Outside, the shelter was quite chilly, so it was a cozy feeling to return to the warmth of the fire and the members of his unit. Wen Xiao was now sitting by the long table eagerly reading one of the scrolls that had been left for any demon hunting unit that needed them. Ying Lei was engaged with Bai Jiu in a friendly discussion about the properties of some ingredients and Pei Sijing was reviewing Wen Xiao's report. He smiled as he sat down next to Wen Xiao, curious as to what had her so interested.
"What kind of scroll do you have?" He asked and she looked up at him with a wide smile on her pretty face.
"Ah, this one is about the history of demons in ancient times, do you want to hear it?" She asked him eagerly and he nodded, as Bai Jiu sat down beside him, again quite close to him, though not as close as before, leaving him at least some personal space.
"Xiao Zhuo, did everything work out well outside? It's raining hard and it took you quite a few minutes to get back inside."
"Come on, give the man some time to himself, you'll get on his nerves if you demand his attention at every moment." Ying Lei protested, almost pouting and Wen Xiao laughed.
"It's okay, I was just admiring the scenery. This place may be dangerous at every corner, but it's also quite beautiful. Besides, I found the little thing that eluded us earlier in the detection spell you cast. It was on the other side of the cliff, in a tree, watching me." Yichen said with a gentle smile that piqued the interest of both Wen Xiao and Bai Jiu.
"What was it?" Wen Xiao asked, her curiosity getting the better of her.
"Should we be worried about a demon following us?" Ying Lei asked, stirring the contents of the large pot with some anxiety.
"Is that thing stalking you?" Was Bai Jiu's question, which all three of them asked at the same time.
"Well, it was a small white monkey, quite... harmless, if you ask me. I didn't react any better to my Cloud Light's sword than I did before, and whether it's really following us for an unknown purpose or just out of curiosity, I have no idea." Yichen answered all the questions at once, and Pei Sijing closed her eyes to concentrate, trying to listen as best she could beyond the crackling of the fire, the distant thunder, the rain, and the rustling of branches and flowers in the drizzly wind.
"There's nothing worth our attention right now. If this little monkey is following us, at least it's gone for now. We're safe in this shelter, so don't worry too much." She said it in a reassuring tone, but she was still going to be on full alert, just in case something was brewing in the darkness that could turn into a potential danger later on.
"Well, if our dear Commander says we shouldn't worry about it for now, how about listening to a story while we wait for Ying Lei's meal?" Wen Xiao asked and Yichen, quite avidly to hear the story, signaled her to begin her tale. Beside him, Bai Jiu dared to grab one of his hero, hair bells, just in case it was a scary story, but make sure not to pull his long hair, so he won't get mad at him, not like Yichen will really mind, though.
"Okay, here goes. In ancient times, when the gods created the world, divine energy abounded everywhere. Therefore, some animals and plants began to absorb it and cultivate it for centuries. This led to the birth of divine beasts and trees, which pleased the gods. Dragons were especially beloved by Nuwa, while tigers, phoenixes, and turtles were loved by other gods, who decided to leave them as guardians of the world while they returned to their heavenly realm."
"Centuries passed, and all was well. More and more beasts and plants were cultivated and acquired the ability to shape, adopting those that most resembled the gods. Because of this, the strongest beasts became imposing, self-confident, and, at one point, conceited. It was during this period that they began to change. They became selfish and aggressive toward each other, then territorial, and finally, they shed blood everywhere, polluting the lands and killing humans. Thus, what began as divine beasts and plants became demons, and the gods were no longer happy, and so the war between them began."
"Nuwa had already created humanity, just before the divine beasts became violent, and the war, of course, affected them. The demons, in their fury, slaughtered many villages, wanting to take their lands and not share them with lesser beings without cultivation or sufficient strength to defend themselves. The war between gods and demons grew fierce, and the gods managed to lock the demons away in their own realm. However, in times of instability and war between celestial powers and demonic energies, a rift opened that not even Nuwa knew how to close, for the demons, cunning and strong, for some reason could not completely escape their realm, but the rift could not be closed either."
"Even so, the Forest of Convergence was the place where the two realms merged, releasing demonic energy into our lands and creating more demons into our side. Humans were doomed at first, but Nuwa refused to allow her creation to be annihilated and granted humanity special bloodlines from the gods who fought side by side with her against the demons. And now, here we are, a product of that blood given to us to protect us from the demons that still cross realms. Thus were born the demon hunters and the only hope of survival for all of humanity." She told them, though it was a story most knew by heart, her voice was soft and charming, and it was a story about their origins that should never be forgotten.
"That was well told." Pei Sijing praised her, and Wen Xiao smiled happily.
"Yeah... I'm glad it wasn't a scary story like the one about the demon god Ying Long." Bai Jiu said with a long sigh, releasing Zhuo Yichen's hair bells.
"Well, I can tell you that one. I can even recreate his fight with the dragon god Bing Yi if you want. I have a particularly vivid storytelling spell, and..."
