Peking Opera Cat: I Became A Zi's Brother

"Ah~"

Mo Zi looked at the dancing flames on the iron frame, her eyelashes casting tiny shadows under her eyes. Suddenly, she shook her head slightly, and a sigh escaped from her throat:

"Never mind, it will all be fine in the end."

These words seemed to be spoken to the flame, but also seemed to be spoken to himself.

"Um?"

Xiaoqing paused with her hand that was originally holding the fish, and the silk slipped off with her movement. She hurriedly leaned forward:

"Sister, what did you just say? What do you mean by averting danger? Did something happen again?"

Mo Zi met his sister's worried gaze and forced a smile onto his pale cheeks.

She reached out to tidy up Xiaoqing's messy hair, and the chill left on her fingertips made Xiaoqing shiver slightly:

"It's okay, how could anything happen to my sister here?"

But that smile did not reach his eyes. Deep in those ice-blue pupils surged emotions that were difficult for a cat to understand.

"Boss lady~"

At this moment, Mo Zi suddenly turned his head and cast his gaze towards the proprietress who was drinking wine with her head tilted back.

The oil lamp at the grilled fish stall cast alternating light and shadows on the one-eyed cat's face, and the wine overflowing from the wine jar slid down her neck into her collar.

"What is the biggest secret you wanted to tell me before?"

Mo Zi's voice was neither hurried nor slow, but it made the proprietress stop drinking suddenly.

"Uh……"

The proprietress took another sip of wine, and her Adam's apple rolled, making a "gulp" sound.

She casually wiped her mouth with her sleeve, and the flames on the iron frame suddenly shot up, illuminating the hideous scars on her face:

"It's a secret..."

She dragged out the last word and slammed the empty wine jar on the table, startling Dafei so much that the fish bones in his hand fell out.

"There's really no secret. I just wanted to tell you about the current structure of Dazong. This place is quite different now than it was ten years ago."

She reached out from her waist and pulled out a cracked token. In the moonlight, she could see the faint pattern of the word "打":

"In the past, all twelve sects were the same, and their activities were organized according to their sects. But we are now separated by our sects."

At this point, she knocked the table with her token, making a dull sound.

"Except for the current leader, it has now split into several factions, just like the ones we encountered before."

"Oh my god, can this still be called a clan? This is like a tribe!"

Bai Tang, whose cheeks were originally stuffed with fish meat, forgot to chew it and stared with wide eyes:

"Ah? They were originally from the sect?"

"Oh, that's right."

The proprietress sneered, picked up a piece of charcoal and drew a crooked pattern on the ground.

"The Red Snake Hall, the White Tiger Hall, and the Black Claw Gang... These cats were originally disciples of the Da Sect. Back then, An's power infiltrated and tore the sect apart like a moth gnawing at wood."

She wiped off the pattern on the ground, and the charcoal dust flew onto Baitang's nose.

"An broke their defenses. Some coveted power, while others, having been subjected to forbidden techniques, simply formed cliques and established their own factions."

"This……"

Wu Song's brows knitted into a "川" shape, and he slammed his clenched fists down on the table.

"So those poisonous crossbows and poisonous smoke are all tricks used by the Dark Cult?"

"if not?"

The proprietress opened another jar of wine, and the amber wine rippled in the bowl.

"The current Dazong, on the surface, has the leader in charge, but the underworld has already become a mess. You defeated these waves today, and new forces will emerge tomorrow-"

She suddenly looked up, staring straight at Mo Zi with her one eye.

"Little girl, your ice skills are indeed powerful, but in this muddy pit, fists alone are not enough."

"..."

Mo Zi's fingertips unconsciously stroked the edge of the ice fan, and the cold touch made her a little more sober.

The sound of the night watchman knocking on the clapper came from afar. The sound of the clapper mixed with the aroma of the grilled fish stall, weaving an impenetrable net in the night.

She suddenly remembered the black-armored leader's fleeting guess during the battle. She dug her nails deep into her palms, but said lightly:

"Thank you for letting us know. We know what to do."

"elder sister……"

Xiaoqing quietly grabbed the corner of her sister's clothes, and her palms were sweating under the silk.

She watched the proprietress fall into silence again, drinking, and then looked at Wu Song's tense jaw. Suddenly, she felt that the grilled fish for this celebratory banquet didn't seem so delicious anymore.

The proprietress took another big gulp of wine, the spicy liquid flowed down her throat, and she slammed the wine bowl heavily on the table, making a dull "bang" sound.

