As soon as those words were spoken, Jiang Sui immediately had the urge to retreat, but in the next second, she steadied herself.
She wants to kill me?
No, that’s not it. Not her.
Jiang Sui turned to look behind her. Thick black mist began to surge, as if something unknown was hiding within it.
The Black Cat slowly retreated, hiding its figure in the black mist, apparently not intending to intervene.
Just as Jiang Sui tensed up, a figure emerged from the black mist, walking toward her at a slow pace.
An enemy? No, she knew this person.
The newcomer was none other than the Butler of the Luo Family Manor. His black suit almost blended into the mist, and his face showed no discernible expression.
A hallucination? No, not a hallucination.
In the blink of an eye, the silent Butler raised his hand, pointing a pitch-black gun at the lone maid.
Then, without hesitation, he pulled the trigger.
Bang!
The gunshot echoed across the clearing. The fired bullet flew straight at her and struck her right in the heart.
Jiang Sui didn’t even have time to let out a groan before she fell backward onto the ground, motionless.
“Whew, in the end, I still had to deal with you myself.”
The Butler watched for a moment, and only after confirming she wouldn’t suddenly come back to life did he lower his hand.
“I was always wondering when would be the best time to take care of you without arousing suspicion. I didn’t expect you’d come running out on your own. Really saved me a lot of trouble.”
His leather shoes made a crisp sound as he stepped on the ground, walking up to the girl’s corpse.
Her messy gray-brown hair covered most of her face, making it impossible to see her final expression before death.
“Maybe the corpse will still be useful, just like that other unlucky maid before.”
“Is that so? So the missing maid from the Luo Family was really your doing.”
“Hmm?!”
The girl lying on the ground suddenly spoke, startling the Butler into jumping back and raising his gun again.
She’s not dead?!
Jiang Sui struggled to get up, feeling the spot where she’d been shot. Her clothes had a bullet-burned hole, but no blood flowed from it.
Right in front of the Butler, Jiang Sui reached inside her clothes and pulled out a thick Ancient Book.
On the cover of the book was a flattened bullet. Besides providing her with sharp senses, the second use Jiang Sui had developed for this book was as a lifesaver.
The bullet had been squashed, yet it hadn’t even left a dent on the book’s surface. It felt like leather, but was absurdly hard.
Her life was saved, but it still hurt like hell.
The stabbing pain made Jiang Sui think her heart might actually stop.
Rubbing her still aching chest like a big white rabbit, Jiang Sui forced a smile:
“Thank you, Mr. Butler, for revealing your identity and answering my doubts.”
After encountering that strange uncle, Jiang Sui began to suspect there was an undercover agent in the Manor. The reason was what Luo Yao had said about the previous maid’s mysterious disappearance.
With so many people in the Manor, Jiang Sui didn’t investigate each one, but quickly narrowed it down to a few key suspects. The most suspicious among them was the Butler.
He was the only one in the entire Manor who interacted with every servant, could give them direct orders, and knew their whereabouts.
He also knew all about Jiang Sui’s family background and could have passed that information to the strange uncle, working together for profit.
“Who would’ve thought that as the most senior of the servants, you’d collude with outside forces and act against the Luo Family. If word of this got out, the prideful Luo Family definitely wouldn’t let you off, would they?”
With Jiang Sui holding this over him, the Butler’s face turned ugly, and the harsh words he wanted to say got swallowed back down.
As long as he finished off Jiang Sui here, everything could be covered up. The black mist all around was created by his Secret Art. Jiang Sui, just an ordinary maid, had no way of escaping.
The advantage is mine!
The Butler sneered and pulled the trigger again.
Relying on her sharp senses, Jiang Sui instantly saw through the bullet’s trajectory. As he fired, she raised the Ancient Book to block it.
The bullet, slicing through the air, struck the book’s cover. The force nearly made her fingers go numb.
Same result as before—the bullet couldn’t even leave a mark, let alone pierce the book.
“What on earth is that thing of yours?”
“Care to guess?”
Actually, Jiang Sui wanted to know too.
Who else had a cheat item but didn’t even know what it was called or how to use it? She couldn’t just whack someone over the head with it, right?
But for now, she didn’t need to do anything.
“Senior, I’ve already proven my ability. Aren’t you going to step in?”
