Volume 1 Chapter 7 - A demon climbs into the palanquin for the Crown Prince's hand and heart. Part Two

The wedding palanquin was covered in bright red silks, with coloured threads painted with beautiful flowers under the full moon and dancing dragon and phoenix wishing happiness and prosperity to the newlyweds. Nan Feng and Fu Yao walked to the left and right of the palanquin, guarding the side doors. Xie Lian sat in the palanquin, straightening his back and swaying to the beat of the porters' footsteps.

Each of the eight men carrying the palanquin was a military rank whose martial skills made them stand out from the crowd. In order to find such martial-skilled porters to escort the fake bride, Nan Feng and Fu Yao went straight to the residence of the official. When they appeared before him in person and told him that they were going to search Mount Yujun at night, the official without further ado provided them with a squad of tall and large fighters. However, the war spirits did not expect the war spirits to be of any real help, as they had to be strong enough to defend themselves and get away when faced with a ferocious demon.

However, in reality, these eight fighters, on the contrary, did not think too highly of the spirits. They were considered the best of the best in that official's court. Wherever they went, weren't they the ones who were supposed to lead the rest of the brave men's squad? And then there were some young handsome men who dared to command them, and appointed them as palanquin bearers, that's really - not pleasant. However, the warriors had to follow the order of their lord, forcibly restraining contempt in the soul, which was bursting out. Calmness was not easy for the porters, so that from time to time they stumbled deliberately, and their hands trembled, shaking the palanquin every now and then. It was impossible to see from the side, but if a delicate, fragile girl had been sitting in the palanquin, she would have felt sick, so that her eyes would have turned black.

The soldiers had shaken the palanquin to such an extent that Xie Lian's quiet sigh could still be heard from inside, so in the back of their minds, none of them could contain their smugness.

From outside, Fu Yao's chilly voice was heard:

- Young mistress, what's wrong with you? You must be weeping with happiness that someone is taking you to marry at such an advanced age.

In fact, among the girls getting married, many sobbed profusely while sitting in the wedding palanquin. Xie Lian, on the other hand, if he cried, it would only be from laughter. And when he spoke, his voice sounded calm as usual, without a single hint of dissatisfaction with the incessant shaking:

- No. It just suddenly dawned on me that our procession was missing something very, very important.

Nan Feng inquired:

- What is it? We seem to have prepared everything we need.

Xie Lian said with a laugh:

- Two maidservants to escort the bride.

- ...

The two young men outside glanced at each other without conspiring, presenting a picture only known to them, both of whom shuddered in horror. Fu Yao replied:

- Imagine that you are from a poor family with no money for maids, so you'll get by somehow.

Xie Lian agreed:

- Okay.

The fighters as porters, hearing them exchange barbs, also couldn't hold back their smiles. After that, the discontent in their gaze visibly disappeared, but there was an increase in friendly intimacy, and the palanquin finally stopped swaying. Xie Lian was able to lean back, adjust his clothes, and quietly close his eyes as he fell into meditation.

He didn't even realise that it wouldn't be long before a shimmering child's laughter was suddenly heard near his ears.

Hehehehehe, hehehehehehe, hehehehehehe.

This laughter spread out among the wild mountains with a fine ripple, elusive and strange. At the same time, the palanquin did not stop for a moment, still striding forward confidently. Neither Nan Feng nor Fu Yao made a sound, as if they hadn't noticed anything strange.

Xie Lian opened his eyes and called out quietly:

- Nan Feng, Fu Yao.

Nan Feng was walking to the left of the palanquin, he asked:

- What happened?

Xie Lian:

- We have guests.

At this time, the procession of 'seeing off the bride' had already started to go deeper into the lands belonging to Mount Yujun.

It was so quiet that even the quiet creaking of the wooden palanquin, the rustling of dry branches and fallen leaves underfoot and the breathing of the porters cut the ears.

A child's laughter kept sounding, then in the distance, as if from somewhere deep in the mountain forest, then close by, as if its source had climbed right onto the palanquin.

Nan Feng immediately concentrated.

- ''I don't hear any unnecessary sounds.''

Fu Yao also coldly replied:

- ''Neither do I.''

This meant that the other porters were all the more unable to hear anything.

Xie Lian surmised:

- This can only mean that it is deliberately letting me alone hear myself.

The eight fighters had originally relied on their combat skills, and they also believed that since there was no regularity in the attacks of the evil spirit of the newlywed on the bride processions, they would leave here empty-handed tonight, and therefore there was nothing to fear. However, for some reason, some of the soldiers suddenly remembered the mystical disappearance of the forty military ranks' escorts along with the previous bride, and were covered in cold sweat. Xie Lian, sensing their step slowing down, chastised:

- Don't stop. Pretend that nothing is happening.

Nan Feng waved his hand, signalling for them to continue on their way. Xie Lian, on the other hand, said again:

- It's singing.

Fu Yao asked:

- What exactly is it singing?

Listening to the words of the song, Xie Lian repeated phrase by phrase, pausing before each line:

- A scarlet palanquin is running, in it sits the bride.....

