Spirit Case Files

Chapter 3

"Well then, goodbye..."

"Um?"

Before the unlucky boy could react, the short-haired girl had already stood up, her smiling face as bright as the midday sun.

"Thank you so much for your hospitality. I'll make it up to you next time..."

He stared blankly at the short-haired girl's retreating figure as she walked out of the store, then stared blankly at the lemonade on the table, before suddenly grabbing it and angrily gulping it down in one go.

"If I had known, I wouldn't have ordered these two glasses of lemonade..."

---janeadam

Reply [9]: Since we're already out, Yuan Peilin isn't in a hurry to go back, so he simply walks along the street. We're obviously in a bustling area now. On both sides of the wide road, all kinds of shops stretch endlessly into the distance. As far as the eye can see, there are endless streams of pedestrians and vehicles. The noise and sounds of motor vehicles blend together, making the surrounding temperature rise considerably. In this ocean-like metropolis, I feel like a small fish struggling to swim with the current.

This is a dynamic, bustling city; you hardly see anyone standing still on the streets. Perhaps each walker is heading in a different direction, but their ultimate goal is the same—to struggle for survival in society. That's why their faces show some weariness. Yuan Peilin didn't quite understand the mindset of these weary souls, because Luo was an unusual, leisurely person.

While pondering, I stumbled upon a scene utterly out of place with my surroundings. Behind the bustling crowd, in a corner formed by a stone and glass wall, a small child sat hunched over, tears still faintly visible on his tender face. More importantly, he was clearly a spirit—someone easily invisible to ordinary people. (Note: Spirits can make themselves visible to ordinary people at their own will.)

"Could it be a bound spirit?" Although it looked pitiful, Yuan Peilin still didn't intend to disturb it. Bound spirits are very stubborn, and he didn't want to force it to ascend to heaven, so he could only express his sympathy in his heart.

"Mother……"

Just as Yuan Peilin turned to leave, he suddenly heard the child murmur a cry, then start crying again, tears welling up in his already swollen eyes. The unlucky boy could only sigh and squat down.

"Tell your brother, what's your name?"

The child wiped his eyes, looked up, and answered haltingly, "...Little...Straight..."

"Well then, Xiao Zhi," Yuan Peilin smiled and patted the little guy's head, "listen to your brother, now hurry up and ascend to heaven..."

"No..." Xiao Zhi shook his head immediately upon hearing this, "Mom's spirit has been taken away, Xiao Zhi wants to ascend to heaven with Mom..."

"They've been arrested?"

"Yeah, it was a really, really bad person who caught him. Xiao Zhi hates him so much..."

Yuan Peilin fell into deep thought. Could it be some kind of exorcist? But exorcists only target evil spirits, and judging from this child, his mother couldn't possibly be an evil spirit.

"Xiao Zhi, do you know where your mother was taken?"

"Yeah, I know! Xiao Zhi ran away from there!"

"Then how about your brother helps you rescue Mom?"

Xiao Zhi's eyes widened, and she immediately perked up: "Really? Brother, you're not lying to me..."

"Of course! I, your brother, would be so sure!" he said, and actually hooked his little finger with the child's.

Yuan Peilin made this decision not out of any noble desire to save the world, nor was he a hot-blooded youth who liked to meddle in other people's business. It was simply because Luo had also lost his mother, which made him feel a sense of sympathy for the child, and he couldn't bear to abandon him.

Fortunately, Xiao Zhi wasn't the "earthbound spirit" that Yuan Peilin had initially suspected, which allowed him to guide the young savior. Otherwise, he might have gotten lost, let alone saved anyone. Soon enough, the two arrived safely in front of a large building in a prime location in the city. Yuan Peilin roughly counted the floors; it was over forty stories high, and the sign read "Sifang Group."

Is this the place?

"Um!"

Seeing Xiaozhi's very confident expression, Yuan Peilin did not hesitate any longer and went straight in.

This is a standard office building, and judging from its size and facilities, the group must be very financially strong. The employees are all very busy, constantly running between rooms and floors, and no one notices the young man in a high school uniform among them.

As soon as Xiao Zhi entered, she ran towards a corner on the first floor. Yuan Peilin didn't think much of it and quickly followed behind, stopping only in front of an elevator. Stepping inside, they discovered it was an elevator leading to the basement. Touching the button, the elevator began to slowly descend.

The lighting and ventilation in the basement were excellent, and there was no feeling of stuffiness at all. However, there was an aura that Yuan Peilin found extremely unpleasant. Just as he was trying to find the cause, a tall man in a black suit blocked his way.

"Hey! This isn't a place for you, get out of here!"

