Alcohol and Sin, a Cultist gone astray

When they left the Fubei senlin the next morning, two familiar faces approached them.

»Xueling, Wei meng!« Ying yue greeted them on the path down the mountain. ‚Was the hunt for the Daolaogiu successful?' he asked. Xueling was wearing her black battle armor again and Wei meng always wore the same tattered clothes and worn-out straw sandals.

»Of course!« Wei meng boasted, crossing his arms over his chest. ‚When we arrived, you and your husband had already disappeared into the depths of the forest, and Xueling and I had to retreat for the time being. Without protective clothing, it was impossible to stay in this black miasma any longer,' he barked.

»Not at all, we have dissolved the miasma in the forest and most of the demons have already fallen victim to the cultivators' blades; there is no reason for us to stay any longer, my wife and I are on our way to the next urgent mission,« Zhen yan interjected, giving them both a broad smile. Ying yue brushed Zhen yan's hand from his shoulder. Since yesterday afternoon, after they had decided to leave, Zhen yan had been impossible to hold back.

»We got the message and were hoping to be able to take part in the hunt for a while,« Xueling replied. Ying yue stepped aside.

»All members of the hunt will be richly rewarded,« he said.

»And you? Off to the next mission or honeymoon again,« Wei meng laughed uproariously. Without a word, Xueling drew the blunt end of her dagger across her master's skull, before continuing with his dressing with a bow and a murmured apology.

»Ouch, Xueling, what was that for? You can't just hit your master, what do you mean, impertinent?« Wei meng's shouting grew quieter and quieter until it finally stopped altogether. Ying yue also set out to leave the forest and was even able to pick up the horse at the foot of the mountain. When it saw Ying yue and Zhen yan, it pricked up its ears and benevolently inflated its nostrils. It seemed to recognize its savior and be well-disposed towards him.

When Ying yue saddled up and Zhen yan sat behind him, he noticed that the demon had moved closer to him and was no longer sitting on the animal's rump. Although his first impulse was to reprimand him, after a moment's thought he merely ran his tongue over his lips and tightened the reins.

The journey to Hongshan was long and would take several weeks, and Zhen yan stayed close by but made no move to behave indecently towards Ying yue. One day, as they rode along a wide trade route, greeting travelers here and there and passing caravans, Ying yue began a conversation that had been burning under his fingernails for a long time.

A few snow-white clouds drifted across the bright blue sky, the wind swayed the lush green grass at the side of the road and the scent of blossoms filled the air. Birds twittered and it was a clear, idyllic day.

»The splinter we found in the turtle, did it come from the Daiyu Plains?« he asked. Zhen yan had bent his leg, the other dangled casually down the horse. He had his arms crossed and his hair was neatly combed back and pinned together.

He tilted his head as Ying yue spoke and listened. »Yes!« he replied simply. Ying yue held the reins a little tighter. So, Zhen yan had absorbed a splinter from the Daiyu Plain? The one that had corrupted an entire mountain and spawned thousands and thousands of demons? That was what he had thought he had seen. In his state at the time, however, he had not really been of sound mind, which is why he had not insisted on his right.

Zhen yan had claimed to have destroyed the splinter. But that was even more absurd; how could he have simply destroyed a piece of the black jade from which the most powerful demon of all time had once been created. A nasty suspicion arose in Ying yue. He gritted his teeth and couldn't hide a shiver. Zhen yan leaned gently against his back.

»Are you cold?« he asked. Ying yue flinched barely noticeably as the demon's breath brushed his ear. What a question, of course he wasn't cold.

»The Daiyu Plains have been ruled by the Gao clan for centuries. At first it was a barren land and the clan was small and kept its head above water with the support of other families. But a few generations ago, it rose to become one of the most powerful clans in existence today through trade and information gathered through espionage.

Next to the Wang clan,« Ying yue told him. Zhen yan listened, leaning against his back. »Nevertheless, Wang Bing wen managed to find out that the seal in the Daiyu Plain is beginning to crumble, and now we find part of it so far away in the Fubei senlin.«

»Do you suspect that the Gao clan has enriched itself with the jade from the plain? That's why the seal is breaking?« Zhen yan followed up. Ying yue hung her shoulders.

