Chapter 42.2 Cat Killing 02
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Chen Yang was surprised by Du Shuo’s choice of negative adjectives. It was evident that he didn’t like cats. However, the connection between cats and supernatural events, such as their ability to communicate with spirits, often gave rise to descriptions like cunning and deceitful. Cats were beloved companions to those who adored them but were detested by those who didn’t. Whether it was cat spirits or cats communicating with spirits, they were associated with the occult, so it was no wonder Du Shuo didn’t like them.
“People often refer to cat spirits as cat ghosts, also known as cat voodoo.”
Puzzled, Mao Xiaoli asked, “What is that?”
However, Du Shuo remained silent this time. Mao Xiaoli turned to Chen Yang for an answer. Chen Yang clarified, “Cat ghosts, as the name suggests, are the souls of cats. They are also referred to as cat voodoo, which literally means using cats’ souls to create a voodoo animals. It is an extremely wicked and malicious form of sorcery. It is often used to harm people, and once someone is targeted, they usually meet a fatal end. Once the cat voodoo is successfully created, it is usually employed to steal wealth from other households. The wickedness of cat voodoo lies in its ability to claim lives and possessions simultaneously.”
In other words, the cat ghosts were employed to steal wealth from a particular household, but it required the killing of the household members first. The prevalence of cat ghosts reached its peak during the Sui and Tang dynasties, with many households secretly raising cat ghosts. Notably, there were significant incidents involving cat ghosts during the reigns of Emperor Yang of Sui and Emperor Gaozong of Tang. Emperor Yang of Sui ordered the execution of numerous households in the capital city due to the cat ghost incident. During Emperor Gaozong’s reign, strict laws were enacted to prohibit residents of the capital from keeping cat ghosts, and anyone found in possession of one would be immediately executed.
However, after the Sui and Tang dynasties, there were fewer reports of large-scale cat ghost incidents. Nevertheless, many ancient books documented cat ghost harming humans, portraying cats in a rather terrifying light.
“To keep a cat ghost, one must first kill an old cat and refine its soul. Every midnight, the cat ghost is commanded to steal wealth on behalf of its owner. It is truly a malicious form of sorcery. Cats that have lived longer are more likely to awaken, but their awakening is limited. While they may become mischievous spirit, becoming a demon is rare,” Chen Yang turned to Du Shuo and asked, “But why did you suddenly bring up cat ghost?”
Du Shuo replied, “It just came to my mind.”
Chen Yang didn’t believe that he randomly thought of it and brought it up. However, asking him now probably wouldn’t yield any answers. “I’ll go prepare dinner,” he said, getting up and heading to the kitchen.
Mao Xiaoli also stood up, deciding to explore the Lychee Garden at the school later that night. She went inside to get everything ready.
Ma Shanfeng took a sip of tea and said, “I recall there was an incident involving the Furry Ghost Deity in Chengji County, resulting in numerous deaths.”
Chengji County was located in Tianshui, Gansu Province. Furry Ghost Deity, also known as Cat Ghost Deity, was a folk belief in the northwest regions of Gansu and Qinghai. It was worshipped as a deity of wealth but considered an evil god by the righteous. Chengji County had many remnants related to Furry Ghost Deity, which shared similarities with cat voodoo. Both involved seeking wealth through illegitimate means, engaging in the transportation of others’ possessions, and causing harm to people’s lives.
Ma Shanfeng had visited Chengji County to resolve a gruesome murder case before he took up the position of Deputy Manager. It involved someone raising Furry Ghost Deity and employing cat ghosts to transport wealth. Driven by insatiable greed, they caused the deaths of numerous people and continued their wicked acts. What was terrifying was that the person who raised Furry Ghost Deity was a well-known entrepreneur and philanthropist in the country. Ma Shanfeng, along with other celestial masters, formed a team, and it took the sacrifice of two celestial masters to finally bring an end to the situation.
Due to the cunning nature of the household raising Furry Ghost Deity and the even more cunning cat ghost, they were manipulated time and time again. After that incident, Ma Shanfeng was transferred to become the deputy manager of the branch office and no longer took on field assignments. Strictly speaking, Ma Shanfeng had no favorable impression of cat ghost.
Du Shuo responded nonchalantly, “Hmm.”
He didn’t make any further remarks.
Ma Shanfeng chuckled, remaining silent as he peacefully enjoyed his tea.
After a while, Du Shuo spoke up, “Yangyang is young and may not have considered everything thoroughly. I trouble you to take care of him.”
“They are all members of the branch, and it is my duty to take care of them,” Ma Shanfeng replied with a smile. Previously, he had been the one to take on assignments for the branch, responsibly filtering out orders that exceeded the capabilities of each team member, ensuring that no one would be put in life-threatening situations.
However, recently he had intentionally let go, allowing others to choose their own assignments. He couldn’t be the one making decisions forever. The young ones had to learn how to select tasks themselves and gradually understand how to better protect themselves. Ma Shanfeng continued, “Manager Chen, with his unlimited potential, may be even more capable than you imagine.”
Du Shuo remained silent. Naturally, he regarded Chen Yang in the highest regard, but it was impossible for him to completely let go and allow him to grow independently.
