Chapter 452: Black Cat

A hand lightly pinched the black cat's neck as it leapt up, rendering Pan Xiaohei instantly motionless as it screamed desperately, "Help!"

The cat's body was lifted, its vision rising gradually until a pair of smiling eyes appeared before it; Pan Xiaohei froze completely, staring at the youthful man with white hair and a youthful face, unable to utter a sound.

Seeing it subdued, the youth smiled again. "At least you're more sensible than your master."

He reached out, removed the pouch from its neck, dropped it casually to the ground, then untied the pouch.

Pan Xiaohei landed but dared not move a muscle; all four paws lay flat on the floor, head bowed, back slightly arched then quickly drawn in, trembling violently.

Inside the pouch was a recording talisman; the youth uttered an "Oh?" and quickly found the key, releasing the sound.

It was half the conversation between Pan Yun and Wang Zhen in the dungeon.

The youth casually shoved the recording talisman back into the pouch, about to burn it all with a flame—then remembered something, extinguishing the fire in his palm, merely brushing the pouch.

He toyed with the pouch, lifted the black cat off the ground, and fixed his gaze directly upon it—as if peering through its glassy eyes at someone else—and said coolly, "Tell your master: if this happens again, I'll send her back to Mount Sanqing and let Wang Feiyin properly discipline her."

With that, he tossed it aside; Pan Xiaohei shot upward with a *shoo*—rolling like a snowball through the air, spinning endlessly, dizzy and disoriented—until, mid-flight, it glimpsed the Imperial Prison; before it could even twitch its paws, it shot straight through the high window with a *shoo*, slamming into Pan Yun's arms.

But to the prison guards in the interrogation chamber, a dark blur had crashed through the high window.

*Paji*—it hovered midair, as if caught by unseen hands.

Pan Yun, face solemn, snapped back to awareness, snatched up Pan Xiaohei, and hurled it toward the chamber's exit, shouting inwardly: 【Run!】

Pan Xiaohei had barely touched the ground, still dizzy, paws flailing wildly, stumbling and staggering as it fled.

The guards snapped to attention, drawing their blades with a *shhh* and shouting: "Demon! Capture the demon!"

Ignoring the "Pan Yun" still bound to the post, they seized their swords and chased after the black blur.

Soon, one caught up and shouted: "It's a cat! A black cat!"

"Where did this demon cat come from? Send for the Imperial Astronomical Bureau!"

Several chased the cat through the prison, hacking wildly with their swords—but kept missing; soon, Pan Xiaohei's dizziness faded, scrambled up the wall, slipped out through the high window, and fled.

Once the guards had all rushed out, Pan Yun walked to the shelf, slapped it once—the "Pan Yun" on the shelf vanished, leaving only four loose ropes loosely tied.

She casually wiped the talismans on the post with her sleeve, then erased several others on the table and walls.

From her space, she pulled out a bottle of black dog's blood, grimaced, dabbed some onto her clothes, tore the fabric further, then stood before the shelf and bound herself.

The four ropes moved on their own, windless, tightening around her wrists and ankles.

When the guards, panting, returned to the interrogation chamber, Pan Yun stood calmly, bound as if she'd never moved.

The guards, no longer interested in interrogation, searched the room but found nothing dropped by the black cat; they turned sharply on Pan Yun. "Are you a Daoist Priest?"

Pan Yun: "What? You suspect that black cat is mine? Hmm… you're not wrong—it is mine. Black cats ward off evil and commune with spirits; when night falls and all is quiet, they'll rip out the hearts and livers of all you wicked men."

"Shut up!" Though she said it, the guards no longer believed her; they unbound her, shoved her back into the cell, and hurried to report.

That black cat was too surreal—it could hover midair.

The Imperial Prison connects to the palace; such demonic occurrences must be reported.

When no one remained, Pan Yun rotated her wrists and sat at the table, poured herself a cup of tea, and asked inwardly: 【Where did you hide?】

Pan Xiaohei: 【Outside the Imperial Prison.】

Pan Yun: 【Go find Second Master. Dye your fur. This has blown up—black cats in Jingcheng are going to suffer now.】

Pan Xiaohei let out an indignant meow but agreed, asking: 【Who was that man? I think he's stronger than your Senior Brother.】

Pan Yun clenched her teacup. At that moment, through Pan Xiaohei's eyes, she had met his gaze—he was indeed powerful, as strong as her teacher from her past life.

【The rumored guardian left by the Zhang family to protect the palace,】 Pan Yun replied inwardly: 【I was wrong—I shouldn't have sent you with the talisman. Your cat body has cultivated Daoist methods; it's now classified as a demonic form. Your entering naturally violated his taboos.】

Last time I entered the palace, I used only internal strength—no Yuan energy, no magic at all. That's a martial arts technique, so he ignored me.

