As the group chatted leisurely and ate in good company, a pair of men dressed in the customary black and silver uniform of demon hunters watched them with approval and pride. Zhuo Yixuan had volunteered to stand guard for the group until they were officially assigned to work unsupervised, when their superiors deemed them ready.
"I must say, Zhuo Yixuan, your younger brother is as good as you say. I could sense the power of the Cloud Light sword even from a distance, and he hadn't even awakened yet. He will be a force to be reckoned with in the future and a hope for all of humanity to finally defeat the demons and send them back to their realm." Fan Ying gladly shared his thoughts with his companion.
"Wen Xiao also did well, you should be proud. She's come a long way since you adopted her all those years ago, when a demon killed her healer father. I believe that, aside from my younger brother and Ying Lei, the others have all been through heartbreaking tragedies." Yixuan sighed as he looked at the unit with a mixture of happiness and sadness.
"I agree, as their commander Pei Sijing suffered her own tragedies with the death of her younger brother Pei Siheng at the hands of the only human-like fox demon who managed to deceive us all, and then when his soul was attached to a branch of a demon tree by his sister. It was our own mistake that gave rise to that tragedy, and we owe her a lot, which is why I couldn't punish her for using a forbidden spell . We have suffered so many losses over the years that we are even sending our future to fight in our battles ahead of time." Fan Ying did not fully agree with the decision to lower the age for hunting demons in the Citadel to twenty, since the previous age, twenty-five, was an ideal age where those interested in being part of the real mission of the hunters in the Forest of Convergence, would already have enough training and experience from the local Bureaus to join the greatest fight of all and minimize the casualties.
"Don't blame yourself for that decision, because as much as it pains us to send them to war earlier than planned, it was inevitable. My little brother was even eager to join our forces. He's too impatient." Yixuan smiled tenderly at the thought of his little brother.
"To be fair, with a brother like you, even I would be eager to join you. As a brother, you are too good, and he has always followed you since childhood, like a chick to its hen." At that, Yixuan smiled.
"Our mother died giving birth to him, it was only natural that he would turn to me in her absence."
"Even so, you were always the best brother, and he'll follow you to the ends of the earth. Have you considered honoring your father's legacy by getting married? Right now, you've earned the time to court whoever interests you. I know for a fact that several of our female hunters have their eyes set on you. Besides, there's a beauty on your own unit." Fan Ying finally decided to bring up the subject he was sure Yixuan had avoided for so long. Yixuan smiled wearily.
"My services are still needed at the Citadel, as you know, Lord Fan." Yixuan avoided the topic, making Fan Ying sigh.
"And what about your little brother? He may still be very young, but he's quite handsome, upright, strong, and with a bright future ahead of him. I'm sure he had a long list a women who will love to enter your prestigious household."
"Ah, Yichen is too shy and focused on being an outstanding demon hunter to even think about marriage. And what about your daughter? She is a beautiful woman with many talents, I'm sure she must have her suitors too." Yixuan suggested, but seeing the man's expression, it might not have been a good idea.
"She's also a lost cause. Her true love is reading, and her ideal marriage is extracting poison from either man or woman." The two looked at each other and sighed in unison.
"Perhaps we're getting too far ahead of their future." Zhuo Yixuan whispered.
"Perhaps..." Fan Ying nodded as they watched the unit from a safe distance. Their inner energy completely suppressed so they will never notice them.
Deep in the Forest of Convergence, another man... well, another demon watched the distorted night sky with apprehension, longing to be somewhere else. He was not fit to guard the gateway to his realm. He was a lazy demon who loved peach trees, peace and quiet, and simply wished to continue cultivating to finally overcome his final phase and free himself from the responsibilities of his own kind.
What he longed for most was to explore the world of humans. From his elevated position, he could see that it was more interesting than the dull world of the Wilderness. He wanted to walk through that enchanted forest, beyond the barriers the humans had erected, and gaze at the beauty that stretched beyond. He could do it whenever he wanted, but of course, the reason he was there prevented him from abandoning his post. Besides, humans distrusted him and occasionally tried to kill him, which was a nuisance, and he wasn't in the mood to kill others weaker than him.
It had been quite a torture having to kill a bunch of humans a while back and he hated it, so he opted to stay out of their sight so he wouldn't be forced to kill them in another round. However, there was one particular demon hunter who attracted his attention among the humans that usually came that far, letting him get away with certain things to avoid killing him, because he could smell on the handsome hunter the blood of the one who 'killed' Ying Long, their demon god, the dragon god, Bing Yi.
