Demonic Seed 7

An Zhengnan's feet landed on an empty and open warehouse where things like swords and arrows were kept. He lowered her gently. "Stay here. I will try to knock him off, but in case I fail, use these weapons to protect yourself. You still have your talisman right?"

She nodded and observed her surroundings. It was dark and humid, but luckily there was a large door and window where fresh air kept pouring in. There were no streetlamps nor light bulb, so Ouyang Xueqing couldn't make out his expression clearly.

When he turned around, she instinctively grabbed his hand. His nails felt hard and it pierced her skin, but his skin was warm. Ouyang Xueqing stared at him and said solemnly. "Stay safe."

She didn't know whether the dark had played an illusion on her, but she seemed to have seen a ghost of smile on his face. It was soft and gentle, unlike his usual annoying grin. He retracted his claws and patted her head gently. "I will return soon. So stay here and don't wail like the scaredy-cat you are, okay?"

She rebuked grumpily. "I'm not scared!"

He chuckled evilly. The smile just now must have been an illusion! He was the same as always, annoying and always teasing her at any chance he got.

This time, he turned around and left for real. His figure blended onto the night as he transformed into a black panther. His feet was as light as cotton as they carried him away.

At that moment, the dark cloud dispersed, letting a faint glow of moonlight illuminating his retreating figure. Looking at his huge and reliable form, Ouyang Xueqing dazed for a moment and unknowingly clutched her chest.

She had an ominous premonition as if something eerie was watching them from the dark.

***

Ouyang Xueqing was holding a long sharp spear in both hands as she stared vigilantly at the door. The night was tranquil and peaceful as if what she had just experienced wasn't real. There was a row of night lamp along the road, which made her wonder why they didn't lit up at all.

Her ears twitched as she caught a faint sound nearby.

She turned toward the source of the sound and thrust her weapon forward. "Who's that?!" She shrieked. Regardless of her act of courage in front of An Zhengnan just now, the truth was she was a scaredy-cat. She feared many things. Thunders, darkness, shadows.

The figure emerged from the dark was akin to a breath of life upon her chest. She lowered her spear and pouted. "Why didn't you make any sound?!"

Ling Xiaochen who was in her beast form, a fiery red wolf, grinned. Her fangs stretched out, it was sharp and shone in the dark. She sauntered closer with her tails wagged around. Her body was leaned and sturdy, her fur was shiny and her fluffy ears with white fur on the tip flapping. "I just want to scare you."

"Well," she harrumphed. "Sorry to disappoint you then."

"Liar." She rolled her eyes.

Ouyang Xueqing glared at her. But then, when she recalled the situation at hand, she turned anxious. "Where is An Zhengnan? How about Ren Yupei?"

 "I come to bring you back. An Zhengnan has knocked him out with tranquilizer. What's wrong anyway?" Ling Xiaochen crouched down to let Ouyang Xueqing climbed on her back. Together, they fled toward the dark.

Different from An Zhengnan, Ling Xiaochen's pace was steady, neither fast nor slow. Her steps was light, it created a series of thumps that was swallowed onto the air. Ouyang Xueqing laid her head down and wrapped her arms around Ling Xiaochen's furry neck.

She sighed blissfully at how fluffy it was. "I don't know," she muttered. "He was weird, he didn't recognize me at all, and he wanted to kill me." Even now when she recalled how those cold and piercing eyes stared at her, she still got goosebumps.

"Are there any red glint in his eyes?"

"Yes!" She raised her head and exclaimed. "How do you know?!"

Ling Xiaochen was silent for a moment before continuing. "He is turning."

"What?"

"Ren Yupei, he's turning into a deranged beast."

Ouyang Xueqing's hold loosened and she almost slipped from Ling Xiaochen's back. The girl was so shocked that she almost tripped on her front legs and fell. "Careful!" She cried out and halted in her steps. "Hold me tight, dumbass!"

"W—What…what do you say? He's turning…?" Ouyang Xueqing's lips were trembling as she grabbed Ling Xiaochen's ears tightly and pulled on it.

Ling Xiaochen really wanted to curse, but upon seeing Ouyang Xueqing's pale face and her dazed eyes, she held her tongue back. Finally, she relented and sighed. "Get yourself together. It's not permanent."

Ouyang Xueqing blinked and her eyes brightened up in hope. "What do you mean not permanent? Is there a cure for a turning beast?"

Ling Xiaochen crushed her hopes to pieces and stomped on it with a single word. "Nope."

"Then what do you mean?!" She barked impatiently as she yanked the ears on her palms tighter.

"Ouch! You bitch! I won't tell you if you abused me!" Ling Xiaochen swayed her tail and slapped her away. It was meant for a poke thus she didn't use any energy. If not, Ouyang Xueqing couldn't have flew away by merely a meter.

Ouyang Xueqing bounced back and stroked her fur fawningly. "Sister, sister Ling. Do tell me what do you mean okay?"

Ling Xiaochen made an expression of disgust before she bit Ouyang Xueqing's collar and threw the petite body to land squarely on her back. She continued running as she explained. "I know there's something wrong in Ghost Town from the start. These so called ghost qi, we can assumed it is the evil qi that accelerated the growth of demonic seed in a beast."

Ouyang Xueqing lowered her gaze as she contemplated. "So, because of that, the demonic seed within Ren Yupei is awaken and thus, he's turning now?"

"Exactly." She agreed. "The reason people died mysteriously is that before the demonic seed can grow fully and took place in their heart, their mind couldn't win against their nightmares."

"Nightmares…" Ouyang Xueqing mumbled. She recalled that Ren Yupei had been having nightmares in a while since back then. But then, the frequency increased precisely after he collapsed and bedridden with high fever. "They died because of nightmares?"

"Not exactly, but the nightmares show you what you fear the most deep inside your heart. It tortured your body and mind so hard that in the end, you chose to end your life."

Her eyes bulged out in surprise. "So you mean that they died of suicide?"

"Yes, it's understandable for weaker beasts in the countryside like Ghost Town to kill themselves. But for stronger beasts, moreover like Ren Yupei's level of strength, they will end up being crazy and lost their mind, fully driven by hatred, rage, grief, and pain."

The image of Ren Yupei crouched down as his eyes filled with despair popped out in her mind and she felt her throat constricted painfully. Brother Ren…her gentle and refined brother, the man whose voice was always soft and demeanor was always elegant, was going insane?

"How," She gulped to suppress her trembling voice. "How can we cure him?"

"Of course, we should investigate the main cause of the problem first. If we find out why ghost qi appeared here, then maybe we can find the answer we seek."

Sighing, she nodded wistfully. "Okay."

They arrived in front of the inn. Ouyang Xueqing gaped at what supposed to be the warm and cozy inn she used to stay in. The wall crumbled and the building was reduced to shambles and heaps. The owner of the inn was shedding tears but didn't dare to complain in the face of tall and menacing knights around.

Ouyang Xueqing climbed down and caught sight of An Zhengnan. Her heart leapt out of her chest when she saw his condition. "Zhengnan!" She yelled unconsciously and dashed forward.

The man's back stiffened for a moment before he turned onto the direction of her voice. Before he could greet her, she had arrived in front of him and cupped both of his cheeks tightly.

An Zhengnan's words died down in his throat as he let her inspect him thoroughly.