8.2

For Ji Yunhe, this was a good place to quiet the mind. She enjoyed the fresh scent while walking step by step until she unexpectedly came upon a force field. A wall of magic blocked her way. Ji Yunhe touched it with her hand and already had a good idea who made it. There was only one person who would cast a magic boundary in the depths of the flower field in the middle of the night...

She gently knocked on it a couple of times and it disappeared, revealing two people standing quietly under a huge wisteria tree in full bloom. Ji Yunhe said, "I knew it was you."

It was Snow March and... her demon slave, a cat demon with orange blond hair and exotic eyes. Snow March publicly claimed that this was a stray she had picked up, that he was her right-hand man in demon hunting, and that he was completely subservient to her... She even gave him a name, called Li Shu.

Only Ji Yunhe knew the relationship between Snow March and Li Shu went far beyond that. Ji Yunhe could still remember the night she met Snow March, when she was fifteen or sixteen years old. It had been right after Ji Yunhe and Lin Haoqing turned against each other and she first thought of escaping the Demon Valley.

But she was weak and alone, and was not able to do anything but dwell in her own helplessness... Just like tonight, she was pacing around in the flower field.

Then… Purely by chance, under the silver moon, she saw a girl with long floating hair gently kiss a man resting under the wisteria tree.

At that moment, Snow March's usually stern eyebrows became soft like water. A young girl in love. It was the first time Ji Yunhe saw that word written so clearly on someone's face. What could not be spoken was the fact that the young girl was kissing Li Shu.

She was kissing a demon, her slave.

Fifty years ago, when the court first began to rule over the demon master tribe, the boundary between humans and demons had been clearly delineated and no one could trespass, especially demon masters. The royal family was full of caution and prejudice against those born different.

They did their best to widen the gap between demons and demon masters, so they could dominate over both. Anyone who fell in love with a demon would be killed without mercy. What Ji Yunhe saw was a matter of life and death. She chose to leave quietly.

But after a night of tossing and turning, Ji Yunhe felt like she needed to break her isolation. Snow March held power here in the valley, and her force was the one thing Ji Yunhe lacked. She needed protection so she could develop her own.So on the next day, Ji Yunhe took the initiative to confront Snow March.

She told her, "Last night in the sea of flowers, under the wisteria tree, I saw something."

Although Snow March was just a young girl at the time, her power was enough to rival the most powerful demon masters. Her only shortcoming was she could only kill, not tame. When she heard what Ji Yunhe said, her already cold face immediately turned colder, and her palm coalesced a murderous aura.

"Take it easy," Ji Yunhe said with a smile.

"I can see that you are a person of martial chivalry and righteousness. Just so happens, I am too."

Snow March sneered, "What moral righteousness is there here in the Demon Valley?"

"I appreciate you more for your bluntness. As you said, there is no moral righteousness here in the Demon Valley, but I have it." She took a step closer to Snow March.

"I am a fair person, I now know your secret, so I will tell you one of mine in exchange, how about that?"

"Righteous adopted daughter of the Valley Master, what secret do you have that is worth exchanging for this life of yours?"

"Valley Master Lin Canglan is not a good man. He uses poison to control me and to use me in motivating his weak son. I am just a pawn doing all of his unspeakable deeds."

"What unspeakable deeds?" Snow March asked.

"Taming demons for the imperial court is just a facade. The truth is all the demons I tame remain loyal to the valley, and they are to deliver the secrets of the royal family back to us."

Snow March was shocked. Ji Yunhe smiled. "Is this secret enough to exchange for my life?"

The secret was more than enough to exchange for her life. If the royal family were to learn of this, the entire Demon Valley would be turned upside down. None of them, including the Valley Master, would be allowed to live.

Snow March was silent for a long time. She sized up Ji Yunhe for a while, then finally asked, "What do you want?"

"I want a friend." She grinned while grabbing a lock of Snow March's long hair, twirling it around her fingertips.

"A friend who will never betray me." A friendship built on the basis of such vital secrets would be indestructible.

"I also want a friend who can escape the Demon Valley with me." Snow March was shocked again.

Ji Yunhe was not stupid. The moment she saw her kissing Li Shu, she knew exactly what Snow March wanted most. She, like herself, wanted to leave the valley and be free.

From that day on, Ji Yunhe began laying out her plans. She established alliances through mutual benefits, common interests, and friendships. She slowly built up her own power and force in the valley, bit by bit. Fortunately, the friendship that had begun with an exchange of secrets grew into a true friendship.

Maybe some people were just born attracted to each other. Or maybe they were just too similar to one another. Rebel in the bones, nothing could make them bend. Replaying such memories from the past made Ji Yunhe a bit emotional.

"Why are you wandering around here again?" Snow March's voice pulled her back to the present. "That demon's cured?" Ji Yunhe waved her hand as a greeting.

"You think his injuries can heal just like that?" Ji Yunhe glanced at Li Shu. "Take care of yourself. Right now things are not like they used to be." Snow March nodded then turned to look at Li Shu, who returned her gaze with a gentleness not unlike her own.

The couple standing under the wisteria tree looked as beautiful as a painting under the moonlight. They were so good together, but because of the imperial rule, they could only sneak around like thieves. Ji Yunhe sighed. She patted her dress and turned to leave.

"Not going to intrude on you guys any longer. I'm heading back."She looked up at the moon and hoped for everything to come soon. That they could leave the valley soon and live a life without scheming and deceit. That the people she cared about would soon be free.