Early in the morning of the next day, Zhuo Yi Chen wakes up wrapped in the arms of his great demon. With all that had happened the night before, they went back to bed quite late and talked about the things they might soon face, such as Li Lun's return to take desperate revenge on them in the dying body of their dear young friend and Wen Xiao's poison, which they still don't know if they will be able to detoxify or find an antidote.
"You wake up too early, Xiao Zhuo. You can rest for a few more hours. I doubt anyone will disturb us when the sun is barely shining in the sky." Zhu Yan held him closer and give him a soft kiss on his forehead.
"Didn't you sleep at all?" Zhuo Yi Chen asked as he raised his head to look at his mocking smile.
"Of course not, how am I going to fall asleep with such a handsome young man glued to me all night? I'll have you know that you have a tendency to touch me all over while you sleep, not to mention entangle your firm legs between mine like a coiled dragon ready to give me the most pleasurable kind of torture and..." Yi Chen hurriedly pulled away from that demon while blushing profusely.
"Forget it, you are impossible even this early in the morning." Yi Chen said as he sat.
"But it's true, I couldn't get a lick of sleep last night, my desire burns quite bright when you touch me like that." Zhu Yan keep up the teasing, while enjoying the sight of his lovely dragon flushed face. He was so easy to tease that he just couldn't help it.
"I was asleep, how will I know I was touching you? Wait... you're lying, you perverted monkey, right?" Zhu Yan laughed.
"Of course not, let me tell you, being a perfect gentleman is pretty hard..."
"Yeah, you are definitely lying because hell will freeze over before you turn yourself into a gentleman of any kind. Let it rest Zhu Yan, we can begin our day in a better way than bickering."
"Oh? My apologies, Xiao Zhuo let me make it up to you then." And before Yi Chen could stop it, his great demon was kissing him in the way that make his blood rush and his mind go blank, only focusing in the soft sensation of Zhu Yan's lips on his and the way his body yearned for more.
They kissed for a few minutes before Yi Chen pulled away somewhat reluctantly, still believing himself to be a mortal with limitations on holding his breath. His heart was already a beating mess in his chest, as was his labored breathing from holding it while they kissed. As a demon, they could kiss all day without a problem, but he didn't feel like a true demon yet, so he allowed his mind to stop the frenzy midway. It was a bit embarrassing, but until he came to terms with his new, stronger, almost immortal body, things were destined to end awkwardly.
"Xiao Zhuo... it's fine..." Zhu Yan whisper as he cupped his beautiful blushing face in his warm hands.
"It will take me some time to get used to my new identity. Maybe I should cultivate my inner energy instead of being swept away by your passion."
"It's not just mine, Yi Chen, it's yours too and cultivating it is fine as well. You're so new to this that you need all the practice you can get, but it's okay to have a little fun in between."
"You enjoy teasing me too much, don't you?"
"Of course, but that's only because I seriously love you, because I seriously consider you my soul mate and want you as such."
"I... Zhu Yan... I love you too, but... I have never been in a romantic relationship with a woman, much less with a man..." The confession was unnecessary, as everyone knew of his single status, as well as his clumsy way of showing his emotions.
"We still have a lot of time ahead of us. There's no need to rush. Despite the way I tease you and sometimes get a little carried away, I can wait for you to set your own pace. Demons have a lot of patience and this is just the beginning between the two of us. Don't be embarrassed, because I love that awkward side of you as much as everything else you are."
"Ah, don't say things like that, you're only making me more embarrassed." Zhu Yan laughed again.
"Come on, Yi Chen, we all know how much you enjoy praise." He said and Yi Chen burned brighter, unable to fully deny his claim.
"Seriously, Yi Chen, you're too cute for your own good." Zhu Yan whisper as he hug him so lovingly.
"I'm not that vain... Zhu Yan."
"I know... let's just give your cultivation a try. The more you are aware of the powers you held the more ready you will be to face any danger. Last time you concentrate into one-word spell, now concentrate in something else."
