The Devil Lotus 9

"As expected!" roared the hoarse voice from before.

"I told you this bitch couldn't be trusted!" spat another.

Five disciples of the Lotus Sect stood before them, cloaked in blood-colored robes, each emanating murderous intent.

"Huh," Wu Xuan scoffed, stepping forward to shield Lingyu and Hong Li. His sword shimmered with surging qi.

"Took you long enough," growled the first man. Dark qi pulsed violently around his arms, and the spear in his hand crackled with fury, like it would tear through steel at the slightest command.

"Well," Wu Xuan sighed, tilting his head, "it's not nice to see you again."

He slid into position, raising his sword. "Lingyu. Take your friend and get out. I'm going to teach this bastard a proper lesson."

"Oh?" sneered He Jin, now fully revealed as the spear-wielding disciple. He pushed the door shut behind him with a thud. "Nobody's leaving."

Wu Xuan gave him a mock pout. "A pity. Would you like him to see you crouch like a frog?"

Yu Lingyu knew that tone, it was the same way Wu Xuan always provoked his enemies into slipping. Enrage them, and their discipline would fray.

"Tch! Give them to us, boss!" shouted one of the others. Another cracked his knuckles. "I'll kill that whore and feed her to the crows!"

Lingyu's gaze turned glacial. His hand tightened around Murong Meng's blade, standing between Hong Li and danger. She had always been weak, fragile like he once was. No one would touch her.

Be careful, a warning whispered in his gut. Your qi is unstable. One misstep will kill all three of us.

Suddenly, He Jin lunged, roaring like thunder. His spear clashed against Wu Xuan's blade in an explosion of sparks. The impact shook the chamber, cracking beams and sending dust raining from the ceiling.

The other four attackers pounced at once, swift and venomous.

A beautiful woman with poison-plum eyes lashed out with a razor-edged whip. The strike screeched through the air. Yu Lingyu twisted his sword, blocking it just in time, only to duck beneath a gleaming dagger from another disciple.

Hong Li moved behind him, guarding his back. Their movements weren't synchronized, but they covered each other instinctively.

"There are too many," Lingyu muttered.

The woman with the whip wasn't inferior to He Jin; in fact, her movements were more fluid, more precise. The other three were less dangerous, but even the distractions could be dangerous in battle.

Wu Xuan blurred forward. His blade screamed as it cut through the air like a lightning bolt. "He Jin, oh He Jin," he said with a manic grin, "you've gotten better. Still not good enough."

Curtains shredded, furniture shattered, the room was rapidly becoming a battlefield.

"It's cramped in here," Hong Li muttered, narrowly ducking a strike aimed for her neck.

Yu Lingyu clenched his jaw. Murong Meng's sword was heavier than his own celestial blade, throwing off his rhythm. Still, with each clash, his power disrupted the whip woman's flow, just enough to keep her on the defensive.

They were holding on, for now.

He Jin twirled his long spear, the air humming with brute force. His bloodshot eyes locked onto Wu Xuan, crazed with fury. Wu Xuan barely managed to cross his sword in time, deflecting the brutal strike, only for a new danger to emerge.

The whip-wielding woman struck from the side. Her iron lashes coiled tightly around Wu Xuan's waist, yanking him back with vicious strength.

Lingyu lunged to intervene, but the dagger-wielder caught him by the collar and jerked him away.

He Jin's spear shot forward like a silver bolt aimed straight at Wu Xuan's heart.

"Wu Xuan!" Lingyu's voice rang out in horror.

Wu Xuan twisted his body just enough to avoid a fatal blow, but the spear still pierced deep into his shoulder. Blood sprayed, but he didn't fall.

With a grunt, he drew the short blade from his waist, slashed upward, and severed the whip's coiling grip. The same swing shattered He Jin's spear at the shaft, forcing the tip to clatter to the floor.

Still, Wu Xuan remained upright.

Blue qi energy surged into his sword. Sparks arced wildly across the blade, the spiritual power thick in the air like a coming storm.

"I have to," he hissed through gritted teeth, blood seeping down his arm. "He must be protected."

He raised his sword before his eyes. Thunder crackled in his gaze.