After dinner, Mao Xiaoli hurried back to the room and pulled Chen Yang aside secretly. “I’m going to stake out the Lychee Garden at school. Brother Chen, do you want to come too?”
Chen Yang shook his head. “No, I won’t go.”
Mao Xiaoli: “Aren’t you interested in cat ghosts?”
Chen Yang was indeed not interested, but considering Du Shuo’s attitude towards cats, he quickly changed his mind. “Then let’s go.”
Mao Xiaoli’s university wasn’t far from the branch office, only a bike ride of about forty minutes. Chen Yang took a shared bike and went with Mao Xiaoli, informing Du Shuo before they left.
The two entered the campus, and Mao Xiaoli informed the guard at the entrance. The guard didn’t check their student cards. Once inside, Mao Xiaoli said, “They usually don’t check so strictly. After last night’s incident, the school authorities lean more towards the idea that the culprit sneaked in from outside.”
To be honest, only young people would believe in the idea of a cat spirit killing people. Young people tend to accept things quickly and have a tendency to fear that the world will descend into chaos. The belief in cat spirits only spread among the young. The school authorities still didn’t believe it, but for the sake of calming people’s minds, they might consider inviting a celestial master.
Lychee Garden was quite far from the school gate. They had to cycle for half an hour before reaching it. They followed the path the victim had taken and parked their bikes at the entrance of a small path in Lychee Garden. They turned on their flashlights, examining their surroundings as they walked.
Chen Yang: “There are no streetlights.”
Mao Xiaoli: “Actually, the school has always emphasized that students should avoid taking these smaller paths. Besides, the area is surrounded by trees and slopes, so installing streetlights would be a complicated project.”
The two entered the area, occasionally hearing a few meows from cats. Chen Yang stopped in his tracks. “Didn’t you say Lychee Garden is filled with cats? Why are we only hearing a few cat sounds?”
Mao Xiaoli hesitated for a moment. “Yeah, it seems like it. Should we go and take a look?”
Chen Yang shook his head. “Let’s go to the crime scene first.”
“It’s not far ahead.”
After about five minutes of walking, they finally reached the crime scene. Caution tapes surrounded the area, and white lines marked the ground, along with freshly sprayed blood stains on the pavement.
Due to the incident resulting in a loss of life, no one was taking this path in Lychee Garden tonight, making it exceptionally quiet. With no streetlights and the moonlight blocked by the branches and leaves of trees, the woods appeared particularly dark and chilling.
Mao Xiaoli: “By the way, Brother Chen, would you like to go to the Cat Burial Mound?”
Chen Yang: “Cat Burial Mound?”
“Hmm.” Mao Xiaoli led the way, nodding. “With so many cats in the school, there are times when they cannot all be cared for. So occasionally, cats die from illness, old age, or accidents. Of course, there are also cases of cats being abused to death.” She sighed bitterly. “Don’t assume that those who abuse cats are far away. Sometimes, they are right beside us. There are always people with a fear or disgust towards cats who take it out on them. Fortunately, the school strictly prohibits animal abuse, so only occasional cases of cat abuse occur.”
If it weren’t for the fact that the victim was indeed a cat lover, she would have suspected it was retaliation from the cats.
They crossed through the woods of Lychee Garden and reached a more secluded grove, where they saw numerous bags hanging from the trees. Inside those bags were cat corpses. As the saying goes, dogs were given a water burial, while cats were buried in trees to prevent them from turning into mischievous spirits. Seeing the grove filled with bags of cat corpses sent an inexplicable sense of darkness and horror.
Chen Yang let out a gasp. “Your school actually keeps this Cat Burial Mound without clearing it? That’s unusual.”
“Who said it hasn’t been cleared?” Mao Xiaoli retorted. “Which school would keep such things? Moreover, the practice of cat tree burials is considered a folk superstition. The school, in order to uphold its image, cannot allow the Cat Burial Mound to continue existing. One summer vacation, the school attempted to clear it, but whenever the workers came, the cats in the school would gather and block their way, staring at them intently. Who dares to take action?”
Cats were inherently mischievous and had a strong sense of revenge. The Cat Burial Mound was like their ancestral grave. Digging up someone’s ancestral grave would bring harm to one’s entire family for three generations, wouldn’t it?
Chen Yang heard a faint meowing sound and raised his hand, gesturing for Mao Xiaoli to be quiet. They followed the sound of the meowing and walked forward. Upon reaching a small slope, Chen Yang glanced down and immediately pulled Mao Xiaoli down, signaling her to look down as well.
Mao Xiaoli lowered her head and saw a depression below the small slope. Dozens of cats of various breeds, ranging from fat to thin, had gathered there. They all bowed to the moon, then tilted their faces upwards, taking deep breaths as if absorbing the essence of moonlight. It seemed like they had encountered a strange cult of cats.
Cats Worshipping the Moon?!
Chen Yang’s eyes sparkled as he stared at the exceptionally plump black cat at the forefront. The large cat shook its ears as if sensing something, then turned its head, locking eyes with Chen Yang.
Meow—
A piercing and mournful meowing suddenly resounded.
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corpses in trees seems so unsanitary…there’s going to be a ton of bugs and wild animals coming to them