บท 11: "... tell me about the demon realms,"
Deep in the mountain forest, a well-hidden bandit camp lay shrouded in silence. The guards on night watch immersed themselves in a dice game instead of patrolling. One unsuspecting bandit ventured into the darkness to relieve himself against a tree.
Just as he pulled down his pants there was a swift blow to the back of his neck. He crumpled on the forest floor but the sound was too muffled to attract the attention of his companions.
A shadowy figure with scarlet eyes as though dripping with blood, dragged the unconscious guard deeper into the woods. He unsheathed the bandit's dagger and moved within the shadows.
He snatched a log from the campfire and used its burning embers to ignite a bundle of dried herbs known for their strong hallucinogenic properties. The acrid smoke spiralled upward, casting eerie shadows.
His mouth and nose masked by a damp cloth he tossed the branches near the windows of the sleeping camp.
Then like a predator lying in wait, he stood in the shadows watching, his red eyes glinting like dying embers. Soon chaos erupted within the camp as the herb-infused smoke drifted. Bandits stumbled out of their sleeping quarters and shrill screams followed after. The bandits mistook each other for monstrous creatures. Swords clashed, and blood sprayed across the forest floor. It was a horrifying mix of confusion and violence.
In that moon-drenched night, the bandit camp transformed into a realm of nightmares, where reality blurred and primal instincts ruled. The shadowy figure watched the chaos with cold unfeeling eyes. This person resembling a resentful spirit in the inky darkness was indeed Xiang Yu, but one could tell at a glance that something was extremely wrong with him.
He slipped into the bandit leader's house. It was easy to identify as it was the nicest house in this compound. Its walls echoed with screams of chaos. It seemed the people inside had also been affected by the smoke. When he entered the room from where the blood-curdling screams were coming from he found a man whose body was covered in blood and in a crazed madness.
He was straddling a helpless figure on the bed, the blade of his dagger poised to strike. His eyes, wild and desperate, met Xiang Yu's fiery gaze. "Evil creature from hell, I will send you back from where you came HAHAHAHAHA!!" he bellowed while the person on the bed tried to push him away. The man turned his attention to the person on his bed intending to slit the throat of the so-called beast.
Without hesitation, Xiang Yu leapt over the corpse of the bandit at the door and lunged towards the crazed man. He struck a blow at the base of the bandit's neck and the man collapsed.
The young woman crawled from underneath the bandit's body and trembled in the corner, her wide eyes locked onto the monstrous creature in front of her. She wanted to scream for help but who could save her? She had screamed till her voice was hoarse when those men took her but no one came to her rescue thus she just cowered in silence. Maybe death would come quicker.
Xiang Yu recognised her. She was one of the people who ran into the forest when the ox cart was attacked by the bandits. She had run off with her baby in her arms and mother-in-law but it seemed they didn't manage to escape. Xiang Yu scanned the room for a cloth but he couldn't find any. He tore the sheets on the bed while saying, "You are hallucinating. Once you cover your mouth and nose with this your eyes will soon clear." He wet the cloth and handed it to her. The young woman was sceptical her back pressed against the wall.
"Take it," came his voice in a whisper.
"Thank you," she spoke her voice barely above a whisper taking it from him. She tied it covering her nose and mouth obediently.
"Stay inside," he murmured, his tone gentle yet commanding. "Lock the door and the windows. Don't come out until sunrise."
She nodded, fear etched across her face. She wanted to go out and find her baby and her mother-in-law but she knew she couldn't. The screams and intense smell of blood coming from outside deterred her.
The monstrous creature soon faded in her eyes turning into a shadowy figure dragging the bandit leader's limp body past the overturned furniture and flickering lanterns. Once his figure disappeared she did as told locking the door behind him before cowering in the corner her trembling hands covering her ears.
Xiang Yu dragged the man into a wooden shed behind the house. He used hemp rope to bind the man's wrists, securing him to a splintered beam. He grabbed a wooden bucket and filled it with water from the vast barrel outside that captured rainwater.
With a splash, he drenched the stout man in water waking him up. He watched coldly as the once-feared bandit squirmed against his restraints. The effects of the smoke had long vanished so he could clearly see. Xiang Yu especially chose this place because there was no smoke lingering in this place.
When the bandit leader saw the skinny figure of a young boy he was less intimidated "You brat, untie me and maybe I will let you live?" When the young man didn't respond he scoffed, thinking this was some sick joke someone was playing on him. "What are you going to do with that? You will cut yourself," he said intentionally trying to soften his voice to coax the brat.
But when the boy turned, the air thickened, and the room seemed to shrink. He was suppressed by the demonic aura emanating from that scrawny figure. The boy's eyes blazed crimson his pupils like hungry flames. The bandit leader's bravado crumbled. Wet warmth spread down his legs.
"My, my Lord who who are you?" the bandit leader stammered, his voice barely audible.
Xiang Yu frowned with disgust noticing the wet patch on the man's pants. His tiny hand held a wickedly sharp dagger, its edge grazing the leader's throat. "The things you stole," he said, his tone colder than the night wind. "Where are they?"
The bandit leader's mind raced. He had never encountered anything like this. He had encountered a few demons in his lifetime but this child wielded darkness like a weapon. Fear clawed at his chest. "In the hidden compartment beneath the floorboards," he confessed, his voice trembling. "Please, spare me my lord."
Xiang Yu's eyes narrowed. "Spare you?" He smiled evilly the cold blade pressing hard against the man's skin, "I will consider it... if you tell me everything you know about the demon realms." The man nodded like a chicken pecking at rice not daring to look into those dangerous eyes.
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Andru_9788
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