9 Paoxiao, He Never Saw It Coming...

"Ahahahahahahahah!'

Paoxiao felt great! His well thought out plan of retreating to gain an advantage was working brilliantly. After his wild actions the day before, pretending to run because he was too injured, the Gate Guardian's people hadn't been too quick about replacing the guards for this side of the gate.

He only had one opponent to face. This was the closest he had ever been to getting beyond that gate. It was so close that he could almost taste the air of the mortal realm.

Flanked on either side by large spirit wolves, whose backs came to his waist, he placed his hands upon his hips brimming with confidence. Though theses wolves had only just developed a higher consciousness after death, the spirit energy they've managed to amass is quite remarkable. With their strengths added to his, Paoxiao felt he had a shot at winning.

So, that in mind, with a voice teeming in arrogance Paoxiao said. "Ahahah, you're completely out-numbered! Do you still dare to face me? Dare to bar my way?"

The guard, dressed in neat black robes and armor, paid the jeering words no mind. Rather, one could say, that he treated them as a pesky fly's buzzing. He dutifully remained standing guard and didn't even glance in his direction.

Ah, Li Yu Rong's people were all like this; stiff and unapproachable. No matter what he did, he could never get a rise out of them. The only way was just to hop to it and start throwing fists around.

So, he did just that.

Flying forward, he tossed a punch toward the guard's face. The guard, without blinking, caught his on-coming fist and moved into a shoulder throw. Paoxiao grinned as he followed along with the move, not making any efforts to break it.

This was all part of the plan!

The wolves that had been flanking him before his move pounced into action. As the guard was in mid-throw the spirit creatures sank their teeth into leg flesh, forcing out their own unique spirit energy into the wound. It all happened so quick that there was the nothing the guard could do to remedy the situation. He felt the strength drain from his limbs, causing him to drop Paoxiao.

Righting himself in one fluid movement Paoxiao shot the fallen guard a triumphant grin. "You ignored the wolves because they're newly born spirit creatures, right?" He laughed gleefully. "However this pair of brothers are that rarely seen thing called a genius! Even though they're newly born, they created a move all their own that siphons out spirit energy to replace it with a kind of corrupted energy. It's an energy that paralyzes the body."

Paoxiao could hardly believe that he was seconds away from walking through the gate and into the mortal world. His steps were slow and measured as he felt a mounting anticipation for his long time desire to finally be met.

The moment his foot went to step beyond the gate, Paoxiao was roughly flung backward to slam into a nearby tree. He sat on his rump a whole thirty seconds in a disbelieving daze before jumping to his feet and flinging an accusing finger toward the paralyzed guard.

"What is this!?" He cried, his tone sounding wronged and bullied. "Since when was there such a strong spirit barrier barring the eastern gate!?"

"I put it there after your latest escapade," came a low drawling voice from his back.

From that cold and familiar tone, Paxiao's spine stiffened. He straightened his body and fixed his skewed robes of bright scarlet before turning to face Li Yu Rong like he wasn't affected by the Gate Guardian's sudden presence. When his eyes rose up to meet those frosty dual colored orbs it took the strength of all his self-control not shrink backward.

Normally he would focus upon Li Yu Rong's clear, gentler by comparison, ebony eye as it would help him to feel that this terrifying and domineering man wasn't so fierce. Howbeit, today, there was something rather truculent in the way that gaze narrowed in on him. Paoxiao couldn't find his usual comfort.

This, nonetheless, hardly prevented the demon from opening his mouth foolishly. He wouldn't be Paoxiao, the demon that rages ahead without forethought if he really paused to take the time to calmly consider the present situation.

Paoxiao pasted his hands to his hips, golden eyes twinkling as he laughed boisterously. His words were shamelessly arrogant; a front to cover his growing nerves. "Ahahah, this is really great! So you've finally gathered up your pitiful courage to come and face the Gre-"

The demon's tongue was cut short of his lofty prattling when a palm smashed into his face, driving his skull into the dirt below his feet. Paoxiao was made to see stars as he felt a nauseating dizziness rattle about his head. He was on the verge of recovering when he heard this earth-shattering sentence...

"The demon Paoxiao, by thy name I bind thine soul!"

A light burst forth from within searing words around his neck, archaic in form, to look much like a tattooed collar. It burned as if he were being marked by a hot poker. Every muscle in his body seized and refused to bend to his will as he tried to escape.

"H-H-Hey, now," he trembled and protested, "t-this isn't how it's supposed to go!"

"Until thine master is satisfied, thy will is thine master's will and thy life is thine master's life. This contract has been foraged."

Li Yu Rong usually used the Slave Binding Contract as a last resort, though it was what he was meant to do with all spirit creatures that tried to cross the gate. Said offenders were then forced to serve a term -that could span several years- as a slave to either a great house or a high-level martial practitioner. The practice had never sat well with Li Yu Rong, yet he was bound by the laws within the Place of the Four Gates.

While he was bound, however, it was not a tight grip. He was not the true inheritor. Having some leeway, he did not avail the contract upon those that avoided committing what he considered unforgivable.

The killing of the Spirit Guards to escape.

The Spirit Guards were departed mortal souls that acquired spirit energy upon entering the Spirit Realm. They forewent the wheel of reincarnation to serve as guards to this side of the gate. This sacrifice, however, came with a great price.

If killed, they could not reincarnate.

Their souls dispersed into the dense spirit energy of the Spirit Realm, becoming fodder to further the growth of others. Such a horrid end to the kind and gentle ones that chose this sacrifice to protect their families still living on the other side of the gate stifled his heart. It was something Li Yu Rong could not forgive and thus he bestowed upon those that heartlessly killed the endless suffering of the Slave Binding Contract.

This was a widely known fact throughout the Spirit Realm. Those that lived in the regions under Li Yu Rong's jurisdiction all respected this fact and forewent killing to go beyond the gate.

Paoxiao was one of those that oversaw this respect and could not understand why he had been bounded under this hateful contract. He wanted to ask but was too afraid to voice his grievances. Just as he receded into deep thought over how to escape, two vicious growls cut through the air. Paoxiao felt excitement over the two, wonderful, wolves charging at the Gate Guardian. He struggled and tried to wriggle his immobile body outside Li Yu Rong's range of control, hoping that it would gain him back his mobility.

That hope had been mercilessly crushed. Honestly, it was foolish to place hope upon wolves whose instinct was to submit to the strong. Li Yu Rong merely needed to growl out the word "submit," placing only a fraction of his power behind it to change them from snarling beasts to attention seeking puppies.

The wolf brothers, one a gleaming silver and the other as dark a midnight, crawled on their bellies toward that demonic red-eyed man that contained a staggering strength that left their fur standing on end. Even though they were newly born to a higher consciousness, it didn't take a high level of thought for them realize their best option for survival was to lay down and bare their bellies in submission.

Seeing the wolf brothers' whole-hearted display caused Li Yu Rong's lips to twitch upward. He reached out and scratched their bellies to accept their display of deference to his strength. Ordinarily, he would have ignored it and allowed them to retreat back into the forest, but the lovely soft and gleaming coats of theirs had him changing his mind.

They'd also make a lovely gift for his pet.

Recalling that strange girl and the way that she looked at his eye, the way that she felt in his arms, lightened his darkened countenance even further. Seeing that Li Yu Rong seemed to have softened his stance for whatever reason, Paoxiao took a risk.

"So, um, this human I'm to serve... would be...?" Might as well feign obedience for now.

Li Yu Rong shot the demon a mysterious grin but didn't answer, causing poor Paoxiao so much worry his stomach started to hurt.