Zhu Yan explaining of what had happened last night in his brother's room, left everyone stare at him shocked. Of course, Yixuan knew about his younger brother's nightmares and the intense pain they caused him, but he would never have imagined that the cause was his ancestor, the divine dragon Bing Yi, who disappeared and was thought to be dead centuries ago, and now remains alive and gravely injured, trying to reach the only demon who could help him and understand his warning.
That, in itself, was shocking, but knowing that Bing Yi's death could lead humanity to its total doom, as his disappearance was due to his own confinement within his domain to seal a rogue divine beast that once tried to kill both gods and demons, was an even stronger blow to their already shocking state.
"So... if this divine beast breaks free from Bing Yi's seal, our world will be destroyed?" Mei Lin asked, just to make sure all her facts were correct.
"Yes, Bing Yi warned me that a great calamity would befall humanity if Cheng Huang were released. He was the reason the gap between worlds still exists, the reason the demonic energy from the demon world leaks into this forest, creating more demons that humanity had to face for centuries, the reason humanity was left without a guardian to protect them from the demons born in this forest because of the pure demonic energy of the gate and the reason why I was left here, to guard the gate and prevent an early extinction of your species. Nuwa wanted humanity to thrive, live, and progress on its own, but even the plans of the gods are not completely foolproof when anomalies with the power to change destiny are born."
"Wait, what's that supposed to mean?" Yiming asked.
"Anomalies are beasts born from special circumstances. I myself was born as an anomaly, as I am two demons in one body, given that I am a white ape with dragon god blood, making me far stronger than even great demons who only have one essence at their core, when I have two. Cheng Huang is a divine fox mixed with a divine deer, a beast created for auspicious purposes. His presence in the human world brings the blessing of good things, hope, prosperity, and good times to the realms. However, after his lover, the goddess Baize Wan'er, died in the war against the demons, taking a deadly attack meant for Nuwa, he went mad, hating both demons and gods alike. As an anomaly, my power is superior to that of divine beasts and demons. That's why only a few demons, or rather one stubborn idiot pagoda tree, cross worlds to confront me, for they know that my power is much closer to that of a god than a great demon, forcing them all to remain where they're supposed to be. However, Cheng Huang, is also an anomaly, which means that we're more or less on equal footing in power and there's a good chance I could be defeated by him since he's much older than me, not to mention that he's strong enough to put Bing Yi in such bad shape, and I assure you Bing Yi is insanely strong." Zhu Yan explained.
"Then finding the dragon god should be our top priority. We must avoid this calamity at all costs." Fan Ying said, feeling the life-or-death urgency of a mission that she prioritized over everything else, the offered training.
"Finding Bing Yi isn't that simple. Even I, who grew up with him, wasn't sure he was still alive until he possessed Xiao Zhuo and informed me of his weakened state and the seal. Finding a sealed god is nearly impossible, even for me. The only clue to where he is lies in Yichen's nightmare, but since it was a god-induced dream, he has no memory of it, and attempting to delve into it could cause him harm if isn't meant to be found." Zhu Yan said as he looked at Yichen, who had already offered his mind for him to search, but Zhu Yan himself was reluctant to do so.
"Then what about me? I too have Bing Yi's blood in my veins, and while my past experiences may be different from my brother's nightmares, I did have strange dreams that, now that I think about it from another perspective, could be due to Bing Yi's influence in our blood too." Yixuan asked, and Zhu Yan smiled at him.
"Bing Yi certainly used his blood as a channel to connect with his descendant. However, he was seeking a specific soul, one he knew was destined to cross paths with me at some point, as our lives were intertwined by fate long before he was born. He may have touch you too in turn before Yichen was born, creating a spiritual connection with you, but he is a god, and he must have known you weren't who he was waiting for, which is why he never possesses you, never wanting to hurt you unnecessarily. He may still be there, deep within your mind, but his connection to Yichen is stronger, allowing him to possess him completely, even if it's just for a few minutes. Therefore, unless Bing Yi himself opens that spiritual connection for you, there's nothing you can do to reach him."
"But can I? I told you, I'm willing. He is my ancestor after all." Yichen asked.
"Being possessed by a god is no joke. If it were not for Bing Yi's own power, reforming your core, you would already be dead. He knew the pain he inflicted on you, and I'm sure he didn't like it, even if he had to do it to warn me of what might come, for me to make the necessary preparations. I doubt he'd allow you to suffer that pain again, much less without his protection. So, no, I don't think you can reach him back again."
"Then what else can be done? You're a great demon who's lived for hundreds of centuries. There must be something else, some kind of ritual or your very nature as an anomaly that can change destiny, that can be used to find him..." Fan Ying insisted.