»It's a suspicion, I have no evidence or proof, just a gut feeling. But the members of the Gao clan suddenly conjured the most devilish monsters out of the forest when the miasma disappeared,« he pointed out.

»So it's quite possible that they tried to cover their tracks when the source was cleansed. But what would the Gao clan gain from that? To defile the world and turn it into a kind of second demon realm would be an act of boundless stupidity,« Zhen yan said calmly. »Not to mention that there must always be a balance in the world. Too much of one is not good and will always be compensated for by an outbreak of something else. Should the mortal realm perish and Yin energy flood the world, there would be utter chaos. Either the fabric would try to create something to balance the negative energy, a new god for example, or I fear the world would simply end.«

»Is it really possible for the Daiyu Plains to collapse?« Ying yue asked.

»As long as no one damages the seal, no. But it's tens of thousands of years old and nothing lasts forever,« Zhen yan added. ‚Should that happen, I'll seal you inside the Wushan; nothing will be able to get in unless I allow it,' he murmured softly.

»If that happens, I won't hide, but fight to keep this world a place where people can live in peace,« Ying yue replied.

»I won't leave that decision to you,« Zhen yan said so quietly that Ying yue couldn't understand him.

»If the great demon Daiyu sealed the plain back then, it means he had no interest in destroying the world. Perhaps he will do so a second time if he is still alive,« Ying yue pointed out.

Zhen yan was silent. He didn't say anything else the whole way until they found a tea room that rented rooms just before they reached the foot of the mountain. Ying yue handed his horse over to the young stable boy, who looked at the strong stallion with wide eyes. Ying yue was exhausted and tired from the long ride over valleys and hills, over roads and uneven terrain.

As he handed the tea house owner the money for a night's lodging, his eyes fell on a man sitting at a table, dressed in black and brandishing an impressive broadsword. Immediately, he felt as if someone had poured a bucket of ice water over him.

his heart was racing, but not in the good way when Zhen yan pushed him too far. Panic gripped him and he had to take a few deep breaths. Zhen yan was walking behind him, having answered the stable boy's every question about the impressive animal, and now looked at Ying yue, frowning.

»Go upstairs first,« Ying yue said brusquely. ‚I'll be up in a moment.' Before Zhen yan could protest, Ying yue left him standing and sat down opposite the broad-shouldered man. Zhen yan took a last look at Ying yue, who was sitting at the table, tense and with beads of sweat on his forehead. Then he retreated to his room and waited.

»Master Yi Rui qin!« he greeted the graying man formally. The man didn't even look up from his tea bowl.

»So He Gongzi was right, the gracious lord has returned,« he said smugly. Before Ying yue could say something, the man cut him off harshly. »After we hadn't heard from you for over a month after the night hunt, we assumed you had fallen,« he said and looked at the young man with envy.

He didn't seem to like it at all to see him sitting here alive and well. »But no, you are in perfect health. But instead of reporting to your worried father and returning home immediately, you are having fun with a demon?«

Ying yue opened his mouth, he was about to defend himself and automatically deny that Zhen yan was his husband, when Rui qin spoke again. »First you chase after a wet woman on your own, and surround yourself with such dirty scum as Youxia? And then you show up as the shining savior of Fubai Senlin, with a first-hand order from Wang Bing wen,« he shouted angrily.

Ying yue closed her mouth. »And as if that weren't enough attention for a bastard like you, do you dare to damage your family's reputation by taking on a demonic servant?« spat Yi Rui qin. »When He Gongzi told me what he had seen at the foot of the mountain, I felt sick to my stomach. You shouldn't besmirch the name for the sake of your brother.

He has to clean up all your misdeeds. Kill this freak and go back to where you belong, in your father's doghouse,« he fumed, spitting his saliva in all directions as he spoke. Ying yue had bowed his head, but now he looked up and looked the man, the nightmare of his childhood, directly in the eyes. He had to swallow, and although his voice had none of the usual seriousness with which he usually spoke, he did not turn away.

