Black Cat stood frozen for a long time after hearing that.
In his deep blue eyes, Jiang Ran's departing figure was reflected.
He waited until Jiang Ran's footsteps had nearly faded from earshot.
Only then did Black Cat snap back to his senses. He pushed off with all four paws, becoming a black blur as he raced toward the tomb passage's exit.
When he burst out of the cave,
he saw Jiang Ran standing on a small hill not far away,
quietly gazing at the scattered lights in the direction of Qu Yuan's Tomb.
Black Cat bounded over in a few silent leaps and landed at Jiang Ran's feet. After a moment of silence, he suddenly looked up and asked softly,
"Kid, in this age... who are you?"
Jiang Ran glanced down at him. His voice, muffled behind his mask, was calm and even.
"Nobody of any importance."
"Impossible." Black Cat immediately objected, his tail swaying gently. "With the insight and spirit you showed just now... how could you be nobody of any importance?"
Jiang Ran listened without arguing further.
He turned his gaze back toward Qu Yuan's Tomb and asked thoughtfully,
"Were you trapped by an old man inside that tomb?"
Black Cat's eyes stiffened at once. Then he nodded.
Jiang Ran understood the situation.
The old Shaman was bent on using a blood sacrifice to resurrect the First Sage, Qu Yuan, as he called him. Naturally, he wouldn't allow anyone else to discover or explore Li Bai's tomb.
He was afraid they would interfere with his plans.
So the old man had trapped Black Cat in a formation and blocked the entrance with a boulder.
But...
Jiang Ran thought for a moment, then turned to look at Black Cat, who was crouched at his feet, and asked softly,