Late at night, the Milky Way glimmered faintly, and the moonlight spilled softly across Fanjing Mountain.Fanyin Temple lay silent.
A shadow moved stealthily through the deserted courtyard, slipping into a rear chamber. The small dog outside barked once, but a flash of steel silenced it immediately. All fell quiet again.
After a while, a man in black emerged, carrying a sack as tall as a person. He leapt over the courtyard wall with ease.
"Li San, got it?" a tall, lean figure asked, pulling back his hood. "Why does it smell like blood?"
"Talk in the carriage," Li San replied, his breathing uneven. The tall man frowned but stayed silent—this was no place to ask questions.
With a hand signal, their companions quickly surrounded them. Without delay, they lifted the sack onto a horse-drawn carriage and headed toward the city.
"Ha! So this is the famous Fanyin Temple…" Li San scoffed, removing his mask."Since that old monk died, Buddhist cultivation has changed completely. They say the temple's guards are strict, yet we walk in like it's deserted."
The drivers laughed. "Master's skills are just too good…"
The tall man frowned. "What about the blood smell just now?"
"Nothing," Li San said impatiently, kicking the sack. "It was too dark earlier. Almost lost this little one."
Inside the sack, a soft whimper escaped. Li San froze. That delicate sound hooked his attention immediately.
The tall man frowned again. "Li San, that's valuable cargo!"
Li San muttered, then pried open the corner of the sack. Under the dim firelight of the carriage, he stopped dead in his tracks.
Heaving a breath, Li San rubbed his face. "This kid… is incredible."
The tall man smiled. "It's a Moon Demon. The people upstairs specifically requested it. Of course it's impressive."
"A Moon Demon? What's that?"
Li San licked his dry lips, feeling an uncontrollable heat in his lower body. No matter how he tried to suppress it, the hunger only grew.
"Top-tier furnace vessel," the tall man explained calmly. "The Xie family, the greatest Immortal Sect, used this to ascend… though what happened next remains a mystery."
Li San's eyes widened. "So this kid is…"
"Yes. Consuming its flesh or using it as a furnace vessel boosts cultivation. Its heart's blood can brew the elixir of immortality," the tall man warned. "But the Moon Demon is unlike ordinary vessels—it can ensnare your soul. Stay away. Don't touch it."
"How dangerous?" Li San asked skeptically.
The tall man detailed everything he knew. Li San listened, agitated. He rubbed the blood on his fingers, sniffed it, and even licked it. A strange sensation surged into his mind—this creature was truly uncanny.
The carriage jolted. The boy in the sack slowly opened his blood-red eyes, a faint, mocking smile curling his lips.
The carriage rumbled steadily on, the sound of hooves echoing through the empty wilderness.
"Stop the carriage!" Li San shouted.
The carriage ground to a halt. The tall man, startled from dozing, opened his eyes. Seeing Li San's red-rimmed eyes and lust-driven expression, he exclaimed, "Li San! What are you doing?!"
"Liao Chen," Li San said, drawing a dagger slowly. "Something this rare has passed through my hands—it would be a shame not to taste it."
He tore open the sack, revealing the boy's androgynous, delicate face.
Liao Chen reached out instinctively. "You're insane! The authorities requested this. If they find out, you're dead!"
"It's not a woman. Play and clean afterward," Li San replied, brushing his hand aside. "And you… nagging like a woman."
The two apprentices laughed loudly. Li San gripped the dagger, channeling his spiritual power to cut through the ropes.
Liao Chen's heart raced. Blood coated Li San's fingers and lips. Earlier, Li San had tasted it, and now dried blood crusted his mouth.
"Senior Brother Liao Chen!" he gasped.
Li San suddenly turned the dagger toward Wu. "Shut up, or I'll stab you!"
Outmatched, Wu retreated into the corner as the three dragged the boy out of the carriage.
Outside, laughter echoed. Liao Chen's eyes fell on the spreading crimson stains and the bamboo slip he had left, etched with the Heart Sutra. Memories of the temple's other senior disciples—who had once lusted after this boy and vanished—flashed through his mind.
Suddenly, the laughter ceased. A cold, mysterious voice rang out, as if from a distant void:
"Any last words?"
Liao Chen shivered. Blood spattered on the carriage curtain, spreading under the moonlight like sharp brushstrokes on silk.
The boy's shadow emerged, parting the curtain with bloodied fingers, jade prayer beads on his wrist splattered crimson like blossoms on stone.
"Senior Brother Liao Chen," he said, calm and cold, sword in hand, a faint smile on his lips. His red eyes glowed like a vengeful spirit, yet his face retained the innocent beauty of two hours ago.
Liao Chen stumbled back until his back hit the wall, realizing his clothes were soaked in sweat.
"Se… Senior Brother…" he stammered.
"You sold me out, yet still call me junior brother?" the boy said, tilting his head, eyes clear, innocent… yet deadly.
"I gave you a chance," he added. The bamboo slip, the smile at the cake—all flashed in Liao Chen's mind.
Fumbling for his beads, Liao Chen found nothing. Kneeling, face full of sorrow, he pleaded: "Junior Brother, spare me…"
Before he finished, the sword pierced his neck.
"Take it slow on the road to the underworld. I'll send them to keep you company. Remember—"
The boy blinked. "My name is Chi Su."