Liu's Demise

"Young mistress, I think we should hurry back."

One of the twenty Shen family henchmen suggested, they've scoured the whole Jiang Shian twice in a single night and there was no trace of Xiao.

Their search had even led them into a forest trail right outside of the city during the dead of night.

"No. You will all accompany me. I have a feeling we might find Xiao at the end of this trail." Liu insisted.

A 'trail' that her henchmen failed to pick up due to their miniscule cultivation base. They were fodders and Liu would treat them as such.

A 'trail' of sinister miasma, of death.

A 'trail' that Liu was unaware why she was braving to tread. Did she feel remorse for what happened to Xiao? Liu chuckled. No. Such actions are for the Shen family. Even now, the thought of sucking up to Xiao was enough to make her fuming.

Under the blanket of darkness, An abandoned building came into view. Judging from its design, it was probably an alchemy garden that saw many ingredients planted into it in its heyday.

Now, the rundown state it was in would make you think that evil spirits roamed inside. Its location didn't help either.

The air became thick with malice, enough Liu to make her choke. Liu gulped.

"You there! Go and see what's inside!"

The henchman was hesitant to follow the young mistress' command but ultimately complied, I mean, his knees were shaking probably because of the nerves of being in a dark forest. Ghosts were just tales to scare the children, and even if they were real what harm could they do to him?

He was convinced that it was the case, why then was his hand shaking uncontrollably as he was about to open the door? Gathering his courage to still his pounding heart, he closed his eyes as he opened it.

His eyes opened once more and found nothing but pitch black darkness inside the building.

"Whew." The man wiped the sweat off his forehead. He turned around to announce…"Everyone, there's no one inside. I'm going to investigate further."...and finally stepped inside.

A grave mistake. For what was inside were worse than Ghosts, they were Demons.

The man's first step into the house would be his last, his foot triggered a mechanism that automatically rained green fumes on him.

The man dropped on the spot, twitching as he screamed from the unbearable pain scorching his insides. The poison he inhaled made his internal organs swell, a waterfall of blood streamed down his eyes and every other orifice. Like a wine barrel riddled with holes, he leaked his blood all over the floor.

Seconds later, the man stopped twitching, giving in to death's succor.

Any sane mind would make for a retreat once they saw what just had happened, and that was the conclusion that all of the Shen family's men had arrived at.

Wait, don't leave yet you fucking cowards!?" Liu tried to stop them but ultimately failed as they all made a break for it.

Every man for himself. Being fired be damned as long as they can still keep their lives.

Yet even their lives are now forfeit, as the demonic haunts of the place deemed them livestocks. None would leave the slaughterhouse alive.

One by one, the henchmens were all pierced by spears in their bodies, rendering them immobile and leaving them half-dead. They won't finish them just yet, their deaths must be utilized properly.

The carnage that surrounded Liu made her feet freeze in terror, until the fear of being the next one to be impaled gave power to her fear stricken legs.

Liu ran but ultimately found herself falling to the ground. She didn't trip, she was hit. Liu traced the source of the lethargy imposed upon her body. A large needle was embedded on the back of her left shoulder.

As if all of her strength was siphoned by the needle, it took all of Liu's remaining strength just to unlodge it.

"What do we have here?"

Liu crawled as an ominous voice questioned from behind, but with her speed, even a snail would win against her in a race. There was no escape, but she had to try, she refused to die in the middle of nowhere.

The man crudely grabbed Liu's red locks, raising her up so she could inspect if she was worthy to violate.

A sinister grin plastered on Yong's handsome face after gazing upon Liu's beauty.

"If you're going to engage in that disgusting hobby of yours, do it far away from me." Jingfei complained, as she dragged a half-dead man by the ankle.

"Don't sweat, It's not like I can get in the mood with you around."

Thus, the two separated, one to feed all the soon to be corpses to Qiang, and the other was off to the side of the forest where no one would be able to hear his victim scream.

+++

It took Yanmei until nightfall to finally get the hang of balancing on top of a sword. She didn't bother to learn such art because it would blow her cover of an ordinary alchemy merchant, until now.

With Xiao right next to her, Yanmei enjoyed their midnight stroll right above the clouds, her faint smile illuminated by the moonlight, tender winds brushing past her face. Yanmei's calmness made it seem like they were out on a date and not headed into mortal combat against demonic cultivators.

Yanmei playfully grinned at Xiao before speeding up.

Xiao, wise to what her lover was trying to pull, mirrored Yanmei's grin as she upped her speed and passed ahead of Yanmei.

The grin on Yanmei's lips widened as Xiao breezed past her. It was definitely on now.

With their cultivation level on the same base, the speed they could output should be similar, but Yanmei had a clear advantage. An edge that would make her flight swifter. The element of her qi.

Gusts of wind enveloped Yanmei as she was pushed ever forward. Yanmei flashed a smug smile at Xiao as she went past her lover.

It was a smug smile that Xiao knew full well the intent behind, a smile that said, 'Try and catch up, slow spoke.'

Upon arriving at the forest outskirts of Jiang Shian, however, their jovial mood dissipated as it was whisked away by the winds. In its place was grim seriousness and total focus.

The malignant aura exuded by the demonic cultivators was so great that they could feel it from high up in the air.

A familiar voice suddenly called out, a voice littered with distress as the woman repeatedly screamed 'Help.' Xiao tossed an invisibility pill to Yanmei, and as the two swallowed it, their visage vanished as if they were swallowed by the night sky. Even they were not exempt to the pills' stealth capability as they couldn't sense each other, and it would remain so unless they manifest a killing intent.

With the screaming woman serving as their beacon in finding each other, the two descended down the forest.