"...Can you summon him again?"
Yun Qing's question echoed over the eerie grounds. At his words, Wang Hu tentatively released another layer of the seal.
Dead silence surrounded them. Nothing stirred.
Wang Hu swallowed, then finally gritted his teeth and undid the seal completely.
Bzz-
Ghostly energy gathered for a fleeting instant, bringing a faint gleam to Yun Qing's eyes. Yet the next moment, an invisible hand seemed to snuff it out, scattering it without a trace.
The wind swept through the grounds with a mournful whine. Never mind an avatar of the Skeleton Emperor-not even a wisp of ghostfire appeared.
"...All right, then." Yun Qing fell silent for three full breaths before finally letting out a soft sigh, resigned as if to say, Just as I thought.
He lowered his head and saw Little Radiant Chick studying him with a tilted head.
"Little Golden Fur, does news really travel that fast between ghosts?" Yun Qing smiled faintly and affectionately tapped the little one's head with a fingertip. Unfortunately, he accidentally used too much force, sending the chick stumbling and toppling onto his palm.
"Chirp! Chirp-chirp!"
Yun! Qing! How dare you! Little Radiant Chick's feathers bristled at once, making the chick look like a fluffy little sun. The chick stretched up to peck that insolent finger, every inch brimming with protest.
Yet the more the chick protested, the more brazen that hateful finger became, tapping the down atop the chick's head again and again.
"Chirp..." With all protests proving useless, Little Radiant Chick finally gave up and simply flopped into Yun Qing's warm, dry palm, going limp like a little yellow pancake with nothing left to live for. Only the tuft of brilliant golden feathers at the tip of the chick's tail remained stubbornly raised.
*"Fine. I'll add this to