Chapter 13: Six years
Inside the cellar were women, children, and a few men huddled together, their eyes hollow. They were all ransom victims waiting for their families to pay for their freedom. Their lives were hanging by a thread. The young woman found her mother-in-law cradling her baby. Tears flowed freely as they embraced.
The others expressed their gratitude their gazes like they had seen a saviour. "Young Lord," they murmured, their voices a chorus of relief. Xiang Yu's brow arched. He was no lord, but titles mattered little in this moment.
He helped them down the mountain, away from the compound. And when they reached safety, he distributed the bandit's ill-gotten fortune among them.
As they counted the coins, Xiang Yu's gaze lingered on the young woman. Her eyes held a mix of awe and fear as she looked at him cautiously. He was just a little boy but his eyes and aura were unsettling. He smiled at her, a smile with no sarcasm or ill will. It was a genuine warm smile from his heart.
"Take care of your baby and tell them that you love them no matter what," he said his hand clutching the jade pendant hanging around his neck.
The young woman hugged her baby closer her expression a little vexed. That was because her child was her whole world so why would she not take care of him? She didn't know that in this world there was a mother who would try and kill her ten-year-old son.
This one encounter was the beginning of a legend. It was the tale of a red-eyed half-demon child.
They said he had eyes like smouldering coals, crimson and piercing. His presence carried an otherworldly aura like a god. To the poor and forgotten he was their salvation.
He roamed the realm, a solitary figure in torn robes, his blade swift and merciless. Where immortals turned their backs, he stepped forward. Even the most fierce bandits quaked at the mere mention of his name.
Xiang Yu was completely unaware of this. He sat up with a jolt waking up from his sleep. His hand brushed against something and it fell onto the ground with a clatter. He glanced down from the rock he was sleeping on. He found that it was his things that the bandits had robbed from him. Confusion clouded his mind for a moment. He remembered everything that happened last night. He recalled how he gathered the blood of beech tree branches in the mountains and burnt them making the bandits kill each other.
That was the plan but he hadn't done it, had he? He remembered doing it but he didn't feel like he did it. It felt like a lucid dream. His mind buzzed unable to make sense of it.
After what seemed like an eternity he lay back on the rock staring at the rough ceiling. His laughter bubbled up. It was a wild and unsettling sound echoing off the cave walls. The creatures nearby fled into the shadows in fear.
***
Fully aware of his shortcomings Xiang Yu knew he had to do some sort of training. In the world of demons, only the strong were recognised. If he was too weak he would die before even laying his eyes on his father.
Since cultivation was not an option for him he decided to do martial arts training. He headed north wanting to be close to the demon realm and then find a master there but he ended up in the imperial city.
He had saved the sixth prince's convoy from low-level demons along the way and he was badly injured. He passed out and when he woke up he found himself in the imperial palace.
As a token of appreciation, he was given an imperial order to join the dead guards. They moved like ghosts protecting the son of heaven. They were like the emperor's silent enforcers protecting him at all costs.
For six years, he trained with the dead guards in the art of becoming invisible just like a ghost. He became a senior brother to plenty of junior brothers who revered him and followed him around like baby chicks.
From the first day that he arrived at the enclave, his master saw something in him. He had high expectations of him thus he was more strict with him. Xiang Yu mastered several sword techniques in such a short time. Impressed, his master constantly introduced him to more training manuals. But it wasn't just sword techniques he was introduced to.
Yue Buqun taught him about poisons, their lethality and their antidotes. He also learnt archery and daggers became an extension of his will. He learned to move like smoke, to vanish into the night.
And beyond the physical training, Xiang Yu absorbed knowledge of the art of being a dead guard. He understood disguises, infiltration, and the power of silence. As the years passed, his skills sharpened and he was sent on several missions. He was so exceptional that the emperor wanted him to be in service but his master insisted that he wasn't ready yet.
For the first time in his life, Xiang Yu felt a sense of belonging. His master though stoic was quite proud of him and his juniors admired him. For a moment he thought this could be his life. Well, all of that changed overnight.
Xiang Yu returned to the enclave his breath visible in the frigid air. He spotted his master's stoic figure standing outside with a lost expression.
"Master," he called out and the old man looked like he had aged ten years in just a few days. He had only been gone for six days so what could have happened?
"Go... see for yourself," he said his voice hoarse. Xiang Yu went inside and found two of his juniors wrapped in bandages. At a glance, one could tell how severe their injuries were. It was as though they had been attacked by a beast.
"They were attacked by a demon," he said his voice measured. "The two of them are in critical condition and... one of your junior brothers... little Chang is dead."
Xiang Yu was familiar with this junior brother. He was the one who cried a lot when he first came here. He would run around calling senior brother this senior brother that to everyone almost driving them insane but he always lightened up the mood.
When he saw the boy's mangled body his fists clenched nails biting into his palms. Something primal stirred within him, something he had struggled to restrain over the years.
The killing intent emanating from his body was so intense almost tangible. Yue Buqun could sense his turmoil. He had long sensed the darkness that threatened to overwhelm his best disciple. The dead guards were meant to be cold and unfeeling, ruthless in their actions, but Xiang Yu was a different breed. He couldn't hide the blood thirst and cruelty underneath his skin from him.
