Chapter 32: The Arrival of the Cat Demon’s Curse

The Bureau of Paranormal Affairs has a legacy spanning a millennium and runs deep; if forced into a direct confrontation, Xia Tianqiong might not be a match for them yet. The atmosphere was tense; if he dared to refuse, the four men would likely take action on the spot. They knew what he had done on the first floor of the Infinite Restaurant, and the fact that they still dared to come and "invite" him so assertively meant they were well-prepared. However, he had to subdue a Fierce-level ghost tonight and absolutely could not go with them.

Xia Tianqiong hesitated, wondering whether to strike first to catch them off guard and escape in the confusion. Suddenly, he thought of something: "Which city are you taking me to?"

The Bureau of Paranormal Affairs had branches in every major city. The closest second-tier city to his current location was Jiuhua City; it was highly likely these four came from there. The lead youth’s answer confirmed his suspicion: "We are inviting Mr. Xia to Jiuhua City. It is not far, a two or three-hour journey."

"That’s a coincidence. I happen to be heading to Jiuhua City myself. Let's go." Xia Tianqiong chuckled. "You drove here, right?"

The lead youth pointed toward a nearby service area. "The car is parked there. Please, come with us!"

The four young men in black walked two in front and two behind, flanking Xia Tianqiong as if escorting him, and they all headed toward the service area. Just like that, Xia Tianqiong boarded the Bureau’s vehicle and headed toward Jiuhua City. About two hours later, the car entered the city limits. As they passed a bustling street, Xia Tianqiong suddenly spoke up: "Thank you for the ride to Jiuhua City. I will visit the Bureau when I have the chance."

As the words left his lips, his figure vanished instantly. The men in the car were stunned and bewildered; they slammed on the brakes and scrambled to search the area, but it was a futile effort.

The city was filled with buildings and shadows. Xia Tianqiong used Shadow Teleportation repeatedly, appearing alternately in vacant rooms, subway tunnels, or emerging from the shadows of passersby. After a few minutes of continuous teleportation, he arrived at Starry Night Plaza in the eastern district of Jiuhua. According to his memories from his past life, the Fierce-level ghost would manifest in this vicinity at dusk. He needed to be here early so as not to miss it.

It was still early morning, and the plaza was occupied by a few elderly people doing their morning exercises; it wasn't very crowded. Xia Tianqiong first called Jiang Yu to check on the progress of the supplies he had ordered. Afterward, he found an empty corner and slipped into the Mirror Dimension. He hadn't slept at all the night before and was feeling somewhat exhausted; this was the perfect place to get some rest and recharge before coming back out to subdue the ghost at night. Staying in the Mirror Dimension had the added benefit of being untraceable by paranormal arts. However, it had a drawback: the mirror would remain outside, and if someone discovered it, it could cause trouble. He decided to leave his "Delivery Ghost" outside to keep watch.

While Xia Tianqiong slept soundly, many in the outside world were anxious because of him. After the four youths returned, they were reprimanded by their superiors and immediately sent out two expert "Ghost Hunters" to scour the city for any sign of him.

The leadership had given a strict order: the man must be brought in today. A civilian Ghost Hunter capable of producing large amounts of underworld currency and easily killing wild ghosts was, to the Bureau, both a talent worth recruiting and a potential danger. His background had to be thoroughly investigated.

Meanwhile, the Bai family was also strategizing on how to approach Xia Tianqiong. After Bai Jingjing and Bai Yichen reported last night's events, the family treated the matter with high priority, dispatching a powerful Ghost Hunter along with new, enticing terms for recruitment. Both factions used all their resources to search Jiuhua City for the entire day, but they found absolutely no trace. It was as if the man had vanished into thin air.

At 5:30 PM, with about half an hour until dark, Xia Tianqiong finally emerged from the Mirror Dimension. Having slept for nearly ten hours, he felt refreshed and full of energy. He found a small restaurant near Starry Night Plaza, ordered a couple of side dishes, and waited for the ghost to appear while he ate.

The food had just arrived, and he had barely taken a few bites, when a burly man walked in. The man spotted Xia Tianqiong instantly and never took his eyes off him. "Greetings, my name is Bai Tianxiong, from the Bai family. We sincerely invite you to be a guest of the Bai family."

Before Xia Tianqiong could reply, a man and a woman entered, clearly aiming for him as well. "We finally found you."

