Author note - Takes place in the Red Peak City arc.

  ***

  Yalan moved fast, jumping silently across the red-tiled roofs of Red Peak City. She looked down at the busy streets, watching the crowds and taking everything in.

  She had to admit, there was a feeling in the air of Red Peak City that was missing everywhere else in the Empire. It was so unusual that she liked it here.

  Though, maybe it was just because she was looking right down at a building where a street cart stood, selling fried fish.

  She had really enjoyed those fish when she stayed here before. The crispy surface, the juicy fried meat inside, even thinking about it brought saliva to her mouth. She licked her lips and stared at the people who seemed to be enjoying the goodness. Sometimes, she even had to act like an ordinary, harmless cat so buyers would give her a piece. Those were good times, even though she was always worried about Chen Ren.

  Now, she didn't have to worry so much. At least not today. Chen Ren was staying in his room, waiting for an invitation from the Chen Clan.

  This gave Yalan time to do her own work.

  It had been a while since she was last in the city, but she hadn't had a chance to see how the others were doing. They were clearly getting lazy and careless, since no one had come to check in with her after all these days. She knew she needed to teach them a lesson.

  Yalan took one last look at the fish vendor, then left. But not before deciding to ask Chen Ren to buy him some fish later.

  She jumped from rooftop to rooftop, looking again at her surroundings and noticing how much things seemed to have changed, or maybe they hadn't. After all her recent adventures, it just felt like ages since she had been here.

  Finally, after about an hour of moving across the city, she reached the dark, narrow alleys where she used to spend a lot of time.

  She kept moving through the alleys, using the crumbling walls and low roofs for her silent path. Her senses, sharpened by qi, spread out like a fine net across the entire segment of the district. She was mapping the area, picking apart every presence and movement until she finally felt a distinct shift in the flow of energy. A small, dry smirk touched her lips.

  She didn't stop, continuing her fast, weaving path.

  A sudden movement exploded to her left. She reacted instantly, leaping sideways. A set of sharp claws sliced the air where she had been standing, missing her by inches.

  Yalan landed softly and looked down. Perched aggressively on her former spot was a cat with brilliant orange fur. The fur on its head was strikingly parted down the center, making it look almost like a sheathed sword was etched onto its skull. The orange cat let out a frustrated little hiss, annoyed at missing the strike.

  Before Yalan could even speak, she had to roll violently out of the way again. Another cat dropped from above, its attack shattering a section of the aged roof tiles. This one was a large, white cat, much like Yalan herself, but its pristine fur was matted and dirtied, clearly indicating a deep dislike of water or self-grooming.

  The orange cat and the dirty white cat quickly circled Yalan on the rooftop, their bodies low, eyes sharp with predatory focus, and claws fully extended. They lunged at the same time.

  Instead of dodging backward, Yalan lashed out. Her tail snapped forward, and a sudden burst of intense flames instantly covered it. She whipped the fiery tail across the path of the two attacking cats.

  Both failed to dodge in time. They were caught by the sudden heat and sent sprawling across the uneven rooftop tiles.

  Yalan expected them to regain their posture and prepare for another attack. Instead, the orange cat let out a high-pitched, dramatic cry. "My fur! My fur! Master, you burned my fur again!"

  The white cat, ignoring the immediate danger, started clumsily patting the orange cat's slightly singed coat with a large paw.

  Watching the ridiculous scene, all the tension Yalan had built up instantly drained away. She let out a long, heavy sigh. Some things, she thought, never changed, no matter how much time passed.

  "Xiang," Yalan said and rolled her eyes. "Your fur ain't gonna burn with that."

  The orange cat, Xiang, finally managed to stop patting at his tail and looked at Yalan, his bright eyes accusing. "But even a little burn hurts," he whined. "Your flames are too strong, Master!"

  The white cat nodded firmly in agreement. "He’s right, Master."

  Yalan scoffed, flicking her tail dismissively. "Don't take his side, Shi," she said. "You two haven't grown much in the months I have been away. What have you been doing other than to chase rats around and steal food?"

  Xiang straightened up, looking insulted. "Both of those are hard tasks to do, Master!" he insisted. "Those pesky rats have grown in size these days, and some of them have gained spiritual awakening. It's not easy to steal food now, and I'm certainly not as cute as you to get food based on my appearance alone!"

  Yalan gave an audible, sharp scoff at Xiang’s dramatic claim. Shi gently patted Xiang’s shoulder in a gesture of consolation.

  Yalan stared at them. They had been spirit beasts for years, yet they were still picking territorial rivalries with common rats instead of seriously pursuing their cultivation and spiritual growth. Yalan felt a pang of regret in her chest—for the briefest moment—maybe she had ended their training period too soon.

