Seeing Han Sifan leading the charge into the internet café, there was no way Brother Xiang and I could cower in the back. I followed her inside, while Brother Xiang headed off to find the back door—most internet cafés usually have one, after all.

This place was called “Qicai Internet Café,” located on the third floor. It was pretty spacious, with around three hundred machines. The interior was quite fancy too, giving off a gold-and-glitz vibe.

“So, how do we find it?” I asked Han Sifan. She turned to me and said, “Just keep an eye on this door. I’m going to flush that cat demon out. If it comes this way, just slap it with your Liu Ding Liu Jia Zhuxie Talisman.”

I nodded. The task seemed straightforward enough.

Han Sifan began wandering through the café leisurely, checking the private rooms one by one. I didn’t feel anything particularly strange about the place, though the atmosphere was a bit stifling and stuffy.

Bored, I squatted near the door and lit a cigarette. About five minutes later, a loud meow echoed through the café. It was so loud that everyone inside paused, glancing around in confusion. I quickly stood up and saw a black cat darting towards the entrance. It was limping, as if injured.

“Stop it!” Han Sifan shouted from behind, chasing the cat demon with a peach wood sword in hand and an aggressive look on her face.

I grabbed my Liu Ding Liu Jia Zhuxie Talisman and started chanting the incantation:
“The essence of Yangming, divine power hidden within the heart, draws in yin spirits and banishes them into obscurity. With this spiritual talisman, no trace of demons shall remain. Defiance shall be met with heavenly soldiers. Decree!”

The moment I finished, my whole body felt weak, like I’d just run ten kilometers. My strength was drained completely. But the talisman glowed faintly yellow, and I mustered my will, smacking the talisman squarely onto the cat demon’s forehead.

The cat tried to dodge, but it was moving too fast and couldn’t avoid the hit. The talisman made contact, and with a flash of bright yellow light, the cat demon was flung backward, crashing to the floor.

Han Sifan dashed forward, swinging her peach wood sword straight at the cat demon’s head. With a loud crack, the cat fell to the ground, twitching and motionless.

Seeing it still, Han Sifan quickly pulled out a dagger and prepared to stab its belly. It seemed pretty brutal to me. But just as the blade was about to pierce the cat, it suddenly sprang up like it had a spring under it, darting away and rushing deeper into the café.

Han Sifan chuckled coldly, “I knew this thing was playing dead. So sly.” Still, she didn’t give chase. As for me, there was no way I could follow—it had taken all my strength to use the talisman. Weak, I stumbled to a chair inside the café and slumped down.

Meanwhile, the café’s female manager came over, accusing Han Sifan of being cruel to animals. She acted like the cat was her personal pet or something.

Han Sifan and I ignored her. After about thirty seconds, when I felt a little less drained, I asked, “Sister Fan, why didn’t you keep chasing it?”

“Chase, my foot. Look over there.” Han Sifan pointed in the direction the cat demon had fled. I followed her gaze and saw Brother Xiang walking towards us, carrying a black backpack he’d somehow gotten his hands on. He nodded at us and then walked right out.

I quickly followed. On the way, I asked Han Sifan what had happened. It turned out she had instructed Brother Xiang to set up a demon-capturing formation at the back door before we’d even started. If not for that preparation, they might’ve wounded the cat demon, but capturing it would’ve been impossible.

The black backpack was something Brother Xiang had bought earlier, intending to use it for the capture.

“Sister Fan, just take it. I really don’t get you sometimes. Can’t you just mind your own business? Next time, remember: if it’s not your problem, stay out of it.”

As we left, Brother Xiang handed the bag to Han Sifan, who gave him a fierce glare. “Since when do I need your advice? Xishan, let’s go.” With that, she dragged Jin Xishan along and left.

“That girl is too stubborn,” Brother Xiang muttered, shaking his head as he watched her leave. I raised a brow and asked, “You talk like you know her so well.”

“Kind of. We’ve known each other for a while. She wasn’t always like this,” he said thoughtfully, watching her figure fade into the distance.

“What was she like before?” I asked curiously. Brother Xiang smirked at my eager expression and said, “Want to know more? Stay tuned for the next episode.”

“Get lost!” I yelled in annoyance.

Still, it felt good to have captured my first demon, even if Brother Xiang and Han Sifan said this cat demon was one of the lowest-level ones. Apparently, some powerful demons could even take human form and blend into human society.

Even so, Uncle Jin was given a lot of credit for this case. He didn’t hog all the glory, though. He made sure it was noted that we had helped. Since we weren’t officially police officers yet, the credit was put under our names to be applied later when we graduated.

Because of this, the three of us became somewhat famous among the police and government circles in Chongqing. Many influential people began seeking us out to handle supernatural matters—but that’s a story for another time.

As for the cat demon, it was sent to Beijing, presumably to the Demon Catching Bureau, so they could investigate whether it had become a demon through self-cultivation or as a product of some cult.

I thought I’d finally get a break after all this. After all, I’d seen more ghosts in the past few days than in my entire life combined. Nobody wants to deal with ghosts 24/7, right? But on the third evening after the cat demon case, Han Sifan came to our dorm looking for me and Brother Xiang.

It was around 5 p.m. We’d just pulled an all-nighter gaming session the night before and had barely woken up, planning to head out for some fun. Then Han Sifan showed up, wearing a pink spaghetti-strap dress. She looked incredibly ladylike.

The moment she stepped in, she said, “You two aren’t going to the internet café tonight. You’re coming with me. There’s work to do.”

“Dude, what now?” I groaned, my head starting to ache. I’d just wanted to relax for once, but who knew what she was up to again?