"I may be an anomaly, but I lack my father's foresight, and as for rituals... no demon can reach a god with one, and no mortal has the strength to summon a god, much less a sealed one."
"But, Zhu Yan, we are not mere mortals. We carry the blood of the gods, and I am certain that if our divine blood awakens, we can overcome that limitation and, with enough luck, reach the dragon god before it is too late." Wen Xiao said and Zhu Yan stared at her for a moment.
"I see you've also been touched by a god. Goddess Baize is no longer alive, but her spirit remains, perhaps due to Cheng Huang's rebellion against the gods, his hatred of Nuwa, and the demons who dealt her the fatal blow. Her touch was subtle, though clearly, spirits are easier to handle than a full-fledged god. What did she say to you?" Zhu Yan asked, and Yixuan felt that this conversation would lead to endless mockery from his fellow unit members once Li Lin's name was mentioned, and that he was supposed to take care of him when he returned.
"She told me basically the same thing Bing Yi told you, a great impending calamity that could only be averted with the collaboration of humans and demons. She said our paths would be diverging, our unit alongside you on a mission to find Bing Yi, presumably when the time is right, and another for Zhuo Yixuan's unit alongside the great demon Li Lun, who she claimed the Commander would know how to handle, since he's, in a way, the most adept at... erm... how to put it... well, talking some sense into him." Yixuan had to admit that Wen Xiao did his best to avoid saying that he had been tasked with taming the wild pagoda tree, but his unit caught the hint anyways and were soon looking at him with complicit smiles on their handsome faces. Oh hell, they're not going to let that one go.
"So you were told about it too? Then that idiot will definitely come back soon. Bing Yi also warned me of his arrival. Zhuo Yixuan, you're in for a tough time. I'm warning you, he is stubborn, as immobile as the tree he is, hates humans for no real reason, other than humans are weaker, so we should be the ones to inherit this world instead of them, he is quick to anger, vindictive, hard to deal with, competitive, narrow minded, unforgiving when it comes to humans, and..."
"What, there's more? Are you crazy? How do you expect my brother to handle a great demon who already harbors a deep hatred for us?!" Yichen protested as he glared angrily at Zhu Yan beside him.
"Xiao Zhuo, calm down. Is none of us who wants this to happen, but the gods themselves. And if they foresaw it, it means you should have more faith in your brother's ability to tame a great demon than you give him credit for." Zhu Yan said, and Yichen looked at him with a deep blush.
"He's not taming any demons... don't make fun of my brother." He whispered and Yixuan was glad that his little brother feel the need to to both protect him and shield him, but that was unnecessary.
"Xiao Chen, I know you worry about me dealing with another great demon and one that is not as willing as Zhu Yan is to help humanity, but we are descendant of gods, so we should trust them that they will aid us in our tribulations. If they believe I can take care of the great demon Li Lun, then it means I can, Xiao Chen." Yixuan said as he took his brother's hand and squeezed it lightly.
"Let me tell you little brother, our Commander looks calm and collected but he is quite scary when mad..." Cao Wei said as he shuddered in his seat, and Zhu Yan did the same.
"Agree." Zhu Yan whisper.
"You stupid monkey, what do you know about that? You barely know him." Yichen whisper back.
"He already give me his warnings... he is just like Bing Yi... and let me tell you that even Li Lun tremble when Bing Yi was mad. So trust me, your brother can handle him, is the will of the heavens." He said as he looked at Yixuan with his Truth Eye, seen that he did have a red string on his finger, although the other end of the thread went inside the demon gate, meaning he was also fated to a great demon, Li Lun himself, most likely.
"Fine, Zhuo Yixuan will handle Li Lun, as I'm sure that if the gods saw him helping us he is not as unwilling to help humanity as we may believe." Fan Ying said and Zhu Yan assented.
"That's right. Li Lun can really be a piece of work when he is on his bad side, but not everything about him is bad. There was a time when the two of us were best friends and he was loyal, protective, playful, loved the world, his freedom, helped many lesser demons with their cultivation, treat them with care and always quite respectful to our elders. Before the war, Li Lun had great respect for both Bing Yi and my father and although he disliked humans, finding them arrogant and abusive against demons who were weaker than them, he never killed one, even though he could do so quite easily. He wasn't a bad demon in general, we were quite happy before the war, it's just that when he had to choose sides when the war started, he had no real choice, but to join the rest of the great demons who were fewer in number and the ones he cared about. He only saw the bad side of humans, never took the chance to watch them when they lived in harmony, never knew their good side." Zhu Yan said.
