The wind howled violently, tearing through the abandoned village, and the shrill screams of a woman resonated throughout, a terrifying symphony of despair. The young hunters looked up, their faces grim, at the woman in red standing a few feet above them on a crumbling wall, her form eerily graceful despite the menace radiating from her. They immediately knew, with a cold certainty, that this woman was possessed by a powerful soul who had escaped from Peach Blossom Valley. The hunters felt the strong, palpable resentment radiating from the soul possessing the woman in red, a chilling aura of ancient hatred.
The woman in red looked down at the young hunters, her eyes burning with an intense, unholy anger, fixed on their Guozhao robes. "Guozhao Hunters… Where is Zhao Renshu?!" she roared at them, her voice raw with vengeful fury.
Yang Bao, stepping forward, his expression grave, replied, "Second Master is not here, Lady."
The woman in red smirked, a cruel, satisfied twist of her lips. "Very good," she hissed, her voice dripping with malice. "He locked me up for so many years, held me captive, and now I'm going to kill his disciples to vent my anger, to reclaim what was taken!"
Yang Bao looked at his juniors, his gaze firm. "Everyone, be careful," he commanded, his voice serious.
Four female and five male juniors nodded to Yang Bao, their faces set in determination, ready for battle.
The woman in red raised her right hand, a gesture of command, and with a supernatural force, the brittle roof shingles of other dilapidated houses were torn free, sent flying directly at the hunters, a deadly hail of debris.
Yu Lei, moving with lightning speed, immediately stood in front of them, a living shield. With a swift wave of his right hand, he drew a glowing spell in the air, its intricate patterns swirling, and sent it directly to the incoming shingles. Miraculously, all the jagged shingles transformed into delicate rose petals, shimmering gently, and fell harmlessly to the ground, scattering around the hunters before they even reached them. The woman in red roared in frustration, a guttural sound of thwarted rage.
Weici, who was still safely inside the house with Deming, jumped up and clapped her hands excitedly, her eyes wide with awe. "Wow, that's amazing!" she exclaimed, forgetting her caution for a moment.
Lee Nianzu, seeing the woman's power, shouted a warning, "Follow us back to the cave! If we captured you once, we can trap you again!"
The woman in red laughed, a high, piercing sound of mockery. "Ha…ha…ha… you can't kill me. You know what happens when my soul is destroyed, don't you? I will only come back stronger, more powerful, a true nightmare!"
Yu Lei smirked, a confident glint in his eye. "You value yourself too much, Lady," he countered, his voice steady.
The woman in red's face darkened, her eyes narrowing dangerously. "What do you mean?!" she shrieked, her fury mounting.
"Lady," Yu Lei explained, his voice calm, almost educational, "at that time, we didn't know how to destroy you, how to truly dissipate a soul-possessed body. Thanks to our First Master, we now have the knowledge and power to easily destroy you, to send your soul to true oblivion. The reason why we are asking you nicely, why we offer you a choice, is because we like to give you a second chance, a chance to leave this body willingly."
"We will wait and see, hunter! I don't need a second chance!" the woman in red snarled, her voice full of defiance. She screamed, a deafening shriek, and the crumbling dirt wall directly in front of the young hunters was completely destroyed, pulverizing into dust. From the swirling debris, hundreds of dead corpses, shambling and grotesque, began to approach the hunters, rising from the earth. "Kill them all!" she commanded, her voice filled with dark delight.
Yang Bao, his face grim, said, "Everyone, be careful! Fight with your full power!"
Yu Lei smirked, his eyes hardening, ready for the gruesome task. "Here they come."
The hunters immediately began to attack the dead corpses, their swords flashing, their talismans glowing, a desperate battle. Yu Lei, fearless, went straight for the woman in red, launching himself onto the crumbling wall.
Lee Nianzu shouted after Yu Lei, a warning in his voice, "Ah Lei! Be careful!"
The woman in red conjured her own sword, a blade of flickering fire, held it in her right hand, and began attacking Yu Lei on the rooftop, their battle a furious dance of steel and magic.
"Hey, I'm not with them!" Weici exclaimed from inside the house, her voice panicked, as five grotesque dead corpses rushed towards her, drawn by her life force.
The woman in red kicked Yu Lei with her left foot, a powerful, precise strike. Yu Lei grabbed her leg, his grip firm. The woman in red, agile as a viper, waved her right leg at Yu Lei's head, but he dodged, narrowly escaping the blow. Her foot landed heavily on the roof shingles instead of Yu Lei, shattering them. She then turned around and did a swift forward somersault, gracefully getting her left leg out of Yu Lei's hand. She immediately stabbed directly at Yu Lei with her fiery sword, aiming for his heart.
