Chapter 12: An Almost Malicious Smile

“He won’t dare to come in?”

Hearing Xie Jing say that, Xu Huai nodded: “If he comes in again, I’ll take care of him.”

Reasonable. Normal people would be scared if they saw a ghost for no reason. Even if the client’s emotions were stable, it was normal to be startled.

As Xu Huai was thinking this, he heard Xie Jing suddenly burst out laughing.

Xu Huai, who was beginning not to understand Xie Jing’s reaction, wondered: “?”

Xu Huai: “…What’s wrong?”

Xie Jing curved his eyes: “No, nothing. I think the boss is very powerful.”

Indeed.

Xu Huai thought to himself: Not everyone can draw that Evil-Dispelling Talisman.

He had initially brought them to deal with the ghost clinging to Xie Jing, but now it was used.

Oh well.

Xu Huai cleaned up the medicine on Xie Jing’s bedside table and turned around to see the mess on the floor. The medicine that had been spilled on the floor was gradually drying, leaving dark marks on the white surface.

Just as Xu Huai was thinking about whether to clean up before leaving tomorrow, his pupils suddenly contracted, and he strode towards the window by the bed.

Just a moment ago, he had suddenly felt something extremely cold rush out of the room, heading straight for the trees closest to the ward.

There was something in the treetops. From that place, a shrill scream came.

The thing that rushed out of the ward was too fast. He only felt it, and Xu Huai didn’t even have time to react.

It was too dark outside the window. He couldn’t see anything with the naked eye.

Considering that the thing that rushed out of the ward might be the ghost clinging to Xie Jing, Xu Huai didn’t hesitate and immediately took out a yellow piece of paper from his bag, tore the paper into the shape of a small person, opened the window, and threw it out.

As soon as the small yellow paper person was thrown out, it floated upwards as if lifted by the wind, heading straight for the treetops.

Xu Huai narrowed his eyes, watching the small paper person float to the top, and then saw the movement hidden in the treetops.

He saw a black, flame-like entity chasing after a white soul, constantly emitting a chilling aura, as if it were trying to devour the white soul.

The white soul naturally wouldn’t allow the flame to have its way. After realizing the black flame’s intent, it began to dart frantically through the gaps in the treetops.

The gaps between the leaves and branches became an excellent hiding place. As the “battle” intensified, the speed of both increased, and in the end, only afterimages remained.

[Don’t chase me, don’t chase me, daddy, don’t chase me… I was wrong!]

The white soul cried out, its voice filled with sobs. It seemed to have reached its limit, and even its soul was starting to fade.

Xu Huai’s expression changed slightly. This voice sounded a bit like… the little boy who had inexplicably appeared in the room earlier?

The black flame turned a deaf ear to the begging for mercy. Taking advantage of the white soul’s momentary slackness while begging for mercy, it pounced on it without mercy.

Soon, the small white dot that had been wrapped in the black flame completely disappeared, and only the black flame floating in the air remained in the treetops.

The yellow paper person next to it stared blankly at the brutal black flame, its paper-like body trembling with fear.

[!]

And the black flame appeared to have just realized that their battlefield had an additional “audience” at some point. It was now gradually moving toward the paper person’s position.

At this moment, Xu Huai sensed a chill running from the soles of his feet to the top of his head, as if he realized that the “thing” was perilous, and he felt an instinctive resistance due to the vast difference in strength between the two.

Only two words remained in Xu Huai’s brain: Run away.

Earlier, to see clearly what the things on the treetops were doing, Xu Huai had placed part of his senses on the paper person, which meant that Xu Huai was, in a way, no different from standing in front of that black flame himself.

Now, Xu Huai was that yellow paper person.

Before he could retract the senses attached to the paper person, in just a moment of stunned disbelief, the black flame had already appeared in front of the paper person.

After “digesting” the white soul, the black flame became larger and more solid. It could completely… even easily… wrap the fragile paper in it, permeating every inch, every gap, with a cold touch.

Xu Huai’s face turned pale.

He had quickly retracted his senses after the cold feeling wrapped around him, but he still felt something cold lick his neck in the final moment of escaping the paper person.

Xu Huai stared fixedly at the ink-like night outside the window, and subconsciously raised his hand to his neck, where the touch had come from.

…That thing was a pervert.

Xu Huai cursed inwardly.

Little did he know that all of this had been seen by the person on the bed behind him.

And in a place where no one noticed, that person’s Adam’s apple bobbed, and the corners of his lips curled into an almost malicious smile.

He couldn’t spit out a few good words, and he didn’t know what to say and what not to say… but he did say one thing correctly.

–Yes, it was indeed fragrant.

Just going to watch the commotion and being so offended, even Xu Huai rarely felt annoyed.

That thing, whatever it was, had actually licked him?!

It dared to lick him?!!

But thinking about the fear that had inexplicably welled up in his heart just from being stared at by that thing, Xu Huai immediately calmed down.

Xu Huai knew that his physique was special, and that thing had just licked him, so he was even more vigilant now.

Although his sixth sense was no longer accurate and couldn’t determine whether that thing was genuinely threatening, he had indeed witnessed that flame consume that soul.

This meant… that thing was indeed not simple and couldn’t be dealt with by ordinary means.

Not to mention that the Evil-Dispelling Talisman on him had already been used, and there were currently no conditions for drawing an Evil-Dispelling Talisman in this ward. He didn’t have the materials or the yellow paper.

