Chapter 72: Catching the Cat
Inside the dark prison cell, there was a faint smell of mustiness in the air.
Through a small and narrow window, a beam of sunlight shone in, with dust floating in its glow.
Qiao Mu, who had recently been released from prison, returned once again to this cell. The scene remained unchanged.
"Why has Qiao Pifu come back again?"
"Did he curse the Emperor again?"
At first, the prisoners were surprised and started discussing, but soon they stopped talking.
Following behind Qiao Mu, there was Chief Constable Chen from the city, several police officers in uniforms, and a female nun named Ming Yue, wearing a Taoist robe.
"Is that the fairy leader of Xuantian Sect?"
"Is this Qiao Pifu bringing back a fairy to be imprisoned? How daring!" someone muttered in their heart.
Soon, a jailer tapped on the iron bars, asking the prisoners to quiet down and not cause trouble.
Qiao Mu wasn't interested in catching up with these prisoners. He led the group to the cell where he had stayed before.
"Back then, I saw the impermanent monster here," Qiao Mu reminisced.
"However, the demon cat didn't harm anyone in front of me... Chief Constable, were there any claw marks or bite marks from a monster on the other victims in this case?"
Chief Constable Chen furrowed her brow slightly and didn't answer immediately. Instead, a clever constable nearby quickly replied.
"Captain Qiao, that impermanent monster is like the legendary envoy of the underworld, Black and White Impermanence. It has the ability to snatch souls."
"Every time the impermanent monster appears, there will be casualties."
"Some of the deceased had no visible injuries, while others had fatal claw marks, like those caused by a cat or tiger-like creature."
Chief Constable Chen had already explained these things when he first talked about the case, but Qiao Mu wasn't paying much attention at that time.
Now, with this question, it's exposing the whole thing.
However, Qiao Mu continued to stubbornly insist:
"Is it possible that the creature didn't actually kill anyone, but was just attracted by the so-called aura of death from the dying person? It only appears at the crime scenes, which led to the misunderstanding that it's the killer monster?"
Qiao Mu was the only one among the crowd who had seen the true form of the impermanent monster, hadn't read the case files, and didn't have preconceived notions, so he had his own opinion.
Of course, this could also be another form of preconceived notion, so it's just speculation.
Upon hearing this, the nearby constables showed expressions of surprise.
Chief Constable Chen frowned and said:
"Captain Qiao, why are you speaking up for this creature?"
"Creatures that harm and even eat humans, isn't that the norm in this world?"
Qiao Mu argued, "Do the spiritual beasts nurtured by cultivators also eat humans? How are they different from ordinary creatures? Do they just have a stronger support?"
As soon as these words were spoken.
The people in the prison suddenly felt a chill.
This person dares to speak so boldly, even in front of Immortal Ming Yue, he dares to say such things.
"Be cautious with your words," said Female Cultivator Ming Yue, her gaze turning cold.
"There is a distinction between immortals and mortals. How can the spiritual beasts nurtured by our Immortal Gate be compared to ordinary creatures?"
This Female Cultivator Ming Yue looks very young, only about twenty years old. But when she scolds Qiao Mu, who looks to be in his thirties or forties, she exerts a sense of superiority.
She didn't really pay much attention to Qiao Mu at first, until he just now spoke rudely, making her realize that he was the same person who had clashed with her before and was caught by the guards.
The atmosphere gradually became tense, and a chilly feeling started spreading. The surrounding prisoners couldn't help but shiver.
This Female Cultivator Ming Yue was obviously a proud and hot-tempered person, showing no hint of backing down.
It's starting, it's starting... Qiao Mu excitedly rubbed his hands together.
He had heard about cultivators many times, but had never actually fought against one.
"Let me think, what kind of lines would be cool to kill her with, or to be killed by her."
Qiao Mu started to ponder deeply.
It's not that he likes to act cool, but because of the mistake in his mind with the Ouroboros Long Life Lock, it tainted his reputation as a good young man.
One minute on stage, ten years of practice off stage. In order to appear saintly in front of others, Qiao Mu had always been thinking hard.
And he didn't speak for a moment, which appeared to everyone as a silent confrontation with Immortal Ming Yue.
The atmosphere became even more tense.
Suddenly.
"Immortal Ming Yue," a clear female voice broke the silence. Chief Constable Chen calmly stood between the two, raising her hand high and holding a few thin cat hairs.
"These fur strands were found on the floor of this prison cell."
"Ordinary animals cannot enter this prison. These hairs, I believe, are from that impermanent monster."
Chief Constable Chen's interruption ended the confrontation between the two and shifted Immortal Ming Yue's attention.
"Hmm? Not bad."
Her face clearly showed delight:
"You have done well this time."
"With these few strands of hair, I can ask the sect's Saintess to lend a hand, to create a tool for tracking, and then it shouldn't be hard to catch this fleeting monster."
She was so happy that she couldn't contain herself, and she turned and walked away.
Qiao Mu, who had just struggled to come up with lines, hadn't reacted yet when the female cultivator had already gone far.
Running so fast?
Qiao Mu's eye twitched slightly as he glanced at Chief Constable Chen, who was blocking his way.
This annoying woman ruined my chance with that fairy sister! It was right to keep my distance from her after all.