He guessed that the man was a direct descendant of Bing Yi, which was intriguing in itself, as he had never imagined that humans could carry the powerful blood of the ancient gods, with their fragile bodies and short lifespans. However, there was no doubt that the one he was face to face with once was, indeed, Bing Yi's blood relative. Of course, the human legends about their gods were a complete mess, turning Bing Yi and Ying Long into eternal enemies in a fierce battle that killed the demon god, when their story was not one of hatred and enmity, but of sacrifice and love. How sad, Zhu Yan thought as he took a sip of wine from his special bottle.
That night, reclining on one of the branches of the tallest tree in the Forest of Convergence, his favorite tree, he felt particularly bored. Perhaps because he had smelled Bing Yi's blood, which piqued his curiosity, he felt anything else was difficult to bear. So he focused his energy on the one he had once marked with a touch of his power so he would always know where he was, and smiled when he located him on the outer ring. However, as he sharpened his senses, he was surprised to find another with an even more intense scent.
"What is this? Are they brothers?" Zhu Yan wondered as he tried to better sense the young man's divine energy, finding it blinding. With a gasp, Zhu Yan opened his eyes in pleasant surprise and excitement, and unable to contain himself, he transformed into the form of a small white ape and rushed down his tree like a cloud, completely hidden by the purple fog on the ground, bypassing the two barriers without activating any of the safety measures. Humans understood very little of the true power of a great demon, but he was in no hurry to correct their shortcomings. He lacked a killing intent, his power was firmly sealed within him, and his tiny appearance was so insignificant that he seemed like a mere failure of a demon.
From a safe distance, he watched the object of his curiosity in awe. From there, he knew they were brothers, though the younger one was like a mirror image of the dragon god Bing Yi. This brother was strikingly more handsome, face bordering on ethereal, pale flawless skin, a waterfall of soft silk black hair down his straight back, captivating blue eyes, slim figure, strong, self-confident, alluring and intriguing, to the point of wanting to get closer. But then, the sword in the younger brother's hands glowed faintly, betraying his presence, even though his demonic energy had been reduced to almost nothing.
This was impressive in itself, but he could not expect less from the Cloud Light sword, making his heart flutter with the expectation of an interesting adventure that would make him feel truly alive again instead of just bored and longing for what he couldn't have. There was a reason he was indefinitely posted there, on the gateway to his world, and it wasn't because of what the humans thought it was, but the complete opposite.
Then the blond youth in the group, with the divine energy of a local mountain god, cast a spell of detection, but he dodged it, fleeing faster than any of them could have tracked him, and returned to sit in his favorite tree branch. That entire small group was made up of descendants of the gods, and he smiled in anticipation to meet them face to face for when they reach the inner ring. He would be waiting, and he hoped it wouldn't be for long.
⨳⨳⨳ The Demon Hunter Unit ⨳⨳⨳
For the next few days, they hunted only lesser demons, but that allowed them to better understand their individual abilities, which they could use in different scenarios involving different types of demons. Pei Sijing, as their leader, mentally designed several offensive formations based on different approaches to hunting demons, then discussed them with her unit to shape and name their formations so that they would know what to do when the opportunity arose and they needed to act under her command.
It had already worked well, one of them would be the lead hunter, while the rest would support or wait for an opportunity. Depending on the type of demon, the lead hunter could switch to maximize the outcome and deal with the threat with more efficiency. While working on the various strategies, Wen Xiao volunteered to write down the reports on every demon they hunted, including its location, strength, and how they find it, as well as how they handle it.
Since the Forest of Convergence was vast, as were the barriers of the three rings, there were several hunter shelters throughout the forest, mainly for those rainy days when the units preferred to rest in a dry place instead of under the torrential rain and wet ground, like the one they were experiencing at that moment. Since Pei Sijing had hunted demons in the outer and middle rings before, she knew where most of the shelters were and they headed towards the one closest to their location until the rainstorm passed and they could resume their mission.
They walked in the cold rain for hours, their boots splashing on the soaked ground, each step heavier than the last, as night drew near. On normal days, walking was part of their daily routine, easy and necessary, but when it rained, it became exhausting and uncomfortable, not to mention even more dangerous, as visibility was further diminished by the purple mist that rose between the showers.
"Look, it's the shelter!" Ying Lei called out when he finally spotted what they were looking for. There, silhouetted against a backdrop cliff of swirling purple fog like the embers of a long-extinguished fire, stood the demon hunting shelter. The fog curled around its base, giving it an ethereal quality that shimmered in the dim light filtering through the clouds. The ancient architecture blends into the rugged landscape, its wooden beams, intricately carved with dragon and phoenix motifs, symbolize the eternal battle between good and evil.
