Demonic attack
The bandit camp was an ominous place. Dishonor and violence were the main entertainment of its inhabitants. Broken, dilapidated buildings and tents, surrounded by a fence of sheathed boards and barbed wire, created an atmosphere of menace and danger. Loud shouting and swearing could be heard everywhere in the place.
Yang Yulan made her way through the bandits' camp, using all her stealth and dexterity skills. Darting from place to place, she slowly approached her target, casting wary glances at the guards every now and then.
«This bird owes me for the rest of his life»
Following the sound of a bird howling, Yang Yulan reached a small wasteland where two men – one a tall bully with a scar on his cheek, the other a thick-set bald man – tried to force the bird they were carrying to plug its beak.
«Hey, try bandaging her mouth with some kind of cloth.»
– Do it yourself! Do you know how painful it bites?
The men were arguing loudly. It seemed like it would take a long time. Despite the successful development of events, Yang Yulan still did not know how she would get this bird and the rest of the animals out of the dungeon.
They took away her bow – which God knows where it is now – and even deprived her of a pair of concealed knives, stolen at one time from the cook in the dining room.
Yang Yulan called the system and looked hopefully at the screen that opened.
[The system is being updated. At this time, the main options and the assistant do not work. 61% uploaded]
– How useless you are! – the girl swore to herself.
The only thing she could do now was try to distract the bandits and open the cage while they were busy. The plan was not very reliable, but the girl had no other options.
Yang Yulan knew a couple of reliable techniques for such a case. She peered intently into the darkness, searching for something under her feet. A small but weighty stone was perfect for her idea. She took him firmly in her arms and threw him away from her. The sound of the fall reached the guards.
– Did you hear that?
– Something must have fallen. Just leave it.
«And in films it always worked» – the girl was upset, but she was not going to give up.
She threw another stone. This time, it flew away from a small box and fell right at the feet of the bandits.
– A stone?
– Check where he came from, I'll take care of the bird.
– Sure, man!
Yang Yulan wanted to take off and run away, but from this distance, they would definitely hear it.
The man armed himself with a small dagger and slowly moved towards her
«What should I do when he comes up?»
Fortunately, she didn't have to look for an answer to this question. At the last second, when the bandit was ready to make out the silhouette of a girl in the shadows, a loud explosion was heard, as if someone had picked up and lifted an entire wall into the air.
– Everyone go to the main gate! We have an invasion! – Someone shouted from far away. The two men who were first fiddling with the bird quickly exchanged glances and ran in an unknown direction.
«Maybe another gang invaded them.»
Yang Yulan did not attach much importance to this. Her main goal was to get out of the bandit camp safely, before taking other prisoners with her.
The girl cautiously approached the cherished cage to the sound of another rumble.
«What's going on there?»
The bird that was locked up looked curiously at the actions of a girl she knew.
– Now I'll get you out – Yang Yulan took a stone from the ground – previously thrown by her – and began to break the lock. It wouldn't budge in any way. The bird, seeing these attempts, involuntarily rolled its eyes.
– Hey, I'm trying to save you here. What else do you suggest? – The girl was angry. The bird stared at her with a contemptuous look for a while, and then pointed its wing in the direction of a bunch of keys that lay in a pile of things that the guards had inadvertently thrown before leaving.
– Oh – Yulan laughed awkwardly – How long has it been lying there?
In any case, the bird was safely released.
– Fly away from here. I know you can regenerate. The wing must have healed by now.
The bird looked at the girl again, as if asking her what she was going to do.
– I'll look into the dungeon for a while first. You don't have to worry about me.
The bird snorted humanly, as if to make the girl understand that no one was worried about her, and then soared into the sky and quickly disappeared from sight
– There is one.
– Now the others.
***
Yang Yulan frowned and kicked a stone under her feet. She was in the same dungeon she had recently escaped from.
– And here we are again.
As one might have guessed, the plan to save the other spirit animals was not particularly successful. Despite the commotion caused by the enemy invasion, the guards still noticed the girl's escape, and caught her again on the way to the dungeon.
