Central District. Outside the Mo Clan Mansion.

  The setting sun cast an ominous twilight glow across the compound’s walls, where the main double-gated entrance stood firmly shut to all guests.

  Like the maws of doom itself, a side entrance welcomed the red-haired attendant in black alongside the prim-and-properly robed man.

  There was no servant to receive them, save for the solitary, orange-furred catgirl doing her usual self-grooming atop a nearby wall.

  Noticing the pair, those cat ears perked up and those unblinking, luminous eyes watched them like a surveillance camera following after prisoners...

  Seeing the man’s back receding from her little cat den, the cat scurried off along the tiled, hipped rooftops to chase after her monitoring target.

  Down on the stone-paved path, Bubai didn’t bother paying too much attention to the cat tail poking out here and there.

  Half a mind kept tabs on the passersby around while making sure his feet followed his guide.

  The other half went into overdrive mode, busy brooding about his situation.

  Some burdens the clever can escape from. Others are fate shackled to the ankles.

  Since that’s the case, just make sure the conditions are more favorable for him!

  Originally, Bubai didn’t want to reveal so much and even planned to demote to the outer sect to stay lowkey.

  But the murder of that Long Batian flipped his plans upside down.

  The death of an inner disciple was no small matter, let alone the death of an elder’s disciple.

  Sure, the investigators found nothing on him, but the powerful... need no evidence!

  In a world where strength dictated justice, accusations needed no evidence, only the whims of the mighty!

  Of course, punishment still varies depending on the individual.

  Against a protagonist, it will eventually turn into a face-slap.

  The heavenly favored simply slaps down a get-out-jail free card.

  Most geniuses get a slap on the wrist.

  For the average Joe, a slap and... it’s over.

  His original status belonged in the latter class...

  If Bubai wanted to avoid a palm directly slapping him to death with no questions asked, the only choice was to add enough weight and value to his existence!

  Survival was no longer about keeping his head low but ensuring that it was worth keeping on his shoulders.

  So be it.

  The tourney came at the perfect time for him to prove his existence.

  Throwing his unique physique card out as bait and giving the old geezer Ma Pei a chance to upsell him made the plan even more solid.

  With the web of interests as a safety net, the chances of getting an instant death card dropped drastically.

  This summons to the Mo Clan grounds, instead of to prison, was almost a clear sign that all his plans were coming together!

  Now, it was the key moment.

  Whether he can turn big matters into small matters and the murder to water under the bridge…

  It will all depend on this showdown.

  “We’re here.”

  Stopping beside his guide, Bubai looked around and found himself in a large courtyard paved in plots symmetrically housing a few jujube trees.

  At the center sat a hip-and-gable-roofed main hall guarded by a triplet of gold-plated doors facing the southern entrance.

  Bubai didn’t understand all that Feng Shui stuff and whatnot, but the design... really gave him a sense of nature’s mystery.

  But whether there’s mysteries or not, gotta admit: the aesthetics of every clan compound really did set it apart from the rest outside.

  This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

  It’s almost like their own little world!

  Too bad he’s not here to admire the architecture.

  Those auspicious roof beasts perched on the beams weren’t there to welcome him as a guest today, but a suspect awaiting interrogation.

  Noting two powder-faced eunuch waiting by a sedan chair placed at the side of the main hall, Bubai leaned closer to his red-haired accomplice and whispered.

  “Seems there’s another guest? Now what? Do we knock and request an audience or…”

  Miss Hong shot him a sidelong glance then looked at the twilight skies as red as her own hair.

  “The elders... should call us in when ready.”

  Okay, then wait.

  Since they’re already here, pretty sure the elders won’t be so unreasonable to make them wait overtime then punish them for being late, right?

  The sun slowly waned and the four statues in the courtyard competed to see who can stand still for the longest...

  Creak… The center-door groaned open and an acquaintance stepped out. Mo Tianhe.

  Bubai squinted thoughtfully. What’s this scion doing here?

  Pairs of eyes crossed each other…

  Sporting a lazy smiled, Mo Tianhe drawled, “Aiyoh, it hasn’t even been a day and Friend Bubai is already missing my Keiko?”

  Bubai blinked and cupped his fist to salute. “No, no, Senior Brother Tian, I was actually summoned by the elders…”

  “Oh...” Mo Tianhe’s smile sharpened ever so slightly. “Then I won’t delay you two any longer.”

  The man languidly plopped himself down on the sedan chair and bid farewell with a lazy wave.

  “Friend Bubai, you can come to the West Courtyard to look for me if you’re interest in seeing my collection of butterflies.”

  “Will do, will do. Senior brother, walk slowly.” Bubai cupped his fist to send him off.

  Once the sedan chair ambled away, Bubai turned back to the yawning maws ahead. “Let’s go.”

  Just when Bubai took a step, he bumped into an invisible wall.