The speaker was a young woman in her twenties. "Mr. Xia, you really gave us a run for our money!"

The man with her was refined, wearing gold-rimmed glasses and looking to be in his thirties. He glanced briefly at Bai Tianxiong standing to the side and remarked coldly, "The Bai family moves fast." He then turned a polite smile toward Xia Tianqiong. "Mr. Xia, we are from the Bureau of Paranormal Affairs. We mean no harm; we simply invite you to sit down with us at the Bureau."

Xia Tianqiong frowned, his expression turning grave. He hadn't expected them to come looking for him again, and so quickly. The Fierce-level ghost was about to descend; if these people got caught in the crossfire, it would surely interfere with his plans.

"Everyone, I truly have an urgent matter today. Can you please head back and we can discuss this tomorrow?"

Hearing this, both sides assumed he was just making excuses. Bai Tianxiong had prepared many persuasive arguments, but with the Bureau present, it wasn't the right time. "Mr. Xia, here is a brochure containing a detailed introduction to the Bai family. Please take a look when you have the time. Since you are busy today, I won't disturb you further. I will come to see you tomorrow." After leaving the bound booklet and nodding slightly to the Bureau agents, Bai Tianxiong turned and left. Nominally, the ancient families were under the supervision of the Bureau, so he didn't want to openly clash with them or let them hear his pitch. His graceful departure left a better impression.

After Bai Tianxiong left, the young woman glanced at the other patrons in the restaurant and whispered, "Mr. Xia, this isn't the right place to talk. Could we move somewhere else?"

Xia Tianqiong felt helpless; the Bureau was clearly not going to let him go.

"Let's talk outside."

He left his food untouched, paid the bill, and the three of them exited the restaurant, sitting down on a bench on the perimeter of Starry Night Plaza.

"Mr. Xia, my name is Liu Ya—you can call me Xiao Ya—and this is our Section Chief from the Jiuhua Branch, Guo Sheng." The young woman sat to his right, radiating confidence. "You have already contracted more than one ghost, so you must know something about them. However, you surely don't know the Bureau of Paranormal Affairs. We are the only official organization dedicated to fighting the paranormal, with a legacy of over a thousand years. Ghosts have existed since ancient times and often plague humanity; we have always been the ones standing against them, protecting the public from their encroachment. We are looking for you because we want to invite you to join the Bureau. With your strength, you will certainly be highly valued."

After Liu Ya finished, the Section Chief, Guo Sheng, added, "Mr. Xia, if you have any thoughts or concerns, please be direct. If you doubt our credentials, I can call the police or even the Mayor to verify our identity. We are definitely not scammers." He spoke with an air of authority, as if summoning the Mayor were a trivial matter.

"I believe you." Xia Tianqiong watched the sunset fading, estimating that the ghost was about to manifest. "I really have business today. Give me an address, and I promise I will come to find you myself tomorrow."

Liu Ya and Guo Sheng exchanged glances, their expressions cooling. They didn't believe him; he had said the same thing this morning, only to vanish midway. In their eyes, this man was dishonest and slippery. According to the Bureau's usual practices, for civilians who accidentally contracted ghosts, they would first issue a polite invitation with promises of status and benefits to bring them into the system. This served to bolster the Bureau's strength while keeping the individuals under surveillance. If the target wouldn't cooperate, they couldn't leave such a dangerous individual roaming free. After all, someone capable of using paranormal abilities could easily cause harm to ordinary people.

Guo Sheng was about to say something more when he suddenly froze, turning his gaze toward the center of the plaza, his expression turning exceptionally grave.

Starry Night Plaza was at its busiest at night. Amidst the crowd, a person suddenly appeared out of thin air. It was a woman dressed in ancient attire, but she had a pair of furry cat ears, and her eyes glowed with a faint red light, making her extremely conspicuous.

Xia Tianqiong’s eyes narrowed. This was the Fierce-level ghost—the Cat Demon!

"Let's play a game! It's called 'Cat and Mouse'."

The Cat Demon spoke in human language, its voice sounding as if it were whispering directly into everyone’s ears. No matter how far away people were, even two streets over, they could hear it clearly. At the same time, the Cat Demon spread its arms, and a red light expanded from its center in all directions.

Liu Ya and Guo Sheng turned pale in unison, exclaiming, "A Ghost Domain! This is a Ghost Domain!"