– I hope one of those bandits accidentally blows up my bars.
The sounds of explosions, rumbles and screams of people became louder and louder. Whatever was going on behind the wall, it was slowly moving towards her. The girl couldn't help but wonder where the attacking people got so much dynamite from. It is unlikely that there were so many of them in those days that you could blow up an entire camp.
The ground suddenly shook and Yang Yulan's muscles involuntarily tensed, frozen in expectant anxiety.
The basement door flew off its hinges with a bang and smashed against the far wall.
Women's voices were heard.
– Are you sure they're keeping him here?
– Yes. They hide all the prisoners in this basement.
One of these voices seemed painfully familiar to Yang Yulan.
The footsteps were getting closer. The girl slightly moved away from the bars, trusting her bad feeling and did not lose.
Shin Zuzhou walked slowly through the basement, looking into every cell in search of her spirit, but what she saw in one of them put her in a stupor.
A familiar masked man sitting in the cell looked at her warily in response.
They just stared at each other for a while, not knowing what to do next.
«I screwed up» – Yang Yulan thought.
Shin Zuzhou's eyes, in turn, lit up with anger. A black fireball formed in her hand. This ball was ready to melt the grate and burn the man standing behind it alive.
Yang Yulan frantically searched through her clothes, hoping to find something to defend herself. But, as expected, she couldn't find anything worthwhile. The only thing she had left after checking was a bag with a strange herb that her brother had once given her. It was in a hidden pocket of his undergarments.
«My brother said that he would help me in a difficult situation. The situation is just as complicated as it can be»
Yang Yulan immediately wasted no time grabbing a handful of grass and swallowed
However, nothing special happened, just a little sore throat.
«Of course he tricked me.»
When Shin Zuzhou swung her arm to strike, a bird's howl echoed throughout the basement.
– Storm!
The black spirit flew up to its mistress, but stopped right in front of her, covering the man who was sitting in the dungeon with his body
– Storm, what are you doing? Are you okay?
The bird continued to stand in place, spreading its wings wide.
– Are you protecting this stranger?
The bird nodded, as if agreeing with the words of the woman. And then it croaked like a crow.
– What? Did he save you? Are you sure?
The bird cawed again.
– Good
At that moment, a dagger suddenly flew past the Northern Princess. Then a few more.
– Grab the demon. Kill him – the bandits shouted, running into the dungeon.
– Get lost, you fiend of hell.
– Go back to where you came from
Shin Zuzhou didn't even look in their direction. When they got closer, the girl just flicked her finger and for no reason at all they lit up with black flames.
It was at this moment that Yang Yulan remembered the fact that the villainess was not only a spoiled princess who wanted to get what did not belong to her, but also a demoness. More precisely, half demon, half human. At one time, the main character found the connection of the villainess with the remnants of the demonic race, who tried to gather forces and attack people again, and using numerous evidence obtained through intricate machinations, she was able to convince the imperial family of her evil intentions and send her to the death penalty.
– You're coming with us – Shin Zuzhou commanded, which made Yang Yulan instantly wake up and throw away unnecessary thoughts.
– What?
– What is it? – she asked, and then abruptly covered her mouth with her hands
«Did I just say that? Why does my voice sound like that? It's strange»
Yang Yulan uttered a couple more whisper sounds and was convinced of her guess.
«So my brother's grass changes the timbre of his voice. Now it sounds much lower and rougher.»
Yang Yulan stood in shock for a while, which aroused the curiosity of the bloodthirsty villainess.
– What happened? Are you scared?
Yang Yulan did not answer her question. She just looked at the system screen, which she checked every five minutes, and sighed heavily.
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She needed to stall for time.
– Could you let me go this time? I haven't done anything wrong to you.
Shin Zuzhou raised her eyebrows in puzzlement. It seemed absurd to her that this man would even dare to talk to her after all he had seen.
– Aren't you scared at all? – The princess smiled slyly – I'm a demoness, in case you haven't noticed. And we don't do favors.
