Half divine, half mortal

Suddenly, the synchronized sound of marching footsteps echoed from the street corner. It was the dead of night. The authorities, wishing for the Lin residence to be thoroughly consumed by fire, forbade the townsfolk from extinguishing the blaze and imposed a stricter curfew, with patrols constantly making their rounds. She hurriedly ducked into a narrow alley to evade them.

Her hand brushed against her waist, where she found the Cloud Willow Leaf lent to her by Lord She, a talisman to speed her journey. Clutching the leaf, a burning resolve flared in her heart; she ached to return at once to Jiaozhou Prefecture and uncover the true cause behind the annihilation of the Zhou family.

As she anxiously studied the willow leaf, trying to decipher its use, she suddenly felt a sharp prickling in her arms. Looking down, she saw the black cat had opened its eyes, which glimmered with a faint golden light in the darkness. Its claws had pierced her clothing and scratched her.

“So you’re awake?” she whispered. Though she spoke, it was more to herself; after all, a cat could hardly reply.

To her surprise, the cat’s whiskered mouth moved, and it spoke in human language: “You must not return to Jiaozhou.”

She had long suspected this cat was no ordinary creature, but hearing it speak so suddenly unsettled her so much that she toppled over, landing hard on the ground. From beneath her came the black cat’s muffled, angry growl: “Get off me, you’re crushing me.”

Qingyin scrambled aside. The black cat lay on the ground, tried to stand but failed, and then collapsed again. Yet, in the very instant it fell, its form suddenly expanded into a giant beast. The bandages that had once wound tightly around its slender body burst apart. This monstrous creature had sharply pointed ears, eyes like blazing torches, a pitch-black horn rising from its brow, and three great tails trailing behind. — Motu could no longer maintain its disguise and revealed its true form.

Confronted so suddenly by the ferocious beast, Qingyin let out a frightened yelp and scrambled away on hands and knees. After a moment of running, she suddenly stopped. With resolve, she turned back, trembling as she approached, stopping a yard away from the creature. She squatted, covering her mouth with her hand to stifle her shock, steadied herself, and gazed into its eyes. “I recognize your eyes. You’ve appeared in my dreams many times. Are you… a spirit?”

Motu did not answer. Just now, when she fled, he lacked the strength to chase after her. S