Chapter 61

“Mew, mew——”

The Little Black Cat mewed timidly, seeking comfort and protection from the only human it could turn to.

It didn’t dare mew loudly, trembling fiercely as its claws instinctively hooked into Zhong Nian’s clothes, trying to climb up.

Zhong Nian immediately stepped back, creating distance from the Black Goat at his leg. He lowered his head to soothe the kitten with his hand while always keeping the Priest in his peripheral vision.

“Baa……”

The Black Goat’s two ears drooped down, and the bells around its neck no longer jingled cheerfully.

“Is that your new pet?” the Priest spoke up, his gaze falling on the kitten he held tightly in his arms. “This kind of creature is delicate and rebellious, doesn’t recognize its master, and is cold and heartless.”

Zhong Nian: “……?”

The little cat mewed once more in his arms, as if weakly refuting on its own behalf.

The Priest continued, “Unlike goats, which have gentle temperaments and are very smart, able to do many things for humans.”

“……”

[What’s this?]

[My baby got totally confused.]

[Not only slandering the little cat, but also patting his own back.]

[LOL, a goat is a goat, a Devil is a Devil—how can they be the same haha.]

[These two: one dressed like a gift, the other strutting like a peacock. No need to spell out their intentions.]

[Heh, underestimating my wife? Is my wife that easy to seduce?]

Zhong Nian didn’t quite understand what the Priest meant to express and simply remained silent.

After a brief silence, the Priest drew closer stiffly and asked, “……Would you like to come in and sit?”

“No need, I’m waiting to head back.” Zhong Nian kept a defensive posture, his body angled outward, hand gripping the Dagger tightly. “I’m just borrowing your place for a bit. I’ll leave once the fog clears.”

“No matter how long is fine.” The Priest’s gaze shifted slightly. “Except for the others.”

As soon as he spoke, he reached out toward Zhong Nian.

Zhong Nian instinctively thought he was aiming for the little cat in his arms and quickly turned his back to shield it with his body. But the Priest’s target wasn’t that; his outstretched hand pulled something from Zhong Nian’s shadow.

When he saw what it was, Zhong Nian froze.

A blue-black Octopus, shrunk to a size just a bit larger than the man’s palm—something all too familiar to him.

“Eek eek glub!!”

As the Octopus was yanked out, several Candies tumbled to the ground with it. It struggled fiercely in the Priest’s hand, flailing its tentacles to strike.

But its power was now extremely weak; such attacks were mere tickles to the Priest. In his grasp, it was like an ant that could be crushed casually, already discolored and deformed.

Seeing it on the verge of being crushed alive by the gradually tightening grip, Zhong Nian called out, “Wait!”

The Priest paused. “Though it can no longer be called a Devil now, it’s still no good thing. Hiding on you surely means ill intent.”

Zhong Nian didn’t know when the Octopus had hidden in his shadow.

Looking at the Candies scattered on the ground, he recalled how the Octopus had always delivered food stolen from the residents to him like a little dog, rubbing against his wrist. Zhong Nian hesitated.

“What do you mean it’s no longer a Devil?” he asked.

The Priest replied, “Last time, it overreached and tried to stop…… suffering heavy damage. Its power was greatly weakened, losing its Devil qualifications and reduced to the lowest-level Monster.”

Zhong Nian caught the subtle pause in the Priest’s first half of the sentence.

Heavy damage…… that night the Octopus had burst in and fought the Goat Demon that had pinned him down, right?

Then the next day it reappeared in this shrunken, feeble form.

No wonder it hadn’t brought fog when appearing in the Cabin.

“So the thing chasing me wasn’t it?” Zhong Nian murmured to himself.

“No.” The Priest answered, then strangely averted his gaze when Zhong Nian looked over.

Zhong Nian narrowed his eyes, scrutinizing the Priest’s expression.

The Priest’s cold, profound face revealed nothing, but…… recalling all the deceptions before, Zhong Nian erred on the side of caution, vigilance unwavering.

“Let it go first.”

The Priest didn’t release it. “I can deal with it for you, so it can never follow you again.”

Zhong Nian replied without hesitation, “No need.”

Cracks formed in the frost on the Priest’s face, his fingers tightening unconsciously. “It has bad intentions.”

“In my eyes, compared to other Devils, it’s not irredeemably bad.” Zhong Nian said pointedly.

“……”

The Priest’s eye twitched, his breathing heavy.

After a long moment, under Zhong Nian’s gaze, he relented.

The freed Octopus immediately squeaked as it rolled and crawled toward Zhong Nian with tentacles and body, clinging to his leg like a swallow returning to its nest and trying to climb up.