Pan Xiaohei: 【What now? The recording talisman's in his hands. Do you have a backup?】

Pan Yun sighed: 【No.】

【Do you think I have three heads and six arms? I was holding one talisman, facing Wang Zhen head-on—how was I supposed to copy it?】

Pan Xiaohei: 【Then it's over. All your planning last night was wasted.】

Pan Yun: 【Fine. At least I gained some insight. Not entirely wasted.】

The human and cat fell silent, unaware that after the youth tossed Pan Xiaohei away, he turned to leave—but casually flung the half-burned pouch behind him.

The pouch traced a graceful arc through the air, *paji*, landing in a flowerbed outside the Kunning Palace, completely hidden beneath a cluster of peonies.

The youth paused a step, then walked on without looking back. "Let fate decide." He'd never admit he meddled in court affairs—this was merely an accident, dropping trash.

Yin Song arrived at the Imperial Prison the next day—but he came to investigate the demon cat, to exorcise the evil.

Because he'd given each prison guard a talisman of safety, he could privately meet Pan Yun and bring her a basket of food.

Pan Yun saw the roasted chicken and meat buns in the basket and sighed.

Yin Song set out the dishes as he asked: "Why sigh? Didn't you expect this? Come eat."

Pan Yun walked calmly to sit opposite him, glanced at the feast, swallowed hard, then forcibly closed her eyes, expression blank: "Senior Brother, take the food back."

Yin Song stared, scanning her. "Did you just attain enlightenment?"

Pan Yun: "I have. A Daoist must sever the six desires. The desire for taste is the most vile—I've decided to fast."

Yin Song: "Give me a reason I can understand."

Pan Yun pointed to the chamber pot less than five steps away: "I can't eat—mainly because I can't defecate either."

Yin Song glanced at the chamber pot, silently returned the roasted chicken to the basket. "How long can you fast?"

!. Read

Pan Yun: "First rank now. A month without food won't kill me."

"Alright. In half a month…"

"No need," Pan Yun stopped him. "I have food."

Yin Song relaxed further.

After finishing private matters, Yin Song turned to official business: "Tell me—what really happened last night with the demon cat rampaging through the prison? This morning, the Northern Pacification Office reported it to the Imperial Astronomical Bureau. I'm here today—if I can't give a satisfactory answer, someone else from the Bureau will come. And they won't be as easy to fool as I am."

Pan Yun frowned and said, "Could they have just mistaken their eyes?"

Yin Song glared. "Five jailers all mistook their eyes?"

Pan Yun could only confess honestly, "I sent Xiao Hei into the palace to deliver a talisman to the Emperor. He was intercepted by Master Zhang and thrown out."

"What did you say?" Yin Song jumped to his feet in shock.

"Shh—" Pan Yun yanked him back down and whispered, "Lower your voice, don't shout so loud."

Yin Song pointed at Pan Yun, stammering, "You—you—you—you're too reckless! Last time you went into the palace, I didn't even let you bring Xiao Hei inside. He's already cultivated a cultivation art—he's a cat demon. Don't even think about approaching the Emperor, let alone the palace walls. Don't you fear he'll be crushed by a single palm?"

Yin Song shook off her hand and paced in circles, then paused. "Wait—that doesn't make sense. If he noticed Xiao Hei, why let him live and leave the palace?"

Pan Yun spoke guiltily and softly, "He left me a message, saying that, out of respect for Senior Brother, he's letting it slide…"

Yin Song's face was expressionless. "His exact words."

Pan Yun immediately changed her tone: "He said, 'Tell your master, if there's a next time, I'll send her back to Mount Sanqing and have Wang Feiyin properly discipline her.'"

Yin Song snorted at Pan Yun, then sat down with a sigh. "Thankfully Senior Brother still has some face, or you'd be asking for death!"

Pan Yun leaned close and whispered, "Second Brother, what's this attendant's name? What realm is he in?"

"I don't know."

"Senior Brother~~"

"Don't pout. I really don't know his realm. But…" Yin Song paused, then said, "He's much older than Senior Brother."

"But he looks quite young, just with a lot of white hair."

"White hair, youthful face—that's because his cultivation has reached that level. If Senior Brother wished, he could appear a few years older than Xiao Cui too," Yin Song lowered his voice. "He's Master Zhang's uncle. His name is…"

After thinking, he still didn't speak it aloud, but dipped his finger in water and wrote three large characters on the table: "Zhang Zijin."

Pan Yun: "How old is he? Sometimes nephews are older than their uncles."

Yin Song: "You'll be disappointed then. He's older than Master Zhang. I don't know his exact age, but he was born in the previous dynasty."

Pan Yun's eyes widened instantly. She counted on her fingers. "Amazing—even if he was born at the end of the previous dynasty, he's seventy-six this year."

Yin Song tapped her head. "So listen: keep your tail tucked. He's lived this long—what storms hasn't he seen? He's guarded the palace for decades. Don't you dare prance around on his turf. Understood?"

Pan Yun nodded vigorously. "Understood, understood. I won't dare again."

Pan Yun crept closer. "Second Brother, how are you going to explain the cat demon?"

Yin Song glanced at her. "Don't worry about it. Just sit quietly in your cell."

Last night I was furious—I lost my daily streak by one second.

(End of Chapter)