The Aloof Master Relies on This Cat's Kisses to Survive - Chapter 5

Ridiculous!

With a flick of her long sword, Ji Wu flew forward.

The black-outlined nightmare ghost moved just as fast, its long claws already reaching toward Dongfang Qianyao’s face.

Dongfang Qianyao gathered her spiritual energy, deploying a wind technique for defense while simultaneously using a flash-step to move aside, clearing a path for Ji Wu’s assault.

The movements of all three parties were swift, much to the satisfaction of Ming Xi, who stood to the side holding the umbrella.

However, none of them would succeed.

Because their tactics were wrong.

Ming Xi narrowed her eyes, gave a lazy yawn, and glanced toward the magic array at the foot of the mountain.

Ji Wu’s swordsmanship was, of course, top-tier and exquisite, but she was unable to gather spiritual energy. If her opponent were a common demon, her cultivation would allow her to take its life with a single strike.

Unfortunately, this was a nightmare ghost, not a thought-demon.

No matter how fierce or fast Ji Wu’s moves were, they remained within the human realm; without spiritual techniques to augment her movement, she likely couldn’t handle this spirit-mountain monster.

Tsk, tsk, tsk. What a pity.

Seeing that a beautiful face was about to be ruined, Ming Xi raised an eyebrow and sighed, yet to her surprise, the ghost’s claws never touched Dongfang Qianyao.

The sharp ghostly talons merely brushed past her brow before losing strength and dissipating just an inch away.

Impressive.

Ming Xi watched with great contentment. As expected of my Master!

“Senior Sister is amazing!”

Naturally, it was Ji Wu who had saved Dongfang Qianyao. At the very instant the nightmare ghost’s surprise attack was about to land, Ji Wu had already delivered two consecutive slashes, severing the attacking arm.

They were two strikes devoid of spiritual energy.

Ji Wu did not let greed for glory cloud her judgment; knowing her movements lacked spiritual enhancement and weren’t enough to duel the monster, she aimed specifically to sever its limb upon drawing her sword.

Dongfang Qianyao also quickly realized the monster’s peculiarity: the nightmare ghost was merely a mimicked outline, gathering and dispersing without breath or trace. It could only be countered with extremely fast attacks.

Though Dongfang Qianyao’s swordsmanship was mediocre, she excelled in spellcasting. She immediately decided to construct an ice prison to trap the ghost.

Cold light erupted from the ground; Dongfang Qianyao’s casting was indeed rapid. “Sister Ji Wu, I’m here to help you.”

“Wrong,” Ming Xi shook her head.

A nightmare ghost has no physical form; it cannot be restrained by spiritual techniques. Human spiritual arts are useless against such a thing, whether for offense or defense.

Thus, although Dongfang Qianyao’s wind was fast and her ice prison sturdy, they were futile.

And no matter how good Ji Wu’s swordsmanship was, she could only catch it off guard; she could not follow through with a finishing blow.

Unless…

Unless!

An inexplicable surge of spiritual energy rose in Ji Wu’s dantian, feeling just like when Ming Xi had embraced her earlier—the sensation of spiritual energy flowing in.

Inverse Beast! Ji Wu cursed inwardly, but her movements didn’t hesitate for a second. Grabbing this moment of gathered energy, she concentrated her mind and delivered a backhand aerial slash, cleanly decapitating the nightmare ghost.

“Ridiculous!” Ji Wu turned her head, glaring at Ming Xi.

Her brow was cold and sharp as a sword’s edge. Ji Wu’s gaze was piercing, containing a bone-chilling frost that plunged directly into the depths of Ming Xi’s eyes without hesitation.

So cold, Ming Xi wrinkled her face. She was somewhat used to it by now; over these past few days, Ji Wu had treated her with such aloofness, never giving her a kind look.

The Ancestor Master in her dreams was much softer—though also stern and cold, at least she could—

Dongfang Qianyao’s words interrupted Ming Xi’s reminiscence. “You… is it you, Junior Sister? W-w-what did you do?”

She stared in wide-eyed shock at the unknown little Junior Sister who was still hogging the wind-technique umbrella.

Dongfang Qianyao couldn’t believe it, but the magic array at the foot of the mountain had indeed been completely dismantled in an instant, leaving not a single trace behind.

That was a magic array maintained by Ancestor Ji Wu and the Dongfang clan for centuries.

Dongfang Qianyao had possessed high talent in spiritual arts since childhood and had coincidentally left a spiritual mark in the array during the day, so she could clearly recognize that instantaneous feat of unravelling the threads.

It was a level of mastery Dongfang Qianyao couldn’t achieve even if she meditated for another five hundred years.

And yet, a low-level Junior Sister had accomplished it?

How? Why?

“Huh? I didn’t do anything.”

“Didn’t you say this thing escaped from the mountain?” Ming Xi pointed innocently at the nightmare ghost, then turned to look at the now-nonexistent magic array. “Since it came from the mountain, and that glowing circle was guarding the mountain, if I break it, it can’t guard the mountain anymore, right?”

“That way, won’t the bad things in the mountain be easier to hit?”

She spoke these words with utter sincerity, finally asking Dongfang Qianyao back, “Pretty sister, did I do something wrong?”

Naturally, she wasn’t wrong—and yet, she was naturally, outrageously wrong. To the side, Ji Wu furrowed her brow, sheathing her sword in silence.

