No Way Out (1)

"What did you say? Are you cursing me to death?" Shen Minyao shot the grim reaper a scathing look. If looks could kill, he would have dropped dead with the way the fox woman glared. 

"Your mere presence made it agitated and angry." He pointed out as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. 

"But I wasn't the one who chased it away. It was you." The fox woman frowned, crossing her arms over her chest as she paid attention to the grim reaper. What was she doing here with him anyway? Shouldn't she go and check on her human contractor rather than wasting her time here? 

The grim reaper examined the traces left on the old man before pulling out an old pocket watch, the ticking sound effectively taking Shen Minyao and Xiao Bai's attention. Once the minute hand struck 01:25, the old man sucked in a deep breath for the last time before he allowed himself to succumb to death. 

"Lord Hell, is this why you are here?" Unlike the fox woman, Xiao Bao talked to the grim reaper politely. It wasn't like he was afraid of this grim reaper, but he would rather avoid making an enemy out of him while warding other demons by keeping him by their side. Wouldn't killing two birds with one stone be considered solving their problems? 

"Hn." The grim reaper only glanced at Xiao Bai but didn't say anything in return. His cold, indifferent expression was something both the fox woman and Xiao Bai expected from a grim reaper like him. 

Meanwhile, it was obvious that Shen Minyao was not only pissed off by this grim reaper but also with the possibility of being chased later by the wraith. This only meant that she would have to deal with it first before she could see Zhao Yichen and Yu Yan that were waiting for them. 

As the machine beeped and was followed with a flat line showing that the old man's had expired, the nurses and a doctor outside came in a hurry and checked on the patient, while the grim reaper and Shen Minyao stood aside, both invisible to the human eyes. 

They watched as the humans tried to resuscitate the patient in vain. Its spirit had completely left its body and turned into a soulless wraith filled with hatred and despair. While the humans shook their heads and gave the grandson a pitiful look for being left on his own without any relatives to look after him, Shen Minyao and the grim reaper had blank expressions on their faces. 

Obviously, this wasn't the first time they saw someone die, especially the grim reaper. Even in emotion-evoking situations like this, they didn't appear moved in the least. Both hadn't felt any sympathy for the humans as they watched the teenager wail over his grandfather's death. They were more curious as to the reason why the old man's spirit had turned into a wraith. 

"I don't know what's more appalling about humans. Is it their greed, or is it their inability to let go of the reasons that are pinning them down?" Shen Minyao muttered next to the grim reaper that hadn't said a word since the old man died. 

The young man continued to weep next to his grandfather, muttering words on how the old man left him on his own this early. 

"You shouldn't have confronted them, old man. Even if they cheated us—even if they took everything from us… you shouldn't have been reckless in putting your own life in danger," He said in between his tears, which gave Shen Minyao and the grim reaper a gist of what could have happened. 

It seemed that the intense hatred and anger this old man had was caused by his own relatives who undermined and schemed against him and took over their company under his nose.

"Is there no other way to kill the wraith?" Shen Minyao questioned the fat white cat on her shoulder. With how huge and heavy this fat cat was, if the fox woman's new host hadn't acquired her inhumane strength, Shen Minyao would never be able to withstand Xiao Bai's weight. 

"Well, wraiths are very powerful creatures and are, therefore, extremely difficult to overcome." The fat white cat explained. "They can only be defeated by a holy presence or weapon. As they are beings of pure evil, they are not able to withstand holiness of any kind and will either be forced to retreat or be destroyed by the opposing force." 

"So that means even Mr. Grim Reaper here has no chance of winning against that wraith?" Shen Minyao chuckled and gave the grim reaper an arrogant look. 

Grim reapers weren't holy creatures. They were more like minions of the netherworld that could only follow the duties given to them until they redeemed themselves, enough to enter the spirit realm. This grim reaper might be able to chase it, but it could not really annihilate it unless he had a holy weapon that could completely obliterate it. 

"At least I'm not the one hunted later by that same wraith," the grim reaper said with a straight face, which made the frown on Shen Minyao's face deepen. She didn't expect that he would talk back to her, given how stiff and cold he was standing next to her. 

"If it is the most common wraith we know, then you are in trouble, demoness. It won't stop until he captures your soul, and you'll wander for eternity just like it." He added, clearly reminding her of the situation.

The fox woman hummed and rubbed her chin thoughtfully. While it was true that she had encountered a wraith in the past, her knowledge about them was quite limited because of its rarity. For someone like Xiao Bai and Yu Yan who had a vast understanding of how the human and spirit realm worked, it was only natural that they knew more about a wraith than her.