Chapter 23: The Three-Tailed Xie Cat

The "female ghost" was in the midst of her performance when she suddenly sensed something amiss in the atmosphere. She parted the hair covering her face with her hand, peering out through a narrow gap, only to meet the contemptuous golden gaze of the giant beast. With her experience, she couldn’t discern the beast’s identity, but it was obvious that it could easily inhale her like a wisp of dust with a single breath.

Terrified, she felt as if all her bones had been removed; her legs gave way beneath her, and she collapsed to the ground, trembling as she crawled toward the magnolia tree, murmuring, "Don’t kill me, don’t kill me."

"Come back," the giant beast commanded.

She shivered and crawled back, kneeling to kowtow and whimpering, "Magnolia tree demon greets the celestial god."

The magnolia tree demon was solitary by nature, preferring to live alone. By masquerading as a female ghost, she had scared off previous homeowners, and now, with new intruders, she naturally wished to drive them out at once. But to her surprise, these two were beings she could not afford to offend. Not only did they refuse to leave, but they also began to treat her as a servant. As a tree demon, Magnolia disliked all things related to human life—she never cooked or boiled water, only handled cleaning duties. Yet even so, she felt utterly aggrieved.

In the days that followed, whenever she dwelled on her misfortune, Magnolia would fly up to the treetop and shed bitter tears for her hard fate.

Qingyin led Magnolia to clean away the accumulated dust in the house, tidying up several rooms so that Strangeness could recover from his injuries here. Grateful for his lifesaving help, she naturally couldn’t abandon him. She planned to wait until he healed before returning to Jiaozhou Prefecture to search for clues about her family’s enemies.

She never expected that this "temporary stay" would last five years.

...

After sweeping up the shards of porcelain, Qingyin sighed in relief and went to the southern room facing the street, moving the wooden boards aside one by one. As she opened the main door, the morning sunlight poured into the shop, and her establishment, "Half Celestial," was open for business.

Inside, there were various compasses, bagua diagrams, wooden swords, and tokens hanging and displayed, but Qingyin knew they were nothing more than props meant to impress.

Five years ago, after the three-tailed xie cat was gravely injured, it could barely move. Once it reverted to its true form, the wound on its back enlarged a hundredfold compared to a cat’s body, and the little medicine Qingyin had brought from the Lin household was meant for a single cat, not a giant leopard.

Fortunately, she still had half a tael of broken silver—the monthly wage she received at Lin’s household. She walked out the front gate to find a pharmacy and buy medicine. The first time she stepped out of the "haunted house," a neighbor saw her and was so shocked he kept his distance, not daring to speak.

At the nearby pharmacy, she bought some herbs and, incidentally, some food ingredients. The half-tael of silver was quickly spent. Though the medicine was a large bundle, Strangeness’s enormous body couldn’t be sustained for long. Moreover—Strangeness had a voracious appetite, even while injured!

Just the "cat food" was enough to make her cry from worry.

For Strangeness’s sake, she had to find a way to earn money. But she was only a nine-year-old child at the time, without any skills to make a living. She sat on the stone steps outside the door, almost in tears. Suddenly, a neighbor uncle cautiously approached and asked, "Little girl, when did you move in here?"

"Oh, just a few days ago," she replied offhandedly.

"I heard... this house is haunted."

"I know."

"You know and you still dare to live here?"

"No problem. I caught the ghost," she said carelessly.

The neighbor uncle gasped, astonished, "At your age, you can catch ghosts?"

His loud exclamation drew the attention of passersby. A young man paused, then suddenly shouted in delight, "Miss Qingyin!" and ran over.

Qingyin looked up and saw that it was Dongzi. She jumped up in joy, calling, "Brother Dongzi!"

Dongzi rushed over and blurted, "Miss Qingyin, you haven’t returned to Heaven yet!"

The neighbor uncle nearly stumbled, stammering, "W-what Heaven?"

Realizing his slip, Dongzi quickly said, "No, you misheard," hastily covering it up.

But the truth was exposed.

The rumor quickly spread: the young girl living in the "haunted house" was actually a celestial who had subdued the female ghost. This tale circulated through the neighborhood, corroborated by several survivors who had previously escaped the Lin household, and spawned numerous versions of demon-slaying legends.

Within days, someone knocked on her door, begging Qingyin the Celestial to save his wife who was possessed by a demon. Qingyin was so frightened by the request to catch a demon that she pressed herself against the door, refusing to come out. But when the man knelt outside and promised a reward of five taels of silver, she was deeply moved.