That array was set by Ji Wu years ago, so it naturally contained remnants of Ji Wu’s spiritual power. When Ming Xi dismantled the array, that spiritual power flowed back to her. It was precisely because of this that Ji Wu was able to behead the nightmare ghost. In that regard, Ming Xi had certainly done the right thing.

But to dismantle a centuries-old magic array just for a minor nightmare ghost was a move of utterly absurd malice!

Not to mention that Ji Wu currently couldn’t retain spiritual power. Those returning celestial graces only stayed for a fleeting moment; as soon as the ghost was executed, the spiritual power Ji Wu could wield had already vanished by half.

This was complete nonsense, an act of madness!

Ming Xi hadn’t done this for Ji Wu, nor was it to kill the demon. She had simply seen the array and dismantled it.

Purely itchy hands, playfulness, and an inherently wicked nature.

Even if she forgot what she was, she hadn’t forgotten what she could do.

“Just what is going on here?” Dongfang Qianyao clearly couldn’t accept this reality either.

Whether it was an unknown Junior Sister dismantling the Ancestor’s array, or the fact that she herself had rushed here to repair the mountain defenses only to sit by as the mountain lost its protection entirely.

“Who are you? Under which Master do you serve?” Dongfang Qianyao struggled to maintain her composure; she couldn’t lose face for the Dongfang clan. “Do you have any idea how long that array has been there? How could you possibly touch it?”

“I didn’t touch it.” Ming Xi shook her head under the umbrella. “I was so scared, my legs were too weak to move. How could I have touched anything?”

Ming Xi looked incredibly sincere. “Could it be this umbrella? I did shake it just now because my body was trembling, but I didn’t expect it to have a connection with that circle.”

What connection could there be?

The spiritual power of the same person, of course.

With one sentence, Ming Xi shifted the entire mess onto Dongfang Qianyao.

“Impossible!” Dongfang Qianyao was so angry she practically tossed the umbrella aside. “Sister Ji Wu, she’s slandering me!”

Oh ho, she’s tattle-telling. Ming Xi wasn’t afraid of her. Ming Xi giving an excuse for this matter was already showing great face; this pretty human should be grateful for the chance to share Ming Xi’s burden.

Besides, Ming Xi hadn’t done anything wrong.

Since the magic array was something that worried her Master, Ji Wu… if she couldn’t do it… should she learn it?

Impossible.

Ming Xi only knew how to—

Make the thing cease to exist!

She hadn’t upset her Master by touching her, she gave her Master the spiritual power to kill the demon, and she solved the problem of the array for her Master.

Three birds with one stone.

Truly the cat of the century!

“Hold on, everyone be quiet. Listen.” Ji Wu looked up at Ming Xi, her gaze full of warning.

The dream beast’s expression looked as if she hadn’t broken a centuries-old array, but rather an eyesore of a weed in a flowerpot.

She looked innocent, almost as if she were waiting to be praised.

Ming Xi simply didn’t understand why Ji Wu’s expression had turned cold again.

Ming Xi only knew that even when the Ancestor Master looked at her with a furrowed brow, she liked it very much.

Ji Wu’s eyes were moonlight reflected in a mountain spring; her nose was snow falling in a cliffside ravine; and those naturally red lips were the first brilliant bloom of spring on the Spirit Mountain.

Every part of Ji Wu was a grand mountain landscape. Looking at her, Ming Xi only wanted to…

Become the mountain-guarding array to protect her Master!

See a circle. Want to play with the circle? Outdated!

See a circle. Replace the circle! Exactly what the kitty intended!

“Ah, wait, Master said listen… listen to what…?”

Ming Xi flicked her cat ears, hidden behind an illusion.

The “smart hairs” shook in the mountain breeze. Ming Xi heard some pathetic wailing.

Was it the mourning of the nightmare ghost?

It didn’t sound good.

Ming Xi looked forward, not understanding Ji Wu’s meaning.

Although it had been beheaded by Ji Wu, the wicked delusions gathered by the nightmare ghost had not yet dissipated. Hissing cries filled the deep space of the valley, starting as whimpers before growing increasingly intense.

Like a thickening fog, carrying a sky full of fine rain, even the water droplets landing on her face felt heavier.

Drip.

A discolored raindrop hit Dongfang Qianyao’s long lashes. The beauty was like fine jade; she remained stunning even when drenched.

Ming Xi liked good-looking humans. Her likes and dislikes had no rhyme or reason; even though she had argued with the woman, it didn’t stop her from appreciating her beauty.

Of course, with Ji Wu present, Ji Wu was naturally the one most after her own heart.

While watching Dongfang Qianyao lose herself in the sorrowful cries, Ming Xi quietly sidled closer to Ji Wu.

Remembering how Ji Wu didn’t want her too close earlier, Ming Xi controlled the distance aggrievedly, inching forward bit by bit. “Master~”

Ji Wu threw her a “dagger” of a look.

Ming Xi had no choice but to change her tune, switching to a different title. “Senior Sister, your body is weak. Since the monster is gone and the array doesn’t need fixing, let’s go back, shall we?”

These words were pleasant enough—she didn’t mention how the monster vanished or why the array didn’t need fixing.

Ji Wu’s expression remained aloof. Ming Xi’s tone wilted. “I won’t disturb you when we get back. You should rest well.”

She even took half a step back, showing great resolve.

“…Wait.” Contrary to her usual behavior, Ji Wu took a step forward to follow, grabbing Ming Xi by the shoulder and leaning in for a—