Chapter 860 - Kitten
Ma Jiang's expression was a mix between terror and pain. She shook her head repeatedly while slowly walking backwards, "N-No...this isn't real...I'm still dreaming....this has to be a dream!"
Her mother stood up from the chair, revealing her rotten form. Most of the flesh was stuck to the back of the chair and even more slipped off her bones as she walked forward.
In her panicked state, Ma Jiang stepped on a rock and fell on her back, watching with teary eyes as the corpse of her mother slowly approached her.
The smell of decaying flesh drilled into her nostrils and no matter how hard she tried to hold her breath it still came through.
"You're not-" Ma Jiang spoke up but her mother suddenly bent down and leaned in close enough until each and every maggot squirming in her face could be seen with stark clarity.
"-Real? I'm very real, my love. Do you not recognize me anymore?"
"N-No! You're not her! Mama is still alive! She is just sick. I will find a cure for her!"
The few strands of muscle still hanging from the corpse's face suddenly stretched to create a deep grin.
"Really? You will save her? How? No one will help you and you know you can't do it alone. Soon the boy will find you and take you with him. And then your mother will end up just.like.this..."
"NO! THAT'S NOT TRUE!" Ma Jiang screamed, pushing the corpse away. But her hand went straight through its chest and all the internal organs slipped out one by one.
The corpse burst into a fit of laughter.
"Hahaha! Now look what you have done. Stupid little girl, can't do anything right. Everything she touches turns to dust. This is your fate, this is OUR fate!" it suddenly reached out and grabbed her arms, pushing her against the ground.
Her horrid breath came out in the form of smoke and when Ma Jiang smelt it her eyes became dull. The corpse's voice stiffened, becoming not only more masculine but splitting into several different voices of different ages.
"You have no other choice but to let me out! Give in and accept my power, that is the only way you can save her and yourself. You know it to be true!"
It looked like Ma Jiang had lost the ability to distinguish fact from fiction. She could neither push the corpse away nor resist in any way other than a light tremble.
"No...I can't...I...promised..."
"Yes, you can. You want to save her right? Then this is the only way."
"But...the promise..."
Meanwhile, in the outside world Hao Xuan was listening to what was happening inside Ma Jiang's dream, but only the dialogue from her side not the one from the corpse.
He could hear her resistance slowly fading away and even though he tried to ignore it at first but upon seeing the tears streaming down her face he opted to wake her up anyway.
"Hey, the food is ready. Wake up."
He only had to nudge her once to bring her back around. Ma Jiang slowly opened her eyes that were wet from all the tears.
She peered around the camp for a few moments before finally letting out a shaky breath of relief upon not finding anything out of ordinary.
"Is this...real?" she muttered weakly, unsure as of yet.
Although hesitant at first but upon seeing her distraught appearance Hao Xuan patted her gently on the head but she didn't even react.
"Bad dream?"
"....Maybe," she answered softly, too afraid to even sit comfortably anymore in fear of falling asleep once again. Her bloodshot eyes made her look even more pitiful, garnering a fair bit of concern from Hao Xuan.
Ryfon was a relatively good friend to Hao Xuan and someone he actually trusted to a large degree so her being his niece made him feel a little close to her by extension. Not to mention it was his job to protect her since it was one of Ryfon's conditions for coming over.
He still didn't have a clear idea about what she was going through but seeing her in that state, even if she had nothing to do with him Hao Xuan would have still done something to help her.
He handed her the plate of food which was whipped up in a hurry. She seemed listless and a lot more withdrawn from before seeing as she didn't even bother commenting on the sub-par quality of the food.
Sitting down on the dusty ground, Ma Jiang started gnawing at the scraps absentmindedly while Hao Xuan watched in silence. He looked up at the cloudy sky and then at the time.
It had already been more than an hour so the sooner he left the better, but he didn't feel comfortable leaving her alone.
Hao Xuan closed his eyes for a moment and sent out the 'recall'.
'Come back to the camp right now.'
Not even 20 seconds later one of the nearby bushes shifted and a small white kitten strutted out.
"Meow!" he glared towards Hao Xuan, obviously unhappy about being summoned in such a manner.
Hao Xuan gestured towards Ma Jiang, 'Stay with her. Keep her safe until I get back.'
Zhurong looked towards Ma Jiang and his expression changed instantly. His little brow knitted in a tight furrow, almost identical to how Hao Xuan's expression usually was.
He walked up to her and jumped in her lap, waking her from the stupor.
"Hmm? Who are you?" she asked lightly.
Hao Xuan stood up and pointed towards Zhurong, "Don't give him any food, he's already getting fat."
Ma Jiang suddenly reached out and grabbed his hand, pulling him back.
"Are you leaving too?" she asked in a quivering voice, which made Hao Xuan want to give her a hug.
He gave an affable smile, "I have to go to the meeting but I'll be back tomorrow. Stay here for the time being. If you feel sleepy kick Salome out of the cabin and take the bed, he'll sleep anywhere. "
"Zhurong will stay with you and the octopus should be back soon. They might not seem like it but both of them are very dependable. I'll tell Henrik to check on you later, tell him if you need anything."
"Oh....okay..."
Dispirited, she let go of his arm and shrunk back into a corner. Hao Xuan felt like he had just abandoned a newborn kitten but this was the only option, at least for now.
He needed to visit the surface which was the territory of the three great powers and he couldn't bring her with him.