Peking Opera Cat: I Became A Zi's Brother

"Hahaha--"

The talisman light around the proprietress suddenly increased, and the fragments of the glass mirror floated in the air, forming a strange formation. She looked at the chaotic crowd, and the smile on her face faded completely, replaced by sadness and determination.

"Look at you! You're killing each other for the stone box. Have you ever thought about why Da Zong was conquered by An?"

Her voice trembled, and the jade bracelet vibrated violently, making the cats' ears buzz.

"?"

The Black Claw Gang leader's blade was suspended in mid-air, trembling slightly at the boss lady's aura.

"What do you mean?"

"Back then, the disciples of the Da Sect defended the city gates to the death, while you, the so-called heroes of the martial arts world, were busy fighting for resources in the rear!"

The lady boss suddenly pulled open her collar, revealing the hideous scar on her neck.

"I watched with my own eyes as Master was devoured by Dark's Chaos in order to protect the Stone Box! Since then, there has been no peace in Cat Land!"

Her eyes swept across the Xingluo Squad and landed on Wu Song's hand holding the stick.

"Now you're here to rob again. What's the difference between you and those cowards who fled from the battlefield?"

"..."

Xiaoqing's sleeves slowly dropped, and her rhythmic energy dissipated in shock:

"So... you collected the stone boxes because..."

"That's right! The stone box contains the strongest protective power of the Da Zong!"

The proprietress held up the stone box with both hands, and the dim light made her face flicker.

"As long as I gather all my strength, I can rebuild Da Zong and save the Neko-soil from the ravages of chaos!"

She suddenly laughed up to the sky, with endless madness in her laughter.

"The Black Claw Gang and the Blood Shadow Alliance are nothing but ants driven by desire!"

"This, how is this possible..."

The Ice Soul Hall Master's ice chain fell to the ground with a "clack". He looked at the scar on the boss lady's neck and said in a weak voice:

"So you're colluding with An's forces. What about the Chaos Chains in the dungeon?"

"I'm just experimenting with the power of chaos!"

The proprietress turned around suddenly, and the stone box burst into a dazzling light, and the talisman twisted on the wall like a living thing.

"How can you seek revenge if you don't understand your enemy? Those chains are nothing but the product of failure! You fools only see the surface!"

"Humph, you're talking nonsense again!"

White sugar jumped onto the broken table, its tail fluffy and flaky:

"But you shouldn't have lied to us! And dragged everyone into this!"

"If I don't lure you here, the secret of the stone box will never be revealed!"

The proprietress's fingertips traced the lines on the stone box, and a faint light snaked up along her arm.

"The Xingluo Squad and the major sects...are all mere pawns. Only when all forces converge can the Stone Box truly awaken!"

She suddenly raised her hand, and the colored glass mirror formation suddenly shrank, covering everyone.

"Now, no one is allowed to leave! Once I have absorbed the power of the stone box, I will send you to meet the souls of those who died because of you!"

"Come on, come on!"

The talismans in the inn were surging wildly like burning blood, and the fragments of the glass mirror were spinning rapidly in the air, forming the phantoms of six ruined palaces. The swaying light and shadow seemed to be accompanied by the roar of war drums.

"Wong..."

The proprietress suddenly coughed violently, and black chaotic residue seeped out from between her fingers, which corroded the ground and left charred marks.

She raised her head, her eyes filled with pain and hatred:

"Ten years ago today, the war drums of the Sixth Hall of the Dazong shattered the heavens! The Imperial Armament Hall defended the west city gate with its mechanical crossbows, countless ingenious mechanisms blossoming with flowers of death amidst the chaotic beast tide. Hundreds of men from the Body Forging Hall formed a formation, using their flesh and blood to resist the chaotic tide. Their roars shook the very earth. The doctors of the Medicine Refining Hall abandoned the safety of their own rear and used their bodies to block the breach, just to save one more injured disciple..."

"What is she talking about?"

"Pong..."

