1 All I Had Worked For

我无法继续,所以我需要锁定它.

"H-How can you do that?" A child gasped in awe as the girl next to him swayed her hands as if guiding the growing plant to her desired height. "That's not even a plant that grows here!"

"I don't know. I just do." Fan Yusheng grinned as she warmly stared at the plant she just grew on the sandy grounds of their desert village. She then turned to the kid next to her. "This one grows food!"

The oasis magic, a kind of magic that delivers life through a series of results, was one in a million magic found in world's most powerful humans. It had been centuries since the last wielder of the oasis magic had passed away, and it was now Fan Yusheng's era to shine. However, instead of commercializing her magic, she wielded it for kindness. With her oasis magic, she dreamed of turning her mother's home village into a breathing city in the navel of the deserts.

The desert village of Hongtu had suffered for decades ever since the breathing city of Shuikeyi was brought down by demons. 'Breathing city' is a term used to describe the cities that control the flow of commerce and trade, affecting and dictating the economy of those smaller communities around them. With the fall of Shuikeyi, all the other communities around it had fallen to the ground as if they were attacked as well. Food and water had become scarce, and the once villagers had turned into pillagers who attack other communities. Hongtu had withstood for quite a while, but it was never enough to guarantee their survival.

Far away from Hongtu stood a magic school. When the principal heard of Fan Yusheng's magic, he sent an entourage to pick her up and promise a woman strong enough to turn Hongtu into the next breathing city. However, even a magic school took long for anyone to realize the peak of their magic, especially if they were as strong as Fan Yusheng. She managed to fully control the range of her abilities at the age of eighteen, the normal age when magic ripens in most humans who were capable of wielding it.

Ten years was long and painful, and yet she felt everything had gone into waste. As soon as Fan Yusheng returned to Hongtu, it had been torn apart and ruled by demons, but the humans remained as their slaves. Her mother's sister and her family stayed alive and hoped for her return, not caring if the oasis magic was not an offensive type. Everyone in their village hoped she could vanquish the demon since she had been venerated as one of the most powerful magic wielders of the century.

A fist slammed against the table, and the man yelled angrily at Fan Yusheng. "What do you mean you can't fight!? You have magic! Stronger than others!"

"I know, but my magic isn't for fighting." Fan Yusheng calmly explained. "I can grow trees to protect us from the desert heat, and bring forth water from the deepest veins underneath the earth to-"

"Then it's useless. You're useless." The man grumbled. "I thought you could save us from this demon. I had given you too much faith, Little Fan." He grunted in denial before leaning against his wooden seat and keeping his pained rumbling to himself.

Fan Yusheng was summoned by the village chief in excitement of the vanishing fear, but she was as powerless as they were against the demon that invaded their home and claimed it as his own. The woman stared at everyone's face in that meeting, even at the face of her mother's sister. Soon, she was asked to leave along with everyone else.

"Mama, did I do something wrong?" Fan Yusheng whispered as they walked through the streets with slouched shoulders, declaring their failure to everyone who laid their eyes on them. "I didn't fall short on saying my magic was-"

"Enough, Yusheng. Your insistence will not change anything." Her auntie stopped her from talking. "Not that you're here, why don't you make watermelons to relieve the villagers? I heard watermelons from Jinxin are sweet and cold."

"Yes, Mama!" The girl gasped in glee, recalling the taste of the fruits from the distant yet the closest breathing city. "I shall make watermelons like how they grow it from Jinxin!"

The endless chattering of the marketplace was conquered by silence in a second. Fan Yusheng turned to the direction where she felt awful energy was coming from and found a man standing there and gazing at her direction. He was taller than most of the males she had seen before, and he was wrapped in a thick cloak which was unnatural for a man living in the desert, especially in day light. His hair was messy and unkempt, but that did not make his cute face bad. The man then grinned at her.

"Let's move, Yusheng." Her auntie gasped in shock and took her niece's shoulders as if stopping her from making eye contact with the man.

"So, this is the famous Fan Yusheng?" the man spoke, freezing the auntie who was dragging the magic wielder away from his sight. "I could feel your mana even though we're so apart. Can I have a word with you?"

"Lord Niao Yi, I beg of you. She's incapable of fighting." The auntie cried from behind the wielder.

"Lord Niao Yi?" Fan Yusheng echoed.

"Yes, that's me." The man referred to as Niao Yi grinned wider. He reached out his hand towards her. "Come with me, Yusheng. We're meeting Yemaozi."

The auntie then gasped and threw herself at the feet of the man. "Lord Niao Yi, please. Don't take Yusheng. I swear she cannot harm any of you."

"Ay, since when did I allow a pesky human to touch my clothes?" Niao Yi kicked the auntie away, triggering an angry gasp from Fan Yusheng. He then brought his gaze at her. "Yusheng, hand. Now."

