Seventeen

After Zhao Ling left, Li Yuxi stayed in her position, thinking of ways she could avoid Lee Qiang. His threat was something she never took as a joke. Even though Lee Qiang had never raised his hand to her, she still feared that there would be a day that he would do so. Zhao Ling did not understand her fear because he believed he had his ghost powers to protect her. It was not as if he was always around her, which agitated her. Li Yuxi's instincts told her that something was waiting and it had Lee Qiang's handwriting all over it.

Li Yuxi snapped out of her thoughts with a quick shake of her head and climbed down the rest of the steps. The moment she got to the front door and opened it, her phone rang. She rushed out of the house and quickly fished out the phone from her leather bag. Li Yuxi frowned when she saw it was Wang Lifen calling. Ever since she found out that Wang Lifen was dating her husband, she lost the respect she had for the woman, even though it was not her fault.

"What does she want now? I'm on my way to work." Li Yuxi complained and reluctantly accepted the call before placing the phone close to her ear. "Good morning."

"Where are you, Li Yuxi? Do you not remember that we have a meeting in an hour?" Her angry voice made Li Yuxi move the phone away from her ear to roll her eyes. "Li Yuxi?!"

"Miss. Wang," she said and started walking to her car. "I wasn't aware. I'm on my way already."

Li Yuxi did not wait for her reply and ended the call, then unlocked her car. She boarded the vehicle and started the engine then fastened her seatbelt. She slowly moved the car to the gates and pushed a button on her car key, automatically parting the gates. She drove out and pushed the same button, shutting the gates.

As she drove through the quiet neighborhood road, she hummed and drummed her fingers on the steering wheel. The motion stopped when the car lurched to a stop in the middle of the road. She blinked and eyed the fuel gauge— the tank was full. Li Yuxi sighed and started the engine again, but the only thing she heard was a grinding sound and a single click.

"Oh, no, no, no. Tell me the engine isn't knocking," she said in fear and unfastened her seatbelt. She got out of the car and went to the front of the car and popped the hood.

Li Yuxi inspected every part of the engine and scratched her head.

"I don't see anything wrong," she said and closed the hood. "Why is this happening now?"

As Li Yuxi made a turn to walk away, she noticed a sharp and quick movement out of the corner of her eye. She froze from fear and hesitantly turned her body. She became relieved when she saw nothing and shrugged. Just when she was about to look away, a dark and huge smoke formed a few feet in front of her, causing her to stagger and lean against the hood.

The smoke increased by the second to a height of seven feet. Li Yuxi's heart pounded the more she stared and her body became numb from fear when a beast that resembled a bear with thick muscles, long sharp canine teeth, blood-red eyes, and two large horns appeared.

The beast snarled and growled so loud that the windows of her car shattered. Li Yuxi whimpered as tears filled her eyes when the beast hunched over like it wanted to launch itself at her. Li Yuxi swallowed and summoned a little courage. She quickly glanced sideways and then ran toward the driver's side of the car. She screamed when the beast ran toward her and headbutted the car, sending it flying away.

Li Yuxi backed away as the beast growled louder with its eyes glowing more red.

"Please… please, leave me alone," she whispered, hoping the thing understood what she was saying.

Li Yuxi took a cautious step back and the beast lunged at her, hitting her in her side, which sent her flying into the wall of the house across. She grunted the moment her right side hit the brick wall. She could feel her bone crack and her arm go numb from the impact as she fell to the ground. Li Yuxi coughed and groaned on the ground when she struggled to sit up.

The beast growled again and a stray tear ran down her cheek. Fear was not in her anymore as she could already sense that she would not survive whatever the beast would do next. Her eyes slowly shut as her vision became blurry. From her half-lidded stare, she could see the beast scratching its paws, ready to charge at her.

Li Yuxi inhaled and groaned at the sharp pain in her ribs. She began to wonder why Zhao Ling was not saving her or protecting her as he had promised. On hearing the beast growl in its animalistic sound, she parted her lips and spoke through her weak state.

"Zhao Ling…help me."

The few seconds that ticked by felt like an eternity to her when the beast started running toward her. She squeezed her eyes and held her breath to prepare for her death. A whine and thud were heard in the following second, making her open her eyes. She exhaled in relief and smiled weakly upon seeing Zhao Ling's broad back and a long sword poised on his side.

"Be gone, demon of the underworld," Zhao Ling said in a deep and hard tone of voice.

Li Yuxi watched as a cloud of red and black smoke swirled around the beast laying in the distance. The smoke cleared and the beast was gone. Li Yuxi grunted when her ribs tugged, which got Zhao Ling's attention. He ran to her and lifted her upper body.

"Ah!" She screamed at the pain from her side and ribs as he cradled her against his chest.

"Li Yuxi," he whispered her name and cupped her cheek, forcing her to look at him. "Open your eyes, my little mortal. If you dare die on me I will find you in your paradise and drag you back!"

Li Yuxi wanted to smile but the pain grew by the second, which made her cough hard and a splutter of blood came out of her mouth. She panicked at the smell of blood and the warm feel of it on her lips.

"Li Yuxi." Zhao Ling sounded scared and worried. "Do something! Do not let her die!"

Li Yuxi furrowed her eyebrows, wondering who he was talking to.

"I cannot leave her like this! As long as I can feel her pain, I cannot go back to the pit! Save her before she dies! She does not deserve to die," Zhao Ling pleaded.

Li Yuxi started to wonder if he had lost his mind or was speaking to one of his ghost friends.

"Please… thank you." Zhao Ling caressed her cheek and sighed. "I promised that I will not let anything happen to you, did I not? I will not let anyone or anything hurt you. Even though I am away from you. Even until the day you grow gray hair, Li Yuxi. On my honor, I shall keep you safe and…"

Li Yuxi drifted away, welcoming the pull of sleep while ignoring Zhao Ling's scream for her.

‡‡‡

With a sharp gasp, Li Yuxi sat up with wide eyes and a sweaty body. A quick movement in the corner of her room made her flinch until she saw Zhao Ling walk into her line of vision. She sighed in relief and held her forehead. A feeling of forgetfulness dawned on her as she struggled to remember how she was on her bed.

"I see you are awake." Zhao Ling sat beside her and she blinked.

"What happened?" Li Yuxi asked and suddenly a rush of everything came crashing on her. Fear took over her body as she saw the beast in her head. "That thing… What was that thing? Why did it attack me."

Zhao Ling sighed. "Li Yuxi… Listen to me. I want to start by apologizing for not being there when I gave you my word that I would protect you. It is also because of me that you are now a target of the demons from the underworld."

"Excuse me?" Li Yuxi was too shocked to form any other words.

"Li Yuxi, you may not be my savior but… you still saved me and I have made a decision." Zhao Ling said rose and backed her.

Li Yuxi tilted her head to look past his body.

"This is my decision. I will not be returning to the pit with you. I shall stay here and cultivate what is left of my powers until the day my true savior is born… I marked Li Yuxi as mine. I marked her as mine to protect and for her to help me. For now, my mission is to put an end to or teach what honor is to Lee Qiang, my new enemy."

Li Yuxi gasped in awe.