Li Dong secretly glanced back at the two ancestors, and whispered gossip to Feng Li, rolling a paper ball: "Oh, very few people know about this, no more than five including me. I'm telling you because you've joined the Tai Xuan Dao and are considered one of us... This Yin guest, he was raised by our boss, nurtured for nearly a hundred years, but later they fell out, causing a big rift. They haven't seen each other for over a hundred years. But it's really strange. In the past, whenever the Yin guest was mentioned in front of the boss, his expression turned ugly, especially in recent years. It's unbelievable. I secretly thought maybe he's getting more irritable with age. But today, seeing them getting along harmoniously after so many years is quite surprising. But the boss has indeed been acting a bit strange these days, don't you think—"

"Has anyone ever taught you not to be clever and badmouth your leader?" Yin Wushu's voice suddenly interjected, "Remember not to look back at me and say anything. You've been foolish for decades, quite impressive."

He spoke in his usual leisurely pace, with a lazy tone, obviously not a hotheaded person. He had often made such remarks in the past, which were obviously jokes and not taken seriously by anyone, especially not Li Dong, who had followed him for over a hundred years.

But these days, Li Dong was inexplicably afraid of Yin Wushu. So he was startled, then respectfully pulled Feng Li up, and obediently followed behind Yin Wushu.

"What are you planning?" Xie Bai raised the hand caught by Yin Wushu, his brow furrowed, even the black bandage covering his eyes couldn't hide it.

He hadn't raised his head since the initial conversation with Yin Wushu, regardless of who spoke or what they said, showing a consistent indifference with a hint of resistance.

Yin Wushu let an "oh", kept silent for two seconds before suddenly laughing, "I subconsciously felt like there was more to say, but now that you've asked, I thought about it, and it seems like there really isn't anything to say. It's been about a hundred years since we last met. I hope you can stay in front of me a little longer."

Xie Bai finally raised his head, his lips slightly parted, seemingly unable to comprehend what Yin Wushu had just said. "Did you take the wrong medicine today?"

Yin Wushu looked pleased, "Oh, you've become humorous."

Unable to bear it any longer, Xie Bai turned his head, and coldly said to Li Dong and Feng Li, "Don't you think he's acting very strange? Why are you still standing there stupidly? Hurry up and take him back."

Li Dong instinctively nodded a few times, then suddenly stopped, shaking his head hastily, "It's okay, it's okay, not strange at all, understandable. Think about the empty nesters in the mortal world."

Xie Bai: "..."

Yin Wushu: "..."

This sentence shocked both of them.

Xie Bai, taking advantage of Yin Wushu's slightly relaxed grip, snatched back his hand and without a word, released a patch of black mist. As soon as he stepped in, he reached back and grabbed, closing it instantly.

He walked a few steps in the pitch-black darkness, the first few steps were large and urgent, but then slower and slower, until he finally stopped. He lowered his head, expressionless, unbinding the black bandage covering his hands and eyes in the darkness, then turned back to look for a moment.

Yin Wushu was already blocked at the entrance, behind him was pitch black, not actually long, but it looked endless, like the countless years he couldn't see ahead of...

After a pause, Xie Bai turned his head back, took a few more steps forward, and finally reached the end. He raised his hand to make an opening, landing on the ground amidst the chilling wind and ghostly cries.

It was an alley between two buildings, very old, with streetlights covered in thick layers of dust, making the light dim. The ground was damp from the rain, wet and moist. Xie Bai almost didn't touch the ground when he walked in the alley, making no sound at all.

But after a few steps, a dark figure suddenly sprang down from the eaves of the second floor ahead. When it landed on the wall, it was as silent as Xie Bai, until Xie Bai walked in front of it, then it opened its mouth and let out a low growl.

It was a black cat, with no hint of fur on its body, appearing unexpectedly in such a quiet place, startling enough to give anyone a scare.

The first time Xie Bai saw this cat, it was so emaciated, almost deformed, huddled in the shadow of the wall, barely breathing, looking like it would have difficulty surviving the night. But as Xie Bai passed by, it lifted its head and let out a weak, almost inaudible meow.