Without anything to protect him from evil spirits, wouldn’t going out rashly be purely sending food to that ghost?

That thing originally came for Xie Jing. If he left Xie Jing alone in the ward, wouldn’t that be precisely what it wanted?

Xu Huai’s eyes darkened.

Considering it this way, he truly couldn’t be provoked into leaving this ward impulsively.

While he was thinking, Xu Huai heard movement from the bed behind him. When he turned around, he saw Xie Jing, wearing a hospital gown, preparing to get out of bed.

Xu Huai stood not far from the bed by the window. He subconsciously considered offering assistance, but just as he took a step forward to help, his vision went black again, and he nearly collapsed to the ground.

His body fell forward uncontrollably. The anticipated pain of hitting something didn’t arrive, but he did collide with a slightly cool body.

Xu Huai’s face appeared to have collided with the other person’s neck, and he distinctly heard the other person’s muffled groan very near Xie Jing’s cheek.

The slight discomfort coming from his jaw made Xu Huai realize that his jaw had accidentally bumped into the other person’s collarbone.

A strong hand also supported his lower back. The hand’s owner seemed very natural, as if he were embracing the man in his arms.

A clear, slightly bitter, woody fragrance entered his nose, and Xu Huai’s eyelashes trembled slightly.

“Are you okay?”

Xie Jing’s lips were extremely close to Xu Huai’s ear, so close that Xu Huai could feel the other person’s slightly cool breath when he spoke.

And that coolness drilled in through the seams of the clothes on his shoulders and neck, causing Xu Huai to shiver involuntarily.

The woody fragrance and the slightly cool temperature from this person’s body made him feel extremely comfortable for some reason. When he was wrapped in the somewhat bitter fragrance, it was as if his whole body had fallen into a forest bathed in sunlight, and his soul seemed to be soaked in a perfectly warm greenhouse and nourished…

His consciousness also lost control and began to fall into the unknown depths.

“Xu Huai?”

As Xie Jing’s voice fell, a chill ran up Xu Huai’s waist, and it was this chill that gradually cleared Xu Huai’s somewhat turbid brown pupils.

“…Hmm?”

The breath that Xu Huai hummed out was a little hoarse, and the slightly upturned ending sound swirled in Xie Jing’s ears at this time.

This sound wasn’t much different from the strange, coquettish sound made by a fluffy little animal to attract its owner’s attention.

The only difference was that Xu Huai’s sound had a hundred times higher level of lethality to Xie Jing than an ordinary fluffy little animal.

Xu Huai then realized that he had been leaning on Xie Jing for a long time. Even now, his hand was still on Xie Jing’s firm chest, feeling Xie Jing’s strong heartbeat coming from under his palm.

But even after he had recovered, there was still a strange impulse deep in Xu Huai’s heart:

–He still wanted to get closer and didn’t want to push the person away.

Xu Huai bit his lower lip, and the pain and bloody taste exploded in his mouth. The physical pain covered his consciousness, and the strange thoughts that were about to go off track were forcibly pulled back.

Damn it, why did he have these thoughts?

Could it be that the ghost fire possessed him after being licked by it?

Xie Jing’s wrist gripped Xu Huai’s hand against Xie Jing’s chest with some force. Xie Jing used one hand to hold Xu Huai’s jaw, forcing Xu Huai to look up.

“Let go, you’re bleeding.”

Xu Huai’s strength was not small, and blood overflowed from the cut at the corner of his lips. Before it could flow down, it was wiped away by the man’s fingertips, and at this time, that slender finger was also stained with a touch of bright red.

Xu Huai, who was gradually recovering, realized that the distance between the two was too close, completely crossing the ordinary social distance, and subconsciously leaned his head back.

The other person also withdrew the force holding his wrist, and Xu Huai took a step back.

He didn’t help the person, but was helped instead.

When he met Xie Jing’s dark pupils with a concerned look, Xu Huai was a little embarrassed.

“…Thank you.”

This sound made Xie Jing’s eyes widen even further, but his slightly lowered eyes hid the surging emotions within.

He had buried his face in his neck and rubbed it gently just a moment ago, but now he was saying thank you as if nothing had happened.

After this sentence, he received no response from Xie Jing. Xu Huai sent another apologetic glance after offering his apologies.

This time, Xie Jing reacted: “It’s okay, I’ll just go wash up.”

With that, Xie Jing raised his foot and walked towards the bathroom.

Soon, the sound of rushing water echoed in the bathroom. Xu Huai stood there, momentarily dazed, before turning his head back to the window.

…The dizziness he had just experienced wasn’t unfamiliar. He had experienced it before.

This situation typically occurred after drawing talismans. It resulted from expending too much energy during the drawing process. The darkness in front of his eyes after he drew that talisman on the window with rainwater was the same.

This fatigue had been coming too quickly in the past two days.

It was as if his energy was being consumed out of thin air. The blue bar in his game was like a broken jar, constantly leaking outwards.

Was it because he went to bed too late last night and then went to Xie Jing’s villa twice today, causing his stamina bar to drop and his blue bar to drop together?

Xu Huai raised his hand and looked at his palm.

…That made sense. That’s why they say that the body is the capital.

But, what else?

What was the reason for that strange impulse to stick to Xie Jing?

Was he truly possessed by evil?

Xu Huai took a deep breath and drove the complicated thoughts out of his mind.

He shouldn’t have taken this job rashly.

There were too many unexpected situations this time, and he felt that it wouldn’t be a good thing.

He should solve it quickly.