Chapter 30

"However, we said we would help you, but we don’t know what exactly is going on. You have to give us some clues," Old Zhou, who usually had a quick mind, calmed down a bit at this moment and thought of this.

Indeed, it was like that. Up to now, not to mention Old Zhou, even I only knew that the other party was a man and there was a cat demon with unknown abilities. We had no idea what had happened behind the scenes or why there were so many wronged spirits.

I frowned, suddenly thinking of a question, and asked, "Are all of you harmed by the same person?"

After I asked this question, those wronged spirits almost unanimously nodded. Zhao Ying, looking at the other victims behind her in disbelief, said with a trembling voice, "You were also harmed by a strange man? You also saw the cat?"

Her words were incoherent, but strangely, those wronged spirits nodded again.

I had mentioned before that they were not free. At this moment, I realized that these wronged spirits were stepping in place and could not get any closer to us. It seemed that their ability to speak was also restricted; apart from saying "help us, save us," they could hardly say anything else.

In comparison, Zhao Ying seemed much more independent and free.

"What exactly is going on? Tell me," I thought and asked Zhao Ying solemnly.

However, at this moment, a mournful cat cry suddenly came from nowhere. The expressions of the wronged spirits changed simultaneously, and then chaos ensued. The wronged spirits almost disappeared in a rush, leaving only Zhao Ying's soul, clenching her fists, as if resisting, as if unwilling to submit, determined to fight against something.

Compared to us living people, the spirits' intuition was much more acute. Without the constraints of a physical body, unless one was a genius, it was impossible to have the same level of intuition as a spirit.

So, I didn’t know where the cat cry came from, but I looked in the same direction as Zhao Ying. As the wronged spirits dispersed, the black mist that enveloped the grassland also dissipated. The wind stopped, the clouds dispersed, and the moonlight gently fell on the quiet night.

I finally saw where the cat was—it was crouching on the roof of the specimen building. I was puzzled; it was just a small cat, so why did I notice it first in such a night? Not only did I notice it, but Old Zhou also saw the cat.

Under the moonlight, we could see that it was an ordinary calico cat, the kind you often see in neighborhoods and gardens. However, its gaze had a condescending and mocking air, as if it were a king and we were a group of ants.

At such a distance, it was impossible to see its gaze or expression. If we could feel this, it could only mean that its aura was incredibly strong, like the crescent moon in the sky, which seemed to be its backdrop.

Is this the cat demon? I clenched my fist and touched the yellow cloth bag I carried with me. Inside the yellow cloth bag was a red array seal. Unless absolutely necessary, I wouldn’t use it. Then I bitterly smiled; the fact that I had to consider using the red array seal showed how serious the situation was.

What is the red array seal? To put it another way, it’s called a life-bound array seal. According to my master, it was sealed with a part of my soul when I went up the mountain. I didn’t understand what a part of my soul meant, but my master wouldn’t explain it in detail to me.

He said I didn’t need to know, and he had his reasons for not telling me. However, to help me understand the concept, he explained that in Daoism, there has always been the concept of a life-bound talisman. A life-bound talisman is nurtured with one’s soul, and if the talisman is defiled or damaged, it will affect the person.

Then he told me that because of the unique method of my master’s school, the life-bound array seal was free from the need for nurturing and had a stronger connection to the person. This connection made it easier to use, but the downside was that if the life-bound array seal was damaged, the person would suffer more.

More than with others’ life-bound talismans.

Of course, the magic of the life-bound array seal went far beyond this. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have thought of it first in such a serious situation. The most impressive thing about my master’s school was this unique life-bound array seal method. My master told me that even the method of nurturing a life-bound talisman was almost lost in this world, but our school still had the more magical life-bound array seal method, which was very impressive.

Even more impressive was that the array seal contained a legacy array. What was a legacy array? My master wouldn’t explain it to me, but I knew that when I used the array seal, I didn’t need to set up an array or cast a spell; I just needed a drop of my blood to activate it.

