The gnarly old man who was an ancient weasel demon heard me. It scoffed. "Humph. Why should I answer you? Your cat has caused enough damage to countless of my kin. Come at me if that's you want. Here I am!"
I chuckled. "I always try to be just and forthright in everything I do. I will not blindly listen to his story only because he's of my kin. Rest easy." But my endeavor to make truce hit a brick wall; the old weasel raised a suspicious eyebrow and sneered. "We've come all the way from Yizhou City, doing nothing but good and helpful to everyone we've encountered. It was the boy's mother who came to me for help. She told me that her boy was sick. As a master of healing myself, I decided to help. But when I came, I saw this fox wrecking the boy's life. Here I am, trying to help. Am I to be blamed?"
"You? Good and helpful? Seriously? What about the farmer and his chickens?"
I shook my head, exasperated. "Leave the boy and his family out of your interspecies feud. This is purely between you both." I looked down at the fox sitting at my feet. "You are right in answering the call of your summons. Let's talk about the reason the boy summoned you. You appeared to him and you performed the boy's hateful bidding! You should be stopping him, not collaborating with him! An innocent man almost died! The boy is to be blamed for destroying the cauldron but don't you dare speak as if you're right! Do you honestly think that I don't know the truth?!" My voice rose higher and higher into a thunderous clamor that the fox spirit seemed to shrink in stature and size. The old weasel was sniggering in his corner, sadistically delighted.
"Don't you laugh," I snapped at the weasel, "You are no better yourself. Talk about righteousness and kindness when you were around, robbing chickens from farms all the way from Yizhou City!" The weasel had initially wanted to reprimand me when I began growling at him. But what objections seemed to stuck in his throat when I brought up the chickens. "B-but what about my disciple and my kin... Y-you've landed them into huge troubles yourself..." He mumbled hesitantly. I nearly laughed out loud. "So this old senile is the teacher of the young hireling!"
Realizing that he was in the wrong and there was no way he would win in a fight, the old weasel demon gave a brusque bow and spoke sharply, "Since the matter has been clarified, I'd believe it's best I take my leave now. I'll have no interest in your domestic affairs. Seek me out at the Yellow Soil Ridge if you need me." He waved an arm and magically withdrew all the needles from the unconscious boy before he marched out the door pompously.
The rest of us traded confused looks before we broke into weary smiles. "D*mn, what a fickle one, this weasel is!" But there was nothing we should do; the weasel demon was, at least in this case, doing something good. The time for the reckoning of their other misdeeds would come later.
I switched my attention to the other matter at hand: the fox spirit. "SPEAK! Did you teach the boy the ritual to summon for your help?" I asked fiercely. It started with fear at my voice and prostrated itself at my ankles. "Not me! I did not teach him to, dear Lordling!" "Think carefully. Consider what I'd do if I were to discover that you are lying..." The ancient fox spirit trembled with fear. Groveling and begging profusely, it stammered again, "It's true, my Lordling! It's true! I may be a little eager for some worship, but I did not teach him the ritual!"
Satisfied, I heaved a long breath. I tapped the floor with the front of my foot and the fox spirit looked up. With a tilt of my chin, I motioned for it to get up, which it did at once. "So, you might not be the one who taught the boy the ritual, but you sure as well did help him in his sinister designs. Redeem yourself by healing the innocent man before submitting yourself to my mother willingly."
The prospects of meeting Mother to be punished seemed to be an egregiously terrible prospect as the fox spirit yelped with fear as soon as I finished. But Chongxi asked sharply, "What's that? Is that defiance I detect in your voice?" "No, no, no!" The fox spirit wailed. I motioned for it to leave and it immediately vanished into thin air. As soon as it had left, I placed a call to Mother and told her everything. I could barely hear her voice through the busy mayhem at her end of the line. She must be out with Edelweiss shopping again! With a quick acknowledgment, she shut off the call.
It was time we resuscitate the boy. With a gulp of water from within my Spirit Gourd, I revived him. His eyes opened immediately after I belched the water on him and he sat up, still in the school uniform that he has been wearing ever since he fainted. But the first words to escape his lips were, "What time is it now, Da Li?" He was trying to speak to his classmate! Clearly, he believed that it was still the night he destroyed the cauldron.
With our work done, we walked out of the room. The boy's mother and his classmate, the young lad, was sitting in the sitting area, staring at us with their eyes wide. They were still in shock, especially after seeing a fox appearing out of nowhere suddenly.
I went to the boy's mother and shook her hands. "Please relax. Your son is fine now." She was relieved to hear this, her tense expression loosening finally. She began muttering words of thanks and I chuckled. "There's no need to thank us. Thank him." I pointed to the young lad. "It was he who had led us here in time, else your home would have become an inter-species battleground." The lady could not understand a word I said, but she knew that she owed her son's classmate a thank. "But now," I said to the woman, "I have something to ask you."