  A deep, resonant command then boomed in his mind.

  “Let the redhead come in first. You wait outside.”

  Bubai’s gaze jumped to his partner in crime.

  Miss Hong didn’t even spare him a second glance and ambled forward like a prisoner heading for execution...

  Thump. The heavy doors shut him out from the world inside. So, it begins.

  The invisible wall barring his way disappeared, but Bubai didn’t have any intention of going anywhere.

  Where to run? Besides, he’s not guilty!

  Still, Bubai can’t help double-checking himself like he was preparing for an interview.

  Clean outfit, clean boots? Check.

  Mask fixed? Soot wiped off? Check.

  Visible injuries for the pity points? Check.

  Rusty ring stringed around his neck? Check.

  Okay! Props are all good. Now, go over the rehearsed script for every scenario…

  While somebody was busy adding finishing touches to his resume, a cat tail popped up behind the outer wall of the courtyard.

  Then, a catgirl poked her head out to look around.

  After checking left and right to make sure the coast was clear, she quickly went over the wall, landing quieter than a leaf settling on still water.

  A few light bounces later, she was already behind the distracted actor!

  Sensing the ambush, Bubai quickly spun around, just to catch a fading afterimage of the silly cat making an equally silly face!

  Reaching for his waist and feeling a missing pouch, Bubai sighed. “Still too slow, huh?”

  Turning around, he spotted the culprit crouching right behind him and poking her face into his black high-grade pouch.

  Not finding what she was looking for, the hungry cat can only look up at him with wide, watery eyes that were practically begging, “Feed meow!”.

  Bubai didn’t need to think twice to guess what this little thief wanted.

  In fact, he even predicted this cat burglar won’t be able to resist trying for a steal when they met again!

  That’s why he made sure to keep the dried goods hidden in his own thief-proof storage space.

  When it came to training a pet, there is a difference between handing out a treat as a reward and letting them learn the bad habit of rummaging freely through the treat bag.

  Such small details mattered, and Bubai wasn’t about to mess them up.

  Slipping his hand into his sleeves, a little dried fish appeared in the magician’s hand.

  The moment he took his hand out from his sleeve, the cat’s tail practically shot up in an instant!

  Still, she sat there, staring at him as if saying, “Meow is a very obedient cat.”

  Bubai stretched out his empty hand.

  The cat paws obediently put his bag back into his hand like a devoted priestess presenting an offering to her deity, yet her eyes never left the fish.

  This cat priestess still needs more training, but… whatever.

  Bubai waved the little fish back and forth like a pendulum to tease the cat for a bit before tossing it out lightly.

  “Meow!!!” The excited catgirl sprang up and caught the head of the prize in her mouth.

  Watching the catgirl sucking on the little fish as if it was the tastiest pacifier, Bubai can’t help but ruffle her hair and furry ears. “Good Xiao Mao.”

  With eyes half-closed in bliss, Miss Meow rubbed her head against his palm, purring softly.

  Once the petting finally stopped, the naughty cat slurped up the rest of the tasty fish.

  She then quickly scampered around and up his back, seating herself at her usual lookout spot and patting his head in turn.

  Pon. Pon. “Good yummy fishy! Ben Meow heard yummy fishy went rah rah ghosty on stage and showed meowyfish Ben Meow’s meowenly teaching power! Nyahahaha!”

  The catgirl laughed proudly with hands on her hips, and Bubai can’t help but chuckle along.

  “Right. Our family Xiao Mao’s teaching power is… unmatched.”

  “Nyahaha! Yummy fishy knows!” Miss Meow patted her puffed chest confidently. “If yummy fishy still needs more lessons, you can count on Ben Meow, nya!”

  “Sure, sure...”

  Honestly, this silly cat’s “teaching level”… there wasn’t much to boast about.

  Even so, Bubai still can’t deny her usefulness.

  If the fairy was his insight into fantasy and illusions, then this cat was his meowsight into footwork!

  Without proper training, dealing with fast opponents could end in his defeat within an instant.

  Having an extra practice partner to train his reflexes was better than none.

  Better yet, this silly cat even taught him a thing or two about her housekeeping skill that he had his eyes on since the first time they met!

  That Illusory Beast Steps really saved him a great deal of trouble today.

  For that, she really deserved that little reward.

  But if he still wants to keep this cat around, he’ll have to stock up on more dried fish soon…

  Well, that’s assuming he passes today’s ordeal.

  The doors groaned open on its own again, and a breeze drifted out, carrying a message with it.

  “Come in.”

  Miss Meow perked her ears and patted his head one last time. “Ben meow will wait for more yummy fishy! Don’t let the meowy scary ghosts eat you, nya!”

  She then hopped off his back and flashed away as if her tail was on fire, leaving Bubai to face the gaping maws alone.

  It was time for another showdown—or perhaps... a throwdown.