"Zheng Ling, you must never use your life-bound array seal lightly, do you understand?" When my master gave me the red life-bound array seal, he said this to me.

"Why? I’ve seen my senior brother use it often." Yes, I wasn’t lying; I had seen my senior brother’s life-bound array seal, which was a yellow one. After years of nurturing, it looked as smooth as jade and even had a faint yellow glow, which was very pleasing.

Unlike my life-bound array seal, which was a shocking red. My senior brother often played with it and even used it to "blow up rocks" when he was bored. I wasn’t exaggerating; it could really blow up rocks, and the reason was related to the legacy array, but my senior brother, like my master, wouldn’t tell me about it.

He only vaguely mentioned that his life-bound array seal was related to the earth element of the five elements.

"My senior brother is my senior brother, and you are you. If possible, I hope you never use your life-bound array seal in your lifetime. Your master hopes you live a happy and peaceful life. Do you understand?" My master’s answer was mysterious, as if using my life-bound array seal would lead me down a path of no return.

Not only my master, but even my senior brother, warned me sternly after I received my life-bound array seal not to use it lightly.

Now, facing this wild cat with an inexplicably strong aura, I couldn’t think of any other way besides using my life-bound array seal. In this silent standoff, the cat, which had been crouching on the roof, suddenly stood up. I felt it didn’t take us seriously and had a playful attitude.

In the dark night, the only thing clearly visible was the cat’s eyes, which glowed. Its gaze fell on Zhao Ying.

Zhao Ying had been clenching her fists, as if resisting, stubbornly refusing to leave. But the cat seemed very dissatisfied with Zhao Ying’s attitude. It suddenly arched its back and let out another mournful cry. Then, unexpectedly, it leaped down from the roof.

Again? I thought subconsciously, but as the cat leaped, it suddenly swiped its paw. Zhao Ying, who was standing next to me and Old Zhou, let out a muffled groan, and her already pale face became even paler.

You couldn’t see where her soul was injured unless your soul was powerful enough to materialize the injury. Clearly, Zhao Ying couldn’t do that. The only thing Old Zhou and I could notice was that her soul seemed more ethereal and insubstantial.

"I have to leave. You go to my house, go to my house," Zhao Ying suddenly said to me and Old Zhou, as if unable to bear the pressure, and then disappeared in front of us.

Along with Zhao Ying’s departure, there was a muffled thud, the sound of the cat landing.

"What’s going on with that cat?" At this moment, Old Zhou finally reacted. When he turned to look at me, I noticed that he was sweating even though his yang energy was locked. This could only mean that the cat had given him immense psychological pressure.

"That cat might be a cat demon." Apart from a cat demon, I couldn’t find any other explanation for the cat’s strong aura. I had seen a strange cat on the windowsill opposite Old Zhou before, but it was just strange, not as powerful as this one.

"But, a cat demon? How could a cat demon commit suicide?" After the thud, there was no other sound from where the cat fell. If it didn’t die, was it lying in wait for us? Old Zhou was puzzled.

"You stay here. I’ll go check." I finally took out my life-bound array seal from the yellow cloth bag and held it in my hand, then walked toward where the cat had fallen. If I didn’t figure out what was going on tonight, how could I be at ease, given the major task I had taken on?

Mysteriously, I felt the burden of the hopes of over a dozen wronged spirits, and the pressure was immense.

"I’ll go with you." Old Zhou’s lips were trembling. The many wronged spirits and ghosts hadn’t made him so nervous, showing how afraid he was of the cat.

"You’ll be safer if you stay here!" I said sternly to Old Zhou and walked toward where the cat had fallen without looking back.

Seeing my sternness, Old Zhou didn’t follow. The place where the cat had fallen wasn’t far from where we were standing. I ran over in a few steps and searched for the cat, or perhaps just its body, based on the sound.

Under the moonlight, I quickly found the cat. As expected, it had turned into a body, but when I saw it, I couldn’t help but gasp.