For two full months, I walked between the scorching sun and the cold moon. I walked eastward without a destination. And arrived at a nameless place.
A nameless village.
"Sometimes, life is meaningless. Sometimes, life is full of meaning."
I was drunk. I was drunk with boredom.
In broad daylight, I was sitting in front of the tavern door. Why didn't I go inside the tavern, you ask? It was because the tavern owner kicked me out. He said he didn't allow naked people inside the tavern.
Humans can be rude sometimes, even though I wasn't completely naked. There was still a piece of cloth clinging to my waist for two months. But make no mistake, I bathed in the river quite often.
This body, this demonic body, does not require food or general human needs. I feel no hunger, thirst, heat, cold, lust, or anything else. There is only boredom, pain, and a boundless killing intent that continues to increase day by day.
Sometimes, when night falls and the moon is high in the sky. Someone comes aiming for my head. I easily aim for their head in return. They are low-level assassins, paid by who knows who to kill me, but they fail.
Am I interested in finding the mastermind? No. I'm lazy. Why bother trying to find out who wants to kill me. I am a demon. All humans, if they knew who I was, would surely hate me and want to kill me.
If my guess is correct, it's probably just the henchmen of that Turd, the leader of the Devil Cult branch who is looking for me and wants to finish me off. Or perhaps some king of the yellow-skinned race's country who put a bounty on my life because of some incidents long ago when I was adventuring with Ye Jing seven years ago. Who knows.
"Yawn.."
I was drunk with boredom. I wanted to drink alcohol that couldn't get me drunk and play with women who couldn't satisfy me. If only I were still human. My desires would be fulfilled.
"Ah. You again."
I heard a girl's voice. She was the tavern maid. If I'm not mistaken, her name is Shun Jin. She had yellowish-white skin like a full moon and a pretty face that, if she wandered around at night, she would be kidnapped by scoundrel men. Her body also looked well-maintained. The typical body of a princess from a wealthy family. But seeing her working as a maid in this nameless village, I wasn't sure she came from any prominent family.
Long, soft black hair down to her waist, thin eyebrows with rather curled eyelashes, beautiful light blue pupils, like a pool of tranquility hidden in the darkest cave underground.
Slender hands that rarely lifted heavy things, long slender legs, a body with prominent breasts and buttocks under her robe with curvy hips. Truly Ye Jing's dream girl. He would surely flirt with her if he were still alive and would get slapped by a fierce girl like her.
"You've been sitting there for three days. Haven't you learned your lesson? I'll douse you with a bucket of mop water again if you don't leave right now."
Yes, she had doused me with used mop water three nights ago. She said I was making the tavern's customers decrease. Even though this nameless village is a remote village rarely passed by warriors or merchants. The main road is quite far from here, and the tavern's customers are just village elders, most of whom are already old. Sometimes mothers.
"Lotus flowers, floating on murky water. Their beauty makes the lake look beautiful. Even though the lake is filled with fierce crocodiles. Or tadpoles?"
Splash!
I was doused with used mop water. The girl really didn't give me a chance to recite poetry. She looked at me as if looking at trash. I know I'm handsome. She seemed jealous of my handsomeness.
"Go." She said with a cynical tone.
I stood up. Facing the girl. Brushing my long wet hair back. Smiling handsomely.
Splash!
The tavern maid named Shun Jin splashed the rest of the bucket on my body once again. She then entered the shop and slammed the door shut.
"Are all girls like her?"
I walked towards the river with the demonic sword, covered in cloth, in my hand. Cleaning the unpleasant smell of mop water from my body.
After that, I meditated by the river until evening. Thinking about my next goal.
***
"Long Yi. You're really not normal. What do you want here?"
This place again. Ever since the first night I became a demon and the next morning met a group of desert people, I had never entered this place again.
I realized that if I fell asleep, my soul would enter the demonic sword's domain. That's why for these two months, I never slept. Only meditated. Fortunately, my body was no longer human, so not sleeping for weeks was not a problem for me.
He, for now, I'll call him the purple-eyed man. Hmm, or the purple-eyed demon. Purple-eyed devil? Purple-eyed ghost? It still doesn't feel quite right.