"Final technique-" he called out, voice echoing through the chamber, "A Thousand Lightnings!"

A blinding surge of electric power exploded outward. Thunder roared through the room like a wrathful dragon. Bolts of lightning carved into walls and ceiling, and arcs of pure energy wrapped around the enemies like spectral chains.

The whip-wielding woman screamed, trying to drop her weapon, but it was too late. A flash of white lightning struck her face, hurling her to the floor. The others didn't even have time to react. They dropped one by one, their bodies smoking, shattered beyond repair.

Only a few seconds had passed.

Silence fell.

Wu Xuan collapsed to one knee, his breath ragged, the room filled with the scent of ozone and charred cloth. He Jin stood amid the wreckage, chest heaving, his face frozen in disbelief. Trembling, he raised the remains of his broken spear for one final strike.

But Wu Xuan was spent. He didn't rise.

As the broken spear rushed toward him, a speeding sword pierced He Jin's chest just as the spear left his hand. Disarmed and defeated, He Jin still seemed unable to accept the outcome.

Yu Lingyu withdrew his blade as He Jin coughed up blood, spraying it across his face. Lingyu stared, stunned. "I… I killed someone again," he muttered, his voice hollow, almost delirious. Of all things, getting blood on his hands was what he had wanted to avoid most.

Wu Xuan murmured faintly. He had once spent a great deal of energy to summon lightning and cast a barrier around Lingyu, and his old wounds hadn't healed yet. Still, with effort, Wu Xuan slowly stood up, supported by Hong Li.

"If he'd used the bloodsucking technique," Hong Li said, her voice trembling, "we'd all be dead."

"Ah-Yu… come back to your senses," she added gently.

Yu Lingyu remained motionless for a moment, eyes fixed on the corpses and the blood-stained sword in his hand. Then he turned toward Wu Xuan. "Let me heal you first."

Kneeling, he placed his hands over Xuan's wounds, shoulder and groin, and channeled his spiritual power. A soft azure glow spilled from his palms, and as it spread through Wu Xuan's body, color returned to the man's dry lips.

"Guards will be here soon. We made too much noise," Hong Li warned, glancing nervously at the shattered door. "I'll take you to the secret passage."

Wu Xuan let out a groan. "Don't… waste your energy," he whispered. "Lingyu!"

"I have to take responsibility for this. So, at least let me help you." Lingyu's voice was quiet but steady.

He stood upright like a red flag fluttering on a pile of charred wood. "Hong Li. Let's go."

With Lingyu helping Wu Xuan, the three moved across the room. Hong Li approached a lion statue tucked in the corner and twisted its head.

A rumble echoed through the chamber as a hidden passage opened beneath where the bed had once stood, dust rising like ash. The damp smell of earth wafted up. Hong Li entered first, her steps light, motioning for the others to follow.

But as Wu Xuan stepped toward the threshold, a sharp pain shot through his right hand.

Poison. He Jin's spear had been laced with it.

Yu Lingyu's healing could seal wounds, but it could not cure poison. Wu Xuan bit his lip hard and said nothing. He descended into the hidden tunnel silently, unwilling to burden Lingyu further.

As soon as all three were inside, Hong Li twisted another lion head, and the stone door groaned shut behind them.

Thick, stale air surrounded them. Only the sound of their breathing echoed. The stone walls were slick with moss, like emerald paint brushed over age-old stone. The ceiling above was blackened and rough, as though streaked with soot.

Lit by the faint glow of Wu Xuan's hairpiece, Hong Li pressed her fingertips to the wall, searching for the right path. Behind her, Yu Lingyu and Wu Xuan followed carefully, each step cautious to avoid slipping.

The tunnel narrowed, forcing them to move single-file. Ancient carvings scarred the rougher walls. The temperature dropped suddenly. A fine mist clung to their skin, the chill biting into their bones.

Then, Hong Li stopped abruptly.

She raised a hand to signal silence. The air ahead was still. She stepped forward,

And bumped into someone.

???

Yu Lingyu's hand flew to his sword hilt.

