"Where is he?" Yan Long asked.


    His senior brother sighed and shook his head. Then he pointed back to their dorm that he a and BaoBao shared.


    "I''ve been trying to open the door, but he won''t let me in."


    "...Let me try."


    Yan Long got close to the door and knocked very lightly.


    However there was no sound at all.


    "BaoBao, are you there?" He said gently.


    "B-brother Yan?!"


    From inside of the room, Yan Long could hear some shuffling, but then it stopped.


    "N-no you can''t be Brother Yan!"


    Yan Long grew confused.


    "Baobao, what''s the matter?"


    "Shut up! Shut up! I beg of you, stop haunting me!"


    He cried in fear and his words was making no sense any longer.


    "If you want to kill me, then do it! Stop torturing me! I-I can''t take it any longer!"


    Yan Long had a fear in his heart and immediately forced the door open.


    Boom!


    The door flew into pieces as it shattered.


    Yan Long and his senior brother walked in only to see that BaoBao had a large axe next to his neck.


    "Stop!" Yan Long moved like the wind and instantly kicked the axe away. In a rage, he looked at Baobao as he was about to reprimand him!


    However what he saw instantly made all his anger fade.


    Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.


    In front of him was Baobao...but he was much thinner, scarily so. Yan Long still remembered BaoBaos cheerful laughter as they shared woe together.


    "B-baobao?"


    He even questioned it himself.


    Baobao looked at Yan Long. Was his eyes deceiving him?


    "B-brother Yan? I-is that really you?"


    Yan Long held him at his shoulders as he looked closer.


    Baobao had baggy eyes from sleepless nights, a wrist the width of a stick, and eyes that seemed to have lost its light.


    "Its only been 6 days since we last met, why are you like this?"


    Baobao looked towards the door in fear. Still afraid of whatever was beyond it.


    He opened his mouth, "I-I''m haunted by a demon!"


    Yan Long and the senior brother looked at one another.


    "A demon?"


    Would they just toss it aside and make fun of him? No. After all, what they saw before them might be even worse than what some demons can do.


    "What demon is it?"


    "I-I don''t know. All I know is that when I fall asleep, it would appear in my nightmare. Whenever it does...."


    He looked at them with a pitiful cry.


    "It would eat me."


    He held his arms close to his chest.


    "Every sensation, every time, it would come and bang on the door."


    He began saying all of his hardships.


    "Even when I shut the door and never open it, it would somehow appear inside the room."


    Yan Long could clearly see his utter fear. He embraced his poor friend and patted him on the back.


    "This isn''t a dream. I''ll protect you Baobao!"


    Baobao tried to keep his cries stuffed inside, but somehow the warmth of the hug simply let it all slip. He tried to talk, but Baobaos throat was stuck from his sorrow.


    It felt like he had finally...finally woken up.


    [Hmm...This is..]


    Yan Long spoke to his ring.


    "Master, do you know what this is?"


    [I''m not sure. But from what I heard and what I saw...It should be a curse.]


    "A curse...but who would do such a thing?"


    [That''s why curses are so complicated. They have no form, no will, no desire. They only execute the users wish! To trace it back to the user would need someone of an equal or higher realm.]


    "Even master can''t tell?"


    [You and I are protected from curse through our innate physique. If they were to get close, our flame of dao will burn them.]


    Just then, the old master had a bad feeling.


    [This is bad!]


    "Master!?"


    [Although we have resistance with the flame of Dao, that only means we have a resistance! You could also be taking a attack by the curse right now!]


    "Do you mean that their purpose isn''t BaoBao, but–"


    [Immediately head to Heavenly medicinal Valley! Only they have a way to tell if you have been hit with a curse! Otherwise, it''ll be too late when they strike!]


    "Alright! Let me bring BaoBao with me."


    Meanwhile all this was happening, Yan Ji was finally in another town a couple of dozen of miles away from the town that Yan Long was in.


    He was dressed in a scholars robe while sitting on a porch of a business.


    Yan Ji was really lucky!


    He stole the scholars clothes from behind a house, and not only that, he also got a bag of money!


    Though it was only mortal money like silver.


    Thankfully he already knew how to use it.


    "I must have the devils luck haha!"