6 six

He stood in the fire and glared at the people lying by his feet. The youth stared at him in shock, but he felt nothing.

He left this place that had caged him up for so long and wandered around for a long time.

On a snowy day, he encountered a boy clothed in pure white. He had long, dark brown hair and gentle eyes no matter what he looked at.

He frowned at the boy. „Who are you?"

„What does it matter to you? We are all the same to you."

The boy came closer and eyed him quickly.

„A child eaten by a tiger, the soul taking over and the resentment creating a demon. Years of torment. That is you, the tiger demon, LaoHu."

„How would you know."

„For now, I will take your resentment away. Let's see if you are capable of ascending to the heavens."

With the resentment gone, LaoHu was just a normal young man. He joined a temple, began cultivating and was actually capable of ascending into godhood.

But after being kicked down from heaven, he encountered the boy again. But the space around him looked somewhat warped.

„Why are you here?"

„I'm going to give you your resentment back."

With that, LaoHu transformed into a tiger.

„Let's see how deep your fall will be. But keep away from the beyond you don't see."

That was how LaoHu became a demon, and with every god he killed, he became more humane, but his heart became twisted and dark.

LaoHu Jun woke up. A pollen had landed on his nose and he sneezed.

MiQian sat beside him, leaning on a tree and reading a book.

„You're awake."

MiQian knew LaoHu Juns backstory now, he had red it in the Book of Heart and Mind. Who was responsible for all the misery the demon king had been in? MiQian. MiQian had become something existing between the realms, not caring for anything, playing tricks on the inhabitants of the three realms.

If there was someone that wanted to take revenge on him, he would let it happen, knowing that Ran MiQian had been unfair to many people.

„You're still here."

MiQian sneered.

„I can't leave because of you."

LaoHu Jun looked at him in confusion. But MiQian just grinned and didn't say anything. He had taken the resentment because it made LaoHu Juns eyebrows look normal and his face looked softer and kinder. And awfully similar to Liang Shao. If a plot twist was that they were twins or had the same mother or something, it wouldn't really be surprising.

But the resentment he had absorbed also made MiQians body heavy. He had to devour it with his spiritual energy, and that was very exhausting. And since the resentment stood on the opposite of his godly powers, they canceled each other out. He couldn't use the elements to the extent he could before. Plus, he often forgot what he could do and what he couldn't, and since he had been drugged somehow, his mind was still clouded.

Well, at least he could bear to look at that tiger now…

The tiger unsheathed his sword and pressed it against MiQians neck.

„You put me through so much misery! Pay for it!"

MiQian closed his eyes. And the system showed him a memory. Everything he thought was his was someone else's, everything he ever had was taken from him.

It was sad. Very sad. The original Ran MiQian probably didn't want to continue living, and this world wasn't much fun.

„You might not remember, but…!"

„I do remember. But there is nothing to say."

LaoHu Jun glared at him and just as he was about to cut, something jumped out of the bushes.

The blade turned and cut the demon in half.

„You have weird priorities…"

„Tch."

MiQian carefully stood up, but his legs were numb so he fell back down. Though halfway, LaoHu Jun caught him.

„If you're my life insurance, we'll have a problem."

„Life what?"

„Where are we anyways?"

„In my territory, to the west."

„Your territory? And you get attacked??"

„I-! I wasn't-! You're annoying!"

„How did it turn into that?!"

MiQian followed LaoHu Jun closely.

„Why are you following me."

„The demons are gonna kill me."

„I'm going to kill you too, you know."

„But you look human. Also, you didn't do it yet though every moment is an opportunity."

LaoHu Jun frowned and after a while, they arrived at a lake. He looked at his mirror image and stared in awe and disbelief.

„See?"

„I'm human?"

„Told ya."

„What did you do?!"

„I took your resentment. Ah, it's gone. Much better…"

MiQian sighed relieved. Resentment created bad things, keeping it in your body was bad, but with spiritual powers, you could neutralize it. It took a lot, so MiQian guessed that his godly powers, or what they were, were gone now. Not that it was bad, he hadn't used them much anyway. He couldn't miss something that he wasn't attached to.

While he followed LaoHu Jun, he thought about the beyond. It was a place between the realms. Was it the connection that allowed them to travel between them?

Ah, he wanted to see more of the world… He wanted to have music in his ears, wind on his back and a smile by his heart.

„You're so weird…"

„You too. I feel like I can't have a normal conversation with you."

„Ran Qi-!"

