“Don’t let me be lonely.”

“I don’t know what loneliness is.”

“Being alone is loneliness.”

“San Hua Niangniang has always been lonely. Loneliness is quite nice.”

“Not being lonely is nice too.”

“I don’t know.”

“So…”

“I’ll go with you.”

“Alright.”

Brian Carter walked into the village temple.

The calico cat, however, stopped at the entrance, looked around warily, then looked up at the tall, brightly painted statues inside the temple. Compared to them, her own little clay cat seemed so insignificant and shabby that she couldn’t help but feel uneasy. But seeing Brian Carter go in, she hesitated for a moment and still stepped over the threshold.

It was noon now, and there was no one staying overnight in the temple. Brian Carter turned around and closed the temple door.

Looking around, there was incense on the altar.

Most likely left by people from the jianghu.

These jianghu people knew that the deities in the temple needed incense offerings, and since they were taking shelter from the rain here, they were relying on these deities. So besides lighting a few sticks of incense, they would often leave some on the altar, so that later travelers who came without incense could also offer some.

Grass incense is worthless; what matters is people’s reverence.

“Thank you.”

Brian Carter took three sticks, not forgetting to say thanks.

Holding the incense in both hands, he shook them in a circle—just one circle—and the incense lit itself, wisps of blue smoke curling up.

The calico cat on the ground stared wide-eyed.

“Please, Mr. Miller, come forth.”

Brian Carter placed the incense in the clay holder and spoke respectfully.

The blue smoke rose and did not disperse, gathering in strands in the air. From within the smoke, Mr. Miller, dressed in colorful robes and radiating divine light, appeared. Upon seeing Brian Carter, he first bowed respectfully.

“Greetings, sir.”

“Greetings, Shanggong.”

“Have you finished your investigation, sir?”

“It is done.”

“Is it that the demon has returned to life?”

“It is not so,” Brian Carter said to him. “It’s just a cat that became a spirit, ignorant and greedy for incense offerings. Someone happened to offer incense and asked it to catch mice, so it foolishly took over the temple and absorbed the incense. Now I have brought it here.”

“Wicked worship and heretical sacrifices are intolerable by the laws of heaven,” Mr. Miller said gravely. “Thank you, sir, for bringing it here. I will now apprehend it and punish it according to the heavenly laws.”

The calico cat shrank to Brian Carter’s feet in fright.

“How does the heavenly law punish it?”

“If it has not harmed anyone, nor absorbed human essence or blood, it will be suppressed for a hundred years, or sentenced to a hundred years of labor. If it has done good deeds, the sentence may be halved.”

Brian Carter glanced down at the cat, his eyes conveying, “See, I didn’t lie to you,” then said to Mr. Miller, “But I’ve heard that absorbing incense to cultivate is a spirit’s instinct, and that ignorance is not a crime. I see this cat demon is a first-time offender, ignorant, and has absorbed very little incense. Moreover, I observe it has never harmed anyone; on the contrary, it has diligently helped the local people by catching mice and protecting their grain, never doing wrong, and its heart is not bad. If it were to be confined for a hundred years for this, it would be truly unjust.”

“Then, sir, you mean…”

“Why not let me take it with me, to teach and reform it properly?”

“This…”

“Shanggong, you are kind. Please show some leniency.”

“But the heavenly law is thus…”

“Law is nothing more than human feeling; even the heavenly law has its injustices.”

“Sir, be careful with your words.”

“I beg you, Shanggong.”

“I am in a difficult position…”

“I am not asking you to withhold your report, nor to lie and say the cat demon occupying the temple has been eliminated. You only need to report truthfully that the cat demon was taken away by a Daoist.” Brian Carter paused, then cupped his hands again to Mr. Miller, “My name is Brian Carter, courtesy name Menglai, disciple of the Daoist of Fulong Temple on Yinyang Mountain. Please remember this, Shanggong.”

“Fulong Temple on Yinyang Mountain…”

Mr. Miller’s eyes widened for a moment.

This place was only a little over a hundred li from Yinyang Mountain, and though there were few people at Fulong Temple, its reputation was great. Naturally, he had heard of it.

After thinking for a long time, he could only sigh, cup his hands to Brian Carter, and then disappeared into the blue smoke.

“Huh?”

The calico cat snapped out of her shock, looked around as if searching for the vanished Mr. Miller, but of course found nothing, then turned to Brian Carter:

“He’s gone?”

“He’s gone.”

“Is it settled?”

“It’s settled.”

“Then let’s leave here quickly.”

The calico cat twisted around and ran out, only stopping at the door to look back at Brian Carter, who hadn’t left yet.

Brian Carter looked at her in confusion.

“Why are you in such a hurry?”

“I feel uncomfortable here.”

“Feeling inferior?”

“What is inferiority?”

“It’s… never mind, let’s go.”

Brian Carter got up too and walked out of the temple.

The calico cat trotted after him, looking up to ask:

“What is reform?”

“It means to influence you, so you change for the better.”

“How do you influence?”

“Slowly influence.”

“How do you change?”

“If you talk too much, you’ll get thirsty on the road.”

“How do you change?”

“Change slowly.”

“Where are we going?”

“First, back to your little temple, to destroy your clay statue and sever its connection to you.”

“And then where?”