Chapter 139 Nights Errand (2/2)
Lin Feng eased the car to a halt somewhere near the other side of the lake. ”There's no more way ahead. I guess we have to get closer on foot.” With a dramatic swish of his hand, three of his throwing knives appeared between his fingers like magic; the steely tips glinting precariously in the moonlight. ”You just can't stop showing off, could you?”
We got down and walked upwind towards the spot where my spirit eagle was waiting, the frigid breeze of the night slamming crisply into our faces as we traveled. The rapid industrialization of the area caused a perpetual mist to linger no matter day or night. Through the diaphanous veil, the moon reflected off the stagnant waters of the pools, painting the view before us in an eerie green. With the coldness of the winds that reached deep into our bones, this was hardly a place I would enjoy staying a minute longer.
We waded through the thickets of undergrowth and finally reached our destination, where we were already shivering from the stabbing cold. With a wave of my hand, the spirit eagle vanished into a thin wisp of smoke that returned into my Spirit Gourd. I left it uncorked, pointing its mouth at the lake. With my lips reciting a spell, the still waters of the lake began churning uncontrollably, until a black figure emerged from the bubbling waves and into the air and was drawn into my gourd.
A confused ”huh” escaped my lips. ”Why?” Lin Feng asked, ”Something wrong?” He saw the doubtful frown on my face and Chongxi was the first to answer, ”Haven't you noticed, Brother? Did you not notice something is different today in how the spirit was seized?” ”Ah! I see! You and I were able to see what was being seized!” He slapped on his forehead. ”We have never been able to see anything and could only hear a little sound at most before! But this time, somehow we're able to see what was being sucked into Shiyan's gourd!”
Yuanyuan and her friend, however, did not understand a word we said. ”What's going on, Lin Feng?” she asked, ”Is there anything wrong?” ”Not really,” I interjected, ”Just that, in most cases, the physical body of an entity would remain as a lifeless corpse whenever I use my magic to draw its soul into my gourd. This is in fact the first time that an entity, with its physical body included, was swallowed a whole into my gourd.” Still suspicious that my magic worked, I shook my gourd and listened. Hearing some groans emitting from inside, I was finally satisfied. My magic had not failed. Only then, I put away my gourd.
Despite the inconsistency that occurred when I used my spell, I was convinced that everything worked fine. It was time for us to leave. More so, with Chongxi's incessant gripes and whines about the cold. He urged us to return to the car, and we did, allowing me no more time to reflect on what happened.
On the journey back, Lin Feng and Chongxi were chatting. They had expected a gritty struggle from the malevolent spirit, not a simple and facile undertaking that had been settled in mere minutes. Only an entity with more than a century of age and magic could inflict a noticeable wound on a human with just a simple grip like the one on the injured man who came with his wife. Entities of such maturity would surely defy against any attempts to pacify or subdue them. But why was this demon allowing itself to be so easily seized by us?
Back at the Center, I had Lin Feng sent off his girlfriend and her companion. It was time we had a true look at the demon and it was dangerous for them to remain in case things turned hairy. In any case, the experience of what might happen could be traumatic to them.
We waited for Yuanyuan and her friend to leave first, then we shut the doors and drew the curtains. The curtains have been enchanted by Father before we hung them. Only demons or entities with more than thousands of years of age and power could escape from the Center as long as the curtains held.
I uncorked my Gourd and recited a spell quietly, conjuring the entity from within it. Following a loud whistle, a black fume sprouted out and formed a blob that gesticulated before us and turned into a naked humanoid figure. Our eyes set upon the grotesquery that materialized before us: a thin and dark furless ape of a demon with long slender limbs. Its four sharp, protruding claws glistened in the eerily dim light as we held our breaths, not only to be wary of it, but also because of the fetid stench of rot that it gave off.
The dark, vaporous form slowly stiffened as it fully materialized and the demon peered at us. Our eyes locked for a moment. But instead of baring its fangs or its eyes flaring with malice, the demon dropped to its knees! Its shoulders began to tremble with fear and the demon began prostrating itself humbly before us, groveling at our ankles while begging for mercy!