The Demon's shadow was right beside him, but when he glanced over, there was nothing there. The Demon's shadow was still present, but only in the reflection on the puddle. Yong flinched in surprise, nearly falling after tripping over his own feet.
"Tsk, why now?" Yong scoffed, annoyed that it was becoming harder to control himself.
Yong stumbled aimlessly. He had left the Golden city and was now in an open field with no one around. His breathing grew heavier, it was difficult to see his surroundings, and his eyes started to feel tired and sleepy.
"No, not now," Yong muttered, grabbing at his own neck.
As Yong fell to the ground, a woven basket also dropped right beside him. A girl approached, slowly coming closer with a worried and anxious expression.
"Are you okay?" the girl asked, sitting down next to him to check on his condition.
"Get away!" Yong yelled, starting to lose control. Fangs had emerged, and black claws tore a small part of the girl's hand.
"Ah!" She cried out in pain. It clearly hurt, even though the wound wasn't deep, but she was determined to help Yong. To her, Yong was enduring a much greater pain than her own.
"Please, calm down! Don't look at that demon! Look at me!" the girl shouted, holding Yong's face with both hands.
But again, Yong pushed her away and clawed her unknowingly. Half of Yong's transformation was already visible, he even hissed like an uncontrolled savage monster.
"Oh my gosh, it's gotten this bad. I can only hope and keep praying that you'll be given a chance," she said, not giving up.
"Get away! Disappear, girl!" Yong shrieked, pushing her, and she fell into the grass.
His two black-clawed hands gripped her shoulders, wounding her. A faint moan of pain could be heard. The girl's pained face made Yong even more berserk.
"Calm yourself. That demon is making you suffer. Please, look at me as not an enemy," she pleaded in a soft voice.
Who this girl was was a mystery, but she intended to help selflessly. Even when her life was on the line, she stubbornly insisted on helping him, even though he was useless.
"Noisy, noisy, noisy! Noisy!" Yong shrieked, repeating the same word over and over, while pulling his hand back, intending to attack her with his claws again.
The girl closed her eyes in fear. She had no other options, but for some reason, Yong's movement suddenly stopped when another person's blood dripped from between his claws.
Not long after, his consciousness returned, and he quickly pulled away, hiding behind a tree, fearful of himself.
"Oh my gosh, I lost control. Did I just kill an innocent person?" Yong thought, his body and voice trembling.
"It's okay. You didn't kill anyone," the girl said.
Yong was startled. He backed away again when the girl managed to get close to him. But he slowly understood the situation, and he let his guard down when he felt relieved.
"Yeah, it's okay. Sorry for scaring you."
It didn't take long for Yong to realize that this girl wasn't just an ordinary girl. Despite her heavy clothing, it didn't hide all her wounds that were slowly healing.
"You should know, we're almost the same kind. It's just that at night, I can heal all my wounds in an instant," she explained.
"Oh, right. First, let me introduce myself. I'm Xiang Lu. What's your name?" she added, introducing herself and then asking.
"I'm Yong," he replied curtly. "I'm sorry," Yong added.
The girl with long, straight hair simply laughed softly upon hearing his apology. She didn't mean to mock him, it was just that Yong's words were a bit stiff.
"Why are you laughing?"
"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to. It's just you're so stiff, even though we're the same age, right? It's okay, besides, there's no one else here." Xiang Lu smiled slightly.
Unlike most people who would have avoided Yong in that state, or even taken advantage of him, Yong didn't feel any clear intentions from this girl. It felt more like she was doing it just because she wanted to.
"Everyone who has helped me, they always want something from me. Tell me what you want?" Yong said firmly, asking without beating around the bush.
"Hm?" Xiang Lu hummed, tilting her head and looking confused.
She then asked, "What do you mean?"
"Why are you asking back? You must've helped me because—" Yong's tone became more elevated, but was immediately cut off by Xiang Lu's rebuttal.
"No."
Xiang Lu slowly shook her head and then smiled.
"I'm doing this because I'm more experienced in controlling evil spirits," she said confidently.
She raised her right palm, and sparkling dust appeared like fireflies. The shimmering blue light briefly looked like a shooting star on her right palm.
"Although it's a bit difficult when dealing with a demon. But in the end, I was able to calm you down," Xiang Lu said once more, then clenched her hand, dispersing the light dust.
"You're also possessed. Cursed?" Yong asked to be sure, keeping a safe distance.
"Yes. I can't go out during the day, only at night. My body has weakened, and my memory fades faster," she revealed.
"Like a creature of the night."
"Yes, that's right. Some of them say I'm an owl girl," she said.
"How long has it been?"
"Since I was little."
This was why she couldn't go out during the day. Walking around with a weak body could only be done at night like this. Even though the weather was so cold, she was so determined to go out and enjoy what was outside her home.
Xiang Lu forgets easily, and her body is also getting weaker, but her ability to control something deep within a person's heart is getting stronger, as is her healing ability, which is almost on par with hell spirits.
"Does that mean you can't be controlled by that spirit?"
Xiang Lu nodded her head and said, "Yes, but my life won't last much longer either. I'll die, and so will the evil spirit here." The smile on her face now looked empty, a far cry from before.
Hearing her say that, of course, Yong couldn't say anything. Yong remained silent without looking at her, while this girl just smiled as if she had no problems.
"What about you? This might be a rude question, but I'm truly curious, since when have you been possessed?" Xiang Lu asked.
"I think I was possessed just yesterday. My body will definitely hurt when I use my sword, and sometimes I start to lose control," Yong answered.
"Your life must be so difficult."
"Not really," Yong said indifferently, turning his gaze away from Xiang Lu's stare.
The feeling the young man was experiencing wasn't guilt; instead, he felt disappointed for being worried about by a girl who had been suffering for years because of being possessed.