»I have done nothing to bring shame on the name Bai. I survived a night hunt and on my way home I helped a city with its demon problem and as for Zhen yan...« He faltered and Rui qin's eyes glowed dangerously. He scrutinized Ying yue from top to bottom.

»You're disgusting, as is to be expected from the child of a low-born concubine. Like your mother, you cling to hope on every blade of grass. Make no mistake, this demon will tear you to pieces as soon as the opportunity presents itself,« Rui qin swore and put the tea bowl down on the table with a clunk. »I hope I won't hear of any of your alleged heroic deeds any more in the future. Remember who the true next head will be and don't stand in your brother's way!« he threatened, then he disappeared.

Ying yue was still sitting at the table in front of the tea room, in front of him a bowl of nuts and a jug of alcohol.

Usually, he didn't drink alcohol, but today he needed something to finally silence the raging thoughts inside him. Since Yi Rui qin had left, he had been sitting out here and watching the sun turn the horizon a flaming red orange as it slowly set. Zhen yan was still waiting for his return in her room. Ying yue put his head in his hands and groaned. Why had he hesitated when it was about him? Why could he do nothing against him? Yes, he was stronger than he, but if Ying yue had really wanted, he would have found a way to separate them.

He took a sip of the cold, clear wine and felt the burning liquid slide down his throat. He shuddered. Images flared up in his mind's eye, images of Zhen yan, how he was close to him, too close. Images of hands, of lips, eyes. He took another sip and emptied the bowl in one gulp. He was a cultivator, a swordsman, he had dedicated his life to fighting the Yao, and now? Now he could hardly bear it when Zhen yan was not around.

Angrily, he poured himself another drink. He thought of Zhen yan's intrusive behavior, of the Fubei senlin, of the feelings he had triggered in him. At... certain things... he had taken into his own hands. Ying yue blushed bright red. Could he really not have prevented it? And why had he put the matter aside so quickly? Even if it had been a futile endeavor, he should have at least tried to chop the demon into pieces.

His heart contracted painfully and something stirred below his belt, he pressed his legs together and emptied the jug in one gulp. The truth was... he slapped his hand on the table. What was the truth? With a deep sigh, he buried his head in his hands. »I have to know,« he murmured, rising shakily. He stumbled up the stairs.

In his mind, the last vestige of reason fought against the alcohol, trying to force him to change direction, but with every step he took, his heart leaped up and down. He threw open the door to her room and almost tripped over the threshold. Zhen yan was sitting as usual in front of the low table, had lit an incense burner and looked at him in surprise. Ying yue pointed at him.

»I have to know!« he said seriously. Zhen yan stood up and looked at him skeptically. Suddenly, Ying yue grabbed him and tore open his robe. He mumbled an excuse, then seemed to remember why he was there. He straightened up as best he could. He didn't like his current state at all; normally he was in his right mind, calm and collected, so why did Zhen yan manage to unsettle him just by thinking of him?

Ying yue grabbed him by the collar, furious but unsteady. He clearly couldn't drink alcohol. »I have to know,« although he summoned all his self-control, his voice slurred a little. Zhen yan raised his arms in surrender. »What do you want to know?« He asked gently. He saw how Ying yue was fighting with himself, his dark eyes glided over the half-exposed upper body of the tall demon, his hands that had grabbed the collar, his white neck up to his lips.

»I have to know,« he mumbled, he seemed to lose the fight against himself. Zhen yan let him. Since he couldn't judge the drunken swordsman, it almost looked like he wanted to kiss him, but one wrong move and he would have his sword in his chest.

»Ying yue?«, Zhao Yan asked calmly. Ying yue's gaze flew up to his eyes. It seemed as if he had completely forgotten about time. He felt the heat of the alcohol in him, it bubbled in his stomach, clouded his senses and he had to squint his eyes so as not to see Zhen yan twice. His heart beat up to his throat and the joyful dizzying feeling in his abdomen pulled at him.

