The Record of Unusual Creatures

Liu Sheng and Zhao Xi were the first demon hunters that Hao Ren encountered. The animosity between them at the beginning was long resolved, and Hao Ren treated them as acquaintances, but not exactly friends.

In the month-long war at Coldpath, Liu Sheng and Zhao Xi were summoned back to the north pole by their superiors, just like all the other demon hunters, to fight against the Elders. Hao Ren heard nothing from them since. Compared to normal people, they were considered superhuman, but in the all-out war back in Coldpath, they were only two of the many nameless soldiers fighting for their organization. The chances of them surviving the war were no different than any other demon hunter.

Hao Ren was overwhelmed with his duties during the war in Coldpath. After the war, he then had to settle plenty of prehistoric data and the conflict between the otherworldings. It was only now that he remembered about Liu Sheng and Zhao Xi. The war had ended about half a month ago. The new council and the demon hunters originally stationed at the north pole were now hard at work in rebuilding Coldpath. The other demon hunters who were summoned back to base were now returning to their own posts—the millennia-old foundation of the demon hunters would not be abandoned because of the war. They would re-establish their power and status in the world, and if that was impossible, they must at least keep in touch with affairs around the world.

If Liu Sheng and Zhao Xi were alive, they must be back to the city by now.

Hao Ren hid the IDT in his clothes and entered the mall. With his excellent memory… and his IDT’s directions, he found the place where Zhao Xi used to work — the tiny cell phone shop. A plump lady sat at the counter. The other staff was a freckled young woman who looked familiar to Hao Ren. Hao Ren approached her to ask about Zhao Xi.

“Zhao Xi? She hasn’t been in for two months.” The freckled young woman threw a curious look at Hao Ren and frowned for a moment before realizing something. “Oh, you’ve been here before. No wonder you looked so familiar… Who are you to Zhao Xi, anyway? Are you her boyfriend?”

The plump lady at the counter added quickly, “No way. Zhao Xi is such a cold person, how could she get a boyfriend…”

“Err, I’m not.” Hao Ren waved awkwardly, but felt worried by the news. “So Zhao Xi isn’t back yet? Did you hear anything about her at all?”

The plump lady shook her head confidently. “Nope. She’s a secretive one. We don’t even know where she lives. I tried calling her last month but her line was cut off.”

Hao Ren frowned and considered contacting Hasse of White Fire to check if they survived the war. He asked the two ladies, “What about Liu Sheng? Is he back at work?”

The freckled lady nodded at the mention of Liu Sheng, but before she could reply, Hao Ren heard a familiar voice spoke from behind him. “Oh? You’re here.”

Hao Ren turned around to see Liu Sheng behind him. The seasoned demon hunter looked like he always did — wearing a semi-new suit, average-looking spectacles purely for disguise, and a pair of cheap leather shoes. He looked like the manager of a newspaper company in a small town, completely inconspicuous in the crowd in the shopping mall. The man looked at Hao Ren from a distance with an expression of surprise. He smiled and said, “It’s been around half a month since I saw you.”

Hao Ren hurriedly stepped closer to him and whispered, “It’s been two months since I’ve seen you.”

“That is to be expected. The last time I saw you, you were leading thousands of monsters attacking the temple, while I was lying on a stretcher. I saw you, but you did not see me.” Liu Sheng smiled and rolled up his sleeves to reveal a dark red scar along his wrist. “I even got a souvenir—this hand only grew back 10 days ago. I was lucky that it was cut off by a sword. If it had been magic instead, my hand may have never grown back, and I would not be able to work anymore.”

Hao Ren looked at his former “enemy” and could not sort out the feelings inside him. In the end, he smiled. “It’s good to be alive. How is Zhao Xi?”

“Zhao Xi? She’s…” Liu Sheng paused for a moment before saying, “She’s also alive.”

“Can I see her?”

Liu Sheng considered it and nodded. “Come with me. I get off early today.”

Liu Sheng and Zhao Xi stayed close to each other. However, much to Hao Ren’s surprise, their choice of residence was not some dark and mysterious corner of the city. Instead, they in a highrise close to the mall. Both of them occupied the top floor as neighbors.

Their choice of residence provided them with excellent camouflage.

“The top floor is quieter.” Liu Sheng led Hao Ren to his own place. He put away his things in his home, and produced another set of keys to Zhao Xi’s place. “The elevator always broke down, though. Taking the stairs is not particularly taxing, but it is still annoying.”

“So you bought houses in the city?” Hao Ren asked.

“No way. They are so expensive.” Liu Sheng answered casually. “We are renting our units.”

Hao Ren was taken aback. “Aren’t demon hunters rich?”

Liu Sheng looked at him strangely. “What’s being a demon hunter got to do with money?”

“Err… I meant, you are a species with long lives. After living for hundreds of years, surely you would have saved enough.” Hao Ren found their situation ludicrous. Surely, as the one in power after the Mythological Era, the demon hunters should have fared better. At least, that was he thought. “You should be able to at least afford a house.”

Liu Sheng laughed. “Then why are you renting a house?”

Hao Ren considered the question, and found that he had no good answer…

Even so, he found it hard to believe that for a demon hunter charged with his own territory, Liu Sheng still could not afford his own place. After some more thought, he decided in the end that it may have something to do with Vivian. As goddess of poverty, the all-powerful Countess, Vivian had stepped down from her position as one of the fourteen Elders six thousand years ago, but effects of her power had already spread into the demon hunter organization. From Liu Sheng’s living condition, it would seem that the lower level members were not doing very well…

Liu Sheng had opened the door to Zhao Xi’s apartment. “Zhao Xi, you have guests.”

There was no reply. Liu Sheng led Hao Ren into the living room. “Come in. She is in no position to welcome you.”

Hao Ren stepped inside the house, feeling curious. It was a simple house with a living room and one bedroom. The house had the barest furniture, and Zhao Xi was sitting on a sofa with faded colors. She did not respond to them both.

Hao Ren noticed immediately that something was wrong with her. He walked closer to Zhao Xi, and saw that she was staring at the wall opposite her with a blank expression. Her eyes were half closed and blinking occasionally, but her attention was not focused. He waved his hand in front of her eyes, and she seemed to respond — her head tilted slightly, but that was all.

“Is this…soul detachment?” Hao Ren recalled that many demon hunters suffered from this condition after the war in Coldpath. Survivors who were trapped in the Netherrealm Clock Tower before or members of the insurgency all had this condition. Zhao Xi’s situation was much worse — such a long time had passed since the war, but she was still like a vegetable!

“She was also trapped in the Netherrealm Clock Tower. Her time in there was not long, but she became like this after. Sigh, she’s not strong enough. I don’t know how long it will take for her to recover.”

The seriousness of soul detachment depended on the mental strength of the victim. A strong demon hunter like Hasse took around a week to regain his motor functions. Weaker demon hunters would be more severely affected. Zhao Xi was a good example of a weak demon hunter — she was only an average hunter with not much experience.

Liu Sheng believed that was why Zhao Xi’s condition was so bad.

Hao Ren agreed with him, but just as he was about to step away from Zhao Xi, his IDT flew out of his shirt and cried, “Wait! She doesn’t seem to suffer from soul detachment!”

Hao Ren stopped moving, and then a thought came to him — was his propensity for stirring up trouble acting up again?

The IDT was already circling around Zhao Xi’s head, scanning her. When it was done, it flew back to Hao Ren. “Something is in her soul, something very powerful!”