38 Eight Gates of Truth and Falsehood 7 (1/2)

”S-S-Second Uncle!?”

Startled to discover Wei Xuan's handsome countenance just inches from her face, An Fei released a shocked cry, ignoring any notion of pretending to be a mental idiot. After she heard her own voice crying in surprise, the girl plopped her mouth shut in fear and bewilderment.

Why did Second Uncle have such a menacing expression? His gaze towards her contained not a single shred of fatherly affection, and was of malevolence and viciousness, as if An Fei had massacred his important family members before his eyes.

”Second…Uncle?”

Wei Xuan drawled in a calm, nearly sardonic voice. An eyebrow shot up to the skies as he observed the young girl before him quiver, the trepidation and confusion contained within those scarlet irises magnifying by the second.

”Second Uncle, Second Uncle…” the minister sneered.

”This Wei Xuan is an only child, and does not have any blood siblings! Demon, depart back to the depths of the Underworld!”

”…Demon?”

Hearing Wei Xuan's barely suppressed fury as he spoke with gritted teeth, An Fei could only become even more confused.

What demon?

There shouldn't have been a demon anywhere, so why was Second Uncle directed such a horrifying gaze towards her? The Second Uncle within her memories was always an easygoing person, amiable and caring of her since she was a child.

Second Uncle shouldn't have changed this much, something must have happened!

Unaware of the thoughts of the girl before him, Wei Xuan's fury peaked when he saw her tilt her head to express confusion. Unable to control himself, the fingers of his right hand lashed forward, gripping An Fei by the throat!

”Demon, return my daughter to me!” he roared in a muted whisper, as if afraid to speak in a loud voice. However, the stern character and determination for vengeance rang true within the words he spoke.

”My daughter's precious soul, return it to this venerate! The lives of humans are not the livestock of you demons!”

”Demon…” An Fei croaked in response, no longer caring to pretend as a confused and bumbling infant as she struggled for air. Gasping for whatever amount of air flowed between Wei Xuan's tight and vice-like grip, the girl mumbled in a partial daze.

”I'm not…a…demon… What demon… are you talking…about…Second…Unc-!”

Hearing the address 'Second Uncle' escape again from An Fei's lips, Wei Xuan's pupils constricted as his blood began roaring with, crashing against the walls of the veins with an ever-increasing furor. An unearthly rage coursing through his entire body, the minister fought to keep himself rational, but ultimately ended up pinching whatever minimal air An Fei could attain.

Suddenly, a white sheet of paper was thrust before An Fei's pale countenance, taking up her entire vision. Her eyes fixated onto the center of the paper, the girl could see a dense, complex symbol of ink spanning over an area of a single square centimeter.

Overhead, Wei Xuan's cold voice rang throughout the study, devoid of any emotion.

”Then what is this demonic symbol, if not a demonic one?” the minister steely intoned. ”The spiritual fluctuations are of an attribute that is unable to be replicated through human means, what else than the Demons and Spirits?”

”However, Spirits are renown throughout the continent to be of generosity and virtue, which only leaves your Demons as the viable candidate. Say, if you are not a demon, then what are you?”

Just as the girl was about to struggle for a reply, Wei Xuan uttered one last statement in an eerily calm voice before roughly tossing the girl onto the linen bed of the study. Her throat burning in pain but no longer clamped by two searing fingers, An Fei took in deep gulps of air, her body limp and devoid of strength.

Ignoring her blurry vision, the girl remained staring at the sheet of paper, or more particularly, the symbol drawn at the center.

…Though she couldn't make out the exact details, An Fei definitely saw violet lights of varying degrees and hues emitted from the characters that formed the symbol, which exacerbated her confusion to an all-time high.

Why was the same type of light that she had observed in the realm of crystal appearing in the study, especially on the symbol she had drawn to enter the mysterious crystal realm?