Hard to Defy Master's Orders

"Big Brother!" "Big Brother, are you there?" Those were the voices of Chen Gang's second and third younger brothers searching for him. Hearing them, hope surged once more within Chen Gang's heart, and he began struggling wildly. He opened his mouth to shout at the top of his lungs, but felt a powerful hand clamp over his mouth like steel pincers. Chu Qiguang's voice, tinged with a wicked chill, sounded beside his ear. "Do you want me to capture them too?" At those words, Chen Gang froze. Though he trembled faintly, he stopped moving. A black dog walked over. Qiao Zhi called him Xiaohei; he was none other than the stray dog that had attacked Wang Cailiang. Previously, Qiao Zhi had arranged for Xiaohei to recuperate in the mountains, but today he had been brought out again to provide blood. Qiao Zhi extended his claws, drew a few drops of dog blood from Xiaohei's back, and fed them into Chen Gang's mouth before executing the Heavenly Demon Foundation Establishment Method. With every slap the cat demon struck against his body, Chen Gang felt as if an ox had rammed into him with full force. Amid the repeated concussions, Chen Gang felt as though his entire body were about to tear apart, until he finally blacked out. ... By the time Chen Gang woke again, the moon was high in the night sky. Inside the pitch-black woods, he slowly climbed to his feet, his mind a chaotic blur. An ominous premonition welled up from deep within. Stepping out of the woods, he stood beneath the chilly moonlight, only to discover that his limbs were completely covered in black fur. When he touched his face, it was the same. Now, any remaining thought of going to the Daoist temple vanished completely. If he went there like this, he would be beaten to death before anything else. *Should I go home?* Terrified of being seen, Chen Gang had no choice but to slink furtively toward his house. Fortunately, it was already late into the night; the entire Wang Family Village was dark and silent, without a soul in sight, so no one noticed his sneaking figure. Not far behind him, the two cats, Yudan and Jinxiu, watched him from a distance, faint glints of green light reflecting in their eyes. ... Arriving at his front gate, Chen Gang looked down at his grotesque appearance. Not daring to head straight in, he decided to hide outside the courtyard first to assess the situation. To his shock, his eyes fell right upon the orange cat curled up, lying atop the eaves of his house. He wanted to cry out, but stopped himself. In his current state, how could he possibly face his family? What should he do...? At this moment, Chen Gang was frantic and terrified, utterly powerless against the lazy, ordinary-looking orange cat. Just then, a pair of hands pressed onto Chen Gang's shoulders, followed by Chu Qiguang's gentle voice: "You really are disobedient." Panic seized Chen Gang's heart. He looked at Zhou Ergou before him and tried to speak, but fear seemed to grip his throat in a vice, leaving him unable to utter a single word. Chu Qiguang's voice carried an aura of mystery and enchantment, drifting slowly into Chen Gang's ears. "To be born human is the greatest mercy in this world. It allows even a fragile will like yours to glimpse the grandeur of heaven and earth... Yet the power of demons is your true essence... It lies hidden within your flesh, hidden within your blood, helping you see through to the reality of this world." Chen Gang was thrown into turmoil by Chu Qiguang's words, yet felt as though he had caught a glimpse of understanding. Uneasily, he asked, "What do you want?" Chu Qiguang smiled faintly and gave no answer. Before Chen Gang could ask anything more, darkness fell before his eyes, and he passed out once again. ... Waking dizzily once more, Chen Gang sat up abruptly, only to find his body completely normal—all of the beast fur had vanished without a trace. "I turned back?" He jumped out of bed, realizing he was already back home. Rushing out of the room, he saw his mother cooking while his two younger brothers crouched under the eaves, resting. Everything was so normal, as if everything that had happened yesterday was nothing more than a dream. "Could all of that... have really just been a dream?" Caught between relief and doubt, Chen Gang turned around, wanting to lie down in bed for a bit longer, but froze dead in his tracks. Following his gaze, clumps of black beast fur lay quietly on the bed right where he had been sleeping, drifting into the air at the brush of a breeze. ... Atop the