Chapitre 22: Li Fei'er (2)
Meanwhile, at Qingqiu Mountain, a group of shamans looked around the area where the legendary nine-tailed fox was known to be sealed. They were the Li family, a family of shamans who'd been keeping an eye on the seals of the nine-tailed fox at Qingqiu Mountain.
The scene that greeted them was horrifying. A man with a torso ripped open with a missing liver lay dead on the muddy ground, while the seal that was keeping the fox spirit trapped had been broken by human blood. Blood scattered on the ground, and there were several footprints left around the area, which made them wonder what just happened here four days ago.
"I thought it was just bad weather. Who would have thought that after centuries of being trapped here, she was able to break free and escape?" A man in his late forties knelt down on the ground and examined the seal closely, with his brows knitted together.
The old man, who was standing behind him, remained silent as he pondered how the nine-tailed fox their ancestors sealed here managed to break free from its prison. He was the head of the Li family and was in charge of making sure that the seals that bound the demons within Qingqiu Mountain were intact.
However, over the years, the Li family's powers were starting to dwindle each generation. It had been a while since a prodigy had been born from them.
The seal could only be broken with a blood compact, and seeing that there wasn't any dead body around except for the man lying a few meters away from the seal… meant that there was someone who entered a demon contract with the nine-tailed fox.
Still, even if the nine-tailed fox managed to initiate a contract, its spirit would need a body to possess, just like how she took over the identity of the young daughter of a minister several centuries ago. It would need a decent host that would be able to cater to its overwhelming demonic powers.
"Master, three more dead men are found in the forest. It seemed that it hunted for food first before leaving the mountain." Another man came and reported what he and his followers found after surveying the area.
The old man nodded in understanding. He touched his long beard and sighed to himself. The fox spirit hadn't had any attempt to interact with any human since it was sealed centuries ago. His forefathers had thought that it was because it entered an eternal slumber, giving up on seeing the world after her first host had died.
"We need to find her. Who knows what she would do now that she has joined the human world again?" The only thing they knew about the nine-tailed fox were notes left in the accounts of their ancestors. If she was really a malevolent demon like their ancestors claimed her to be, then she would pose a great danger against humanity.
"Do you think she possessed someone again?" Another member of the Li family asked.
"I think so. That's the only possible reason why she was able to leave the mountain without alerting us of her escape."
"We've only dealt with ghosts and mid-level demons so far. I'm not certain if we would be able to seal her for the second time."
They fell silent after hearing those words. Indeed, a fox spirit was a high-level demon that only Li Yun, the last prodigy the Li family produced in their long lineage, was able to seal away. His ability to defeat demons and exorcise ghosts that were haunting and possessing humans was outstanding and highly praised during his generation.
It was just too bad that after Li Yun, no one from the following generation was able to follow in his footsteps.
"Where's Xiao Fei?" The old man then noticed that someone was missing from their team. "Didn't she say she would join us today?" He asked the man who was previously examining the seal of the fox spirit.
"She left without a word this morning, Father." Li Xiaoyao scratched his neck awkwardly. His daughter had just come back from her training in the north and was about to transfer to her new school in a few days.
The youngsters of their family were obliged to live their earliest years up north, away from the city, so they would be able to be in tune with the nature that cultivated their ability to deal with demons and ghosts. It also lessened their exposure to worldly temptations that could derail them from their quest to be high-level shamans in the future.
The old man laughed and shook his head. He had already expected this to happen. His granddaughter was an eccentric one but, nonetheless, a good person. It didn't surprise him at all that Li Fei'er decided to ditch them today in favor of wandering around the city. She was, after all, still young at seventeen years old, so it was only natural that her attention was piqued by worldly possessions.
"Would she be alright on her own? She got used to living in the remote village with her cousins in the north. Xiao Fei might feel overwhelmed now that she's back in the city." The head of the Li family asked his eldest son worriedly after realizing something.
He understood well that young ladies, such as his granddaughter, needed close companions she could rely on. In his opinion, Li Fei'er didn't need to follow in their footsteps as a shaman and should live the life girls her age had. He would rather see her enjoy her youth than face the dangers of the other side of the world that was unknown to the public.
"Don't worry, Father." Li Xiaoyao assured him. "I think Fei'er would do just fine. She said she couldn't wait to see and meet her new classmates soon. With her bubbly personality, I don't think anyone wouldn't like to befriend her. She's quite persistent."