Everyone was soaked when Pei Sijing opened the shelter door for the others to enter first. A gust of warm air poured in like a hug, mingling with the cold, rain-soaked fabric clinging to their skin. As they stepped inside the threshold, a spell enveloped them, making their clothes dried instantly like a ray of sunlight. The sudden warmth enveloped them like a soft blanket, soothing their chilled bones. Inside, the shelter revealed itself as a magical haven, a spacious room lit by the flickering flames from a large fire pit at its center.
Within this shelter, two traditional black shelf beds stood against opposite walls, crafted for comfort and practicality. Each could accommodate four hunters snugly beneath their own yellow satin curtains that flutter softly in the cool breeze of the rain, offering both privacy and a touch of elegance even amidst shared quarters, a necessity when units were mixed during hunts. Wen Xiao let out a sigh of relief as she moved closer to the fire, extending her hands toward its warmth and the others soon follow her example.
"Oh my god... this is paradise." Bai Jiu was delightedly as he looked around in awe, not expecting such luxurious accommodations in simple shelters. The air carries a hint of wildflowers and dampness, mingling with the faint scent of incense emanating from an ornate lantern on a table. Its warm glow casts dancing shadows on the walls, illuminating ancient scrolls detailing demon hunting techniques. For his part, Yichen opened one of the shelves and found a few hunter uniforms, they could be changed into if theirs ended up getting ripped in battle. It was a nice touch that he appreciate it, and he smiled.
Ying Lei moved to one of the beds and pulled back a curtain slightly, peeking inside as he imagined resting there after such an arduous trek. He could not deny the fact that walking for so long under the rain, wet clothes and cold it was exhausting and he will not mind have a break for a few hours. The rain was not going to stop for a while anyways, so there was nothing they could do, as there were not demons in the vicinity in their entire walk there.
"We should rest up after a warm meal. It will not take me too long to make something and we had tea here." He suggested quietly but firmly, glancing back at Pei Sijing for approval and she nodded appreciatively before settling on one of the benches surrounding the fire. Outside, thunder rumbled ominously, an echo of nature's fury, but inside this shelter was a refuge against both weather and weariness. They were no longer just hunters facing demons, they were comrades sharing warmth and camaraderie in a sanctuary forged by spells.
While Ying Lei prepared some food for them, and the others chatted by the warm fire on such a cold night, Yichen offered to check the protective talismans that formed the shelter's barrier and went out onto the small balcony overlooking the cliff, pausing for a moment to admire the scenery. The scene outside the shelter looked like something out of a fairy tale. The night was illuminated by flashes of red lightning that sometimes didn't even make a sound. The fog had almost completely disappeared due to the constant rain, allowing him to get a better look at the edge of the cliff.
They were at the top of a very tall one, beneath a ravine of towering trees, some with blossoms that glittered like stars as they moved in the diamond-like rain falling upon them. Then, more beautiful flowers burst from the crevices of the rocks, radiant petals in shades of white, pale pink, blue, yellow, and lavender, giving the shelter the pleasant scent they release at night.
There were a few traces of the fused energy stretching into the distance like the northern lights, shifting from shades of green, pink, yellow, and orange, to blending with cerulean, sometimes faint like threads in the breeze, sometimes like a silk blanket rippling in the darkness. It was beautifully enchanting, and Yichen was mesmerized for a moment before noticing the faint light from his sword strapped to his belt.
It felt like that time when Ying Lei cast the detection spell and the creature fled, but he didn't sense any demonic energy nearby, so he focused on the other side of the cliff. The trace on the sword was very faint, almost nonexistent, but Yichen knew it was coming from one of the beautifully lit trees. Curious, Yichen used some of his divine dragon energy, and his eyes changed color, turning a brilliant turquoise with emerald green flakes.
He scanned the trees on the other side of the ravine until he finally spotted something equally curious watching him. It was a small monkey with a pure white fury that almost shone like the snow falling on the highest mountains under a full moon. Its curious reddish eyes met Yi Chen's gaze with an intensity that sent chills down Yichen's spine for some unknown reason. The monkey tilted its head curiously, as if gazing at that solitary figure, standing in awe at the edge of a cliff.
For an instant, time seemed to freeze and their worlds connected, as if they were both guardians of their realms, which at least he was, but the concept of a little monkey with no power, being a guardian of the demon world was ridiculous, but maybe he was just exhausted. Despite himself, Yichen smiled at the monkey, sensing no hostility or demonic energy, because demon or not, he found him quite adorable, perhaps for his pure white fur and Yichen could have sworn the little monkey smiled back before disappearing from his sight. Thunder rumbled overhead, bringing him back to reality, and he sighed before checking the powerful talismans and heading back inside.
AN: Thanks for reading. There you have their first real encounter between Yichen and Zhu Yan who was so intrigued by him that now he is kind of stalking him. Of course, Zhu Yan is an ape, but as usual Yichen see him a a monkey. 🤭😅