The dart casually thrown in the past flew back again tonight, and by sheer coincidence, struck dead center between his brows.
Bei Huai's boiling thoughts came to a halt. His attention withdrew from the Heavenly Secrets Grand Formation as he carefully examined the black-clad youth amid the rain.
The first time they had met, this person had still seemed young and immature.
Had Bei Huai not underestimated him, dispatching only an insignificant wisp of will and controlling that frail, pathetic Qilin, Xu Xiaoshou would have died long ago.
And the cat in his arms—the fluffy little white cat—should have borne Bei Huai's surname by now.
"Meow!"
Greed God's fur bristled as it leaped from its master's arms.
It fled with astonishing speed, darting to the corner behind them and hiding there, only daring to poke out half its head.
Alchemy cats were timid by nature.
"I no longer need you."
Bei Huai suddenly spoke. "I once told you that I lost a very important test subject. Fortunately, today, I successfully found it again."
He watched Greed God leave, and not a shred of his former longing remained in his eyes. "Your cat, Greed God, can serve as a substitute, but in the end, it is not a child I raised with my own hands. It is no longer important."
"Just like this..."
As he spoke, Bei Huai bent down and picked up half an orange Yama Mask from the pooled water, raising it and examining it back and forth.
At last, he gently pressed it to his face, allowing the filthy muddy water to cling to his skin, then stream from his chin through his fingers and beneath the sleeves at his wrists.
"It carries a familiar scent." He spoke in Five Declines of Heaven and Man's voice.
"Yet it