Xinxin looked at the various roots and dried herbs before sighing and moving on. They didn't have much money left since they had been on the run again, and she had promised Liu Yan to buy only the bare essentials. She had given up her career as a healer anyway.
The wind picked up and Xinxin held on tightly to the veil she tied over her face when she went out in public.
They were the scarred couple, as some people had called them after the wanted posters had been published. Liu Yan's scar on his neck, which he had kept thanks to Zhao Hua, and the one that disfigured her face were too conspicuous features.
The people on the street of the small town she was walking through looked at her suspiciously. No wonder, spring was getting warmer, there was no longer any reason for a coat like the one she was wearing. So she quickened her pace.
A lot had changed since she left Dafang. Liu Yan tracked down demons and absorbed their power. Just as he did with corrupt places.
It was different from before. Back then, he had unconsciously absorbed and filtered karma. But now he consciously absorbed the corrupt qi and stored it.
Xinxin listlessly turned a jar of ointment in her hands. She didn't resent him, and he didn't scare her either. In all the time they had been traveling together, he had never once hurt her, not even accidentally.
On the contrary, the bad-tempered, ice-cold, arrogant prince had become a still arrogant but much friendlier person. At least towards her.
Xinxin's heart began to pound and she put the tin down again. She didn't want to think about such things. She was about to continue on her way when a man blocked her path. He was tall and broad. His teeth were rotten and yellow, and he grinned as he looked her up and down.
"Well, where are you headed, my dear?" he asked slyly. A shiver ran through Xinxin.
She couldn't defend herself. She had neither talismans nor enough strength to defend herself against someone like him, so she turned on her heel and tried to leave, but another man blocked her way. Xinxin gasped sharply.
"My friend asked you a question," said the second man.
"Don't be so arrogant, little lady!" Both of them pushed her off the street into a dead end.
Xinxin panicked, her heart racing and her head pounding. If she screamed, would anyone come to her aid? But what if they recognized her? She feverishly searched for a way out when one of the men put his hand on her shoulder. She immediately brushed his hand away. She felt nauseous.
"Don't be so rude, we just want to have some fun," one of them laughed and grabbed her veil. Xinxin froze.
"No!" she cried, "leave me alone!" The man tore the fabric from her face and skepticism reflected in his eyes.
"If I had known you had such a disfigured face, I would have found someone else, but well, eyes closed and get it over with, right?" he laughed.
"Men are really disgusting!" a voice rang out above them.
Xinxin looked up. A young woman was sitting on the edge of a roof. Her dark hair, half of which was pinned up in two braids, and the rest of which flowed silkily down her back, stood in stark contrast to her pale skin. Her almond-shaped, dark eyes rested on the men and looked at them defiantly.
She wore striking red makeup around her eyes and on her lips. Her black and red silk dress accentuated her body, and delicate chains jingled with every movement. She had her legs crossed and was playing with something in her hands. She wore jewelry that made her fingers look like long, curved claws.
"The lady clearly said no to you, you deaf dogs," she said.
Her voice sounded warm and velvety soft. Then she let herself fall from the edge and landed next to them in the alley. Her gaze slid over the two men, who stared at her angrily, and then over Xinxin. She laughed.
"My name is Pian'er, remember that, you street dogs!" she hissed. Pian'er stepped forward and knocked out the first man so quickly that he didn't even know what had happened. She caught him in the neck with her heel and he toppled over. She turned and kicked the second man in the stomach without her foot touching the ground in between. He gagged and fell to his knees. Pian'er punched him in the face and blood shot out of his nose before he too fell motionless to the ground.
"What's going on? Hey Fei He, Fang Si, where is she?" a voice called from the other end of the alley. Pian'er turned around.
"There are more of them. A whole pack of useless mutts," she remarked. Meanwhile, Xinxin had tied her veil back over her face and thrown her purchases into the basket.
"Let's get out of here," Pian'er said, wrapping her petite but strong arms around Xinxin's waist.
"Wait, hold on, don't take off," protested Xinxin. But it was too late. Pian'er pushed off from the ground and landed on the roof with a big jump. She pulled Xinxin closer to her and jumped again.
Xinxin whimpered and covered her eyes with her hands, having now completely lost her basket and veil.
"I think we've lost them," said Pian'er.
"Oh please, let me down," begged Xinxin, staggering as Pian'er let go of her.
