Zhuo Riyan stood with one foot planted firmly on the ground and the other pressing down on the servant's stomach. He heard the bare-handed guard's warning, yet he merely smiled. It was not warm. It was not mocking. It was a smile stripped of emotion—cold, deliberate, and unmistakably evil.
"First," he said slowly, his voice low and chilling, "I'm not releasing her."
He withdrew his foot briefly before striking her stomach again, his gaze aflame with anger.
"And second, you don't know how to address your master. Keep talking like that, and you'll end up just like her."
The servant lay helpless, trembling as a faint whimper escaped her. Blood slowly leaked from her mouth.
Little Cat sensed the guards' auras clearly.
Eight Level of Beast Vein Stage… both of them.
He leapt off Zhuo Riyan's shoulder and landed in front of the two guards, his small body radiating dangerous intent far beyond its size.
His tail flicked sharply.
I'll handle these two myself, he thought coldly.
The courtyard fell into a suffocating silence.
The guards stared at the small beast blocking their path.
Both guards burst into laughter the moment they saw Little Cat standing in front of them.
"Hahaha, what the fuck is this?" the bare-handed guard sneered. "This little beast is going to stop us?"
The sword-bearing guard laughed just as hard. "Looks like we scared him so bad he sent out a kitten."
They moved at the same time.
Each of them raised a hand in opposite directions, spiritual qi surging. Space distorted with sharp cracking sounds as two void cracks tore open beside them.
From the bare-handed man's crack, a massive wolf stepped out. Its fur was ash-gray, its eyes feral, and a single black horn jutted from the center of its forehead, pulsing with violent beast qi.
From the sword man's crack, an ape leapt out, its body thick and muscular. Its teeth and claws were stained red, and its roar shook the courtyard tiles as it beat its chest, bloodlust spilling freely.
Both guards grinned arrogantly.
"Let's see what your cat can do," one of them said mockingly.
Little Cat didn't reply. He just smiled.
Five minutes later, the courtyard was silent.
The horned wolf lay motionless, its skull crushed inward, blood soaking the stone floor. Not far away, the ape's massive body had collapsed against a pillar, its chest torn open, its lifeless eyes still wide in disbelief.
The void cracks had long vanished.
Both guards were sprawled on the ground like trash, unconscious, their faces pale and twisted with fear frozen into them.
Little Cat stood casually on top of the sword guard's chest, one paw resting on his throat. He calmly licked his paw, cleaning off the blood, his expression bored and mildly annoyed.
"Tch," he muttered. "Fucking weak."
Not far away, Su Qingqing and Su Luejiao stood frozen, their faces drained of all color.
Zhuo Riyan watched quietly, his eyes dark and cold.
Zhuo Riyan looked down at the servant beneath his foot.
Her face was twisted in pain and fear, blood at the corner of her mouth, breath coming out in broken gasps. His foot pressed harder against her stomach as he slowly raised his other leg, the intent to kill clear and undisguised.
Su Qingqing finally panicked.
Her legs weakened, and tears streamed down her face as she staggered forward, voice trembling. "Riyan'er… you're a good boy, right? Please… please don't kill her."
Her eyes were wet, her voice pitiful—but her thoughts were dripping with venom. Once he stops, once this is over, I'll make sure this bitch and her bastard son are kicked out of the manor for good.
Zhuo Riyan didn't even look at her.
Anyone who dared insult or trample on his mother no longer qualified to keep breathing.
With rage burning in his chest, he lifted his leg and kicked down with full force.
Boom.
Dust exploded outward, stones cracking beneath his foot.
Su Qingqing and Su Luejiao screamed internally. Their faces went pale as death as they instinctively believed the servant's head had just been crushed into nothing.
But Zhuo Riyan and Little Cat both stiffened.
They felt it.
Their gazes shot upward as the dust slowly settled.
On the roof of the main house stood a man in flowing white martial attire, his robes fluttering in the wind. In his hand, he was gripping the servant by her collar, her body dangling limply in the air, still alive but unconscious.
It was Su Zin.
The disciple Su Hangan had sent to investigate.
His presence alone caused the air to grow heavy. A powerful aura pressed down on the courtyard like an invisible mountain.
Little Cat's pupils shrank.
He immediately spoke into Zhuo Riyan's mind, sweat forming on his forehead. Master… this guy's at the Seventh Level of Beast Spirit Stage. We can't fucking win.
Zhuo Riyan clenched his jaw. Sweat rolled down his chin, but he didn't step back.
Su Zin's gaze settled calmly on him, sharp and deep, as if trying to see through his bones.
"Nephew," Su Zin said gently, his tone composed, almost reasonable. "Can you let this servant live… for my sake?"
On the surface, he was calm. But inside, his thoughts churned. So he really recovered his cultivation on his own… this must be reported to Master immediately.
Below, Su Qingqing and Su Luejiao finally noticed Su Zin on the roof.
Their terror instantly turned into relief.
Su Qingqing straightened her back, tears vanishing as confidence returned to her face. "Sir Zin, this brat injured the manor guards and even falsely accused me of things I never did."
Su Zin ignored her completely.
His eyes never left Zhuo Riyan.
Zhuo Riyan met his gaze head-on. Crimson-black qi leaked uncontrollably from his eyes, his rage no longer hidden. "Uncle Zin," he said hoarsely, "I'm sorry. But I can't do that."
Little Cat stepped forward and stood beside him, fur bristling, eyes glowing faintly.
The pressure between them thickened, like the moment before a storm breaks.
Su Zin narrowed his eyes slightly. "Then I have no choice—"
He stopped mid-sentence.
His expression froze.
A streak of crimson-black qi burst out, brushing past Su Zin with terrifying speed.
Su Zin's eyes widened in shock.
He instinctively turned his head to look at the servant in his grasp.
In that instant, her head vanished.
No scream. No resistance.
Just a brutal, clean erasure.
Her headless body went limp in Su Zin's hand, blood spraying into the air as it began to fall.
The courtyard fell into dead silence.
Su Zin's pupils trembled.
Su Qingqing and Su Luejiao stood frozen, faces drained of all color.
Zhuo Riyan lowered his black arm slowly, breathing heavily, his eyes still burning with murderous intent.
Little Cat's voice echoed calmly in his mind.
Anyone who disrespects master's Mother… dies.