"Then it is my task to make him see what he overlooked. I promise to do my best to make him see us as more than just arrogant abusers of the weak. That there is more than one color to our prism and that we are capable of compassion, reason, loyalty, and... friendship." Yixuan said, almost letting the word love slip out of his mouth, because even if that possibility was out in the open, he wasn't fooling himself on that aspect, in the end, it all came down to choices. Good or bad, they could still choose and even if he didn't have one, he was sure that Li Lun did have his own, as the gods have no control over demons.
"That's quite reassuring, however, we still have the problem to find Bing Yi." Fan Ying pointed again.
"There is no point in dueling over it. The opportunity will come when it has to come, for now I think it best for me to train those with god blood. Worst case scenario, at least with humans with awakened powers, we'll be able to hold out longer, until a better option presents itself. It is also the reason you are here. I can give the others better training to hunt demons that kill humans, but I will ask you not to touch the ones that don't. Not all demons are born evil, just like humans are not all bad." Zhu Yan said as he looked at the members of Yixuan's unit and Fan Ying.
"If we were only bloodthirsty for demons, without conscience, we wouldn't be here at all, great demon Zhu Yan. To be honest, we've all seen your white monkey form all over the forest for years. We even take it as a good omen, for every time a unit of demon hunters sees a small white monkey around, it means no harm will come to us for the rest of the night and even for days, giving us a breathing break to our tired bodies and minds. So no experienced hunter chased after you, even if you were a demon. No one knew it was you, but on behalf of our hunters, I thank you, for giving us hope and we will not kill those demons who do not try to kill us first. I promise you." Fan Ying said and Zhu Yan smiled.
"Well, now that you mention it, I was bored from time to time, so I watch you closely, but every time I come to the forest, other demons run away when they sense my demonic energy, since even if I seal my power to the minimum, they know my white ape form. It was unlucky that Yichen's unit stumbled upon a Heilan that cowers when I'm around, but becomes aggressive when I'm not in proximity. However, I was confident that you can handle it and Xiao Zhuo was mesmerizing when he fought." Zhu Yan added, making the young man beside him blush.
"What are you saying? It was a team effort and Bai Jiu did most of the damage, so he deserves the praise more than anyone else." At that, the young healer sitting quietly beside Ying Lei puffed out his chest in pride and smiled broadly, while Ying Lei rolled his eyes. The other smiled in good spirit, as the younger unit was a mix of personalities that could be called uncommon.
"So, it's settled. For Zhuo Yixuan's unit, I have a special training session, and for Xiao Zhuo and Commander Yixuan's, there will be one as well of a different kind. After breakfast, we will all head to the training ground in where I will explain to one group what to do, and afterward, to the meditation hall. It is critical that you begin cultivating your cores properly. The awakening of the seals will be done individually, one per day, since your inherited powers are all different and cannot be haste, with the sole exception of the brothers, who share complementary seals. When not in training, you can study in the archive room, where you will find ancient scrolls from the times before the war between demons and gods of almost anything you can imagine or simply rest where you feel most comfortable." At the mention of an archive and long-lost ancient scrolls, Wen Xiao and Bai Jiu's faces lit up with excitement.
Wen Xiao's love for knowledge was as great as Bai Jiu's, and Yichen was also eager to visit the archive, something they hadn't done before because that cheeky monkey hadn't mentioned or shown it to him when they arrived together as an unit.
"Are there books on ancient medicine? Perhaps about methods long forgotten in our past, but quite effective in such a magical age where mortals and demons coexisted?" Bai Jiu asked helplessly, forgetting his earlier fear of the great demon, and Yichen smiled at him fondly. He had to admit it was a pleasure to see him so happy and quite contagious.
"Of course. Have you heard of traceless healing?" Zhu Yan asked, and Bai Jiu squealed in amazement and excitement.
"What? Are you kidding me? Of course I have hear of it! It's every healer's dream come true! It couldn't be true that you have the written technique, right? It was supposed to be a legend! I can't believe it! Can I skip breakfast? I swear I'm not hungry. Just let me take a look at that scroll, and I'll make sure to mastered it, or I'll die trying. I promise not to disturb anyone, please... I beg you to at least let me see it, and maybe touch it, or..."
"Bai Jiu, calm down. It's rude to thoughtlessly demand things from our host, who has already made his own plans that will greatly benefit us all." Pei Sijing tried to contain his impulsiveness a little, and Ying Lei sighed at the sight of the young healer overwhelming happiness. He was still so young, still with a lot to learn, other than long lost miracle medicines.
"Ah... you're right, Commander, my apologies, great demon Zhu Yan." Bai Jiu said as he looked down at Ying Lei's gentle touch on his knee, to anchor him to reality.
"Why are you apologizing? You didn't do anything wrong, and to answer your question, yes, there is a scroll about traceless healing, but even if you memorize it, no human can perform it as it's a great demons and above skill. However, once you unlock your divine power, perhaps you can master it to a certain extent, though even then it will take you quite a while to understand the process and the required energy." Zhu Yan said as he looked at Yichen for a moment, knowing that pampering the healer, a little bit, would earn him points to steal his heart.