"Idiot! Didn't I just say I don't want to hear it? Are you deaf?" Bai Jiu threw a pillow at him, while Ying Lei laughed, dodging it with ease.
"You're such a scaredy cat... but that's also your hero's ancestral history, you know? He's a descendant of Bing Yi's blood and all..." Ying Lei pointed and Bai Jiu gasped as he looked at Yichen with embarrassment, which made him gently pat his head.
"To be honest, Bing Yi's story remains a mystery even to me. We all know that he faced the demon god Ying Long, who was also a dragon, in a fierce battle that lasted for days and the story goes that he killed him in the end, but disappeared without a trace ever since. I don't know what really happened between them or if he also died in the fight, perhaps mortally wounded, but that is something we will never know for sure, as no one recorded his death or escape." Recounted Yichen on his own.
"Well, maybe he's still alive somewhere. He is an immortal, after all." Ying Lei suggested as he examined the contents of the pot.
"Who knows? Perhaps he's just dormant, or perhaps he ascended to the heavens like the rest of the gods." Wen Xiao offered his own opinion on the matter.
"Whatever he lived or died, the important thing is that he left his lineage to help us in our struggle, something for which we are very grateful, just like the rest of the gods who give us the opportunity to survive our own war." Pei Sijing said with such seriousness that it sounded like a tribute to the gods, their ancestors.
"That's true... we were blessed with the blood and sacrifices of our ancestors. The Baize goddess, Wan'er, died in the war against the demons, saving Nuwa and humanity too." Wen Xiao said sadly as she looked at her wrist, where the goddess's blood flowed through her veins.
"Bai Yan, the sacred tree still exists on Mount Kunlun... but is too far away for me to go there and see it..." Bai Jiu had always been curious about who he inherited his divine blood from, but his father never agree to let him go that far from the city protection after that incident with the demon that Yichen save him from.
"I can take you there whenever you want. I had a teleportation artifact, a relic from the time of the ancient gods, though we still have some minor gods around here, like my grandfather's, for example." Ying Lei offered, and Yichen looked at him in amazement.
"A teleportation artifact? Do you have it?" He asked excitedly. Ying Lei opened his magic bag, expanded several times over with a divine spell, and took out an incense burner shaped like mountains and temples, made of black jade, which looked quite ordinary, if you ask him.
"Is that all? Isn't that an incense burner?" Bai Jiu asked, eyeing the object and about to grab it, but Ying Lei pushed him away before he could approach with the agility of a mountain god.
"How mean! I just wanted to get a better look, that's all." Bai Jiu snorted as he crossed his arms over his chest in annoyance.
"It may look like a fancy incense burner, but it's the fastest way we mountain gods teleport from hills and mountains, not to mention the many temples surrounding the Kunlun Mountains. This is what we call the Shanhai Portal, powered by our divine energy, and it can go anywhere we've been before, even once." Ying Lei explained, and everyone stared at him in awe and admiration.
"This can save our lives..." Wen Xiao whispered as she tried to get a better look, but the owner also stopped her.
"It might get us out of a tight spot, but it's not something you can use for everyday work. Crossing mountains requires a lot of energy, especially over long distances, and in this place, surrounded by so much demonic energy, it's quite difficult to activate, so I agree to use it only in emergencies." He said, and Pei Sijing was genuinely glad to have another emergency escape plan if they ever needed it.
"All right, Ying Lei. All the divine relics and artifacts from the time of the gods take their toll on us mortals. We do our jobs as we should, but if we ever face something we can't handle no matter the reason, we escape, and this will be our quickest way out, for emergencies only. Understood?" She asked, and the unit nodded wholeheartedly.
"Then I think it would be wise to review the demonic lore of the first ring. It will refresh our memory on what to expect in this part of the forest, the type of demons we are likely to encounter, and how to deal with them. There are several scrolls on the wall to review, but I think we all prefer to hear them from the one who enjoys telling stories, our demon expert." Said Pei Sijing as she looked at Wen Xiao, who gladly accepted the task and walked to the wall to find the correct scroll with the required information.
Once she found it, she read it aloud until it was time for eating. After a hot meal shared with new friends, they decide to lie down for a few hours until the downpour passes. The women occupied a bed on the right, while the man occupied the one on the left. As the beds were wide and they were all quite slender, there was no problem fitting in.
Pei Sijing smiled fondly at the reassuring presence of her younger brother watching over them and didn't mind Wen Xiao coming closer for more warmth despite the thick blankets. Bai Jiu, meanwhile, practically hugged Yichen once asleep, which was placed in between the other two men, while Ying Lei had his back to him. Aside from the rainstorm outside, with an occasional thunder, it was a peaceful night and, unknown to them, also a pleasant one for a certain great demon who now had great expectations of their unit and wanted nothing more than to have them closer as soon as possible.
AN: Thanks for reading.