After Yu She's display of power and all the excitement dissipated, it was time to get serious. Everyone saw him transform back into his human form and approach them along with Du Wu. As there was still a chance that the demon lovers would turn against them, Zhu Yan maintained his barrier and the humans held their breath, waiting for what would happen next. Wen Xiao didn't think they would turn on them, but it never hurts to be too cautious.
Hand in hand, Du Wu and Yu She stopped right in front of Zhu Yan's barrier and looked at them one by one, as if trying to figure out who they really were. Now that they knew about Yun Guang, the obvious conclusion was that they were not demons, as they appeared, but were probably under a spell. Yu She then focused his attention on the couple holding hands, the one Yun Guang had recognized as his Master and apparent lover. That one was indeed a demon, and even if he could barely sense his demonic energy, his barrier alone proved how insanely strong he must be.
"Yu, if that is really Yun Guang and if Li Lun just came from the human world... do you think one of them is actually...?" Du Wu didn't dare to say his name, but just thinking about it made him feel a chill. Yu She had also come to that conclusion, and fixed his gaze on the young demon with white hair and red tattoos on the sides of his eyes. Could it really be him? He hadn't left the human world since Bing Yi was killed, but everyone knew that he had strong ties with Li Lun and that the tree demon was very protective of the gate. Li Lun would not bring others he did not trust back to the demon world.
"Are you Zhu Yan?" Yu She asked bluntly, and Da Wu stood still and tense, gripping Yu She's hand harder in clear distress. For Bai Jui, seeing Da Wu going pale was quite amusing, and Ying Lei nudged him in the ribs a little and mentally advised him to hold it in, and not to dare smirk their way. The situation was still too tense for that.
"What if I am? What will you do?" Zhu Yan asked as he slowly put his fingers to his lips, gathering energy, just in case the other wanted to fight. He wasn't going to risk it. Yichen, however, sighed as he watched him become more serious.
"Don't do that, let go." Yichen gently lowered Zhu Yan's hand.
"But Baobei..."
"Don't Baobei me. They haven't done anything yet, so hold your horses."
"Ah, Baobei, I wasn't that serious, don't worry. I know what I'm doing."
"I do trust you, but when you feel like something is a threat, you go wild."
"What? When? I haven't," Zhu Yan deny it very dramatically, touching his heart as if he were outraged at the very thought.
"Of course you did, in the Forest of Convergence, remember? I waited for you to return to normal for five very long days." Yichen blushed as he remembered what happened right after he returned.
"Ah, that... Baobei, that was...", but several coughs interrupted them, and Yichen blushed even more as he momentarily forgot where they were. Wen Xiao was having a serious time trying to hold back a laugh, more so than Bai Jiu or even Ying Lei.
"Seriously, you two... why do I bother trying to get you out of your private little world?" Li Lun sighed, rubbing his forehead, and Yixuan patted him on the back sympathetically.
"I'm sorry, Ge..." Yichen apologized to Yixuan, blushing, while the latter smiled kindly at him.
"You don't have to apologize, Didi, nothing happened, so no harm done." Yixuan assured him, looking at Yu She, who now also seemed quite amused.
"He can't be Zhu Yan. The terrifying and legendary great demon Zhu Yan that we all know, would never allow someone to scold him like that," Du Wu said, almost certain of it, but Yu She simply chuckled.
"Oh, but he is indeed, and even I have to admit that I submitted to a lover I chose of my own free will. It was because of my devotion to you, that I got into this mess, wasn't it?" Yu She asked, looking at Du Wu, remembering just for a moment why he loved him.
When he was still in the early stages of his cultivation, Yu She was suddenly ambushed by a group of ferocious beasts while meditating, and if Du Wu had not protected and saved him, he would never have survived that long in a world plagued by tainted beasts.
Although Du Wu's poison was not fully feared in the current era, it had held great significance back when they roamed the human world. That, alone, was enough to compel him to devote himself to him entirely. From the very moment he imprinted on Du Wu, there was no turning back for him, nor that he want it.
"About that... I'm sorry... I should have realized it wasn't you..." That was the one thing he hated about Du Wu. His insistence on apologizing for something that wasn't even his fault. Fox magic was one of the most powerful when it came to deception. All foxes possessed that talent and excelled in that particular skill, which they used to their advantage. He never blamed Du Wu for falling into a well laid trap. It was Huan Jing's fault, and his alone.
"Stop apologizing, that's already a thing of the past," Yu She commented, turning his gaze towards Zhu Yan.
"That you are here in disguise, along with what I assume is a bunch of humans, means that you have important matters to attend to. I know how powerful you are, I witnessed it during the war against the gods, so I won't pretend I can stop you from doing what you are set to. However, are you here to claim the demon world for yourself, as the child of its creator? Is that why you came through the gate, after having stayed in the human world for so long? I have enough of been controlled, to be honest." Yu She's questions made Zhu Yan sigh.