"Who are you even? I'm not coming until you apologize to Mama!" Fan Yusheng yelled at the man, keeping her hands away from him. She regretted almost reaching out and holding him.

Niao Yi glared at the woman as he kept his grin. "Me? Apologizing to a human? I can just go and drag you away if you want to do it that way." He swiped his hand at the side, grabbing his cloak off of him and spreading his gray bird wings. His human features suddenly morphed into something more bird-like. "Are you going to do this the hard way, Fan Yusheng?"

"Yusheng, please run." Her auntie coughed out blood, wriggling at the pain of being kicked by a demon.

"...You didn't answer my question." The magic wielder soon gulped the lump forming in her throat. "Present yourself, and maybe I'll come."

The onlookers began inching away as tension rose. Fan Yusheng might not have any battle magic, but she was trained to fight off simpletons at least. Then again, a demon is not a simpleton for sure. Niao Yi raised a brow before dashing towards her as if planning to grab her mid-flight. The wielder just took his rage head on and grabbed him by the neck as his shoulder hit her abdomen. She hit his head once despite the pain, as they plowed through a row of shops in the market. Upon reaching the end, Niao Yi threw Fan Yusheng away, making her roll on the sandy ground.

She groaned at the possible bruises that she could have earned from his attack. Fan Yusheng almost threw up, but she held it in with almost nothing dripping out of her mouth. She wiped her mouth clean from spit before staring at the flying demon. Niao Yi descended steps away from the woman who was on her fours. The crowd they left behind flowed into the scene, along with new ones from the shops they destroyed.

"Wow, a wielder's body is much sturdier than a normal human's." Niao Yi chuckled. "Guess you're just feisty, and not dangerous at all." He walked towards her before feeling something moving in his hair. He patted to find anything strange until he felt something rising from the tuft. "What?"

A flower. Two flowers. Three. Flowers started budding from his hair like he was being bestowed with a flower crown.

"What is this! What did you do!?" Niao Yi almost panicked. He tried to pull on the flowers, but he felt like he was pulling on his own hair. The demon glared at the woman who burst laughing. "What did you do to me!?"

"Apologize to Mama." Fan Yusheng chuckled and got up, holding her sore abdomen. "It'll only stop when I command it. Now apologize and tell me who you are."

"What a spunky piece of meat." The demon huffed and looked around him as the villagers stared in confusion. He found the 'Mama' in the crowd being helped by another person. He then turned to the magic wielder. "My name is Niao Yi, a demon from the household of Yemaozi. My lord told me to find you and bring you to him. I don't like pesky humans so I'm sorry for kicking your old lady." He glared even deeper. "Now make it stop."

Fan Yusheng twitched a little at the unexpected obedience of the demon before her. Knowing a few things based on what he did, she decided to push her luck further. "Who is this Yemaozi to Hongtu? What does he want from me?"

"Oi, you said you're going to make it stop!" Niao Yi growled before hissing. "He's the demon who enslaved the town. His orders are absolute. I don't know what he wants."

The growing stopped, but he was still unable to pull it off of his head. Fan Yusheng then knelt down and pressed her palms against the sandy ground. Everyone, even Niao Yi, watched her intently. Soon, she grew vines from the ground, and they developed small wart-like features that soon turned into spherical watermelons which the vines gently lowered to the ground. The fruits stopped growing, and Fan Yusheng held one to lift. She thumped the underside and smiled at herself. The woman managed to detach the watermelon from the vines, and she carried it with her two arms.

"Everyone, the watermelons are ripe. You can take home one." She smiled at the villagers as if nothing happened. She then walked to Niao Yi and handed him the watermelon, before brushing the flowers off of his head. "Take me to your boss. And don't drop that. It's a gift." Before the demon could speak, she waved at her auntie. "Mama, I'll be back soon."

And just like that, Fan Yusheng left with Niao Yi, causing confusion to most while the others made off with the watermelons she grew.

It did not take long before Fan Yusheng and Niao Yi reached the peculiar house at the edge of the village. It was guarded by other bird demons like Niao Yi, but they look inferior to him in form. Then again, they could not help but wonder and chatter why he was carrying a big watermelon with his bare arms; not that he was not strong enough after all.

They were let inside, and Fan Yusheng saw a big man. He almost stood 200 meters and was rather bulky from what his clothes appeared. Perhaps he was like Niao Yi, hiding his wings underneath the cloak. The man was staring at the overlooking window, at the view of the mountains at the horizon. He noticed the weight of the girl's gaze and studied her as he hummed.

"Fan Yusheng, I believe?" His low grunt seemed to be his normal speaking voice. He received a nod from her. "I'm surprised you're not scared or tied."

"Niao Yi caused trouble in the market earlier. The villagers are also scared of him." The woman took a sharp, deep breath. "You strike me as nothing but bad. I want to know why you invaded my village, and how do I cast you out."

