The heavy, powerful blade whistled down, but it was ultimately half a step too late. The edge skimmed across the Cat Ghost's back fur, cutting only the air.
Fortunately, there was strength in numbers and their coordination was seamless. Xiao Ming immediately followed up with another slash.
The blade precisely cut off the Cat Ghost's path, its icy, vicious gleam chopping down from above!
This strike was impossible to evade, tearing solidly through the Cat Ghost's flesh.
Amid its shrill, miserable howl, thick black qi, dark as ink, erupted wildly from the wound and instantly stained the white paper wrapped around the iron sword.
The paper, originally deathly pale, seemed to have had all life drained from it. Its edges rapidly curled and yellowed.
"Fire!"
Seeing that the Cat Ghost had been wounded, Captain Ma immediately gave the order to the archers.
Arrows rained down once more.
There was no need to worry about injuring their own men. They were all clad in heavy armor, so even if an arrow went astray, it would not do much harm.
Right now, the most important thing was to deal with this Cat Ghost.
The archers were all well trained. None mistakenly shot their allies, and nearly every arrow struck the Cat Ghost.
As its black qi was steadily depleted, the Cat Ghost's aura weakened as well.
Lin Chan continued using his intimidation talent to wear the Cat Ghost down.
Inside the ancestral hall, Luo Jingxing listened to the sounds outside and struggled to prop himself up. His gaze swept toward a corner, where he grabbed a wooden stick and walked out the door.
The Cat Ghost had already been surrounded by iron-armored warriors, its four limbs severed.
The instant it saw Luo Jingxing emerge from the ancestral hall, the Cat Ghost—now reduced to a single head—immediately became frantic. Its huge mouth, packed with sharp fangs, opened and closed wildly as it spewed foul black qi.
But it had lost all four limbs. No matter how it struggled, it could not change its defeat.
Lin Chan swung again and severed the Cat Ghost's head. Its round head fell to the ground, yet it still refused to behave.
"Now that Sir's handwritten talismans have been used up, we still haven't completely dealt with this Cat Ghost."
Lin Chan said as he pressed down the Cat Ghost's writhing head.
The Cat Ghost had been chopped into six pieces, yet it could still move about.
"This evil creature is no simple thing. It will need time to be slowly purified!"
Luo Jingxing said, cradling his injured arm.
"City Lord!"
"Old Luo!"
The others also noticed Luo Jingxing coming outside.
"Find six sturdy boxes!"
Luo Jingxing ordered his subordinates.
"City Lord, your injury!"
Captain Ma saw the horrifying wound on Luo Jingxing's hand and spoke worriedly.
"Go do as I said, quickly!"
Luo Jingxing commanded unhappily.
"Yes!"
Captain Ma immediately arranged for men to find boxes.
"Thank you all for your help today!"
Luo Jingxing looked gratefully at those who had come to assist.
"Old Luo, no need to be so polite!"
Xiao Ming said casually.
"Brother Xiao, thank you!"
Luo Jingxing thanked him again.
Since he was pinning down the Cat Ghost's head, Lin Chan could not move. He merely sheathed his blade, cupped his hands toward Luo Jingxing, and said:
"Uncle Luo!"
"So it's Chan'er. You've grown so much already!"
Luo Jingxing was rather surprised to see Lin Chan standing on the Cat Ghost's head without the slightest fear.
Once the boxes were brought over, the Cat Ghost's six pieces were separately sealed within them and placed in six different locations.
Lin Chan and the others also removed their armor and prepared to return home.
"Father! Why did this Cat Ghost attack Uncle Luo?"
On the way, Lin Chan asked Lin Fangzheng.
"Those heretical Sorcerers never act according to reason. Thirty years ago, even the Empress was attacked and killed by a Cat Ghost!"
Lin Fangzheng did not care much about it. If heretical cultivators were reasonable, they would not be heretical cultivators.
Perhaps the heretical Sorcerers needed human lives for cultivation. They might have intended to kill the Luo Family first, then sacrifice other commoners.
In any case, there was no need to dig deeper.
"Roar!"
Lin Chan nodded. By the time they returned home, the sky was beginning to brighten.
They had wasted a great deal of time over this matter.
Fortunately, it had been handled.
Once home, Lin Chan fell into a deep sleep.
