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Chapter 8: The Cat People
Ling Xuan's expression changed suddenly. "Chang is your daughter! But how could she be a slave..."
Before Ling Xuan could finish, Elder suppressed his inner pain and said, "She doesn't know about this matter. You know that we have many enemies because of what we do."
Ling Xuan did not press further, as she already understood Elder's meaning. She had never told Elder about the Crown Prince and Chang. Ling Xuan reflected inwardly, "Could it be that Elder knows about that incident? Is he blaming me for hiding it from him?"
Now that Elder had Jiang Chun in control, Ling Xuan had no opportunity to ask.
---
Inside the tent, Chen Da grew increasingly uneasy. "What could they possibly be going out together for?"
Chen Er speculated, "If they're leaving the camp together, it must be for something significant."
Chen Da pondered, "What could be so important that we aren't allowed to participate?"
Chen Si chimed in, "This doesn't seem right."
At that moment, Chen Da turned to a nearby soldier and asked, "What are the Chief Justice and the others going out for?"
The soldier replied, "It seems they are looking for the whereabouts of those people."
---
Ji Zichen fixed his gaze on the still-unfazed Jiang Chun. "What are you thinking? Do you have any tricks left up your sleeve?"
Jiang Chun chuckled ominously. "There's nothing more I can do; I can only free them now."
As Jiang Chun retracted the threads from his gloves, the eyes of Elder and the other two immediately returned to normal. At that moment, their awareness returned, and they all glared angrily at Jiang Chun from behind. Jiang Chun grinned at them and said, "Don't be too quick to get angry. If you want to punish me, you'll have to deal with them first to settle the score, right?"
Mo Cang coldly huffed at Jiang Chun. "We'll settle your account later!"
Elder looked across and saw Ji Zichen and Yu Ren standing firmly in front of him. "Jiang Chun, your methods are useless against them. I haven't finished speaking, and you already... Next time you control me without my permission, I will not let it go easily."
Zhu Qi also shot a sideways glance at Jiang Chun. "This useless glove of yours should be thrown away. Find a better magical artifact; they still need us to deal with this."
Mo Cang turned his gaze to Xia Zhou. "This person will be dealt with by me."
Xia Zhou sneered at him. "If you have the ability, then show it."
Elder's eyes shifted to Ling Xuan, his expression serious. "Ling Xuan, be sensible and submit quietly; don't drag them down with you."
Ling Xuan pondered for a moment before walking up to Ji Zichen. Ji Zichen tried to grab her, but Ling Xuan gently shook her head. Looking directly at Elder, she asked, "Are you going to kill me because of Chang?"
Elder's eyes reddened as he glared fiercely at Ling Xuan. "Since you asked, I will answer you: yes."
Ling Xuan sighed helplessly. "Are you blaming me for not telling you? That's Eldest Son! What could I do if I told you? If it were someone else, I would certainly stand up for you, but..."
Elder sneered. "There’s no 'but' about it. You are loyal to Western King; of course, you stand on his side."
Ling Xuan retorted, "Even if I had told you back then, would you dare to seek justice from Western King?"
Elder gritted his teeth. "A parent who does not teach their child! He is certainly at fault! Yes, I may not dare to seek justice in person, but I can ruin his plans by killing you, his right-hand person."
With a flick of his sword, Elder lunged toward Ling Xuan. Ji Zichen swiftly turned her body and swung the Demon-Slaying Sword horizontally toward Elder. Seeing that Elder had already made his move, Mo Cang also sprang into action. He pushed forward with his right palm directly aimed at Xia Zhou's face.
Xia Zhou saw Mo Cang's blatant attack and felt no threat from it at all.
Thinking Mo Cang was provoking him, Xia Zhou sneered. "Are you looking at me? Since you want to die, I'll send you on your way!"
Mo Cang smiled lightly and remained unfazed by Xia Zhou's words. "If you want to kill me, feel free to try!"
As Xia Zhou took out three Eight Desolation Needles and was about to throw them at Mo Cang, he noticed something in Mo Cang's sleeve from three yards away—a tubular object that made Xia Zhou's expression turn serious. "What is that?"
But Xia Zhou had no time for further thought; he assumed Mo Cang was merely attacking him head-on and did not anticipate what was hidden in Mo Cang's sleeve. Suddenly, the object in Mo Cang's sleeve emitted a sharp sound: "Clang!"
A claw suddenly emerged from Mo Cang's sleeve, making it seem as if he had two right hands. However, the second hand did not resemble a human palm at all; it was covered in numerous bumps, resembling the paw of a Demon Beast. This second hand had only four fingers and looked just like a cat's paw.
The claws on the cat paw were exceptionally sharp. With a swift motion, the claw slashed towards Xia Zhou's face. Startled, Xia Zhou quickly retreated, wielding three Eight Desolation Needles to strike at the claw.
Despite being called needles, the Eight Desolation Needles were not as thin as regular needles; they were about half the length of a chopstick but much thinner. The sharp claws caught Xia Zhou's three needles just before they reached his nose.
Xia Zhou was furious at Mo Cang's sneak attack. "What a vicious artifact!"
The object in Mo Cang's sleeve was indeed an artifact, but Xia Zhou could not see its form. If it were not an artifact, how could a cat paw emerge from something tubular?
As Xia Zhou countered Mo Cang's attack, Mo Cang appeared unfazed. He smiled slightly and said, "Why the serious face? Didn't you enjoy watching me earlier?"
Mo Cang pressed the cat paw down towards Xia Zhou's face with force. Xia Zhou pushed back with all his strength, and the two became locked in a stalemate. Mo Cang chuckled ominously, "You're not bad; you reacted pretty quickly."
