Lory managed to disconnect her connection with Girsha after a stint of screaming and running around like her hair was on fire. It was usually easy for Lory to disconnect their merged conscious but she was unable to do it this time around because she panicked out of shock.

The experience was like stumbling over a weird video on your computer. You panic and aim to turn it off but you instead turn the volume and enlarge the screen for all to see and hear. She listlessly fell on her bed once she was successful while Girsha made a creepy sound as he continued to watch.

​​

[Lory, you must see this. It is amazing! This grandpa has some skills…] Girsha applauded the old man. The old man was living proof of a person sharpening their skills once they got older.

Lory shuddered as goosebumps spread all over her body. She mumbled [I need to take a bath…a long – long bath…]

Girsha didn't want Lory to bother him. He shooed her away with his wings[Yeah, yeah, you do that. I need to watch them so we don't miss anything…]

Lory hunched her back as she used a spell to prepare a bath. She automatically filled the small tub with water and used another spell to heat the water. Once everything was ready, she undressed and crouched inside the tub. She soaked herself as her mind summarized the information she knew.

Mo Ning Yuan was a very strong cultivator and she had a long grudge with the Xie family who she believes was involved in her brother's demise. She seduced the Chen family to be her backer and she somehow also seduced the Xie family elder. It all seemed pretty straight forward but something didn't add up. Why would Mong Ning Yuan sleep with all those men if she was as strong as Lory thought.

It was unlikely Mo Ning Yuan did it because she liked the men. It was possible for Mo Ning Yuan to mix business with pleasure when she slept with her subordinate and the man from the Chen family - as they were young. However, Lory did not know the reason why Mo Ning Yuan slept with the Xie family elder. Lory covered her mouth as she gagged at the last thought. The image she saw still left a bad taste in her mouth.

Lory believed Mo Ning Yuan's schemes were beyond seeking only power. There seemed to be something else that was very beneficial to her unless Mo Ning Yuan had gerontophilia. Lory let out a long sigh as she placed her head on the side of the tub. She needed to thoroughly scrub herself if she was to take out the weird image from her head.

Lory took two hours to finish her bath. She used a towel to dry her wet hair as she walked back to her room. Girsha was in the same position she had left him in. The only difference was she was pecking at the grapes on the plate this time around. Lory was flabbergasted [It is not over yet?]

Girsha snickered [Are you kidding me? They just got to the main course!]

[What do you mean they just got to… What were they doing for two hours?] Lory didn't know whether she should praise them or degrade them. She shook her head and pulled out a stool and a lunch box from her ring. The image of Mo Ning Yuan's happy face and Elder Xie's excited face flashed in her mind just when she opened her lunch. It was enough for her to lose her appetite. Lory pinched the bridge between her eyebrows as she realized she would never look at old people the same way again.

[Okay they have done now!] Girsha suddenly exclaimed.

Lory frowned in disgusted [See what they are now up to…]

[Uhm, she's asked for a permit to the Forbidden Library…]

[Did he give it to her?] Lory asked but then her mouth dropped open. She thought there was something wrong with her words.

[He did. It was quite easy actually…] Girsha shrugged his wings. The old man was very satisfied with Mo Ning Yuan's performance he would have probably agreed to anything. Girsha was about to look away when he realized noticed something [Lory, I think there's something wrong with the old man…]

[I don't think there is anything right about them] Lory pursed her lips and shuddered once again as their dirty images flashed in her mind. She might need to look for a therapist.

[No, Lory, I'm serious here] Girsha emphasized as he squinted at the old man [His life force is fluctuating…]

Lory realizes Girsha was serious [What do you mean?]

A life force was important to all living things. All living forms from humans, animals, and plants had one. It was either found in the Qi or Mana. Everything moved and was controlled by the life force. No one really knew where it came from. Some religious people claimed it was a divine existence within the body, while scientific people said it was in a form found in living things. Their debates were not conclusive.

[What do you see?] Lory asked carefully.

Girsha shook his head in bewilderment [His life force is not only being sucked out, but there's something else inside the old man's brain. Lory... this is not right… There's a Demon Parasite inside him!]

Lory's jaw dropped and her eyes bulged out like she was struck by lightning. She repeatedly shook her head [No, you wrong. It can't be true! Demon Parasites do not exist here. Those damn things cannot exist in this world! Girsha are you sure? Is it possible you are wrong?]

Girsha was also in a panic but he tried to hold it off as he was an elder. He tried to calm Lory who was squeezing her head. He needed to be the voice of reason. He said solemnly [Calm down, girl. We can't think clearly if we panic]

[Yeah – yeah, you are right. I need to calm down… I need to calm down…] Lory gulped. She took a deep breath and exhaled as she tried to regulate her racing heart. She paced around the room to stabilize her breathing and shook her hands to ease the tension.

[We've been questioning this for a long time but none of us have dared to voice it out…] Girsha narrowed his eyes [Is Lazarus here? How long has the demon been here?]

Lory's heart dropped [If he's here… He should know the curse he planted in me is getting weaker. Why isn't he looking for me? What is he waiting for?]

Lory and Girsha looked at each other in silence. Lory crossed her arms as her face turned dark from anxiety. There was no guarantee she could kill the demon even after she restored her powers and fixed the trinity staff. Everything in this world would be gone if she failed to kill the demon. It would be tragic and it was all because of her mistake.

Lory plopped herself on the stool. She rubbed her face and sighed loudly [What should we do…?]

[What we do best… We fight on!]

[This is different. I don't mind dying but if I fail Li Xin, Yue Yin, Mong Ki, Mong Yi and everyone else will die because of me!] Lory was distressed by the possibility of harming everyone she cared about in this world. She didn't regret saving her brother but not at the expense of the people in this world, not at the expense of Zhao Li Xin's life!

[There's still another way… Our main plan. The 'A' plan] Lory stared at Girsha deeply as she spoke.

[I don't like the 'A' Plan. Perhaps there's another way. Arthea might know something. Oh heck! She might have known this all along] Girsha scoffed with anger.

[Do you have any idea how to contact the Seeress?] Lory raised her eyebrows but Girsha didn't answer immediately. The Seeress came and went however she liked. In the past, they could find her in the Djevelskrin temple, but it was different now as they did not know where the hell she was in this world.

[No, she is a Seeress, they contact us not the other way around even the las time event she already waiting for us...she will meet us when she feel necessary] Girsha snorted [So, in a meantime we do what we know. Search for your fragments, get rid the curse, figure out how to fix the Trinity Staff and how to cut off the snake's head]

Lory slowly nodded and fixated her eyes on Girsha.

[But if we fail… We go with the 'A' Plan] Lory insisted. She did not wish to give Girsha the chance to refuse. It was not just her life they had put on the line; it was the life of all living things in this world. She did not wish to be blamed for the destruction of this world especially since she had grown fond of it.

Girsha reluctantly nodded in agreement [We go with the 'A' Plan if all else fails. However, we need to see the bigger picture now. Where the hell did the demon parasite come from?]

[Mo Ning Yuan?] Lory frowned as she could not believe what she said.

[You think she is connected to Lazarus? I don't want to praise the demon but I don't think Mo Ning Yuan's soul is something he would be attracted to]