"Like what?"
"Whatever you feel ready to try. This place has so much water around it that it can give you an advantage in a fight, if you can harness the true range of your senses. If what Ying Lei told us earlier is true, and I know it is, then Li Lun can make his appearance at any time and even if you don't have the sword, your demonic power can make up for it. Bing Yi's cold energy is your inheritance since birth, so it should be easier for you to master, while Ying Long is still a mystery to both of us and it will take a while to even figure out how it works."
"Okay..." Yi Chen muttered as he sat in the lotus position to cultivate his inner energy more efficiently. Certain spells required hand seals, but he would acquire them naturally once he learned more about what he could do with them. For now, he would let Zhu Yan guide him through the basics.
"Close your eyes and concentrate the demonic energy of Bing Yi on your focus point on your forehead, feel the water element flowing out of these stone walls, past the door and out into the hallway. Let your senses wander around, slowly, very slowly, just to take them in and have a better understanding. Make them part of your energy... make it call to you, like an element of life and let it linger... waiting for you like a parent for a child. Don't force it... just feel it as if it were something inside you, your demonic blood that wants to unite... that's it, Yi Chen, let your demonic energy run unbound and be part of the sense of this place, let it feel you and then, grab it and bend it to your will... this element is not just a weapon, it is also life, so treat it with respect." Zhu Yan gave instructions as Yi Chen did as he was told step by step, feeling the water element flow and join his energy in a peaceful dance. If there was anyone out there watching the display of power, they would have seen a beautiful spectacle of water dancing everywhere, with countless little dragons of bright bluish water and droplets floating around.
The effort of controlling so much water from a distance took its toll, making his forehead sweat and his ice tattoos to flare brighter, but the sensation of commanding the water at will was invigorating, so he held on, mentally feeling every movement of the water, controlling each drop as if they were pieces in a game of Go. Everything was beautiful in his mind, as if he were right there in the middle of the temple, and he smiled, enjoying the sensation despite the effort, because it made him feel more alive than ever.
Zhu Yan also smiled at the sight of Yi Chen genuinely having fun at something so simple. With his own senses he could feel his display as if he had seen it with his own eyes and he had to admit that Yi Chen must indeed be a water dragon, because it all felt so natural, so pure as his heart that it took his breath away. However, he could do more than that, Zhu Yan was sure of it.
"How about ice?" Zhu Yan asked and Yi Chen smiled wider as he moved his hands to make a compression seal and the water froze, turning into crystal clear ice tiny balls of ice that reflected the light of the endless candles.
"Burst." Yi Chen whispered as he commanded and the ice rainbows exploded into millions of pieces, falling harmlessly into the flowing water once again to renew the circle of life.
"That was very beautifully done, Yi Chen..." Zhu Yan praised his young dragon, who was opening his eyes while breathing heavily, though there was happiness in his bright blue eyes.
"Is still took me a lot of energy..." Yi Chen said as he rested his tired body on Zhu Yan, that gladly hold him on his arms.
"The more you practice, the easier it will get." Zhu Yan whisper to his ears and Yi Chen assented in agreement.
"I need to gather more energy and store it on my core. I'm still not use to this flow." Yi Chen admitted as Zhu Yan rubbed his back.
"Get some rest first. It won't do you any good to push yourself too hard when there's no danger nearby. Just maintain the same feeling in everything you try. Gather the energy, feel the flow, connect with the essence you're using, and command it. Once the Cloud Light Sword is restored, you can use it as an extension of your senses, it will help you guide your demonic energy and purify it if necessary." Zhu Yan gently laid him down on the bed and kissed him tenderly as a reward for such a wonderful display.
"Understood..." Yi Chen replied as he pulled Zhu Yan closer, placing his arms around his shoulder, feeling the warmth of his body heat as their lips met again, but this time with more ferocity as Yi Chen felt more confident in giving in to his own need. It was easy to lose himself in Zhu Yan's love, but since he chose to make the great demon his lover instead of his mortal enemy, to the point of even defying the heavens, then he really needed to play his part and stop freaking out.