Xia Zhou stared at Mo Cang. "What a malicious intent! You deliberately attacked head-on to catch me off guard."
Mo Cang laughed mischievously. "All's fair in war!"
At that moment, Jiang Dahuzi bounced forward from five zhang away and exclaimed, "What kind of artifact is this? It's so strange!"
Suddenly, Ling Xuan shouted sharply, "The Eight Desolation Needles in your possession!"
Though Ling Xuan intended to warn him, it was too late. Mo Cang's left hand slid across Xia Zhou's chest and immediately retreated three zhang. Xia Zhou quickly reached into his robe and gasped in shock and anger, "He stole my Eight Desolation Needles!"
Mo Cang laughed heartily. "You're just relying on those worthless needles to make a fool of yourself. Without them, let's see what you're capable of."
In his hand, Mo Cang held an exquisite box. He retracted the cat paw and opened the box to reveal dozens of Eight Desolation Needles inside. Mo Cang grinned and said, "Oh, quite a few spare Eight Desolation Needles here! But how do you use these things?"
He picked one up and toyed with it in his hand.
Xia Zhou felt a chill run down his spine! Realizing the gravity of the situation, he thought to himself, "If he uses those needles... to attack us..."
Ling Xuan saw Xia Zhou staring blankly at the box in Mo Cang's hands and shouted, "What are you standing there for? He stole it, why don't you take it back!"
Xia Zhou knew this logic all too well, but he remained still, his cold gaze fixed on Mo Cang. "Give it back to me!"
Mo Cang laughed heartily. "You really are an interesting person!"
He flipped the Eight Desolation Needles in his hand and shot them towards Xia Zhou. Xia Zhou slightly turned his body, and one of the Eight Desolation Needles flew past him and embedded itself in the ground behind him. Although Mo Cang had taken the needles, he didn't know how to use them, so the Eight Desolation Needles did not explode.
Mo Cang let out a bitter laugh. "I knew it wouldn't be that simple."
Seeing that Mo Cang couldn't use the Eight Desolation Needles, Ling Xuan let out a deep sigh of relief. "Great! He can't use them."
Xia Zhou's icy gaze remained locked on Mo Cang. "So you can't use them after all; you surprised me."
Mo Cang grinned slyly. "If I can't use them, then neither can you."
He closed the box and tossed it towards the left wall of the mountain. Half of the box sank into the rock, and Xia Zhou thought to himself, "What incredible strength!"
With most of the Eight Desolation Needles lodged in the wall, even if Xia Zhou wanted to retrieve them, it wouldn't be easy. Mo Cang smirked, "Without your precious Eight Desolation Needles, let's see what else you can do."
Xia Zhou scoffed coldly. "Three needles are enough to deal with you."
He used one of the Eight Desolation Needles to shoot at Mo Cang. The needle shot forth like a bolt of lightning, and just as Mo Cang stepped back with his left foot, the Eight Desolation Needle exploded right before him.
"Boom!"
The area around Mo Cang was engulfed in dust and smoke, thick and heavy. Xia Zhou felt confident in the power of his Eight Desolation Needles as he watched it explode in front of Mo Cang. A smile spread across his face, but in an instant, that smile faded into a look of shock as he saw a shadow still standing amidst the dust.
As the shadow moved, Mo Cang leaped out from the smoke. The left side of his body was deformed from the explosion. "No way!" Xia Zhou exclaimed in astonishment. "What is this?"
The left side of Mo Cang's body hadn't been deformed by the explosion; rather, it revealed his true form. The left half was that of a cat, while his right face remained human. However, his left face was now entirely feline—complete with cat eyes and whiskers—though that half had been mangled by the explosion of the Eight Desolation Needles.
Pieces of cat skin fell from Mo Cang's body as he burst out of the dust, roaring like a cat, "Dare to tear my flesh! I will kill you!"
With a swipe of his claws towards Xia Zhou, Xia Zhou barely managed to dodge back, only to see Mo Cang suddenly move behind him with an impossible speed. Mo Cang kicked Xia Zhou in the chest and abdomen, sending him flying three zhang away, crashing heavily to the ground.
Ling Xuan gasped at the sight of Mo Cang. "What are you?"
Her words were not an insult; she was simply astonished that Mo Cang had transformed into this half-cat form. Mo Cang smiled grimly, "Chief Justice, I apologize for the surprise. I am a Cat Person!"
"A Cat Person!" Ling Xuan stood frozen in disbelief.
Mo Cang crouched low to the ground like a cat, then suddenly sprang up high into the air, leaping towards the fallen Xia Zhou. In midair, he shouted, "White Claw Scratches the Heart!"
Mo Cang aimed to tear Xia Zhou apart, but just then, Ji Zichen's water droplets darkened. A Water Rope wrapped around Xia Zhou's ankle and in an instant pulled him seven zhang away.
Mo Cang landed where Xia Zhou had been, and in the air, phantom cat claws appeared, raining down on the ground where Xia Zhou had lain. In an instant, the ground was marked with over a hundred deep scratches.
Ling Xuan felt her scalp tingle. "The ground! It's been clawed up!"
Ji Zichen was already engaged in battle with the Elder. As Ji Zichen diverted attention to rescue Xia Zhou, the Elder seized the opportunity to attack, slashing Ji Zichen's left shoulder with his sword. Ji Zichen cried out and staggered back, clutching her shoulder.
The Elder coldly remarked, "If you engage me while distracted, you will die!"
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