Peking Opera Cat: I Became A Zi's Brother

The candlelight in the hall suddenly flickered strangely, even though there was no wind.

The dancing flames seemed to be pulled by an invisible force, flickering between light and darkness. Suddenly, a low, hoarse voice echoed from the depths of the hall, like a whisper seeping from the cracks in the underground rock, or like the whispers of a ghost floating in the dome:

"Ruthless...it's time."

Before the voice faded, faint silver-white light suddenly seeped out from the top of the dragon-shaped stone pillar at the highest point of the hall.

The light spots were as small as dust at first, and slowly sank with the swaying candlelight, interweaving and condensing in the air, and finally merged into a ball of translucent light and shadow - the light and shadow was about the height of a person.

The edges were blurred, like the moonlight shrouded in water vapor, and countless tiny runes were rapidly flowing inside, sometimes turning into the outline of the twelve sects' star map, and sometimes condensing into a vague cat-shaped silhouette, which was the eye of the "system" that was silently watching the fate of the twelve sects.

Wuqing tightened his fingers around the Law Token, causing the runes on the edge of the token to glow slightly from the pressure of his fingers.

He turned slowly, and the black hem of his clothes swept across the cold stone surface. The sound of the wind he brought was filled with a biting chill, but when his eyes fell on the ball of light and shadow, his footsteps only paused for a moment.

The jawline beneath the silver mask remained cold and hard, and in those bottomless eyes, there was no trace of shock, only a calmness like a cold pond - as if this sudden appearance of light and shadow was just an illusion condensed from the perennial cold air in the hall, or as if it was an "abnormality" hidden deep within Panzong that he had long been accustomed to.

He might not know the origin of this light and shadow, and he didn't know why it appeared in the heavily guarded Panzong Hall, but this sudden "existence" did not disrupt his mind at all.

"The Xingluo Squad has already entered the territory of the Judgment Sect."

The voice of light and shadow was flat, as if stating a fact that had already been determined. The silver halo fluctuated slightly with the words.

"It's at the edge of the Misty Valley inside the barrier, only three miles away from your outer 'Heavenly Net Formation'. The group of kittens who broke the 'order' of the seven sects have already taken the initiative to enter the territory you set up."

He raised his eyes expressionlessly, his silver mask reflecting the cold light of the candle, and the token of law on his fingertips stopped turning.

He did not ask Guangying how he knew this, nor did he question the other party's purpose. He just stood there quietly, like a statue made of black iron. The coldness around him and the silver glow of Guangying collided in the air, causing the candlelight in the hall to temporarily stop flickering.

The light and shadow seemed to see through his silent thoughts. The runes flowing in the halo suddenly paused, and an ambiguous cold snort was emitted. The voice contained a hint of all-knowing mockery:

"I know what you want to do—you're waiting, waiting for them to crash into your layered formations, waiting for them to struggle in the stranglehold of the law runes and the power of chaos, waiting for them to make their way all the way to the hall and see Tang Ming's current state with their own eyes, waiting for them to reveal expressions of shock, despair, and even collapse. You want them to experience firsthand the price of disrupting your 'order.'"

The halo suddenly shrank, and the runes inside flashed more and more rapidly, as if urging, or putting pressure on:

"But simply 'waiting' won't necessarily lead to your desired outcome. These kittens were able to defeat seven sects in a row, and they hold far more 'variables' than you can imagine."

It paused, and the silver-white light suddenly became sharp, stabbing straight at Wuqing:

"Help me deal with them, or let them remain in the Panzong sect forever. What you pursue is never the vague justice that people talk about, but the absolute law engraved on stone pillars and integrated into the legal token. Only when these rule-breaking 'variables' are completely eliminated and the Twelve Sects return to the 'right track' you have determined, can the 'order' you have spent your entire life defending be considered true justice."

Wuqing was silent, his eyes slowly sweeping across the seven dazzling spots of light on the star map, then returning to the light and shadow.

