The heaven-sent ... Bride?!

After a few villages and farmhouses, the next largest city, Ying yue, reached Wusheng at dusk. The city below the fog, as it was settled below Mount Wushan, a truly fitting name.

The city was bustling with life, merchants offered various goods, children romped through the streets and the residents looked contented and well-fed. A rare sight, as most cities and villages were plagued by demons, which had become increasingly common in recent years.

Ying yue thought of the great demon with the black hair and glowing eyes, maybe it was his merit? Even if his demonic energy did not defile the mountain, it could still deter lower demons from settling there. He forcefully pushed the thought of Zhen yan aside; he didn't want to deal with that arrogant guy any longer than necessary.

He walked along the streets when an inn caught his eye. He tapped his chest and took out a small purse. Zhen yan had returned everything to him in good order. Since he hadn't had to pay for his stay with Zhen yan, it was still full to the brim. He thought of the hunt, the demon had hit the bull's eye. He had been a representative of the Bai clan on a night hunt.

Nothing earth-shattering, a few low-level demons had gathered and attacked the people on the streets. He didn't know who had done it, to his annoyance he didn't memorize the names of his colleagues, since they and the team kept changing, had claimed that a small group of demons had fled and they had taken up the chase.

He didn't have partners, like other clans who always went on hunts and missions together, so he inevitably had to place his trust in those who voluntarily spent time with him. His heart tightened for a moment and he swallowed a lump in his throat. The sun was setting and, unlike on Wushan, it got quite cold quite quickly.

Spring had not quite arrived yet and so the nights could get frosty at times. Ying yue entered the inn and placed a few coins on the counter, along with a jade pendant that identified him as a member of the Bai clan.

»Something to eat and a room, please,« he asked. »For two?« the innkeeper asked. Ying yue frowned. Behind him, he sensed an ominous draft; someone, something, had entered the inn and its presence was overwhelming, yet familiar. The scent of plum blossoms and alcohol wafted into Ying yue's nostrils.

»We share a room and a bed,« a familiar, cheerful voice sounded next to him. Bai Yingyue spun around. With horror, he recognized the dark, green, glowing eyes of the demon Zhenyan. »You,« he growled menacingly.

»Me,« the demon winked at him. »Why are you following me?« Ying yue tried to keep his voice calm, so the other guests wouldn't notice them, but it was too late, a figure like Zhen yan's couldn't be overlooked. The tall demon with the long flowing black hair, the robe made of deep black and dark green fabric, was too imposing.

His narrow attractive face with the high cheekbones, full lips and almond-shaped eyes, looked at Ying yue with her dark green iris. Immediately, his chest tightened with rage, while Zhen yan looked at him with a cheerful smile. The innkeeper looked uncertainly back and forth between the two. The demon looked at him.

»The room, please!« Then he leaned over Ying yue, who was dwarfed by the demon, and whispered: »Or should I loudly proclaim that we have bowed three times before heaven and earth?« Yingyue trembled with rage, but refrained from doing so; he couldn't risk damaging his reputation even more. »If you're good, my love, I'll allow you to tell everyone that you subdued me,« Zhenyan teased him.

Yingyue turned on his heel and followed the bewildered innkeeper. With a small, polite bow, the demon apologized for disturbing the other guests, then followed his husband. Ying yue followed the innkeeper to the top floor and thanked him when he left. When Zhen yan entered behind him, Ying yue spun around. Zhen yan caught the hand that was about to strike him and looked incredibly happy. Here in a normal environment, even the demon looked young.

Ying yue would turn twenty-four in a month, Zhen yan was only about three or four years older, on the outside. And he was close, too close. Ying yue was so angry that he hadn't paid attention to the distance between them and Zhen yan was now leaning over him. He guided Ying yue's intercepted hand between them and looked him straight in the eye as he breathed a kiss on his fingers.

