Alcohol and Sin, a Cultist gone astray

The manhunt at Fubei senlin was celebrated as a lavish party. As soon as the miasma had subsided and the spells and talismans finally took effect, even the fighters who had already thrown in the towel pulled themselves together. Ying yue also took part after his recovery.

Although Zhen yan was in a bad mood and longed for the day of her departure, Ying yue could not simply demand special treatment. He was not part of the upper class like Wang Bing wen; he was a firstborn, but not legitimate. Surprisingly, it was the Gao clan that hunted the most and most valuable prey.

Although only a few days ago they had the fewest envoys, now there were almost over sixty men, each presenting one mutant beast after another.

Ying yue rubbed the bridge of his nose. Not even he had encountered these monsters with Zhen yan when they were searching for the source.

He heard the men cheering as another dozen cultivators in black and red clan clothing ran past him, dragging a nine-foot demon with three heads and six arms behind them.

»This calls for a celebration!« one of them shouted to the younger man. »At last the Gao Clan can prove why it has ruled the Daiyu Plains for centuries!« another agreed. Ying yue furrowed her brow. Indeed, the Gao clan had been guarding the activities of the Daiyu Plains for more than five hundred years.

However, they claimed the area as their own and allowed no one to enter the Black Jade Plateau, let alone report regularly. They could only hope that Gao Teng fei, the current acting head, really did have everything under control.

Ying yue dared to doubt it. After all, Wang Bing wen had said that the seal was crumbling and the demons were beginning to pour out. 

He ran along the edge of the forest, slaying smaller demons here and there before they could leave the mountain and attack the surrounding villages.

Zhen yan had retreated into the tent, now that the miasma had dissipated and the clans were sending cultivators here in droves, there was nothing more for him to do. Xiaodan whirred through the air, first cutting off an undead demon's arm and then its head on the return flight, before Ying yue caught it again and spread the blood on the ground in one go.

His robe was as good as new again. The embroidery was repaired before the remaining supporters of the Bai clan had followed Lingxi. Deep in thought, Ying yue wandered through the trees.

He thought of the turtle with the seven snake-like heads and what he had felt. Whose name he had called. He had never relied on anyone but himself, and that had been fine. He had known his place from the beginning. Neither his father nor his teachers had ever given him the illusion that he could be more than a chess piece on his father's board.

He had to fight hard for an education and instruction in martial and sword arts. He had taught himself a lot. He would never have thought it possible to ask for help, let alone call out to someone. Again, his heart did a somersault and Ying yue clenched his fingers in his chest. He hated this feeling. Joy, expectation, trust.

This inevitably meant suffering, disappointment and betrayal at some point. How did he come to feel this way about someone like Zhen yan? Apart from the fact that he was a man and such a relationship was impure and deeply depraved, he was a demon. Demons could not be trusted. Betrayal and suffering were their natural disposition.

No matter how long they lived, no matter how beautiful their human mask was. They could neither live peacefully nor harmoniously among humans, which inevitably led to mutual hostility. Ying yue swung his sword, Xiaodan cut down several nearby trees with his blade. He felt shame rising in him, the slight heat on his cheeks, and looked around furtively.

But he was alone. Being alone was a good feeling, actually, and yet he had caught himself looking around again and again in the past few days, expecting to see the broad grin of a black-haired demon three steps behind him. Angrily, he split a particularly thick trunk in half. When it tipped to the left and right, it revealed a tall figure.

Xiaodan began to vibrate in his hand, a silvery glow covered the blade. Immediately, all the alarm bells in him went off. »Yian!« But to his amazement, he was not alone. Another man stood with him. Ying yue couldn't recognize the face, only the billowing white silk of a robe. When the red-haired man noticed the disturbance, he turned his fan and threw a storm of blades at Ying yue.

The young swordsman blocked it with Xiaodan; when he looked up again, the second man had disappeared.