"Don't look at me like that, even I know it. You have other, less pure motives for making him so happy..." Yichen whispered so softly that only Zhu Yan and probably Pei Sijing could hear him, blushing, and Zhu Yan laughed, amused by his young demon hunter's wit.
"Xaio Zhuo, you're too cunning..." Zhu Yan whispered, ignoring the gazes of the others, now completely focused on them, which made Yichen blush even more.
"Stop it. Even a blind man could see through that... have a little shame and stop joking."
"Of course, but if I stop, how else can I win you over?" Zhu Yan asked, and Yichen was now completely burning from head to toe, with inner energy swirling in his chest like a storm. This time, Cao Wei couldn't hold back and laughed. The others quickly followed suit, including Yixuan, who thought his little brother was still too green to handle such source of shamelessness. For most, those two were too much, the flirting too open to ignore, and Yichen cursed himself for giving Zhu Yan more fuel to light his fire. Where was the Cloud Light sword when you needed it to take down an wicked demon, great or not?
"Alright, stop teasing my brother Zhu Yan. I'm sure his sword must be shining with a blinding light in his room, so don't provoke him too much. I think we all have a great interest in this archive of yours, so let me ask you, are the scrolls there collected over centuries or are they the product of your hard work?" Asked Yixuan.
"Both. My father loved collecting books and he wrote quite a few, both he and Bing Yi, including ones on how to properly use the Cloud Light sword, how to channel energy more efficiently, how to use it as if it were made of water and ice, an element rather than steel, and how to dance with it, which is in a way a technique in itself. My father loved it when Bing Yi showed him his moves. A beautiful sight, if you ask me, and perhaps one day Xiao Zhuo can show us how it's done."
"Even if I learn it, hell will freeze over before I show it to you, you shameless monkey." Yichen refuted, and Yixuan sighed in resignation. He tried to stop them, but seriously, his brother wasn't helping at all.
"It's fine. You see, I can freeze Hell whenever you want me to. It's actually quite easy..."
"You!"
"Xiao Chen, don't mind him. It's in his nature to tease you, but Zhu Yan, remember, he had a loving brother who would always protect him." Yixuan said with a cold tone that left Zhu Yan freeze in place.
"Sure, so what do you want to eat? I can create almost anything except food, so I'll have to summon it from the Citadel's kitchens."
"Wait, what? You're going to steal from our Hunter's Citadel? What's wrong with you? The High Commander is here, you know?" Yichen pointed out.
"Ah, it won't be stealing. If we want to reach an agreement, it's only fair that both parties offer something in return, so I'll gladly offer food from the Citadel, as it's for our hunters anyways, since the demons don't need to eat."
"I'd appreciate it then. We can set up a location, and I'll summon it from there."
"About that... I can offer to cook for everyone. I made it for our unit, so I'll gladly continue doing so while we're here, and I can use my own teleportation relic to gather the ingredients and bring them back in a few minutes. I just need a written order from the High Commander, and I can collect everything I need from the kitchen in a jiffy... if he agrees, of course." Ying Lei offered, and Fan Ying stood up, glad to have a reason to leave, as there was no point in discussing terms that he knew would be useless to Zhu Yan, given that his true goal was to woo the younger Zhuo.
"I agree. The Citadel will provide you with everything you need, and if Zhu Yan wants anything for himself, even if it's not necessary, we'll gladly bring it to you. Would you like to try something? I assure you, human food is very good, and there's a wide variety to suit all tastes." Fan Ying offered, and Zhu Yan pondered for a moment.
"I've always been curious about the taste of something in particular. The smell is so sweet that even I'm tempted to bite into it and see if it tastes as sweet as it smells." Zhu Yan said, and Yichen looked at him in surprise.
"What caught your attention so much?" Yichen asked, and Zhu Yan was tempted to reply that, aside from him, he only wanted one fruit.
"Peaches..." He said, and upon discovering that Zhu Yan liked sweet fruits, he thought of something else.
"Let's add pears too... I'm sure you'll like them." Yichen said, and Yixuan widened his eyes in genuine surprise. His brother only knew how to cook one thing and that was peach soup... How sweet his brother was and he just hoped Zhu Yan would appreciate it and don't end up breaking his brother heart later. For now, he will let it slide...
AN: Ah, it got quite long, so I hope it wasn't boring. It started too serious, so I try to light the mood with what we love, which is their bickering and flirting. Hope you like it and until next time, please take care. By the way, the archive mentioned was not shown because is another dimension he carries with him, but soon they all will be able to access it.