The woman let out a soft cry, as if she understood something. "Of course, of course. Silly me! We've not spoken about the payment! Please, inform me of the charges." I smiled and waved her off. "You've misunderstood me. There's no need for payment." The whole matter was the mistake of the foxes to begin with; I should be the one offering compensation to her, much less taking payment.
"But you are the mediums from the De Chang Center for Paranormal Studies, are you not? Do you not need payment..." The mother stammered, bewildered. Apparently, we have become minor celebrities in Wu Zhong after what happened at the Nanjiao Park. The boy's mother could hardly believe her eyes when she first saw us appearing at her doorstep, recognizing us immediately. But now that everything was said and done, instead of charging a steep price for our services, she was further astounded to hear that the work we had done was a gratis service.
"That's right. We are from the De Chang Center for Paranormal Studies. But we do not have a fixed price on our services; it depends on the circumstance whether or not payment should be. Ah, yes. Before I forget, I need to ask you something. Is there anything in your family about certain rituals or something?" The mother sighed immediately. "Of course not! My boy has become obsessed with all these ever since he started junior high. His father is always busy at work and nothing I say could dissuade him from this particular passion of his. I have always feared a day like this might come as a cost of his dabbling..."
The three of us exchanged apologetic looks. "Your son will be weak for now," I said to the woman, "Get him more nourishing food." We went back to the room to check on the son who was still abed. He was already sitting up although he was dazed by everything that had happened. He saw me and cried, "What the...? Wait a minute! You're Murong Shiyan! I saw you on TV!" The boy flipped his leg off the bed. But before he could get up, he collapsed to the ground, still saying, "I can't believe it, it's Murong Shiyan! You're my hero! I..."
I yanked his arm and lifted him to his feet. "All right, all right. That's enough flattering for now. Back to your bed and rest!" I snapped. Lin Feng came over and helped to hold him up by his other arm. Together, we got him back into bed.
The sight of us seemed to have injected a dose of epinephrine into him; he began talking more excitedly, "The news reports that you are merely an investigative agency with no skills in magic! Those are all lies, innit? I knew it!"
The three of us traded bleak smiles again and shrugged. "Enough of the prattle," I said to the boy, "You've been reading too many novels and storybooks. Tell me, who taught you how to perform magical rituals?"
The gnarly old man who was an ancient weasel demon heard me. It scoffed. "Humph. Why should I answer you? Your cat has caused enough damage to countless of my kin. Come at me if that's you want. Here I am!"
I chuckled. "I always try to be just and forthright in everything I do. I will not blindly listen to his story only because he's of my kin. Rest easy." But my endeavor to make truce hit a brick wall; the old weasel raised a suspicious eyebrow and sneered. "We've come all the way from Yizhou City, doing nothing but good and helpful to everyone we've encountered. It was the boy's mother who came to me for help. She told me that her boy was sick. As a master of healing myself, I decided to help. But when I came, I saw this fox wrecking the boy's life. Here I am, trying to help. Am I to be blamed?"
"You? Good and helpful? Seriously? What about the farmer and his chickens?"
I shook my head, exasperated. "Leave the boy and his family out of your interspecies feud. This is purely between you both." I looked down at the fox sitting at my feet. "You are right in answering the call of your summons. Let's talk about the reason the boy summoned you. You appeared to him and you performed the boy's hateful bidding! You should be stopping him, not collaborating with him! An innocent man almost died! The boy is to be blamed for destroying the cauldron but don't you dare speak as if you're right! Do you honestly think that I don't know the truth?!" My voice rose higher and higher into a thunderous clamor that the fox spirit seemed to shrink in stature and size. The old weasel was sniggering in his corner, sadistically delighted.
"Don't you laugh," I snapped at the weasel, "You are no better yourself. Talk about righteousness and kindness when you were around, robbing chickens from farms all the way from Yizhou City!" The weasel had initially wanted to reprimand me when I began growling at him. But what objections seemed to stuck in his throat when I brought up the chickens. "B-but what about my disciple and my kin... Y-you've landed them into huge troubles yourself..." He mumbled hesitantly. I nearly laughed out loud. "So this old senile is the teacher of the young hireling!"
Realizing that he was in the wrong and there was no way he would win in a fight, the old weasel demon gave a brusque bow and spoke sharply, "Since the matter has been clarified, I'd believe it's best I take my leave now. I'll have no interest in your domestic affairs. Seek me out at the Yellow Soil Ridge if you need me." He waved an arm and magically withdrew all the needles from the unconscious boy before he marched out the door pompously.
