A sleek black cat jumped through the window.
Its fur was glossy and smooth, and its eyes gleamed a striking golden yellow.
The cat moved with agility, its slender tail held high, crouching low as it hissed toward the outside.
Zhang Xianyu stood by the window and glanced out, immediately spotting a bloated Corpse clawing desperately at the wall with both hands and feet.
It looked like a swollen mass of dough, its face distorted from the swelling, sunken features barely visible, mouth agape showing sharp teeth with a few strands of black cat fur caught between them.
It must have been chasing the black cat. Zhang Xianyu quickly sealed the entire second floor with a Concealment Talisman.
Without its target, the Corpse was left confused, scratching the wall with its dark, hollow eyes searching everywhere.
“Where did this cat come from?”
Lin Wushui approached, ignoring the black cat’s frantic struggles as he grabbed it by the scruff of its neck and lifted it up.
“You’ve been hiding outside the window all day, haven’t you?”
The black cat let out a sharp cry, clawing at him with all four paws.
Lin Wushui squinted, coldly placing it on the windowsill.
“Don’t play dumb—I know you understand.”
The black cat stood on the sill, its gaze fixed on the Corpse still clinging to the wall, fur suddenly bristling.
Its golden eyes spun around rapidly before it relaxed, pressing its head hard against Lin Wushui’s arm and softly meowing.
Lin Wushui scoffed and tossed it to the ground.
“What are you following us for?”
The cat’s tail drooped low, swishing back and forth as it trotted over to their Backpack piled with supplies.
It tapped the pack with a paw and let out a soft meow.
Even Zhang Xianyu could hear the longing in its voice.
Lin Wushui’s mouth twitched.
He hadn’t expected this cat to be a glutton.
“It’s useless anyway. Might as well throw it out.”
The cat froze, its paw stiff in mid-air. It tilted its head, looking between Zhang Xianyu and Lin Wushui, then elegantly padded over to Zhang Xianyu’s legs.
It rubbed against them, tail flicking, then laid down and exposed its soft belly, eyes bright and alert as it purred quietly.
Lin Wushui’s eyelid twitched as Zhang Xianyu gave in to the temptation, crouching to stroke the cat’s belly.
Though the cat was somewhat thin, it groomed itself meticulously; its fur was smooth and moist, not making its thinness too obvious.
Still, the belly felt soft but sunken under the hand.
The cat let out a coquettish meow and wrapped its front paws around Zhang Xianyu’s hand, affectionately rubbing against it.
Having never owned a pet before, Zhang Xianyu was instantly won over and gently scooped the cat into his arms.
“Are you hungry?”
The golden eyes brightened, answering with a long, soft meow.
“I’ll find you something to eat.”
Zhang Xianyu opened the Backpack, which held plenty of food.
Unsure what was suitable for a cat, he hesitated—but the black cat already reached out a paw to tap a package of Sausage, meowing tentatively and nudging Zhang Xianyu’s chest with its head.
Zhang Xianyu immediately understood, unwrapped the Sausage, and fed it to the cat.
“This cat’s origin is unknown; it’s safer to just throw it out,” Lin Wushui’s face darkened.
“I don’t think it means any harm. It might even know something,” Zhang Xianyu said, crouching to feed the black cat more.
The cat ate ravenously, purring softly as it devoured the food.
It even meowed in agreement at Zhang Xianyu’s words before returning to its feast.
Having finished an entire pack of Sausage, Zhang Xianyu gave the cat some water and petted its belly again.
The cat was now plump and content, its tail wagging happily as it occasionally rubbed against Zhang Xianyu’s leg.
Zhang Xianyu pondered for a moment and asked, “Are you a cat from the Village?”
The black cat meowed shortly.
“Did you see a few people who came to the Village a few days ago?”
The golden pupils narrowed as the cat tilted its head, meowing once more before scratching randomly on the ground.
Surprisingly, the scratches formed the number “8.”
Lin Wushui raised an eyebrow, scrutinizing the clever cat.
It was smarter than he had expected.
Zhang Xianyu wasn’t too surprised.
He gently stroked the cat’s head.
“Do you know where they are? Can you take me to find them?”
This time, the cat didn’t meow but raised a paw, pointing toward the window.
“Did those monsters outside capture them?”
Zhang Xianyu tried.
The black cat shook its head and meowed once, then pointed outside again.
Its slender tail flicked anxiously on the ground.
“Do we have to wait for those things to leave? Wait until dawn?”
The cat’s ears twitched; its tail stilled and swept casually on the ground.
Zhang Xianyu knew he was right.
“We’ll stay here tonight and follow it to find the people tomorrow?”
