Chapter 6 : I Was a Cat in My Previous Life; Kneading with My Forepaws Is Instinct

Chapter 6: I Was a Cat in My Previous Life; Kneading with My Forepaws Is Instinct

Zhao Yuntong’s hand, fingers curled into a claw, stopped midair, only three inches away from Fang Chang’s nose.

That peerlessly beautiful face flickered with intense hatred, staring fixedly at Fang Chang, bringing a suffocating pressure.

But at this moment—

No matter what, it could not advance even half an inch.

This was the effect of the soul mark after acknowledging a master.

A Corpse Puppet could not harm its caster.

Fang Chang indifferently pressed her arm down. “Don’t damage the corpse body.”

“You actually dared to refine me into a Corpse Puppet! And you even dared to use my soul!?”

Zhao Yuntong gritted her teeth tightly. The Yin Energy she exhaled was icy, yet it also carried a strange, subtle fragrance.

“As you can see, I follow the Corpse Refinement Path. Since you died, you naturally became my spoils.”

Fang Chang slowly circled around her, speaking as he examined the condition of the corpse body.

Flawless throughout, Yin Energy flowing and retracting in perfect harmony. A water-moon corpse mark formed naturally at her glabella, subtly aligning with the cyclical flow of the lunar orbit.

Fang Chang pried open Zhao Yuntong’s eyelids.

At the bottom of her pupils, two crimson points pulsed endlessly, carrying a rhythm like the rising and falling of tides.

“Good, good, good—true essence within Yin, spirit hidden within killing intent. As expected of me!”

Unfortunately, with his current cultivation, he likely could not fully bring out Zhao Yuntong’s Third Realm, Guarding the One strength.

And as the corpse was completed—

The Yin-type Spiritual Essence enhanced by [Soul-Link] began to gather continuously within Zhao Yuntong’s body.

Fang Chang opened the system.

【‘Soul-Link’ has been activated.】

【Bound Target: Cheng Hua (Third Realm · Guarding the One)】

【Linked Corpse Puppet: Zhao Yuntong】

【Synchronization successful. The Corpse Puppet’s cultivation will passively grow alongside the target.】

【Current harvestable feedback cultivation: 3】

Cheng Hua was still in a heavily injured state. Once she recovered, the speed would only increase.

“It’s finally done… next, I just need to harvest…”

Fang Chang could hardly suppress the joy in his heart and burst into loud laughter.

Amid the laughter, Zhao Yuntong’s stiff body showed uncontrollable anger.

But soon after, she froze completely, gradually becoming confused and at a loss.

Her emotions seemed to drift.

She actually dispersed her killing intent, and thus regained control over her corpse body.

She slowly sat down on the ground and sighed calmly:

“In the end, I still died.”

Fang Chang’s laughter abruptly stopped.

From Zhao Yuntong’s voice, he heard a different emotion—one tinged with regret and relief.

He restrained his emotions, realizing that this was not a game NPC, but a living, breathing person.

He stepped closer and helped Zhao Yuntong up, as she did not resist.

The Corpse Puppet was as cold as ice, soft with a faint fleshly sensation against his palm—full and supple.

Only then did Fang Chang notice—

Zhao Yuntong’s eyes were large, carrying a clarity and gentleness within them.

“To be precise, it ended your living state bound by obsession, and gave you another way of existence.”

Zhao Yuntong slowly sat upright.

Her long hair, hastily tied by Fang Chang before being placed in the coffin, fell loose over her shoulders.

She lowered her head to look at her body. Her clothes were neat, her skin intact—only lacking the color and warmth of the living. She raised her hand and gently touched her cheek.

“Corpse Puppet…”

She spoke softly, then looked up at Fang Chang. “But you preserved my soul. Why?”

Fang Chang met her gaze, his expression calm.

“A complete Zhao Yuntong is interesting. A puppet that only follows orders—how is that any different from the low-level walking corpses wandering in the wilderness?”

The corner of Zhao Yuntong’s lips curved slightly—a barely noticeable arc, yet it seemed to lower the temperature of the entire room.

“You want to control me.”

“I want you to no longer be trapped by obsession.”

Fang Chang corrected, “You killed Lin Xiuyuan, yet held onto his head and refused to let go. The Obsession Path is not cultivated like this. You were about to reach your end.”

Zhao Yuntong suddenly turned her head.

Her crimson eyes stared at Fang Chang like a beast.

