“What is its value?”
“Having been injected with Boiling Blood, a Secret Art that pushes your body to its absolute limit, so then, what is the price?”
The Black Cat licked her paw.
“Using that escape Secret Art to cover your tracks, your ruined body can no longer withstand the effects of the Boiling Blood for long. Even if I left you alone, you would die. All of your tails have been severed, and you can no longer use…”
She trailed off, glancing at the girl collapsed behind her, her golden eyes narrowing slightly.
“But for now, Jiang Sui is merely unconscious. The victor of this battle is still her, not you, Gu Lan.”
“You, you…!”
As the Black Cat approached her, Gu Lan plopped down onto the ground, and a look that could only be described as “fear” surfaced on her nearly skinless face.
“It really has been a long time since I’ve seen you this pathetic.”
The Black Cat smiled. If Jiang Sui had been awake, she would have said this was the coldest smile Senior Cat had ever worn.
“Who exactly are you…”
Paralyzed by sheer terror, Gu Lan couldn’t even finish her sentence.
“The last time I saw you this pathetic was when you and your group ambushed my Master. She beat you until you were scrambling for your teeth, begging for mercy on your knees, like a mangy stray dog.”
Hearing this, Gu Lan’s gaze dropped slightly, as if lost in thought.
That familiar voice, those intensely emotional golden pupils, and the “Master” she spoke of. Ripples stirred within her heart.
This final clue, like a stone dropped into still water, sent ripples cascading through her mind.
“I remember now, it’s you?!”
Gu Lan opened her mouth several times, but the words wouldn’t come out.
“You’re still alive, we…”
“You all thought I was dead, didn’t you?”
The Black Cat cut her off, her tone laced with complicated emotion.
“Without the courage to show myself to you in my true form, I might as well be dead.”
Gu Lan pointed at the Black Cat, her face a mask of disbelief.
“You all thought I was dead, right?”
The Black Cat continued:
“Well, since it’s you, this makes things much easier to discuss. I can go back and speak well of you, clear your name, and clear your Master’s name too. You could not only return to your old life, but also elevate your position further. With your intelligence, climbing even higher shouldn’t be too difficult, right?”
The intense killing intent in the Black Cat’s eyes struck Gu Lan’s heart like countless sharp thorns.
“Are you saying, you want me to go back and sit at the same table as you all?”
The Black Cat kept advancing toward her.
“Sorry, but I swore a deadly oath a long time ago.”
Gu Lan’s breath nearly stopped.
“I’m not going back.”
“I won’t let you all look down on me.”
The Black Cat’s tone grew lower and heavier.
“And I’ll make you all pay.”
Gu Lan’s heart was in her throat as she screamed hysterically:
“The Bishop of Donghai City is my mas…”
The Black Cat had already guessed what she was about to say. She lifted her head, resolute:
“Don’t actually think you can stir up any waves. Let me tell you something.”
“Come at me whenever you want. I’ll be waiting.”
Gu Lan was truly out of options now. In those golden eyes drawing closer to her, she saw her own expression of despair.
By the time the Police arrived at the scene, the fire had already burned out, leaving only wisps of black smoke rising into the air, drawing their attention.
“What is this building for?”
One officer said, “A developer got greedy, tried to jump ahead and build a tower to sell at a premium, but the project fell through.”
“Chief, this area was supposed to be developed as a new district, but after public resistance, the plans were abandoned.”
The Police Chief simply nodded at the words.
They had received an anonymous tip claiming that clues to the culprits who attacked the hotel and the Police Station could be found in this suburban area. So they rushed over without a moment’s delay, only to find a pile of Ruins.
“Could it be a prank? But who would be bored enough to set a fire out here?”
Bringing so many people only to find nothing meant the Chief would have to face the Commissioner’s wrath back at the station.
Especially after the attack just last night. Every time he passed by the Commissioner’s Office, he could see the emergency medication on the desk, worried sick that the old man might end up in the Hospital from anger.
“Chief, look over here!”
Hearing someone call for him, he hurried over to the back of the Ruins.
“What is this, a charred corpse?”
What met his eyes was rather nauseating. The clothes covering the body were burned to shreds, little skin remained, and it was only barely possible to tell from the chest area that this was a female.
Strange things grew from the corpse’s back, like animal tails.
“There are so many of them. Nine in total.”
Despite the fact that she had died not long ago, a strong stench of decay wafted from the body, making people choke and nearly vomit.
“Chief, look at this person. Doesn’t she seem familiar?”
Hearing his subordinate’s doubt, the Chief shifted his gaze to the corpse’s face.
Now that he mentioned it, she did look somewhat familiar.
A female, nine tails, and the real mastermind behind the attacks, everything pointed to one person.
The Chief drew in a sharp breath:
“Could this be Gu Lan?”
“Did she… set herself on fire?”
The results of the investigation were conclusive, and the corpse matched all of Gu Lan’s characteristics.
When the news reached Luo Qiaoying’s residence, it shocked quite a few people.
“That fox woman is dead?”
Luo Yao frowned.
“I heard it was suicide?”
Luo Heng was also puzzled.
“That’s only one possibility.”