Zhang Xianyu asked Lin Wushui.
“Mm.”
Lin Wushui moved to the window, frowning tightly as he watched the Corpses crawling chaotically throughout the Village.
They seemed to be searching for something.
His gaze then shifted to the distant Sea.
Something enormous appeared to be stationed there, but the view was obscured by wind and rain.
Not wanting to confront the Corpses just yet, the two tidied up and slipped back into their sleeping bags.
The black cat, ever alert, followed closely and curled up at Zhang Xianyu’s neck as if to sleep alongside him.
Lin Wushui’s face darkened.
He reached out and lifted the cat, throwing it outside the Tent. “You freeload all day; you need to work. Guard outside.”
The cat’s fur flared, but under Lin Wushui’s cold stare, it begrudgingly lay down in front of the Tent, its golden eyes watching Zhang Xianyu longingly.
“There’s no need for it to guard; those things can’t get in here.”
Zhang Xianyu trusted his talismans and felt a pang of sympathy as the cat stared at him.
He tried to bring it back inside.
“It’s been chased all the way here by those Corpses. Who knows how dirty it is. Maybe it even has fleas,” Lin Wushui said flatly.
Zhang Xianyu hesitated but then grabbed a spare jacket, folding it into a nest and said to the cat, “You sleep here.”
The cat let out a reluctant meow but finally jumped into the nest.
The night passed without incident.
At five in the morning, the crawling Corpses surged back into the Sea in a massive tide.
The sky was already lightening.
Zhang Xianyu was roused by the black cat’s meow, watching the countless Corpses return to the depths, his expression grim.
“Have these things always been around?”
The black cat meowed in response, perched on the windowsill.
Zhang Xianyu gently pinched its ear and asked after a long pause, “Do you know what they’re trying to do?”
The cat’s ears twitched; its golden pupils dilated rapidly before returning to normal.
It drooped its ears and gave a low meow.
Zhang Xianyu picked it up and rubbed its head with a smile.
“Let’s eat first. After breakfast, lead us to find the people.”
The black cat looked up at him.
Zhang Xianyu set it down, “Pick whatever you want to eat.”
The cat’s tail flicked happily as it trotted to the Backpack and pulled out a sealed piece of jerky.
After breakfast, the two humans and the cat set off.
The black cat moved with remarkable agility, swinging its tail leisurely as it nimbly leapt between walls and rocks.
It seemed impatient with their slow pace, stopping occasionally to pace in place and meow, as if urging them onward.
Finally, the black cat led them to a small Reef Cave near the Sea.
The cave was only big enough for the cat to slip inside.
It let out a long call before turning and reemerging moments later, carrying a faint, drifting orb of light in its mouth.
The orb flickered weakly, on the verge of dispersing—the sign of a Soul that had been separated too long and was beginning to dissolve.
Zhang Xianyu hurriedly took out a small Bottle and captured the light.
The cat repeated this six times.
Zhang Xianyu sealed the Guhun Fu inside the Bottle with the Souls. Six of the eight missing people had been located; only two remained.
“Where are the other two souls?”
Zhang Xianyu asked.
The cat’s eyes darted around, then it grabbed Zhang Xianyu’s pant leg and led them in a different direction—not toward the Sea, but up into the mountains.
The “mountain” was more a jagged collection of sheer rocks without paths, requiring hands and feet to climb.
After a long trek, the black cat finally stopped.
Its golden eyes looked at Zhang Xianyu and pawed downward.
Peering over the edge, Zhang Xianyu saw that amid the rocks was a hollow filled with seawater, forming a natural lake.
In the lake lay a massive brown python patterned with markings, barely clinging to life.
Zhang Xianyu roughly estimated it to be fifteen or sixteen meters long, its body as thick as two adult men’s waists combined.
Yet it lay motionless at the bottom, scales peeling off, red blood diffusing through the water.
The black cat let out a soft meow.
The python’s body twitched weakly, as if trying to lift its head to look, but it was too feeble.
Its head barely broke the surface before dropping back down again.
A rasping sound came from its throat.
The black cat seemed to want to jump in but hesitated, afraid.
Lin Wushui squinted and grabbed the cat’s scruff.
“You were supposed to lead us to the people, why bring us to a snake? Do you know it?”
The black cat struggled and fluffed up its fur, hissing at him.
Suddenly, its ears twitched rapidly, and its expression turned anxious.
It pounded Lin Wushui’s hand with its paw but refused to make a sound.
Realizing something, Lin Wushui released it.
The black cat immediately leapt up, tail flicking nervously, signaling for them to follow.