5 Chapter 5: Liquor City (3)

Lin He and Xuan Yi ventured into the cave, following the trail of blood with the lantern as their only light source in the dark space.

"Are you lacking behind in your promotion because your skills are bad?" Lin He asked curiously as they slowly walked into the cave.

If that was the case, he would have to spend some attention in making sure she stayed alive. Who knows what would happen if she suddenly collapsed and he couldn't complete her prayer? Maybe he should ask Wei Yong about that in the future.

She scoffed at his words as she followed closely behind. "Do I look like I have no skills? It's true that I take time to learn theories about demons but my swordsmanship is relatively good! If only the theories are diagrams instead of words… I would have been a Senior Slayer by now!" She protested quietly.

It didn't take them long before they saw a glimpse of light in the middle of the darkness.

"Where are we?" Xuan Yi muttered as she observed the surroundings.

There was an opening in the cave that allowed some moonlight to seep through, enabling them to have a vague view of where they were. The cave was empty and quiet with no signs of anything alive around. Lin He wondered if the said demon had already escaped and they had made a wasted trip into the cave.

"Lin He?"

Lin He looked towards where Xuan Yi was and noted how she was holding the lantern against the wall. He hurriedly made his way over to see what she had found, only to see a hand bound by vines, attached to the wall. He grabbed the lantern from Xuan Yi and lifted the lantern higher, following the vines and finally saw something else.

A face.

But it was no stranger's face.

"Xiao Long?" Xuan Yi called out in shock.

Lin He continued to shine the lantern along the walls, noting how vines were spread across the cave like a net. As he continued to look, he realised that they were not alone in this cave. The walls had people attached to it just like how Xiao Long was. Some seemed to be alive while the others were either bones or dried flesh.

And then, it hit him.

They were in a Vine Demon's den. By the look of this thickness of the vines, it was a demon that was at least over five hundred years old. Things were going to get troublesome from hereon.

"Lan Sect's disciples from this morning… They are all here." Xuan Yi said as she stood behind Lin He, his lantern shining against a familiar set of clothing he had seen this morning.

It was true. All of the faces he had noted to be part of Xiao Long's little gang were here on the walls. On top of that, the other bodies stuck on the walls were visibly Slayers with their swords clutched tightly in their hands before they died.

Mayor Jiu had been sending Slayers into this cave to feed the Vine Demon.

"Well, well, look who's here." A shrilling voice rang through the cave.

A figure emerged from the depths of darkness, revealing its identity. However, this face was one Lin He had seen before.

"Wind Goddess?" He exclaimed, taken aback by her presence in this place.

The lady lets out a chilling laughter. "Do I look like the Wind Goddess? Hm, it seems like my morphing skills have improved significantly."

With that said, the mysterious lady's body bursts into vines and collapses on the floor, destroying the 'Wind Goddess'. Within seconds, the vines reconstructed itself and emerged as a lady with a completely different look.

"I'm the owner of this cave and the reason why you are here tonight." She announced, a sinister smile creeping up her face.

"So… is she the Wind Goddess or something else?" Xuan Yi quickly whispered, confused by what was going on before her.

"It's the Vine Demon, she can shape herself into anyone she wants with the use of her vines."

The Vine Demon chuckled at his words. "That's very smart of you, Lin He."

"Wait, you know her?" Xuan Yi questioned, her eyes widening in surprise.

Lin He was taken aback by his name being called from the mouth of a demon. He had fought with numerous demons before but in his memories, he didn't recall any Vine demon that looked like her - pale green skin and blood red eyes. A look that could send shivers down one's spine and probably give them nightmares for weeks to come.

Lin He drew out his sword, pointing it towards the demon before him. "Who are you? How do you know my name?"

The demon smiled and started pacing around the cave. "Hmm, not only do I know your name. I also know who you are." She paused and a corner of her lips lifted. " You are very famous for what you have done. Punished God, Lin He."

"Hah, looks like my ugly reputation has spread to the demons."

"Precisely, you've been listed as a wanted person now, my friend. I'm sure many of my fellow demons would come forth to retrieve your mortal head soon." The Vine Demon said, her eyes turned into a glare in an instance. "But I'll do it first!"

Green vines shot out from behind her and dove straight towards the two Slayers, almost catching them. Sounds of their blades slashing apart the fleshy vines rang throughout the dark cave as if they were chopping down tree barks, as both Lin He and Xuan Yi tried to fight off the attacking vines. They kept slicing and cutting the plant but it kept coming back in greater numbers each time.

Xuan Yi lets out a groan as she used her sword to block yet another attack, "It's increasing in numbers!"

Lin He focused on cutting off the vines with rapid speed but the thickness of the vines were posing a problem to his strength and stamina as well. With each strike, his sword was getting harder to pull out from the green, sticky substance leaking out from the vines, as if they were stuck inside. If he was still a god, things would have been much easier for him to handle. But this Vine Demon clearly came for him because they knew that he was punished and stripped off his god form.

But how did the Vine Demon know about his state when his punishment in the mortal realm was kept as classified information?

A dark green vine dashed for Xuan Yi from behind her and Lin He noticed it instantly. He jumped over and cut it down, before turning over to check if she was okay.