Chapitre 23: Li Fei'er (3)
The girl, whose family was currently looking for her, found herself standing in front of Jiang City Medical Center where she saw an overwhelming dark aura surrounding the place. Li Fei'er stood in front of the gate, her brows furrowing as she wondered how the hospital became a massive feeding ground of several demons and ghosts.
"What just happened here?" She muttered to herself and stepped inside, feeling a little suffocated by the amount of demonic miasma around the place.
Not only that, but she could also sense a heavy feeling of despair and hatred at the western side of the building where the ICU was. In her seventeen years of living, Li Fei'er had never seen a place as infested as this hospital.
The sun was about to set, and it only meant that more low-level demons would crawl out from their hiding places and join the others in feeding on the negative life forces seeping out from their willing prey, the sick patients of the hospital.
Li Fei'er stopped walking and bit her lip. If she didn't do anything to stop these demons, more humans would eventually lose their lives without knowing what had killed them. She might not be able to save them all, but it was better to try saving some than ignoring everything altogether.
"Are you also here to visit someone?" A child's voice startled Li Fei'er and made her snap out of her deep thoughts.
How come she never sensed this child's presence coming towards her? She thought.
As she stared at the young girl standing next to her, Li Fei'er realized that the girl was wearing a hospital gown for young children and that she was ghastly pale. There was no doubt that the girl was a ghost.
"What are you doing here outside? Should you be in your room?" Li Fei'er wasn't sure what the girl's motive for reaching out to her was.
"I'm waiting for my mommy to come back," she said in response, "I've been waiting for her to come and visit me for too long. Miss, do you think she had forgotten about me?"
"I-I'm not sure." Li Fei'er hesitated to answer. Did this girl even realize that she was already dead? "Why don't you go inside? It's starting to get chilly now," she suggested.
It also would be weird if someone saw her talking by herself in public like this.
The girl frowned and shook her head defiantly.
"But I don't want to! There are so many scary monsters inside."
Li Fei'er rubbed her neck awkwardly. What should she do now?
"Is that why you are here?" she questioned the girl.
The ghost nodded and rubbed her hands together.
"I came here to wait for my mommy. I know she'll come and see me easily if I wait for her here," she told Li Fei'er. "Those scary monsters won't chase me if I stay outside."
"I see." Since the ghost put it that way, it only meant her spirit hadn't been tainted yet. If the girl continued to stay in a place like this and not cross the border to the spirit realm, she would be trapped here for eternity as a malevolent ghost.
"But still, this isn't a place a child like you should be. Say, what if I go inside with you? Will you come?"
The girl fell silent and hesitated to answer Li Fei'er. She glanced at the hospital, sensing the dark miasma spreading throughout it. She gave Li Fei'er a confused look and nodded. Most of the humans she'd seen so far ignored her, and this young miss was the only one who took notice of her.
"Okay."
"Lead the way then." Li Fei'er smiled at her. "I'll stay behind you to make sure those monsters won't chase you." It would also give her a chance to know what was truly happening inside the hospital.
As the girl walked back inside, Li Fei'er took notice of the surroundings. With her protective spell activated, she and the child ghost were protected from the affliction of the miasma swirling around them like a thick black fog.
"Miss, they are coming." The girl started to worry, wanting to run back outside for safety.
"It's alright. No one will dare to come after you while I'm here." Li Fei'er assured her, hoping they wouldn't encounter a high-level demon on their way, as she wouldn't be able to deal with it by herself.
The most important thing for her right now was to find the source of the despair and hatred taking territory in the ICU area. The other demons could wait, as she would make sure the other members of the Li family would exorcise them later.
As the night approached, the lower demons came to cling to the unsuspecting humans to slurp their life force slowly but surely. The moment they sensed Li Fei'er, they ran away in fear. These kinds of demons loved to feast on a human's life force, but they were cowardly enough to run away from trouble to preserve their lives.
It didn't take long before they reached the children's ward. The ghost girl led Li Fei'er to an empty room, only proving her initial assumption that the girl had died without seeing her mother for the last time.
A nurse came and saw Li Fei'er standing outside the door, staring out blankly with knitted brows. The ghost beside her disappeared without a trace.
"Miss, it's almost past visiting hours. You might need to come back again tomorrow." She tapped Li Fei'er shoulder to get her attention.
Li Fei'er blinked twice before facing the nurse, making sure that it wasn't another ghost approaching her for help again. Since she was young, ghosts sought after her to help them resolve their unfinished business in the mortal realm or to possess her body. Seeing that the nurse was a living human, she sighed in relief.
"I'm actually looking for someone. I heard she was confined here, but I might have come too late."
Cadeaux
-- Cadeau
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