Chapter 1 Huo Zhengkui's Woman!

Zhang Yuanqing cast his gaze upon the painting, studying the qipao-clad woman for a few seconds before withdrawing it. He turned back to the calico cat. "What's her name? And what's the story behind this manor?"

The calico cat leaped onto a round table, its movements lithe and graceful, exuding the agility of a feline at the peak of its combat prowess.

"My master is named Lu Yueshuang. This manor is where she and Mr. Huo lived. After my master and Huo Zhengkui returned to the Lingjing, Berendt incorporated the entire manor into Pan's Labyrinth as a memorial to them both."

"So, old Berendt and Huo Zhengkui had a pretty good relationship," Zhang Yuanqing mused inwardly.

He recalled Zhai Cai mentioning that old Berendt had been a personal bodyguard to the President of the Free Federation in his younger days.

After his death, he inherited the President's belongings!

And a significant portion of those belongings had been funded by Huo Zhengkui!

Now it seemed that old Berendt and Huo Zhengkui had even deeper ties!

"Berendt was Huo Zhengkui's student. They were both Lei Fashi (Thunder Mages). Back then, Berendt was about your age, just starting out as a Lingjing Xingzhe (Lingjing Walker), working as an assistant and bodyguard for Frank, who in turn worked for Mr. Huo," the calico cat answered readily.

"Berendt was upright, kind, and also a Lei Fashi, so Mr. Huo took him in as a student and mentored him for a few years."

"There was such a connection," Zhang Yuanqing thought, subtly sensing the calico cat's emotions to confirm that it wasn't lying.

Furthermore, he detected wariness, hostility, and a hint of anticipation in the calico cat's emotional state!

It seemed the calico cat had been expecting their arrival!

Just as Zhang Yuanqing was about to continue questioning, the calico cat on the round table raised a front paw and struck down forcefully.

"Now it's my turn to ask you questions."

Its light green cat eyes stared intently at Zhang Yuanqing. "How do you know about the Holy Plate shards? What organization do you belong to? And how did you break into Pan's Labyrinth? I'm only telling you this much because you're both of Chinese descent! If you dare to lie to me, I'll kill you all and use you as fertilizer for Da Qiao and Xiao Qiao!"

Zhang Yuanqing quickly said, "Ms. Jojo, you're a Chinese cat, and I'm a Chinese-American. We're practically old friends, so don't get worked up."

Here's the situation: if the guardian in Room 503 had been placed there by old Berendt, he would have considered subduing him by force and seizing the Holy Plate shard. But the connection between the Single-Lineage Knight and Huo Zhengkui made Zhang Yuanqing choose to be frank!

And the calico cat clearly had no intention of attacking, or it wouldn't have wasted so many words.

So, he began to recount the story of Huo Zhengkui's descendants meeting an untimely end and the Holy Plate shard being stolen, all the way up to the Single-Lineage Knight of the Holy See wanting to retrieve the shards to fight against the evil factions!

"That's why we're here. Breaking into Pan's Labyrinth was simply because old Berendt was too stubborn!" Zhang Yuanqing pointed to the unconscious Zhai Cai. "He's a knight of the Holy See. Since you served Mr. Huo for so many years, you should know the relationship between him and the Holy See's Knight inheritors!"

"He's the inheritor of the Holy See's Knight lineage?" The calico cat suddenly became excited, slapping the table several times.

"Counting him, he's the fourth generation,"

"No, no, he's the sixth generation!" Zhang Yuanqing said, "Sixth generation single-lineage."

"The lives of these knights are even shorter than a cat's!" the calico cat said with pity!

But after hearing Zhang Yuanqing's words, its mood was extremely good.

"I've been waiting for you for many years. After Mr. Huo and my master returned to the Lingjing, the responsibility of guarding the Holy Plate shard fell on me. I followed the Holy Plate shard to Frank's house, and after Frank died, I followed it here! Finally, I can be free!"

"It's rare to see a cat like you who's lived for several decades..." Zhang Yuanqing suddenly understood why it was so expectant. "How many years have you been guarding the Holy Plate shard?"

The calico cat tilted its head and asked, "What year is it now?"

"Roughly 2023!"

"Almost a Jiazi (60 years)!"

Equivalent to serving a sixty-year prison sentence...

Zhang Yuanqing asked in confusion, "Since Berendt was Mr. Huo's student, why didn't Mr. Huo entrust the Holy Plate shard to him?"

He hadn't found it strange before because he didn't know about their relationship!

The calico cat sighed in its clear voice, "Mr. Huo said that the Holy Plate shard must either be handed over to a knight of the Holy See or to someone of Chinese descent. There is no third option!"

"Uh, I remember now. Huo Zhengkui's illegitimate son passed the Holy Plate shard on to his illegitimate son. Jia Feizhang said something similar." Zhang Yuanqing immediately patted his chest. "Ms. Jojo, please give me the Holy Plate shard! We are both of Chinese descent and inheritors of the Holy See!"

His teammates behind him revealed expressions of joy. They had originally thought there would be a bloody battle in Room 503, but the situation was developing more smoothly than they had imagined!

The calico cat scrutinized him for a few moments before suddenly leaping off the round table and disappearing into the staircase. About ten seconds later, its figure reappeared, a recurve bow in its mouth!

"This is a prop left behind by my master." The calico cat dropped the recurve bow on the table and said, "It is of Dominator grade quality, one of Mr. Huo's prized possessions, and also the verification method he left for us."

The recurve bow was light brown in color, simple and unadorned in appearance, and even somewhat crude in craftsmanship! But when the calico cat raised its paw and tapped it, the recurve bow erupted with a dignified and pure light and floated up on its own!

The calico cat's clear voice became deep and resonant: "The rules of this house are: no lying."

The recurve bow rippled with bronze light, sweeping across the manor, and an unseen rule was established!

The calico cat stared at Zhang Yuanqing, its voice stern. "What is your profession?"

Zhang Yuanqing's expression suddenly became awkward. He thought, "You could have just asked about the Holy Plate directly. Why does my profession matter?"

Seeing that he hesitated to speak, the calico cat's gaze became sharp and dangerous, and the recurve bow drew back, a pale yellow light coalescing into an arrow.

"Night Wanderer (夜游神, Ye Youshen)," Zhang Yuanqing replied softly.

The calico cat glanced at the recurve bow. Seeing that there was nothing abnormal, it nodded in satisfaction and continued to ask, "Have you killed more than 20 ordinary people since becoming a Lingjing Xingzhe?"