Once in the city and having a close look at to what was happening, they all knew that they have their hands full with that plague that giving the magnitude of it, could not be anything else than planned for some malicious reason.
It was clear that everything pointed towards the Chongwu Camp, but there was no real time to delve into the creation of evil by malicious men, because the people of Tiandu were suffering and they had nothing to do with one side or the other, so they focused on searching for the cause of the plague and how it could be cured once they found the source.
Zhu Yan, Zhuo Yi Chen, Ying Lei, and Pei Sijing went out to search for clues about the cause of the disease and its rapid spread. Bai Jiu stayed behind at the Bureau to first check on Wen Xiao and see if he could find a way to detoxify and save her. He wasn't called a genius for nothing, and he couldn't let down either Wen Xiao or his beloved Zhuo Yi Chen, who had expected great things from him by choosing him for his team. It was about time he proved his worth and did something to turn things around once and for all.
"How is it?" Wen Xiao asked as he took her pulse, and he sighed.
"I will not lie to you, it's not good. This poison is the product of a twisted mind, but since I've studied with him for many years, even if I've never seen his true self, I know his ways." Bai Jiu told her, and Wen Xiao didn't know if it was good or bad.
"Can it be detoxified?" She asked.
"Yes and no. There's demon blood mixed with poisonous herbs. I can make an antidote for the toxic herbs he used in the mixture, but I don't know how the demon blood he used detoxifies. I have no experience with demon blood uses, but that doesn't mean I can't work around it. Don't worry... I'll think of something, but in the meantime, I'll make something to detoxify you, at least partially." Bai Jiu promised her and Wen Xiao was relieved that at least she wasn't going to die in the next few hours, as even if she couldn't be fully cured, it would at least give them time to find another way.
"Thank you, Xiao Jiu. Even so young, you're an amazing doctor." She praised him, but Bai Jiu didn't think he deserved it. It was because of him that she was poisoned in the first place, and just as nothing could change the fact that the great demon Zhu Yan killed the demon hunters on Mount Kunlun that bloody moon night, including Zhuo Yi Chen's brother and father, nothing could change the fact that he was the one who poisoned Wen Xiao and nearly killed both his beloved Xiao Zhuo and Ying Lei, not to mention the great harm he inflicted in Zhu Yan.
"Take some rest for now and when the medicine is ready, I will look for you." He suggested, but Wen Xiao could not just lie in bed when there was so much work to do around and so many people ill inside the Bureau too.
"I will check on father's condition and then yours, since I am already poison, I'm better suited to tend them until you can figure out how to cure this plague." She offered and Bai Jiu assented in gratitude.
"I promise it will not take too long. We will save the people of Tiandu as well as those we love. Don't over do it, though you need rest too." Bai Jiu warned her, but she just smiled and then left to tend the people they care for.
Zhu Yan used the newly recovered energy from his bond with Yi Chen to try to locate the source of the plague, as it must surely be the work of a demon if it did indeed involve Chongwu Camp, and was pleased to discover that despite not being in his previous best form, both his physical exchange with Yi Chen and the essence he left within him were working wonders on his damaged core. His little dragon, aside from being a cute little thing, was quite the hard worker, just like the one he belonged to.
"I got it Yi Chen, follow me." Zhu Yan said as he walked without hesitation toward where he pick the trace of the scent of a demon that shouldn't be around. The mere thought that it might still be nearby, in who knows what twisted and impossible form, was sad and more heartbreaking than his death.
"What's wrong? Is it a demon on the loose?" Yi Chen asked, and Zhu Yuan wished he could answer with a yes, but the reality was different.
"It's not loose, but it will definitely haunt us, if it really is who I think it is." Zhu Yan replied, further piquing Yi Chen's curiosity as he kept up with his hurried pace.
"Who?" He asked, and Zhu Yan turned his head to look at him for a second before answering.
"Fei." The great demon respond, and Zhuo Yi Chen stopped in his tracks, surprised to hear that name after his core turned to glittering dust in the wind.
"You're joking, right?" Yi Chen asked, as he fell in step with his great demon once again.
"No. It's his scent... not all of it though. It's mixed with something else, something I don't know exactly what it is... but maybe Bai Jiu does know. The Chongwu Camp may have kept many things from him in the past, but he is smart and talented. The rest is up to him, but I'm sure he'll find a way to deal with this like he did in the past." Zhu Yan said, and the two of them walked into one of the houses at one side of the city.
