8 Chapter 8

After returning to his domain, Han Yue stealthily rubbed his lips for a long time, sore from the demonic fire of Tan Lan De. He was surprised and annoyed by the cavalier behavior of the enemy who dared to encroach on his body. Knowing full well that the kiss was just a trick by which Tan Lan De breathed a piece of his flame into him, Han Yue felt hurt and deceived.

The bell lying in the left sleeve of the snow-white hanfu tinkled softly.

– I don't understand your intentions, sir, – he whispered. – Why did you offer Tan Lan De help in finding the scarlet immortal, thereby bringing him closer to attacking you?

Han Yue was silent. His eyes were clouded with tears, which he hadn't seen since the day of Tan Mao's death.

– I am so sorry that you were hurt, sir, – the bell rang again. – If you want, I can teach a lesson this impudent man who dared to insult you.

Remembering how Tan Lan De had forced him to kiss his hand, Han Yue stopped, awkwardly pressing the edge of the cloth to his chest. Every time he looked at his left sleeve, which was missing a hand, he was tormented by phantom pain again and again. It seemed to Han Yue that the severed arm had grown back, and the poison from her bones was slowly seeping into his blood and spreading through body, getting to heart.

– I'm fine, Zhi Yan, – he replied, swallowing hard: the image of Tan Lan De was appeared in front of his eyes on the very day when he cut off his hand.

***

... "Don't be stubborn, A Yue," Tan Mao touched the wrist of his left hand, which had already begun to be covered with a dense brown crust. "I don't know who put this curse on you, but it's too strong. In a quarter of an hour you will have to chop off not the hand, but the whole arm."

A throbbing pain spread from the tips of his fingers to his shoulder, penetrating to the bones. Han Yue was trembling slightly, continuously wiping hot sweat from his forehead, flooding his eyes.

"No," – he croaked, choking on the blood that rose to his throat, – "you know that I'm left-handed. How will I live if you cut off my hand?".

Someone fingers, covered with a whitish web of calluses from long sword training, pressed a damp cloth to Han Yue's lips, blotting the thick, almost black blood that gushed from his mouth.

"Fool," – he heard Tan Lan De's voice. "You won't survive tonight if you leave everything as it is", – he generously poured a sour–smelling potion on the blade of the sword. "If you're worried that you won't be able to follow the path of the sword anymore, I'll teach you techniques for the right hand."

"No!" – Han Yue exclaimed. "Don't, dee-dee! Don't" – his scream was interrupted by the whistling of the blade cutting through the air, after which, Han Yue fainted from the pain, falling into unconsciousness. He woke up already crippled, unable to bring chopsticks to his mouth or pin his hair without someone else's help…

***

– It's nothing special, – said Han Yue as confidently as possible, – it's just that it's cool today and my arm is a little sore.

– Use the ointment that Bai Si gave you, sir, – the bell replied. – Although the Demon of earth is stupid, he is well versed in healing. I am sure that the salve, received from him, can be very effective.

– Of course, it's made from the queen of snakes, – Han Yue chuckled. – Tell me, Zhi Yan, don't you feel regret? Are you saddened by the fate, that has prepared you for death at the hands of Bai Si?

Zhi Yan sighed.

– Of course I'm angry, – she said. – The Demon of the earth caught me and having cut my throat, hung me over a cauldron with herbs to prepare an ointment. I hate him with all my heart, but this anger disappears a little when I look at you, sir. If you hadn't collected the pieces of my soul into this bell, I'm afraid it would have already dissipated.

– Bai Si, who previously held a neutral position, has begun to act, – Han Yue drawled thoughtfully. –The ointment that he gave me means one of two things: the Demon of the earth is really going to take my side, or he wants to make Tan Lan De think so, because then the Demon of the fire will act rashly. If Tan Lan De turns against me, sensing a threat, Bai Si will only have to wait for the moment when we destroy each other. If two of the four higher demons fall, he will remain the only contender for the place of the Demon Lord.

– But the current Demon Lord is alive, – bell objected. – Bai Si is much weaker than Shi Yu. He can't hurt him.

– Not in a fair fight, – Han Yue agreed, – but Shi Yu is in the mortal world right now. If anything happens to him there, it will only be to his advantage.

– But if Bai Si gets rid of Lord Shi Yu, you can also claim the place of the Demon Lord. Isn't that what you want?

Han Yue smiled.

– No, – he said. – How can a useless cripple stand at the head of demons, Zhi Yan?