»What are you doing here?« Ying yue asked angrily. Yian waved the fan that could have been a murder weapon a moment ago to get some air.

»I could ask you the same. Why are you interrupting my conversation?« he asked back angrily.

»With whom?« Ying yue asked, making a sweeping hand gesture. Yian grinned mischievously behind his fan. Although he was standing a little way off, Ying yue could now see him better than on the Yinhu.

His chestnut-red hair, which he wore tied up, was adorned with an ornate golden hair crown, and on the hairpin sat a small fox with nine widely fanned tails. On the white hanfu with the red-orange shawls, red maple leaves were embroidered, which looked from afar as if the hem of his robe was soaked in blood. He had a red mark on his forehead and delicately emphasized eyes.

Judging by his appearance, he must have been very similar to Zhen yan, a great demon. Ying yue remembered that Zhen yan had not called him demon, but fox spirit. Ghosts that took on a form were different from demons. Ghosts took on a purely spiritual form, their true nature usually remaining hidden.

This meant that Yian was hiding his true form somewhere in the world, because while this man could be killed and resurrected as often as he liked in front of him, a fatal injury to the true body would mean irrevocable destruction. Yian made no move to comply with Ying yue's request to tell him who he had met with. Instead, he closed the fan and gave the young man a scrutinizing look. »Bai Gongzi? Am I right?« he asked. »Where is your companion?«

»Close by!« Ying yue replied harshly and clenched his teeth.

Yian's question had been phrased ambiguously on purpose, and he had fallen for it. The fox spirit raised an eyebrow and his smile grew even broader.

»How unusual!« he remarked. ‚Do you know who you've gotten involved with?' he asked mockingly.

»Do you know when you're sticking your neck out?« Ying yue asked back. Yian's eyes flashed dangerously for a moment, but then he decided against slitting the cheeky young man's throat.

»I don't plan on interfering with your business, if you're kind enough to keep your nose out of mine,« he replied instead. ‚I assure you that my intentions have nothing to do with you. Should our paths cross again, it's only because we have the same goals,' he assured them.

»What common goal could we possibly have?« Ying yue asked in return. Even if Zhen yan had turned his principles and everything he had believed about demons upside down. He doubted that they would suddenly all pull in the same direction. Yian sighed heavily.

»I'm curious,« he confessed. ‚What connects you and Zhen yanzhu? He likes to express himself unequivocally, but a marriage? With a human? Shouldn't the earth shake and the heavens part?' the fox spirit asked more earnestly than the question might suggest. Ying yue clenched her fingers around Xiaodan's shaft tighter, so that was why Zhen yan had claimed to Yian that she was married. But what did the fox care, anyway?

»I won't answer your questions any more than you will answer mine. As long as you don't stand in my way, there's no reason to keep on holding each other up,« Ying yue said and let go of Xiaodan without sheathing his blade. Yian tapped his forehead with his fan, but seemed to accept the offer by nodding at him and then disappearing in a bright blaze of flame.

The smell of burnt incense sticks remained. Only now did Ying yue slide his sword back into its sheath and set off on his way back. Maybe it was time to set out for Hongshan and pay a visit to the lamenting bride. The more miles he put between himself and more unpleasant demons, the better.

When he reached the tent and entered, Zhen yan looked up, his eyes darkened briefly, but he continued to play, with a tea bowl in his hands, turning it around bored. Ying yue leaned Xiaodan against the table and sat cross-legged opposite the demon.

»I met the fox spirit Yian,« he said. Zhen yan's face briefly showed a smile, as if he was pleased that Ying yue was telling him the truth about what had happened. He put the bowl on the table and turned his undivided attention to him.

»And?« he asked. Ying yue frowned. Although his serious expression seemed to be carved on his face, Zhen yan noticed more and more how he visibly relaxed in his presence.

»We're leaving for Hongshan tomorrow!« Ying yue announced. Zhen yan beamed.

»I'm happy to finally leave this forest,« he said cheerfully.