Chapter 19 It Really Wasn't Them

Li Yan sat on the stool watching them, originally thinking that intensifying the restraining punishment would make them tell the truth. However, to his surprise, they fainted under the punishment and still did not change their story.

Seeing the little skeleton and the old skeleton head lying unconscious on the ground, Li Yan began to reflect: Could it be that I was wrong? During his unconsciousness, the little skeleton kept mumbling, "No, don’t hurt my grandfather. Don’t hit my grandfather..."

Li Yan thought the little skeleton must have been dreaming about fighting him while trying to protect his grandfather. He gently comforted it, saying, "Don’t be afraid. As long as you behave, I won’t hit you anymore."

But the little skeleton’s behavior grew increasingly strange. Though still unconscious, it inexplicably stood up, knelt by the pond, and bowed its head repeatedly.

Before Li Yan could figure out what was happening, the old skeleton head also knelt by the pond and began bowing. As they bowed, they chanted: "Respected Cat Deity, we kowtow to you. Please spare us."

After saying this, they bowed faster and faster. Li Yan was utterly baffled. He didn’t understand how they could still be sleepwalking after fainting. Yet, he dared not disturb them and simply waited quietly for them to wake up.

Unexpectedly, it took about half an hour for both of them to fully regain consciousness and return to Li Yan’s side. Seeing them awake, Li Yan finally breathed a sigh of relief. Frowning, he asked with suspicion, "Who is this Cat Deity you keep mentioning?"

Upon hearing the name "Cat Deity," both the old skeleton head and the little skeleton panicked, immediately covering Li Yan’s mouth with bony hands. They warned him that this name must not be spoken at night.

Li Yan didn’t understand why they were so afraid. Didn’t he just say it himself? Scratching his head, he said firmly, "You mentioned this name earlier. What exactly is this thing?"

Though terrified, they hesitated but ultimately decided to tell him everything. Li Yan listened intently.

According to their account, the Cat Deity was a being that originally lived in the pond of the Xue Residence. It had been cultivating there for a long time. The Xue family never interfered with the pond, and in return, the Cat Deity had been helping the estate.

At first, it was a good arrangement. But things took a turn for the worse.

One night, the maid Cai Lian came to the pond alone and summoned the Cat Deity to make a wish. She wished for Xue Huaiyuan to treat her better and hoped that Qin Lian would die soon.

However, the Cat Deity would not carry out wicked deeds, so it only helped fulfill her first wish. Cai Lian’s life indeed improved, but not for long—Qin Lian did not die.

Believing the Cat Deity had eaten her offerings without fulfilling the second wish, Cai Lian hired a master who came to the pond and insisted it must be filled in, warning that many would die if it wasn’t.

Xue Huaiyuan was initially skeptical. When Cai Lian and the master saw his disbelief, they resorted to killing people and dumping their bodies into the pond to create a false impression that leaving the pond unfilled would cause deaths.

Faced with this, Xue Huaiyuan had no choice but to order the pond to be filled. But those hired to do the job either mysteriously went mad or willingly jumped into the pond during the process. Strange noises also appeared near the pond at night.

Soon, the entire Xue estate grew fearful of the pond, and no one was willing to continue filling it. Seeing this, Xue Huaiyuan declared the project abandoned.

However, Cai Lian was not satisfied. She pressured Xue Huaiyuan to continue, and when he refused, she sought out another master—one more knowledgeable.

This master managed to expose the Cat Deity hiding in the water and declared it a demon that needed to be killed. The Cat Deity barely escaped with its life and returned to the pond.

Seeing this, Xue Huaiyuan became even more determined to fill the pond. Enraged, the Cat Deity began to retaliate, and the work remained plagued with unexplained deaths.

Eventually, Xue Huaiyuan truly gave up. Cai Lian then took matters into her own hands, secretly attacking and seriously wounding the Cat Deity, leaving it battered and injured.

Desperate, the Cat Deity began feeding on humans. It took control of the old skeleton head, the little skeleton, and the strange fish, forcing them to serve it.

Many people in the Xue estate died because of this. Cai Lian was also lured to the pond and died there.

After recovering, the Cat Deity killed the master who had advocated filling the pond. Everyone who knew of the Cat Deity’s existence and had made wishes to it also died, except Qin Lian—who had not died because of this.

Having heard the old skeleton head and the little skeleton’s story, Li Yan was troubled. He had figured out how Cai Lian died, but what about Qin Lian?

Just as Li Yan pondered this, he noticed them nervously pointing behind him. Suddenly, they hid, trembling violently.

Confused, Li Yan turned around and saw a two-meter-tall giant standing there. Its skin was pale like a ghost’s, hair disheveled, face delicate yet eerie, dressed in a soaking wet hemp garment. Two cat ears sprouted from its head, and its eyes emitted a strange blue glow, resembling a cat’s eyes.

Li Yan quietly stepped back a few paces, then asked sternly, "Are you the Cat Deity?"

The figure ignored him, swiftly drawing all the pond’s water to the shore, then launched an attack on Li Yan.

Caught off guard, Li Yan barely managed to block the blow but was sent flying, almost falling into the pond. Fortunately, the little skeleton and the old skeleton caught him, preventing a fall.

Li Yan thanked them sincerely. Enraged by their assistance to Li Yan, the Cat Deity attempted to regain control over the two again.

Not wanting them to be controlled, Li Yan struggled to wrest them away from the Cat Deity.

But the Cat Deity’s power was overwhelming; it unleashed an energy wave that knocked Li Yan to the ground.