Slaying the Demonic Heresy

A heavy, powerful slash whistled down, but it was half a step too late—the blade grazed the fur along the Cat Ghost's spine, cutting only air.

Fortunately, numbers and coordination made up for it. Xiao Ming immediately followed up with a strike.

The blade precisely cut off the Cat Ghost's escape route, a fierce, cold gleam chopping down from above!

This blow was unavoidable, tearing cleanly through the Cat Ghost's flesh and hide.

Amid a piercing, shrill shriek, thick, ink-black qi erupted wildly from the wound, instantly soaking the white paper wrapped around the iron sword.

The once-pale paper seemed drained of life, its edges quickly curling and yellowing.

"Loose!"

Seeing the Cat Ghost wounded, Captain Ma immediately ordered the archers.

Arrows rained down again.

No need to worry about friendly fire—they were all clad in heavy armor; even a stray arrow wouldn't cause much harm.

The priority now was dealing with the Cat Ghost.

The archers were well-trained; none hit their own, and most struck the Cat Ghost.

As the black qi was steadily consumed, the Cat Ghost's presence weakened.

Lin Chan kept using his Intimidation talent, draining the Cat Ghost further.

Inside the ancestral hall, hearing the commotion outside, Luo Jingxing struggled to prop himself up. His eyes swept the corner, grabbed a wooden staff, and walked out the door.

He saw the Cat Ghost already surrounded by iron-armored soldiers, its limbs severed.

The moment it spotted Luo Jingxing leaving the hall, the Cat Ghost—now just a head—went berserk, its fang-filled mouth snapping open and shut wildly, spewing filthy black qi.

But with its limbs gone, no amount of thrashing could change its defeat.

Lin Chan chopped off the Cat Ghost's head with another strike. The round head tumbled to the ground but still wouldn't stay still.

"Now that the master's talismans are used up, this Cat Ghost still isn't fully dealt with," Lin Chan said, wiping at the writhing head.

Even cut into six pieces, the Cat Ghost could still move.

"This fiend isn't simple. It'll take time to slowly purify it!" Luo Jingxing said, cradling his wounded arm.

"City Lord!"

"Old Luo!"

The others noticed Luo Jingxing emerging.

"Find six sturdy boxes," Luo Jingxing ordered his subordinates.

"City Lord, your wound!" Captain Ma saw the gruesome injury on Luo Jingxing's hand, his voice worried.

"Just do as I say!" Luo Jingxing commanded, displeased.

"Yes, sir!"

Captain Ma immediately sent men to find boxes.

"Thank you all for your help today!" Luo Jingxing looked gratefully at those who had come.

"Old Luo, no need for such formality!" Xiao Ming said casually.

"Brother Xiao, my thanks!" Luo Jingxing thanked him again.

Unable to move because he was stepping on the Cat Ghost's head, Lin Chan simply sheathed his sword and cupped his hands toward Luo Jingxing. "Uncle Luo."

"So it's Chan'er—you've grown so big!" Seeing Lin Chan standing on the Cat Ghost's head without a trace of fear, Luo Jingxing was quite surprised.

The boxes were brought, and the Cat Ghost's six pieces were sealed inside separately, placed in six locations.

Lin Chan and the others shed their armor and prepared to head home.

"Dad, why did that Cat Ghost attack Uncle Luo?" Lin Chan asked Lin Fangzheng on the way.

"Those heretical cultivators don't operate on reason. Thirty years ago, even the Empress was killed by a Cat Ghost attack."

Lin Fangzheng didn't care about that—if a demonic cultivator could be reasoned with, they wouldn't be a demonic cultivator.

Maybe the demonic cultivator needed human lives to train, killing the Luo family first, then sacrificing other commoners.

Either way, there was no need to dig deeper.

"Rawr!"

Lin Chan nodded. By the time they got home, the sky was growing light.

They'd wasted a lot of time on this trivial matter.

But at least it was done.

Back home, Lin Chan fell into a deep sleep.