So he indulged Zhu Yan's love, and his own, as he savored that forbidden fruit he couldn't avoid, neither by fate nor by his own choice. No matter how their story began, no matter how painful and difficult to accept, the feelings born of understanding and closeness were as real as their initial enmity. Yi Chen could no longer contain it, at least not as a demon, because now everything felt different, as if he had been reborn from the ashes of the suffering mortal he was, torn between filial duty and the growing love for his mortal enemy, into a hopeful demon who could make a difference this time and challenge his path of tragedies. Now he had hope that he was strong enough to save his loved ones, and especially the man who until recently had only wanted to die at his hands.
"Yi Chen..." Zhu Yan whisper against his lips, but Zhuo Yi Chen was not yet ready to end it, so he avoided it by grabbing down his neck with one of his hands while the other remained on his shoulder. He could feel the demonic energy still flowing like a wrapping cloth inside of him, making him only more conscious of the weight and heat of the great demon atop him. His scent was already bewitching, but when they were kissing it was inebriating and he need it.
"Yi Chen..." Zhu Yan try again, but that only gained a soft moan of protest from Yi Chen, still unwilling to part from him for long enough to whisper more than his name.
"My beautiful Yi Chen... I said you need to rest not to play with my weak heart..." Zhu Yan whisper once he could finally stare at the man bellow him a few more minutes later, with a kind of desire that was starting to make his eyes go reddish and his own demonic energy to manifest.
"Who's playing? Isn't this what you wanted all night?" Zhuo Yi Chen asked as he try to regulate his labored breathing, with his arms still around his lover neck.
"Indeed, you are definitely what I want most of all, but certainly not now... is such a bad timing, but someone is coming..."
"Please, not Ying Lei again, it's so early..." Yi Chen sighed closing his eyes, while letting his arms fall at his sides. With such a defeated expression, Zhu Yan could only smile at him with sympathy and give him a quick kiss as a peace offering.
"Don't worry, is not him this time, but the one we have been waiting for since last night. I guess you were so trap into your demonic energy and kissing that you fail to notice her divine presence, but I assure you we can end this at some other, less pressing time... let's go." Zhu Yan said as he help Yi Chen to sit again and then both of them were out bed and into the wet hallway.
As expected, Bai Yan was already waiting for them, as she had sensed and witnessed Zhuo Yi Chen's earlier display of energy and expected them to come looking for answers as soon as possible. Ying Lei also sensed Bai Yan's return and soon welcomed them with his usual enthusiasm.
"Good morning, commander, great demon, shall I have the girls join us as well?" He asked and Yi Chen was glad it hadn't been them, whom he had decided to wake up, otherwise it would have been another awkward moment for him to handle.
"That won't be necessary, Ying Lei. Wen Xiao is the Baize Goddess and and she will know her token had return. I'm sure she will be here soon to join us and I know you must have a lot of questions to ask me." Bai Yan guessed correctly, as Zhuo Yi Chen most of all was dying to have some answers to his many questions.
"We heard that the Baize's token was poisoned, just like Wen Xiao's, is that true?" Zhuo Yi Chen asked first. Although he would never doubt Wen Xiao's words, this would give Bai Yan the perfect opportunity to realize that everyone already knew the truth about her situation, and hopefully, she would have the answers they needed so desperately.
"Those who poisoned her knew very well what they were doing and left her little to no choice to stay alive." She said seriously, which made the men in front of her even more worried.
"So there is no antidote or cure we can use, no matter how difficult it is to obtain?" Zhuo Yi Chen asked, shocked, clenching his fist in frustration.
"There is no antidote that we know of, and I ask all the old mountain gods around the Kunlun Mountains. In that matter, there is nothing we can do to help her." She said and Zhuo Yi Chen closed his eyes for a moment, feeling Zhu Yan's hand on his back as he approached.
