《Strongest Demon Vanquisher》


 Chapter 00 – The young beggar

    North of the Ming mountain range, In a remote village of the Jiang Dynasty ¨C


    ¡°Get away from our village! You¡¯re just a f*cking homeless!¡±


    A bunch of kids dressed in scrappy clothes were seen throwing rocks at an even younger kid. Their eyes were sinister, and ruthless smiles adorned their faces as they giggled with menace. They looked like the incarnations of imps.


    The younger kid was curled up like a woodlouse some meters away attempting to lessen the damage they inflicted with the rocks. His black hair was messy with tints of red from his blood, and he bit lip as he endured the continuous barrage of stones raining down on him. He held his arms up to protect his head.


    ¡°Kids, what are you doing?! Stop this instant!¡±


    A middle aged woman carrying a basin of water saw the scene and hurried over. Seeing this, the kids became pale with fright and immediately ran away, and left the young kid .


    An expression of sorrow could be seen as the woman watched the young boy stand up. She put the basin on the ground, revealed a motherly but helpless smile, and went forward to embrace the young boy in her arms, trembling as she held him.


    ¡°Little Xiao, are you okay?¡±


    ¡°Yes, auntie. Thank you.¡± the younger boy nodded.


    ¡°Oh, little Xiao¡­ why don¡¯t you just come live with me? They won''t dare to hurt you if you do this.¡± the middle aged woman wailed. Unfortunately, she knew the answer to her question, as she always had known.


    A pained expression showed on Little Xiao¡¯s face. It was quickly replaced with a fake smile as he took a few steps backward swatting of the dirt on his clothes.


    ¡°Sorry, Auntie. You know that¡¯s not possible.¡±


    The middle aged woman tried to persuade the boy. ¡°Little Xiao, don¡¯t you worry. I¡¯m sure they will allow it if I go talk to them. Everything will be fine, just come with Auntie."


    She stretched out her hand from him to grab.


    ¡°Sorry Auntie, I won¡¯t let them trouble you for that.¡± turbulent feelings flashed in Xiao¡¯s eyes as he shook his head.


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    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Auntie. Nothing bad will befall me. I¡¯ll head back now, thanks once again chasing them away.¡±


    He clasped his hands together and bowed slightly, then scurried away from the street. Tens of minutes later, he made his way through the endless forest outside of the village. He had no place in this village, and only came here for food. He lived on his own inside the forest.


    But of course, this was not without risks. The forest outside of the village¡¯s borders was crawling with demons. The sect that governed the town came with disciples to vanquish them once a month to keep the village from being overrun.


    Entering the small dwelling built in the tree crown of a big jungle tree, he removed his clothes and inspected his body. His torso was filled with bruises, and he felt pain when he pressed. One of his ribs were broken. As he looked at himself, tears were beginning to roll down his cheeks.


    Even though he had taken it all with a straight face when talking to the middle aged woman, he was inwardly completely shaken. It wasn¡¯t the first time those village brat had been evil to him, but it was the first time they resorted to such violence. Normally they would just curse at him, telling him to leave.


    Tears slowly ran down his cheeks.


    ¡°W-what did I do to deserve this?¡±


    He covered his face with his hands, and actually started to sob.


    It was only after a while, when the urges to cry had stopped, that he removed his hands. His eyes were red. Snot, mucus and dirt were everywhere on his face.


    But within those red and sad eyes, there was a small, flickering flame. This flame was determination. While his eyes gleamed with determination, he went further inside the small tree crown house and took something from under his bed.


    Xiao Wen held a small statue in jade, depicting a man and his halberd facing the sky. Xiao Wen grabbed the miniature halberd and pulled so it faced forward. Seconds later, the statue split apart and revealed a small translucent bed inside. The exterior was white, while the inside excluded a golden light. Truly precious looking.


    ¡°Well, here goes nothing.¡± Xiao Wen said, throwing the bead to his mouth and letting it slide down his throat.

 Chapter 01 – Unexpected encounter

    He had heard stories in the village of miraculous medicines that could make one a demon vanquisher ¨C cultivators who harnessed the power of demons in battle. This is why he ate the white, gold-shining bead without any hesitation. If he could become one such cultivator, maybe he could find his mother.