Yang Bao, reacting with lightning speed, sent out a talisman at the woman in red's sword to block her attack, deflecting the blow.
At the same exact time, one of the female juniors, quick and precise, cut off the head of a dead corpse that was about to attack Yang Bao from his blind side.
Yu Lei, seizing the moment, conjured two glowing red talismans in his hands, and the two red magic chains flew directly to the woman in red, tightly wrapping around her wrists, binding her.
"No…!" the woman in red exclaimed, her face contorted in a mask of dawning horror.
Yu Lei grabbed the two magic chains in his right hand and began to rotate in a circular motion, a powerful, rhythmic twist. The chains tightened, binding the woman in red's hands together, her struggles growing frantic. No matter how hard the red-clothed woman struggled to break free, the chains entangled themselves firmly, pulsating with magic, and were utterly unbreakable. Yu Lei pulled her closer and closer to him, steadily, relentlessly. When she was an arm's length away from Yu Lei, within striking distance, he cast a dissipating spell inside his left palm and placed it directly on her forehead, a glowing touch.
"Dissipate," Yu Lei commanded, his voice firm, resonating with the power of the spell.
The woman in red raised her head to the sky, her body convulsing. She screamed loudly, a final, unholy shriek, and a dense black mist, the essence of the possessing soul, came out of her mouth, pouring from her body.
Lee Nianzu, quick to act, sent a small white pouch with a red symbol to the woman in red, and the small pouch, like a vacuum, sucked the black mist into it, trapping the soul. Immediately, the dead corpses stopped attacking, their movements ceasing, and fell lifelessly to the ground, inert. The woman in red, now just a human shell, slowly fell onto the roof.
Yu Lei picked her up gently and flew to the ground, laying her down carefully.
Weici's mouth hung open in utter astonishment. "Wow, you are amazing!" she exclaimed, her voice filled with unconcealed awe. The ten hunters, hearing her, turned their heads and looked directly at her. They then began to walk purposefully towards the house, their expressions calm. "What are you doing?!" she shrieked, backing away in shock, thinking they were coming for her.
Yu Lei looked at Weici and chuckled, a soft, reassuring sound. "We know that you are a fairy, Weici," he said gently, "and we know that you are with Brother Deming. We chose not to expose you."
"You guys know I'm with him?" Weici asked, her eyes wide, utterly bewildered that her secret was known.
The rest of the hunters nodded to her, their expressions kind, confirming her fears were groundless.
"Why don't you expose me?" Weici pressed, still confused by their tolerance.
Lee Nianzu smiled at Weici, a calm, knowing expression. "If you don't do bad things and don't hurt others, we choose to look the other way. Our principles are to protect, not to persecute without cause."
Weici felt a pang of something akin to stupidity, realizing her own preconceived notions. As she slowly followed the hunters back to the house, a faint, embarrassed smile touched her lips, and she scratched her head. She quickly sat down beside Deming, settling in.
Lee Nianzu sat at the door, a serene sentinel. He reached into his robe and took out a small white bag. Then he opened the small white bag, and a beautiful guqin, a stringed instrument, appeared on his lap, materializing from seemingly nowhere. He began to play the guqin, and its ethereal, haunting melody filled the air. Slowly, hundreds of translucent souls, the spirits of the dead villagers, floated towards him, drawn by the music. Men, women, and children, their ghostly forms shimmering, stood before him, listening. The souls burst into tears, their faces contorted with ancient sorrow, and slowly, collectively, lowered their heads in a silent farewell.
Deming witnessed the souls standing there, listening intently to Lee Nianzu's profoundly touching music, tears falling from their ethereal eyes. Lee Nianzu's music also deeply touched Deming's own heart, awakening dormant emotions. He didn't have many memories from his early life, but somehow, Guozhao Zhiqiang and his fragmented memories of kindness recurred in his mind, clear and poignant. Since he could remember, he had never felt loved, never truly cared for. Guozhao Zhiqiang was the first person to truly embrace him, to hold him without malice. He was the first to gently wipe his tears. He was the first to protect him with his life, and, now, Deming realized, he was the first to truly love him.
Weici looked at Deming, her expression concerned, and said softly, "Brother Deming, you... you cried…"
Deming didn't know he was crying until Weici mentioned it, too lost in the music and his memories. He was as surprised as Weici, feeling the wetness on his cheeks. "Huh?" He touched his face, his fingers coming away wet with tears streaming down. He wiped them away with a shaky hand. "His music is really emotional," he murmured, a profound understatement.