 In the middle of the silence of the night, his measured voice could be heard very clearly, and it was obvious that Xie Lian was just saying the words out loud, but it seemed to the eight soldiers as if they could hear a thin child's voice humming this creepy song. This gave each of them a shiver.

Xie Lian meanwhile continued:

- Under the cover, tears pour down, and no smile flickers... Evil spirit... the evil spirit of the newlywed? Or what?

After being silent, he uttered:

- No way. It, without ceasing, laughs, the words are indistinguishable.

Nan Feng glumly muttered:

- What's the point?"

Xie Lian replied:

- In the words. The song tells the bride sitting in the palanquin not to smile, but to cry bitterly.

Nan Feng interrupted him:

- I ask, why did this thing suddenly come running to give you hints?

Fu Yao, who always put forward opposing theories, did not distinguish himself this time either:

- It is not necessarily a clue at all, it is possible that you need to act just the opposite, and only by smiling will ensure your safety, well, the purpose of the song is to trick the bride into crying. The previous girls might have fallen for it.

Xie Lian objected:

- Eh, Fu Yao, imagine an ordinary girl hearing that voice. She would be scared to death, so she wouldn't be able to smile. Besides, whether I laugh or cry, what would be the worst outcome?

Fu Yao replied:

- You will be kidnapped.

Xie Lian asked another question:

- But isn't that what we started this whole night trek for?

Fu Yao let out a sniff of air with his nose, but still did not continue his objection. Xie Lian, on the other hand, added:

- And one more thing, there is one detail that I feel I must inform you.

Nan Feng:

- What detail?

Xie Lian: 

- Ever since I climbed into the palanquin, I've been smiling all the time.

- ...

As soon as the prince uttered those words, the palanquin abruptly plunged downwards!

The eight soldiers outside suddenly became anxious, and the palanquin froze in place. Nan Feng's shout rang out:

- Don't panic!

Xie Lian slightly raised his head, asking:

- What's going on?

Fu Yao nonchalantly replied:

- Nothing much. Just encountered a pack of beasts.

Immediately after his reply, Xie Lian heard a piercing howl that cut through the night air.

The path was blocked by a wolf pack!

This didn't seem normal to Xie Lian, no matter which way one looked at it. He asked:

- May I ask, in the vicinity of Yujun Mountain, do you often see wolf packs?

One of the fighters outside replied:

- I've never heard of such a thing! Where did they come from on Mount Yujun!

Xie Lian raised an eyebrow and muttered:

- Aha. Then we have come to exactly the right place.

Just a pack of wolves in the wild mountains couldn't do anything to Nan Feng and Fu Yao, nor could the fighters who had been honing their martial arts skills all year round. They only gave in to panic for a moment, confused by that strange demonic song. Many pairs of dim green wolf eyes glowed in the night mountain forest, one by one hungry beasts slowly emerged from the thickets surrounding the palanquin. Still, a beast that could be seen and then killed was far better than one that could neither be heard nor caught, so the palanquin guards began to rub their palms and knuckles, ready to deal with the danger with their bare hands. However, the most interesting thing was just beginning. The footsteps, rustling and rustling were followed by another strange sound, the sound of a beast or a man.

One of the fighters shouted out in shock:

- What... What is that! What kind of beast is that!!!

Nan Feng followed up with a rude scolding. Xie Lian realised that something out of the ordinary had happened and already wanted to get up from his seat, asking:

- What's the big deal?

But Nan Feng shouted:

- Don't you dare come out!

Xie Lian only had time to raise his hand before the palanquin shuddered violently as something hung from its door. The prince's head was positioned high enough to lower his gaze and see the black head of the creature through the gap from the edge of the wedding veil.

It was already climbing into the palanquin!

However, the creature only had time to poke its head inside when someone abruptly yanked it out. Nan Feng's scolding sounded from the front of the palanquin:

- Damn you, it's binu!

Hearing this word, Xie Lian immediately realised that they were now in big trouble.

According to Linwen Palace's rankings, binu were not even honoured with the rank of 'nasty'.

It was said that once upon a time long ago, binu were humans. But now, even if they were considered as such, the distortion of form was still evident: the creatures had a face on their heads, but their features were blurred; they had legs and arms, but lacked the strength to walk upright; they had toothy mouths, but a binu's bite could not inflict a fatal wound. And yet, if given the choice of encountering a binu or the more dangerous "beastly" or even "beastly," no one would want to encounter the nasty freaks.

That's because the binu always appeared along with other foul things. And while the victim was fighting with the enemy, they would suddenly appear out of nowhere and massively cling to the victim with intertwining limbs, viscous like liquid bodies and endlessly arriving help in the form of the same binu. Despite the low combat power, it was absolutely impossible to escape from their clutches, and also very difficult to quickly kill all the binu, as these creatures are extremely tenacious, and in addition, constantly grouped together and attack together. Gradually, the victim lost strength, fell off his feet, made a mistake. That's when the enemy, waiting for the right moment, would strike.

And when the stronger uncleanness killed the victim, the binu picked up the limbs and remains, which had not been eaten by their partner, and devoured them with appetite, nibbling them to the holes in the bones.