"I have never embraced the idea of ruling either the human or the demon world. My only wish has always been to maintain peace between both worlds and prevent more wars from happening. However, I felt demons approaching the gate, nine to be exact, and I took it as a challenge and a threat to everything I had worked so hard to avoid. I also heard that the demons are changing, they are becoming more aggressive, more vicious and bloodthirsty, not only here, but also in the human world. I came to put an end to this, nothing more." Zhu Yan emphasized his words, and a tense moment of silence ensued as both sides stared at each. Then Yun Guang stepped out of Zhu Yan's barrier, as he didn't need it, but Siheng tried to stop him.
"You crazy spirit, what are you doing? Get back here," Siheng demanded, but Yun Guang only winked at him and approached the other two demons.
"We can argue about motives and reasons for the rest of the day, but I think the real question is what you two plan to do with your freedom. Are you going to waste time on pointless arguments, or are you going to follow through on the message you sent to Huan Jing a moment ago? Because, as I see it, even if you've regained the ability to maintain your cultivation from now on, you're still beneath Huan Jing. As long as you don't threaten us, and we know you weren't serious before, which is why I released you from your shackles, we don't care what you do. However, if you try to stop us..."
"Oh, come on, you don't have to remind us how strong your group is. Li Lun is currently the second strongest great demon here, not to mention that Zhu Yan is still the first, and you, as a sword spirit born from the power of a demon god, are more of a divine weapon than anything else. So we know we're no match for you, not even at my best. I just wanted to point out that we don't need any more chaos here, we already have enough." Yu She said.
"We don't want any more chaos, either. In fact, I fight for my kind, just like the rest of you, if not more. I've lived here for half my life, so I'm not going to cause the destruction of this world, but I also don't want to see it consumed by malicious energy. You can pretend that nothing is happening, but we all know there's an outside force here trying to sow chaos, and that has to stop, right now. Either leave, or be grateful and let us do what we need to do in peace. Choose." Li Lun was clearly giving them an ultimatum, and Du Wu knew he was serious.
"Yu... they saved us..." Du Wu pleaded, which earned him a slap on the back of the head from Yu She.
"I know. I wasn't trying to stop them."
"Then stop asking them questions. Let's just get revenge on that damn Huan Jing and be on our way. We're finally free, we can start over, and now I have the chance to become more powerful."
"We need to cultivate for a bit longer, before we can defeat Huan Jing. That bastard stole most of our power."
"We can work together for a common goal..." Yun Guang offered, interrupting their conversation.
"What do you mean?" Du Wu asked Yun Guang.
"It's simple: you need time to cultivate, and Huan Jing knows it. So he'll come to confront you, either alone or accompanied by the other three demons under his control. We can provide you with protection while you cultivate, and if he shows up, we can join forces to defeat him. We have a common enemy and a common goal; afterward, each of us will go our separate ways. It's that simple."
"Zhu Yan can handle the four of them alone, so why would you need our help?" Du Wu asked, quite confused.
"We don't want to reveal our presence here or attract any more attention, especially from other great demons. That would mean the start of another war, and this time it would be fought within the demon world. I doubt you two want something like that to happen again, so we can't confront all the demons here with full force, nor are we actively looking for fights. We just want to reach our destination as discreetly as possible, nothing more."
"Okay, that's fair, but what about Zhi Ren? Are you going to kill her or just keep her locked up forever?" That was a good question, Bai Jiu thought as he looked at Yichen's neck, where the pendant hung beneath his robes.
"That will depend on her. We're not looking for a fight, but we can't let someone who has already tried to kill us roam free and try again. We'll let her calm down a bit, and then I'll see if she's still intent on the mission she was given, regardless of whether she's free or not." Yun Guang assured them, and Yu She nodded in agreement.
"There was a time when the Nagas were worshipped by some human cultures. In the beginning of the world, we weren't called demons, although after the malicious energy spread everywhere, most of the Nagas fell into darkness and even fought among themselves for dominance. I am the last, and although I will never consider myself honorable, I can fulfill a bargain." Yu She said, and Du Wu placed an arm around his shoulder in a gesture of appreciation.
"I agree. We owe you our freedom, so we accept your proposal. There's a lake a few miles away, as Li Lun already knows, since it's one of his favorite places. We can stay there for some time to adequately prepare ourselves to achieve our goal. The lake is completely open, so if there's an attack, we'll see it coming," Du Wu offered, and Zhu Yan glanced at Wen Xiao.
His unspoken question was clear to her, as they needed to make sure they could at least minimally trust these demons. She nodded, for she didn't foresee any betrayal, but, more importantly, she felt strongly that it was the right decision, as if the goddess herself were giving her approval.