A split second of distraction was all the Vine demon needed to sneak an attack on Lin He. The vines grabbed hold of his ankles and pulled him up into the air in a split second, causing him to lose his grip onto his sword. Seeing how Lin He was in danger, Xuan Yi got furious and dived towards the Vine Demon, stabbing her sword into her body.

But she missed.

No, she didn't miss the attack but the sword went through the demon!

"Illusion?" Xuan Yi blurted out at the sudden realisation before she too, got tangled up with vines and stuck onto the wall.

"Hah, weak, weak, weak." The Vine Demon said with an amusing smile, delighted at her catch. "Just like all these Slayers here, trying to put a blade through me like a fool."

Xuan Yi scoffed, "Says the one who uses an illusion instead of her true form. If you're strong enough, use your true form!"

"Wretch! I'll make sure you are the first I'll devour later on." The Vine Demon hissed in anger.

Lin He lets out a cough, "Before you devour her, please tie me to the wall instead of dangling me from the ceiling like this. My head hurts from all the blood rushing down."

Xuan Yi shot a glare at him, taking a mental note to get back at him if they come out of this alive. On the other hand, she wanted to find out if Mayor Jiu was working together with the Vine Demon to kill all these Slayers. At least, if she was dead, she could turn into a vengeful ghost and haunt him for the rest of his life for causing her death!

"Is Mayor Jiu your servant or something?" She started off questioning, ignoring Lin He who was still hung from the air.

"Servant?" The Vine Demon asked, cocking an eyebrow. "He's merely a tool to get me fresh blood every two nights to eat. I'll eat that fat man eventually when he breaks the promise with me."

"Promise?" Lin He managed to choke out, joining in the questioning.

"He thought I was an injured Wind Goddess, hiding in this dark cave to recuperate before I return to Heaven. He was such a gullible man that when I told him to fetch me fresh blood every 2 nights, he did!" She laughed. "He thought he would get some wishes granted when the Wind Goddess recovers and is eternally grateful towards him for saving his life. Fool."

"Do you have a taste for Slayers' blood?" Xuan Yi continued to ask. "Do they taste nice? Or their blood has some… power?"

"Pft," The Vine Demon scoffed. "I would applaud the mayor for being smart. Slayers wander around, helping people out. If some Slayers are missing, who would take notice? Besides, I would love to drink the blood of these nasty killers as a form of revenge for my fellow demons!"

The Vine Demon suddenly spun around, her blood-red eyes glaring at the both of them. "Why am I talking so much and wasting my time on you idiots?"

"That's what I needed," Lin He declared proudly. "To waste your time."

While the Vine Demon was busy with her small talk, Lin He used his blood to draw out a spell on the vine wrapped around his ankle. It took him some hard work to work out the spell while trying to distract the demon but he managed to do it, thanks to Xuan Yi's non-stop questioning.

With a swift move, he slapped his hand over the drawing and infused it with his spiritual energy to activate the spell. Fire soon erupted in the darkness, lighting up the whole cave with brilliant red flames and Lin He fell from mid-air with a thud after the vines on him broke off.

The Vine Demon screeched in agony as she tried to put out the fire in her den, flinging her sleeves around anxiously. Lin He grabbed his sword and helped to cut Xuan Yi out of the vines, freeing her from the grip of the Vine Demon.

"How did you know fire was the solution?" Xuan Yi asked as she tried to free out the other Lan Sect disciples before the fire caught up to their area.

Lin He gave her a knock on her head. "Did you pay attention during lessons? Plant-based demons' weaknesses are extreme temperatures."

"Oh, and you might want to find out where her true body is before the flames I set off engulf it." Lin He added before turning back to freeing Xiao Long.

Xuan Yi's eyes darted around the caves as she eyed for any particular looking vine that might be sitting around. She couldn't embarrass herself in front of… a god like that. She had so many questions for him that she had to hold herself back and get them out of this cave before she could fire away.

"The true body always has a barrier around it… the true body always has a barrier around it." She muttered to herself as she recalled the phrase from her class on demons' decoy.

Her eyes scanned the room rapidly and she finally noticed a small vine encapsulated in a blue barrier in the midst of the fire. The Vine Demon was screaming in pain from the heat, distracting her from protecting her true body. Seeing that this was her only chance, Xuan Yi grabbed her sword and pasted a talisman infused with spiritual energy on it and ran towards the true body.

"Go to hell!" She yelled as she pierced her blade into the vine, breaking the barrier while doing so.

The Vine Demon screamed at the late realisation that her true body had been discovered and her body slowly crumbled into ashes as the fire engulfed her true body. Her bloody red eyes stared at Lin He, burning in rage.

"Even if I don't kill you, many others will… He has placed a bounty on you! Mark my words, Lin He!" She yelled as her voice faded into a distance along with the complete crumble of her body.

The vines on the walls soon crumbled onto the floor and the fire stopped as if nothing was there in the first place. The bodies of those she had unfortunately consumed remained motionless on the empty grounds, a pitiful sight for anyone to witness.

Xuan Yi and Lin He spent some time carrying some Lan Sect disciples who were alive, out of the cave. They woke up all groggy and confused as to what had happened to them, including Xiao Long.

While Xuan Yi was worried about the lives of her Sect mates, Lin He's mind was elsewhere.

Who had placed a bounty on him?

Who had wanted his life so badly?

Who?

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