The Ordinary Demon

Legend has it, in old Murim, beyond the peaks of Kunlun and Emei, upon the snow-capped mountains in the far West, laid a great cult whose might singlehandedly rivals both the orthodox and unorthodox factions of the Central Plains. A nigh-inaccessible sanctuary to those who desire strength, be it righteous or demonic, it aims to reach the heavens with world-shaking martial arts, hence its name-

Heavenly Demonic Cult

More than just a tale to scare naughty children, this name once struck fear in the heart of many a martial artist in the Central Plains, even more so when accompanied by the thunderous chanting of the cult's name and the sea of blood-red flags with the pitch black 'Demon' kanji sewn on it. The Fist Demon, Thunder Demon, Lust Demon... Whenever one of them decides to appear in Murim, a vortex of ruin and destruction would soon follow. However, even they could not compare with the 51st Heavenly Demon, Liu Tian, also known as the Wrath Demon. There is only one line in the accounts that described the fateful 15 years of his conquest of Murim, and it is as follows:

Corpses pile up to block the sun; rivers and lakes of blood wet the parched throats of starving orphans.

Unfortunately, this narrative is not about the morbid and bloody life of Liu Tian, nor his eldest daughter, the Spear Demon, or any of his 'gifted' offspring for that matter. Rather, this is the biography of his youngest son, a not-so-ordinary martial artist that chose a different path from his father.

He goes by many names: The Last Heavenly Demon, Right Hand of the Emperor, Wandering Sword God... but as of now, at the beginning of this story, he only goes by the simple name -

The Ordinary Demon

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Tap tap tap.

The sound of worn-out wooden heels hitting the wooden floorboard echoed throughout the empty but intricately decorated hallway.

Tap tap tap.

A pretty 15-year-old maid in a simple oriental dress strutted hurriedly down the corridor toward her destination. She was a descendant of the many martial artists who chose to settle in the headquarters of the Demonic Cult decades ago. And like the many talentless martial artists in the cult who had no room for improvement, she was offered to serve the cult in exchange for shelter and food. Although work was tough, life was by no means bad. In fact, the living standard here was much higher than the countless peasants scattered throughout the Zhou Dynasty. In addition, due to her efforts, she received the unique opportunity to serve one of the candidates that might inherit the cult in the future: the son of the Heavenly Demon himself, Liu Shu!

Frankly, however, Liu Shu was extremely unlikely to succeed the Heavenly Demon. It was a well-known fact that he was not as talented as the other children of the leader of the cult. Even at the age of 13, he still had no extraordinary achievements nor incredible amounts of qi, unlike his siblings.

'The senior maids were right. I really got the short end of the stick.' Yingying shook her head.

'Young Master Shu is too average, except...' Blushing slightly, she turned around a corner to the corridor where Liu Shu was in.

Suddenly, a poignant odor of blood and rotting corpses struck Yingying, turning her blissful expression into a painful grimace. Enduring the smell and trying not to gag, she strode forwards and knocked twice on an antique fir door with twin yaksha decorations.

"Speak." A young adolescent voice replied.

"Young master, dinner has been prepared. Please allow me to escort you to the dining hall."

Silence. Then the fir door creaked open to reveal a dashing young teen who seemed to be no older than 13 years old.

He was the epitome of a 'rich young master'. Dressed in a purple gown with decorations woven in golden thread, he had lustrous jet-black hair that reached his shoulders. His skin, which was as smooth as snow on the slopes beside the cult, was also as white due to the constant snowstorms that blocked out the sun in the mountains.

However, what stood out was his appearance. Both his parents were incredibly attractive people, and he got the best of both. It would not be a stretch to say, in modern terms, that he was sculpted by Michelangelo himself. His chiseled nose, perfect jawline, pure white teeth, and that pair of alluring yet cold crimson eyes (a side effect of the Heavenly Demonic Art) would surely enrapture many a maiden's hearts in the future.

Yet right now, that piece of art was stained in blood, as well as the expensive garment he was wearing. Even Yingying, who always maintained her professional appearance, could not help but wrinkled her nose at the new onslaught of the pungent stench.

But Liu Shu seemed to be unaware of the mess and nodded at his maid, "Let's go."

"Young Master! Are you sure it is appropriate to present yourself at the dinner table dripping in blood?" Yingying put both her hands on her hips in a huff, "My apologies, but I must insist you take a shower and change into the proper attire for dinner! Young Lady Yue is present as well."

Liu Shu blinked in confusion, then glanced at his bloody clothing, "Oh. Sorry. I didn't notice. I'll be right back."

As the door closed with a loud slam, Yanyan could catch a glimpse of a mutilated corpse on his 'experiment table'. Laying in a pool of blood, its limbs were twisted in such a grotesque manner that even a veteran warrior would puke upon its sight.

'Ha~ This Young Master is such a handful.' Yingying shook her head for the second time this evening, 'Other than his good looks, he truly is the 'Ordinary Demon'.'

She sighed and turned her head towards the dining hall, "I wonder what the Young Lady is going to say this time."

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Half an hour later, a smartly dressed Liu Shu finally appeared in the dining hall.