Luo Qiaoying set down her teacup and spoke calmly.
“But her death is an established fact.”
“Ugh, I never even got to meet her. I was hoping to catch her and give her a good beating.”
Luo Yao muttered.
“Exactly, I wanted to treat her to my Explosion Art.”
Luo Heng slapped his thigh hard.
Luo Yao shot him a look, then remembered something:
“Oh right, Brother Lu, you must have crossed paths with her before. Why don’t you seem happy that she’s dead?”
Hearing this, Lu Yunze, who had been lost in thought, snapped back to reality and gave a simple, honest smile:
“No, I’m very happy. It’s just that it all feels so sudden.”
“It really is sudden. Who would’ve thought she’d play with fire and burn herself?”
Luo Yao laughed along.
“All I can say is, good riddance!”
“Right, good riddance!”
Luo Heng chimed in.
After chatting with them for a while, Lu Yunze stood up and left first.
However, he didn’t return to his own room. Instead, he went straight to someone else’s room.
Lu Yunze stood at the door, confirmed no one was around, then raised his hand to knock.
“Young Master, just come on in.”
“Huh?”
Startled, Lu Yunze pushed the door open and walked in.
Sure enough, he saw Jiang Sui sitting on the bed, smiling warmly at him.
“How did you know I was coming?”
“Because my Master’s Radar has been upgraded.”
“By the way, how’s your injury?”
He had heard that she’d accidentally hurt her arm while working last night and took a day off, so Lu Yunze had been wanting to come check on her.
Jiang Sui touched her left arm and said meaningfully:
“Hurt my arm, took a day off. It’s like I’m playing a game.”
Lu Yunze laughed at her joke.
“Is it better or not? Doesn’t the Young Master want to see for yourself?”
Hearing this, Lu Yunze actually walked over, sat down by her bed, and carefully examined her arm.
The injured area was mainly on her shoulder, and the bleeding had long since stopped. The girl’s arm was slender and fair, and holding it in his palm felt strangely wonderful. Lu Yunze didn’t even dare apply too much pressure, afraid of hurting her.
“Does it still hurt?”
“It hasn’t hurt for a while now.”
“Good.”
Lu Yunze breathed a genuine sigh of relief.
“About last night… do you know what happened?”
Lu Yunze stared into her naturally pale violet eyes for a moment.
“What happened?”
Jiang Sui tilted her head, looking puzzled.
“You actually know, don’t you? Stop pretending.”
Jiang Sui blinked but said nothing.
“I’ve already figured out the Truth. Your arm wasn’t hurt at work, and Gu Lan didn’t burn herself. She was actually…”
The fist Jiang Sui had resting on the bed had clenched at some point.
“The Hidden One did it, right?”
Lu Yunze clapped his hands firmly.
“Huh? Yeah, that’s right, it was her.”
“I knew it. Who else could it be? You must have helped her, which is how you hurt your arm by accident, right?”
“The Young Master is truly brilliant.”
Jiang Sui blinked, then said with an innocent, bright smile:
“Yes, that’s right.”
Lu Yunze actually started to get a bit carried away.
“Hmm, don’t underestimate me.”
But he quickly dropped the smile and gently took her hand, speaking earnestly:
“Don’t do anything this reckless again.”
“But I did it for the Young Master.”
“That doesn’t make it okay.”
Lu Yunze sounded like a stern father.
“Why does whatever you say go?”
Jiang Sui was about to argue back, but looking into his bright eyes, her defiance faded away, leaving only a quiet “Mm.”
Lu Yunze felt relieved, hoping Jiang Sui would truly listen to him this time.
“Oh, right, Young Master. If you really want me to stay put, there’s actually a very simple way.”
“What is it?”
Jiang Sui leaned in close, her finger pressing against his lower abdomen, then slowly trailing downward while shifting her grip.
Lu Yunze reacted as if some switch had been flipped, his entire body stiffening upright.
“No, please don’t. Didn’t you say your hand was still…”
“Who said anything about using hands?”
Jiang Sui smiled with her eyes narrowed into crescents.
She lifted her leg, rolled up her pant leg, revealing her fair calf. Resting her head on her knee, she looked at Lu Yunze with a seductive gaze.
“Young Master, haven’t you always loved my Lap Pillow? How about enjoying it in a different way?”
Lu Yunze’s gaze landed on her thigh, and he swallowed hard.
There was no more need to resist.
Some time later, the Black Cat lying on the roof of the residence let out a yawn.
She had been lazily basking in the sun all day and only left when dusk began to fall.
With nowhere in particular to go, she wandered around aimlessly until she happened upon the Dock.
“So many people coming through every day, yet this city never seems more prosperous than before.”
The Black Cat glanced at the sea of people at the Dock and turned to leave.
Just then, another ship pulled into shore, and the passengers eagerly disembarked, dusting themselves off as they returned to solid ground.
“Careful, sir, careful!”
“Sir, would you like me to carry your luggage?”
“Sir, shall I help you with your bags?”
The middle-aged man waved his hand at the offer.
“I see. Sir, are you here to visit an acquaintance?”
“That’s right. She’s someone very important to me.”
As he said this, a smile spread across the man’s face.