"Shimei?" the man gasped, surprised. He hadn't expected to encounter them here. But his gaze shifted and froze upon seeing Wu Xuan and Lingyu.

"Wu Xuan!"

"Heh." Even injured, Wu Xuan managed his usual scornful smirk. With a swift motion, he struck the man's neck with the hilt of his sword. The guard crumpled to the ground like a tree struck by lightning.

But behind him, more shadows emerged. They bore the insignia of the Phoenix Pavilion.

"Yu Shidi," Wu Xuan called, lifting his sword into a defensive stance. "You two go on ahead. I'll hold them off."

He bit his lip to suppress the pain coursing through his poisoned hand.

"I can't," Yu Lingyu said, stepping forward and unsheathing his sword. 

"Get out of here, there's no time to waste. I'm just meeting up with some of my old friends. Don't worry." With a wink, he pushed Lingyu back.

With that sentence, he dashed towards the guards at lightning speed.

***************************************************************

"Wei Yunhe, why do you think the disciples of Jun Peak are so weak?" the old man asked, turning his sunken eyes to Wei Yunhe.

Wei Yunhe lowered his eyes, deep in thought. "I've thought about it for a long time… There's no problem with their abilities. So, I don't understand-"

The old man slowly stood up and walked to the nearby window. His hands were clasped behind his back, and his long shadow stretched across the floor.

"There's a lot you don't know. What about the assignment I gave you?"

Wei Yunhe tightly clenched his hands to stop them from shaking. The corners of his lips twitched. "Like you said… he's not normal," he said slowly, forcing the words out.

The old man twirled his long beard, watching the sun rise in the distance. "Do you think you can beat him?"

"But Master, he never harms anyone. I'm sure-"

"Wei Yunhe!" the old man snapped. His voice was stern, and the strong smell of sandalwood in the private booth made Wei Yunhe feel even more uneasy. But not as much as the old man's presence did.

"Didn't you say he had no emotions or feelings when he was young? Then why does he seem like a completely different person after what happened that day?" The old man narrowed his cold eyes.

"Yu Lingyu is not someone you can control. If we can't bring the strongest ones to our side, then it's better to get rid of them."

Wei Yunhe's hands curled into fists. He wanted to resist. But he wasn't strong enough, at least not yet.

"Lingyu only wants to live freely," he said softly. "Master, please… protect his life."

"Do you think pretending to be his Da Shixiong makes you his brother?" The old man's voice turned colder. "Stop pretending. Get rid of him before he gets stronger."

Wei Yunhe's throat tightened. He searched for a way out, a reason, an excuse. Only one person came to mind.

"Wu Xuan protects him," he said quickly.

The old man paused. "Wu Xuan? Hmm… The demon slayer from the Wen Sect," he muttered thoughtfully, slowly sitting back down. "Then we'll wait a little longer. I'd like to see how well that Xuan boy protects him."

"A wise decision, Master," Wei Yunhe said as he bowed deeply. He didn't wait another second. The moment he was dismissed, he turned and left the restaurant like wind escaping through a crack. His palms were sweaty, and his legs shaky.

He took a deep breath outside, then whispered to himself, "Murong Meng, I'll rely on you. Please… protect him."

He already knew Yu Lingyu would never join hands with evil.

He had asked Lingyu about it many times.

—

Two years ago

"Yu Shidi, if I told you to join a fierce union… would you?"

"No! Even if Da Shixiong says I have to. I won't go anywhere you'd hate me for."

—

Five years ago

"Yu Shidi, what if I'm actually evil? Just pretending to be good? If I'm part of an evil guild, would you still follow me?"

"No way. Wherever you are, you're still my Da Shixiong. I'll drag you out of that evil place. Why are you asking these weird questions?"

—

Eight years ago

"Yu Shidi, what if I was a bad person? What if I was evil and only wanted to use you?"

"Anyone in the world could be evil… but not Da Shixiong."

—

Wei Yunhe closed his eyes for a moment, remembering the past. His heart felt heavy.

"I'm sorry, Lingyu."

He looked up at the sky, which was slowly brightening. But to him, it felt colder than before.

"You believed in me too much… I don't know if I deserve it anymore."