Zhen yan just opened his mouth to throw a flippant provocation at him after all, when Ying yue suddenly leaned forward and pressed his lips on the mouth of the tall demon. Since he had no idea what he was doing and his experiences were close to zero, he just awkwardly pressed his lips on those of the demon. He felt the alcohol in him flare up.

Zhen yan was too surprised to do anything. Surprised by Ying yue and surprised by the reaction of his own body, which almost immediately pulled the young man closer. He lifted Ying yue's chin with one finger and through the gap between his lips, which he had opened in mockery, Ying yue's tongue entered his mouth, awkward but daring.

Zhen yan allowed him to, applying a little pressure, he took hold of Ying yue's chin so that he was also forced to keep his lips open and the kiss didn't want to end, with his other hand on his hip, he pushed him closer to him.

Ying yue's thoughts raced and yet he couldn't grasp a single one. He was on the verge of losing his mind. All he felt was the warmth that Zhen yan gave him. His knees went weak and he collapsed. Zhen yan caught him. Ying yue felt the hard surface of the wooden desk in his back,

Zhen yan kneeling between his open legs and his hot lips melting with Ying yue's.

Ying yue regained some of his sanity. When he realized what position he was in and what he was doing, it felt like someone had poured a bucket of ice water over him. Suddenly, he let go of the demon and moved away from him. Still, only much looser, he gripped the collar of the tall demon and seemed even more confused.

»This isn't right!« he gasped. Zhen yan hugged him closer, but Ying yue freed himself from his grip. If Zhen yan had wanted to, the young man wouldn't have been able to break free, but the demon let him go, feeling almost dejected.

»This is not right!« Ying yue repeated more forcefully. His lips, blood red and sore, trembled and his eyes were suspiciously wet. His chest rose and fell quickly and Zhen yan could hear his heartbeat pounding in his ears.

»Why?« he asked. Half of his chest was still exposed and his hair was a bit disheveled from Ying yue's stormy assault. He had supported himself on the table and was still leaning over him in this impossible position: »Why is love between a man and a woman normal? It is even celebrated in brothels between unmarried people. There are thousands of half-demons in this world and even if they are ostracized, no one condemns love between mortal and immortal, but between two men it is forbidden?«

»It's impure, corrupt,« Ying yue replied and spat on the ground. Now something like anger glimmered in Zhen yan's eyes. He raised one eyebrow mockingly.

»Impure?« He repeated. ‚Do you feel dirty now?' he asked in a rough voice. Ying yue gritted his teeth, wrestling with himself, his feelings, the alcohol and all the principles he had grown up with. Almost immediately, he had wanted to slam the demon's natural with a determined one, but his throat was like tied up.

The kiss still burned on his lips. His kiss. His stomach went on a rollercoaster, his heart romped around, so he couldn't utter a word. Did he feel unclean? Did he feel corrupted? Zhen yan still leaned over him, his dark green eyes stared at him and he made no move to do anything. Even though he wasn't holding Ying yue, and had his hands on the table and was kneeling between his legs, Ying yue couldn't move.

Zhen yan didn't argue, he didn't throw him out, as if Ying yue's next answer would determine whether he lost his temper or not. A silence fell between them, and Zhen yan waited patiently for Ying yue to come out of his haze.

Although he still felt the alcohol pulsing in his head, he also felt a certain coldness, a coldness that arose from loneliness and that he hadn't felt in a long time. When had that happened? When had the demon's company become so self-evident? Why couldn't he bear the thought of Zhen yan leaving?

»No.« The demon looked up, the word was soft, almost not even a whisper anymore, and it took a great effort for Ying yue to utter it. He ran his tongue over his lips and tasted blood. Zhen yan leaned in closer, but Ying yue held him at a distance.

»No!« He repeated, ashamed.

»No?« Zhen yan echoed and frowned. Ying yue swallowed as he looked up at him. He chose his next words carefully and again it took quite a while before they came softly and weakly over his lips.

"Not yet."