"Then, only the dragon scale is left." Zhu Yan bluntly suggested, not that Yi Chen was not going to offer it to her, but he was bested by his lover who did it first, and the woman's eyes widened in surprise at the suggestion, as if the thought hadn't even occurred to her.
"No, you can't use the scale to detoxify the goddess; there's only one option when the scale can only be used once. I know it may sound cruel, and as her friends, you might not be willing, but her fate is destined to be tragic, like all the other goddesses before her." Bai Yan tried to explain, but none of the men seemed to want to bear the burden of sacrificing the goddess for the sake of her son, which was wrong for more than one reason.
"I know your son is important and we must save him no matter what it takes, but Wen Xiao's life is just as precious as his. I don't know why we are always having these kinds of impossible decisions to make whether they are fake or real, but the answer will always be the same. I don't sacrifice one for another..." Yi Chen said with the same frankness, and Ying Lei felt caught between two possibilities that he equally couldn't prioritize, because even though Bai Jiu was very important to him, so was the goddess.
"It's not like that, Xiao Zhuo... she's right, and the scale should be used to repair the sword, not to save me." Wen Xiao said from behind them, and they all turned to look at her, their expressions varying from sorrow, disbelief, and resignation.
"Wen Xiao, this is a real situation now and we can't..."
"Xiao Zhuo, I know what you mean, but it's okay. The reason why Bai Jiu has priority over me is more significant than releasing him from Li Lun's control. You all should know by now that he is not an ordinary half god, he is a very special one that we can't let him be possessed for much longer." Wen Xiao interrupted him before he could finish his obvious disapproval.
"What do you mean by that?" Ying Lei asked.
"Between my son and the sake of the wold, I will choose the world despite how much pain it brings to me. The reason my son must be bring back is not because I cant make that hard decision, but because is the less destructive choice of the two. The goddess, much to like the malicious energy inside the great demon is an endless cycle. When one die, then there will be another very shortly, but Bai Jiu is different because as a mix of two great powers, the power of life and dead duels within him. Beside been able to revive inheriting with his blood he can also absorb the world vitality leaving everything barren." Bai Yan started and Wen Xiao follow.
"Been too young, he is not fully awaken yet, but if Li Lun were ever to fully possess Bai Jiu's power, then he could bring dead and famine to the world just as deadly as a chaos beast." Wen Xiao explained.
"But he is poison... most likely with the same one as the goddess." Ying Lei pointed.
"Someone who possessed the power to bring back the dead will not die that easily." Zhu Yan said as he understood what was truly at stake now.
"But we can't let Wen Xiao die just like that..." Yi Chen still protested, but was stopped by Wen Xiao herself as she softly placed one hand on his face.
"Xiao Zhuo... my Master once warned me that been a goddess was like taking the burden of the world on our shoulders to ensure that it stayed whole and safe. I knew from the start the one day, just like her, I may end up giving up my life to save it... is what it means to be a goddess... is my fate, just like been cursed is yours..." She said sadly and Yi Chen swallow the rest of his protest down his throat. It was not like he was giving up on saving her, but that he was going to find another way for her and to do that, he needed help.
Thus, he slightly looked at Pei Si Jing, who was already expecting this from him and she assented to him in understanding. Later, when the sword was whole again, they will look for what else could be done to save her and Pei Si Jing, already was a step ahead.
"Alright then... how can the sword be restored?" Yi Chen asked as he slightly squeezed Zhu Yan's hand so he too could understand that the matter of Wen Xiao's poison was not really over.
"The power of the Cloud Light sword was forged by the most powerful demons of ancient times, thus nothing in the mortal world can be used to reforge it. The only way to do so now is using the ever burning wood inside Zhu Yan's body to smelt it and make it whole again." The silence that followed was deafening as Zhu Yan and Yi Chen stared at each other for a moment.
"Why is like this again? I guess we truly are cursed..." Yi Chen said tiredly of having one blow after another, but this time it was Zhu Yan's turn to calm him down.
