Eastern Mountain Feline Clan

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Night had fallen, and the mountain forest was shrouded in a tranquil hush.

Chu Liang walked alone along a narrow path on the outskirts of town. Though Mount East was not vast, its slopes were precipitous, seldom disturbed by human presence even by day. Now, the whispering night wind carried a chill dampness, hinting at the approach of rain.

He held in his hand a jade talisman, upon which cinnabar-red light danced, guiding him forward. By its glow, he could discern the direction and distance. Unless someone of great power erased the tracking spell upon Lady Ming, she could not escape the talisman's pursuit.

Treading cautiously, he pressed on. When the moon had climbed high, Chu Liang arrived before a hidden cave-dwelling. Concealed behind a sheer cliff, it would have been nearly impossible to find without the talisman's guidance—no wonder Master Ming had searched in vain.

Now that he had found Lady Ming's whereabouts, his mind eased. With a few nimble leaps, he arrived at the cave entrance.

Out of courtesy, he did not barge in but instead rapped lightly on the door.

Knock, knock, knock.

Knock, knock, knock.

After some time, a sound emerged from within—a cross between a beast’s roar and a yawn. The stone door slid open, and an enormous feline head poked out.

“Who is it?” the creature asked.

Its head bore black spots, the languor of sleep still heavy on its feline face. Though its tail and fur remained, its body had taken on a human form dressed in coarse cloth. Clearly, it was a lesser demon, not yet able to fully assume human guise.

Chu Liang smiled. “I am a disciple of Shushan, come to seek Lady Ming of Xingzhou. Might I trouble you to announce my arrival?”

“Shushan?” The little demon turned lazily, then paused and looked up sharply. “Shushan?”

“Yes, Shushan,” Chu Liang nodded.

“Good heavens!” The creature shrieked in a voice that cracked, leaping a full ten feet into the air before fleeing into the cave, crying, “My lord! My lord! Disaster! A Shushan cultivator has come to our door! Meow-ow!”

Immediately, a clamor of catcalls echoed throughout the cave—meows and yowls and startled noises—startling who knew how many demons from their slumber.

These mountain demons harbored an instinctual terror of the celestial sects.

Chu Liang remained, impeccably polite, at the entrance. After a time, a tall, thin man with a wild mane of hair strode out, chest held high, a group of little demons trailing behind. His features bore a faint resemblance to Lady Ming—no doubt her brother.

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Behind him were a dozen or so lesser demons, most with cat heads atop human bodies, some not transformed at all—just large cats sprawled about, orange, white, tabby, and more.

“I am the lord of this dwelling, King Cat,” the demon king declared, fixing Chu Liang with a wary gaze. “What brings you to my cave at this hour?”

“My apologies for the disturbance,” Chu Liang replied. “I seek Lady Ming of Xingzhou, who is under Shushan’s protection and has recently gone missing. I come at the request of another to find her.”

“Lady Ming, Lady Dark—we know nothing of these people!” King Cat snapped.

“Hmm…” Chu Liang kept his tone gentle. “To be frank, my sect’s tracking spell shows she is here.”

“Then your spell must be mistaken…” King Cat scowled. “Listen, all the creatures here are honest folk who do no harm. But if you’ve come to pick a fight in the dead of night, I’m not afraid of you!”

“I mean no offense. But if it’s not too much trouble, may I search inside for her?” Chu Liang inquired.

“No, you may not!” King Cat refused flatly.

Chu Liang only smiled. “I see…”

...

“Help, help… Mercy, young master, spare me!”

Moments later.

King Cat, bound tightly with a demon rope in a classic tortoiseshell pattern, wailed in despair from the ground.

As a noble and heroic mountain cat, he feared neither capture nor death. But to be trussed up like this before his own followers—he could not bear the shame!

If word of today’s events spread, he would be a laughingstock for miles around.

“So, let me ask again—may I see Lady Ming?” Chu Liang politely inquired.

“Take the young master to my sister at once!” King Cat bellowed.

His minions, too frightened to interfere, immediately led Chu Liang inside, winding through to an inner chamber of the cave.

Chu Liang made sure to drag King Cat along.

Inside, he found Lady Ming similarly bound—though not with the skill of the demon rope, just a crude restriction.

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“Young Master Chu?” Lady Ming’s eyes lit up at the sight of him.

“Alas!” King Cat heaved a deep sigh.

“I heard from Master Ming that you had returned home to visit your family. What happened?” Chu Liang asked, as he directed the little demons to untie her.

“It’s a long story…” Lady Ming glanced at King Cat, her gaze shadowed.

“Our family was once just a clan of wildcats living peacefully on Mount East,” she began. “We kept to ourselves, harmed no one, and knew no sorrow. But when I returned the other day, I found our parents gone, and my brother… he had established a cave and become lord of the mountain.”

“When I arrived, the tiger king from the neighboring hill happened to be visiting. Upon seeing me, he insisted on taking me as his wife…”

“I refused, and my brother bound me here.”

“Oh,” Chu Liang said, turning to King Cat. “So you’re that sort of brother.”

“I am not!” King Cat protested angrily. “You don’t understand anything!”

He turned to Lady Ming. “Didn’t I tell you how our parents died? In recent years, more and more outsiders have come. Mount East is only so large—so we fight over territory and food, but dare not venture near the human towns. Our parents fell in battles with other demons.”

“Do you think I wanted to be king? I did it so the wildcats of Mount East would have a place to belong! I took in every stray cat I found and built this cave for them!”

Overcome with emotion, King Cat burst into tears. “When I first started, there were only a handful of us, with barely any weapons…”

“It’s taken years of hard work just to survive. Only recently did I meet the Tiger King of Hidden Forest Mountain. He’s far more powerful than I am, but he’s willing to befriend our kind. I thought if we could ally with him, we’d finally be safe from others. So I hosted a feast and invited him here.”

“But… but my sister happened to return just then.”

“That Tiger King is notorious for his lechery. The moment he saw her, he was enthralled and made an offer: marry her to him, and he would protect our clan forever. Refuse, and he might attack us at any time!” King Cat said helplessly.

“But did you not tell him your sister is already married?” Chu Liang asked.

“Of course I did!” King Cat nodded emphatically.

“And what did he say?” Chu Liang pressed.

King Cat replied, “He was even more delighted.”