I am precious cargo

The so-called ruthless beast was being carried by a female demon one head shorter than him. To pass the time, he decided to use this opportunity to ask about his father and sister, whom he had never met. 

"So... how long have you known my father? Just curious?" he asked feeling his blood rushing to his head. The female demon ignored him. She treated him like air but Xiang Yu didn't give up. 

"I just want to know how many concubines he has and what number you rank. Number five or maybe number eleven," he said but she still ignored him. What she did, though, was roughly sway, and he almost hit his head on a rock. 

"Careful. I am precious cargo. If I get as much as a scratch my father will be mad," he said with laughter in his voice. Oh, wouldn't that be wonderful? Having a father who cared for him? He is lucky if he didn't want to murder him again. 

"Don't you ever get jealous? Like… I would go bonkers if I had to watch my person snuggled up with someone else. You have to watch him snuggle up with several other gorgeous women. Doesn't it bother you just a little bit?" he continued to ask genuinely curious. 

She rolled her eyes wondering why whoever paralysed him didn't shut his mouth. He talked too much. 

"Okay then, how about I ask a less personal question... Why did my father want a child with a human?" he asked, and when she suddenly stopped, Xiang Yu smiled, feeling like he had touched a nerve. 

Finally, they were making progress. Just when he was about to ask her another question his body was suddenly thrown onto the ground with a loud thud. She clutched his collar and raised her fist the hatred in her eyes unfathomable. 

"You want to know why? It's because of that witch's bloodline. If it weren't for her great ancestor, my king wouldn't even look her filthy way," she said through gritted teeth. She didn't remember him from before, but now that she had taken a closer look, she remembered his pathetic appearance when he was begging for her King to take him in before his body rolled down the stairs. How he survived was a mystery to her. 

"Oh, I thought it was because she was beautiful and he didn't want to have ugly kids with the likes of you," he said with a twisted smile dancing across his lips. 

Judging from her expression, he had pushed her too far, but that didn't stop him from running his mouth. "Interesting," Xiang Yu taunted, his voice a blade. "You despise half-bloods, but your king bed a human, and out of all his concubines, he kept her child. Yet... your children didn't have such grace. Tell me, did he wait for them to be born first before he killed them or did he let them grow up fir—"

Her fingers tightened on his collar, nails digging into his skin. "Enough," she hissed, her breath hot against his face. "That bitch should have taught you manners. Since she didn't I will discipline you on her behalf."

And then punches like comets of fury struck his face. Pain exploded behind Xiang Yu's eyes, blood trickling down his nose. Darkness swallowed him whole before he passed out cold. 

The female demon stood over him, her aura suffocating. She wanted to strangle him to death but she restrained herself. She didn't bother to carry him this time. She picked up his leg and dragged him into the mountains. 

***

The world swirled into focus, and Xiang Yu's head throbbed. His body rubbed against the ground feeling disoriented. His fingers twitched involuntarily, and he fought back a groan. His lips curved into a wry smile when he realised that he had regained the feeling in his body.

He didn't want her to know that he was conscious and could move again thus he pretended to play possum as he listened to her footsteps and low murmurs. She seemed to be cursing him. 

Xiang Yu only opened his eyes when they were no longer in the forest and walking through the mist. It seemed that he was going to have an early reunion with his father. Just that thought made the sly grin on his face grow bigger. Her grip unyielding she dragged him through the veil of mist and into the demon realm. 

The closer they got to the Shadow Jade Palace the more his half-demon blood stirred like a fierce whirlwind at sea. She carried him on her shoulder up the thousand steps, and Xiang Yu enjoyed the free ride. 

As they stepped into the grand hall, Xiang Yu's senses lurched violently. He couldn't wait to see the look on his father's face when he saw that he was still alive. Today only one of them would live to see tomorrow. 

The Demon King sat at a round table, his presence commanding. His eyes, twin flames of crimson, flickered with curiosity as he leaned back his sharp nails piercing the flesh of a blood-red fruit.

His concubines, a vision of fine silk and gold, lounged beside him, their gazes languid. They continued to serve him indifferent to the concubine who had just walked in. 

With a loud bang, Lu Se tossed the person she was carrying onto the ground. Xiang Yu crumpled on the ground with a grimace while holding his arm. 

The concubines screamed as they rushed to lean closer to the Demon King as though afraid for their lives. One of them even had half her body leaning against him her chest rubbing up on him. Indifferent to the person lying on the ground the Demon King chuckled. 

"Ah, Lu Se," he purred, his voice like silk over steel. "What have you brought me this time?"

Lu Se's eyes never wavered but this brat's words had gotten to her. "The troublemaker, my Lord," she said, her voice honeyed and lethal. "The one responsible for countless demon deaths."

The Demon King's laughter bellowed his hand, rubbing the back of another of his concubines, his hands almost slipping inside her clothes that were barely covering anything. Lu Se shifted her gaze away, not daring to look otherwise her lord would see her seething jealousy. 

"You could have killed them there. No need to drag them here. A head would have been enough," he said dismissively but Lu Se took a step forward and called out sweetly, 

"My Lord, he is your half-blood son. He survived your wrath all those years ago."