"Are you okay?" she asked as Xinxin staggered and clung to a barrel stacked in the small side street for support.
"No!" Xinxin whimpered and took a deep breath. It took her a moment to catch her breath until the world around her stopped spinning.
Pian'er examined her long fingernails, which had extended into claws, when Xinxin noticed that her forearm was bleeding profusely. She tore a piece of fabric from her robe and tied it around the young woman's wound. Pian'er raised an eyebrow, unmoved.
"That's not necessary, it'll heal on its own," she remarked sharply. Then she sniffed. She came closer and closer to Xinxin until she was smelling her hair and clothes.
"Wait a minute!" She took a strand of Xinxin's hair and pulled on it.
"Ouch, what are you doing?" Xinxin cried, snatching the strand back from her hand.
"You're not a demon?" Pian'er realized, bewildered. Xinxin smoothed her clothes and looked at the young beauty skeptically.
"I never said I was!"
"But you smell like one, at least on the surface," Pian'er remarked, glaring at her suspiciously. Xinxin thought about her words, but she couldn't for the life of her figure out where the smell was coming from.
"I travel a lot, so I meet one or two," she said casually. Pian'er stood up in front of her.
"People don't just smell like demons," she said angrily, scrutinizing Xinxin closely.
"If I didn't know better, I'd think it was a trap. But you're the only one who's hurt yourself," she growled, taking a step toward her. Xinxin looked up, directly into the young woman's dark, glowing eyes.
"So you're a demon?" she asked impassively. Pian'er had helped her because she thought someone like her needed help.
Xinxin tilted her head. She knew a thing or two about demons. She knew they were brutal, enjoyed spilling blood, and considered humans their sworn enemies. She knew they were loners because they had a strong territorial instinct. The fact that they helped each other was new to her.
The demons that Liu Yan had absorbed had all been alone and unprotected. As if Pian'er had guessed her thoughts, she placed a hand on Xinxin's shoulder and dug her claws deep into it. Xinxin groaned in pain.
"Lately, the lower demons have been disappearing. There are hardly any left in this city. The few that were able to do so have fled and will most likely come into conflict with other demons when they try to settle elsewhere. You don't happen to know anything about this?" she asked coldly, increasing the pressure on Xinxin's shoulder.
She clung to Pian'er's wrist. The fine scar on her face began to tingle and throb, and cold sweat broke out on her forehead. Pian'er had come dangerously close to her.
"What's this?" Xinxin cried. "It was your mistake, not mine. You're not exactly making things better," she hissed, pointing to the blood that had seeped from Pian'er's wound and through the makeshift cloth bandage and was now dripping onto Xinxin's robe.
For a brief moment, Pian'er was confused, and the pressure actually eased a little. Then something hit her from behind. The demon groaned and reared up before dropping to her knees, her claws releasing Xinxin's shoulder. Xinxin looked up.
Liu Yan had reached the side street. He walked upright, the plain robe he wore was clean. His black hair was neatly combed, and his dark eyes held a mixture of burning anger and icy indifference.
The qi thread that had shot out of his hand had pierced the demons' backs. It pulsed, and a black shadow with red wisps of mist drew the strength from the young woman's body.
"No," Xinxin scrambled to her feet and grabbed the ominously swirling Qi thread.
Dissatisfied, Liu Yan let it snap back. Xinxin stood in front of Pian'er, who was crouching on the street in pain. Her gaze was fixed in panic on the tall, slender man.
"She saved me." Xinxin's voice grew firmer, the pain subsided, and she was now able to stand upright in front of him.
"It could have ended badly for me if Pian'er hadn't saved me from those men," she explained. Liu Yan's gaze darkened.
"What men?" he asked coldly. Xinxin shook her head.
" "Please don't hurt her," she pleaded. Liu Yan seemed to think about it for a moment, then made a wide, sweeping gesture with his hand.
Shadows and wisps of mist shot out. They surrounded the demoness and enveloped her. When the curtain of magic cleared again, Pian'er was gone. Xinxin turned around. Liu Yan was standing close in front of her.
His gaze slid over her face, over her scar, and finally to the wound on her shoulder. Xinxin swallowed. Lately, Liu Yan's closeness and presence had been almost overwhelming. Her heart was beating so fast that she feared it would jump out of her chest, and she felt the heat in her cheeks as Liu Yan's dark eyes met hers.
