"Meow-ow——"
It seemed as if the Cat Spirit was searching for something, her terrifyingly lifeless, strange eyes darting around, her figure lightly leaping about, stirring up a gloomy wind. Looking at the direction of her leap, it was indeed towards the Ming Mansion Backyard.
Chu Liang was naturally not going to let her advance. Such a being harboring deep resentment, if it remains in the world, it will surely harm people.
"Sword Control Technique! Go!"
He pointed his spear towards the sky, his Flying Sword turned into a stream of light and shot away.
"Roar——"
Just as the light of the sword was released, the Cat Demon growled, her strange eyes darted towards Chu Liang. Her body darted and turned into a shadow, evading the Flying Sword, followed up by a pounce!
This strike was a retaliation for Chu Liang's sword, it came fast and fierce, carrying with it a great torrent of blood qi, ruthless and fierce!
Chu Liang managed to dodge this pounce with a swift maneuver. Despite that, his clothes still showed a small tear.
Whizz ——
The Cat Spirit landed, tracing two bloody trails.
But another stream of sword light, like a shadow following its form, has already caught up! It was Chu Liang's Flying Sword!
Whoosh——
The sword light swiftly swept across, the Cat Spirit's body suddenly twisted into a strange arc, escaping this lethal blow, "Roar——"
She had escaped, but not completely.
A deep wound had still been inflicted by the sword light on the Cat Spirit's body.
A gush of black blood emerged from the wound in an instant, causing the blood wave around the Cat Spirit to surge even more!
Something is wrong.
Chu Liang frowned.
This Cat Spirit, stacked with special enchantments and possessing the properties of an Infant Spirit, would transform any harm inflicted on it into new power. The greater the injury, the stronger it becomes! If one sword strike couldn't slay it, then be prepared to face a stronger enemy!
In response to this, the Cat Spirit has become even faster!
Whoosh——
Almost an invisible black light traced two bolts of lightning, in the next second, it was already behind Chu Liang.
Chu Liang had already responded in the first instant, summoning his Flying Sword back into his hand but, no matter what, he could not defend against the attack from behind!
His hair stood on end, though silent, he knew the Cat Spirit's claws were about to come down soon!
In this moment of imminent peril, Chu Liang abruptly let go with his right hand and shouted: "Catch!"
A red light suddenly sprang out of his sleeve like a spirit snake, instantly tying up the Cat Spirit just as it got behind Chu Liang, ready to strike.
Turtle Shell Binding!
Demon Binding Rope!
"Meow-ow——" the Cat Spirit let out a mournful cry, but its body uncontrollably fell to the ground.
What is best to use against particularly agile enemies?
Control!
In Chu Liang's hand, he happened to have the Demon Binding Rope that he had recently obtained.
Nevertheless, even with the Magical Treasure at hand, it doesn't guarantee a hit. He was exactly waiting for a closer distance to use the Demon Binding Rope, thus taking a risky move and letting the Cat Spirit get close.
If he was slightly slower to release the Demon Binding Rope, the outcome of the battle would have been reversed. If he hadn't managed to keep calm and fall short of the correct distance, the Cat Spirit might have also managed to avoid the Magical Treasure.
No matter how it went, he won. Turning around and casually brandishing his sword, the swift rise and fall of the blade.
Whizz.
One Slash Demon Slaying.
The spiritual body is formless, and once it is slain, nothing can be left behind. Only a golden illusionary shadow lingers, sinking gently onto Chu Liang's body.
The dust settles.
A brief but dangerous battle. Compared to the Spider Spirit from the previous day, this Cat Spirit, layered with special abilities, proved to be more challenging to handle.
Taking a deep breath, before he could notify anyone, he heard the sound of chaotic footsteps. All the servants of the Ming family, led by Landlord Ming, rushed out.
"Ah, what a mighty Young Hero Chu!"
"I told you, Young Hero Chu could definitely do it."