“You… know Lin Xiuyuan. Why?”

“I’ve been very interested in you. For a long time.”

Fang Chang smiled faintly.

Zhao Yuntong was extremely popular on the Fallen Immortal player forums.

Naturally, there was plenty of deeply dug-up information about her.

Lin Xiuyuan was her fiancé who broke off their engagement.

As for how much she loved him—hard to say. According to those findings, the two had only met once.

“I’m not asking you to let go of your obsession.”

He took out the fiancé’s skull from his bundle, immediately causing Zhao Yuntong’s Yin Energy to surge violently. But his next sentence made her look up in shock.

“The Obsession Path… what matters more, obsession or the path? What you cultivate may seem like the Obsession Path, but in truth, you are trapped in ‘fixation on form’.”

Fang Chang’s voice remained steady.

“You collect his head and repeatedly chew over the past. This only adds burdens and stacks shackles. This is not cultivation—it is building a prison.”

Fang Chang remained unmoved.

“Hold to one as a boat, to cross the sea of delusion. Abandon the raft upon reaching shore, and behold the clear platform of the spirit.”

Zhao Yuntong’s breathing faltered slightly.

Fang Chang pointed at the skull.

“Your obsession can be the raft that carries you across the sea of delusion. But if you wish to see your own clear spiritual platform and reach the other shore, then one day, you must be willing to let go of that raft.”

“He is your raft, and also your sea. Whether you use him to cross over, or cling to him and sink—that is up to you.”

The room fell completely silent.

Zhao Yuntong stood frozen in place. Fang Chang’s words seemed to come alive, echoing repeatedly within her empty spiritual consciousness.

The Spiritual Essence within her body suddenly fluctuated, circulating more smoothly.

The bottleneck that had trapped her for an entire year in life—

Was actually broken through after death!

After a long while—

She laughed softly, her voice crisp and cold. Her pale, bluish face was breathtakingly beautiful.

“What is your name, Corpse Refinement Path practitioner?”

“I am Fang Chang.”

“Fang Chang, you don’t seem like an ordinary Qi Absorption cultivator.”

“Of course not. I am a Qi Absorption cultivator who refined Zhao Yuntong into a Corpse Puppet.”

Zhao Yuntong sized him up from head to toe. Not only was she not angry, her smile grew even more pronounced.

She suddenly leaned closer, her icy breath nearly touching Fang Chang’s neck.

What was held within her front collar—

Heavy.

Pressing against his chest, swaying like rippling water.

“What do you want me to do, now that I’ve become your Corpse Puppet? Fight for you? Warm your bed? Or… do the things men and women are supposed to do?”

I reckon you can’t warm a bed anyway, right?

Fang Chang smelled the cold, faint fragrance on her body.

He stepped back half a step, creating distance.

“I want you to help me ascend the Great Dao. And during that process, you will truly understand obsession and the path.”

Zhao Yuntong tilted her head. The girlish gesture appeared strange yet alluring on her.

“What if I say that, to me, they are one and the same?”

“Then for now, you can just be a pleasing-to-the-eye Corpse Puppet.”

Fang Chang took out some clothes from his bundle. “Go change into something presentable.”

“Heh…”

Zhao Yuntong hooked her collar, revealing a large expanse of pale skin. Her eyes were full of teasing. “These clothes… aren’t fit to be seen? I’m only letting you see them.”

“Please have some self-respect, Miss Zhao Yuntong.”

Fang Chang kept a straight face and raised his hand in a stopping gesture.

“Little one, what self-respect?”

Her laughter was crisp as she suddenly moved closer again, grabbing Fang Chang’s raised hand and forcefully pressing it against her chest, deeply embedding it.

She laughed, expecting this aloof young Corpse Refinement Path practitioner to show panic and embarrassment.

However, Zhao Yuntong froze.

Against that jade-like, icy skin, what she felt was the sensation of hot fingers forcefully kneading and squeezing.

Her brows shot up as she angrily pushed Fang Chang away.

“You hypocritical bastard!”

Fang Chang spread his hands.

Can’t blame me. A fortune-teller said I was a cat in my previous life—kneading with my forepaws is instinct. Can’t change it.

Zhao Yuntong was just about to curse angrily when she suddenly paused, turning her head toward the wall on the right.

Her gaze seemed to pass through the wooden wall and leap into the distance.

She licked her pale lips, her expression turning ferocious.

“Someone’s coming.”