Xie Bai had seen many dying creatures like this, each with its own fate. He always stayed out of it. And most living beings, especially cats like this one, instinctively feared him when they were dying, wanting to stay away from him as much as possible.

But this one was somewhat of an exception. From the moment it appeared in the alley, it kept meowing at him, almost using up all its strength...

Xie Bai had already walked a bit farther, then turned back, extending his slender pale fingers to pat its head.

In an instant, it seemed to gain some flesh under its skin and fur, looking a bit livelier. It lifted its head slightly, rubbing against Xie Bai's palm, and even extended its tongue to lightly lick Xie Bai's wrist.

Since then, this black cat would lurk in the shadows of the alley every day, darting down to rub against his legs when Xie Bai appeared, then keeping a distance, neither too close nor too far, following him for a stretch of the road until Xie Bai stopped walking and turned to look at it, at which point it would leave with three steps and three looks back.

It had been following him for nearly half a month.

Today was probably due to the rain, with more mud on the ground. It lowered its head to look at the ground, then silently retracted its head, changing its original plan and choosing to walk along the top of the wall, following Xie Bai.

This picky behavior puzzled Xie Bai for a moment. He frowned at the cat, suspiciously asking, "Yin Wushu?"

The small round-headed black cat he had raised paused its claws upon hearing him speak, tilting its head, utterly confused, seemingly not understanding his meaning at all.

But then again... Yin Wushu wouldn't be so bored as to resort to this. After sweeping him out and avoiding him for a hundred years, why would he suddenly turn into a cat and follow him so persistently, impossible to drive away?

Xie Bai shook his head self-deprecatingly, feeling he might have been overly sensitive because of what just happened.

The courtyard wall wasn't very high. Xie Bai scratched the chin of the black cat with his hand and walked straight to the end of the alley.

Each generation of Yin Guests had a fixed residence, and Xie Bai used to live there as well. After moving away from Yin Wushu, he lived alone there for nearly a hundred years.

About a dozen years ago, for some reason, he moved out of there again and settled in a modest two-bedroom apartment in this inconspicuous old community. Apart from the fifteenth day of each month, following the tradition of previous Yin Guests to go to the former Yin Guest Hall, now the Kanghe Hospital, to handle some Tai Xuan Dao affairs, he spent the rest of his time mingling in the bustling crowds of the city, working from nine to five, sometimes for a few days, sometimes for several months, to experience the life he had missed for so many years...

After all, a long time ago, Yin Wushu had told him, "You are human, you should have a wife and children, living a life filled with the smell of firewood, rice, oil, and salt, until you pass away peacefully in your old age. Unfortunately, you were changed into this state early on... If you ever get tired in the future, or have some free time, go stroll around the streets and alleys, the days there are quite enjoyable."

Perhaps it was because of seeing Yin Wushu, that ancient saying emerged from Xie Bai's memory. When he came to his senses, he found that he had unknowingly reached the entrance of his residence, and the black cat had followed him all the way, rubbing against his legs...

Xie Bai was extremely averse to physical contact with others, where "others" was interpreted broadly to include anything that hadn't had its soul dispersed.

Actually, Li Dong's words were not wrong. He was raised by Yin Wushu, picked up when he was barely four or five years old, nurtured for nearly a hundred years. His behavior, likes and dislikes, daily habits, were mostly learned from Yin Wushu, passed down through generations.

Yin Wushu was known for being picky, and he wasn't much better. They were two peas in a pod.

But Xie Bai didn't reject this black cat that had been rubbing against his ankles all this time. Perhaps it was because he imparted a bit of soul to it every day, making it have a similar aura to his own. Or perhaps... it was because for a moment, he saw a tiny bit of Yin Wushu's shadow in this black cat, just like him a hundred years ago.

After all, back then Yin Wushu hadn't avoided him, and the only physical contact he could accept back then was from Yin Wushu.

Xie Bai glanced at the little black cat for a few seconds, seeing that it showed no intention of leaving, he bent down, pinched the soft skin on the back of its neck, and lifted it up to eye level.