Over the following days, Yulin City issued the Cat Restriction Order. Anyone keeping a cat had to report it to the government office for registration.
Otherwise, they would face a fine at best, or be treated as a heretical Sorcerer and thrown into prison at worst.
Several of Lin Chan's cat subordinates were taken away, greatly limiting his eyes and ears.
Had Little Li not worn the Lin Family's Iron Token around its neck, even going out at night would have been restricted.
As the weather began to warm, Lin Chan prepared to set out for Shu Mountain. He did not care much about Yulin City's intelligence network, merely asking his father to take in several cat subordinates with nowhere to go, so they would not starve to death in the future.
Li Xingxiao's reputation also gradually spread, and quite a few children of prominent clans went to become his disciples.
After all, when they dealt with the Cat Ghost that day, they had relied heavily on Li Xingxiao's calligraphy sheets.
A body full of Vast Righteous Qi could indeed serve some purpose.
Of course, a martial artist's Inner Qi worked as well, though its effects were somewhat weaker.
Moreover, Inner Qi required direct contact, and the damage it inflicted was far from ideal, making the risk of injury much greater.
Thus, martial artists found it difficult to deal with evil demons.
Over the next month, Lin Fangzheng made preparations for Lin Chan's journey to Shu Mountain.
He deliberately gathered many Maps, doing his utmost to plan the most complete and safest route for Lin Chan.
The originally crude and simple Maps were continuously filled with more details. Mountains, rivers, bandits along the road—the information grew ever more complex and thorough, while the day of Lin Chan's departure drew ever nearer.
Lin Chan also had someone specially build a Small Carriage resembling a coffin, along with a very tiny saddle and reins.
At first, the craftsmen had no idea what they were for.
Not until the reins were fastened to Little Li's harness did they realize it was actually a Cat Saddle.
"Chan'er, you want Little Li to pull you all the way to Shu Mountain? That's utterly fantastical."
For the first time, Lin Fangzheng doubted Lin Chan.
"Father! For most of the journey, I plan to walk there myself, without bringing attendants."
Lin Chan said, looking at Little Li, which could barely move while pulling the Small Carriage.
Little Li's strength was certainly not so meager. Pulling such a special carriage would be manageable.
When the time came, Lin Chan and Little Li could take turns. They would travel quickly and would not need to change horses.
If he rode a horse, he would still have to look after it, which would only waste time.
"Someone still needs to look after you."
Lin Fangzheng was beginning to feel uneasy.
"Father! I am now an Innate Martial Artist. Bringing attendants would only make them a burden."
Lin Chan said earnestly.
This was the result of his careful consideration. If they encountered bandits on the road, he would not have the leisure to look after traveling companions.
When one traveled far from home, encountering such things was as common as daily meals. It would be better not to bring anyone from the start.
What was more, once he reached Shu Mountain, he would certainly have to endure hard days for quite some time. Attendants would be another nuisance.
"You have a point, but you must still be careful."
Lin Fangzheng sighed.
When a son traveled a thousand miles, his mother worried. Though Lin Fangzheng was his father, he too remained deeply concerned.
Especially since Lin Chan was only ten years old.
But when he recalled how Lin Chan had dealt with the Cat Ghost, Lin Fangzheng gradually let it go.
The new carriage worked very well. Once Lin Chan packed his things, he would be ready to depart.
"Chan'er, when have you decided to leave?"
Lin Fangzheng asked.
By now, there was nothing more that could be added to the beast-hide map.
"Father! The weather is warm now, and everything is ready. I plan to leave tomorrow."
Lin Chan looked at Lin Fangzheng as he spoke.
Lin Fangzheng nodded without saying much.
After a while, Lin Fangzheng took Lin Chan to the ancestral hall, where they paid respects to their ancestors and lit two sticks of incense.
In truth, there were not many people in the ancestral hall. There was only Lin Fangzheng's father, Lin Tianyang.
This man had left long before Lin Chan arrived in Yulin City, so Lin Chan had little impression of him. He only knew that Lin Tianyang had been an ordinary mortal with no great accomplishments in martial arts. Thus, he had been expelled from the Lin Family Main Line and sent to Yulin City to establish a branch.
After offering incense, Lin Fangzheng said:
"Chan'er, money is indispensable when you are away from home. I have something to give you."
Before you continue