Chapter 46: Peril in the Ghost Market (4)

The sky in the Ghost Market was already gloomy, and in the narrow, dark alleys, the light was even dimmer, almost impossible to see, with only a faint glimmer seeping through the alley entrance.

The black shadow on the ground was initially just a blurry mass, faintly flickering with two eerie ghost-like flames.

As it approached, the black shadow gradually became clearer. With each breath, a long tail slowly rose from behind the shadow, swaying back and forth, displaying its majesty.

The black shadow crouched low, approaching me step by step, while a low, suppressed “woo woo” sound came from its mouth, carrying a clear warning and threat.

This sound echoed in the silent alley, sending chills down my spine.

Through the faint light, I finally saw its true form—an orange-red fox.

My intuition told me that it was the fox spirit that had possessed the woman tonight and scratched me.

What a stroke of bad luck! (literal: enemies always meet on a narrow road)

All possessed spirits have owners. It was severely injured by Wen Ye tonight. Could its master have brought it to the Ghost Market to heal?

The tile and the red shadow that fell just now must have been its doing, luring me into this dead end.

Its master should be nearby.

The fox spirit’s face was ferocious, its mouth revealing sharp fangs, its eyes flashing with a ghastly, terrifying light, as if sparks were flying. Drool dripped from its mouth, emitting a disgusting stench.

With each step, its sharp claws scratched sparks on the ground.

I was terrified, my body trembling involuntarily. While desperately backing away, I frantically reached into my backpack for the bracelet.

I was carrying a black buckle leather bag, which had high security but was not easy to get things out of, easily snagging my hand.

Just as my fingertips touched the bracelet, the fox spirit suddenly leapt into the air, pouncing at me like lightning.

“Ah—” This scream caused me to accidentally inhale a mouthful of Yin energy.

The fox spirit’s movements were swift and fierce, as fast as the wind. When it pounced on me, I didn’t even have time to take out the bracelet!

It opened its bloody mouth and bit down hard on my bag strap. With a crisp snap, the strap broke.

Then, it triumphantly strutted back and forth with my backpack in its mouth, staring at me provocatively.

The bracelet, talismans, and the silver needle I used to prick my finger were all in the bag. This stinky fox was cutting off all my escape routes.

My shoulder was in excruciating pain from being yanked. Although I was anxious to get the bag back, I was no match for its sharp claws.

A wise man doesn’t fight when the odds are against him. The only way out now was to run!

The wall at the end of the alley wasn’t very high. With a running start, it was very likely that I could climb over it, considering I used to climb walls and trees as a kid.

Without hesitation, I immediately turned and sprinted towards the dead end.

At the moment of life and death, the potential within the human body seemed to be completely unleashed.

I stared intently at the wall ahead, aiming for a suitable foothold. When I was only a few steps away from the wall, I used all my strength to kick off and leap, successfully grabbing onto something on the wall.

It seemed to be some weeds, but it could also be a loose rope.

Grabbing onto something was like grabbing onto hope. I desperately held on tightly while using my legs to try to climb over the wall as quickly as possible.

However, at this moment, the fox spirit came howling from behind like a gust of wind, opening its jagged mouth, about to bite my calf. I was terrified to the extreme.

A viscous, fishy aura rolled in from the alley entrance like a tsunami, and the fox spirit, which was close at hand, was caught in an invisible vortex of energy.

It was like being thrown into a washing machine, instantly slammed hard against the wall of the alley, letting out a miserable scream.

I was dizzy from being blown by the aura just now. At the same time, my wrist felt like it was being grabbed by someone. With a little force, my whole body was pulled up.

After my mind went blank, I landed steadily on the ground, with a figure standing in front of me.

The familiar scent of agarwood filled my nostrils. I walked to Wen Ye with lingering fear, gesticulating wildly at him, accusing him: Where did you go! I almost got tricked by that fox spirit again…

He frowned, looking towards the alley entrance, glanced down at me, and pressed a large hand on my face, pushing me behind him, impatiently whispering, “Le Xiaomai, you’re too noisy.”

Big brother, I didn’t say a word!

Several people walked in from the alley entrance. Although they were backlit, it could be seen that they were all burly and tall.