Unbearably disgusting creatures. Naturally, the Upper Heaven Celestial would retreat in fear when he revealed his true nature and drew his weapon, but for the junior war spirits of the Middle Heavens, the Binu were not so easy to deal with. Fu Yao spat out word after word with undisguised disgust:

- I. Hate. Those. Those creatures! Linwen Palace didn't warn you about them?

Xie Lian replied:

- No.

Fu Yao was furious:

- Then what good is he!

Xie Lian asked:

- How many creatures are there in total?

Nan Feng replied:

- A hundred, perhaps even more! Keep your head down!

Speaking of binu, the more there were, the stronger they were, with a dozen creatures were already considered difficult to defeat. More than a hundred? Enough to tear them to pieces alive. But the Binu preferred to settle in busy crowded areas, it was quite unexpected to encounter such a huge pack in the vicinity of Mount Yujun. Xie Lian, after briefly pondering, lifted his hand and exposed a part of his wrist covered in white bandages.

He muttered:

- Go.

As soon as he gave the order, the white silk bandage itself gently slipped off his arm as if it had gained life, and flew outside through the curtain of the palanquin.

Xie Lian sat down evenly in the palanquin and softly said:

- Strangle.

From the darkness of the night, a white shadow suddenly emerged from the darkness of the night with a poisonous snake.

When the white bandage-like ribbon was wrapped around Xie Lian's arm, it seemed to be no more than a few chi1 in length.

1 A measure of length equal to 0.33 metres

But once it flew between the opponents fighting to the death with a ghostly lightning bolt, it seemed as if there was no end to the ribbon. The crunch of bones breaking sounded several times without any interruption; just an instant later, several dozen wolves and binu fell with their necks snapped!

The six binu that had encircled Nan Feng fell down dead in an instant. With another palm strike, he tossed aside a wolf, but his face did not relax for a second. As if not believing his eyes, he rushed towards the palanquin with an exclamation:

- What on earth is this! Didn't you say that without having spiritual power, you can't use weapons!

Xie Lian only replied:

- ''There are exceptions to the rules everywhere...''

Nan Feng slapped his palm on the palanquin door in anger.

- Xie Lian! Explain immediately, what the hell is this thing?! Isn't it...

The palanquin nearly fell apart from the impact, and Xie Lian even had to grab onto the doors. After freezing for a moment, he suddenly realised that the intonation with which Nan Feng said those words made him remember Feng Xin in those moments when he lost his temper. Nan Feng was about to finish his sentence when suddenly, the tearing cries of fighters could be heard from afar. Fu Yao coldly said:

- Let's first fend off this wave, then you can say whatever you want to say!

Nan Feng had no choice but to go to help the others. Xie Lian quickly came to his senses and said:

- Nan Feng, Fu Yao, leave.

Nan Feng turned around.

- What?"

Xie Lian explained:

- As long as you are still protecting the palanquin, the creatures won't stop arriving. There's no way to deal with them, take your men and leave. I'll stay behind and match strength with this evil spirit newlywed.

Nan Feng was about to start swearing again:

- Alone, you...

But Fu Yao coldly interrupted him:

- He will be able to protect himself with that ribbon after all, he'll be able to hold on for a while. Instead of wasting time on chattering, you better get the people to safety first, then go back to help. I went.

Fu Yao did as he said, easily and casually: he headed away without wasting time. Nan Feng gritted his teeth, realising that he would not speak in vain, then turned to the rest of the fighters:

- Follow me!

As expected, once they moved away from the palanquin, the wolves and creatures stopped arriving, though they still surrounded the palanquin unceasingly. The two war spirits were each protecting four fighters. While they were forcing their way to retreat, Fu Yao muttered with hatred in his voice:

- It's just a total disgrace, if I hadn't...''

But his speech was interrupted at this point, the two spirits exchanged strange glances. Fu Yao swallowed the end of the sentence, turned away, and both of them, without another word, continued their hasty retreat.

The entire ground around the palanquin turned out to be littered with corpses.

Joie's ribbon had already strangled absolutely all the attacking wolves and binu, returned and obediently wrapped itself back around Xie Liang's wrist. He once again sat quietly in the palanquin, surrounded on all sides by vast darkness and the rustling of countless trees.

For a moment, all the sounds around him became silent.

The wind, the rustling of the trees in the forest, the hissing and roaring of unclean things all fell into dead silence in an instant, as if in fear of something.

And then Xie Lian heard someone chuckle a couple of times.

The chuckle could have belonged to either a young man or a young boy.

Xie Lian silently straightened up.

Ribbon Zhoe was calmly hugging his wrist, ready to attack at any moment. If the uninvited guest showed the slightest bit of intent to kill him, the ribbon would immediately launch a preemptive strike ten times more powerful.

To his surprise, however, the prince did not expect an attack or any ill intentions. He waited for something else.

The curtain of the palanquin was slightly lifted, and through the gap under the bright red wedding veil, Xie Lian saw that the stranger was holding out his hand.

Long fingers, distinct joints. And on his middle finger, a red thread was tied, a bright knot of fate standing out on his pale hand.