Madam Ming

"Mee-ow—!"

The Cat Spirit seemed to be searching for something, its dead, eerie heterochromatic pupils sweeping everywhere. With a light leap, it stirred up rolling gusts of yin wind. The direction it soared toward was precisely the rear residence of the Ming estate.

Chu Liang naturally wouldn't let it advance. A creature so heavy with resentment, left in the world, would surely harm people.

"Sword Control Technique! Out!"

Pointing a finger to the sky, his flying sword transformed into a streak of light and shot forth.

"Ow—!"

The moment the sword light was released, the cat demon let out a strange cry. Its heterochromatic eyes flicked toward Chu Liang, its form blurring into a black shadow as it dodged the flying sword, then immediately lunged back in a pounce!

This strike was retaliation for Chu Liang's sword—swift and vicious, carrying surging blood energy, fierce and sharp!

Chu Liang sidestepped, barely evading the pounce. But even so, a tear appeared in his robes.

Shiiing—

The Cat Spirit landed, carving two bloody trails on the ground.

But a sword light followed like a shadow, already closing in! It was Chu Liang's flying sword!

Whoosh—

The sword light swept past swiftly, but the Cat Spirit's body suddenly twisted into an unnatural angle, dodging the lethal strike. "Ow—!"

It dodged, but not completely.

The sword light still carved a deep wound into the Cat Spirit's body.

In an instant, black blood energy surged from the wound, making the blood waves around the Cat Spirit even more turbulent!

Not good.

Chu Liang frowned.

This Cat Spirit, stacked with special enhancements, bore the traits of an Infant Spirit. Any damage it received would transform into new power—the more severe the injury, the stronger it became! If one strike didn't kill it, he had to prepare to face a stronger enemy!

Manifesting in this Cat Spirit, its speed became even greater!

Swoosh—

Almost an invisible black light, streaking like twin lightning bolts, was behind Chu Liang in the next second.

Chu Liang reacted instantly, recalling his flying sword into his hand, but no matter what, he couldn't defend his back!

His hair stood on end. Though silent, he knew the Cat Spirit's claws were about to fall!

At the critical moment, Chu Liang suddenly loosened his right hand and shouted, "Now!"

A red light shot out from his sleeve like a spirit snake, instantly binding the Cat Spirit that had just reached his back, ready to strike.

Turtle Shell Bind!

Demon-Binding Rope!

"Mee-ow—!" The Cat Spirit let out a mournful cry, but its body uncontrollably crashed to the ground.

Against enemies with especially high agility, what worked best?

Control!

And in Chu Liang's hands, he happened to have the Demon-Binding Rope obtained just the day before.

But even with a treasure, it wasn't guaranteed to hit. He had taken the risky move of letting the Cat Spirit close in precisely to use the Demon-Binding Rope at a shorter range.

If he had been a fraction slower in releasing the rope, the outcome of this battle would have reversed. If he hadn't held his nerve and the distance was insufficient, the treasure might have been dodged by the Cat Spirit.

Either way, he had won. Turning over, he casually swung his hand. Sword rose, sword fell.

Chii.

One strike slew the demon.

A spirit had no physical form; once slain, nothing remained. Only a golden phantom drifted faintly, landing on Chu Liang.

Dust settled.

A brief but perilous battle. Compared to the spider demon the day before, this Cat Spirit, stacked with special traits, was clearly harder to deal with.

Letting out a long breath, before he could go notify anyone, he heard chaotic footsteps. A crowd of Ming family servants, led by Estate Master Ming, came running out.

"Ah, Young Hero Chu is mighty!"

"I said Young Hero Chu could definitely handle it."

"Young Hero Chu is too skilled, slaying this evil in just a few moves!"

"..."

A chorus of flattery rose up.

Chu Liang looked at this victory-celebrating crowd, also surprised at how adept they were at both suddenly vanishing and reappearing.

The next morning.

After a night's rest, Chu Liang woke up refreshed. After washing up, a maidservant came to call him, saying that Estate Master Ming had prepared a feast to celebrate Chu Liang's success.

"I'll be there shortly," Chu Liang replied gently.

Then he wandered through the back courtyard, rounded a corridor, and arrived before an ornate door. There lay the bedchamber of Estate Master Ming and his wife.

Knock, knock, knock. He rapped on the door.

"Who is it?" a soft woman's voice sounded from within.

"This Humble One is Chu Liang. I heard that Madam is unwell and have come specially to check on you," he answered.

"..." There was a moment of silence before she spoke: "Ah, it's Young Hero Chu from the Shushan Sect. I'm not in a position to receive guests right now. I appreciate the kindness, but please return."

Utterly different from the warm Estate Master Ming, Madam Ming's voice carried a chill.

"This Humble One possesses secret arts from Shushan that might prove effective for Madam's ailment. I can wait here and visit when it's convenient for you."

After a pause, footsteps sounded, and then someone creaked the door open.

Madam Ming looked weary, without a trace of makeup, dressed in a simple household brocade robe. Yet her skin was still fair, her features clear and lovely—truly a beauty.

She led Chu Liang inside to sit before a screen. The light was dim; she lit a red candle and poured two cups of tea before saying, "I was merely a bit frightened. Since Young Hero Chu eliminated that monster last night, I'll be fine by tomorrow. No need for you to trouble yourself further."

"That's good to hear." Chu Liang nodded, then added, "But regarding the Cat Spirit from last night... there are some things I'd like to discuss with Madam."

"Oh?" Madam Ming frowned. "What does Young Hero Chu wish to say?"

"Nothing more than a few guesses..." Chu Liang spoke slowly. "Because that Cat Spirit last night was rather peculiar—a vengeful spirit, a demonic spirit, and an Infant Spirit all at once, which piqued my curiosity. So I wondered, what was it after when it came to your Ming Estate..."

"Do evil spirits need a reason to harm people?" Madam Ming asked.

"They do. If it's a vengeful spirit, it first seeks the one who killed it... If it's an Infant Spirit, it first seeks its own mother..." Chu Liang continued. "And this Cat Spirit spent three days at your estate, advancing gradually without harming a single person, as if it were searching for something..."

"Searching for what?" Madam Ming's gaze seemed to turn hostile.

"I've been thinking too. Estate Master Ming said your family does good deeds and never harms animals. So... was it looking for its mother? But it's a demonic spirit—was its mother also a demon?"

"And since the Cat Spirit appeared, the one in this estate who dared not show their face... Madam, it seems, is only you." Chu Liang's warm gaze met Madam Ming's eyes.

Madam Ming let out a scoff. "Young Hero Chu isn't suggesting I'm a demon, is he?"

"Whether you are or not, one test will tell," Chu Liang said.

"You have a Demon-Viewing Mirror?" Madam Ming's brows rose, as if she didn't believe it.

To force a demon to reveal its true form, either it actively uses demonic arts and leaks demonic qi, or one needs a special divine technique—but Chu Liang's cultivation wasn't high enough for that—or a dedicated artifact, the most famous being the Demon-Viewing Mirror.

But Demon-Viewing Mirrors were extremely rare. It was said the human imperial palace had one, the Buddhist Cloud Tower Temple had one, and the Shushan Sect indeed had one too. Whether they'd let a junior disciple bring it down the mountain was highly doubtful.

"No," Chu Liang shook his head. "But close enough."