"Me using the ever-burning fire is different from been poison, Xiao Zhuo, is not going to kill me at least..."
"Not killing you? That thing burned Li Lun's body to nothingness."
"Don't panic, I assure you that will not happen to me. It's been inside of me for so long, it will not kill me."
"Is inside you core!"
"Yes, but the malicious energy inside of me will prevent it from consuming me as it had done so far."
"And it had been enough while you were at your best, but that's not the case right now."
"Yi Chen, if Wen Xiao can accept dying from poison for the sake of the world, I can accept to damage my inner core for a while."
"Zhu Yan!"
"It's okay... I will be heavily drained and weak for a long time, but we are not curse enough to not have a way out. Your energy can be freezing, which can help me relief from the burning and heal me to some degree. With your new demonic energy you can also protect me better. Trust me Yi Chen... we need to do this." Zhu Yan took his hand and to his surprise he wrote the character of Wen Xiao's name follow by 'to save her' and Yi Chen really didn't see another way out of that one.
"Alright, but I will need time to cultivate and gather enough energy for what's coming, so I suggest we do this later at night." Yi Chen suggested and having no objections, he turned to leave, not without giving Pei Si Jing a commanding look she knew perfectly well what it meant.
A few minutes later, as Yi Chen sat on the steps back to Mount Kunlun, Pei Si Jing sat beside him, already knowing what he would ask.
"I knew this was going to happen, so I took some liberties, so I hope you don't mind Zhuo Yi Chen." She said calmly, and Yi Chen nodded approvingly.
"I don't, so what can be done to save her?" He asked.
"I still have spies working for me at Chongwu Camp. Zhao Yuan Zhou knew about this from the beginning." She felt the need to clarify this so there wouldn't be any misunderstandings or suspicions like last time.
"I trust you, and I know how cunning he is... you don't have to worry about me suspecting him, either."
"I know you won't, given the nature of your current relationship."
"We need to find out if they have an antidote."
"I've already taken care of that, and someone from Chongwu Camp will be here in a few hours."
"Well done, I'll meet them personally, just in case."
"We can both do that, but weren't you going to cultivate until nightfall?" At that, Yi Chen couldn't help but blush slightly.
"I can't cultivate with him around, at least not for too long... he distracts me..." Pei Si Jing smirked.
"Commander, no matter where you go, he'll always be around."
"I know... but I hope he can get lost for a few hours..." Yi Chen joked.
"I can't." Zhu Yan's voice was swept away by the sudden wind that assaulted them in a spell that made Yi Chen smile in spite of himself.
"Damn monkey." He cursed.
" Ape... it's ape..." Another wave of wind hit them.
"Alright Zhu Yan, come here already... you are only covering us with snow with that cheap spell." Zhuo Yi Chen said as he dusted himself of the snow with an amused smile on his beautiful face.
"You seem more cheerful now, commander.... I'm glad he can do for you more than hurt you and give you trouble."
"We haven't broken the curse yet, so it's too early to say for sure. Take good care of Wen Xiao and keep her close, I know she must be in pain as much as Zhu Yan will be soon. When the men from the Camp arrive, we'll have them give us some real answers."
"I'm sure we'll get what we want... but the great demon will have to suffer regardless..." Pei Si Jing said as she stood up and walked away, passing by Zhu Yan, who happily took her place on the stairs next to his lover.
"I will be fine, Yi Chen..." He said to his beautiful dragon that simply rest his head on his shoulder as soon as he have him close enough.
"You will not be fine... but I will be there for you for as long as it takes." He whisper and Zhu Yan smiled.
"So will I... we will find another way to change all the bad fortune we seem to attract."
"We can always bite it back." Yi Chen said as he close his eyes to enjoy the moment before he went back to cultivate until the ones for the Camp arrive.
AN: Thanks for reading. I try many AI words to pictures converter to try display what Yi Chen did with his control on water, but it was a total failure as you can see in the last picture. Hope you like this, until next time, take care.