A solved Case and newly formed Bonds

»You call Bai Ying yue your wife?« Wei meng asked skeptically. Zhen yan nodded.

»But it is you who wash the rice while he sharpens the weapons.«

Zhen yan, who had been sitting bent over the tub with rolled-up sleeves, conscientiously washing the rice, gave the shaggy man, who had been traveling with them for a few days, a surprised look. Ying yue couldn't hide an amused grin despite his compressed lips. According to the traditional division of roles, the woman was responsible for cooking, house and yard, while the man went to work and hunt.

»Ha!« Zhen yan raised a finger covered in rice grains in a jokingly threatening manner. ‚Ha!' He repeated, as if he was at a loss for words. At least it was the first time that Ying yue didn't fly into a rage when the marriage contract was mentioned.

»Fine, if you like being the man so much, Bai Ying yue, I'll let you be the dominant one tonight.« Immediately, Ying yue's expression darkened again. He furrowed his eyebrows in such annoyance that they almost touched. His black eyes spat venom and bile.

»Be quiet,« he swore. Zhen yan raised his hands in defense before grinning mischievously and going back to washing the rice thoroughly.

Wei meng and Xueling looked at each other helplessly. They had been traveling together for a few days because the demon hunt at Fubai senlin sounded like lucrative work. Nevertheless, they would split up for the time being tomorrow, as they had heard the rumor of a Daolaogiu not far from here.

The great cultivators didn't particularly care about the demon problems of smaller villages.

Either they bought talismans or had to protect themselves, which is why Wei meng, as a freelance demon hunter, saw it as his duty to take care of it, even though the reward for doing so was likely to be significantly smaller.

Ying yue, on the other hand, could not afford to waste any more time; even the stay in the corrupted forest seemed too protracted to him, which is why he refused the company. Xueling pulled the fur off the rabbits she had caught and carefully gutted them before giving the meat to Zhen yan. Xueling and Wei meng exchanged a glance.

For a long time, it was the two of them who were stared at by others, an old man, a fighter raising an orphan. Everyone stared and whispered behind their backs, but no one asked, so they didn't answer. Xueling didn't care anyway; she had no intention of finding a husband or settling down. The nights were still cool, so they huddled around the campfire and roasted the skewered rabbits. The air smelled spicy with herbs and the impending rain.

After they had eaten, Xueling took the first watch, Wei meng the second. Zhen yan usually stayed awake the whole time anyway, and Ying yue slept very lightly and briefly. The next day, the two groups parted ways. As soon as Xueling and Wei meng were out of sight, Zhen yan also dropped his guard. A strong, crushing aura spread out.

The scent of plum blossoms wafted on the wind and Ying yue's hair stood on end. Any demon hunter would plunge a sword through Zhen yan's chest right now. It felt like a rabbit sitting in front of a snake, a big, greedy snake. 

»If you're not going to suppress your magic anyway, you might as well just give me the amulet back!« Ying yue remarked angrily. »It's uncomfortable,« Zhen yan complained, walking next to him. ‚It feels like I have to walk in a crouch all the time. Give me a few hours of my freedom, you slave driver,' he cheerfully replied. Bai Ying yue just gave him a disapproving glance and walked without stopping along the uneven, rocky path.

Spring was growing stronger day by day, and by midday it could already get uncomfortably warm under the sun. Without Ying yue noticing, Zhen yan had already exchanged his multilayered hanfu for a simpler black one with golden embroidery. The Bai-clan's clothing mostly kept out the heat and cold, humidity and curses, and deflected physical attacks.

Ying yue was lost in thought, going over the possibilities his father had before he would send his youngest son out into real fights, when something further ahead caught his attention. Zhen Yan suppressed his aura until he once more appeared to be the innocent, tamed demon when they came across the remains of a coach.

The horse, still half-girdled, with a wooden beam that had been guiding him in place, was caught between the trees and whinnied weakly. It must have fought for its life for a long time, in panic. One wheel of the two-wheeled vehicle had broken, so that the carriage was lying on its side. It was a pleasant day, with a bright blue sky and the sun already high in the sky. A light wind was blowing, gently bending the grass at their feet.