"Cast me out is a good phrase, Yusheng." The tall man grunted. "No need to go this far. We're only here because of you anyway." The man started to wear his bird-like features as if intimidating the woman. "The girl with oasis magic. We came for you."

Instead of fear, Fan Yusheng hung her head down in disappointment. She murmured, "if I come with you, my village will be free?"

"Not really. This place is a dump." What seemed to be a giant owl to Fan Yusheng grunted in mockery. "Even if we leave, the village is going to die. Might as well give it a reason."

"Same thing with Shuikeyi!? Attacking a breathing city just because it's dying!?" The girl suddenly grew aggressive, uncaring if the demon would hurt her at the raise of her voice. "How dare you rob away its chance to recover then!?"

"I control this area, filthy meat." The owl scowled at her, sending a crushing pressure which made her fall to the ground. "Do you think I want that breathing city to be destroyed? It was not my doing. Then again, it's not like I can do something about it." He snuffed to the side. "If only I could get more finances to resolve the water crisis..."

"Finances?" She echoed.

"Right, but they would probably ignore me. Unless..." The owl turned to her and grinned. "Fan Yusheng, you said you want to get rid of us. How about we make a deal?"

"What deal?"

"I will consume you, and through your magic, I shall grow stronger. We will find a better place and leave Hongtu alone." The owl grinned at him with his beaks making a gap. His beady eyes glinted in malice, hoping she would say 'no' so he could keep on threatening her.

The woman glared at him. "Why would I trust a demon like you?"

"Easy. You don't have a choice."

That was the last of her clearest memories. The next ones were blurred and hard to make out. She knew she was burned in the village plaza, as the way of her being consumed by the owl demon named Yemaozi. She could not remember if the people were crying or just watching in sorrow as she was seen as a necessary sacrifice. But she could remember the demons eating her gift by then. She failed to find her auntie and her family in the crowd until all she saw was darkness.

"Oi, Yusheng." Patting on her face. "Yusheng."

With a soft groan, Yusheng roused from her sleep. She opened her eyes and saw Niao Yi looming his face before her. The wielder twitched aloud, confused by the scenario. She was supposed to be dead and eaten by the owl demon, but there she was lying underneath Niao Yi... naked. Upon realizing her nudity, she screamed as her hand flew to smack the bird's chin. However, Niao Yi's arms were faster, covering her mouth with one hand, and grabbing her wrist with the other.

"What the-!? Why would you scream like that!?" The man growled at her. "Don't you know the sun isn't up yet?"

"What are you doing to me!? You pervert! Get off!"

"Why should I!? We're not yet done!"

"Done with what!?"

"Incubation!"

"In-" The word silenced Fan Yusheng, and her thoughts was one train wreck after another. She frowned in denial and bewilderment. "What do you mean incubation?"

Niao Yi took a deep breath and almost growled at every word that came out of his mouth. "Yemaozi didn't actually consume you. He just... turned you into one of us. You have to go through that fire ritual so you could keep your magic intact." He turned away. "The body you made for yourself is cold because you were asleep. I had to heat you to wake you up." He slid his eyes to the corner, staring at her in disgust. "I had been doing this for a week, you know." He closed his eyes and sighed. "But your lower body still isn't functional so we have to stay like this longer."

"You shouldn't have woken me up." Fan Yusheng glared back at him.

"You were groaning and tossing like you're having a nightmare. What can I do?" Niao Yi sat on her legs, causing the sheets to slid down his back. "Let me stretch for a while." He took his hold off of her and massaged his arms.

Fan Yusheng was not interested in a man's body, but it did not hurt to look. Her eyes wandered from Niao Yi's chest down beyond his navel. Heat started to build across her face, and she was driven to look away as her arms crossed on her chest.

Knocks came to the door, and Niao Yi responded with 'yes.' Yusheng grabbed him by the neck and pulled him against her as if wishing to be covered. The bird demon obliged anyway by tossing the blanket above them again. The owl demon along with two others entered the room.

"I see you have awakened, Yusheng." Yemaozi chuckled, ignoring the difficult position of Niao Yi under the sheets. "Can you remember how you perform your magic?"

"I can." Even though she could not do it right now.

"Show me."

"I will when I can move on my own and dressed in your best fabric." Fan Yusheng frowned at the owl demon. "This is not part of our deal, Yemaozi."

The demon chuckled. "Yes, it's not. But I would like to propose another one." His human face made a wide yet malicious grin. "Just like we talked about, my demons had pulled out of the village. Then again, Hongtu is in grave danger, no defenses and all. How about, in exchange of me not destroying your village for real, you do something about my status?"

"What status?"

"A baron like me need finances to grow my region, Yusheng. To get finances, I needed to sway the Demon King. And to sway the Demon King, I need to present him... a consort." The owl laughed out as he reached out his spread arms towards Yusheng. "Starting from today, you will seduce the Demon King to favor me, and I shall favor Hongtu in return. A magnificent deal, isn't it?"