The two stared at each other for a moment, and Xie Bai evaluated the little fellow, "You're pushing it a bit too far."

The little black cat widened its eyes innocently, staring at him.

Xie Bai furrowed his brows, gesturing towards the stairs. The little black cat startled, immediately hugged his wrist with its front and hind paws, its warm belly rising and falling with a slight tremble, evidently frightened. Yet, it didn't forget to retract its claws, to avoid scratching Xie Bai's skin.

"...Forget it." He frowned and withdrew his hand, unlocking the door with his keys, then stooped to let the black cat inside.

If anyone else saw this room, they wouldn't believe that Xie Bai had been living here for over a decade, because the furnishings were too simple. The living room only had a single-person sofa, a square table, a floor lamp standing next to the sofa; no TV, no dining table, no chairs for others to sit on... the whole house felt empty.

Xie Bai took off his scarf and coat as soon as he entered, hung them on the coat rack by the door, then changed into a shirt and trousers and headed towards one of the bedrooms.

After a couple of steps, he turned back as if he remembered something. The little black cat, crouching by the door, froze when it met Xie Bai's gaze, then awkwardly retracted its paw and sat obediently by the door, giving Xie Bai a meow that seemed somewhat appeasing.

Cats typically have downturned mouths, but whether this little black cat was born with a "smile" or it became clever from being permeated with too much spirit, the corners of its mouth were slightly upturned, giving it a hint of a mischievous smile.

People have a habit: once they've had a suspicion about someone or something, they tend to become more suspicious the more they look into it. Not long ago, he coldly remarked that Yin Wushu must have taken the wrong medicine, now he felt he might have taken the wrong medicine himself, considering the smile on the little cat's mouth, it somehow reminded him of the expression Yin Wushu had when he used to tease him.

"Stay there." Xie Bai tossed the words to the little black cat, then went into one of the bedrooms on his own.

There wasn’t even a bed in the bedroom, yet it remained far from empty. Palm-sized white paper lanterns floated at various heights throughout the room, each containing a cluster of light, varying in size and brightness. However, without exception, some emitted a dismal glow, while others were tinged with a blue hue.

A bit more timid individuals might feel the urge to relieve themselves upon entering such a place at night. However, Xie Bai had been dwelling in this eerie environment for over a decade, a fact that would surely surprise Li Dong, potentially leading to him being labeled as abnormal once again.

As soon as Xie Bai stepped into the house, these lanterns began to sway gently, without any wind, as if stirred by an unseen force, their movement uncertain—whether out of excitement or unease was unclear. However, Xie Bai remained unfazed, not even furrowing his brow. He effortlessly produced a new miniature lantern, retrieving the demon pill he had previously procured and placing it inside the lantern. With a simple gesture, he hung the lantern in the air, releasing it from his grasp.

Standing beneath the suspended lantern, he observed it for a moment before leaving the room and closing the door behind him.

 

As soon as the door opened and closed, the strange scene inside the room caught the attention of the little black cat. When Xie Bai returned to the living room, he saw the little black cat staring fixedly in the direction of the room door, then tilting its head to look at him, calm to the point of not resembling a cat easily startled by its instincts.

Xie Bai walked up to the black cat expressionlessly, squatting down in front of it, staring into its eyes for a while before affirming, "You're not a cat." At least not a normal one.

And it seemed like it had come specifically for him.

Recalling those who knew him, were not afraid of him, and even familiar or affectionate with him... Xie Bai pondered in his heart, counting from over a hundred years ago to a hundred years later, there was only one Yin Wushu, with a caveat, formerly.

"...I still don't think you're him." Xie Bai spoke faintly, paused for a moment, then added, "Even if you are, pretend you're not."

Having said that, he lifted the cat and walked into the bathroom, gently tossing it into the sink, pressing down its round head firmly, and coldly said, "If I find out you're Yin Wushu playing tricks on me, I'll make sure you never change back, and then neuter you."

The little black cat rolled its eyes, speechless.

 

Translator : DarNan