The broken carriage looked unreal in this idyllic landscape. He approached them while drawing his sword. Cautiously, Bai Ying yue pushed aside the curtain with Xiaodan. »Blood!« he stated. Zhen yan wrinkled his nose; he could smell it, the whole inside of the carriage must be soaked in blood. »It doesn't belong to just one person,« he said. Ying yue shook his head and let the curtain down again. »It would take more than that,« he remarked. Ying yue looked around. ‚That wasn't a human,' he said firmly.

Zhen yan stood a little apart, arms folded, and let his gaze wander over the carriage. »Don't think that you humans are free from such atrocities,« he said. »But yes, in this case it was no human. There are too few traces and too little chaos!« he added. Ying yue gave him a cold look. To be told by a demon that humans were just as capable of such an act made him angry.

He had seen a lot, atrocities and cruelty, and not always the work of a demon, he knew that. »There are only traces of the carriage, no other hoof and footprints. No drag marks and no drops of blood outside the carriage. The horse wasn't touched either!« he listed and tore the emblem, which was embroidered on a flag, from the carriage and put it in his pocket. It entered the carriage and broke open the bodies of the passengers, ate their flesh and bones and left the blood behind.«

Zhen yan had freed the horse from the remains of the broken carriage and led it back to the road by the halter. »An evil spirit is fast. Disembodied, consisting only of hatred and revenge, it hovers over the lands and when it finds something to fuel its rage, it destroys it. It will already be miles away!« Zhen yan said and gently stroked the black-brown steed's nostrils.

»We shouldn't just leave it to its own devices, don't you think? And we'll be faster with him, too!« the big demon stated and beamed at Ying yue. The dragon took the reins from the demon and examined the horse more closely. Zhen yan was right, the horse wouldn't survive alone that close to the Fubai senlin.

It would either be eaten or found by predators, although the former wouldn't be the worst alternative. Ying yue swung his leg over the animal's back and seconds later Zhen yan swung up behind him. »Down!« Ying yue ordered immediately. Zhen yan blew his breath over Ying yue's ear and watched eagerly as it turned red. He took it a step further when he wrapped his arms around Ying yue's waist and snuggled up against him.

»Do you want to treat me like a dog and let me run alongside?« he asked, pouting. ‚It's not that I can't keep pace,' he added. The horse below them pranced restlessly and Ying yue had trouble keeping from spinning out. He jerked Zhen yan's hands off his waist and glared at him. »And if you crawl behind, I don't care,« he growled angrily. ‚Don't touch me!' He turned around again, but he couldn't hide his bright red ears and the blush of shame that crept up his cheeks.

His heart pounded as Zhen yan moved away from him and sat cross-legged on the animal's back. Although Ying yue would have liked nothing better than to throw him off, Zhen yan remained unperturbed as he motivated the steed to trot. The last villages before the corrupted forest resembled more dulled, rotten teeth.

The few broken huts stretched tenaciously over the hilly landscape and the inhabitants walked with bowed heads through the streets and alleys. The miasma of the Fubai senlin wafted through the cracks and holes and infected everything alive.

»Even if we ride through tomorrow, we'll reach the foot of the mountain only in the evening, but the influence of the corrupted Yao is far-reaching,« Ying yue stated. Zhen yan watched the dark wafts of mist that licked at him and climbed up at Ying yue. They hissed and retreated from his clothes, but kept trying. Zhen yan made a sign with his fingers and whispered softly, »Be gone!« A gentle but strong magical wind blew, tearing the mist into shreds and they left them alone.

Ying yue steered the horse further out of the village. They passed shrines with talismans that were supposed to ward off the miasma. Ying yue unsaddled and checked him.