  "You two also didn't move to greet me when I first came back to the city," she stated, her voice hardening slightly. "Have you two forgotten me?"

  Shi shook his head quickly. "No, it's not that, Master. We could never forget you. It's just..." He hesitated, glancing nervously at Xiang.

  "Just spill it out," Yalan ordered, impatience flashing in her eyes. "What's going on?"

  Shi gathered himself and spoke quickly. "It's just Fen. He’s taking over the cat clan here in Red Peak City. And you know he never liked you. So when you came in, he barred anyone from going to greet you and pay you respects, saying he's the only one worthy of that."

  Xiang immediately chimed in, scowling deeply. "Yes, Master, he's a menace! He even takes the rats I hunt as his offerings! He took a fat rat from me yesterday!"

  Yalan ignored Xiang’s complaint about the stolen rat, her mind fixed on Fen. He was another one of her former students, a cat who had gained breakthroughs fast in his training period until he believed his own strength made him superior. She hadn't seriously concerned herself with him before, but clearly, his ambition had swelled in her absence.

  She looked at the eager faces of Shi and Xiang. "Take me to him," she commanded. "I will see if he has really grown enough to disrespect me like that."

  Both cats grinned wide. "At once, Master!" they chirped.

  Shi and Xiang immediately took the lead, bounding over walls and darting across the rooftops, Yalan following close behind. This entire territory was once hers, and the only reason she hadn't claimed full control of the city was to avoid attracting the notice of the human clans—she didn't want them aware of the spirit cat clan she was cultivating here. She had thought her disciples could manage things when she left, but it appeared she had only created a power vacuum.

  They moved quickly through the shadows. Finally, Shi gestured with his head toward a massive, derelict warehouse. Yalan recognized it; she had held several secret training sessions there in the past.

  "Is he inside?" she asked.

  "Yes," Shi confirmed, dropping his voice. "Should we sneak in, Master? He has gotten a lot of cats under him as guards."

  Yalan scoffed at the idea of stealth. "No."

  She immediately launched herself from the wall, aiming straight for the warehouse's main gates.

  Just then, two more muscular cats dropped from the roof above the entrance, scowling down at her. "You can't enter without—" one started to snarl.

  Yalan didn't spare them a glance or a reply. She simply pushed her qi outward in a sharp, invisible wave.

  The two guard cats immediately groaned, clutching their ears and collapsing onto the ground, momentarily stunned by the raw force.

  The author's content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

  Yalan moved swiftly past them. She lashed her fiery tail out, slamming it hard against the old, rusted warehouse gate. The impact, combined with a brief flash of heat, blew the gate inward with a deafening crash.

  Without a moment of hesitation or caring about the commotion she had caused, Yalan walked inside.

  Shi and Xiang hurried in behind her, scrambling through the wreckage of the gate.

  Yalan stopped in the center of the vast, dusty space. The warehouse was cavernous, smelling of old wood and metal. Shadows clung to the high ceiling and the stacks of forgotten crates.

  "Where's Fen?" Yalan demanded, her voice echoing.

  As if on cue, a smooth, deep voice drifted down from the darkness. "Yalan, you are back. I have been thinking you would knock on my door. And now you are finally here. Got tired from serving your human?" A purr followed his words.

  Yalan looked up. Sitting comfortably on one of the high metal support railings, observing her with lazy arrogance, was Fen. He was a strikingly black cat with fur that was unnaturally sleek and glistening, a sign of recent, successful breakthrough. Yalan noted immediately that he was much larger—fatter, almost—than when she last saw him, and a fresh, jagged scar ran down his cheek.

  But he was not alone.

  All around the warehouse, in the rafters, atop crates, and emerging from the deep shadows, dozens of eyes began to glow. More and more cats materialized. They were of all shapes and sizes, silently observing Yalan. She quickly counted at least three dozen. A significant number of them were new faces. It seemed Fen had been very busy finding and cultivating more spirit cats.

  Yalan gave a small nod. At least Fen had taught them the crucial skill of concealing their qi; otherwise, the human clans would have already sensed such a large concentration of power and descended upon the warehouse.

  After a brief, dismissive glance at the gathered forces, Yalan turned back to Fen, who was watching her with a confident sneer.

  To Fen's obvious surprise, Yalan let out a sigh. "I feel bad for you," she said.

  Fen's sneer faltered slightly. "Why? I have started to build the foundation of an empire here. One that you had never expected, and slowly, I'm going to be taking over—"

  Yalan finished his sentence for him in a bored tone. "—the city, then the Kalian Empire. I know, you stupid fat bastard."

  Fen blinked, genuinely taken aback. "Yes! You guessed right!" he declared.

