Chapter 489: with translation of chapter title

My mood wasn't good, and heaven didn't cooperate either; by evening the weather turned gloomy, as if it were going to rain.

Li Qingying looked at the weather forecast and said worriedly, "Wasn't it supposed to be a big clear day? Is the forecast wrong, or is something else going to happen?"

Hui Moqiong snorted coldly, "I'm afraid it's aimed at our shop; we'd better be careful tonight."

The Big Family has really been abused into gaining experience.

But unexpectedly, after we finished guarding the shop and each went back to our rooms to sleep, everything remained calm.

I slept during the day, but at night I found it hard to sleep.

I felt inexplicably uneasy.

This unease wasn't just from me; it felt like something inside my body was influencing me.

Maybe Feng Wu is afraid?

I leaned against the headboard, took out the witchcraft notes I had set aside for a long time, flipped through them to pass the time.

The witchcraft recorded in this notebook are all what the Great Witch learned in a lifetime; some entries are very detailed, while others only have a rough name.

Actually, from the information I have now, the Great Witch might as well be a puppet.

Whether it's Feng Xianqiu or Ti Luan, the witchcraft they control might be stronger than that of the Great Witch.

By the way, Hēimǎng is obviously even more formidable.

I was flipping through it when I heard a meow from outside the door, accompanied by the sound of claws scratching the door.

Mysterious cat?

I found it a bit funny; this Little Guy could clearly enter my room without using the door, yet suddenly it became so polite, even knowing to knock.

I got out of bed, opened the door, and let it in.

I leaned back against the headboard again to read the witchcraft notes, and it lay beside me, curled up and purring.

I couldn't resist gently stroking it; this Little Guy normally doesn't like to run around, let alone come to sleep with me on its own.

What's going on today?

The room was filled with peaceful serenity.

Before I knew it, it was past one o'clock; the mysterious cat that had been purring suddenly opened its eyes, its dark-green pupils constricted, and its whole body tensed.

I instantly realized something, hurriedly put away the witchcraft notes, held my breath and focused, listening to the outside.

The mysterious cat's back arched—it was a defensive posture.

Immediately after, it let out a meow and darted out.

Following that came a chorus of bird calls, growing nearer from afar.

In the middle of the night, where did all these birds come from?

They seemed to be coming from all directions toward the shop; this kind of scene had only appeared in battles before, yet tonight they seemed to be launching a sneak attack.

Sure enough, something big was about to happen.

I quickly changed into neat clothes, and as I pushed the door open to go out, everyone else had also risen and gathered in the living room.

The bird calls grew closer.

They passed over the shop's roof, and instantly everything fell silent.

Dead silence!

This eerie atmosphere made us feel worse, especially as the mysterious cat stood with its fur bristling behind the shop's main door, as if ready to dash out and fight at any moment.

I carefully opened a crack in the street-facing window, narrowed my eyes, and looked outside.

Upon seeing that, I was startled.

Those birds hadn't flown away, nor were they attacking the shop; they all stood on the street opposite, on rooftops, on tree branches… even on the power lines.

Thick and dense, just looking at them made one's scalp tingle.

Moreover, some of the birds' eyes flickered with scarlet light in this dark night, especially eerie.

What are they trying to do?

Meow!

The mysterious cat let out a shrill cry, its body passing through the door and leaping straight out.

As soon as it moved, it was like a signal; I immediately drew the bolt and flung open the shop's main door.

The moment the main door opened, I saw those birds all rush toward the Soul-guiding Lamp hanging under the west corridor, as if… as if they were worshipping…

Their wings were brought forward, pressed together at their chests, each one devout beyond measure.

The mysterious cat lunged at them, yet not a single bird was startled.

Those birds seemed bewitched; after bowing to the Soul-guiding Lamp, their heads suddenly snapped back a full 180 degrees… and… they all committed suicide!

Everyone sucked in a breath of cold air.

At this moment, we actually wished those birds would charge wildly, attack the shop, attack us, rather than behave like this.

Even the mysterious cat stood frozen in place.

What's even more unbelievable is that after the birds killed themselves, their souls lingered in place.

The birds' corpses littered the ground, yet their souls remained standing just as before—on the ground, on rooftops, on tree branches, on utility poles…

The mysterious cat retreated step by step, all the way back into the shop, and let out another meow toward me.

I could tell that meow was filled with deep worry.

But at that moment I was staring at the Soul-guiding Lamp.

The light emanating from the Soul-guiding Lamp's chamber was originally the golden Merit Light.

But now the chamber was stained with blood-red.

The color went from a light red at first, gradually thickening, until later it was so red it seemed about to drip blood.

The ghostly faces on the lamp's chamber became honest all of a sudden.

But soon, the blood color began to gradually fade, and the color in the lamp chamber also slowly recovered.

Yet the ghostly face remained completely still.

The black cat kept meowing at me a few times, as if reminding me of something.

At that moment, I felt it too.

The painful, burning sensation in my body surged back.

At the same time, the sound of an iron chain dragging on the ground came from Xijiekou.

I knew that sound too well—it was a yin constable!

I had seen yin constables many times before, and I had even summoned one myself, so I wasn't afraid.

But when that yin constable appeared, I was a little surprised.

This yin constable looks…… a bit strange.

It had a bird's head, a human body, and its skin was entirely blue.

Its eyes were bright and alert, its beak long and sharp, yet a white flower sat atop its head.

A long iron chain flew from his hand, as if it had eyes, stringing the birds' souls into a long line…… He had come to seize souls.

To seize the souls of these suicidal birds.

Seeing this, I immediately realized who he was.

He must be one of the Four Great Netherworld Envoys who oversee animal souls in the Netherworld, Niaozui.

The Netherworld's Four Great Netherworld Envoys are Baowei, Yusa, Niaozui, and Huangfeng.

Baowei oversees beasts, Yusa oversees fish, Huangfeng oversees insects, and Niaozui oversees birds.

Niaozui captures these suicidal birds, just as General Jin previously detained those monks who 'voluntarily sacrificed themselves'; what he does is actually the same.

And what these birds just did…… was probably also a voluntary sacrifice, right?

What on earth is Hēimǎng trying to do?

I feel like he's acting like a stamp collector, transporting the things he wants one by one into Wǎngsǐ Chéng.

When the iron chain had completely linked all the birds' souls, and Niaozui turned to leave, I stepped forward and said, 'Sir, please stay.'

Niaozui turned his head toward me, his long beak twitching, and a sharp, thin voice sounded: 'Xiao Jiu Zhanggui, what is the matter?'

I pointed at the iron chain and asked, 'May I ask, Sir, where are you sending these birds' souls?'

Niaozui replied, 'They all died by suicide, so of course they enter Wǎngsǐ Chéng...'