roof of Chen Gang's house, a calico cat bounded off the eaves and dashed back to Zhou Ergou's home. The calico cat rubbed against Qiao Zhi's body and meowed several times. Qiao Zhi yawned, looking thoroughly exhausted, and said to Chu Qiguang nearby, "Chen Gang's awake. He didn't go out; he's staying inside." Chu Qiguang, who was sitting in meditation, said, "Chen Gang understands now. If we can turn him into a demon, we can turn his family into demons too. After a few more days of breaking him in, he'll be ready for use. He'll make a fine subordinate." Chu Qiguang mused to himself that something like the Heavenly Demon Foundation Establishment Method, akin to superpower surgery, would probably have people scrambling and paying fortunes for it in modern society. But in this world, humans held too deep a prejudice against monsters to ever accept it. *Still, this works out perfectly as leverage to control them.* *It's a pity I can only control people like Chen Gang for now.* Chu Qiguang reflected that given his current strength and influence, he could only suppress someone like Chen Gang. With wealthy gentry like the Wang family who commanded abundant resources, the risk of backlash was far too high, so he couldn't easily pull off something like this with them. Beside him, Qiao Zhi thought, *Using mystery and fear to control people—that really is one of Chu Qiguang's favorite tricks.* Just then, his younger sister ran over, shouting in delight, "Brother! Our family's rich!" Chu Qiguang asked, bewildered, "Huh?" His sister said, "I dug up silver from our courtyard!" Chu Qiguang realized in a flash. *Damn it! That's the silver I buried!* Before long, a little girl's wails rang out in the courtyard. Watching from the side, Qiao Zhi snickered inwardly, *Oh, Chu Qiguang... hurry up and release your sister back into the wild.* ... That evening, Chu Qiguang went to the Wang household once again to treat Wang Cailiang. This time, as soon as Wang Cailiang regained consciousness, he said happily, "Brother Zhou, my father gave me another three hundred taels of silver. Could you get me another dose of that Naobaijin?" Yet after speaking, he saw Chu Qiguang let out a sigh, his expression melancholy. Wang Cailiang asked, puzzled, "Brother Zhou, what is the matter?" Chu Qiguang sighed again, wearing a look of helpless resignation. "My master has ordered me to leave Lingzhou. After all, he doesn't have the time to instruct me every day, so he wants me to go to an academy in another province to prepare for the martial examinations." Wang Cailiang gasped in shock. "What? Leave Lingzhou?" Chu Qiguang hesitated, speaking slowly, "You needn't worry. The canine poison inside you should... should have been suppressed for now. As long as you diligently practice martial arts and strengthen your constitution, you can probably keep it suppressed indefinitely." "Probably?" Wang Cailiang exclaimed. "Then what if it can't be suppressed? Where would I even find you, Brother Zhou?" Another thought crossed his mind: *I still want to spend money on medicine! I want to practice martial arts lying down! I don't want to work hard!* Chu Qiguang sighed. "Master forbade me from telling anyone. All I can say is... I'm heading a thousand li away to prepare for the martial examinations." Hearing this, Wang Cailiang grew even more anxious. Grasping Chu Qiguang's hand, he asked, "Brother Zhou, why must you go to another province to prepare for the martial examinations? Qingyang County's Yinglue Academy has a long history and is overseen by a martial artist of the third stage. You could prepare there just the same!" Chu Qiguang shook his head. "You know entering the county's Yinglue Academy requires connections. My master has many enemies and doesn't want to expose his ties to me in Qingyang County, so he told me to go to another province to prepare for the martial examinations. He has already arranged everything there." "This..." Wang Cailiang was burning with anxiety. Just as he was about to press further, an idea struck him. "Brother Zhou! If your master doesn't wish to expose himself, my father can step forward! He can recommend both you and me to the county's Yinglue Academy together!" Wang Cailiang cried. "Brother Zhou, rest assured, with my father handling it, not a shred of information about your master will be leaked!" Chu Qiguang's eyes brightened. *That's exactly what I was waiting for you to say,* he thought. Yet a conflicted look remained on his face as he said, "If I do that, it would go against my master's orders."