The Devil Lotus 9

"As expected,!" The man with the hoarse voice from before roared. "Didn't I say that this bitch can't be trusted," said another. Facing them were five disciples of the Lotus Sect dressed in blood-colored robes.

"Huh," Wu Xuan let out an insulting voice as he stepped forward as if to cover Lingyu and Hong Li. The sword in his hand was being charged with qi energy.

"After long enough," growled the hoarse voice. Dark-colored qi energy was pulsating on his hands. The long, sharp spear in his right hand was exploding in anger.

"Well, it's not nice to meet you again." Wu Xuan rolled his eyes and said.

"Lingyu, take your friend and leave here," he said, extending his sword forward. "I'm going to give this bastard a lesson."

"Oh," He Jin, the Lotus Sect disciple let out a scornful laugh as he closed the door behind them. "Nobody's going."

"Oh, what a pity! Would you like him to see you crouch like a frog?"

Wu Xuan was provoking He Jin's anger. Although Yu Lingyu thought it was a foolish act before, in truth, Wu Xuan was always bound to mentally destabilize his enemy. The angrier he is, the more his weaknesses will show.

"Give them to us, boss." The other four disciples also said, wringing their hands. "I will kill that bitch and feed it to the crows."

Yu Lingyu's eyes rose with a deadly look. Hong Li was weak from birth. She was no different from little Lingyu back then. With Murong Meng's sword drawn, Lingyu stood to cover Hong Li.

Be careful! His intuition warned. His power is unstable, one mistake will destroy him as well as the other two.

He Jin, who had been silent for a while, rushed towards Wu Xuan. His roar was like thunder. Sparks flew as his spear collided with Wu Xuan's sword, and the force of the collision sent tremors through the room, shattering the rafters of the roof.

The other disciples attacked at the same time, like poisonous vipers. One, a beautiful woman with eyes like poison plums, made a swift stroke with a razor-blade whip. Twisting the sword, Yu Lingyu blocked her first strike and ducked back to dodge a dagger aimed at him, using the sword as a shield. Hong Li guarded his back.

"Too much," Lingyu muttered slowly. Certainly, the woman with the whip didn't seem inferior to He Jin. The other three were not that noticeable, but it was difficult to focus on them when facing the woman.

Wu Xuan's steps quickened, and his sword cut through the air at the speed of light. "He Jin Oh He Jin, you've improved." Wu Xuan said as he blocked a spear. Everything in the room, including the curtains, cut out in an instant.

"It's cramped in here," Hong Li muttered.

Yu Lingyu was unaccustomed to Murong Meng's sword. It was heavier than his normal celestial sword and difficult to handle. Even so, it was still causing a considerable disturbance to the poisoned woman.

He Jin twirled his long spear, channeling the brute force. His eyes were bloodshot with rage. Wu Xuan didn't seem to expect the blow, and crossing his sword, he barely deflected the blow. But this time, the woman's punch was not aimed at Yu Lingyu, but at Wu Xuan.

Her whip wrapped around his waist, distracting Wu Xuan. Lingyu tried to attack the woman but the dagger wielder pulled him back just as He Jing's spear was aimed at Wu Xuan's heart.

"Wu Xuan!"

Wu Xuan hunched his body but was still unable to dodge the spear. As his shoulder pierced, he pulled out the blade from his waist swung his sword, and slashed the whip, severing the spear from its hilt as well.

Even so, Wu Xuan was unmoved. Filling Wu Xu the sword with blue qi energy, he poured spiritual energy into it. The sword blade pulsed with light and electric arcs formed around it.

"I have to," he muttered, gritting his teeth through the blood. "He must be protected."

"Last technology," he shouted. Holding the sword in front of his eyes that thundered with intense light and arcs of lightning, he focused all his energy on it.

"A thousand lightnings!" As he used his technique, the entire room thundered with lightning and his opponents were paralyzed by the sudden clash of forces. The whip-wielding woman tried to drop her weapon and run as the lightning bolt struck her in the face, but she was unable to do so. One by one they fell to the ground under the force of the electric arcs, burning beyond repair.

All it took was a few seconds. He Jin was the only one left as Wu Xuan dropped to one knee. Jin's chest heaving, his eyes wide with disbelief. He raised his broken spear for one last desperate attack. But even that seemed too much for Wu Xuan to take.

As the broken spear rushed towards him, a speeding sword pierced He Jin's chest as the spear left his hand. He Jin, disarmed and defeated, still seemed to refuse to accept it.

Yu Lingyu pulled out his blade as He Jin coughed up blood. His face was covered in He Jin's blood. "I- I killed someone again." He muttered as if he were delirious. Getting blood on his hand was what he most wanted to avoid doing.

Wu Xuan slowly muttered something. He had once expended a great deal of energy to summon lightning and place a barrier around Lingyu. And his old wounds were not healed even. Wu Xuan slowly stood up as Hong Li held him.

"If he had used the bloodsucking technique, we would all have died," Hong Li said with a shaky voice.

"Ah-Yu, come to your senses,"

After staring at the sword and the corpses for a while, Yu Lingyu turned to face Wu Xuan. "Let me heal you first." Laying his hands on the wounds on Xuan's shoulder and groin, Lingyu channeled his spiritual power. As his azure mild spiritual energy slowly entered Wu Xuan, his dry lips slowly became alive.

"Guards will be here soon. We made too much noise." Hong Li said, peering through the broken door.

"I will take you to the secret passage."

Wu Xuan let out a groan. "Energy- don't waste it." He awkwardly whispered to Yu Lingyu.

"Lingyu!"

