Chapter Eleven: Retrieving the Hungry Ghost Jade

Watching Qin Xiaochuan, who lay on the ground coughing uncontrollably, Stone Demon walked over grinning broadly, placed his foot on Qin Xiaochuan’s back, and pressed down hard, forcing another mouthful of blood from him. Apparently still unsatisfied, Stone Demon increased the pressure, grinding his heel mercilessly into Qin Xiaochuan’s back.

“Ugh... ah! Ah ah ah!”

“Yes, that’s it—this scream, this howl of agony really whets the appetite,” Stone Demon said, licking his lips as he watched Qin Xiaochuan writhe in pain. The sound of his cries awakened the hunger within Stone Demon, who ground his heel in twice more before turning to the struggling youth. “See? A couple more twists and your spine will snap. Scared, little ghost? I told you not to come back, but you insist on making me kill you, huh? Yes, keep screaming, keep crying—it’s music to my ears, heh heh.”

As Stone Demon continued to torment Qin Xiaochuan, a young grade-schooler wearing a baseball cap suddenly wandered into the woods, holding a net as if searching for butterflies. When he looked up and saw Stone Demon’s monstrous appearance, he cried out in terror, “M-monster...!”

Stone Demon stopped, turning to glance at the trembling child, his voice cold and ominous. “You saw, did you?”

“Run! Get out of here! Run!” Qin Xiaochuan, despite his pain, lifted himself and shouted desperately at the child.

Awakened by Qin Xiaochuan’s shout, the boy spun around to flee, but Stone Demon chuckled darkly. Having been seen, there was no way he would let the child escape. With a powerful leap, he landed in front of the boy, and, seeing the terror on his face, gently pinched the boy’s chin, licking his lips as drool trickled down. “Yes, that expression—the purest fear makes a soul taste so rich and delicious. Go on, be afraid, tremble in terror, ha ha ha!”

Having enjoyed himself enough, Stone Demon produced the Hungry Ghost Jade, held it up to the boy, and drew his soul inside. He still had another important guest to deal with.

“Stop, you bastard!” Qin Xiaochuan, furious at the fate of another innocent victim, shouted at Stone Demon. “I swear I’ll kill you, you bastard!” Bracing himself with both hands, he shakily stood up, clearly badly injured.

“Hmph! Come and try to stop me, then,” Stone Demon taunted, seeing Qin Xiaochuan barely able to stand.

“You...”

After devouring the schoolboy’s soul, Stone Demon stepped before Qin Xiaochuan, grabbed his hair, and dragged him close. “Looks like you couldn’t save him even if you tried, heh heh. Here’s an idea—how about I kill you, take your soul, bind it to the boy’s, and swallow them together? Let’s see which of you gets digested first! How about that? Ah ha ha ha ha ha!”

Stone Demon threw his head back and roared with laughter.

‘Now’s my chance.’ Seeing Stone Demon distracted by his own laughter, Qin Xiaochuan suddenly reached out, clutching a broken piece of wood he’d somehow found, and jammed it into Stone Demon’s mouth, propping his jaws open just enough.

With Stone Demon’s mouth forced open, Qin Xiaochuan raised his right hand—wearing the Spirit Gathering Ring—concentrated all his spiritual energy, and fired his only Spirit Light shot straight into Stone Demon’s gaping maw.

“Bang!” With a crisp crack, Stone Demon’s massive head exploded under the impact of the Spirit Light, and his huge body collapsed onto the grass, lifeless.

“You actually finished off Stone Demon!?” Summer Dawn, who had been hiding behind a tree, rushed forward and helped the kneeling Qin Xiaochuan to his feet.

“Why did you only just arrive?” Qin Xiaochuan, seeing it was Summer Dawn, breathed a sigh of relief and leaned his arm on her shoulder, chiding her. “You watched me fighting for my life and didn’t even help.”

“How could you say that?” Summer Dawn flushed, embarrassed. “I wasn’t avoiding helping you—it’s just that I’m not a combat spirit. This body was given to me by Little King Yan; I can only use it as a normal person.”

Hearing Summer Dawn’s powerless explanation, Qin Xiaochuan shook his head with a bitter smile. Beaten so badly again, it seemed he would have to be helped home once more; he wondered what his mother would think, seeing Summer Dawn supporting him yet again. Ah, whatever. Seeing the Hungry Ghost Jade lying on the ground, Qin Xiaochuan bent over, trembling, to pick it up. Holding it, he turned to Summer Dawn. “Who knows how many children’s souls are trapped inside this jade. Do you know how to release them?”

