Chen Changsheng blinked. “When did I say I would kill them?”

Jian Shenghua froze.

The Tabby Cat froze too. The Black Dog looked confused.

After Mr. Chen’s words, one cat, one dog, and one ghost simply stared blankly.

Yun Li held back his laughter, not daring to make a sound.

He suddenly thought Mr. Chen was being terribly mischievous.

After the whole farce, the clouds finally became quiet.

Chen Changsheng sheathed his sword.

Jian Shenghua looked at the stunned Black Dog and said, “Why aren’t you thanking Mr. Chen?”

The Black Dog’s legs immediately went weak, and he knelt. “Black Dog thanks Mr. Chen for sparing his life.”

Chen Changsheng looked at him. “At this point, are you still going to pretend?”

The Black Dog paused, opened his mouth, then said, “Ink Jade Qilin greets Mr. Chen.”

Yun Li froze. “What Qilin?”

Yun Li felt dizzy.

He found it hard to believe.

Was this big black dog really a Qilin?!

What kind of joke was this?!

Yun Li paused, then looked at the Tabby Cat. “Then… what about Lihua?”

The Tabby Cat looked back at Yun Li. Its tail swished. Blinking, it said, “He really is a Qilin. But I really am just a tabby cat.”

Though the Black Dog didn’t look much like a Qilin.

But actually, he carried the bloodline of the Dragon Clan.

For Chen Changsheng, who had written the “Dragon Scripture” for this world, noticing this wasn’t hard.

As for why the Black Dog had become this way, it was likely because he had been trapped under the Spirit Cage too long. The Black Pagoda constantly sucked the Evil Qi from him, and over time, he ended up like this—completely lacking any majesty.

“Doesn’t look like it,” Yun Li remarked.

The Black Dog ignored him and just said, “If I were at my full strength, just flicking a claw would have killed you.”

“Mhm, mhm,” the Tabby Cat looked earnestly at Yun Li. “A flick of his claw and you’d be dead.”

Yun Li eyed the Black Dog. “So what? Little Master here could beat you up like a dog right now— wait, no, you are a dog now.”

The Black Dog bared his teeth. “Don’t get too cocky!”

The Tabby Cat also stomped a paw, glaring at Yun Li. “Don’t get too cocky!”

“Quite the good teamwork,” Chen Changsheng commented.

Hearing Chen Changsheng’s voice, the Black Dog and Tabby Cat snapped back to attention.

Jian Shenghua gave a helpless smile. “You two, stop making a fuss in front of Sir.”

The Tabby Cat looked at Jian Shenghua. “Huh? Young Master Hua, why are you here? Why are you… and that pagoda… why is it with this…”

“I’ll explain later. But you two, how did you end up here? And how were you caught by Sir?”

The Tabby Cat looked at the Black Pagoda in front of Chen Changsheng. “Because of that pagoda…”

The Black Dog said, “Lihua is too dumb! I told you it was a trap, but you insisted on biting it!”

“You’re lying, Mo Yu!”

“You are dumb.”

The Tabby Cat raised a paw to retaliate.

The Black Dog dodged, shooting it a disdainful look.

Chen Changsheng smiled helplessly. “I still have important business. Perhaps you could relocate?”

The Black Dog snapped to attention. “Are you chasing the remnants of the Ancient Zombie?”

“You know where that severed arm is hiding?” Yun Li asked.

The Black Dog shook his head. “In the past, I could tell at a glance… but now…”

Seeing this, Jian Shenghua said, “You two, come into Sir’s sleeve with me first. Don’t disturb him.”

“No, no!” the Tabby Cat protested. “Once we go in, can we get back out?”

“If Sir wanted to catch you, you couldn’t escape anyway.”

“I suppose… that’s true.”

Jian Shenghua led the one ‘dog’ and one cat into the flower world within the sleeve.

Peace finally returned above the clouds.

Only then did Yun Li speak. “Sir, your ‘Sleeve-Space’ Divine Ability… you can put living things inside too?”

“It’s not Sleeve-Space,” Chen Changsheng said. “It’s another Divine Ability.”

Yun Li nodded, though puzzled.

“He was a Ghost Cultivator… earlier?”

“Yes.”

Chen Changsheng said, “Consider him a friend, for now.”

Hearing the words “for now,” Yun Li understood.

He didn’t ask more.

He roughly guessed that Mr. Chen capturing these Evil Spirits had a purpose. But what that purpose was, he dared not ask.

Chen Changsheng lowered the hook again.

Faintly, a voice cursing angrily came from within his sleeve.

“What is that birdman doing here?!”

It was the Black Dog shouting. Chen Changsheng also felt some movement from the Phoenix Flower.

Chen Changsheng didn’t pay it any mind, deciding to clarify things later.

Yun Li asked curiously, “Sir, why did the Tabby Cat bite your hook? What’s so special about that Black Pagoda?”

Chen Changsheng explained, “The Evil Qi inside the Black Pagoda is extremely nourishing for creatures like them.”

“Oh, I see.”

Yun Li had thought the Black Pagoda was the hook. It turned out to be the bait.

Yun Li peered below, seemingly trying to spot any sign of the Evil Hand. But after looking intently for a long while, there was no movement, just the faint calls of clever birds reaching his ears.

Like this, he sat with Sir, waiting from the beginning of the night. Unexpectedly, they waited a very long time without seeing any action.

Could the Tabby Cat have disturbed the snake?

Yun Li considered this and thought about reminding Sir, but decided against it.

Chen Changsheng sat quietly amidst the clouds.

Only near dawn did the fishing rod finally stir.

“Whoosh!”

Chen Changsheng swiftly pulled the rod.

What was hooked up again took them both by surprise.

“A… Remnant Soul?”

Yun Li was taken aback, confused.

Chen Changsheng stretched out a hand and grabbed the Remnant Soul.

Yun Li leaned in for a closer look and immediately reacted. “It’s that Blood Bat! Didn’t I kill it before?! How could…”

Chen Changsheng examined the Soul Spirit. “No wonder it felt familiar. The White-Haired Blood Immortal certainly has many External Incarnations.”

“White-Haired Blood Immortal?” Yun Li looked at Mr. Chen.

Chen Changsheng nodded and proceeded to explain about the White-Haired Blood Immortal to Yun Li.

Chen Changsheng hadn’t expected such a coincidence.

Yun Li felt unsettled. “The Blood Cultivator’s methods are truly impossible to guard against!”

He asked again, “Could there be other External Incarnations?”

Chen Changsheng shook his head. “It’s still unclear.”

Chen Changsheng raised his eyes. Dawn was breaking at the horizon, showing the first white streaks.

He breathed a sigh of relief. “Let’s head back.”

Yun Li asked, “Sir? Isn’t there more fishing?”

Chen Changsheng said, “That Evil Hand probably isn’t as lowly in intelligence as we thought. Coupled with the Tabby Cat stirring things up earlier, and now this Blood Cultivator’s Remnant Soul messing things up… it’s afraid and unlikely to take the bait now.”

Yun Li sighed. “What a pity…”

“No matter. We’ll just keep a look out. The Ten-Thousand-Mile Mountains are vast, but it will leave some traces.”

“I’ll have the disciples from my sect search carefully later.”

“That would be appreciated.”

Chen Changsheng reflected on the night. He hooked a cat. Then he hooked a dog. And finally, he hooked a Remnant Soul.

He’d hooked all sorts of strange things.

Except the Evil Hand.

Though unsuccessful, it had certainly been rather entertaining.