Chapter 16: Red blood moon
Xiang Yu's eyes fluttered open, and for a moment, he couldn't place where he was. The air smelled damp, and the walls seemed to close in on him.
His head throbbed, memories of the previous night a chaotic swirl. Scenes of the raging flames, the demon standing in at the centre of the firestorm and the splatters of blood replayed in his mind.
With a jolt, he pushed himself up only to wince as pain shot through his arm, neck and chest. He checked his clothes and there was no traces of blood. His robe had been changed into a clean new one and his wounds had been carefully tended to.
He pressed his elbow against his bent knee and rubbed his forehead in a daze. Last night had been like a fever dream but everything was real. He didn't remember doing all those things but he had memories of it.
When he recalled that his master saw him last night Xiang Yu's chest tightened. His master now knew what he was. A monster born from evil. Who would still treat a beast like him with sincerity, especially after knowing the truth? Even his own mother couldn't stand the sight of him so what of his master who had no blood relation to him?
It was only a matter of time before those righteous cultivators burst in through the door to arrest him. Before they kill him they might drag him to the imperial palace to showcase their capture for rewards. Xiang Yu's lips quirked into a self-deprecating smile. He had two choices. Fight or resign to his fate and his choice was obvious.
The door was suddenly pushed open and his gaze fell in that direction. His master hurriedly entered before shutting the door behind him. Seeing the look of obvious concern on his master's face, Xiang Yu was a little surprised. His master's reaction was unexpected.
"Little Yu," called out Yue Buqun his voice low and gravelly. "You are finally awake."
Xiang Yu nodded as he sat his feet on the ground. His eyes met Yue Buqun's cautiously observing him. He was looking for any traces of deceit but the old man seemed genuinely concerned for him. His master had already seen the truth. He already knew that there was demon blood coursing through his veins. Yet he...
"Master I...," he said but the words got stuck in his throat.
Yue Buqun's gaze softened. "The cultivators found the demon dead in the forest and brought it here. They haven't left," he said. "They don't suspect you but you can't stay here anymore. It's not safe. You can stay in here for now until they are gone."
Xiang Yu clenched his jaw trying to suppress the sour feeling rising in his chest. He had sworn that his master would gladly turn him in but instead, he was protecting him.
"But... you know what I am," he said his voice rough, the words scraping against his throat.
The old man patted the back of his hand its warmth seeping into his frozen heart. "We all carry darkness within us," he said. "It's how we choose to wield it that matters." The thick layer of ice encasing his heart cracked. For the first time, Xiang Yu felt accepted, not as a curse, but as a person.
"You must leave," Yue Buqun said, his voice gruff. "You have to go far away. It's no longer safe for you here. I don't have enough strength to protect you so this old man can only do so much."
Xiang Yu nodded. He was unwilling to leave this place but all these years he hadn't forgotten what he promised himself when he left that small town. It was time for him to find his father and sister.
***
His master came to wake him up in the middle of the night. The cultivators had left at sundown but Yue Buqun could only wait for midnight when he was certain that they had gone far enough. He handed Xiang a sling bag filled with everything he would need on the journey. "And here, take this." He handed Xiang Yu another coin purse, its weight heavy with silver coins. "It's not much, but it'll help you on your journey."
Xiang Yu wanted to refuse. If he accepted it how would ever be able repay Yue Buqun's kindness? But the old man insisted, his eyes softening. "Go," he said. "Live, little Yu and be happy."
Xiang Yu took a step back and bowed before his master his eyes watery but unyielding. "Master... thank you," he whispered.
Yue Buqun's smile was bittersweet. "Go and don't worry about your juniors. I will take great care of them," he said. With that, Xiang Yu stepped into the darkness, the silver coins jingling in his bag. That was the last time he saw his kind-hearted master.
***
The gnarled branches of the ancient oak tree cradled Xiang Yu as he lay on a bed of leaves, staring up at the sky. The moon hung low, its red hue casting an eerie glow over the landscape.
A few weeks ago when he left the imperial city he found that there were plenty of travellers on the road headed in the direction he was coming from. There were families with wide-eyed children, elderly couples, and lone wanderers rushing along the path with their possessions loaded on ox carts.
There were no festivals in the imperial city or celebrations so why were there so many of them? At that time Xiang Yu approached one of them and asked why they were fleeing. The man's eyes widened surprised that he didn't know what was happening. The man explained that the small towns and villages close to the Taihang mountains in the north were faced with vicious attacks by demons around the same time every year. It was during the period when the blood-red moon appeared in the night sky. They would burn homes and kill people. The night of the red blood moon was a night when rivers and streams turned red.
CREATORS' THOUGHTS 
Andru_9788
Andru_9788 Thank you so much Star_S, Stars_to_fall, PatchworkArtist, Evalynn, MsTempestNova, Pagalu, HaniiX94, Melite, Emma_k, Fitoria_01, FoxAsianHere and Monmot for the amazing gifts. I will continue to work hard
Chapter 17: The northern demon realm
These righteous sects were too busy with other things and didn't care for such a small town and poor villages. The people there were so poor that they couldn't afford to hire immortal sects to help them especially when it happened every year thus they had no choice but to evacuate. This was why Xiang Yu was here, lying in a tree in the middle of the night.
