Step Six: Get Saved by Someone Even More Dangerous
If anyone had told me this morning that I'd be dragged through my own sect like a stolen chicken, I would've called them insane.
Yet here I was. Being yanked along by a grinning demon girl while an angry elder tried to end my reincarnated existence.
"Can you slow down?!" I wheezed.
Yue laughed, gripping my wrist tighter. "What, Supreme Lord? Out of breath already?" Supreme Lord? Oh, right. My past title. Now? I was just a guy trying not to die.
Behind us, Elder Zhao's roar practically shattered the sky.
"LONG FEI JIAN, IF YOU THINK YOU CAN ESCAPE...!!!"
I threw a glance over my shoulder....BAD IDEA.
Elder Zhao was flying. And he was not alone. He had summoned his disciples. A literal mob of sect members was now storming after us.
Yue let out a low whistle. "Wow, you pissed off a whole sect. I like you already."
I groaned. "This is normal for me."
Yue grinned. "Good. Then you won't mind this."
Before I could ask what "this" was.... She yanked me into a backflip off the sect walls.
WE WERE FALLING. AGAIN.
I screamed. "ARE YOU TRYING TO KILL ME?!"
Yue laughed. "Relax! I planned this!" We crashed into the roof of a pavilion, rolled off, and landed in a lotus pond.
SPLASH! Cold. Very cold.
I resurfaced, gasping, only to see Yue already lounging on the water's surface like it was a luxury bed. She was floating. Like it was nothing.
I glared. "You could've warned me!"
She smirked. "Where's the fun in that?" I was going to die of stress.
"THERE THEY ARE!" Oh. Right. The mob.
I whipped around to see Elder Zhao and his disciples storming the pavilion.
"Oh, great," I muttered.
Yue stretched lazily. "Guess we're out of time."
I frowned. "For what?" She grinned.
"For our grand escape." She flicked her wrist.....and suddenly, the water around us rose. A tidal wave erupted from the pond.
Elder Zhao, and his disciples stumbled back in shock.
I gawked. "You...?! You can control water?!"
Yue winked. "Demon arts, baby." Oh, wonderful. I had befriended a walking disaster.
Before I could protest, she grabbed my collar, and yanked me under. The last thing I heard was Elder Zhao's furious scream.
Then.... Darkness. And then... We were gone.
Step Seven: Almost Drown Because of Your "Savior"
The moment Yue yanked me under, I realized something very important.
I. CAN'T. BREATHE.
I thrashed, trying to swim up, but Yue's grip was ironclad. I flailed, sending a string of bubbles into the water. She was kidnapping me.
In broad daylight. UNDERWATER.
Yue, meanwhile, glided like an elegant koi fish, completely unbothered by the fact that I was on the verge of death.
I tried to shout, but that only made more bubbles escape my mouth. My vision blurred.
Just as I was about to meet my second reincarnation, Yue rolled her eyes, and tapped my forehead.
A sudden gust of warmth filled my chest. And then.... I could breathe.
UNDERWATER. My lungs worked perfectly.
I blinked. "What the.....?" Yue grinned, speaking clearly despite the water.
"You're welcome."
I scowled. "YOU COULD'VE WARNED ME!"
She shrugged. "Eh. More fun this way. I swore internally.
I had survived betrayal, reincarnation, and a sect elder trying to murder me....only to get stuck with a lunatic.
Before I could protest, Yue grabbed my wrist again, and dragged me deeper. The pond's depths opened into an underground cave.
I gawked. "This was here the whole time?"
Yue smirked. "Did you think I was randomly jumping into water?" Honestly? Yes.
But I kept that to myself. We glided through the tunnel, finally emerging in a hidden grotto. A small island sat in the middle, surrounded by glowing blue water. Yue pulled me onto land, finally letting go. I collapsed, coughing.
I was a cultivator. Not a fish. She stretched, looking way too pleased with herself.
"Well, that was fun!"
I glared. "YOU ALMOST KILLED ME!"
Yue waved me off. "You were fine."
I groaned, running a hand down my face. "Why am I even here?"
Yue grinned. "Because now we're partners."
I froze. "Excuse me—WHAT?!"
She smirked. "Congratulations. You just got recruited by the Demon Sect."
Oh.....!. Oh, no..!!!. I stared at Yue, my brain buffering like a broken transmission jade.
"…Sorry, WHAT?"
Yue stretched lazily. "I said..."
"I HEARD YOU THE FIRST TIME!" I shouted. "What do you mean, I joined the Demon Sect?!"
Yue smirked. "Oh, you thought you had a choice?" I froze.
…Oh no. I knew that tone. That was the "Congratulations, you've been kidnapped" tone.
I took a deep breath. "Listen, Yue...."
"No, you listen." Yue poked my forehead like I was a misbehaving puppy. "You've already set foot here. That means you're part of us now."
I blinked. "That's… that's not how sect recruitment works!"
Yue grinned. "It is in the Demon Sect."
I gawked. "That's literally cult behavior."
"Exactly." I mentally screamed. This was bad.
I had just spent two entire lifetimes climbing the cultivation ladder, only to get forcefully recruited into the most wanted sect in existence. I was pretty sure the Heavenly Pavilion would skin me alive if they found out.
Correction: skin me, deep-fry me, and use my ashes as incense.
I forced a smile. "Okay. Fun little misunderstanding. I'll just be leaving now..."
Yue blocked my path. "Nope. You're one of us now."
I exhaled. "And what happens if I refuse?"
Yue tilted her head, looking genuinely curious. "Oh, well… We'd have to erase your memories. Or kill you."
"…That escalated fast."
She shrugged. "Demon Sect rules."
I groaned, rubbing my temples. "I CAN'T BE A DEMON CULTIVATOR."
Yue smirked. "Why not?"
"I'M LITERALLY THE REINCARNATED SUPREME LORD."
She snorted. "REALLY...? If it's true! But then, Not anymore."
I clutched my chest like I had been stabbed. She had a point. I wasn't the Supreme Lord anymore.
I was a nobody in this life. I groaned. "Fine. What do you even want from me?"
Yue grinned, eyes glinting. "You'll see."
Oh no. I had a very bad feeling about this.