The Black Claw Gang leader's scimitar clanged to the ground. The scar on his face from the talisman burn suddenly oozed blood, and his voice trembled unconsciously:

"W-what did you say?"

"A personal letter from the Vice Leader of the Blood Shadow Alliance!"

The proprietress laughed crazily, and a translucent blood-red shadow appeared on the surface of the stone box.

In the picture, a carrier pigeon pierced through the smoke, and the secret letter tied to its claws was clearly printed with the emblem of the Blood Shadow Alliance.

"What's that 'Qinglin Hall defected, quickly retreat to the east'?"

She waved her hands violently, and the carrier pigeon in the projection was torn to pieces by an invisible force.

"Those disciples who fought bloody battles to protect Cat Earth were cut off from retreat and trapped in the Chaos Core because of this one lie!"

"..."

Mo Zi was wearing purple clothes, but his whole body was trembling slightly at this moment.

Xiaoqing's sleeves trembled violently, and the aqua-blue rhythmic energy condensed into crystal tears that slid down from her fingertips:

"So... the entire Medicine Refining Hall..."

"It was all killed by my own cat!"

The lady boss pulled back her sleeves, and the dense needle holes on her arms were shocking. Each needle hole seemed to be telling of the pain she had suffered in the past.

"I was an apprentice in the Alchemy Hall at the time, and I saw with my own eyes as my master stuffed the last Heart Protecting Pill into my mouth. He said, 'Live on, and remember these traitors'..."

Her voice stopped abruptly, and tears mixed with blood slid down her cheeks.

The stone box suddenly emitted a mournful humming sound, and the talismans on the wall transformed into six light blades, pointing at the leaders of the Black Claw Gang, Blood Shadow Alliance, and Ice Soul Hall respectively.

"When the Imperial Mechanism Hall was annihilated, someone resold their mechanical blueprints for exorbitant prices. The last disciple of the Body Forging Hall was hacked to pieces, but black iron armor capable of resisting Chaos appeared on the black market. The entire family of the Green Scale Hall was loyal and valiant, but their bodies were thrown into the Abyss of Chaos, and someone made a fortune from it!"

The boss lady's eyes were like a poisoned blade, sweeping across the leaders of various forces present.

"What do you think is hidden behind these coincidences?"

"..."

The veins on Wu Song's hand bulged as he gripped the stick tightly. The faint sound of chains in the dungeon suddenly overlapped with his memory.

He thought of the boxes and cages inscribed with "For Blood Shadow Alliance Caravan Only" in the Chaos-corroded Dazong dungeon, and the strange Body Forging Hall standard weapons in the Black Claw Gang's warehouse.

The jade bracelet on the proprietress's wrist now showed the pattern of the order issued by the sect leader. As the light flowed, it seemed as if countless wronged souls were crying out in it.

"Sealed within the stone box is the 'Soil Guarding Curse' performed jointly by the six halls."

The proprietress placed the stone box against her chest. A faint light flowed along her meridians, and transparent ripples began to appear around her body, as if a sign that her power was about to awaken.

"Only by gathering the blood of traitors, the souls of the sacrificed, and the hatred of the survivors can this power be awakened. Do you think you are here to steal treasure? You are merely atonement for the sins of the past!"

"!"

The glazed mirror array suddenly shrank into a blood-red cage, trapping everyone inside.

Behind the proprietress, the shadows of the ruins of the six branch halls were slowly overlapping, transforming into a ray of light of revenge that was strong enough to pierce the sky.

Her voice echoed in the cage, filled with endless sadness and determination:

"For the past ten years, I've watched Catland being devoured by Chaos, and my former home transformed into a living hell. As I lurk in this inn, watching you fight for your own interests, the hatred in my heart grows! Today, everything must end. I will restore Da Zong and rid Catland of betrayal and chaos!"

As she spoke, the light from the stone box became more and more dazzling, and the entire inn was shaking violently, as if it would be torn apart by this force in the next second.