"Ah." I found a good name.
"You." I pointed at him. "I'll name you... the Fool. How about that?"
The Fool, the purple-eyed man, chuckled.
"Alright. I like your courage."
My right hand, which was extended pointing at him, was cut into small pieces. I whistled. Amazed by his sword technique.
He didn't move, but he used the Qi energy within the sword's domain to slice my hand into minced meat.
"So? What do you want here? Do you want to prostrate yourself before me and ask me to turn you back into a human?"
"Hmm, is that possible?"
The Fool grinned. "Of course. It's easy for me to turn you back into a human."
I looked around. This place was still the same.
Human corpses with blood pooling up to the calves. Howls of desperate human screams. Drops of red blood flowing from eyes, hands, and feet on the ceiling. I still don't understand the Fool's taste. He's so comfortable living in this terrifying place.
"So?"
I thought first.
"By the way, I came here because I was bored. Your offer isn't bad, but you're a demon. Ye Jing said never accept offers from demons. They're experts at bargaining. You should just be a merchant."
The Fool laughed. I laughed.
"Ha, Heheheheeheeh!"
"Hahahahha!"
"What do you want? Long Yi?"
"Ah, actually there's something I want to ask you."
My right hand grew back. Although the pain and strange, nauseating feeling still lingered.
"Why did you reject the Turd? Wasn't the first person to take you is the Turd?"
"The Turd?" The Fool looked confused. He thought for a long time and looked at me with ignorance.
"The ugly-faced, brown-skinned, long-haired man. He said he wasn't chosen by you. What does that mean?"
"Ah, him. He was quite unique too. He didn't scream when I turned him into minced meat."
So he turns anyone who enters here into minced meat, huh?
"Is the condition to be chosen by you not to scream when becoming minced meat?"
"No. Anyone can use the power of the demonic sword. As long as they don't go crazy and commit suicide, they will turn into a demon."
Was he telling the truth? Or was he lying to cover something up? I couldn't see the Fool's facial expression clearly because his face was covered in blood.
Did I become a demon because I didn't go mad when holding the demonic sword? That makes sense. As happened with the desert people, normal humans who hold or are near the demonic sword will surely commit suicide or kill.
Or because I was already crazy from birth, I didn't go too crazy when holding the demonic sword? Turns out being crazy has its advantages too.
"It seems the Turd wasn't chosen because he wasn't handsome. I'm sure of it."
The Fool laughed heartily at that. He raised his hand. And my head was severed, then he walked closer, pulling my head.
I could feel the pain of being decapitated. Oh, so this is what it feels like. The pain of the incision was felt on my neck and my head. And I couldn't feel my separated body. It felt strange and unique. Did that Turd feel this before he died?
"You are quite handsome." The Fool lifted my head and stared at my face intently. I smiled proudly.
"Of course. No one can match my handsomeness. In heaven and on earth, I am the most handsome one."
The Fool laughed.
"HahahHAHAHAHA! You are indeed interesting and crazy. It's a pity you became a demon."
"Hahahahaha!" I laughed along. We laughed amidst the screams of human souls.
"Since you're interesting, I'll tell you one thing."
"What is it?"
"The destiny of a demon is to be hunted by all living creatures in the world. You will never be able to live a normal life like humans. You will create hell in this world. Or you will die before you succeed in doing so."
"Are you kidding? Your joke isn't funny."
"I am very much looking forward to my joke coming true by your own hands. But before that..." The Fool spun my head, and on the wall of corpses, a girl I knew appeared. She was Shun Jin, the tavern maid. "She will help me eliminate the remnants of you, Long Yi."
The girl smiled, then died beheaded before my eyes.
"What a pity. Are you trying to scare me, you Fool? You are indeed an idiot if you try to scare me with a strange girl I don't know."
The Fool smirked.
"You will know. You will know. And I want know."
After that, he sliced my head into thin pieces and the corpse below ate my entire body and head.
As soon as I opened my eyes. The girl named Shun Jin stood in front of my face and looked at me curiously.
***