"I have to take responsibility for this. So at least let me make you better." Lingyu muttered as he stood upright like a red flag planted on a pile of burnt wood. "Hong Li, let's go." Finally, Yu Lingyu told Hong Li, helping Wu Xuan.

Hong Li walked over to a lion statue that was still left in the corner of the room and turned its lion head to the other side. A shudder rippled through the room and a secret chapter stretched deep into the earth where the bed had once been, stirring dust. It smelled strongly of dampness, and Hong Li entered first, light and agile, motioning for the other two to follow.

But as Wu Xuan stood still on the threshold, a terrible pain shot through his right hand.

Poison! He Jin's spear must be poison.

Although Yu Lingyu was able to heal external wounds, his spiritual power was of no use against the poison. Biting his lip tightly, Wu Xuan slowly entered the secret chapter without letting Lingyu know about it, and the secret passage closed above them as Hong Li spun another lion-headed statue inside.

The air was thick and stale, and there was no sound except the three of them breathing. The rough stone walls smoothed with moisture and decorated with moss like an emerald brush, the rough stone ceiling that rose above them looked like it had been smeared with black paint.

Guided by the light from Wu Xuan's hairpiece, Hong Li ran her fingertips along the wall anxiously to find the right path. Behind her, Yu Lingyu and Wu Xuan walked slowly, gritting their teeth to avoid slipping.

The passage narrowed further, forcing them to go one behind the other. The stone walls, textured with ancient carvings, were rougher. A sudden drop in temperature made their skin tingle and the cold, emanating from the stone created a mist in the air.

Hong Li, who was in front, suddenly stopped. Giving a silent signal to the other two to be quiet, she scanned the front.

She took a step forward and quickly bumped into the body of another.

?????

Yu Lingyu's hand was drawn to the sword he was holding.

"Shimei?" The man who bumped into Hong Li said in surprise. Although he didn't seem ready to enter into a battle at first, his thoughts seemed to change rapidly after seeing Wu Xuan and Lingyu. "Wu Xuan!"

"Heh," even in his plight, Wu Xuan did not forget to let out his usual scornful voice. Rushing forward, he struck the guard in the neck and he fell to the ground like a felled tree. But then he realized that there were more guards behind them.

They certainly looked like they had come from the Phoenix Pavilion.

"Yu Shidi," Wu Xuan said as he extended his sword and came into a ready stance. "You guys go ahead and I'll take care of this."

Wu Xuan said, biting his lip to suppress the pain in his right hand. "I can't," Yu Lingyu said, pulling out the sword.

"Get out of here, there's no time to waste. I'm just meeting up with some of my old friends. Don't worry." With a wink, he pushed Lingyu back.

"Your mask," Wu Xuan said, throwing the fallen mask to Lingyu. "Don't lose it. I can't always pick it up for you."

With that sentence, he dashed towards the guards at lightning speed.

***************************************************************

"Wei Yunhe? Why do you think the disciples of Jun Peak are so weak?" The old man asked, turning his sunken eyes to Wei Yunhe.

Wei Yunhe seemed to be in deep thought. "I've been thinking for a long time. There's no problem with their abilities. So I don't understand—"

The old man rose from his seat and walked over to the nearby window. "There's a lot you don't know. How about the assignment I gave you?" Wei Yunhe tightly clasped his hands together to stop them from shaking. The corners of his mouth were twitching. "Like you said, he's not normal," he said slowly, forcing himself. "Do you think you can beat him?" asked the old man, twirling his long beard, gazing at the rising sun in the distance.

"But Master, he's not one to offend anyone. I can be sure—"

"Wei Yunhe!" The old man said sternly. The strong sandalwood scent in the restaurant's private booth made Wei Yunhe uncomfortable, but this elderly man made him even more uncomfortable.

 "Didn't you say that he had no emotions and feelings when he was young? But why does he feel like a completely different person after what happened that day? Wei Yunhe, Yu Lingyu is not someone you can manipulate. If we can't take the strongest people to our soil, it's best to get rid of them."

Wei Yunhe's hands clenched. He needed to resist but still he was not enough for the old man. "Lingyu only wants to live freely. Master, please protect his life."

"Do you think you are his older brother by pretending to be his Da Shixiong? Get rid of him before he gets any stronger." The elderly man said, directing a deathly look at Wei Yunhe.

"It's awkward," Wei Yunhe looked for an excuse. Only one person came to his mind. Wu Xuan!

"Wu Xuan protects him,"

"Wu Xuan? Hmm, demon slayer of the Wen Sect." The old man said in a thoughtful tone, sitting back down. "Perhaps we'll wait a little longer. I'd like to see how well that Xuan will protect him."

"Good decision Master," Wei Yunhe said as he stood up. He was drenched in sweat and his voice was still trembling. "Look up on Lingyu, can go now."

Wei Yunhe did not wait another moment. He bowed his head and came out of the restaurant with lightning speed, holding his breath.

"Murong Meng, I will rely on you. Protect him."

Wei Yunhe already knew. Yu Lingyu would never join hands with evil. He had asked Lingyu about it several times.

Two years ago,

"Yu Shidi, if I tell you to join a fierce union, will you join?"

"No! Even if Da Shixiong says I can't enter because you'll hate me if I do."

Five years ago,

"Yu Shidi, what if I'm really evil, just pretending to be good? If I'm a member of an evil guild, will you join me?"

"No way. Wherever you are, you are my Da Shixiong. I will save you from that evil organization. Why are you asking these strange questions?"

Eight years ago,

"Yu Shidi, what will you do if I'm a bad person? If I'm an evil person looking to take advantage of you?"

"Anyone in this world can be evil, but not Da Shixiong."

Wei Yunhe let out a sigh. He looked disappointed.

 "I'm sorry, Lingyu!"