Chapter 8

Ethan Moore crouched down, his gaze fixed on the figure in the bushes. His heart clenched in horror—it was a white cat, completely snow-white in color. Yet its fur was in disarray. Most disturbingly, its forehead was covered in blood and raw flesh. Dark, stiff hairs grew from the exposed skin. From a distance, it resembled a rotten tumor—a sight utterly disgusting and terrifying.

He had lived for twenty years, practicing the secret techniques of the Mur family for many years. He had seen countless strange and evil things, but never encountered a cat that was so strange. Just as he was wondering, a tiny figure suddenly appeared beside the well. It was a man dressed in gray clothes. From his appearance, it seemed not to be a member of the Mur family at all. Instead, he seemed to be a spy.

Before Ethan Moore could react, the white cat let out a sharp meow and rushed forward like an arrow. Its speed was astonishingly fast—definitely not like that of an ordinary cat.

“Bang!”

With a muffled thud, the man in gray was knocked to the ground by the white cat. The cat’s sharp claws pressed firmly against his chest, while its deadly fangs dug into his neck. Terrified beyond measure, the man screamed in agony. He struggled desperately to get free, but couldn’t break free from the white cat’s grip.

Ethan Moore’s heart tightened. Instinctively, he wanted to rush forward to help. But the next moment, a horrifying sound of tearing filled the air. The man’s screams grew weaker and weaker, until they turned into faint moans. Eventually, all sound ceased.

The white cat lay on the man’s corpse, slowly extending its tongue to lick the wounds on his neck. A faint smell of blood filled the air—stinging and disgusting. Ethan Moore watched in horror as the man’s body withered away at a visible rate under the cat’s licking. His skin shriveled, and his flesh melted away. In less than half a cup of tea’s time, nothing remained but a pale skeleton, with not even a trace of blood left behind.

Immediately afterwards, the white cat suddenly raised its head. Its blood-red eyes stared straight at the direction where Ethan Moore was hiding. It let out a strange, icy meow. In a flash, it disappeared into the dense bushes, as if it had never been there at all.

It became completely dark. A cold wind blew through the woods, carrying a piercing chill. Ethan Moore gathered his thoughts. He knew it wasn’t safe to stay here any longer. That white cat was far too strange for it to be anything other than evil. If he stayed, more trouble was likely to arise. He silently memorized the location, resolving in his heart to return someday to find out more about that white cat and its connection to his brother’s death.

Back at the Moore family’s home, Ethan Moore lay in bed, tossing and turning, unable to sleep. The old man’s strange behavior during the day, his brother’s hidden grave, the mysterious white cat, the Harrison family’s schemes, the secrets of the Yin-Yang bead… Countless questions raced through his mind, keeping him restless. It felt as though an invisible net was slowly closing in around him.

“Perhaps, the woman in the ancient temple knows something.” Ethan Moore sat up abruptly, his gaze firm. That woman was mysterious. She not only knew the origin of the Yin-Yang Pearl, but also knew Grandpa. Maybe she knew the reason for my brother’s death, and knew the secrets of that white cat as well.

Without another word, Ethan Moore put on his nightgown and quietly left his room, heading once again toward the ancient temple on the back hill. The night was dark and silent, with only the rustling of leaves in the wind, a sound that seemed particularly eerie. In the distance, a faint oil lamp shone inside the ancient temple. In the pitch-black night, it resembled a ghostly light, giving off an unsettling aura.

“Strange, how could she have turned on the light?” Ethan Moore wondered. He stepped quietly closer to the ancient temple’s entrance. As he got nearer, a pungent smell of blood mixed with decayed flesh wafted out through the cracks in the door, making him frown in distaste.

He tiptoed over to the window and peered inside through the tattered window paper. At that sight, Ethan Moore froze completely, standing there stunned, with a chill running down his spine from head to toe.

On the ground of the ancient temple, four or five corpses lay scattered about. Each one had its head and body separated from each other. The wounds on their necks were uneven in shape: some were caused by sharp weapons, leaving flesh exposed; others were clearly caused by bites, with bones visible. The deaths were extremely brutal. What was even more grotesque was that, in addition to these fatal wounds, the corpses also bore numerous sword and knife wounds of varying depths. It was clear that these people had been tortured to death.

Ethan Moore glanced around the room. He saw no sign of the woman with long hair, nor any signs of other living people. Gathering his courage, he carefully pushed the door open and stepped inside. The faces and figures of these corpses were completely unfamiliar to him. They weren’t members of the Moore or Harrison families. Judging by their attire, they seemed to be some kind of mercenaries or assassins.

“How could they break into an ancient temple filled with intricate defensive spells?” Ethan Moore’s doubts grew deeper. “What were they doing here? And who killed them?”

He crouched down and carefully examined the wounds on the corpses. He noticed that although each person had died in a different way, the fatal wounds were caused by the same technique. It seemed like a sword strike, yet there was something sinister about it. It didn’t resemble any ordinary martial arts move. Instead, it bore a resemblance to the dark arts used by the men in green from the Harrison family.

Just as he was thinking, soft footsteps came from outside the door. The rhythm was slow, and there was an eerie sense of pressure accompanying them. Ethan Moore felt a chill run down his spine. He quickly hid behind a pillar, holding his breath and remaining alert.

The woman with long hair slowly walked in, still wearing that expressionless face, with no hint of emotion. She seemed like one of the corpses on the ground, merely insignificant debris. She walked slowly, examining each corpse in turn, her gaze dark and unreadable.