A few strands of tousled hair fell across his face, and the gentle pallor, high cheekbones, and full lips had completely replaced the chalk-white pallor and emaciated skin. She cleared her throat and tried to look away.
"I'm fine, I can take care of myself," Xinxin said conciliatorily, attempting a crooked smile.
Liu Yan was not fooled; he saw the fear in her eyes, the exhaustion and the pain. Since they had escaped the curse, something had changed in Xinxin.
She no longer used talismans or qi threads. Even when they met people on the road who needed medical help, they gave what they had, but she turned away much more quickly than before.
He didn't ask any questions, he didn't pressure her. But his curiosity burned. He took her head in his hands and gently traced the edges of the scar. It was hot, and he could feel it throbbing slightly. Xinxin took his hand away.
"I lost the groceries," she sighed. "And the veil. Let's go, it's not safe here anymore."
Outside the city, there was an abandoned, dilapidated estate. Still, it was in better shape than Liu Yan's former storage room above the shed.
Xinxin didn't talk much as he watched her make a fire and prepare food, so he left her alone and went to the basement. There, chained to a wall, sat Pian'er, glaring at him angrily. When he approached her, she pressed herself against the wall, and fear mingled with her angry gaze.
"Pian'er!" Liu Yan's voice was soft, slightly hoarse, and as clear as a mountain spring. Pian'er looked up.
"You are the reason this girl smells like a demon," she stated. Tian Liu Yan's gaze rested on her.
"To you, she smells like a demon?" he asked.
Pian'er looked uneasy, her gaze darting around the dusty basement in search of a way out. The afternoon sun fell through a small crack on the floor, casting a small glimmer of hope on it. Liu Yan followed her gaze.
"Don't even think about it," he said impassively.
"If you want this city as your territory, then I'll leave," Pian'er said quickly. "There's no reason to fight. I recognize that you are stronger."
Liu Yan just looked at her for a while, then finally crouched down so he could look her straight in the eyes. His dark irises had a reddish glint.
"You think I'm a demon?" he asked. His voice sounded interested, but strangely distant. Pian'er frowned. She didn't understand anything.
"Are you trying to disguise yourself as a human? Are you new to the mortal realm? Then let me warn you: a human face alone will not be enough to deceive the cultists and immortals of this world," she said, hoping to be helpful enough that he would let her go.
"Xinxin already said that if I absorb the power and corrupted qi of the demons, I will inevitably turn into one myself," he said, letting the black and red mist flow from his fingertips.
"You seem to be useful. Answer a few questions for me," he demanded, standing up again.
Pian'er's head was spinning. None of what he said made any sense to her.
"So you know about cultists?" he asked. Pian'er shrugged. When Liu Yan's gaze met hers, she sat up straight and nodded politely.
"A little, yes. Otherwise, I probably wouldn't have survived the last three hundred years," she replied more clearly.
"How does one acquire this knowledge? Can it be cultivated through self-study with books alone?" he continued. Pian'er shook her head.
"Very few are born with the ability to open their meridians on their own. It requires years of training from childhood, or someone to open the spiritual veins. In any case, you need a trained teacher, otherwise the flow of energy can quickly become dangerous," Pian'er replied. She rubbed the bridge of her nose.
"Why ...?"
"I'm asking the questions," Liu Yan interrupted her curtly.
"Once cultivated, can these abilities be lost again?" Pian'er sighed.
"No, unless the spiritual core is destroyed. There are also some spells and poisons that disrupt the flow of the meridians, causing a cultist to lose their power..."
"I don't mean destroyed, not completely. More like being temporarily restricted," Liu Yan corrected himself.
Xinxin had shown him some spells and even steadily improved them after their escape. She must have learned all this before she fell into the river. Then something must have happened that prevented her from using her abilities properly or improving them for a while. Pian'er thought about it.
"I'm afraid I don't understand what you're getting at," she admitted.
"Perhaps this ominous cultist overreached himself and lost a battle, after which it took him a while to regain his strength," she replied wearily.
"Can meridians be injured to such an extent that one completely loses one's cultivation?" Liu Yan watched the last ray of sunlight slowly sink below the horizon.
"Yes, but that means death. Cultists follow a path of circulating energy. They use the qi in the meridians and store it in their bodies, releasing it again through indirect means, i.e., spells and magic. If the meridians, the valve that regulates this energy, are damaged or destroyed, the qi can no longer be controlled and the body is inevitably destroyed!"