Yuan Peilin was certainly not foolish enough to listen to him, and calmly walked over: "I'm sorry, Uncle, I just want to find one person."

"The person you're looking for isn't here! It's best..."

Before he could finish his lines, Yuan Peilin leaped to the side and delivered a karate chop to the back of the tall man's neck. The victim groaned and fell to the floor.

"Wow, brother is so amazing!" The innocent child looked at the abuser with admiration.

"Alright, Xiaozhi, let's go."

"Um."

Similar tall, black-clad men to the one they had just encountered appeared frequently along the road, and their numbers were increasing, some even wielding various weapons. Judging from their physique and agility, they were all skilled in combat. However, this time, they were facing no ordinary intruders.

A man in black let out a strange cry and swung a katana at Harabayashi from behind. Harabayashi, without turning his head, leaped to the side, narrowly avoiding the attack. In mid-air, he stepped on the shoulder of another man in black, leaped forward again, and then executed a beautiful straight somersault, flying over the head of a third man in black. Using the momentum of his landing, he forcefully kicked the man in the back, then charged straight forward. Landing, he continued running with effortless grace, leaving the expensively hired thugs completely bewildered.

Yuan Peilin shook off his pursuers and quickly found a downward staircase, reaching the second basement level. Suddenly, he found himself in a vast, empty space, much like an underground parking garage.

"Brother, that's it! The one that sucked Mom's spirit in!" Xiao Zhi tugged at Yuan Peilin's hand and pointed to the end of the room.

There was a wooden table there, on which sat a strangely shaped object. It looked more like a teapot without a spout, dark in color, and not very large; it could roughly be encircled by two hands when clasped together. The teapot was covered with bizarre patterns.

---janeadam

Reply [10]: "Binding Soul Pot!" A crow had somehow escaped from Yuan Peilin's right bracelet and landed on the boy's shoulder, howling strangely.

"Hmm? What's it for?" Yuan Peilin asked, frowning.

"Any spirit that gets near it will be sucked in and imprisoned inside. So, don't let this little thing get close!"

"Oh, so all you have to do is open the lid and put the contents out?"

"Is that so..."

"That's easy." Yuan Peilin said with a smile, patting Xiao Zhi's head. "Wait here for a moment."

Xiao Zhi nodded obediently. Just then, they heard a commotion behind them. The thugs in black had caught up and quickly surrounded the boy. Yuan Peilin's expression remained calm, and he was about to make a move.

"You useless bastards! Stop making a fool of yourselves here, get out!" A man shouted as he walked in through a small door in the main room. Upon hearing this, the thugs in black silently left.

He was a slightly overweight middle-aged man wearing a very expensive light gray suit. Judging from his demeanor, he should be a senior leader.

"Young man, not bad." The slightly overweight man chuckled, completely disregarding the intruder. "What brings you here?"

"May I ask who you are?" Yuan Peilin asked instead of answering.

"I am the person in charge here, and Sifang Group belongs to me."

"Alright, I'm not interested in knowing why you want to capture spirits, but please release one."

"Release? Which one? I've captured countless spirits."

Yuan Peilin looked at Xiaozhi and patiently replied, "She is a mother."

"A child?" The person in charge thought for a moment, then seemed to understand. "It's the spirit that ran away earlier, isn't it?"

"That should be true." Yuan Peilin saw Xiao Zhi nod.

"I'm sorry, I can't agree to that," the person in charge said through gritted teeth, "If I don't gather enough food, my little guys will be unhappy..."

"Little one?"

Just as the boy was filled with doubt, a strong demonic aura suddenly filled the entire space. Something seemed to gradually rise from the floor in front of the person in charge. Yuan Peilin finally understood what the "little guy" the other party was talking about was.

They were four humanoid monsters, not very large, with skin that shimmered with an eerie brown light. They had two slightly protruding horns on their heads, and their gaping mouths, almost splitting to their cheeks, looked exceptionally ferocious. Their arms did not end in hands, but instead had two sharp "scythes"—blade sickles—like those of a praying mantis.

Yuan Peilin noticed that Xiao Zhi beside him was trembling violently, probably terrified of the monster in front of him, so he gently pushed him behind him.

"So that's how it is. The purpose of capturing spirits is to feed these soul-eating demons." Yuan Peilin touched his neck, his tone tinged with disdain. "No wonder your so-called conglomerate is so impressive. These little guys must have played a significant role in the business wars."

"It doesn't just play a role in business battles..." the slightly chubby manager replied with a forced smile.