He slowly raised the hand holding the token, and pointed his finger in the direction of the rockfall pass outside the hall. That was the only way for the Xingluo Squad to reach the hall, and a tight net had already been laid.

His voice was still as cold as iron, without the slightest wavering:

"They'll come here."

The halo of light and shadow swayed gently, as if acknowledging this answer, but also as if mocking his certainty.

The silver-white light spots began to gradually disperse and turned into a faint light as thin as dust, floating towards the shadows deep in the hall.

And his steps as he turned ruthlessly towards the forbidden area were more resolute than when he came here - in this chess game called "false judgment", he not only had to wait for the prey to enter the game, but also had to personally place the piece that determined the outcome.

The law runes on the temple pillars flickered, stretching his shadow extremely long, interweaving with the afterglow of the dissipated light and shadow, revealing a mysterious and cold weirdness.

Wuqing was silent, his gaze lingering for a moment between the star map and the direction where the light and shadow dissipated. The figure under the black robe did not move at all, as if it had merged into one with the dragon-shaped stone pillars in the hall.

After a long moment, he withdrew his gaze, and firmly grasped the Law Token on his fingertips. Without any fluctuation in his voice, he uttered only two words:

"understood."

After he finished speaking, he turned around and walked out of the hall without looking at the shadows deep in the hall.

The black hem of the robe swept across the ground, and the sound of the wind it brought gradually faded away. The candlelight began to flicker again, but it still could not dispel the bone-deep chill in the hall.

The light of the law runes on the temple pillars dimmed a little, as if with his departure, even the breath of "order" became thinner.

However, the silver-white light and shadow that had already dispersed condensed from the air again after the ruthless figure completely disappeared from the temple gate.

This time, the outline of the light and shadow became clearer, and as the silver light on the edge flowed, it seemed as if an invisible chair really appeared under it - the light and shadow "sat" down gracefully, with a lazy posture, like a spectator overlooking the chess game.

It hovered beside the star map, and the runes flowing in the halo suddenly froze, transforming into the blurry silhouettes of the six members of the Xingluo squad marching in the foggy valley.

The "sight" of light and shadow penetrated the thick stone walls of Panzong, passed through layers of barriers and formations, and landed directly on the mountain road deep in the Misty Valley - there, the Xingluo Squad was carefully shuttling among the rugged rocks.

"Ah……"

The light and shadow chuckled softly, without any warmth in the voice, only a condescending mockery.

"A four-dimensional chessboard, three-dimensional chess pieces, yet I dream of jumping out of the chessboard."

Its "gaze" swept over Bai Tang, Wu Song and others one by one, and finally stopped at Mo Yun.

The runes in the halo began to jump violently, as if marking this "unstable factor".

"The most interesting one is you, Mo Yun..."

The sound of light and shadow has a hint of playfulness,

"I'm clearly just a chess piece being pushed around by fate, yet I have a 'variable' that can disrupt the game."

It paused, and the silvery light suddenly became sharp:

"Unfortunately, no matter how special a chess piece is, it should stay where it's supposed to be. Want to escape control? Want to change your fate? How... naive and ridiculous."

Light and shadow "sat" quietly in the hall, staring at the faint spots of light on the star map that represented the Xingluo class. Mo Yun's figure flashed from time to time in the halo.

It seemed to be waiting, waiting for these "low-level creatures" to struggle in the web of fate it had laid, waiting to see how they would move towards their destined ending in the laws of the Panzong and the power of chaos - after all, for it, which had no "emotions", this observation called "fate" was nothing more than a long and interesting game.

At the same time, on the mountain road deep in the Misty Valley.

Mo Yun was talking to Mo Zi beside her with her head down. The jade pendant on her fingertips was glowing with a light blue light, dispelling the coldness around them.

"Azi, look at the formation in the Misty Valley. The runes are arranged more densely than the previous barrier. It seems that the defense of the Panzong is indeed as strict as we expected."

His voice was gentle, with the calmness unique to an older brother, and a faint smile on his face. When his eyes fell on his sister, there was an imperceptible protectiveness in his eyes.