– I don't care if you're a human or a demon, as long as you're not trying to kill me – Yang Yulan blurted out honestly.
There was a deathly silence. Shin Zuzhou first looked at the man in front of her in surprise, and then burst into loud laughter.
– Ha-ha-ha. It's the funniest thing I've ever heard in my entire life.
Yang Yulan giggled awkwardly to keep up the general mood
– Okay – concluded the villainess, changing her face again – I won't kill you yet
– Yet?
– You protected my spirit. However, don't think that I trust you now.
Yang Yulan didn't say anything, but nodded understandingly.
– Who are you and where do you live? – Shin Zuzhou suddenly asked, still not letting Yang Yulan out of the dungeon.
– I..
– If you don't want me to rip off your mask, answer honestly.
– And if you lie, I will personally find you and all your loved ones and burn you alive at the first opportunity.
– I know you're not an ordinary person. The first Prince is protecting you. And I will reveal your lie faster than you finish the first sentence.
Yang Yulan's legs became wobbly and her voice trembled as she began to speak:
– I live and work in the palace
It wasn't exactly a lie. Her life after Chu Qi's punishment was the most difficult job. Working for herself.
Shin Zuzhou looked closely into her eyes. Yang Yulan did not look away.
– Where exactly do you work?
– In the White Lotus Pavilion
The Northern Princess had never heard of this place. Nevertheless, she felt that the other side was telling the truth
– Good
Hearing this, Yang Yulan calmed down a little, but the following words of the Northern Princess brought her back to an anxious state
– Then I'll come to this pavilion one of these days. And if I don't see you there, then you can start counting the days until you die.
[The system is being updated. At this time, the main options and the assistant do not work. 87% uploaded ]
«How long has it been»
– Oh yes, I almost forgot – Shin Zuzhou seemed to remember something and reached into her bosom. She took out a small gray animal. He was tied up with a strange glowing rope.
– You caught him hunting, didn't you? The forest spirit. Not a bad choice.
– Little Bell! – Yang Yulan was very happy to see a familiar animal alive. However, the fact that the spirit was now in the hands of the villainess made the situation much more complicated. She was going to leave here, using the system when it was updated, but now she realized that she would not be able to do that.
– He was ashamed that he had abandoned you, so he surrendered himself for your salvation. Very selfless, don't you think?
The animal in her arms began to squeak pitifully.
– I suspected he would lead me to you. But I wasn't exactly sure. Anyway, I'm pleasantly surprised.
The upset girl stopped looking at the system, and only answered:
– I'll go with you.
– Right decision.
– Open all the cages – the villainess ordered the bodyguard standing next to her.
Yang Yulan came out of prison and helped Xing open other animal cages.
– Before we go.. – Shin Zuzhou announced as Yang Yulan obediently stood next to her, ready to follow her instructions. – I have to sort something out.
The Northern princess took out a small dagger from her pocket and, drawing it, with a quick movement of her hand, struck Yang Yulan's shin. She immediately writhed in pain and sat down on the floor.
– It's just in case
Shin Zuzhou gave her bodyguard a sign and she, throwing Yulan over her shoulders like a sack of potatoes, followed her mistress towards the exit.
After leaving the camp, Yang Yulan saw how the villainess turned her back on her and threw several fireballs into the very inferno of the burning camp.
– There could have been innocent people there. Like Tai Zi. They didn't deserve to die like that.
With a bitter lump in her throat, suffocating from carbon monoxide, Yang Yulan continued to stare at the receding picture of the infernal fire.
In the thick dark night, the burning bandit camp seemed to the girl a harbinger of terrible changes in her life. The sounds of flames and the crackling of burning sticks, coupled with the death rattles of people, created a symphony of horror and hopelessness. She couldn't look at it, but she felt she had to.
The girl's lips trembled, but the tears did not come.
«It's all my fault.»
Her heart was torn apart, either from resentment, or for some other unknown reason that had taken root in the distant past.
The sudden realization of the reality of what was happening hit the girl like a hot hammer. She stubbornly continued to stare at the fire until her eyes ached and consciousness passed out.