to save you.”
As if deaf to her words, Shao Yanzhe took a few steps forward, gently extending the oil lamp in his hand.
“Is this scroll very important to you?”
The Court Lady frowned, unable to decipher his intentions. “What are you trying to do?”
Shao Yanzhe smiled slightly, his eyes drifting to the oil lamp in his hand. His curled little finger trembled faintly before he lifted his gaze back to the Court Lady.
“I merely wish to know if this scroll, as a vessel for supernatural beings, is impervious to fire.”
As he spoke, the warm yellow flame of the oil lamp drew closer to the lower right corner of the scroll.
“How dare you!”
The Court Lady’s face darkened instantly. She thrust her hand out, aiming to seize Shao Yanzhe by the throat, but the moment her fingertips extended beyond the scroll, they instantly turned charred black.
She shuddered and retracted her hand abruptly, glaring at him with venomous hatred.
“Watch me dare!”
With those words, Shao Yanzhe allowed the flame to make contact with the scroll.
The Court Lady let out a sharp cry, urgently stopping him.
Only when a scorched yellow mark appeared on the white paper at the scroll’s lower right corner did Shao Yanzhe withdraw the oil lamp.
“May I ask if you could now tell me how to save the Black Cat?”
Shao Yanzhe smiled at the Court Lady. Despite his tattered robes, he carried an air of refined elegance—like a jade-like gentleman unmatched in the world, a graceful and gentle scholar.
The Court Lady gritted her teeth, thinking to herself that men were all such hypocritical beasts in human guise!
Then, as a thought occurred to her, her eyes gleamed subtly. “Fine. That wretched cat is in this state because Baleful Qi has invaded its body. It is a Spiritual Cat that cultivated by absorbing the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, so its internal power is extremely pure. When it damaged the scroll earlier, the Baleful Qi from within entered its body. The conflict between these opposing forces—one pure and one evil—is what caused its severe injuries.”
She spoke, the corner of her lips curling into a gloating smile, her anger having subsided considerably.
She continued, “To eliminate the Baleful Qi within this stinky cat, you need a pure energy identical to what’s inside it, to gradually consume that Baleful Qi.”
Shao Yanzhe slightly furrowed his brows and asked, “Where can I find such pure energy? Surely I don’t have to search for another spiritual creature?”
Never mind whether there were any other spiritual creatures around—even if there were, it would likely be impossible to find one in a short time.
And judging by the Black Cat’s current condition, it couldn’t wait much longer.
The Court Lady gently stroked the pages of the book with her left hand, her eyes fixed intently on Shao Yanzhe, looking as if she were enjoying the spectacle.
“No need to go to such trouble. You can obtain the pure energy to save this Black Cat right now.”
Seeing the Court Lady’s expression, Shao Yanzhe had no idea what she was scheming.
Still, he wasn’t afraid of it.
“Where is the pure energy?”
The Court Lady replied, “It’s right on you.”
Author’s note: