''What's wrong?'' Jun Sheng called from the counter as she witnessed crowds of people rushing inside her inn.
''There's a ghost roaming the perimeter of this place!'' One of the fellows roared angrily.
''We've come here to seek shelter from those turbulent beings!''
''THERE'S GHOSTS OUTSIDE!!'' Screamed another.
Jun Sheng reassured hastily ''Everyone, please remain calm! The issue will be managed!''
She sent one of her cultivating workers to battle the trouble while she handled the customers nonchalantly.
After her worker pulverized the minuscule ghouls roaming the inn's perimeter, the customers gave gratitude to the saviour and headed from where they came, safely. Each one bowing as they left.
''What was wrong with the shield, Shijie?'' Her worker, Mei Yang, groaned.
Jun Sheng created a powerful shield surrounding the inn every day to fend off turbulent spirits and beings. The shield didn't have any problem helping out until now.
What was wrong?
She facepalmed as the answer came to her, ''I needed to add more herbs.''
After saying so, she apologized to Mei Yang for the inconvenience and headed to the desolate hill cliff where the herbs would normally grow, but to get there, she would need to pass a gloomy forest that loomed of those perilous creatures. It was like taking a test in order to pass to the next grade.
"Shi jie…" Mei Yang clutched the sleeves of her combat top.
Jun Sheng pursed her lips and shook her head. She covered her hand over Mei Yangs.
One by one, Jun Sheng wrenched her fingers off of her sleeve: "I have to do this. Mei Yang, you know I do."
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Jun Sheng could see the moon that scintillated the trees that surfaced over the ground of the dark forest, shadowing it.
Sooner or later, she entered vigilantly. Each step was as light as a feather; being careful to not trigger any perilous creatures.
Jun Sheng ignited fire from the heat that lingered around her to illuminate her surroundings, then, formed a protection shield that outlined her figure while sheathing her puny, wooden sword.
If anyone saw her forming a shield whilst sheathing a sword, they'd be shocked to the core.
Since, to multitask was a heavily tedious and convoluted thing to do, especially to create a shield, you needed to concentrate your mind and magic for that, but to act on another task would for sure be unfeasible, yet for some gifted reason, it was naught to Jun Sheng.
She didn't know why either, so she only proceeded to do it in private lest someone thinks her a demon.
Alright… Where are you all? Her eyes darted everywhere, breathing heightened.
Rustle, rustle, rustle, rustle…
One of the perilous creature dashed towards Jun Sheng's back!
However, Jun Sheng recoiled around just in time before that thing got to her.
This perilous creature, Child's Deceit, looked like a little, grey, fluff ball but with the horns of the devil.
One would say 'how in the world could this creature cause harm?' until they saw what was hidden inside its' fluff; a red eye that was injected with thin, white bones- the bones of newborns and toddlers.
Child's Deceit would appear in the sights children, coax the child to hug it, and thus, all the bones in that child would blitz forward to Child Deceit's eye for sustenance and the leftover would hide in its fur, injecting the eye to give it room.
Thus, afterwards, Child's Deceit would latch that child's hair (if they had any) onto its red eye, surrounding it, creating the appearance of a fluffy ball… and start the search of its next prey after it yearns for sustenance.
Jun Sheng was dumbfounded on how Child's Deceit kept spawning here and there or what kind of emotion they were formed from but she could only guess that it spawned from an adult's desire to exploit or harm children; pedophiles, child abusers, etc. And, the best thing was that Jun Sheng for sure knew how to annihilate one.
She swung her sword confidently inside its fluff, piercing the eye of the Child's Deceit; blood dripped from inside its fur as its eye was cut, later, it exploded violently with an unpleasant screech.
And after that unpleasant screech, there were screeches audible that echoed through the forest.
Which meant, this Child's Deceit called for its pack at it's tragic end.
Contorted spirit plummeted to the ground, soon disappearing, leaving behind the evidence of its existence. Jun Sheng looked down disdainfully at the slowly disintegrating pile of sticky stuff and mangled hair.
She then gasped, knowing exactly what was coming her way- or flying to be exact, after hearing those ear-piercing screams.
"Hahaha, hahaha, Sister sister...come play with us, please?"
"Why wouldn't you hug me?"
The seemingly innocent voices hindered her and in the brief moment of hesitation, two grey puffs tried to crash into her but were immediately recoiled back by the strength of her shield, making the Child's Deceits intimidate the cries of a tempered child.
She took a couple of steps back, cursing under her breath.
There were approximately 6 or 8 that ambushed all together while imitating the giggles of a child until Jun Sheng slashed each one of their eyes with her puny, wooden sword, dodging successfully as each one would strike forward from time to time.
Her shield was a bit weakened and exhausted after that battle but all she wanted now were those herbs, to finally erect that shield to protect the children within the inn.
Just looking at those creatures made Jun Sheng's fuel ignite.
She dashed to the hill cliff until she saw the back of a female standing at the cliff as her long, straight, black hair became docile to the wind, setting her eyes on the beautiful landscape.
Her clothes were the colour of purity, creating stars in Jun Sheng's eyes- however, she immediately positioned a fighting stance, waiting for the seeming-to-be-ghost to turn around and brawl fair and square.
The herbs that were as tranquil as its delicate leaves danced with the wind were some meters behind that unknown girl. Jun Sheng decided to stealthily take them and leave quickly, she already wasted her magic on fighting Child's Deceits so she wanted to reduce wasting her magic in order to erect the shield.
She tip-toed forward until that girl just had to turn around.
Instinctively she lashed out, to hear a loud 'CLANG