  "No," Yalan corrected him flatly. "It's not a guess. You're not the first cat to have such ambitions." Yalan sighed again, looking genuinely tired. "Do you really think you're the most powerful cat in the Empire?"

  Fen let out a low growl. "I will be."

  "You will be killed before that," Yalan stated plainly. "Cats are only able to grow because we know how to keep low. What you're doing right now will get you killed."

  "Not if I get strong enough—" Fen began, but Yalan cut him off before he could finish.

  She violently pushed more of her qi outward, focusing it into an immense, invisible pressure that clamped down on every cat in the warehouse. She had already noticed several of the new recruits trying to sneak into flanking positions. Unable to handle the sudden, overwhelming pressure, those cats immediately cried out and fell from the railings and stacks of crates, hitting the dusty floor hard.

  Only Fen remained standing, still perched on the railing. He looked strained, his muscles rigid, his teeth gritted in defiance. "You can't do anything against me!" he hissed, his voice tight with pain. "I'm not a pet to a human like you! I'm Fen, the future Emperor of Cats!"

  Yalan sighed deeply, her expression unchanging. She immediately withdrew her qi pressure.

  The moment the crushing weight lifted, all the surrounding cats gasped in relief. Fen took the opportunity and immediately jumped down. "You will pay for that!" he snarled, preparing to attack.

  But Yalan was faster.

  In just two blur-quick leaps, she closed the distance between them. Fen tried to swipe at her with a heavy paw, but Yalan dodged the clumsy attack and delivered a sharp, focused slap. Fen went flying, crashing straight into the old warehouse wall. The decaying brick gave way instantly, and he disappeared in a cloud of dust and debris.

  Yalan didn't hesitate. She launched herself into the gap, pulling Fen out of the broken wall. She dug her nails into the thick fur of his neck, grabbing him securely. She held him in her forepaws, ensuring the rest of the silent, terrified cats had a perfect view of their leader.

  Yalan started to slap him again. A sharp, stinging blow echoed, then another, then another. Fen struggled with each impact, trying to lash out with his tail or mobilize his qi, but Yalan’s grip was absolute and her slaps were harder and faster, making his attempts useless.

  Finally, she paused, holding the now-battered and whimpering Fen suspended in the air.

  "Are you still going to keep this up?" she asked, her voice dangerously calm.

  "You can't stop—" Fen managed to squeeze out.

  Slap! Yalan interrupted him with another sharp blow.

  "Are you sure?" she asked. "I don't mind crippling you before going back."

  "I'm destined—" he tried again.

  Slap!

  This painful interrogation, carried out via repeated, precise slaps, continued for the next five minutes. Fen tried to assert his pride, and Yalan systematically beat it down. None of the dozens of watching cats moved to save their leader. A few of them even winced and groaned with each strike, as if they were the ones suffering the impacts.

  It wasn't the first time Yalan had dealt with a cat whose cultivation had outpaced their wisdom, leaving them proud and delusional. In a way, it was a flaw built into their spiritual nature.

  Finally, Yalan paused her assault and asked one more time, her voice still level. "Do you give up or not?"

  Fen’s defiance broke completely. "I do! I do!" he gasped, his voice barely a squeak. "I won't have any delusions about ruling the city or the Empire! Please forgive me, Master!"

  Yalan finally dropped him. Fen collapsed into a miserable heap on the dusty floor. Even Yalan had to admit the cat looked truly pitiful; his cheeks were swollen, making his face look even rounder and fatter than before, and the arrogant gleam in his eyes was gone, replaced by terror and shame.

  She looked down at him. "Remember," she said. "If you try anything, I can always come back to slap your delusions away."

  She then turned her attention to the silent assembly of cats watching from the shadows. "Does anyone else think they could rule the city?"

  No one came forward. The silence was absolute.

  Xiang finally broke the silence, whispering, "You're too ruthless, Master."

  Yalan looked at him sharply. "Shut up, Xiang. I have to do it because you are too weak."

  She looked back down at the defeated Fen on the ground. "Now, your lackeys are going to get me some fried fish while you tell me what type of fuck-ups you made since I left the city."

  Fen groaned, rubbing his tender face with his fat paw, but he didn't argue. He immediately began recounting everything that had happened in her absence. As the details of petty rivalries, missed opportunities, and careless moves filled the warehouse, Yalan leaned back slightly. It truly seemed like she was back home now.

  ***

  A/N - You can read 30 chapters (15 Magus Reborn and 15 Dao of money) on my patreon. Annual subscription is now on too. Also this is Volume 2 last chapter.

  Magus Reborn 3 is OUT NOW. It's a progression fantasy epic featuring a detailed magic system, kingdom building, and plenty of action.