I was stunned for a moment, hiding behind Wen Ye, grabbing the clothes on his back, and poking out half of my head.

The leader of the group was a relatively thin man, the man in the checkered suit!

The black-clad bodyguard picked up the bag from the ground. The man in the checkered suit raised his chin slightly, and the bodyguard nodded slightly, striding to us and handing the bag to Wen Ye, who had his arms crossed.

“This bag belongs to this young lady, right?” the man in the checkered suit said in a deep voice.

I timidly stepped forward, took the bag from the bodyguard’s hand, nodded and bowed, and pointed to my mouth, indicating that I couldn’t speak.

But why can he and Wen Ye speak?

The man in the checkered suit wore refined glasses and looked to be in his early thirties, with an air of an elegant intellectual.

The fox spirit on the ground was dying. The black-clad bodyguard put it into a Bagua Qiankun bag (a Taoist magical artifact bag) , held it in his hand, and retreated behind the man in the checkered suit.

Wen Ye examined the group warily and asked without any emotional fluctuations, “Who are you? What is your relationship with this fox spirit?”

The man in the checkered suit adjusted his gold-rimmed glasses, smiled faintly, and slowly explained, “I am not at liberty to disclose my identity. We have been tracking this cunning fox spirit recently. It has harmed many people in order to absorb essence, and it has also injured several of our disciples. We happened to detect its aura in the Ghost Market, so we came to search for it. As a result, it almost injured the young lady behind you. Now, we will take it back to report.”

He looked past Wen Ye’s shoulder, his gaze falling on me, and he smiled faintly, “Young lady, don’t run around alone in the Ghost Market. There are many ghost walls here. It’s easy to get lost if you don’t have Yin-Yang Eyes.”

No wonder! No wonder I felt like I was getting more and more confused.

The man in the checkered suit nodded slightly to me and Wen Ye before taking his leave.

“Are you hurt?” Wen Ye turned to ask me.

I shook my head, wanting to ask him about the situation on his side, but Wen Ye sighed softly, “We’ll talk about it when we get back.”

——————

Because I inhaled Yin energy in the Ghost Market, I developed a fever when I got home.

“Taking antipyretic medicine won’t work for Yin energy entering the body. I’ll have Blind Yuan get some tonic Chinese medicine to replenish Yang energy.” Wen Ye opened his phone.

Blind Yuan? Brother Yuan? This name is so awful…

My whole body was hot and cold, I shrank into the blanket, and said weakly, “It’s four in the morning now, who’s not sleeping? Don’t bother people’s sweet dreams, we can talk about it when it’s dawn.”

“Aren’t you uncomfortable?”

“I had acute gastroenteritis before, which was much more uncomfortable than this. This little fever is nothing. I’m not that delicate.” I smiled.

“Could you please pour me a cup of brown sugar water… never mind, I’ll go myself.”

Just as I sat up, Wen Ye pressed one hand on my shoulder, pushing me back onto the pillow, “I’ll get it, you lie down obediently.”

“Then be careful not to burn your hand. Do you know how to use the water dispenser? The brown sugar is in…”

“Le Xiaomai, you’re so long-winded!” Wen Ye interrupted me with a hint of annoyance and walked out of the bedroom.

Hmph, isn’t it just that I’m worried that you, the spoiled fox who has everything handed to you, wouldn’t know how to do anything!

I suppressed the urge to get out of bed and solve it myself. If he was caught scratching his head in front of the machine, he would definitely put on a bad face again.

Wen Ye only came in with a glass of water after more than ten minutes. Sure enough, the water was lukewarm, and the brown sugar hadn’t completely dissolved.

“How is it?” He sat cross-legged on the side, acting as if nothing had happened.

I already knew what he was thinking, so I also pretended that nothing had happened and nodded, “It’s pretty good.”

“Le Xiaomai, stop fooling me, it’s completely different from the last time you made it.” He snorted coldly.

I drank it all in one gulp and shrugged lightly, “I’ll teach you when I get better, you’ll learn it as soon as you see it.”

“By the way, how did that woman escape? What exactly is the tattoo on her hand?”