The rest of us traded confused looks before we broke into weary smiles. "D*mn, what a fickle one, this weasel is!" But there was nothing we should do; the weasel demon was, at least in this case, doing something good. The time for the reckoning of their other misdeeds would come later.
I switched my attention to the other matter at hand: the fox spirit. "SPEAK! Did you teach the boy the ritual to summon for your help?" I asked fiercely. It started with fear at my voice and prostrated itself at my ankles. "Not me! I did not teach him to, dear Lordling!" "Think carefully. Consider what I'd do if I were to discover that you are lying..." The ancient fox spirit trembled with fear. Groveling and begging profusely, it stammered again, "It's true, my Lordling! It's true! I may be a little eager for some worship, but I did not teach him the ritual!"
Satisfied, I heaved a long breath. I tapped the floor with the front of my foot and the fox spirit looked up. With a tilt of my chin, I motioned for it to get up, which it did at once. "So, you might not be the one who taught the boy the ritual, but you sure as well did help him in his sinister designs. Redeem yourself by healing the innocent man before submitting yourself to my mother willingly."
The prospects of meeting Mother to be punished seemed to be an egregiously terrible prospect as the fox spirit yelped with fear as soon as I finished. But Chongxi asked sharply, "What's that? Is that defiance I detect in your voice?" "No, no, no!" The fox spirit wailed. I motioned for it to leave and it immediately vanished into thin air. As soon as it had left, I placed a call to Mother and told her everything. I could barely hear her voice through the busy mayhem at her end of the line. She must be out with Edelweiss shopping again! With a quick acknowledgment, she shut off the call.
It was time we resuscitate the boy. With a gulp of water from within my Spirit Gourd, I revived him. His eyes opened immediately after I belched the water on him and he sat up, still in the school uniform that he has been wearing ever since he fainted. But the first words to escape his lips were, "What time is it now, Da Li?" He was trying to speak to his classmate! Clearly, he believed that it was still the night he destroyed the cauldron.
With our work done, we walked out of the room. The boy's mother and his classmate, the young lad, was sitting in the sitting area, staring at us with their eyes wide. They were still in shock, especially after seeing a fox appearing out of nowhere suddenly.
I went to the boy's mother and shook her hands. "Please relax. Your son is fine now." She was relieved to hear this, her tense expression loosening finally. She began muttering words of thanks and I chuckled. "There's no need to thank us. Thank him." I pointed to the young lad. "It was he who had led us here in time, else your home would have become an inter-species battleground." The lady could not understand a word I said, but she knew that she owed her son's classmate a thank. "But now," I said to the woman, "I have something to ask you."
The woman let out a soft cry, as if she understood something. "Of course, of course. Silly me! We've not spoken about the payment! Please, inform me of the charges." I smiled and waved her off. "You've misunderstood me. There's no need for payment." The whole matter was the mistake of the foxes to begin with; I should be the one offering compensation to her, much less taking payment.
"But you are the mediums from the De Chang Center for Paranormal Studies, are you not? Do you not need payment..." The mother stammered, bewildered. Apparently, we have become minor celebrities in Wu Zhong after what happened at the Nanjiao Park. The boy's mother could hardly believe her eyes when she first saw us appearing at her doorstep, recognizing us immediately. But now that everything was said and done, instead of charging a steep price for our services, she was further astounded to hear that the work we had done was a gratis service.
"That's right. We are from the De Chang Center for Paranormal Studies. But we do not have a fixed price on our services; it depends on the circumstance whether or not payment should be. Ah, yes. Before I forget, I need to ask you something. Is there anything in your family about certain rituals or something?" The mother sighed immediately. "Of course not! My boy has become obsessed with all these ever since he started junior high. His father is always busy at work and nothing I say could dissuade him from this particular passion of his. I have always feared a day like this might come as a cost of his dabbling..."
The three of us exchanged apologetic looks. "Your son will be weak for now," I said to the woman, "Get him more nourishing food." We went back to the room to check on the son who was still abed. He was already sitting up although he was dazed by everything that had happened. He saw me and cried, "What the...? Wait a minute! You're Murong Shiyan! I saw you on TV!" The boy flipped his leg off the bed. But before he could get up, he collapsed to the ground, still saying, "I can't believe it, it's Murong Shiyan! You're my hero! I..."
I yanked his arm and lifted him to his feet. "All right, all right. That's enough flattering for now. Back to your bed and rest!" I snapped. Lin Feng came over and helped to hold him up by his other arm. Together, we got him back into bed.
The sight of us seemed to have injected a dose of epinephrine into him; he began talking more excitedly, "The news reports that you are merely an investigative agency with no skills in magic! Those are all lies, innit? I knew it!"
The three of us traded bleak smiles again and shrugged. "Enough of the prattle," I said to the boy, "You've been reading too many novels and storybooks. Tell me, who taught you how to perform magical rituals?"
