Beasts were hard to communicate with, but if the other party was human like her, then things took a turn for the better.
Meng Yiran shifted back to her human form and quickly straightened her clothes.
As she looked down, she noticed that the Little Gray Cat had actually followed her all the way, now crouched at her feet and grooming itself.
Meng Yiran had no time to pay it any mind. After tidying up, she stepped forward and called out, “Hello? Is anyone there?”
No one responded, but the wooden door, which had been shut tight, creaked open on its own with a drawn-out squeak, as if the words “welcome to the trap” were carved right into it.
It was impossible not to feel nervous. Meng Yiran took several deep breaths before cautiously stepping inside.
What should have been a well-structured room with fine decorations had been reduced by the ravages of battle to little more than a vague outline. Most of the furniture inside was destroyed, blanketed in a thick layer of dust. Meng Yiran followed her instincts forward, and after rounding a corner, she spotted a kindly old lady leaning against the eaves of the back courtyard. The massive cat lounging beside her was none other than the black beast she had been searching for.
Meng Yiran quickened her pace and approached, greeting the woman proactively. “You…” She paused, then switched to a more respectful tone. “Hello, ma’am.”
The Old Lady turned her head toward her.
Meng Yiran startled back a step. Only then did she realize the woman’s pupils were pure white, making it seem at first glance as if her eyes were entirely white—utterly terrifying. But when the elderly woman groped tentatively in her direction with both hands, Meng Yiran suspected she was simply blind.
Sure enough, the woman’s hands halted midway in the air, her voice carrying a hint of amusement. “You’ve come. And so quickly, too.”
Meng Yiran’s scalp prickled. “Were… were you waiting for me?”
“I’ve been waiting for you for a long time.” The Old Lady patted the spot beside her. “Come here, child, and sit.”
The Big Black Cat obediently shifted aside. Meng Yiran drew a deep breath, then slowly walked over and sat down next to the elderly woman.
For some reason, despite her tension, this old lady gave her an inexplicably warm and familiar feeling. Her instincts told her that this was someone trustworthy, who would never harm her.
The Old Lady broke into a warm, heartfelt smile.
She spoke in the casual tone of an elder chatting with a junior. “Did you see those wall paintings on your way in?”
Meng Yiran nodded, then remembered the woman couldn’t see and quickly added a verbal “Mm-hmm.”
She went on, “The paintings only go up to the war between the Golden Marten Clan and humanity, with the spirit beasts guarding the clan as they fled the clan grounds.”
“Mm, that’s already…” The Old Lady paused. “Over two hundred years ago.”
She sighed. “I never got the chance to paint what came after.”
Meng Yiran caught her breath.
“You painted them?”
“It was the work of the Golden Marten Clan’s successive High Priests.” She smiled, her expression turning nostalgic. “If we hadn’t suffered that great calamity back then, I might have continued the record myself.”
Meng Yiran finally understood the woman’s identity. “You’re the clan’s High Priest?”
She felt puzzled. “But… shouldn’t you be inside the secret realm right now? It doesn’t open, so no one can come and go freely…”
The Old Lady let out a hearty laugh. “That little rascal Teacher Liya could send you here, so why couldn’t I?”
Meng Yiran understood at once and flushed, lowering her head without further questions.
The Old Lady asked again, “Do you want to know what comes after the wall paintings? About what happened over two hundred years ago…”
Meng Yiran replied cautiously, “If you’re willing to tell me.”
The Old Lady’s lips curved in a smile.
She had been smiling the whole time, her mindset remarkably open and carefree. That mood eased the tension in Meng Yiran’s heart.
Soon, the Old Lady nodded firmly. “Of course.”
She let out a long breath and began to recount that history in a gentle, flowing voice. “The younger members of our clan ventured out into the human world and quickly made a name for themselves. But at some point, a rumor started circulating among humans—that there was a secret art that could steal the Golden Marten Clan’s innate talents and lifespan.
“And so, a massive hunt targeting our clan began.”
Even though Teacher Liya had briefly mentioned this part before, Meng Yiran still listened intently.
“But in truth, everyone—our clan included—was deceived.” The Old Lady shifted gears. “It wasn’t long before people realized that so-called secret art was pure fiction. There was no such evil technique in the world. If there really was, why would it only work on the Golden Marten Clan?”
Meng Yiran gaped in shock. “Ah…”
The Old Lady sneered mockingly. “Back then, everyone who got involved was a prominent figure in the human world. No one wanted to admit their wrongdoing, so they all tacitly agreed never to mention the Golden Marten Clan again—as if the sin of slaughtering the innocent had never existed.
“This situation played right into the hands of the mastermind pulling the strings from the shadows.”
Meng Yiran frowned. “Are you saying that everything was deliberately orchestrated by someone behind the scenes?”
She held her breath. “Who is that person? Why would they do something like this?”
The Old Lady didn’t answer the question directly. Instead, she brought up something else. “In general, humans live no longer than 120 years. Unless they achieve godhood before death, no matter how powerful they are, they can’t escape the Grim Reaper’s hunt.
“At the time, I was still a minor, studying at the Former Priest’s side, when word came that a Monarch of the human Empire had lived to 150 years—and even broken through to become a Saint Magus Mentor. I asked the High Priest of the day if he would ascend to godhood. She told me she saw no signs of it—only bloodshed, starting with that man and spreading to his descendants.”
Meng Yiran felt a bit dazed.