“Come out,” the woman’s voice spoke softly, without any trace of emotion. Yet, it seemed to penetrate everything, precisely locating where Ethan Moore was hiding.

Ethan Moore raised his eyebrows, knowing he couldn’t hide anything from her. He simply stepped out from behind the pillar, looking at her calmly, without saying a word.

The room was engulfed in dead silence. The two of them stared at each other for a long time, without saying a word. All that could be heard was the crackling sound of the oil lamp, which made the atmosphere seem eerily tense.

Finally, the woman spoke first: “Why don’t you ask me what’s going on with these corpses?”

Ethan Moore smiled faintly. “If she wants to tell me, she will. If not, it’s pointless for me to keep asking.” He had long understood women’s nature: they were reserved and didn’t like to be pressed for answers. If she refused to reveal something, any further questioning would be futile.

The woman remained silent for a moment, deciding not to dwell on the issue anymore. Seeing this, Ethan Moore asked, “What do you plan to do with them?”

“Once dead, they’re naturally buried.” The woman looked at him, her tone calm.

“Hmm, then you go ahead and deal with it. I’m not interested in watching.” Ethan Moore said, turning to walk toward the door. What he cared about most right now was the cause of his brother’s death and the secrets of the white cat. He had no interest at all in those irrelevant corpses.

“Hehe.”

A soft laugh suddenly rang out. Ethan Moore stopped in his tracks and turned around abruptly. It was the first time he’d seen a woman laugh. The smile was faint, yet somewhat eerie, completely different from her usual cold demeanor.

The woman took out a small porcelain bottle from her bosom, unscrewed the cap, and scattered the white powder inside evenly over the corpses. As the powder touched the corpses, white smoke instantly rose from them, accompanied by a hissing sound. In less than a minute, all four or five corpses had melted away, turning into pools of dark green liquid that seeped into the ground, disappearing without a trace.

Ethan Moore’s pupils constricted slightly as he was shocked inwardly. This powder was far too bizarre—it could dissolve a corpse in an instant. It seemed this woman’s strength was far greater than he had imagined.

“Come with me,” the woman said, putting away the porcelain vase. She turned and walked toward the door, her tone remaining calm.

Ethan Moore was momentarily stunned, his confusion growing. Still, he quickly followed behind. “Where are you taking me?”

“You’ll know once you get there,” the woman said, turning around and smiling again. This time, there was a hint of something elusive in her smile.

The two continued on their way. As night grew darker, the surroundings became increasingly familiar to Ethan Moore. Suddenly, he stopped in his tracks. This was the very path he had taken with the old man during the day! Not far ahead lay his elder brother’s grave!

How could she bring herself here? What was her real purpose? Ethan Moore was filled with shock and confusion, but he managed to suppress his emotions and continued to follow her.

The woman walked up to the entrance of the cave without stopping and went inside. Ethan Moore followed closely behind. It was then that he noticed that deep within the cave, there was actually a tomb. He hadn’t noticed it at all when he came here with the old man during the day.

The tomb was completely dark, with only the faint light emitted by the oil lamp in the woman’s hands. The tomb’s design was very simple, with no luxurious decorations at all. The walls were made of black wooden planks, giving the tomb a gloomy atmosphere. In the center of the tomb stood a simple tombstone. In front of the tombstone lay a pitch-black coffin. On the steps in front of the coffin, there were three flat stone slabs.

Ethan Moore’s gaze was fixed intently on the black wooden coffin. Suddenly, an inexplicable sense of unease arose in his heart, as though the person inside the coffin was somehow connected to him in some profound way.

“If you have any questions, go ahead and ask.” The woman turned around and looked at him, her tone still calm, without any emotion whatsoever.

Ethan Moore took a deep breath, trying to suppress the excitement in his heart. He asked, “Is this… my brother’s grave?”

“Not bad. This is your elder brother’s grave,” the woman nodded, looking at him calmly.

“What about this coffin?” Ethan Moore’s gaze fell once again on the black wooden coffin, his voice slightly trembling.

“Inside is your eldest brother.”

“My elder brother?” Ethan Moore trembled with shock, his face filled with disbelief. “That can’t be true! Wasn’t my brother’s body buried all those years ago? How could he be here?”

The woman nodded slightly, without giving any explanations. She simply looked at him and said, “You want to know why your elder brother’s tomb is here, don’t you?”

Ethan Moore nodded vigorously, his eyes filled with urgency. “Yes! And back then, everyone said that my elder brother broke the Moore family’s taboos because of his lust for beauty, and died at a woman’s hands. Is that really true?”

The woman remained silent for a moment, then suddenly asked back, “Do you believe it?”

Ethan Moore was stunned. He opened his mouth, but didn’t know what to say. He never believed it. His elder brother was gentle and reserved by nature. How could he possibly do such a ridiculous thing? But everyone said the same thing, and even the old master never disputed it. So, he could only keep his doubts to himself.

“Do you believe it?” the woman asked again, her gaze becoming sharper as she fixed her eyes intently on Ethan Moore, as if trying to read his thoughts.

Ethan Moore slowly shook his head, his voice firm: “I don’t believe it.”

The woman raised her head, a hint of relief in her eyes. “It’s good that you don’t believe.”

Ethan Moore’s doubts grew even stronger. He asked eagerly, “If you don’t believe it, then how exactly did our eldest brother die? Please tell me, okay?”

The woman fell silent once again, her gaze dull and unreadable. She didn’t answer his question. Ethan Moore watched her, feeling helpless. He knew that whatever the woman didn’t want to say, no amount of questioning would bring it out.