Chapter 85: The Shadows In One's World

When Li Yang and the others reached the rooftop of Shen Society's building, it gave them the view of the Market District of Shanghai, all of the sprawling structures and interloping sections that met with one another. The night was young, and so he and the others were overlooking the sight of numerous vehicles and people traversing the roads.

Mou Gu planted his staff into the roof with a thump.

The bustling streets of Shanghai disappeared before his eyes—and were replaced with the bleak emptiness of the road. Now the same buildings are still present and even lit up with the artificial lights that it held, but the overcast skies were a deep entrenching black and without even a glimmer of a star in sight.

It was slightly disturbing when he had visited the black market, but somehow the denseness of a certain thing made him uneasy. He didn't say a word though and focused on possible enemies until he heard a voice.

"Ah... what is this?" Ying Yue He wavered beside him. She stuck closer to him than anyone else and was close enough that her fingers brushed with the edge of his suit coat. "Where is everyone?"

The CEO would have agreed that the streets were empty, but there was something. It hadn't caught his eyes at first, the wisps of smoke that gathered and converged throughout the paths. Some were gray, others dark like the night and yet there were also shades of white mixed in it and there was a certain presence in them.

While originally appearing as clouds of blackened fog or dust—

Li Yang glanced at his hands and noticed the ephemeral glow surrounding his body. It was much realer and vivid. A certain saturation that only increased as he clenched his fist, "Qi. Those things below us are wrought by stray qi, is it not?"

"Ah, you could tell?" Mou Gu said. There was a mild hint of surprise in his voice.

"The world has different kinds of qi, and even then there are those who combine together and create strange things... especially in cities like this." Taiga spoke now, sounding less high-pitched and somewhat serious for once. "The Shou Temple Sect watches its land and ensures such things do not occur, but in a sprawling city like this? Nearly impossible. Negative emotions and the stray evil qi gather and form into what one might call as a shade?"

She looked at Hua Zhao and others who gave a nod of confirmation.

Encouraged, she continued on with the cadence of both youth and age. Of someone who had lived long, but still shortly after all this time. "Each spark or flood of emotion might not seem much, like how one can jump in happiness or feel the spur of rage, but you can see now that it collects over time. However, Taiga and the others have to deal with it—like now."

Li Yang blinked, "Now?"

In that moment, she sped off the rooftop and then threw herself across the four-story building without even a hint of danger. An aura of orange enshrouded her, and with a spin in the air—she struck what seemed like smoke, but was actually solid.

The shades.

Lingering and smaller shadowy creatures dispersed when she arrived. Taiga's heel struck against an amalgamation of shadows and viscous liquid that stabbed towards her like a needle. 

But the sooner it did that was when she ripped through tendril that sought to ensnare her and cut it off from the body. The tendril then scattered that particular strand into bits and pieces of smoke that dispersed into the air.

The world was silent, eerily quiet, but a certain shout emanated from whatever mouth it had and it pierced his soul, it made his body involuntarily shudder. The CEO quickly came to assess it and gritted his teeth. He covered his ears for a moment.

[ Evil Qi - Despair Form ]

An amalgamation wrought from the negative emotions and qi surfacing from the city into spiritual form. A dark blob-like creature with tangibility resembling thick slime that reforms itself quickly—it is an ever present form in large cities that feed and prey on emotions. It continually grows stronger and affects the physical and mortal world when it reaches a certain size.

One tendril down.

But the main body remained and several tendrils whiplashed across the road, far larger than any kind of tree or bus. It shattered through the buildings and tore them down. One enormous tendril flew in a flash towards the rooftop—until a golden barrier formed around them and took the blow. The barrier shook, but it did not shatter.

"We wouldn't have gone out if it would endanger the client, but see for yourself how Miss Taiga does." Shen An Na spoke to him from the left, peering slightly through the building.

The monstrous creature dwarfed the size of Taiga so much that it was almost difficult to spot her, and yet she moved fast throughout the attacks of the creature and traded blows with it. Where her arms and fists struck—a tendril was torn or chucked off from the main body. Her aura stayed prevalent all throughout and didn't flicker once.

In the darkness of the night, save for the gaudy neon lights and remaining streetlights that glowed even here, the tigress spirit fought alone. What was surely a weight that could topple buildings and tear them off from foundations became struck down by her. The woman never so much as missing a footing or a single beat in the exchange between monster and creature like a dance.

Li Yang frowned slightly, gaining his bearings once more, "This thing is... regenerating."

"Of course it does, a cultivator's work is never done." Mou Gu said.

"And that of other protectors." Hua Zhao added.

But Li Yang's eyes returned to the woman—and watched her disappear in a blink of an eye.

Was she gone—no, a large gaping hole tore through the main body and Taiga reappeared on the other side, clutching something dark and circular in her hands. She crushed it with one blow, and the amalgamation scattered into dust.

"She broke the creature's core." he said and narrowed his eyes. At least that was what the System told him and soon received murmurs of agreement. His eyes still lingered on the dust that flew through the air like dark pollen, and it filled him with some trepidation. "And yet the creature remains, doesn't it?"

"...those things cannot be completely rid of, unless you take away the negative qi that emanate from all of us." Shen An Na said and gave him a tired smile, "But that's quite a pipe dream, and so the best that we do is to render it unable to affect our world and manifest there. Taiga is strong enough to have her physical form be with us despite her nature, but other creatures need more qi or strength to do so."

And so was the reason for the separate but connected world they were in. But was it really separate? Li Yang would have normally focused and pondered on the question, but his gaze focused on Taiga bursting through lesser shadows in the roads. It was a good demonstration—nothing that actually contained blood.

He glanced back at his secretary, "Are you alright, Miss He?"

She was pale but managed a smile, "Hah, I'm fine, boss. But ah… this is what I'll be doing?"

"If you wish it," he said, but then he offered her a hand. "But I will not take it to heart if you desire to back out now. It is dangerous." The memory of the Panda's words repeated itself in his mind. If his secretary wished it—then she could leave. Not only from this particular involvement, but even from him. Miss Ying Yue He could work elsewhere if she deemed it necessary.

He wouldn't begrudge it.

A certain part of him wished that she would leave and not involve herself in this mess that would surely encompass his life—and the other wished for her to stay. He said neither and kept his silence, unwilling to give in to such thoughts… but she took his hand. A certain flushness in her face, "I already said that I'm going to repay you, Mister Li. I'm not the only one that shocked, right?"

He chuckled, "I'm not sure if I look like it, but this has also shaken me."

Her cheeks puffed for a moment. She was looking at him this time. Not looking away. "It's hard to read your expression—but there's this and then Miss Luo Ju Di, right, boss?" A certain look flickered in her eyes, but settled. "That's too much for one man to handle, so you can rely on me to help you out, Mister Li."

He blinked and thanked her.

"... I'm surely deserving of a raise, yes?" Ying Yue He said. There was a small grin playing on her lips and a certain shine in her eyes.

His lips quirked, and he nodded. He rubbed his chin. "That makes sense, actually. I'll look into it and talk it over with the Human Resources department..."

"Wha—I wasn't serious, but ah…" Ying Yue He scratched her cheek. Her cheeks were still warm, and she averted her gaze, "How can I turn that down?" She was honest like that.

"Ugh, can the two of you get a room?" Mou Gu chimed into the conversation that somehow made everything fade in the background. His voice at least made the CEO realize that it wasn't only the two of them together.

Which was the same moment that Taiga reappeared back in the building, and landed back on the rooftop with a leap and waved a hand in greeting, "Taiga is back, what did you think, Mister Bossman? Didn't Taiga do well and impressively?"