It gave him incredible pleasure to see how Ying yue lost his temper in surprise at his appearance and blushed. His heart was pounding wildly and Zhen yan could see the pure lust for murder burning in his eyes. He boldly licked the tip of his tongue over Ying yue's finger; only now did the young man have enough strength to release it in disgust from his grip.

»You!« he shouted angrily. »Me!« Zhen yan replied happily. »Always me.« The demon himself had no idea why he was so fascinated by the serious swordsman. He had seduced the most beautiful women in the past, which became boring over time because none of them felt embarrassed for long, but he would never have thought it possible to flirt just as cheekily with a man.

He gave Ying yue some space and looked around the room as he crossed it in a few steps. »I've decided to accompany you,« he announced, changing from the formal to the familiar. Ying yue was so angry that he completely ignored this insolence.

»I refuse!« he shouted angrily. »Then I'll just take the same route as you,« Zhen yan explained, unimpressed. He pointed to the bed. ‚You should get some sleep; you barely closed your eyes in my house,' he said kindly. »And whose fault was that, hm?« Ying yue spat, forgetting all politeness himself. Zhen yan looked at him innocently.

Without the majestic background of the mountain and his spacious estate, his presence was still overwhelming, but there was no way this face could be over fifty thousand years old. Zhen yan grinned mischievously, »I can give you other sleepless nights, my dearest,« he whispered conspiratorially, dodging a fist that was aimed at his nose at lightning speed.

Ying yue was fast. Within seconds, he had closed the distance between them and grazed Zhen yan's cheek, although he had actually wanted to break his nose. Zhen yan smiled and whispered in his ear: »Not so rough, you'll wake the other guests!« Ying yue froze. No matter how much he wanted to strangle the demon, he represented the Bai Clan and couldn't make a scene.

Zhen yan raised his hand and covered Ying yue's eyes with it. Before he could protest, he collapsed and Zhen yan caught him.

So far, he had only put Ying yue into a magical sleep to fix his wounds on the first night, but Zhen yan knew how exhausted he actually was. He hadn't eaten or slept properly for a month, and as much as the demon enjoyed provoking him, Yingyue needed at least one good night's rest. Zhenyan carried him to the bed and laid him down properly before covering him.

He spent the rest of the night sitting by the bed, gazing at Yingyue's face. He gently stroked the contours of his cheekbones and lips. He ran his hand over his forehead, the tip of his nose, along his chin and down his throat. He lifted Ying yue's chin with two fingertips when he opened his mouth a little and was able to breathe better. Z

hen yan massaged Ying yue's lips with his thumb until they were deep red and swollen. In deep sleep, the young man's otherwise serious face relaxed. The moon shone through the window and his long eyelashes cast a shadow on his cheeks. Following an impulse, Zhen yan leaned down to him and gently, very lightly, touched the lips he had maltreated with his own.

They were hot and pulsating, and Zhen yan traced the contours of Ying yue's lips with the tip of his tongue before letting go and sitting down at the other end of the bed.

»You're going to kill me for this!« he grumbled, glancing at Xiaodan, who was lying quietly on the table. His aura was almost as frosty as Ying yue's character.

Ying yue woke up promptly with the first rays of sunlight, sat up straight in bed and felt himself over. His lips weren't swollen and nothing pointed to something indecent last night, so he dared to take a deep breath. »What do you take me for?« Zhen yan asked, amused, as he sat at the low table in the middle of the room and watched him.

Ying yue glared at him, his face was serious again, his lips pressed together and his eyebrows drawn low on his forehead, his eyes sparkled. Zhen yan was glad to have quickly healed his misdeed with a little magic last night; otherwise, Xiaodan wouldn't be so calm in his scabbard anymore.

»What did you do last night?« Ying yue asked sharply. Zhen yan grinned: »I brought you to bed,« he replied innocently. Ying yue narrowed his eyes, but he felt rested and well-rested and nothing about his body pointed to anything improper, so he left it at that.

»Go home,« he said brusquely. »Of course... not!« Zhen yan replied and raised one eyebrow mockingly, as if he suddenly got rid of him so quickly and after last night Zhen yan would follow him to the ends of the earth and woe to the one who dared to even think about touching Ying yue.