Inside was a small family consisting of a child and a mother, both bedridden from an illness they couldn't cure. But Yi Chen couldn't leave them like that, so he used his demonic energy to at least alleviate their symptoms so they could rest better. Zhu Yan did the same to the child and took away the big sachet the boy was holding with all his strength. It was a cruel sight to see a child's innocence been used for such a great evil and it anger Zhu Yan as much as it did Yi Chen.
"Is it there?" Yi Chen asked when they finished tending the family and left the house.
"Yes. There's blood inside. Fei's blood."
"That should be impossible. We both saw Fei disappear without a trace."
"I agree it should be impossible, but with the evil way Camp Chongwu operates, I don't think that impossible applies to them anymore."
"But this kind of thing is too much to be overlooked even by King Xiang. This is no different than suicide. Why go to such lengths?" Asked Yi Chen as they walked back to the agreed meeting place with Pei Si Jing and Ying Lei before returning to the Bureau.
"I think they don't care about human rules anymore, which makes me suspect even more that Wen Zongyu isn't dead at all."
"But I saw him burn to ashes with my own eyes, and by the fire of the Ever-Burning Wood, no less. That can't be faked."
True... but they've been creating demons left and right, without remorse or fear of the consequences. That only means one thing, Chongwu Camp in Wen Zongyu's hands is merely a means to an end, a way to put his obsessive desire for revenge into action, and he will stop at nothing to achieve it, even if he becomes the very thing he hates. So tell me, what kind of bird can rise from its ashes?" Zhu Yan asked, and Yi Chen gasped in astonishment.
"A phoenix! But obtaining a phoenix core should be even more impossible. There are very rare, practically gone for centuries and only living in old legends."
"Not if a blind dragon princess was involved. She probably gave him the phoenix pearl she possessed. Her blind love had no room to doubt her beloved until she realized he was using her to force her to give him her scale to save his wife. That idiot gave that monster the means to become even more powerful. Let's return quickly, Xiao Zhuo... we need to make serious plans and treat this plague as an act of treason against humanity." Zhu Yan quickened his pace even further to regroup with the rest of the team as soon as possible.
Soon after, everyone came before Bai Jiu, handed him the sachet, and told him about their assumptions and findings, which was a lot for a child to take on in one go, yet he paced back and forth trying to see the bigger picture, so as not to fall for the trick that had been set up to trap them.
"I'm sure they caused this plague to force us to do something, but what's the catch?" Ying Lei asked the group as he mimicked Bai Jiu, walking in the opposite direction of the young doctor, and they eventually collided.
"Stop that you idiot, I'm trying to do some serious thinking here." Bai Jiu protested, and Ying Lei opted to sit by the koi pond with Pei Si Jing.
"They obviously want us to try to save people, it's the only reasonable explanation to involve an entire city in their plans." Yi Chen reason.
"Yes, but why? Assuming there's a cure, and Bai Jiu has to find it and use it to cure people... then what's the point of making them sick?" Pei Si Jing asked, and in that instant, everyone understood the answer and shouted in unison.
"Ingredients!"
"They want us to use a particular ingredient... but I... haven't studied the plague yet. What kind of harmful ingredients do they want me to give them?" Bai Jiu asked nervously and Yi Chen approached his younger brother and placed his hands on his shoulders.
"So far, they've used demon blood, or something related. Whatever it is, the Cloud Light Sword can easily find it, we got this." Yi Chen told him with a doting smile, which made him even more nervous, as the great demon was looking at him as if it wanted to eat him. Bai Jiu gulped and smiled shyly back, which Zhu Yan found amusing. The boy was too easy to tease.
"Let's go to Bai Jiu's work clinic first and test the ingredients. If they were going to use them to take down this city, they should have already made them available at any time." Pei Si Jing suggested, and everyone headed there to check if she had guessed correctly.
Yi Chen stood, pointing the hilt of his Cloud Light Sword at the long wooden cabinet and its numerous boxes, one by one, until he finally got a bright reaction with one of them right in the center. Bai Jiu checked the name of that particular box and it was not so surprising to the young doctor, to find out that it was the paralysis fruit that Wen Zongyu had developed by himself.
"I should have known it would be the one he had me use to seal the great demon's sense of smell. This plague spreads by fragrance, which is why it stinks so much. Of course, in time, I'll remember it and use it to stop the spread, sealing people's sense of smell and treating the other symptoms like I did with the true Fei's previous plague." Bai Jiu explained, but as Yi Chen brought the sword closer to the box and the glow also intensified.
