49 A Ghoul With a Soul

"MingYu!" ZhiYi shouted into the night. His feet guided him after the man, but slow movements amidst the ruins made him stop in his tracks. Turning his attention back to what was left of the monastery, beneath the rubble and pieces of wood and crumbled roof tiling, a hunched figure was crawling on all fours.

Blood-red eyes flared in the night. Claws held onto the smashed bricks as YueQin rose to her full height. A long tongue darted out, licking at her own wounds across her arm that a moment ago had been crushed under the rubble.

The Diefa disciples watched the scene with wide eyes. They took a steady step backwards, both cautious and scared of this creature. The order was to retrieve the girl; they had not expected a monster.

"How did she break free from Fan ZhiHao's bandages?" PingZe snarled. He gave a sharp whistle, and the arrows returned to his side, hovering in the air, waiting for his command.

The disciples exchanged concerned, guilty looks. It must have been one of their butterfly blades. Nothing else could cut through Fan ZhiHao's fabric, but the silver he had forged.

Lu YaYan's posture turned rigid as she ordered, "subdue the creature and tie it up!"

These disciples were young demons when compared to the likes of ZhiYi and PingZe. But even though they hadn't lived for many centuries nor battled with many creatures like YueQin, nothing scared them more than the whip of their sect leader. They wouldn't hesitate to finish the job once the order had been given, even if it meant facing a second death. Better face death than the flesh-tearing whip of their fierce sect leader.

Despite their delicate looks and slender bodies, their strikes were fluid and precise, holding immense power. Each swirl of the sword and flick of a wrist were intended to kill or dismember their target. Four flaming swords cut through the still air of the night as they aimed at the still figure within the ruins.

As Lu YaYan's sword steered for the back of YueQin's head, YueQin twisted her neck, biting down on the sword with her ragged teeth.

Lu YaYan yelped in surprise as YueQin snapped her neck back in place, throwing Lu YaYan and the sword off balance and back in the grove. Three other swords cut through YueQin's body, while she was busy with Lu YaYan, but each cut mended itself immediately.

YueQin moved her hands, mauling the disciples, leaving deep gashes across their shoulders and chests. The disciples fell back, flinching from the pain, but their hold on their swords never faltered. They gripped it tightly in their grasps as blood trailed down their arms, trickling over their blades. They raised the swords as the remaining silver butterflies grouped up and attacked YueQin, like a swirling beehive. Every cut they managed to slice over YueQin were stitched up right after the edge of the wing had left her body.

"Get out of there!" PingZe shouted as he ordered his arrows to stab at YueQin, distracting the creature for the younger demons to take cover. The remaining disciples gritted their teeth as they looked at each other for guidance. They had extended their swords to create a distance between them and YueQin, providing false hope of protection against the monster.

"The orders are orders! Subdue her!" Lu YaYan commanded as she climbed up on her feet, holding her abdomen with a hint of pain in her slanted eyes.

"Fall back! Newborn ghouls are far too strong, even for Fan ZhiHao's weapons!" ZhiYi snapped as he drew out his spirit trap rope from within his robes.

The disciples withdrew from the ruins as ZhiYi used the rope as a whip. As he lashed at YueQin, the rope shined like the moon, a blinding silver line within the darkness of the night. It wrapped itself around YueQin. She stood still, turning the two crimson orbs down at the rope. Raising her talon, she tugged at the line.

"What is going on?" Lu YaYan asked in surprise as she regrouped her crew and threw a questioning look at ZhiYi.

ZhiYi cursed as he tugged the spirit trap, tightening it around YueQin, but she didn't even flinch. The spirit rope was designed to evaporate, kill, or wound ghouls and monsters, creatures that lacked a soul. A weapon created in Hell for the death collectors. But nothing happened.

"She still has a soul! The trap won't work!" PingZe hollered as he recalled his arrows and took quick steps backwards. He threw the sword he had taken from one of the disciples back to the girl and said, "Good luck, but I'm out! I'll look for brother MingYu!"

With that, PingZe took off.

MingYu! ZhiYi gnashed his teeth as he pulled the ropes so tight his knuckles turned white. He couldn't let YueQin catch up to him!

Turning to the disciples, he snapped, "You need to fall back, or else she will go for your flesh!"

YueQin sniffed the air and caught the sweet scent of the mortal blood MingYu had left behind. She launched forward with such speed she threw a surprised ZhiYi off-balance, breaking away from the ropes she had pulled out of ZhiYi's hands.

She hurled herself towards the Diefa disciples. Seeing Wang ZhiYi being flung like a straw doll, the young demons cowered in fear and each ran off in a different direction, out of her way. They would rather be ripped apart by their sect leader's whip than be devoured by a newborn ghoul!

YueQin paid them no attention, she had already set her sight on a prey. Scenting the air, she crouched down on all fours and raced after the rich aroma still lingering over them.

ZhiYi hissed as he hurried up and picked up the spirit rope before running after YueQin. He couldn't disperse many times in a day. He had to keep his powers level if he was to protect MingYu.

Cursing under his breath, ZhiYi picked up his speed and jumped, flying across the grove with rapid speed. He could see the shadow of a hunched figure running from between the bamboos.

-

In the meantime, MingYu was running like death itself was on his heels. His muscles were rigid and sore, while his knees were near the point of giving in. His breathing was abrupt, filling his lunges with the fresh scent of moist earth and bamboo. A tangy taste of blood was climbing up his throat.

This monk's body was utterly useless! He couldn't even run well!

A light mist had settled over the grove as he weaved through the forest. Only the sounds of his footsteps hitting the soft soil remained, but he couldn't stop, his body had already entered the last stage of survival. Run until you die of fatigue or be dismembered by YueQin.

Whatever she was now, she could tear apart an entire building. She had launched herself at MingYu back in the monastery. As he rolled out of the way in time, YueQin had crashed through the pillar holding up the front of the monastery, crumbling the entire structure down on herself. MingYu had taken this chance and ran out.

A throbbing pain over his shoulders reminded him of the gash that ran across his back. It would leave a scar. The warm blood still oozed from the wound in small trickles, the gash couldn't heal as long as he was still running and moving the area around.

"Brother MingYu!" PingZe's voice pierced through the night and MingYu's heart jumped with joy. Throwing a glance towards the source of the call, MingYu's heart froze, and with a shrill scream, his stiff limbs picked up the pace.

PingZe was running further back, with a four-legged creature right on his heels.

What the hell? There were seven demons back there! How could they lose to YueQin?

MingYu was sure he was heading towards the edge of the grove. But with YueQin this close behind him, he couldn't run out of the woods, or he would lead her towards the city. Taking a sharp turn right, MingYu ran back to the grove, circling the entire area. A sound of a something sharp striking bamboo could be heard further ahead of him. What the-

Throwing another sharp glance back, he could see PingZe had slowed down, and with the arrow in hand, was trying to keep YueQin at bay.

If YueQin and PingZe were behind him, then who was –

MingYu's eyes widened as further ahead, an old man was chopping down the grove with his little axe. MingYu's steps slowed down to a stop as he reached the man's side.

Huffing like a woman in labour, MingYu leaned into one of the bamboo trees and struggled to keep his breathing steady and his heart beating in his chest.

The old man threw him a disgruntled look but said nothing. He kept chopping at the tree trunk as if MingYu wasn't there.

When MingYu felt like his lunges weren't falling apart anymore, he barked,

"Who the hell chops wood in the middle of the night?"