“Yes, yes,” Summer Dawn replied quickly, afraid Qin Xiaochuan would see her as useless and send her back to the Underworld. “You just pull the souls out of the orb and release them into the air; then they’ll automatically return to their bodies.”

“Let’s wake up the schoolboy first, so he doesn’t faint again when he sees Stone Demon’s corpse.”

“Don’t worry, leave the rest to me. I’ll notify Lord Little King Yan; the Hungry Ghost Jade is safely recovered, hee hee.”

“Just one artifact found, and I’m already this badly hurt. By the way, you said the other two are even stronger than Stone Demon?”

“Yes.”

“Oh my god, I can’t take this anymore. I need to leave this cursed place; you handle the rest. I’m out of here!” With that, Qin Xiaochuan picked up a branch that had fallen during his battle, snapped off the twigs, and used it as a cane to limp out of the woods.

Thinking about the two even more formidable foes still waiting for him, Qin Xiaochuan felt overwhelmed. He had barely survived one, and the remaining two might actually kill him. As he hobbled along, he noticed the unfriendly stares of the people around him. ‘What are you looking at? Never seen a fight before? I got hurt saving you all...’

“Beep beep beep!”

At that moment, the Demon Power Meter on Qin Xiaochuan’s wrist began to sound.

“Hm? A demon? It’s getting closer,” Qin Xiaochuan stopped and watched the meter. “200 meters... 150... 100... 50... It’s almost here.”

As the numbers shrank, Qin Xiaochuan scanned the crowd warily, trying to spot which demon might attack him while he was wounded.

Suddenly, a familiar face appeared before him. ‘White Shadow! One of the Thief Trio. No way—they found me so quickly?’

White Shadow approached, met Qin Xiaochuan’s wary gaze, and spoke softly, “No need to be so tense. I neither wish to fight nor to flee. I want to ask you a favor...”

Back at Qin Xiaochuan’s home, Summer Dawn pressed him onto the bed and began dressing his wounds.

“Hiss! Be gentle, ah, it hurts...”

“Hang in there—it’s not too deep. Let me disinfect it with alcohol. Aren’t you Beijing’s number-one brawler? Can’t stand a little pain?” Summer Dawn teased, smiling as she held Qin Xiaochuan down and dabbed his wounded arm with an alcohol-soaked cotton swab, blowing softly as she worked, making Qin Xiaochuan squirm with pain and ticklishness.

“Ow, ow! Hee hee, it tickles! What are you doing—easy, easy, ouch...”

“Don’t move, hold still. Hee hee. So, did White Shadow really say he’d return the Dark Mirror to you in three days?”

“Hiss... yes, that’s what he said. Then he just left.”

“That sounds like a lie,” Summer Dawn said, glancing at the nearly full moon outside the window. “Three days from now is the full moon—the day when the Dark Mirror’s powers are at their peak. That mirror reflects the desires of whoever looks into it, and it’s said to grant those wishes—but only if a ritual offering is made. What kind of offering, no one knows. He must be trying to discover the secret in these three days.”

“But if that’s the case, why show himself to me at all?”

“That’s true.”

“I... Even though I only spoke with him briefly, my instinct tells me he’s not a bad person.”

“What are you saying? He’s a partner of the guy who beat you up! Are you out of your mind?” Summer Dawn was surprised by Qin Xiaochuan’s words.

“Actually, there’s something I haven’t told you, Summer Dawn. When I met those three, they were already fighting among themselves. That guy, White Shadow, seemed intent on leaving the group, and it looked like they might come to blows over it.” Qin Xiaochuan paused, recalling. “And from his eyes, I didn’t sense any deceit. Something must have happened to change his heart.”

“Even so...”

“Xiaochuan, dinner’s ready!”

At that moment, Susu’s untimely voice rang out in Qin Xiaochuan’s room, startling him so much he nearly fell off the bed. “Mom, you scared me! I was talking to Summer Dawn about something important—could you knock before coming in?”

“Oh, Summer Dawn’s here too? Come join us for dinner! I made lots of Xiaochuan’s favorite dishes—come and try some, hee hee.”