The Demonic Clan of Yiling (MDZS Fanfic)

What He Will Never Forget (WTGA Pt.8)

(This entire chapter deals with sensitive topics that involve harming one's self and others. If you aren't able to deal with these topics, please do not read this chapter.)

The ghost lead the group down the road, towards the house the townspeople had told them about. It was a nice house. The walls were made out of brick and it was surrounded by pretty flowers. Jingyi could tell it was well looked after. 

The pale little ghost stopped outside the door and tried to push it open, but it wouldn't budge. The little thing looked up at the group with desperate eyes. It was such a pitying sight. The way its cloths hung off it all ripped and tattered and the way its shoulder length hair hung wildly around its face made Jingyi feel uneasy. The way it was dressed was nothing like the fashion in Gusu and it was styled so peculiarly that Jingyi couldn't pin point where it was from. How had this ghost come to be here? No that wasn't the right question to ask. Why was this ghost here?

Hanguang-jun clearly wanted to know the answer to this question too. He took a step forward and the little ghost moved themself out out his way. The group watched carefully as Hanguang-jun reached for the door and tried to push it open. When it didn't budge he used more force. It opened, but before anyone could enter the building Zizhen and Jingyi both let out shouts of surprise.

A body slumped sideways into the door way and lay on its back at their feet. Jingyi felt his breath catch in his throat as he looked down at it. It was a child... A young boy, with blank staring eyes and a sunken face. A child had died here...

Jingyi choked back the lump in his throat and could feel a couple of sets of eyes glancing at him. He ignored them. He had dealt with death's before on night hunts, this was no different. He wouldn't let the fact that it was a little boy effect how he handled the situation. He was here to learn after all.

He focused on Hanguang-jun and Wei Yuan, who were inspecting the body closely. Wei Yuan would point out small things and ask questions, which Hanguang-jun hummed to as an answer. They did this for about two minutes before Wei Yuan stood up and addressed the others.

"It looks like he starved to death." He stated in a professional way. 

Jingyi swallowed at his words, but forced himself to stay level headed. He'd been on plenty of night hunts. He's seen his fair share of starved bodies in caves. This was no different. 

With those thoughts chanting in his head he entered the house behind Hanguang-jun. His action surprised his friends a little, because they knew Jingyi wasn't too fond of ghosts and would often trail behind them to put distance between him and the spirit. It was out of character for him.

The inside of the house was just as mundane as the exterior. Their was a table with a small kitchen on the left and two wooden chairs on the right, along with a rather large wooden cabinet. There was no need for it to make Jingyi's hair stand on end as he looked around, but it did. It did because despite it looking like a regular family home, there was the unmistakable signs of desperation everywhere. 

The cabinet was open. One of the chairs was tipped over. The bowl on the table was empty. But what was the worst, was the way all the food jars and wrappers from the kitchen were thrown everywhere. There wasn't a lot to begin with, but as he looked around Jingyi felt like there were thousands. It made him feel nauseous to think about how long the child had been stuck in this house for him to go through all that food and then starve. How could this happen? Who would do this!? 

In the end Jingyi knew it was best to get out of that room and made his way down the narrow corridor that lead to a few more rooms. He felt someone follow him and by the mild clinking of his earrings, Jingyi could tell it was Wei Yuan. Behind him Jingyi could hear Zizhen and Jin Ling whispering to each other as they went down the other, smaller, corridor. Zewu-jun followed after them.