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 14: An eye for an eye
Xiang Yu closed his eyes suppressing the violent emotion bubbling inside of him. His breaths steadied, the snowflakes melting on his lashes.
He opened his eyes and the old man who was watching him intently saw the struggle in them. After a long silence, Yue Buqun said, "We have sent for the cultivators," his voice sombre. "They will deal with the demon." This demon shouldn't have reached the imperial city in the first place. That's because the righteous sects were expected to maintain the protective barrier around the city. They had failed to do their job and now the imperial city was compromised. Xiang Yu said nothing more but his master knew him too well. He wasn't the kind to let things go.
His master was right. Xiang Yu wanted blood. He wanted to paint the snow red with the demon's blood. His lowered eyes burned with fury, as he nodded to his master. That night, he slipped away his movements agile and almost invisible.
In the snow-laden forest, Xiang Yu's breaths formed frosty clouds as he halted his boots sinking into the snow. His fingers clenched around the hilt of his sword his knuckles turning white.
His demonic aura stirred his red eyes flashing with an ominous light. He closed them shutting himself from the world. He focused on the sensation stirring inside of him. Xiang Yu felt a strong malicious force towards the east of the forest.
His lips quirked into an evil smile the blood thirst in his eyes palpable. He headed east. After twenty minutes of walking, he spotted a flickering flame dancing at a cave entrance. His breaths formed frosty clouds as he approached his sword in his hand.
A figure sat by the fire wearing a blue mink fur cloak, its luxurious pelts shimmering like moonlight on water. Her amber eyes met his, and a smile curved her lips.
Xiang Yu stepped forward his blade unsheathed, its edge reflecting the ethereal light. His red eyes dripping with animosity bore into the female demon.
She smiled with a malicious curve on her lips her eyes gleaming with amusement. "A half-blood," she taunted, her voice like shards of ice. She spat on the ground her expression shifting to that of disgust. Xiang Yu's expression remained stoic, the coldness in his gaze unyielding.
She was injured but a half-blood was nothing to fret over. She had already killed a homeless man and a courtesan, draining their life force to fuel her recovery. But those souls had been weak, their essence barely a flicker.
She needed more which was why she attacked one of those young men. She had initially mistaken them for cultivators thus she didn't dare attack them at once. Her injuries had left her in a vulnerable position but she was tempted by their golden cores.
Absorbing just one of them was enough to heal most of her injuries. When they separated she followed the weakest one and struck him. She was disappointed when she realised it was just a mere mortal with no golden core at all. He might have not been a cultivator but he wasn't easy to deal with.
That brat's movements were slippery. At his last breath, he smiled and sent out a signal alerting the other two young men. In the end, she expended so much energy and didn't even get to taste her prey. That's because a group of men dressed like these three appeared.
She could subdue these three but in her current state, she couldn't withstand an attack from seven trained martial artists. In her desperation, she unleashed a firestorm and fled. After expelling so much energy, a weak half-blood demon was what she needed to recover. It was like he had dropped himself into her lap. This was what she would call easy prey.
Thinking of absorbing this halfling's core, she licked her lips with her long tongue, her unsettling eyes gleaming with hunger. "How about we stop wasting each other's time and you kneel in surrender? Maybe I will be merciful and award you a quick death," she said fire dancing along her fingertips.
Xiang Yu didn't answer. His blade reflected the moonlight, its edge keen. She tilted her head, studying him. "You are brave," she said. "Unfortunately that will get you killed."
Xiang Yu's lips quirked evilly. "We will see," he said his murderous intent shaking her resolve for a moment.
Annoyed by it she unsheathed her sword, and fierce flames danced along its blade. She lunged forward. Their swords clashed the impact jarring Xiang Yu's bones. He staggered back into the snow, the cold seeping through his boots but he held his ground his expression just as fierce.
She attacked again, her strikes relentless. Xiang Yu could feel the searing heat from her sword. His arms trembled, but he refused to yield. With a malicious smile, she taunted him. "Give up," she hissed, her voice like the crackle of burning wood. "Your half-blood lineage makes you weak."
But Xiang Yu was stubborn. He lunged forward his blade slicing through the snow. The demon dodged, agile as a shadow. And then, she kicked him back with strong force sending him sprawling into the snow.
He coughed up blood, but his expression remained unchanged. He was like a resentful spirit, fuelled by vengeance. He wiped the blood with the back of his hand while gripping his sword with the other.
She faced him the flames on her swords burning fiercely charged by her wrath. She thought he would be easy to deal with but he was like a cockroach, he was hard to kill.
His movements were fluid and his strikes were precise. She fiercely swung her sword the flames searing at his chest. Xiang Yu gritted his teeth his demon blood surging and on the verge of eruption. His retaliation was so fierce that she was overpowered and lost grip of her sword sending it flying across the snow. Surprise flickered in her eyes but it was soon replaced with raging fumes.
Erupting in anger, she unleashed fire storms. The ferocious flames consumed the forest and scorched the snow. Xiang Yu ran, dodging behind the trees, his purpose clear. He wanted her to exhaust herself and then take advantage of the opportunity.
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
Gifts
-- Gift
received Weekly Power Status
200+ Power
Ranking 
654 Power
stone 
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