Volume One: The Eight Coffins of the Corpse Field Chapter Sixty: The Cat’s Grudge

Third Uncle was the first to react, pointing at the doorway and shouting, “Stop that foolish woman!”

I turned my head and saw Xu Ruoxi darting swiftly toward the door, her hand gripping the handle, ready to flee.

Damn it. I cursed under my breath and rushed after her, hoping to intercept her before she escaped. It must have been my harsh words earlier that frightened Xu Ruoxi, making her think Third Uncle and I were villains who had brought her here with malicious intent. That would explain her desperate attempt to get away.

She must have planned her actions in advance, so everything she did was agile and fluid. By the time we realized what was happening, she was already opening the door.

Just as I caught up, she managed to pull the door open a crack.

The moment the gap appeared, a piercing, mournful cat’s howl echoed from outside.

We had all heard the mewing of pet cats before—those cute, gentle sounds that made you smile. But this was a cat’s howl, the kind that chills the blood. Perhaps the ancestors of city cats were wildcats and mountain cats; their lineage still bore traces of the wild. The cry that rang out now was truly feral.

I had no idea which cat had let out that first howl. Instantly, howls erupted from every direction, crashing in like waves, pouring through the open gap in the door.

The sound was enough to shake the soul.

Xu Ruoxi heard the howls and realized something was wrong. She tried quickly to shut the door.

But it was too late. Several dark shadows slipped in through the opening from outside.

I lunged forward, grabbed Xu Ruoxi’s arm, pushed her aside, and slammed the door shut with all my strength.

Immediately, a loud bang resounded from the door, as if something had crashed into it. I pressed against the door, desperate to keep the gap from widening.

But outside, the combined strength of the cats made it hard to hold fast. More and more cats squeezed through the opening.

The cats that got in split into three groups, attacking each of us simultaneously.

Two or three cats clung to me, scratching and biting, leaving painful wounds.

Strangely, the two cats attacking Xu Ruoxi stopped abruptly when they reached her, turning instead to assault Third Uncle.

Third Uncle, wielding a peachwood sword, fended the cats off for the moment, unharmed.

I realized that if the door wasn’t fully shut, more cats would pour in, and by the look of things, these cats could tear us to pieces.

I saw Xu Ruoxi standing there, paralyzed with fright, her eyes wide and helpless. I shouted at her, “Xu Ruoxi, are you just going to stand there? Come help!”

My yell snapped her out of her daze. She hurried over to help me push the door.

Though her strength was limited, together we managed to force the door shut. Once the lock clicked into place, I drew my peachwood sword and knocked the cats off me.

Ignoring the pain, I rushed to fight alongside Third Uncle.

Now the remaining cats in the room circled around us, their eyes gleaming slyly, their mouths agape. Having tasted human blood, they seemed even more frenzied.

They hadn’t attacked yet—perhaps they were gathering their strength.

“Yangzi, hold them off for a moment,” Third Uncle called, ducking behind me.

“Damn it, Third Uncle, you’re so gallant,” I cursed, untying the Black Tiger Knot and swinging it wildly at the cats.

Third Uncle stayed behind me, rustling around, doing who knows what.

I managed to intimidate the cats for a short while, but then they launched themselves at me.

“Ah—” I cried out in alarm as the cats dodged the Black Tiger Knot and lunged toward me.

Suddenly, a dark object flew from behind me.

It was a net, unfurling in midair and enveloping all the cats.

Third Uncle sprang forward, shouting, “Yangzi, quick, help me!”

Together, we tightened the net, trapping the cats inside as they howled in agony.

“These cats mustn’t be spared,” Third Uncle said, gripping his peachwood sword and dispatching each cat with a single thrust.

Blood sprayed everywhere, staining the floor.

A chill ran through me. They were only cats, but Third Uncle’s hand was ruthless indeed.

While we worked inside, the pounding outside grew louder, shaking the door and sending dust fluttering down. The cats outside showed no sign of retreat, still battering the entrance.

Third Uncle tidied the net, handed me one end, and called, “Quick, cover the door with it.”

We each took a corner, spreading the net over the doorway.

I recognized it as the same net Third Uncle had thrown from the second floor earlier.

Once we covered the door, the pounding abruptly ceased.

Relief washed over me—it seemed the net really worked.

Just as I began to settle down, Xu Ruoxi let out a startled scream, as if terrified by something.

I barked at her, “What are you screaming for?”

Xu Ruoxi pointed at the window, unable to speak.

Third Uncle and I turned to look—and our scalps prickled with alarm.

The window was pressed with more than a dozen eerie feline faces. Seeing their way blocked at the door, the cats now turned their attention to the window.

Third Uncle cursed, and with a flourish, pulled another net from his bag. Before the cats could attack the window, we quickly covered it with the net.

Through the mesh, I saw the cats outside recoil in fear, retreating two or three meters before letting out low growls toward the window.

I exhaled deeply. “Third Uncle, where did all these cats come from? Are they after us?”

Third Uncle replied irritably, “Isn’t that obvious? There’s only the three of us in here. If not us, then who? Yangzi, are you hurt?”

Blood trickled from the wounds left by the cats’ claws and teeth, stinging fiercely—but I could bear it.

I shook my head and said it was nothing.

Third Uncle nodded. “Hold on, these cats aren’t poisonous, just some scratches. I’ll bandage you up in a bit.”

These minor injuries were nothing to me. I waved him off. “It’s just scratches. Are these cats attacking us because of that cat skin? When we were upstairs, you seemed nervous—did you realize something?”

Third Uncle nodded. “I’m not sure of the exact reason yet, but it’s more complicated than I thought. I assumed it was just the ghost of a person haunting this place—even a century-old specter, I was prepared for that. But now it seems it’s not only human spirits, but the resentment of cats as well. Human souls are easier to appease; cat grudges are hard to dispel. Looks like we were a step too late. The cats outside must have come because of the cat’s resentment. If we can hold out until dawn, they should leave.”

(End of chapter)