The Snow Emperor and the Little Plum

Chapter 19

A hungry ghost. It's what is left of those who have died a horrific death or have regrets from their life that they cannot be reincarnated. They eat the flesh of anything dead and have the tendency to rip apart anything that moves, often dragging them down to dark tombs to rip their victims to pieces and eat them.

To be honest, Yecao Cao was surprised that there was only one considering the number of dead bodies. Maybe the rest has been killed by the demons who did not like neither Egui or Jianshi.

The Egui bent its limps the wrong way and moved over the ground like a spider. The sight was enough to send shivers through the harden warriors that guarded the Zhiji.

"Zhiji? What should we do?" asked An Xi who seemed more level headed while An Dan grimaced.

"Kill it of course!"

"Don't attack if it doesn't attack us," Yecao Cao commanded which left the two men bemused.

"Why?"

"Because it is excruciatingly hard to put down an Egui. Ordinary steel doesn't work on it and its limbs continue to move even after they are cut off," Yecao Cao explained and they all back away slowly.

"Then how do you stop it?" asked An Dan who became more agitated by the minute as the horrid creature crawled toward them.

"You will have to ask one of the cultivators from the sects. They specialize in hunting Egui."

"Then can we outrun it?" An Xi asked.

"Let's hope so for our sake," Yecao Cao muttered. The Egui opened its giant jaws and let out a screech sending a chill down Yecao Cao's spine. "Run!"

The two men dashed away while Yecao Cao held his ground as the hungry ghost threw itself at him.

"Zhiji!"

Yecao Cao did not turn around and closed his eyes. He raised his arms and focus his chi towards the palm of his hand. Just a small amount as he knew he most likely would need it later to fight demons. He just prayed it was enough when he slammed the Egui over the chest with his palm.

A deafening sound echoed among the ruins as the chi was released from Yecao Cao's pawn into the Egui who flew into the air across the street into a building with a loud crash. Yecao Cao grimaced and grabbed onto his hand which ached at the impact. He had no idea that this would actually hurt him to the point of his wrist swelling.

An Dan and An Xi rushed back to his side. An Xi grabbed onto him and immediately noticed his wrist.

"That was impressive, have you had training in cultivation?" gushed An Dan who soon also noticed his wrist. "I guess not. That was reckless."

"Yeah, I might have underestimated cultivation. Still, I did it to earn us some time. Let's get out of here before-"

A low growl signaled to the three men that it was too late as the Egui rushed out of the building now enraged by the attack. Its body was slightly bent as the impact had broken the spine but that did not hinder the hungry ghost from attacking them.

"Fuck!" An Dan pulled up his spear with a stiff grimace, determine to hold the ghost back to protect his master.

Yecao Cao was just about to rush over to slam the Egui away, not giving a damn about his own body when a gentle clink froze everyone there. Time seemed to slow down as another clink echoed. Yecao Cao recognized the gentle music of a guqin. Each tone seemed to send purifying shockwaves through the village and the Egui screamed as its skin burned.

Yecao Cao looked up to see three figures standing on top of the roof. Each had long, flowing, white clothes that seem to hide them among the thick smoke. Another jingle sounded from the figure in the middle. A far taller figure compared to the two beside him. The other two rushed down to land in front of Yecao Cao. A young man and girl stood in front of him with focused eyes lingering on the Egui. They send charms to trap the Egui, but the charms burned off the moment they landed onto the Hungry Ghost.