Mo Zi tightened her grip on the folding fan and gave a reassuring smile:

"Brother, I'm not afraid. With you here, we can always find the center of the formation. You concentrate on sensing, and I'll keep an eye on the surrounding movements - after all, I'm also a disciple of the Body Sect, so I still have some vigilance."

At this moment, the smile on Mo Yun's face suddenly faded, and his originally gentle eyes suddenly became serious.

He suddenly raised his head, his eyes passed the strange rocks in front of him, and looked towards the direction of Panzong Hall - there, separated by a distance of several miles, through layers of formations and stone walls, there was an invisible "sight" that penetrated all obstacles and met his gaze directly.

That look was cold and mocking, with a kind of contempt that looked down on an ant, as if it could see through all his thoughts hidden under his calm appearance, and could understand the whole purpose of Xingluo Squad's trip.

Mo Yun's heartbeat suddenly quickened, the jade pendant on her fingertips flickered violently, and the water power around her body subconsciously gathered. Even the hair on her temples trembled slightly due to the tense breath.

He could clearly feel that the owner of that gaze was looking at him and the entire Xingluo Class as if they were examining a chess piece. The suffocating feeling of being completely controlled made his back chill.

"Brother, what's wrong?"

Mo Zi was the first to notice his abnormality. He immediately grasped his folding fan tightly and glanced around vigilantly. The water pattern runes on the fan were faintly shining.

"Have you discovered any unusual movement in the formation?"

Mo Yun did not answer immediately. He stared into the distance, his eyes confronting the invisible gaze. A hint of doubt, vigilance, and a bit of unwillingness flashed in his eyes - he would never allow anyone to treat them as chess pieces that could be manipulated at will.

After a moment, that gaze suddenly disappeared, as if it had never appeared, leaving only a cold touch lingering in the air.

He slowly withdrew his gaze, and the light of the jade pendant on his fingertips gradually calmed down, but it was still trembling.

"No...nothing."

He paused, his voice carrying a subtle solemnity.

"It just suddenly felt like we were being watched by something."

Mo Zi frowned and looked into the distance following his gaze, but only saw a diffuse mist and rugged rocks.

The surroundings were eerily quiet, the only sound being the whimpering of the wind through the cracks in the rocks, stirring up tiny pieces of stone. But as she looked at her brother's serious expression, an inexplicable chill rose in her heart—she knew that Mo Yun's perception was never wrong. Perhaps that vanishing gaze was the product of a being deeper within the Pan Sect, even more terrifying than Wuqing.

The atmosphere on the mountain path suddenly became tense. Bai Tang took a step forward, holding his rosary tightly. Wu Song looked around vigilantly, holding his whistle stick. Da Fei also held the Zong Gu Pu tighter.

Mo Yun took a deep breath, suppressed the uneasiness in her heart, and gripped the jade pendant tightly again. She glanced at her companions and her tone returned to its usual calmness:

"Let's go, we have to speed up. No matter what is watching us, as long as we break into the Panzong Hall, we will find out. And..."

He looked at Mo Zi, and warmth returned to his eyes.

"I won't let anything happen to you."

The six people set out again, but their steps were even more hurried than before. The auras of water, fire, and rhythmic power intertwined in the air, forming a weak but firm barrier.

They didn't know that at this moment, in the Panzong Hall, the ball of light and shadow was "sitting" on an invisible chair. The scene of Mo Yun's confrontation just now flashed in the halo, and it chuckled with an ambiguous meaning:

"Interesting... It seems this chess piece is more 'sensitive' than I thought. However, no matter how sensitive the chess piece is, it can't escape the chessboard..."

The candlelight in the hall flickered again, the outline of light and shadow gradually blurred, and finally dissipated into the air.

Only on the star map, the light spot representing the Xingluo Squad was still moving slowly, heading towards the direction of the Panzong Hall, and towards the net that had been laid out long ago, approaching step by step.

And this chess game known as "false judgment" has become more and more confusing with this brief "eye contact".