Chapter 125: Old Madam Zhang

"Mimi..."

The old woman's body was reforming. The scattered, greenish flames coalesced once more, weaving back into her silhouette.

"Meow..." the cat demon responded.

The old woman seemed to lack sight, smell, and touch; she did not even appear to know how to manipulate nether energy. Her only remaining sense seemed to be hearing. The reformed old woman floated down from the coffin and landed before the cat demon. Since the cat demon was behind Chen Jin, the old woman was now behind him as well.

Chen Jin did not turn around, nor did he make any unnecessary moves. He knew that even if he did not act, someone else would eventually be unable to resist—like the Taoist priest Li Zheng, who had been hiding in the shadows all this time, watching like a tiger stalking its prey, eager to strike.

"Mimi... is that you?" The old woman continued to probe toward the cat demon.

It seemed this cat demon was truly an old acquaintance of Old Madam Zhang. Perhaps it had once been her pet. Yet, Chen Jin had investigated whether Old Madam Zhang had ever kept a black cat, and the results showed that she hadn't even kept a dog, let alone a cat. Of course, those inquiries were based on the accounts of the Zhang family members, and as for Zhang Junbao’s memories... well, that fool's memory was not surprisingly good, but rather surprisingly poor. It only contained information relevant to himself—a sign of extreme selfishness, or perhaps a byproduct of his physical condition.

But the current situation told Chen Jin that Old Madam Zhang had indeed once owned a black cat named Mimi. It was a strange name. Since the sound a cat makes is "meow," why call it "Mimi" instead of "Meow-meow"? Could it be that this cat demon’s cry was "Mimi" even before it became a demon?

Hmm, that was truly interesting.

"Meow..." the cat demon responded again.

This cry drew the ghost of Old Madam Zhang toward it, inviting an embrace. However, since Old Madam Zhang was currently composed of flames, she passed right through the cat demon, unable to lift it.

"Meow..."

Although the cat demon was not lifted, something miraculous happened: its soul was pulled out of its physical body by Old Madam Zhang.

"Heh heh, Mimi doesn't sound like that. But since you want to be Mimi, you can stay with this old woman from now on," Old Madam Zhang chuckled.

"You damn old hag! Roar!" The cat demon, flushed with shame and anger, stopped meowing and spoke in a human tongue. It attempted to transform into a massive tiger, opening its jaws wide to bite at Old Madam Zhang’s throat.

But it could not transform. Its demonic energy remained trapped within its physical body, unable to follow its soul. Demons were, after all, different from humans. Human practitioners cultivated the spirit, so even when separated from the flesh, they could still carry rolling tides of celestial energy to unleash various spells, or even pursue a different path of cultivation—the way of the ghost immortal—to attain longevity.

"Heh heh, just resign yourself to following me. If you please me, I might grant you the path of the ghost immortal, wash away this demonic aura of yours, and perhaps you won't have to reincarnate into the path of beasts again," the old woman continued with a laugh.

"Roar!" The cat demon still struggled.

"Junbao? Do you still not want to speak to Grandma?" The old woman turned around.

Her facial features were now incredibly clear. Although still composed of greenish flames, the silhouette was indistinguishable from a living person—albeit a somewhat green and floaty one.

Chen Jin still did not respond, acting as if he hadn't heard the call at all.

"Junbao..." Old Madam Zhang sighed again.

"I am not Junbao," Chen Jin finally spoke.

He said this only because Old Madam Zhang was preparing to leave, and he felt it was the right moment. Perhaps, deep within him, some lingering scrap of conscience compelled him to answer those sorrowful, longing calls. Sometimes, one should not be guided by one's own emotions, but human nature is impossible to avoid—he was, after all, still human.

"You... you are. You have always been Junbao; you have only just awakened," the old woman said, sounding both joyful and melancholy. "Junbao, Grandma was summoned by the Great Emperor of Fengdu some time ago and couldn't look after you. Did they bully you again?"

"..." Was this grandmother truly powerful, or was she full of it? To think she could be summoned by the Great Emperor of Fengdu.

The Great Emperor of Fengdu was arguably the supreme ruler of the netherworld. Among the underworld's deities, He was the most ancient. In the oldest legends, it was He who governed the realm of the dead. Although His power had been fragmented over the long passage of time, He remained the supreme ruler of the netherworld to this day, surpassed only by the high and mighty Haotian, Lord of the Heavenly Court.

However, once Old Madam Zhang uttered that name, the cat demon’s soul in her grasp stopped struggling; it seemed stunned by the weight of the title.

"I am not Zhang Junbao, and no one has bullied me," Chen Jin repeated.

"They must not have wanted to keep vigil for an old woman like me, so they left only you here," Old Madam Zhang said with a bitter face.

It seemed the old lady was well aware of her standing in the Zhang family. It was true—few in the Zhang family were willing to keep vigil for her. Only a few of the younger generation had the intention, but the generation of Zhang Junbao’s father generally lacked it and even actively discouraged their children from doing so. This was likely related to the strict image Old Madam Zhang had maintained within the family. She was friendly to outsiders, but often cold to her own kin—except for the fool, Zhang Junbao. Because of this, they were unwilling to mourn her and even snuck out to drink and eat meat during the mourning period, breaking the taboos.

"I suppose so," Chen Jin did not lie to comfort her; after all, she knew the truth well enough.

"Junbao, would you like to come to Fengdu City with Grandma?" she asked then.

"..." Chen Jin looked at her in astonishment.

"Junbao, don't be afraid. Grandma doesn't mean the Fengdu of the underworld, but the Fengdu of the living realm. However, the living Fengdu is the place closest to the netherworld. I am truly worried about you here. If you come to Fengdu, although I cannot always return to the human world, I can still look after you, ensure no one bullies you, and teach you spells. Junbao, are you willing?" she explained hurriedly.

"I can do just fine right here," Chen Jin replied, no longer dwelling on whether he was Zhang Junbao. His soul had merged with Zhang Junbao’s; those with profound cultivation could see through the soul at a glance and would naturally perceive him as Zhang Junbao. Since Old Madam Zhang seemed capable of such insight, there was no point in him arguing the matter further.

"Is that so? Then why does that Taoist priest harbor such killing intent toward you?" Old Madam Zhang pointed toward a corner of the mourning hall.

"..."