"It's more than that, for this strong reaction of the Cloud Light Sword, it's as if I'm standing in front of a powerful demon." Yi Chen opened the box, took one round fruit, and passed it to Zhu Yan to see if he felt the same he did when he touch it.
"This isn't a fruit... it's a demon core." Zhu Yan confirmed his suspicions, and everyone was shocked by the terrifying implication of what those bastards were planning to do to innocent people.
"This is outrageous! They wanted to turn the entire city into demonized humans? What kind of madness is this? I... I can't believe it!" Ying Lei was furious, and no one could blame him, because they all felt the same.
"But it's a good thing we discovered it in time." Pei Si Jing whispered, though rage was evident on her face.
"However, without this fruit, the plague will continue to spread. Even if I can treat the symptoms, it won't be completely eradicated." Bai Jiu pointed out in frustration, but at least they knew what they were up against.
"Focus on finding something that can replace this fruit, and I'll find the wood that repels diseases from Qing Geng Village. Besides, I think she deserves to know that someone is using Fei's blood for no good." Yi Chen offered, and Ying Lei stepped in to hand the Commander the Shanhai Portal, allowing them to come and go with ease.
"Thank you, take care of Bai Jiu. We don't know what else they have planned, and I'm sure they must still have spies around." Yi Chen said to Ying Lei, and the man was instantly full of determination, as if he had been tasked with protecting the most valuable treasure in the world. Zhu Yan smirked.
"The little mountain god is so easy to please." Zhu Yan joked.
"Leave him alone, we have important matters to attend to. Pei Si Jing, take care of Wen Xiao as well... and see if you can do anything to prevent Chongwu Camp from knowing that we discovered their plans."
"Don't worry, this time it's personal. I'll make sure they get what they deserve tenfold." She said, with a hint of something dangerous brewing in his heart, a kind of revenge she wouldn't forgive anyone behind this repulsive plot.
"Good, we'll be back soon." Yi Chen said, gently tapping Bai Jiu on the shoulder to encourage him and then Zhu Yan used his demonic energy to activate the Shanhai Portal back to the entrance of the little bird goddess village.
Once the golden dust cleared, they were glad to see that the village was as lively as they had left it, teeming with the life of busy streets, merchants selling their wares, businesses open for customers, lots of noise from daily activity and happy, healthy people enjoying the blessing their goddess brought them.
"I'm glad that at least this village has returned to what it was and stayed that way. Plagues are such depressing sights, bringing so much sadness and pain... I must say, humans can overcome demons if they really put their minds and hearts into it." Zhu Yan said, and Yi Chen couldn't agree more, even if he was once human.
"We're lucky that only a handful of humans are this twisted, otherwise we'd be spending too much effort hunting humans instead of demons." Yi Chen whispered as he walked through the busy market.
"Hmm. Then we should rename our current Demon Hunting Bureau the Human Hunting Bureau." At that joke, Yi Chen chuckled.
"Let's hope it doesn't come to that. We have enough mischievous demons to deal with, and I had the biggest one right on my side." He sneered, and Zhu Yan laughed.
"You're getting good at comebacks, my beautiful and lovely mate." Zhu Yan teased him, seeing a slight blush on the tips of his ears.
"Don't call me that..." Yi Chen whispered through gritted teeth.
"No? Then what about my dear wife?"
"You..."
"Is that one no good either? Then what about, husband?"
"Zhu Yan! Cut the nonsense! What I meant was, don't call me that in public. Being mates is fine, that's what we are, after all, but that's just between us." Yi Chen blushed.
"Ah, Xiao Zhuo, you are too cute when shy, do you know that?" And Yi Chen charged forward hoping to outrun an impossibly mocking great demon. Zhu Yan however, was like his shadow, always close and quite amused with his cute dragon demon.
They arrived at Qing Geng's Lingxi Villa, and, having sensed them approaching from the village entrance to her door, she greeted them with a smile before noticing the pulse of energy coming from the great demon Zhu Yan, which didn't belong to him, but to Zhuo Yi Chen. Her eyes widened for a moment as she realized why he was enveloped in another demon's energy, knowing that he had been claimed by a dragon as a mate and that their souls now resonated together as if they had become one. It was an impressive sight, the ultimate kind of love elevated to the highest level possible.
"Qing Geng, I'm glad to see you. I see things are going wonderfully around here. Are you happy to be a goddess again?" Zhu Yan asked, while Yi Chen sighed.
