Beast! Gray Rat!

"Why did it feel so strange?"

Yu Hang lay on his bed, hands tucked behind his head, staring blankly at the ceiling.

There was no other reason. It just felt strange.

Today's lessons had been the same as usual. Nothing unusual had happened between the meal and his departure, yet Yu Hang could not shake that strange feeling.

Especially during the lesson today, he had seen Sun Dan turn his back more than once and secretly lick the back of his hand.

Moreover, Sun Dan's movements lacked their former steadiness, and his eyes carried a savage, bestial gleam.

Bestial!

Yu Hang abruptly sat up, bracing himself with one hand on the bed.

"Yes, bestiality! Other than a human gaze, there was always a beast's ferocity in Teacher's eyes today."

At last, he understood what had felt so strange tonight.

Every time Teacher lowered his head or looked away, he revealed an unmistakable aura of a wild beast.

Especially that hand-licking motion, and the faint bounce in his steps—they were all like a... rat!

A rat!

Yu Hang's hair stood on end. He sprang up and put on his clothes.

Recently, Gray Rat Worshipers had become a thorn in everyone's heart.

Now Sun Dan was displaying ratlike movements as well, and Yu Hang immediately connected the two.

"I have to contact the higher-ups at once."

This was a critical time. Every tiny detail could potentially set off enormous repercussions.

If he discovered something, he had to report it.

As for whether it was true or false, that no longer mattered.

At a time like this, evidence was not important. Once suspicion arose, they would first bring the suspect under control, then investigate slowly.

Special times called for special methods.

Once Yu Hang was dressed, he prepared to leave.

He casually strapped his long saber to his waist. Just as he grasped the door bolt, before he could open the door, he suddenly noticed something abnormal through the crack.

In a remote alley like this, the houses were ordinary at best—one could even call them shabby—so their doors did not fit together seamlessly.

Through the gap, Yu Hang saw a pair of eyes outside, peering into the room.

Those eyes held no human emotion. They were filled with the aura of a beast—cunning, dangerous, and bloodthirsty.

Stared at by those eyes, Yu Hang broke out in goosebumps all over. He backed away two steps, pressing a hand to his saber hilt, his face full of vigilance.

"Knock, knock, knock."

The knocking sounded, especially distinct in the night.

Yu Hang said nothing, but stormy waves churned in his mind.

Those eyes belonged to his Private Tutor, Sun Dan.

"He came to my door."

Yu Hang gripped his saber tightly.

He was the only one left in the house.

Gray Rat Worshipers were profoundly sinister.

Yu Hang felt that it might be difficult for him to escape.

After sounding for a moment, the knocking stopped, and silence returned.

Then a voice came from outside.

"Yu Hang, open the door. I know you're in there. You should know who I am. A wooden door cannot stop me. I came today to discuss something with you." Sun Dan's usual gentle elegance was gone, and his voice was extremely coarse.

Yu Hang took a deep breath. "Teacher, why have you come for me?"

There was no answer from outside.

Yu Hang still did not approach. He remained inside the room, warily watching the door.

After a while, a terrifying sight appeared.

A jet-black claw slipped through the crack in the door and slowly hooked upward. When it touched the wooden door's bolt, it lifted it slightly, and the bolt fell to the ground with a clatter.

"Creak!"

The wooden door opened!

A figure appeared outside.

Yu Hang's pupils contracted slightly when he saw it.

Sun Dan no longer looked like a scholar. He did not even look human.

Sparse black fur covered his entire body. His mouth protruded outward, and his front teeth had grown extremely long.

His hands bore claws a foot long, and a tail extended behind him.

A rat!

Yu Hang reacted instantly. Without giving Sun Dan a chance to speak, he drew his saber and charged forward.

Constables all knew a few basic martial arts moves, and Yu Hang was no exception.

Yu Hang did not know whether he could survive, but he had to fight for it at least once.

Sometimes, if one did not fight, there was no chance. If one fought, there was a chance.

His saber technique was poor and crude; one could even say it was only good enough to fight ordinary people.

"Clang!"

With a sharp sound, the long saber broke into two pieces.

"Don't move."

Sun Dan's voice came from before him.

"I told you, I'm not here to take your life. Listen to me first."

Black nails hovered at Yu Hang's neck. Yu Hang felt a bone-deep chill, and goosebumps spread from his neck across his entire body.

"Teacher, it is never too late to return from the wrong path," Yu Hang said.

A vicious expression appeared on Sun Dan's face. "Return from the wrong path? How do you know I have strayed onto one?"

"Teacher has always been a respected elder, but ever since Gray Rat Worshipers appeared, you have shown abnormalities. Have you been bewitched?" Yu Hang continued.

He had a guess now: perhaps Gray Rat Worshipers were not some strange phenomenon, but the work of people.

"You are a very good student." Sun Dan spoke slowly. "That is why I want to give you an opportunity. Have you seen the power I possess? It is something I never had before."

Yu Hang frowned. "Teacher, I don't quite understand."

Sun Dan sneered. "Must I make it any clearer?"

"From the previous dynasty until now, I have been a scholar, yet I never gained a scholar's power. You know how high the threshold is for scholars. A scholar without power is useless in every way."

"But now it is different. I have successfully gained power and become something ordinary people cannot imagine. All of this is because..."

At this point, Sun Dan stopped.

His gaze grew colder and colder.

"You're trying to pry information out of me?"

Yu Hang gave a bitter smile. "Teacher, I am the fish on the chopping block, while you hold the knife. How could I possibly pry information from you? I simply want to know more. You came to find me because you must need something. If I know more, perhaps I can help."

Sun Dan's expression eased slightly. "That makes sense."

Before overwhelming strength, all schemes and tricks were empty talk.

If he told the other party and they refused, he could simply kill them.

"The Beast Cult!" A trace of worship appeared on Sun Dan's face. "Burn incense and open the altar, worship for seven full days, hollow out their five organs and six bowels, then eat them raw, and you can gain incomparable power."

Yu Hang's face was full of shock.

It was no different from his guess.

The other party truly was not some strange phenomenon, but a mysterious force.

After being worshiped by Gray Rat Worshipers for seven days, one could eat the five organs and six bowels raw to obtain the power of a beast.

"Have you made up your mind? Help me with one task, and I will let you gain this power as well." Sun Dan spoke coldly.

"What task?" Yu Hang asked.

Sun Dan took out a gray rat. "Put this thing in a room at Head Constable Xie's yamen."

Yu Hang understood at once. "You want to worship Head Constable Xie?"

"The internal organs of a Third-Rate Expert are better than those of an ordinary person." Sun Dan sneered. "I've said everything. Do you agree or not?"

Yu Hang fell silent.

Sun Dan frowned, sensing that something was wrong, and was about to speak.

At that moment, Yu Hang reached out and wrapped both hands tightly around Sun Dan's arm, shouting toward the doorway.

"Run! Go to the yamen!"