The Old Lady went on. “Afterward, that Monarch led his army against the Half-Beastmen. But after overrunning a Giant Rat Clan settlement, he abruptly announced he was ill and withdrew from the battlefield.
“One year later, I saw him in the Plaza on our Clan Grounds.”
Meng Yiran had already grasped her meaning. Stunned speechless, she didn’t know what to say.
It was a long moment before she whispered her confirmation. “So… the Golden Marten Clan’s greatest enemy is the Empire’s Royal Family?”
The Old Lady opened her eyes and stared ahead. Her milky-white eyes seemed shrouded in thick fog.
She spoke, her voice a hoarse rasp. “I ‘saw’ that he is still alive.”
Meng Yiran froze on the spot.
The Old Lady turned to her. “I also ‘saw’ that you carry the scent of that family.”
Meng Yiran jolted in shock.
Her mind went blank. “You mean there’s someone from the Royal Family near me?”
The Old Lady furrowed her brow but neither nodded nor shook her head.
Meng Yiran thought back over her recent days. “Teacher Liya and I have been living at Clarity Magic Academy. We run into so many people every day—I have no idea if any of them are from the Royal Family.”
She drew a deep breath and met the Old Lady’s gaze. “Are you telling me this so I can pass it on to Teacher Liya, Ling Ze, and Ling Ge?”
This time, the Old Lady didn’t keep her guessing. She shook her head. “That depends on you.
“If you think it’s fine to tell them, then do it. If not, keep it to yourself.”
Meng Yiran’s lips quivered. She stammered, “Then… why tell me something this important?”
The Old Lady smiled faintly, her expression kind as she regarded her. “Every two hundred years or so, the Golden Marten Clan produces someone blessed with the gift of foresight. They take up the Former Priest’s mantle and become the clan’s new guide.”
Meng Yiran’s thoughts were a tangled mess. “The gift of foresight? Me?”
She scratched at her hair. “Are you sure you haven’t made a mistake? I don’t have any ability like that…” A sudden realization hit her. “Do you mean how I found this place? I… I don’t even know how it happened. I just saw the Big Black Cat in a room…”
She trailed off, sensing something amiss even as she spoke.
The Old Lady didn’t press her. She waited patiently and quietly for her to work it out.
When Meng Yiran fell into pensive silence, she patted her shoulder. “Under normal circumstances, you would study at my side for decades. But I’m sorry—we failed to look after you properly.”
Meng Yiran waved her hands frantically. “It’s not your fault. The Golden Marten Clan scattered abroad… that was a man-made calamity. There was no helping it.”
The Old Lady took hold of her hand. “One year from now, the entrance to the Golden Marten Clan Secret Realm will open. Have Liya bring you to find me.”
Her voice caught in her throat. “My time is running out. You must come.”
Meng Yiran’s face drained of color. Overwhelmed by the old lady’s fervent plea, she didn’t know what to do.
In her fluster, she nodded. “All right, I’ll do my best. You…”
Before she could finish, darkness swallowed her vision, and she lost consciousness.
She had no idea how much time passed before her eyes fluttered open. Ling Ge was peering down at her, eyes wide.
Ling Ge breathed a sigh of relief. “You’re awake?”
Meng Yiran sat up. She was back at Clarity Magic Academy, in Teacher Liya’s cramped little Secret Chamber.
She had already been helped onto the sofa by Ling Ge, her entire body limp as she temporarily lacked the strength to move.
When Teacher Liya voiced her concern, Meng Yiran finally remembered the important matter at hand. Guilt immediately welled up inside her. “Teacher… I, I failed to complete the mission. I’m sorry!”
Early on, those two wild cats had caused chaos, and later she had been too absorbed listening to that priestly old lady speak. In truth, she had completely forgotten the real purpose of her trip.
A faint trace of regret crossed Liya’s face, but she still comforted her. “It’s all right.”
Ling Ze stepped forward. “You drew the Summoning Magic Array, but nothing unusual happened?”
He frowned. “No being was summoned at all?”
Meng Yiran rubbed her temple and shook her head. “I… ahem, there was a little mishap. I couldn’t successfully draw the Magic Array.”
Teacher Liya paused in surprise. “You didn’t even manage to draw the Magic Array?”
Shamefaced, Meng Yiran bowed her head. “Yes…” She admitted her error. “And… I also lost that bottle of materials.”
Teacher Liya replied, “That doesn’t matter, but…” She stepped forward and took hold of Meng Yiran’s hand. “Although you failed to draw the Magic Array at the Clan Grounds, you’ve at least been there once and formed a connection. Why not give it a try here?”
“Ah?” Meng Yiran caught on and didn’t dare refuse. “All right.”
Ling Ge helped prepare the materials. The three of them stood off to the side, watching as Meng Yiran got to work. Without those two troublemakers interfering, she drew slowly but smoothly throughout. In short order, she completed a perfect Magic Array.
Meng Yiran had no idea what came next, however. She had just turned to ask Teacher Liya when the Magic Array suddenly flared with brilliant light.
All four people in the room raised their hands to shield their eyes from the glare.
When Meng Yiran lowered her arm, she saw a small creature had appeared in the center of the Magic Array—the Little Gray Cat, butt in the air as it pawed at the silver sand in the middle.
Memories of being toyed with over and over flooded back, and Meng Yiran irritably shouted, “Stop that!” She jumped to her feet, reaching to grab the Little Gray Cat.
But as she extended her hand, she sensed something brushing her foot. She glanced down—and locked eyes with the invisible Big Black Cat.