"Yes, I am. Since you're here so suddenly, I suppose you need my help?" She asked as she let them in, stepping aside so they could enter.
"Unfortunately, yes. The villains are becoming too arrogant and this time they're wreaking havoc on an entire city." Zhu Yan told her, and she looked at him in surprise.
"What do you mean by that? What happened to Tiandu City?" She asked in return.
"Chongwu Camp managed to create another plague in the city, and unfortunately, it's not much different from the last one here." Yi Chen explained, and she was stunned by his words, doubting they were true, even coming from such a serious demon hunter.
"That can't be possible. I assure you, Fei is gone forever, without a trace. Believe me, I've tried to find even the smallest bit of his energy and I haven't found anything at all." She insisted, not knowing how else to convince them of the truth she knew by heart.
"We don't doubt you, Qing Geng. Just take a look at this and tell me what you think." Yi Chen handed her one of the fake fruits. As she held it, she gasped as she felt the demonic energy emanating from what looked like fruit, but was far from it.
"A demonic core disguised as a fruit? Where did you get it?" She asked as she handed back the tainted object, wanting nothing to do with it.
"Wen Zongyu left this little surprise in Bai Jiu's medicine cabinet, ready to give it to the sick citizens of Tiangu." Zhu Yan took the object in his hand.
"But how did he get such a wicked core? It's not the kind of core we demons have cultivated for centuries, but something created out of nothing."
"Your guess is as good as ours. We know he became a phoenix demon with the Ever-Burning Fire at his disposal, so there are very few things impossible for him right now, including bringing Fei back, or at least something resembling him in blood." Zhu Yan told her, and Qing Geng covered her mouth with her hand, horrified.
"It can't be... That's too cruel..." She said sadly, tears streaming down her young and beautiful face.
"Qing Geng, we can handle this imposter on our own, it's our duty. But I thought you had the right to make your own decisions, as he was very special to you before Li Lun appeared and distorted the bond you two shared. If you want to return with us and discover how much of the real Fei this one had, I'd gladly give you the chance to decide what to do with him." Yi Chen said as gently as possible, giving the goddess a moment to compose herself.
"I'll go with you." She decided resolutely.
"Okay, then wait for us. We need the same ingredients as last time. I hope the tree has more branches now, there are many more sick people in the city than here in this village." Yi Chen gently touched her arm sympathetically.
"We'll be back soon." Zhu Yan pulled Yi Chen toward the direction of the tree, and they walked in silence until they finally reach it. It had grown quite a bit since last time, which was good for them, as they now had a lot to bring it to Bai Jiu.
"Okay, let me take care of this." Yi Chen said as he drew his Cloud Light Sword and slashed several blows before sheathing it, expecting many of its thin branches to fall. However, to his great dismay, only one fell at his feet. Zhu Yan, beside him, lowered his gaze and tried to hold back his laughter, opting to try a spell of his own.
"You work hard, Xiao Zhuo, let me try this time. Fall." He commanded with his one-word spell, and immediately, a pile of branches rained down on a very piss off Zhuo Yi Chen.
"Ah, Xiao Zhuo... it wasn't on purpose... just a slight miscalculation..."
"Miscalculation, huh?" Yi Chen gritted his teeth.
"Yes... let me find something to carry the branches..." Zhu Yan tried to escape.
"You wicked demon, come back here!" Yi Chen grabbed him by the shoulder, threw him over the branches he had cut, and 'mercilessly' hit him with one of them. That just made Zhu Yan laugh out loud, as if he was being tickled. Yet he let his raging dragon have his way with him to vent his frustration and have some fun at the same time as at one point Zhu Yan pull him down to fall over him and kiss him senseless.
Once Qing Geng thought that the two great demons were taking too long to come back, she went to check on them and had to hold back her laughter at the scene unfolding before her eyes, not to mention to look the other way when they start kissing.
Eventually she gave them a bag to gather and carry the branches, and stared at the great demon Zhu Yan's head in where a branch was still laying over his hair. Yi Chen, after his lover cleared his throat, removed the slippery branch and placed it along with the others.
"There, all done. Can we go now?" Yi Chen asked, and she smiled before nodding in agreement. Zhu Yan activated the Shanhai Portal, and they quickly returned to the Demon Hunting Bureau to give Bai Jiu the wood he needed and help him with his research on the one ingredient they needed to replace.
AN: It's getting a bit long, so I will leave it here. Thanks for reading and The Convergence, for those who are reading it too, will be update soon after this one. Until next time, take care.