Chen Yingxue seemed to sense Qiao Mu's gaze, but she didn't say anything and just started discussing the matter at hand:
"Captain Qiao, the deceased who had contact with the temporary monster, were they previously held in that prison cell?" Chief Constable Chen pointed to the empty cell nearby.
"Good."
Seeing Qiao Mu nod, Chief Constable Chen waved to signal the prison guard next to him.
"Who is that prisoner? Bring me his file to have a look."
The prison guard was briefly taken aback, then smiled awkwardly.
"Chief Constable, that person's case has nothing to do with this matter. Moreover, his case is from many years ago, it won't be easy to find."
"If you won't get it, then should I go?" Chief Constable Chen's gaze remained calm.
So the prison guard quickly left and after some time, returned with a slightly yellowed file.
Chief Constable Chen glanced at it and suddenly froze, asking,
"Sheriff Qian had stomach troubles today, so he was absent, right?"
"Yes," the nearby constable nodded.
After thinking for a moment, Chief Constable Chen put away the file and slowly said:
"There is nothing unusual about this file, it is indeed unrelated to this case."
"You all go back and rest for now, and when Immortal Ming Yue has truly forged the weapon, we will make a concerted effort to catch that impermanent monster."
Once the constables had left, Chief Constable Chen unfolded the file and read through it carefully, occasionally furrowing his brow.
................
Two nights later.
Qiao Mu and a group of constables received a green lantern from Chen Yingxue at the entrance of the office.
"After obtaining the previous strands of hair, the celestial being from the Xuantian Sect crafted a specialized tracking tool," Chief Constable Chen explained.
"This green lamp can detect the location of that moving monster within a distance of 100 meters from Fang Yuan."
"If you see the light of the green lamp drifting in a certain direction, immediately inform Immortal Ming Yue."
After giving instructions, Chief Constable Chen divided all the officers into eight teams to search in the four directions of the city.
Qiao Mu and Sheriff Qian are in charge of the west side of the city.
While patrolling the west side of the city, Qiao Mu felt a little unwilling.
"Why is Immortal Ming Yue not making an appearance this time? Instead, she handed over the magical green lamp to the chief constable?"
If she doesn't show up, how can he find an excuse to let her kill him?
On the other hand, Sheriff Qian, who was next to him, was more observant and thought to himself:
"This chief constable is truly meticulous and perceptive, worried that Captain Qiao might clash with the celestial being, and has even taken this into consideration."
He and Qiao Mu each led a team of constables, patrolling the streets in the west of the city, searching for the trace of the monster.
"Why is it always in the west of the city? If I were in charge of the north, I would also visit Xuantian Temple and light an incense." Qiao Mu complained on the side.
"Captain Qiao is really good at joking...hehe." Sheriff Qian smiled awkwardly, with cold sweat dripping down.
"The north of the city is the residence of Xuantian Sect, our law enforcement officers cannot easily enter even if we are investigating a case."
This Captain Qiao is someone who openly insults the emperor. If he forcefully enters Xuantian Temple, it wouldn't be too surprising.
While the two were chatting leisurely, they suddenly froze at the same time.
The flames of the lanterns in their hands started to shake violently.
"What's going on? The chief constable said that if we were close to the cat monster, the flames would float in a certain direction. But what's happening now?"
Just as they were puzzled, they heard a meow in the distance.
A spotted cat, almost like a shadow in the darkness, quickly pounced towards them.
"This...this is not what was said before, right? Wasn't it said that this monster cat would flee and we would chase after it separately?" Sheriff Qian was stunned.
Under his astonished gaze, the cat rushed to Qiao Mu's side, then circled around him over and over again, while running and making a low growling sound.
"Indeed, it's this silly cat."
Qiao Mu looked at the trembling green lamp in his hand and reached out his hand.
However, his attempt to grab it actually startled the running cat, causing it to instantly leap backward, instinctively avoiding the grab.
Immediately after, the cat turned its head to glance at Qiao Mu, then turned and ran away.
Though small, this cat ran extremely fast, much faster than an ordinary stray cat.
Even with Qiao Mu's martial artist eyesight, all he could see was a fast-moving black blur.
"Chase!" Qiao Mu took the lead and ran at the front.
"Don't we need to inform the Immortal?" Qian Qian paused for a moment and ordered a constable to contact Immortal Ming Yue, then ran after Qiao Mu.
Strangely enough, this cat ran extremely fast and was agile, but couldn't completely escape from Qiao Mu and the others chasing it. It kept them at a distance, neither too close nor too far behind.
As Qiao Mu and the others ran, they made several turns from the wide street and entered the deep alleys of the western part of the city.
"Captain Qiao, something doesn't seem right..." Qian Qian gasped as he followed behind and said:
"It seems like this monster cat purposely led us here."
Qiao Mu pondered for a moment.
"Are you saying... there might be an ambush waiting for us according to this plan? And dozens of big cats will suddenly appear, asking for petting?"
Qian Qian didn't respond, and Qiao Mu wasn't in the mood for making any witty remarks.
Because they smelled a faint smell of blood ahead.
Qian Qian has been a constable for many years and naturally has a lot of experience with this smell of blood.
Qiao Mu, on the other hand, is a sixth-ranked martial artist with a heightened sense of smell, so he noticed this earlier.