"Fighting Zong is not as simple as it seems,"

She glanced at the cats, her single eye flashing with complex light.

"Not only the Red Snake Hall, White Tiger Hall, and Black Claw Gang that you encountered today, but also the Blood Mastiff Alliance, Shadow Bat Pavilion, Black Turtle Village, Poison Spider Society, and Iron Crane Camp are all lurking in the shadows."

"!"

Bai Tang's eyes widened, and he even forgot to swallow the fish in his mouth.

"So many forces? Then, what should we do?"

The proprietress sneered.

"The Blood Mastiff Alliance is fierce and brutal, skilled in close combat. Their maces are laced with a deadly poison that kills instantly. The Shadow Bat Pavilion specializes in assassinations, appearing and disappearing elusively, specializing in nighttime operations. Those targeted often lose their lives before they even catch sight of their shadow. The Black Turtle Village's tortoise-shell shield formation is impenetrable, acting like a mobile fortress during an attack. The Poison Spiders use poison even more ruthlessly than the Red Snake Hall, their venomous spiders capable of instantly draining their prey of their lifeblood. The Iron Crane Camp possesses exceptional Qinggong skills, and their Iron Wing Blades, wielded with a whistling sound, can kill without a trace. These factions each have their own methods, and their intertwined networks are incredibly complex."

Wu Song gripped the whistle stick tightly, his knuckles turning white.

"I didn't expect that there would be such chaos within the Da Zong."

“You’ll get used to it~”

The proprietress gently shook the wine bowl, watching the wine swirl in the bowl.

"What's even more regrettable is that there is actually one survivor in the Da Sect. He should be considered the true heir of the Da Sect. The child is extremely talented. At a young age, he has mastered the Da Sect's unique skills. The Sect Master has high hopes for him and originally planned to pass the position of Sect Master to him. But when the secret invasion happened, the sect was in chaos, and in the melee, the child disappeared. I don't know where he is now, whether he is alive or dead..."

She paused, raised her head and drank the wine in the bowl.

"If he were still here, he might be able to rebuild the Da Zong and restore it to its former glory. It's a pity..."

"..."

Mo Zi's ice-blue pupils shrank slightly, and the ice fan in his hand unconsciously tightened.

Xiaoqing looked at her sister worriedly, but found that Mo Zi's eyes seemed to penetrate the night and look at somewhere far away. Mingyue turned the moon blade thoughtfully,

"If we can find this successor, we might be able to change the current situation of Da Zong."

Dafei scratched his head.

"But this cat is so big, where can I find it?"

After the proprietress finished speaking, she grabbed a grilled fish, tore off the crispy fish skin and stuffed it into her mouth, with oil stains dripping down the corners of her mouth.

As she ate heartily, she muttered incoherently:

"These are things you just need to listen to. In Dazong, it is better to ask less questions and eat more."

As he spoke, he took another big gulp of wine and smacked his lips, as if the secret of fighting against the clan he had just revealed was just a snack.

"Uh--"

Bai Tang looked at the proprietress's nonchalant expression, scratched his head, then turned to look at his companions' tense faces. Suddenly, he raised the fish he had gnawed down to the skeleton and broke the silence with a grin:

"Who cares what faction he's from! Let's fill our stomachs first! I can still eat three more!"

Da Fei immediately laughed and grabbed the freshly grilled fish, grease splattering on his scarred collar:

"I'm not full either! Come on, Wusong, let's share a few fish bones!"

"..."

Wu Song was amused by Da Fei's silly behavior and the corners of his mouth curled up slightly, but his brows were still furrowed.

He looked at the dancing flames on the iron frame, which made the shadows of the cats sway on the wall.

Mo Zi remained silent, his ice-blue pupils reflecting the flickering firelight, his fingertips unconsciously stroking the edge of the ice fan;

Xiaoqing quietly put a piece of fresh fish into her sister's bowl. The silk silk swept across the table as it fell, bringing with it a few wisps of roasted fish aroma.

Mingyue put away the moon blade and lowered her head to concentrate on removing the fish bones. Her movements were elegant, but she couldn't hide the deep thought in her eyes.

As the night deepened, the oil lamp at the grilled fish stall swayed in the wind. Suddenly, the proprietress threw the cleanly gnawed fish bones far away, startling a few night owls.

She burped and narrowed her one eye into a slit:

"After eating, find a place to rest quickly. Tomorrow morning, who knows what 'friend' might come to visit again."

After saying this, she leaned back in her chair, took out the jar of wine and drank it down, humming a tuneless tune, as if the thrilling story she had just told was really just an insignificant chat.