“What will happen to me then?”

“If you don’t run or resist, I can take you to see them. They’ll handle things according to the rules and procedures.” Brian Carter said to the cat in front of him, “That might be better for you.”

Mary’s eyes darted:

“Alright…”

Seeing the Daoist’s gaze shift elsewhere, it immediately bolted.

“Whoosh!”

A cat’s movements are incredibly swift, let alone a cat demon with cultivation. In almost an instant, it leapt down from the altar and, in the next moment, dashed out the temple door.

It kept running up the path like a flash of lightning, leaving only a blur of mixed colors. After running some distance, Calico Cat finally stopped, turned its head, stretched its neck to peer over the tops of the weeds, and looked back toward the temple.

“Hm?”

No one was chasing after it?

Mary froze for a moment, a bit puzzled.

After waiting a while longer and still seeing no one come out, it changed position to look inside from the main gate, only to see that person still standing in the temple, doing who knows what.

How strange.

Calico Cat simply sat down right there, sitting upright, neck stretched, head held high, staring at him without blinking.

Time passed slowly.

At last, Calico Cat couldn’t help itself and crept a little closer to the temple, cautiously poking its head inside for a look.

It saw the Daoist calmly watching it: “Meeting me is your greatest luck. If someone else comes next time, they might be much fiercer than me.”

“Why aren’t you chasing me?”

“How could I possibly catch up to you?”

“Then what will you do if I run away?”

“…”

Brian Carter looked at it, feeling helpless, but still patiently explained, “I’m only here at the request of Mr. Miller to check on things. I’m not here to catch you or punish you. Besides, the clay statue in this temple is deeply connected to you. No matter how far you go, you can still be found.”

“Oh!”

Calico Cat’s eyes widened instantly, as if struck by sudden realization—shocked, relieved, and also anxious and troubled, all these emotions flashed across its small feline face at once.

What to do, what to do?

Calico Cat was almost spinning in circles.

“Daoists are supposed to eliminate illicit shrines and evil worship. You should be glad—I’m a fake Daoist.”

“Then what should I do?”

“I’ll take you to see Mr. Miller. He’s a kind person. I’ll explain your situation to him and try to get them to be lenient with you. Of course, before that, I’ll go down the mountain to ask around and prove that what you said is true. And then…”

“And then!”

“You’ll get your outcome.”

“What outcome?”

“You’ll probably be punished.”

“Punished?”

“Most likely you’ll be locked up, kept somewhere.”

“Somewhere?”

“For example, in a tower.”

“!”

“I don’t want to scare you, but that’s probably how it’ll be.” Brian Carter looked at the little cat demon, feeling a bit softhearted. “That’s how it is most of the time.”

“!!”

“Monsters live very long lives.”

“!!!”

Calico Cat still stared at him with wide eyes, its mind racing.

Instinct told it to run, the farther the better, but it was clever, and its cleverness told it that staying seemed to be the best choice.

Now it really regretted it—when those villagers moved its clay statue from the small temple to the big one, it should have secretly moved it back at night. If it had stayed in the small temple, maybe it wouldn’t have been discovered.

After struggling for a long time, Calico Cat finally went back into the temple.

“So where are you taking me?”

“Not far.”

“Are we leaving now?”

“Let’s wait until tomorrow.” Brian Carter looked up at the sky. “I’ll stay here with you tonight, and we’ll go first thing in the morning.”

“Didn’t you say it’s not far?”

“It’s not that close, either.”

“Alright…”

Calico Cat simply sat down on the spot, staring at Brian Carter without blinking.

“Just relax a little.”

“Alright…”

“Isn’t this your temple?”

“It is!”

Calico Cat suddenly realized, but still couldn’t relax.

Outside, dusk was falling, and the three sticks of incense lit earlier had long since burned out, leaving only a faint herbal scent.

Calico Cat leapt back onto the altar, eating the local river fish, thinking there was no way it could finish all this meat today—what a pity. It turned to offer some to the Daoist below, hoping he’d say a few good words for it, but unfortunately, the Daoist wouldn’t eat it, only eating what he’d brought himself.

Night gradually fell, and the temperature dropped sharply.

Tonight, the moon rose early, rounder than last night, its cold light shining down. The temple had no doors, so the chilly wind swept in freely.

After watching the moon for a while, boredom set in. Looking back, Calico Cat was already lying down, curled into a ball—just a head and body, no sign of feet or tail—turning its head to stare at him without blinking, lost in thought.

“What are you thinking about?”

“Daoist, if I get locked up, will anyone still burn incense for me?”

“Of course not.”

“Will I be able to go out and play?”

“Of course not.”

“Will there still be meat to eat?”

“Most likely not.”