In recent days, Qingyun Town had been rife with rumors — some said Lin Heng was the cast-off disciple of a mysterious sect, some claimed he was the last disciple of a reclusive master, and others swore he had at least four guardian spirit beasts.
Lin Heng paid no attention to any of it. He only cared about one thing:
— Hei Tuan and Ah Huang had been acting strange lately.
Every morning when the cat and dog met, they'd glare at each other — the cat's tail fluffed up, the dog's teeth bared all the way to its ears, as if they owed each other eight hundred taels.
"If you two keep this up, I won't feed either of you," Lin Heng threatened, holding a basket of sweet potato leaves.
Hei Tuan "meowed" once, turned away, and crouched on the rooftop; Ah Huang barked, shook its head, and went to lie by the gate.
Lin Heng spread his hands. "Fine, fight it out yourselves then."
---
By evening, Lin Heng went to the town gate to buy tofu, leaving the two "ancestors" behind.
When he came back, he could hear it from far away — an ear-splitting commotion from the woods, like mountains collapsing and thunder clashing, mixed with the roars of some kind of monster.
The townsfolk were so frightened they dropped to their knees. "The Demon God and the gods of the heavens are fighting!"
Lin Heng was baffled. "What Demon God?"
Before he could get close, terrifying flashes lit up the forest ahead — golden wind blades swept sideways like crescent moons, black claw shadows fell like night-drenched curtains, and waves of heat and cold interwove in the air, splitting trees in half and kicking up waves of dirt from the ground.
Hei Tuan was standing on a broken trunk, fur bristling, eyes glowing ghostly green; Ah Huang faced it, roaring, its whole body wreathed in firelight, every pounce bursting with a boom.
Anyone unfamiliar with them would think they were ancient fierce beasts locked in a fight to the death.
---
At that moment, a squad of guards on white-maned horses charged into the edge of town — at the lead was a woman in blue armor, long sword at her waist, her expression cold and severe. She was Su Qingli, commander of the Yunshuang Prefecture.
She had received a report that an assassin was hiding in Qingyun Town, using spirit beasts to unleash large-scale destructive spells, and had come to eliminate them.
And the first thing she saw… was this "world-shattering" cat-and-dog battle.
Su Qingli's face changed instantly. "All of you! Form up and seal the area — don't let the spirit beasts escape!"
The guards drew their swords and leveled their spears, setting up a defensive formation, their expressions deadly serious.
But just as they rushed forward, Ah Huang and Hei Tuan suddenly stopped mid-action, ears twitching — and the next second, as if nothing had happened, they both withdrew their auras.
Ah Huang trotted over to wag its tail at Lin Heng; Hei Tuan leapt onto his shoulder and rubbed his face, purring.
Lin Heng rubbed both their heads. "Done fighting? Good, let's go eat."
Under the stunned gazes of everyone present, the two creatures that moments ago looked ready to destroy the world meekly followed Lin Heng away.
---
Su Qingli's pupils shrank.
This man… could subdue two spirit beasts of this caliber without even lifting a hand?
She sheathed her sword and gave Lin Heng a long, deep look, making her decision —
This man was most likely the true mastermind behind the assassin.
Lin Heng even turned back to smile politely. "Are you out on patrol? Much appreciated."
Su Qingli narrowed her eyes, silently committing his face to memory.
---
That very night, rumors of "a Demon God battle in Qingyun Town, stopped by a mysterious man's single word" spread faster than the wind.
And Lin Heng? He was at home serving vegetables and meat bones to the cat and dog, muttering, "Can you two stop fighting all the time? Next time I really won't get involved."