„You call me by my birth name? Are we that close or do you mean to insult me?"

„It's obviously-…!"

„Obviously what?"

„Why is a guy wearing girls clothes?"

„Ah, you noticed? It increases my luck stats!"

„Yeah, sure, whatever."

„Well, at least you're less aggressive now. Good for you." Passive aggressive, but whatever. Better than that annoying active aggressiveness.

LaoHu Jun squinted his eyes at him.

And your eyebrows are normal, he wanted to add, but he felt that would be quite insulting to say.

MiQian wanted to ask LaoHu Jun about the beyond, but he himself had said to keep away from it. Was it dangerous? Well, what do you think, a space between plains of existence, is that dangerous? Surely!

LaoHu Jun checked from time to time if MiQian was still there. But MiQian had problems with his clothes, so he was slow.

The tiger king sighed and picked him up. Subconsciously MiQian wrapped his arms around LaoHu Juns neck, so he wouldn't fall down.

„For not liking me, you're weirdly considerate."

The only answer was a grunt.

MiQian was bored and wiggled a bit with his legs, then had an idea. He pulled out his brush and began writing words on LaoHu Juns shoulder.

„What are you doing."

„Writing useful things."

The demon king snorted.

„If that is your way of laughing-…"

„It ain't."

„Good then."

He wiggled his feet again and looked up. The bright sun shone through the leaves and a light breeze carried the singing of birds through the air.

„Don't you wanna go back?"

„To the hotel? Well… I've been there the whole time… I would rather see how the mortal realm is doing."

„With the sects and all that shit?"

„It ain't shit, dude. It's fascinating!"

„I can see the stars in your eyes, keep on dreaming."

„Kay!"

„Wait, no, don't take that literally!"

MiQian laughed. „Why not?"

„Humans are bad."

„Hm… maybe not all of them. Come on, have you seen everything, have you visited all places?"

„I just know it."

„Without ever seeing colors, how can you know if they are beautiful? Without ever listening to music, how can you say it's terrible?"

„With your memories you've really lost your personality…"

„Is that so bad?"

„Hmpf."

„You know, it's weird."

„What is?"

„That I can talk with you so well. The last few times, you were so damn annoying I would've loved to… Ah, well, not anymore. Huang Hua dosen't understand too complex thoughts, Qiao Li is always so grumpy and Fei Mo… I feel like he would wither away if I talked about bad things in front of him."

„And that other one?"

„Other one? Ah, Liang Shao? He's a womanizer, what can he talk about that ain't hot air?"

„Womanizer…?"

„He's always surrounded by women, like they're gonna jump into his lap as soon as he sits down, chirping like a whole cage of birds. Like, okay, he looks good, but he ain't a walking-… harem?? I don't know… He just feels very distant, though he's kind and gentle… The moon!"

„Stop talking like that, it hurts in my ears…"

„Oh, sorry…"

„… I didn't tell you to stop talking!"

„But when I talk, I get excited… And then I get loud…"

LaoHu Jun abruptly stopped.

„Uh, my lord…?"

„What did you call me?"

„My lord??"

„Why??"

„Cause you're a lord?"

„Ah, well… B-but you're not my subordinate."

„True. But why did you stop?"

LaoHu Jun looked down, MiQian followed his eyes. There was a glowing line on the ground and judging by it's length and glow, it was a barrier.

„Huh."

MiQian was put down and took a closer look. The system analyzed for him.

„Is your Jun just a title or are you really that strong?"

„I was the sole survivor of an official competition."

„Then, it should be enough if you step on this thing to break it."

LaoHu Jun only hesitated a moment before doing as MiQian had said. It worked, without harming anyone.

„Oh."

„Great. Let's move on."

„Your feet are okay?"

„They were from the beginning, I was just too lazy to walk. Also, this dress is really horrible."

LaoHu Jun looked at him, frowning.

„What. Stop frowning at me and say something, it's not like I can read minds!"

„I wanted to kill you but now… somehow… I don't."

„That's weird… Shouldn't you hold a huge grudge or something? If anyone wants to kill me, I won't stop them. It'll just be sad that I couldn't see more of this world."

LaoHu Jun wasn't sure anymore. To him, MiQian had become a weird grey, neither good nor bad, just a neutral entity that wanted to exist, nothing else.

People didn't become bad without reasons. They might seem small, but they could have huge impacts. Without his memories, MiQian was different. He didn't hold malice, didn't hide anything. It was really very weird.