“Hiss—”

The Little Black Cat in Zhong Nian’s arms bared its teeth at the Octopus, hissing a warning.

Even an immature kitten could intimidate the Octopus, underscoring its current weakness.

But the Octopus wasn’t deterred, shamelessly hooking onto Zhong Nian’s waist to usurp the Little Black Cat’s spot.

It didn’t succeed; Zhong Nian pressed its head down, stopping it from climbing higher.

“Glub……”

It squeaked once, its beady eyes turning pitifully aggrieved. Then it gathered the dropped Candies from the ground and stuffed them into Zhong Nian’s pocket.

Zhong Nian watched it and finally silently permitted it to dangle from his waist.

The Octopus gloated inwardly, eyeing the Black Goat that could only watch longingly from afar. It provocatively whipped the air twice with a tentacle.

“Baa!” The Black Goat stomped its hoof hard, bleating louder and louder, but the moment Zhong Nian’s gaze turned, it immediately softened its cry into pitiable whimpers.

“Why?” The Priest stared at the Octopus intimately wrapped around the youth’s waist, a glint of lake-blue darkness flashing in his eyes. “It’s more obedient around you, hasn’t done anything wrong, has it?”

Zhong Nian paused before realizing the latter part referred to the Black Goat.

From his flat tone, he surprisingly detected resentment and unwillingness.

But recalling the Goat Demon’s actions, Zhong Nian felt no softening and said coldly, “It’s different. It’s one with you.”

“That’s…… not accurate.” The Priest lowered his eyes, retracting all his chilling aura. “I was once a deeply sinful Devil, but that was a hundred years ago. The original Priest here used a Forbidden Curse to bind me, cursing me to take over his duties after his death and forever link me to this Church.”

He glanced at the Holy Robe on his body and gave a self-mocking smile.

“Leave the Church, and my body and soul perish.”

Zhong Nian paused, listening in astonishment.

“The curse’s side effect damaged my body—like an irreparable leak, power draining out. In time, when it’s exhausted, I die anyway.

“But the Priest who cursed me didn’t foresee my power overflowing enough to split off another Clone.

“They’re closely tied to me, surviving off my main body, sharing my desires. I sense the outside world through them.

“But I can’t control them; they have independent will. I decide only their life or death.”

Here, the Priest’s tone grew heavier.

“I do harbor improper thoughts toward you, but I’ve never meant to act on those unworthy ideas.”

The Priest in the Holy Robe shed status and pride, baring everything to the youth before him.

His lowered eyes brimmed with deep, sincere emotion, his tone humble and cautious:

“So…… can you not reject me?”

–

The Masked Man broke through the heavy fog and found Zhong Nian in the Church. He saw him cradling the little cat, squatting behind the iron gate with his fluffy head bowed, eyes blankly fixed on empty air.

The youth looked even more pitiably lost than the kitten in his arms.

But he was unharmed, safe.

The heart the Masked Man had held high slowly settled. He strode over and called Zhong Nian’s name.

Zhong Nian reacted a beat late but brightened upon seeing him. He stood with a smile and said lightly, “You came to pick me up.”

He hoisted the little cat higher. “Look, I found the little cat.”

The Masked Man nodded, attention elsewhere. He seized Zhong Nian’s hand, rolled up the sleeve to inspect.

Such “checks” were routine; Zhong Nian was used to it and proactively lifted his hem. “I’m fine, see.”

The Masked Man’s ears reddened; he swiftly pressed the hand down and scanned the surroundings warily.

“Did that Priest trouble you?”

“……No, he just said a few words and left.” Zhong Nian glanced at the fog still raging outside. “You searched the fog for me again—no injuries?”

“I’m fine, encountered nothing.” The Masked Man shook his head.

“Good.”

For safety, Zhong Nian suggested waiting out the fog in the Church.

Yet in mere two minutes, it dissipated miraculously, windless.

The speed seemed deliberate.

“Let’s head back.” The Masked Man scruffed the struggling Little Black Cat and said to Zhong Nian.

Zhong Nian nodded. Exiting the Church, he couldn’t resist a backward glance.

The Black Goat emerged from the shadows, lingering under the porch, watching reluctantly.

Zhong Nian knew another gaze hid behind its black horizontal pupils.

He withdrew his gaze calmly, then felt an itch at his ankle. Glancing down, he discreetly kicked the protruding naughty tentacle back into his shadow.

“Meow—!”

Zhong Nian looked up, meeting the Little Black Cat’s eyes in the Masked Man’s grip. He pressed his index finger to his lips and mouthed silently, “Shh.”

“Mew.”

The little cat mewed in response, honoring the request.