Jiang Sui didn’t dare turn around and just called out over her shoulder.
“Who are you talking to?” The Butler frowned.
“Your death god.”
As soon as she finished, Jiang Sui felt a tickle at her feet. The Black Cat strolled lazily to stand in front of her.
The Butler grew wary. With the black mist covering the area, no other living thing should have been able to get in.
“What’s with this cat…”
Before he could finish, the Butler noticed the Black Cat’s golden eyes.
In an instant, those eyes filled his vision, becoming the only thing he could see—massive, oppressive.
The Butler’s expression twisted. The veins on his neck bulged as he let out a guttural “grrk grrk.”
His eyeballs rolled upward, almost twisting his nerves into a full 360-degree spin.
But soon, the Butler stopped struggling, standing hunched in place, unmoving.
Is it over?
Jiang Sui was about to approach out of curiosity when the Butler suddenly lifted his head and made a grimace at her.
“So Senior likes pranks too.” Jiang Sui glanced at the Black Cat and saw a playful glint in its eyes.
This was the Black Cat’s Secret Art… or rather, one of the Secret Arts it had mastered.
The Butler, now a puppet, raised his hand and snapped his fingers.
The thick black mist dispersed, and they were back in the bustling city. Only then did Jiang Sui realize she was standing in a small alley.
“As a servant of the Luo Family, since you know my purpose and deliberately approached me, are you hoping to get something from me?” The Black Cat sat with its golden eyes fixed on the girl.
If I showed any hostility, I’d probably become a puppet too.
Jiang Sui glanced at the Butler, who now looked like a walking corpse, and replied calmly:
“Of course, because I have the same goal as you, Senior.”
“Why are you targeting the Luo Family?” asked the Black Cat.
“Because the Luo Family ruined my family and destroyed my future.”
Jiang Sui wasn’t lying. If it weren’t for that 1.8 million debt, she’d have run away long ago and never bothered with such complicated plans.
“I believe I can help you, Senior, to take down the Luo Family together.”
In the original story, the Black Cat and Lu Yunze teamed up with the Luo Family as their target. She acted as Lu Yunze’s mentor in Secret Arts, helping him grow stronger until she achieved her goal.
No matter what, Jiang Sui felt that relying only on winning over Lu Yunze would be too difficult. So she decided to “borrow” his teacher for herself for now. After all, their goals were the same, so it didn’t matter who got the help.
“Having courage is good, but you should know that taking on the Luo Family is not as simple as dealing with a Butler.”
The Black Cat continued.
“Blind confidence often leads to disaster. And we don’t make a habit of sending the weak to their deaths.”
“I’m well aware of my own limits, Senior.”
That was exactly what Jiang Sui had been waiting for.
“I can understand if you don’t believe I can grow that strong, but you and I both know there’s one person who definitely can defeat the Luo Family.”
“……”
“Senior, didn’t you come to Lan City just for him?” Jiang Sui’s smile deepened. “Since you can’t reveal yourself to others yet, why not let me act on your behalf? Isn’t that perfect?”
“That’s true, but I can’t guarantee that Lu Yunze will actually pull it off,” the Black Cat said, pausing. “Why do you trust him even more than I do?”
Judging from his current performance, the Black Cat didn’t yet see any hope of Lu Yunze defeating the Luo Family.
“Well… because he’s the one I set my eyes on. Is that a good enough answer?” Jiang Sui stuck out her tongue, playing dumb in an adorable way.
The Black Cat was amused. Originally, it came to Lan City specifically to find Lu Yunze, but unexpectedly met a girl even more interesting than him.
She couldn’t very well admit she knew the ending, right?
Jiang Sui’s confidence came from knowing the plot ahead of time. As for the Black Cat, it seemed to be related to Lu Yunze’s origins—a secret hidden in him that let the Black Cat see the possibility of success.
This was all just a high-stakes gamble. No wonder the Black Cat’s confidence wasn’t as strong as Jiang Sui’s.
While thinking, Jiang Sui looked at the obediently standing Butler, her mind spinning as she came up with a good idea.
“Senior, don’t underestimate Lu Yunze. He definitely won’t let you down.”
“Oh? How so?”
“I’d like to borrow something from you.”
From her eyes, the Black Cat saw the brewing of a curious plan.