»The miasma has already soaked the talismans, they can neither purify nor stop it,« he said, plucking one of the rectangular leaves. He showed it to Zhen yan. »Do you have an explanation for why the miasma is so strong and dense and cannot be cleansed?« he asked him. Zhen yan took the talisman from him and examined it. »This miasma is unusual, as if it were a Yao itself that neutralizes the protective spells. Like thick black ink covering it,« he mused under his breath.

Bai Ying yue looked around. The closer they got to the Fubai senlin, the harder it was for him to breathe. »This can't have happened recently,« Zhen yan interrupted his thoughts. ‚Such a strong miasma doesn't develop overnight. It couldn't reach such intensity over several months or years either.' Ying yue took the protective spell from him and examined it closely.

Although it could only be a few days old, the blood-red writing on it had already faded and flaked off. The paper itself felt damp and greasy and had lost the buzzing warmth that used to fill it when it was imbued with magic. »Have you ever seen anything like this before?« he asked and burned the useless spell. Zhen yan turned his head and answered without looking at him:

»The same kind of miasma can be found under the Daiyu Plain in the Realm of Demons.« Ying yue had drawn his own talisman and pinned it to the shrine, and immediately the black, murky fog receded, but only a few meters. Surprised, he turned around. »You know the Daiyu Plains?« he asked. »King Daiyu was a born demon king.

Born of the spilled blood of countless fighters. Demons, gods and mortals. With a single blow, he is said to have destroyed everything that was on the plateau at that time and sealed it.« Zhen yan raised an eyebrow. »Oh, you've heard of him?« he asked, offended. Ying yue swung back onto the horse and steered it back to the road.

»How could you not know or have heard of him? As quickly as he appeared, he disappeared again. There were no survivors on the Daiyu Plain and the remaining cultivators and mortals had to rebuild everything from scratch.«

Zhen yan leaned forward so that his breath brushed Ying yue's cheek. »No survivors? Then who told the story of the great demon?« he asked, amused. »The birth of the great demon could be seen for miles around. The earth shook and the stars fell from the sky in a rain of fire. The night shone as brightly as the day and all the gods retreated to heaven!«

Ying yue recited a passage from the Book of Demons and their creation, ignoring Zhen yan's proximity as best he could. »How epic!« Zhen yan snorted with amusement. »And you?« Ying yue skillfully changed the subject. ‚What were you born of?'

»What do you think?« Zhen yan asked back. Bai Ying yue's lips curved into a rare smile. Normally, the demon's name revealed its origin, just as Daiyu meant black jade. »It can't possibly be your true name,« he said, of that Ying yue was certain. ‚Zhen means precious treasure, yan handsome. You gave yourself that name!' Zhen yan laughed.

»How perceptive. But I like it. The true name of a demon is quite unimaginative. Most demons who cultivate and advance sooner or later give themselves a new one.«

»So you won't tell me?« Ying yue concluded.

»No!« Zhen yan confirmed. The two rode on in silence. It was definitely a name that would immediately tell Ying yue who it belonged to. There were some great demons, but most of them lived locked up under Black Jade Plateau.

When the darkness descended upon them, they would rest. Ying yue tied the horse up nearby and marked out a small circle around them. He tied a red thread around the sticks and hung blessed golden balls on it. He then tied various talismans and protective charms to it.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Zhen yan step over his barrier a few times and unsaddle the horse. Leaning on his arms, he turned to him.

»Are my protective spells that bad?« he asked. His pride was noticeably wounded. Zhen yan dropped the saddlery and raised his hands in appeasement. »No, no, they're excellent. Look, no miasma in sight!« He spread his arms expansively. »They didn't seem to bother you!« Ying yue growled and tied on another talisman.

»We are connected, remember?« Zhen yan's voice sounded dark and soft directly above him. Ying yue looked up. ‚You can't hurt me and I can't hurt you!' He stroked the swordsman's hair and for a moment the arrogance left his otherwise arrogant look. Ying yue pushed his hand away gruffly.

»Enough!« he said coldly. Zhen yan let one of Ying yue's strands of hair slide through his fingers, but obeyed and turned away.