In the following days, the city issued the Cat Restriction Order—anyone keeping a cat had to register it at the government office.

Otherwise, the penalty ranged from a fine to being treated as a demonic cultivator and thrown in jail.

Several of Lin Chan's cat underlings were caught, severely limiting his eyes and ears.

If not for the Lin Family iron token hanging around her neck, Little Li would have been restricted even from going out at night.

The weather began to warm, and Lin Chan prepared to set off for Shu Mountain. He didn't care much about the intelligence network in Yulin City, only asking his father to take in a few homeless cat underlings so they wouldn't starve later.

Li Xingxiao's reputation was also growing, with many clan disciples coming to study under him.

After all, dealing with the Cat Ghost that day had relied heavily on Li Xingxiao's calligraphy scrolls.

A body full of Vast Righteous Qi could still play a role.

Of course, a martial artist's Inner Qi worked too, but the effect was even weaker.

And Inner Qi required direct contact, with less-than-ideal damage output, making the risk of injury greater.

So martial artists struggled against evil spirits.

Over the next month, to prepare Lin Chan for his trip to Shu Mountain, Lin Fangzheng specially gathered many maps, planning the safest and most complete route for Lin Chan as best he could.

The originally rough and simple map kept gaining additions—more and more content, mountains, rivers, bandits on the road, growing increasingly complex and detailed—and the time for Lin Chan's departure drew nearer.

Lin Chan also had someone build a small carriage shaped like a coffin, along with a very tiny saddle and reins.

At first, the craftsmen had no idea what these were for.

Until the reins were tied to Little Li's harness—it turned out to be a cat saddle.

"Chan'er, you want Little Li to pull you to Shu Mountain? That's too far-fetched."

Lin Fangzheng doubted Lin Chan for the first time.

"Dad! For most of the journey, I plan to walk myself—no attendants."

Lin Chan looked at Little Li, who could barely move while pulling the small carriage, and said.

Little Li's strength definitely wasn't that weak; pulling this special carriage was doable.

Then, Lin Chan and Little Li could take shifts, moving fast without changing horses.

If he rode a horse, he'd have to tend to it, wasting time.

"Someone has to take care of you."

Lin Fangzheng grew uneasy.

"Dad! I'm an Innate Martial Artist now. Bringing attendants would just be a burden."

Lin Chan said seriously.

He'd thought it through—if they ran into bandits on the road, he couldn't look after any escorts.

And traveling, running into such things was common; better not to bring them from the start.

Besides, once he reached Shu Mountain, he'd definitely have to endure a hard life for a while, and attendants would be a hassle.

"You have a point, but you still need to be careful."

Lin Fangzheng sighed.

A child traveling a thousand miles worries the mother. Lin Fangzheng, as a father, couldn't help but feel some anxiety.

Especially since Lin Chan was only ten.

But thinking back to how Lin Chan had handled the Cat Ghost, Lin Fangzheng let it go.

The new carriage worked well. Lin Chan packed up his things and was ready to go.

"Chan'er, when do you plan to leave?"

Lin Fangzheng asked.

By now, there was nothing left to add to that beast-hide map.

"Dad! The weather's warm now, everything's ready. I plan to leave tomorrow."

Lin Chan looked at Lin Fangzheng and said.

Lin Fangzheng nodded, saying nothing more.

After a while, Lin Fangzheng pulled Lin Chan into the ancestral hall to pay respects to their ancestors, lighting two sticks of incense.

In truth, there weren't many people enshrined in the hall—just Lin Fangzheng's father, Lin Tianyang.

That man had passed away before Lin Chan ever arrived in Yulin City. Lin Chan had little memory of him, only knowing he was an ordinary mortal who hadn't achieved much even in martial arts. As a result, he was cast out from the Lin Family Main Line and sent to Yulin City to spread the family's branches.

After offering the incense, Lin Fangzheng said:

"Chan'er, you can't get by without money out in the world. I have something to give you."

If you find this book enjoyable, to avoid losing track of it next time, please remember to add it to your bookshelf.