His expression was calm but his heart was racing. It was a mix of anticipation and fear. Tonight, he would finally face his father, the demon king of the northern realm. His father had abandoned him and chose to take his twin sister. He wasn't naive enough to think that his father would be happy to see him and accept him right away but there was still a glimmer of hope buried deep inside his heart. Maybe he won't be like his mother. Maybe he would hug him and call him son.
Closing his eyes, Xiang Yu listened to the forest. Soon the still forest awakened. Leaves rustled, and the thick underbrush quivered. Demons approached their footsteps like death's whisper. He waited his muscles tense and his senses sharp. He couldn't attack a group of demons but he could isolate one and use it to get to the northern realm.
The sounds of rustling leaves and snapping twigs soon died down. Xiang Yu felt something hovering above him. His lips curved into a wicked smile before his eyes snapped open. There, above him, perched on a large branch was a small demon, a scout, perhaps. Its eyes glowed with malice, and its twisted features bore the mark of its lineage.
Xiang Yu's red eyes met the demon's, and for a moment, they hung suspended in time. The creature sensed the threat emanating from him and showed its sharp teeth while backing away.
With lightning speed his hand shot out, fingers closing around its throat. The demon struggled, claws scraping against Xiang Yu's skin, but he held firm. He jumped down from the tree, landing silently on the ground. This was good. He didn't have to go find one. It fell right into his lap.
"You are not the first demon I have killed," Xiang Yu whispered, his voice cold as the night. "You have two choices. One, I squeeze your throat till your eyes pop out or two, you take me to the northern realm."
The demon's eyes widened, fear replacing malice. It didn't move or speak for a very long time just staring at him like he was an idiot with a death wish. Xiang Yu smiled coldly and tightened his grip. The creature gasped, its life force slipping away. "Le-let me go. I will ta... take you," it choked out.
"Good," said Xiang Yu as he loosened his grip. The demon's scaled skin rippled with disgust having discovered that he was a half-blood abomination. Its eyes, slit and yellow, showed both disdain and fear. Xiang Yu's red eyes bore into the creature making it tremble subconsciously. With a bang, he dropped it to the ground and it yelped in pain.
It rolled up from the ground and pointed at him seeming emboldened. "You want passage to the demon realm," the demon hissed, its voice like gravel. "Why should I help you, mongrel?" It was about to run away and disappear in the thick underbrush but Xiang Yu ruthlessly stepped on its tail causing it to let out a piercing cry. The force of the impact sent the creature sprawling backwards, its tail almost torn off its body.
The forest erupted with wild shrieks and howls as the demon thrashed on the ground, its cries echoing into the distance. Xiang Yu stood over it his eyes searing with the smoldering fire. His hand rested on the hilt of his sheathed sword. "Because," he said, his smile chilling, "I can make your death swift or agonising. Your choice."
The demon trembled, torn between defiance and survival. It had grossly underestimated this half-demon. Now, it regretted its insolence. "Lead the way," Xiang Yu commanded as he squished that tail like he was squishing a cockroach eliciting a pained yelp.
"No tricks," he warned. "Or your suffering will be legendary." The demon tried to yank its tail back with a pleading expression. He released the demon's tail and the demon stumbled, then turned, its tail flicking nervously.
It obeyed, its footsteps hesitant. It found solace in thinking that this half-breed curse would die anyway. There was no way he would survive in the demon realm for a long time. Just that thought alone made it grin maliciously while comforting its poor tail.
Together, they left the mountain forest, descending toward the valley shrouded in thick mist. The air grew thicker, and the demon's breaths came in ragged bursts.
"Why?" it finally whispered. "Why seek the demon realm?"
Xiang Yu's red eyes glinted. "It's none of your business," he said. "Keep walking." As they stepped into the mist, the valley swallowed them whole. Xiang Yu's heart beat in rhythm with the shadows, and the demon led him deeper, toward the heart of darkness.
The thick mist clung to Xiang Yu's skin, its tendrils cold and suffocating. Each step felt like wading through a sea of decay. While walking he suddenly stepped on something gooey. The sensation sent shivers up his spine. He glanced down and the mist cleared. He had stepped on a rotting, mangled corpse, its features twisted in agony. His lips twitched, a mix of disgust and grim amusement.
The little demon urged him to walk faster, its yellow eyes darting nervously. It didn't want to seem too eager. The mist thickened, and Xiang Yu's ears caught the distant sounds of thundering demon feet. From where he was he could sense bloodlust within them as they rushed for the hunt.
Finally, the mist thinned, revealing a world far different from the human world. It was a place of chaos with blackened skies and a stench so dizzying it threatened to overwhelm him. The little demon tried to bolt, but Xiang Yu stepped on its tail again, pinning it in place. His hand rested on the hilt of his sword, and his smile was as cold as the abyss.
"Take me to the demon king's palace," Xiang Yu commanded, his voice low. The little demon trembled, eyes wide. It had underestimated this half-blood's desire to die.
"If you want to die why not die alone? Why bring me into this?" It said with regret in its voice. It had thought he was easy prey thus it approached him but who would have thought it would be forced to walk towards the slaughterhouse?
CREATORS' THOUGHTS
Andru_9788
Andru_9788
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