Along the way, they learned a few things about Huan Jing from Du Wu and Yu She. They discovered that, thanks to the spell he had cast on them, he could see the same things they did, and that was how he was aware of everything that was happening, as if he had the gift of premonition. However, once the spell was broken, the connection was lost forever, so it was now safe for them to travel together. Wen Xiao confirm it.
They also learned that other powerful demons were using the same spell to enhance their cultivation and that the core spell had appeared out of nowhere centuries ago. Some said that whispers could sometimes be heard coming from the demonic mist if one listened carefully enough, and that one could learn to use the malicious energy or go mad trying.
Li Lun had never heard anything of the sort, but Du Wu said he had, when Huan Jing tricked him. He described the voice as masculine and having a kind of enchantment that captivated demons. They were told that this was why things were changing in the demonic world, and even the great demons were having difficulties in their own territories. These whispers had revealed to Huan Jing the arrival of Li Lun and that, if he got rid of him, the demonic world would be at his feet.
To them, the whispers in the malicious energy probably came from Cheng Huang or someone he already had under his control before being sealed away. This possibility became more evident when Yu She told them that there was someone else above Huan Jing, manipulating him. They never found out who this demon was, but it was most likely one of the great demons. An ancient one, but they didn't get anything more useful after that.
Hours later, near dusk, they arrived at the lake, which was a breathtaking sight. The lake was enormous and as still as a mirror, reflecting the stars that were beginning to appear in the darkening sky. There was nothing around to obstruct the beautiful view, and they could see the distant mountains with their snow-capped peaks. It was a perfect place to settle down and cultivate while remaining vigilant at the same time. No wonder why it was Li Lun's favorite place.
The lakeshore glowed with a luminescence that could be seen from various points, sometimes merging with the shimmer of the flowers and grass, which made Wen Xiao want to run to the water and play in it. Sijing also seemed captivated by the sight, not to mention that Ying Lei and Bai Jiu already had a dreamy look on their faces as they gazed at the magical scene.
"It's beautiful," Yixuan whispered to Li Lun, who took his hand and kissed it softly.
"As long as you're here, this place is as much yours as it is mine," Li Lun whispered back, and Yixuan smiled, quite charmed.
"So he has a mate too? No, wait, I think everyone has a partner, since they're all walking so closely in pairs. Even Yun Guang has someone," Du Wu muttered into Yu She's ear, but several others could hear him clearly. Li Lun was one of them and glared at him.
"Idiot, do you want to take a cold bath in the lake? It's none of our business if everyone has a mate. The only thing we should be focusing on, is our cultivation. They can all be lovers if they want," Bai Jiu opened his mouth to voice his disapproval to the ininuation, but Ying Lei covered his mouth from behind.
"Don't argue," he whispered to Bai Jiu.
"Oh, come on. I'm not afraid of demons..." Bai Jiu pulled Ying Lei's hand away from his mouth, his ears turning red.
"Hey, can we bathe there?" Wen Xiao asked bluntly, and everyone looked at her as if she had suddenly gone crazy.
"Wen Xiao, I hate to say this, but... most of us are men... that would be inappropriate," Bai Jiu pointed out, and Wen Xiao giggled.
"Ah, how cute, but isn't there someone among us with a talent for creations? We've been walking for hours. The lake is huge, can you create some kind of invisible barrier that reflects the water or something and gives us, women some privacy? To be honest, the cleansing spell isn't the same as actually submerging yourself in water. I miss it," she clung to Sijing's arm, who also wanted to wash off all the sweat from walking so much, just like Wen Xiao.
"To be honest, I wouldn't mind a bath either," Yichen blushed, which made Zhu Yan chuckle at his cuteness.
"You got it, Baobei. Let me make things better for all of you." And so, once again, Zhu Yan used his power to create a full house, lights and all, right inside the lake, on a small island, as if it were nothing.
"I should have expected this..." Yichen sighed. He was so dramatic, but on the other hand, the scenery was beautiful, and it felt like they were floating among the stars.
"You're the best, Zhao Yuanzhou!" Wen Xiao exclaimed, taking off her boots and running into the water, which splashed with a blue shimmer at every step.
"Come on! Let's have a race to see who gets there first!" And so, everyone took off their boots, and the swimming race began, with even Yixuan dragging a reluctant Li Lun along, amidst laughter.
Zhu Yan naturally swam closer to Yichen, delighted to see his enthusiastic smile. As they played together more than actually competing, he splashed Zhu Yan with the shimmering water, adding to their joyful moment. As the others arrived at the steps of the house fighting for places, Zhu Yan pulled Yichen closer to him and kissed him as fine streams of blue water cascaded down his beautiful face. That scene alone was worth the trip.
As they kissed, a reddish barrier surrounded a large part of the lake before becoming invisible. Yu She and Du Wu walked over the water, not wanting to participate in the humans' games.
AN: How adorable! Thanks for reading, and see you next time.