Scripture of Days Past

Faced with a Dao Comprehension-state fiend, Liu Yao couldn't even muster the will to resist. However, there were still a few things he had to do before making his escape.

The most important thing is to return to Spirit Province, collect some silver, and make sure everything back home will continue running smoothly in my absence.

Then there was Hao Xiangtong.

Liu Yao had very mixed feelings about Hao Xiangtong, but he still decided to meet her one last time before leaving the Ba Manor.

On the way to the Daoist temple, he felt extremely uneasy. He didn't know whether it was his imagination or some kind of confirmation bias, but there seemed to be more cats around the Ba Manor than usual. Furthermore, all the cats seemed to be watching him whenever he passed them by.

Could these cats have something to do with that cat fiend?

After arriving at the Daoist temple, Liu Yao was granted a meeting with Hao Xiangtong. However, when she finally appeared before him, he found him at a loss for words.

In the end, he could only let out a forlorn sigh and declare, "I'm leaving."

Hao Xiangtong could barely recognize Liu Yao. It had only been a few days since they last met, but he looked as if he had aged ten years.

"Are you alright?" she asked hesitantly.

A sense of warmth welled up in Liu Yao's heart at her concern, offering him some comfort amid his despair.

He chatted with her briefly before bidding her farewell, though he could barely recall what they had said to each other.

That leaves only Chu Qiguang...

The thought of Hao Xiangtong eloping with Chu Qiguang to Shu Province was enough to make Liu Yao gnash his teeth. He was determined to teach Chu Qiguang a lesson before he left.

With that in mind, he began making his way toward Earth Gate Fort. However, the closer he drew to Earth Gate Fort, the more stray cats he saw along the way.

The cats were gathered in small groups, almost as if they were quietly talking to one another. Yet whenever Liu Yao stopped to look at them, they quickly averted their eyes, making it seem as though they weren't paying any attention to him.

The unease in Liu Yao's heart continued to grow. He stopped a passing middle-aged man and asked, "Have there been more cats here than usual lately?"

The man scratched his head with a puzzled expression. "Now that you mention it, I do seem to have seen more of them around than usual."

"Have you seen any orange cats here?" Liu Yao asked.

"How the hell am I supposed to remember that?" the man scoffed, losing his patience. "Get out of my way! I've got places to be!"

All of a sudden, Liu Yao spotted Chen Gang in the distance.

The fact that Chen Gang managed to return to Earth Gate Fort safely means Chu Qiguang must've rescued him.

Liu Yao's eyes narrowed slightly at the thought of his missing underlings, and he began considering whether to put an end to Chen Gang before leaving the Ba Manor.

With that in mind, Liu Yao quickly approached Chen Gang. However, just as he was about to make his move, a loud meow startled him so badly that he nearly jumped out of his skin.

He hurriedly looked down to discover a stray cat at his feet. By the time he looked up again, Chen Gang was already gone.

Where'd he go?

Liu Yao hurried over to the spot where Chen Gang had been standing just moments ago, then looked around with tightly furrowed brows.

All of a sudden, something on the ground caught his attention. It was a few strands of silver fur.

Silver fur was extremely rare among ordinary animals, and this was the exact color of Omniscient's fur.

Liu Yao didn't know that the fur had come from the bone box belt Chu Qiguang had left with Chen Gang for safekeeping, but the discovery still unsettled him greatly.

An absurd thought sprang into his mind.

Is Chen Gang Omniscient?! No, that can't be right. Chen Gang is Chu Qiguang's servant, so could it be that Chu Qiguang is actually...

Chu Qiguang was only a fourth-state martial artist and a member of the Fiend Assassin Faction, so what gave him the courage to come all the way to Shu Province?

Furthermore, the large-scale demonic tainting incident that had led to the deaths of hundreds of fiends had coincidentally occurred soon after Chu Qiguang arrived in Shu Province.

During the battle at the Daoist temple, Chu Qiguang had supposedly been at the temple the entire time, yet he hadn't shown up at all. Afterward, he told everyone that he had been cultivating in seclusion, but that seemed extremely suspicious.

The more Liu Yao thought about it, the more unsettled he became.

Even if it isn't Chu Qiguang, it could be someone close to him. If that's the case, then Omniscient has already infiltrated the Demon Vanquishing Department! Come to think of it, why did Omniscient help Bai Shihe during his battle against Li Yaofeng? Could it be that Bai Shihe is also...

A violent chill ran down Liu Yao's spine as it occurred to him that even the upper echelons of the Demon Vanquishing Department might have already been infiltrated by fiends.

Have the fiends already taken over the Demon Vanquishing Department? Have they taken over the imperial court as well? Is that why the empire has been declining in recent years? Have the fiends secretly formed a shadow imperial court?

Although Liu Yao had no concrete evidence to support these ideas, fear continued to well up in his heart. He was quickly becoming overwhelmed by the terrifying conspiracy theories he had concocted in his own mind.

After some internal struggle, he decided that he had to see Hao Xiangtong again and warn her to be careful of Chu Qiguang.

***

𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝚠𝚎𝚋𝗻𝗼𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝚘𝐦

In the outer hall of the Daoist temple, Hao Xiangtong stood with a puzzled look on her face.

"Why did you want to see me again?"

"Listen to me, Xiangtong!" Liu Yao said in an urgent voice. "You have to be careful of Chu Qiguang. There's something very suspicious about him. I suspect that he's a c-c-cat..."

Liu Yao's voice trailed off as he began to stammer, his horrified gaze fixed on something past Hao Xiangtong.

Chu Qiguang stepped out from behind her and asked, "What was that? You suspect that I'm a cat?"

"I suspect that you're a... categorically brilliant prodigy! A future elite of the Demon Vanquishing Department!" Liu Yao hurriedly spluttered.

Hao Xiangtong grew more perplexed by the second.

Chu Qiguang patted her on the shoulder with a smile and said, "Let me speak to Young Master Liu in private. He and I actually go way back. Isn't that right?"

Chu Qiguang turned his gaze toward Liu Yao, and for a split second, his pupils transformed into the vertical slits of a cat's eyes.

Liu Yao felt as though he had been plunged headfirst into an icy pit.

His complexion turned deathly pale as he replied, "Y-Yes, that's right."

I knew it! The fiends have infiltrated the Demon Vanquishing Department!

Hao Xiangtong was a little concerned about leaving Chu Qiguang alone with Liu Yao, but she was confident that Liu Yao wouldn't dare to get violent in the Daoist temple. Thus, she agreed to leave the two of them alone.

After Hao Xiangtong left, Chu Qiguang slung an arm around Liu Yao's shoulders, causing the latter's legs to nearly give out beneath him.

"Please don't kill me!" Liu Yao pleaded frantically.