Chapter 167 - Lower Demon (1)
"Unfortunately, we don't have the information about that yet," Mu Qing replied.
Until they were able to meet Xuan Yanrui face to face, they wouldn't be able to know what his other capabilities might be. If only they got first-hand information from the demons he got involved with… but unfortunately, they all had fallen by the hands of Shen Minyao even before they could get the answer they needed.
However, this only proved that the recent demonic activities around the city were caused by Xuan Yanrui's interference with the other demons. As to how he was able to convince the other demons to do his bidding, it was still a mystery to Mu Qing.
"I see." Shen Minyao nodded, clearly understanding that they could only wait and see what would happen next before they could make a move against Xuan Yanrui.
"If that's all, we will be on our way now," Qin Zhi said before taking his spot at the driver's seat, closing the door next to him.
"You know where to find me if you need me," Shen Minyao told Mu Qing.
She ignored the three humans who were listening intently to their conversation. It seemed that she had made up her mind not to get involved with them anymore, which pained Li Fei'er.
Qin Zhi gave Li Fei'er one last look from the dashboard mirror of his car before they drove away, leaving the four behind. Once they were at a safe distance, far from everyone's earshot; he confronted his sister.
"Mind telling me what the grim reaper told you earlier?" He asked Shen Minyao, his eyes never leaving the road. "If you are worried about being exposed, you need not worry about it."
Qin Zhi surmised that whatever Mu Qing had told her earlier had somewhat disturbed her. She was still on the run. If the Li family found out about her whereabouts, she would have no chance to fight against them.
By this time, his subordinates should have cleaned the traces he and Shen Minyao left at the kindergarten to confuse the humans who might check the place later. It should be enough to derail them from finding Shen Minyao, and yet, she had purposely revealed it to Li Fei'er—about her being a demon; which was reckless in Qin Zhi's opinion.
"No, that's not it." His sister shook her head and decided to keep her gaze out of the window.
"Then, what is it?" He probed. It couldn't be 'nothing', considering how bothered she was after having a word with that grim reaper.
"Mu Qing said that the spirit that possessed Peng Weijin could be Xuan Yanrui." Shen Minyao chuckled. "I didn't expect that his spirit had been roaming the earth, waiting for my awakening."
Qin Zhi almost lost his cool upon hearing what his sister said. Of course, he knew who Xuan Yanrui was. He was the late emperor, the man his sister married in her past life as Su Daji. So how could Qin Zhi not know how dangerous Xuan Yanrui could be?
"He's after you?" He questioned. Qin Zhi knew the answer already, but he wanted to hear it from Shen Minyao's mouth.
"It seems like it." Shen Minyao hummed as if she couldn't be bothered with it.
"You should be careful. You know how he held so many grudges against you," Qin Zhi reminded her.
He hadn't forgotten how much Xuan Yanrui hated his sister after finding out that she had bewitched him and used him against the other humans like a plaything that he was.
"I'll be troubling you to find out everything that has happened to him since my passing," Shen Minyao told him calmly.
"I should have paid more attention to what happened after you and Jiu left." Qin Zhi's grip on the steering wheel tightened. His sister shouldn't be dealing with this problem now, had he made sure that Xuan Yanrui had crossed the border and entered the spirit realm after his death.
The rebellion against his kingdom led by Jiang Mo had caused Xuan Yanrui to lose his power over the empire. He was killed in the war by Jiang Mo himself.
"He must have hated me that much to refuse to leave the mortal realm and wander around as a malevolent spirit until he became a demon." Shen Minyao's next word brought Qin Zhi back to reality.
"He possessed a human body for twenty years. How was he able to do that?" Qin Zhi frowned. Not many demons were able to possess a human for so long. Most of the time, death was inevitable after a few years.
The longer the demon possessed a human body, the more damage it would leave on its host. This was why many humans, who were previously possessed by demons, lost their minds and didn't live long after the possession.
Since Xuan Yanrui forced Peng Weijin's soul out of his body and broke it beyond repair, it was surprising—even for Qin Zhi—to hear that Xuan Yanrui was able to preserve Peng Weijin's body for all those years.
"Who knows what kind of sorcery he'd learned over the centuries?" Shen Minyao shrugged. "He's quite persistent, if I may say so."
"So, what's the plan now?" Qin Zhi didn't like what this information entailed for his sister. It only meant she would need to avoid not only the shamans hunting her but also confronting Xuan Yanrui anytime soon.
"What else could I do? He knows who I am and where I live. Such a foolish man. He thought we are on the same level, now that he's also a demon." She scoffed.
Shen Minyao didn't want to admit it, but she was annoyed by the fact that the one trying to toy with her was Xuan Yanrui. She knew well how Xuan Yanrui played with his victims first before giving them a cruel death. Now that he became a demon, she had no doubt that it only made him more dangerous than ever.
Many humans he'd killed in the past were left with their bodies severely mutilated and beyond recognition. These were the reasons his negative energy was so strong that the fox woman couldn't help but feed on him.
'The audacity of that bastard!' She sneered inwardly. Jiang Mo might have killed him in their past lives, but the fox woman would make sure to send Xuan Yanrui's spirit to the deepest part of hell herself.
"Is this why you didn't want Li Fei'er to get involved?" Qin Zhi's voice made Shen Minyao turn her head to him.
She could sense his concern towards Li Fei'er even though he was keeping his distance from her from the start.
"You do know it's for the best. Unless you want her to lose her life the same way we lost her in the past," she retorted. "You better make sure she won't sneak in and try to exorcise Xuan Yanrui on her own."
"Do I really have to?" Qin Zhi didn't think that he had enough influence on Li Fei'er for the young woman to listen to him.
"Isn't she your wife? You should know better: she would defy my words even though I told her to keep her distance. If she doesn't listen to me, chances are… she would do things on her own, regardless of what I told her."
Qin Zhi had no words to refute her claim. Even if Li Fei'er didn't remember her past life, she was still their Feng Jiu. He could see the same defiance in Li Fei'er's eyes when she said earlier that she wouldn't keep her distance from Shen Minyao.
To be fair, he understood that Li Fei'er's attachment towards Shen Minyao was only because of her past loyalty towards her mistress, the one who saved her life in the past. However, Qin Zhi was also aware why Shen Minyao had to keep her distance from Li Fei'er, and he would have done the same thing if he was in her shoes.
"You are forgetting that she isn't my wife anymore. I might be able to protect her from harm, but I wouldn't be able to convince her to listen to you. You are giving me too much credit."
"Heh. You are saying that because you haven't seen what I've seen." The fox woman shook her head and decided to look outside and watch the scenery the busy city offered to her.
"And what do you mean by that?" Qin Zhi asked. Did he miss something?
"You'll have to see it yourself for you to be able to understand. I won't spoil it for you." His younger sister grinned mischievously.
Qin Zhi could only sigh and shook his head.. How could she act like this when she knew that her life was in danger now that Xuan Yanrui was around to spite her? However, thinking about it, it would be out of her character if she suddenly started to act worried upon knowing that her ex-husband was after her.