Chapter Fifty: Disappearance

“What’s with all these cats?” Xiao Qingwan asked, breathless.

“They’re being controlled—cat corpses. Whoever’s behind this knew we’d come and sent them to kill us!” Old Ma answered.

Su Feiyong and the others paced restlessly, scanning the surroundings. Among them, an unsettling absence was felt. I asked, “What’s wrong?”

“Second Master is missing!” Su Feiyong cried anxiously.

A chill ran through me. Instinctively, I looked around. Everyone was here—except for that young man named Wei! Had he been dragged off into the woods by those undead cats and torn apart? That made no sense; he was the most skilled among us! Besides, Su Feiyong and the others had been keeping watch. And those four were all formidable—how could they lose track of someone?

Xiao Qingwan nearly roared, “Weren’t you four right beside him? How can you not know he’s gone?”

“We were careless,” Su Feiyong replied, guilt-ridden.

No use in blaming now. I asked, “When did he disappear? Did you notice anything unusual—any commotion?”

“It was just as that man was being attacked. We were distracted for a moment, and when we turned back, Second Master was gone,” Su Feiyong explained. “There wasn’t any obvious disturbance, but it’s possible any noise was drowned out by the chaos.”

Xiao Qingwan’s anxiety peaked. “He’s skilled, but he’s not from our line of work. He can’t handle these things—what if something happens to him?”

Old Ma swept his flashlight around. The undead cats lay in wait among the grass, ready to pounce. The vegetation was thick, and within the limited beam of light, there was no sign of Second Master Wei.

“These dead cats are under someone’s control and won’t give up easily. Xiao Gu, you escort the others back. I’ll search for that Wei fellow with my apprentice.”

“No!” almost everyone objected at once, myself included.

Ridiculous! Those cats were deadly—if only the two of us went searching, we’d be nothing more than snacks for those monsters! Besides, Old Ma was capable enough to go alone, but I was just an ordinary person, cursed and living on borrowed time. Anyone else here was more useful than me! Did he really take me for his apprentice?

Zhuang Xingrui, eager to prove himself before Second Master Wei, would never agree to just turn back. Xiao Qingwan cared for the young man and would never walk away peacefully. As for Su Feiyong and his group, there was no question—they’d rather die than return without him. Gu Yangyu likely refused out of concern for Old Ma’s age and doubted we could manage on our own.

“If we’re searching, then let’s all split up and look!” Zhuang Xingrui declared.

For once, Xiao Qingwan agreed with him. “Exactly. Let’s search separately—it’s a big forest, we’ll be faster that way! What if something happens to him?”

Su Feiyong and the others all supported the idea.

I had no objection. It was certainly better than being left behind with Old Ma to face death alone.

Seeing everyone so resolute, Old Ma frowned and said, “Since none of you want to leave, we’ll all search. But these cats are dangerous, and who knows what other tricks the enemy has. We’ll group ourselves according to everyone’s skills.”

No one objected to this.

After a brief discussion, it was decided that I, Old Ma, Huang Wenyang, and Su Feiyong would form one group; Zhuang Xingrui, Xu Guangyi, and one of the bodyguards another; and Gu Yangyu, Xiao Qingwan, and the last bodyguard the third.

I was a little worried about Xiao Qingwan. She’d said Gu Yangyu’s skills were limited—nowhere near Old Ma or Zhuang Xingrui’s. She was young and not especially capable. But her determination left no room for argument.

Old Ma took a sip from the gourd and sprayed us all, save for Zhuang Xingrui, with the water inside. Then, each team set off in a different direction.

Huang Wenyang was trembling, desperate to leave, but since no one else was going, he had no choice but to follow.

With Old Ma’s enchanted water on us, the undead cats shrank away as we passed, but they didn’t leave—those twisted, snarling faces watched us, and now and then a distant, eerie yowl chilled my blood.

As we moved, we swept our flashlights around, calling for Second Master Wei, searching for any sign of him.

How could someone vanish in such a short time? Not to mention Su Feiyong and his group—even with so many of us, none had noticed him disappear. It was as if he’d suddenly evaporated into thin air.

“Second Master! Wei!” I shouted into the unfathomable depths of the forest, my flashlight sweeping through the dark.

No response. The narrow beam illuminated only empty undergrowth.

We searched the area, covering a long stretch, but there was no trace—neither living nor dead. Perhaps we could take some comfort in that; no corpse, after all, meant he might still be alive.

But it was odd—if it wasn’t the undead cats, could someone have abducted him while we were distracted? The moment Su Feiyong and his group looked away was fleeting—who could manage such a flawless, traceless disappearance?

Suddenly, a thought occurred to me: remembering how that young man had slipped out alone in the dead of night before, could he have left of his own accord?

It was entirely possible. That would explain why none of us noticed. With his skills, he could easily slip away without a sound.

“Is there anything strange about this place?” Old Ma suddenly asked Huang Wenyang. “Any odd legends?”

I glanced at Old Ma, puzzled by the abrupt question.

Huang Wenyang, still shaken, took a moment to register the question. His voice trembled as he replied, “What… what kind of place or legend do you mean?”

“The older and more far-fetched, the better. Even if you don’t know why such tales exist,” Old Ma said.

My confusion deepened. Why was Old Ma asking this? Did Second Master Wei’s disappearance have something to do with it?

Huang Wenyang was just as lost. After thinking for a bit, he said, “There aren’t really any odd legends. If I had to think of something, when I was young, the elders forbade us from entering a certain part of the forest, saying it was haunted. But later, some outsiders came to poach. We chased them in, and didn’t see any ghosts…”

At this, he shuddered. Maybe he hadn’t believed in such things before, but with ghosts seemingly at work and so many bizarre undead cats surrounding us, he could hardly doubt now.

“Which direction is that forbidden forest?” Old Ma asked.

Still unsure of Old Ma’s intentions, and disoriented after wandering so long, Huang Wenyang looked around, then pointed, “That… that way.”

“We’re going that way!” Old Ma declared, resolute.