At that time, her big cat hadn’t eaten enough for two days. Hungry, his wounds would never heal. She steeled herself and accepted the job, following the man to his home.

Upon arrival, she found his wife sitting on the kang, alternately crying and laughing, sometimes uttering foul words—a clear sign of mental disturbance. Qingyin, trembling, cautiously approached and touched her. Suddenly, with a screech, a "yellow weasel" fell from the beam.

It was merely a mischievous yellow weasel with minor magical power, controlling the woman’s body and causing her erratic behavior. Qingyin’s unique constitution, imbued with celestial energy from the immortal mushroom, broke the little spell upon contact.

Thus, five taels of silver were earned.

Qingyin used the silver to buy two large fish, five or six catties each, to feed Strangeness. The next day, she hung a sign on the door: "Half Celestial." Business was now officially catching demons and dispelling monsters.

Strangeness, after a few days of recuperation, could finally transform into his feline form. When he wandered into the southern room, he discovered Qingyin was engaged in such questionable business. He sat on the table and said sternly, "What nonsense are you doing? With your meager abilities, if you encounter a powerful monster, you’ll be captured yourself! And what does ‘Half Celestial’ mean on the sign?"

"I named the shop ‘Half Celestial’ with purpose. Outsiders think I’m modest, but it’s my escape route. If there’s a demon I can’t handle, I’ll just say I’m not a true immortal—no one should expect too much. I’ll be careful. If not for this, how could I earn money for your medicine and fish?"

At the mention of "fish," Strangeness’s eyes brightened, and he couldn’t help but lick the corner of his mouth. After a moment’s hesitation, he said, "From now on, you must take me with you. I’ll assess the situation and decide whether to accept the job."

Qingyin replied happily, "Of course, with you by my side, I’ll feel safer. Strangeness, you’re amazing—tell me, what kind of demon are you, with such a strange true form?"

Strangeness snorted and twisted away.

She quickly corrected herself, "I misspoke! Not strange—majestic, very majestic, don’t be angry..."

From then on, whenever business called for demon-slaying or exorcism, Qingyin brought Strangeness along. They would drive away the minor demons, and for the formidable ones, find excuses to refuse. They specialized in bullying the weak and avoiding the strong. Even so, with the black cat by her side, "Celestial Qingyin" became well-known in the capital.

Over five years, Qingyin and Strangeness made a decent living through these skills. Most of the silver was spent on various supplements for Strangeness, whose expensive tastes meant money came and went quickly, leaving little in savings. As the reputation of "Celestial Qingyin" grew, the monsters and demons of the capital began to move away, seeking other places to cause trouble, and business dwindled.

Qingyin, bored, lay across the table, gazing idly at the sunshine by the door. Suddenly warmth enveloped her knees—it was Strangeness in his cat form, curling up for a nap in her lap.

She gently stroked his back, her fingers tracing a faint, raised scar beneath his fur. That wound took two full years to heal, and only last year did new fur grow to cover it. The slow healing puzzled her, hinting at an unusual injury. She asked him, but he never spoke of it.

Her hand moved to his forepaw, fingers resting on his pulse. Though his pulse differed greatly from a human’s, after years of practice, she had learned its rhythm. Still, deep internal injuries lingered in his organs.

When would he ever truly recover?

Strangeness flipped his paw, slipping from her grasp, pressing the soft pad against her hand. She often checked his pulse, which annoyed him.

"Strangeness," she said, "business is getting quieter. There are no monsters left nearby."

He continued to nap, grunting dismissively through his nose.

"Maybe it’s time to seek new territory."

Another grunt.

"I’m thinking Jiaozhou..."

Suddenly, he lifted his head, his golden eyes coolly fixed on her, "No."

"Why not? I’ve grown up, my appearance has changed; even those who saw me as a child wouldn’t recognize me. In Jiaozhou, we can run the same demon-catching business and search for clues about our enemies."

"I said no, and that’s final."

"If this goes on, how will I ever find my enemies, recover my family’s lost treasure, and redeem Yunie? It’s been five years—he’s already six. Who knows what’s become of him in Lord She’s care..."

Strangeness jumped down with a cold retort, "That’s none of my concern."

Qingyin sprang to her feet, the sudden movement making the chair clatter. Her hands clenched tightly, her voice trembling, "Strangeness, you keep stopping me from returning to Jiaozhou—why? Who are you, really? What do you know? Tell me! If you don’t, how can I ever find out?"

Strangeness said nothing and walked away. Qingyin collapsed back into her chair, tears filling her eyes.

Half Celestial Seal 233_Full Free Reading of Half Celestial Seal_23 Three-Tailed Xie Cat Update Complete!