Chaos incarnate 

4

For all that Xie Lian seems unfazed. The ward situation has been keeping him awake for days now.

What broke it in the first place is probably the most important part yet that's the only part Xie Lian can seem look over.

It's the ending, the fixing of the problem, the resolution if you will. That's what's keeping him up.

Xie Lian did not fix the ward.

No chance.
No way.

Simple as that. He didn't fix it. And if he had he wouldn't have done it like that. He simply hasn't got the power. Not anymore anyway. And he doesn't use spells that reek of demon. He never has and absolutely never will use a demonic spell.

He used to be called the pure jade witch but well... that title has morphed over the decades. Evolved with him, or at least everyone assumptions of him. After his misfortune struck, his name became less pleasant.

White reaper of deliverance

Still a witch. Still pure of demonic contributions. Just... well, not as pure in other senses, his title says it. They think he delivers Devine punishment upon them. And with his apparently large kill count he's not to be messed with. At least that's how the warnings go. They'll never know the truth. The stories will never be fact. Even if Xie Lian corrects them.

They'd never listen anyway.

But back to the topic at hand. He doesn't have any demon friends and is sure to hell he's never make a deal with one. Or will for that matter. Even if Shi Qingxuan jeeps pestering him about his accidentally marriage. He's not married.

What's worse is that the demon smell that lingers around the ward isn't even clear enough to class the caster as a demon. All it tells them is that at some point a demon was around. Be it borrowed power, a stroll by or other things. A demon is linked to that magic. And that makes Xie Lian feel weird.

However the witch isn't all clueless. The spell power that lingers is like a brand. It helps him be able to identify the demon rank that has some form of connection to the magic. Unfortunately in this case it seems... well it's ironically high that's for sure.

Xie Lian is however, also lucky in that the smell faintly matches that which he and Shi Qingxuan smell around the property and country side from time to time. Especially that first night when it was the strongest. Xie Lian wouldn't ever forget that smell.

Far too powerful. Far to family. Like a demon but not quite. It still had so much sweetness. Like a lovely red wine, mixed with the ash of fire and a sill autumn night.

The good thing about it being the demon from before is simple. That should mean, and he really puts emphasis on the should, that the demon isn't interested in them and could even potentially be pursued to help. If the demon, a very high ranked one at that, has possession over this territory, has allowed Shi Qingxuan and hims to stay, stayed out their way and then on top f that had helped protect them...

Not very demon like but not a bad thing either. As long as the stay away and help from the shadows and not demand anything Xie Lian won't have to fight...

Okay so even if he wanted to he'd be far from able to fight. But still he's die trying. For old times sake.

But it may not be that. The demon may not be helping of free will.

They could be bound in a contract to someone who just so happened to want to help the witch. A slightly more natural demon behaviour. But that leads to the question that worries him. Like who even knows he's alive? How did they find him? Why, even if they do know him, are they helping after so long.