"Agree," Weici nodded, her own eyes a little misty.
With the gentle, fading end of Lee Nianzu's haunting song, the souls, their grievances seemingly eased, disappeared one by one, dissolving into the night air, until there was no more soul in front of the house, only peace. Then, the woman in red, Fu Li Na, stirred and slowly woke up, her eyes blinking in confusion.
The woman in red asked confusedly, "Where am I? What happened?"
Yu Lei looked at the woman in red, his voice calm and informative. "You are half a day's walk from Waterfall City. What's your name, Lady?"
"I am Fu Li Na from Capital City," the woman in red replied, her voice still a little groggy, but regaining her composure.
Yang Bao said, his voice polite, "We are heading that way. We could stop at Capital City to ensure your safe return."
"You are?" Fu Li Na asked, looking at the group, curiosity replacing her confusion.
"We are Guozhao hunters," Yang Bao stated simply, a quiet pride in his voice.
"Guozhao hunters!" Fu Li Na's eyes widened in recognition. "I have heard your stories, your legends! I would love to see Guozhao Baiyu, the famous First Master!"
Yu Lei was taken aback, his brow furrowed in surprise. "What? Why do you want to see him, Lady?"
"I heard that Guozhao Baiyu is the most handsome of all hunters, a true legend," Fu Li Na said, her eyes gleaming with adoration. "Although he is older, he is still perfect in all aspects, a paragon of a man."
"Lady Fu, how old are you, if you don't mind me asking?" Yu Lei asked, a hint of amused exasperation in his voice.
"I'm nineteen years old," Fu Li Na replied, cheerfully oblivious to the age gap.
Yu Lei looked at the strange woman, a disbelieving look on his face. "You know our First Master is in his late forty, right? That's twice your age!"
"I know," Fu Li Na said, her voice firm, unwavering. "I saw him when I was a child. I swore to myself that when I grow up, I will marry him. He is my destiny."
Yu Lei muttered to himself, shaking his head, "If you daydream about marrying the prince, the result will be better."
Lee Nianzu shook his head at Yu Lei, a soft rebuke. "Ah Lei," he sighed, silently telling him to stop.
"Lady Fu," Weici suddenly asked, her voice bold, curious about this human's perception, pointing to Deming, "is Guozhao Baiyu as handsome as this young man, Brother Deming?"
Fu Li Na looked at Weici, then her gaze fell on Deming. "Of course," she said, dismissively. She then stared intently at the four hunters, her eyes searching. "Which of you is the black hunter, Guozhao Zhiqiang? The one they call the strongest?"
One of the female hunters, a protective glint in her eye, asked, "Why are you looking for our Senior Brother?"
"I heard that he is currently the strongest demon hunter in the land," Fu Li Na said, her voice filled with a new kind of admiration, "and he is also very handsome, a rare combination. I heard he was in Waterfall City, so I came up here to meet him." She frowned, a slight annoyance.
Yu Lei asked, a knowing look on his face, "So you ended up in this situation, possessed by a soul, because you ran away from home and blindly looked for our Senior Brother, getting yourself into trouble?"
"Yes," Fu Li Na said, unashamed. "You can't find love just by reading poems in a book. Let yourself walk into the vast land with a little fate, and sooner or later, destiny will definitely lead you to the person you dream of, your true love."
Hearing Fu Li Na's words, her romanticized view of destiny, all ten hunters, pragmatic and experienced, shook their heads, a collective sigh of exasperation and amusement.
Weici looked at Deming, her gaze sharp, "Is this Guozhao Zhiqiang and the person who chased you, the man who was with the boss, the same person, Brother Deming? Did she just confirm it for you?"
Deming breathed heavily, a sudden, cold anger twisting in his gut. "I don't know," he said, his voice flat, his gaze avoiding Weici's.
"Brother Deming, why are you suddenly very angry?" Weici asked, sensing the shift in his mood, her brow furrowed in confusion.
Deming avoided eye contact with Weici, turning his head away. "My wound hurts suddenly," he said, offering a convenient lie, unwilling to reveal the raw, renewed pain of betrayal.
"Do you want Brother Yang to take a look?" Weici offered, concerned.
"No. I just need to lie down," Deming replied, his voice strained. He lay down slowly on the ground, turning his back to the group. He didn't even know why the mention of Guozhao Zhiqiang, and the sudden, undeniable confirmation from Fu Li Na that he was "the strongest demon hunter" and the subject of such fervent admiration, made him so profoundly annoyed, a burning resentment he couldn't fully articulate.