"Young Hero Chu is so amazing, he slew the evil spirit in just a few strokes!"
"..."
A flurry of complimentary remarks began to stir.
Chu Liang looked at this group celebrating their victory, surprised at how deft they were with their sudden disappearances and appearances.
...
The next morning.
After a night's rest, Chu Liang woke up refreshed. After freshening up, a maid came to inform him that Landlord Ming had prepared a feast to celebrate his success.
"I'll be there shortly," Chu Liang responded in a soft voice.
Then, he took a stroll in the backyard, skirted around the corridor, and came to a lavish door. It was the bedroom of Landlord Ming and Lady Ming.
Knock, knock, knock, he knocked on the door.
"Who is it?" A soft female voice came from within.
"It is Chu Liang. I heard of Madame's indisposition, I am here to pay a visit," he replied.
"..." There was a moment of silence inside before the voice spoke again, "It's Young Hero Chu from the Shu Mountain Sect. I'm not in a condition to receive guests now, thank you for your concern, you may go."
Quite contrary to the enthusiastic Landlord Ming, Lady Ming's voice was rather indifferent.
"I have a secret method from the Shu Mountain Sect, which may be effective for Madame's illness. I can wait here until you feel better and visit again."
After a pause, the sound of footsteps was heard, and someone opened the door.
Lady Ming looked weary without any makeup on, wearing a plain silk robe. Despite that, her skin looked smooth and fair, her face clear and beautiful — truly, a beauty.
She ushered Chu Liang to sit behind a screen inside the room. The room was dimly lit, so she lit a red candle and poured two cups of tea before she spoke, "I'm just a little frightened. As Young Hero Chu has gotten rid of the demon last night, I should be better by tomorrow. There's no need for you to worry."
"Well, that's good." Chu Liang nodded and continued, "But about the Cat Spirit last night… I wanted to tell Madame something."
"Oh?" Lady Ming narrowed her eyes, "What does Young Hero Chu want to say?"
"It's merely a suspicion," Chu Liang slowly replied, "Because the Cat Spirit last night was quite bizarre, being a Resentful Spirit, a Demonic Spirit, and an Infant Spirit; it made me very curious. Hence, I'm wondering, why it came to Ming Mansion…"
"Do demons need a reason to cause harm?" Lady Ming questioned.
"They do, if it is a Resentful Spirit, the first one it would go after is the one who caused its death... If it's an Infant Spirit, the first one it will look for is its mother..." Chu Liang continued, "And this Cat Spirit in your Ming Mansion, didn't hurt anyone for three days in a row, it seemed like it was looking for something…"
"Looking for what?" Lady Ming's eyes seemed slightly hostile.
"I was wondering, Landlord Ming said your family is kind-hearted and never harms animals. Therefore… was it looking for its mother? But it's a Demonic Spirit, doesn't that mean its mother could be a demon too?"
"And ever since the Cat Spirit showed up, the only person who didn't dare show up in the mansion… is you, Madame." Chu Liang's gaze was gentle as he looked into Lady Ming's eyes.
Lady Ming scoffed, "Young Hero Chu, are you really accusing me of being a demon?"
"Whether you are or you're not, we will find out when we try," Chu Liang responded.
"Do you have a Demon Reflecting Mirror?" Lady Ming raised an eyebrow, seemingly skeptical.
In this world, if one wants a demon to reveal its true form, the demon either has to voluntarily show its power and leak its demonic aura, or one needs to possess a special divine skill. But Chu Liang's cultivation level isn't high enough to learn such a skill yet. The only other way is to have a special magic artifact, the most famous among them is the Demon Reflecting Mirror.
However, Demon Reflecting Mirrors are extremely rare. It is said that there is one in the mortal world's Imperial Palace, one in the Yunque Temple of Buddhism, and there is indeed one in Shu Mountain Sect. But it was highly questionable whether they would let an ordinary disciple like him bring it down the mountain.
"Not exactly," Chu Liang shook his head, "But it's close enough."