Ying yue freed himself from his blanket and reached for his sword, then he sat down at the table in front of Zhen yan. It was useless to send Zhen yan back by force or words, he was a demon and could go wherever he wanted. Without looking up, he said harshly, »I'll tell every cultist that I tamed you!« Zhen yan nodded,

»All right,« he agreed. Ying yue's head shot up, although he had wanted to avoid eye contact, he sought it out now. »If you really are a fifty-thousand-year-old demon, how can you agree so carelessly? Shouldn't all your hair be standing on end?« he asked angrily. He had hoped to be able to appeal to Zhen Yan's pride, but to his surprise, the demon just shrugged. His gaze lingered a little too long on Ying Yue's lips, so that he involuntarily licked his tongue over them and stared at the table again.

»Then there must be rules,« he said angrily. ‚If we come across other cultivators, they will know if I haven't really tamed you.' Zhen yan hadn't taken his eyes off him for a second. He leaned forward slightly. »I'm all ears!« He said cheerfully. »Demons are bound by a magical artifact, you have to carry something with you that is imbued with Yang energy and suppresses your own demonic powers. You have to follow me three steps behind and not speak unless you are asked to. No magical skills will be used on me,« Ying yue listed.

»Mhm!« the demon agreed. Ying yue trembled. Why did he swallow his pride so easily? Zhen yan took the jade amulet that Ying yue had used to identify himself with last night and tied it to his belt. It was completely flooded with Yang energy. He reduced his demonic energy to such an extent that one might think he was a simple mortal, then he looked expectantly at Ying yue, as if expecting praise for it.

Ying yue saw the jade amulet hanging from his neck. »Not... the only allowed...« he began, but stopped when he realized what he wanted to say. The family crest could only be worn by members of the family or those related by marriage. He clenched his fists, they weren't really married, were they? He racked his brains.

Did the gods make a distinction between man and woman? On the one hand, it was depraved, impure and wicked, but on the other hand, they placed plants and animals and spirits on a par with mortals and preached that all life and individuals were equally valuable. So was the marriage contract actually valid? His stomach turned over, an unfamiliar pulling sensation spreading in his abdomen. »So?« Zhen yan asked expectantly. Were there more rules to follow?

Ying yue swallowed. »You won't touch me,« he added. Zhen yan's gaze intensified, he grinned as he replied. »Fine! And what if you ask me?«

»Of course not,« Ying yue answered promptly. »What if you beg me to touch you one day?« Ying yue's lower belly clenched and a tingling sensation spread over his back and arms. He glared angrily at Zhen yan.

»Never!« he growled angrily, then he snatched up his sword and stormed out of the room. Zhen yan grinned as he rose and followed him. Quietly, so that Ying yue couldn't hear him anymore, he said, »I promise you, I won't stop until you beg for mercy!«

When the innkeeper saw the two coming down, he immediately prepared breakfast for them. »Gongzi,« he began ingratiatingly when Ying yue had started eating. Zhen yan gave the innkeeper an attentive but dismissive look. As if he wasn't worthy of the demon's attention.

»Gongzi, you are a cultivator, aren't you? A demon h—« he paused briefly and frowned when he saw that the jade seal was hanging from Zhen yan's hip. ‚Tamer,' he corrected himself. »Not far from here, in Shuisheng, a hunt has been announced. A water spirit or wanglian is said to be causing trouble there,« he explained.

Ying yue listened intently, without changing his serious expression. »The hunt was posted just last night, so if you leave quickly, you can be in Shuisheng in three days and be among the first there!« The innkeeper held out his hands expectantly; such information usually brought a handsome reward. Ying yue rummaged in his robes for his money bag and dropped a few silver pieces into the innkeeper's hands.

Almost panting with joy, the innkeeper thanked them and prepared some travel provisions. After eating, Ying yue set off in a northwesterly direction towards Shuisheng, with Zhen yan in tow.