It was a well-furnished room, but the decorations weren't too extravagant. On the contrary, the demonic murals on the walls made it seem more like a place for demonic rituals than feasting. Thankfully, a meal of assorted meat and medicinal herbs -instead of a living sacrifice with its heart gouged out- presented itself in front of Liu Shu.

He gulped upon stepping into the room.

It wasn't because of the enticing array of delicacies he was provided with, but rather due to the very, VERY displeased individual sitting behind the food. Liu Yue could easily be mistaken as her brother, if not for her more mature and feminine features. In her mid-teens, she was also exceptionally beautiful, except for her crimson eyes, which, unlike her brother's, had a mature aura that masked an ambitious gaze.

"Hi- "

A grey shadow lashed towards Liu Shu before he could finish his sentence, coiling around his body like an anaconda. One difference with this anaconda, however, was that it was made of metal, and it clunked as Liu Shu tried to wrest free from its grasp. His efforts proved futile, as he was yanked brutally towards Yue's seat. And just as he was about to dive headfirst into his dinner, he stopped abruptly, dangling helplessly above the well-crafted wooden dining table.

"Must be fun to keep your poor hungry sister waiting, right?" Yue smiled dangerously.

Straining his neck to meet his sister's glare, Liu Shu tried to explain, "Sis, I lost track of time-"

"And I lost track of how many times this happened!" Yue cut him off, "Who in the right mind skips their meals to play with dead bodies?"

Liu Shu averted his eyes and refused to respond.

Yue sighed in exasperation, "I knew I should have protested when you asked Father for corpses for your birthday. I mean, what kind of birthday gift is that? You are lucky that father dotes on you."

"Sis, I need to know more about the human body to improve my martial arts. Knowing where the weaknesses and strengths of different types of people make it easier to defeat them." Liu Shu pointed out, "Even Sun Tzu said: 'If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles.'"

"What are you? A scholar? If only you put as much dedication into qi cultivation as well." the 16-year-old smirked, "You know, increasing your qi can also improve your martial arts."

As she said that, she flicked her wrist and sent him hurling to his seat while retracting her chains simultaneously, "Like this."

With a flip, Liu Shu landed gracefully onto his chair. He knew from experience that arguing with his sister was pointless, so he decided to stay silent and have dinner peacefully instead. Seeing no response from her brother, Yue also picked up her chopsticks and started eating.

Chomp, chomp.

Very soon, only the sound of munching and the scraping of wood against porcelain could be heard as the siblings ate in silence. It was cold - the high altitudes where the cult resided caused the climate to be in the single digits in the summer and sub-zero in the winter. And winter was coming. Outside the window, the grey, melancholic sky signaled the beginning of another series of snowstorms. Even the thick wooden walls that made up the impenetrable fortress could not stop the chilly air from sweeping into the room, causing the torches on the walls to flicker and dim.

Yue did not mind the cold - they were both capable martial artists who could endure harsher weather. What she did mind was her brother's idiotic expression as he stared into the distance, most probably recollecting some knowledge about human anatomy. Annoyed, she stuffed the last bits of rice in her mouth, "Don't you want some news on the war?"

"Huh?" Liu Shu shifted his vision to focus on her, "Yeah sure. How is it?"

"To be frank, it's the same as usual." Downing her cup of tea as if it was alcohol, she continued, "Did you really anyone in the Central Plains would be able to beat father? Even that geezer from Mount Hua lost to him."

"Anyways, he had just taken down the Kongtong sect, so he's gonna continue towards Xi'an where most of the Murim Alliance's troops are stationed."

"The others are doing great too. Just this morning I've got news of sister Li destroying the Moyong clan headquarters, and I think brother Kang is heading towards the Sichuan Tang clan as we speak."

"Mmmm" His mouth filled with food, Liu Shu nodded earnestly.

"Mmmm~ My ass!" Yue stood up and slammed her chopsticks down furiously, "Everybody's out there gaining achievements and killing enemies. And I'm stuck here like a damn housewife! I can't even make connections when nobody's here!"

Sighing again, she slumped back into her chair, eyes closed, "At this rate, I'll never become the Heavenly Demon, no matter how talented I am."

Curious about Liu Shu's reaction to her statement, she snuck a peek at him with a half-opened eye, only to see him chewing indifferently on a vegetable. Disappointed but not surprised, her expression gradually turned serious. Standing up, she approached Liu Shu, smiling.

Yue positioned her head next to her brothers, as she put her blood-red lips close to his ear and whispered, "You understand the situation now? Your other siblings would not be as merciful to spare our lives once they become the Heavenly Demon. If you don't want to end up like your uncles, keep up your end of the deal."

Liu Shu paused for a second, then nodded quietly.

Satisfied with the answer, Yue smiled and patted him on the back before heading towards the door, "We are both our mother's child, aren't we? We should help each other out!"

Liu Shu made no response and waited for the sound of her footsteps to entirely disappear as he continued eating, before rubbing the newly made chain marks on his neck with a darkened expression. Perhaps with the most emotion he had shown today, he shook his head while starting to head off to his room.

"How annoying."