---janeadam

Reply [11]: Leaving my name~~~~~ Marking this~~~~~~~UP~~~~~~

---Amy

Reply [12]: As if to confirm the master's words, the four Soul-Eating Demons vanished from their original spot in an instant, turning into several afterimages, and attacked the boy not far away at a speed that ordinary people could not see. Yuan Peilin was somewhat unprepared, and in his haste, he leaned back and bent over, his upper body almost parallel to the ground. A bladed scythe grazed the tip of his nose, and the airflow from the horizontal cut made the boy's face numb and itchy, almost suffocating.

The crisis was far from over. The second Soul-Eating Demon had already leaped above Yuan Peilin, its bladed scythe slashing downwards. Yuan Peilin, in an awkward and unprepared position, could only clap his hands together in front of him, performing a "clever hand against a blade" maneuver to barely stop the scythe. In an instant, the Soul-Eating Demon swung its other bladed scythe at the boy's arm, but Yuan Peilin had already used his waist strength to spin his upper body sharply to one side, throwing the demon away.

The unlucky boy lost his balance and fell to the floor, but managed to roll several times to escape the attack range of the other two Soul-Eating Demons. Forgetting about his appearance, he stood up as fast as he could, only to find four Soul-Eating Demons had surrounded him in an arc against the wall. Their almond-shaped eyes stared at him unblinkingly, like hungry beasts finding their delicious prey.

Being surrounded is no pleasant experience. Yuan Peilin smiled bitterly and shouted at the pure white dove that had just "escaped" into the air, "Crow! How long are you going to stand by and watch?! I'm about to be torn to pieces!"

The head of the Sifang Group, who hadn't moved from the side, burst into laughter: "Young man, have you lost your mind? A pigeon can do...?" Before he could finish the word "what," he stared in astonishment at the so-called pigeon.

The crow's body was growing larger and larger, soon approaching the size of an adult eagle. Its claws were becoming sharper, as if they could easily crush hard rocks. Two tufts of bright red mane extended from the ends of its head, standing upright. Moreover, with a long cry, its entire body exuded an overwhelming and astonishing aura.

The Soul-Eating Demons sensed something unusual. One of them leaped up and swung its bladed scythe at the crow, but before it could reach its target, it was repelled by an unseen force and slammed heavily to the ground. The crow nimbly flapped its wings a few times towards the Soul-Eating Demon, and several faint, arcing blades of wind-formed energy shot towards it. A scream rang out as both bladed scythes and the head were severed. Then, the body turned into a foul-smelling acidic vapor (demons leave no trace after death).

"No...impossible!" The person in charge's calm expression completely collapsed, replaced by fear, and he couldn't help but take several steps back.

At the same time, Yuan Peilin moved as well. He flicked his right hand, sending a spiritual energy bullet hurtling towards one of the Soul-Eating Demons. He had secretly gathered this energy while the Soul-Eating Demons were distracted by the crows. Surprisingly, this Soul-Eating Demon reacted quickly, slashing horizontally at the energy bullet with its bladed scythe. With a muffled boom, the shockwave forced it backward. Just as it regained its footing, its head was firmly clamped between two arms; Yuan Peilin was already behind it. With a piercing sound of bones breaking, the ogre was completely destroyed.

Afraid of the sour smell, Yuan Peilin quickly jumped back. Only then did he see that the crow had returned to normal, and the other two ogres were nowhere to be seen, probably dealt with by the pigeon. He shook his head helplessly; if it had helped earlier, he wouldn't have had to work so hard.

The crow flapped its wings and landed on the boy's shoulder again, saying in a bored tone, "That kid ran away."

Yuan Peilin looked towards where the person in charge had been standing, and sure enough, there was no one there.

Should we go after them?

"Never mind, there's no need for that." After answering, the boy walked towards the Soul-Binding Pot.

Opening the small squeegee at the top of the Soul-Binding Pot, dozens of spheres shrouded in pale white mist drifted out in a sudden burst of light. Most of them disappeared at the far end of the wall, while one of them slowly descended, gradually forming a human figure that became clearer.

"Mom!" Xiao Zhi ran over with tears in her eyes and a bright smile.

It was a woman, no, a gentle mother, her eyes full of love, bending down to touch the child's face: "Xiao Zhi, were you good when I wasn't around?"

"Yes, Xiao Zhi is very obedient." She said happily, then pointed to Yuan Peilin, "If you don't believe me, ask that older brother."

Xiao Zhi's mother stood up, still holding her child's hand, and bowed to the boy opposite her: "Thank you very much for your help."

Yuan Peilin smiled and nodded: "It's nothing, Xiao Zhi is a very cute child."

Xiao Zhi's mother smiled broadly. Yuan Peilin suddenly felt a dazzling light; it must be the radiance of motherhood. Then, a golden pillar of light descended from above, enveloping the mother and child—they were about to ascend to heaven.