    A pleasant warmth spread across Xiao Wen¡¯s body, making him pant. He even let out small moans of pleasure. His whole body felt extremely rejuvenated and every fiber of his body were roaring in happiness.


    ¡°What is this? It¡¯s feels so good!¡±


    When Xiao Wen¡¯s mother left him here in the village, she had given him this statue. At that time he was only 7 years old, but he still remembered the scene back then.


    ...


    Xiao Wen looked up to his mother with his blue, piercing eyes overflowing with love. His mother was exquisitely dressed and had sharp but delicate facial features. As she spoke, her voice was crisp and clear; like the cool winter noon.


    ¡°Little Xiao, my little boy. Mommy has to go somewhere far far away, she has some stuff to do, but trusts her little Xiao to behave well while she is gone.¡±


    His mom ruffled his hair with her white, jade-like hand, then gave him a statue of a man holding a halberd. Xiao Wen held the statue and looked at it, it was beautiful.


    ¡°This is something very precious.¡± His mother told him. ¡°If you get wounded, and want to fight back, when the light in the tunnel seem to fade; turn his halberd the way you want to go, and you will get the power that you seek.¡±


    Little Xiao blinked with his big, blue eyes. ¡°Mom, I don¡¯t understand.¡±


    She revealed a sweet smile. Her hair fluttered in the wind. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, my boy. When the time is right, the answer will come to you.¡±


    ...


    Xiao Wen came back to reality, his body still feeling great. But then, out of nowhere, he felt something bubble deep inside his body. It was as if the fibers that were roaring in happiness now started to roar in rebellion, his blood surging. He looked down to his chest and saw that it was red, glowing with a crimson shimmer. He removed his pants too, and saw that they were the same.


    ¡°Aaaah!? What is this?¡±


    Xiao Wen became frantic from fright. He had no idea what was happening, and didn¡¯t have anyone to ask either. Slowly, he felt the heat of his body rise from the normal temperature, which for him was quite lukewarm, up to over 50 degrees.


    ¡°This, this!¡± Xiao Wen stuttered, afraid to the extreme.¡°What¡¯s happening to me? My body is so hot, can it be¡­ that this will kill me? No.. no, mom surely wouldn¡¯t give me this to kill me. Right¡­?¡±


    He was merely 10 years old, and had his whole life in front of himself. Trying to think of a way to save himself, his mind worked quicker than ever.


    ¡°Hot¡­ warm¡­ I need to make my body temperature colder¡­ Water! That¡¯s it! There¡¯s a lake not far from here, I can go there! But I need to hurry!¡±


    Xiao Wen didn¡¯t bother to dress himself and immediately exited his tree crown house, climbing down the tree, and then as fast as his legs could carry him ran toward the lake so that he could get back his normal temperature.


    ¡°There!¡±


    He could now see the lake, it was about 100 meters away.


    Suddenly, his body convulsed. The heat was increasing! He felt himself losing strenght, making him slower than before.


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    ¡°Crap, I need to get there faster!


    He tried to muster more strenght in his legs and propelled himself forward.


    50 meters!


    ¡°Rooooar!¡±


    ¡°Ehh!?


    Xiao Wen stopped in his tracks, his face instantly becoming whiter than a piece of paper. In front of him stood a black, three headed dog. Saliva dropped from its mouth and chains were tied to its body while scorching flames were slithering across its body like serpents. It was bigger than even the biggest normal dog.


    ¡°A d-demon!¡±


    It glared at him, showing its black, red stained teeth. Beginning to crouch down, Xiao Wen understood that it was about to attack. This beast could easily tear apart men¡¯s limbs with its teeth and even rip them to shreds with its claws. To kill him would be as easy as to let out a fart.


    ¡°Run!¡± A single word appeared in Xiao Wen¡¯s mind. He had to run, quickly get to the lake. The beast probably wouldn¡¯t follow him into the water. Most demons had a huge fear for water. And therefore it wouldn¡¯t follow him inside. Only if the beast was incredible hungry would it do that. But hopefully this wasn''t the case.


    Just as Xiao Wen was about to move, he discovered to his fear that he was unable to do so. His legs were frozen in place, as if they were stuck in the quicksand of the western plains. No matter what he did, they didn¡¯t want to move a single inch.


    ¡°Roar!¡± The dog lunged at him, claws ready to tear him apart. Its huge body was like a big, black cloud coming down upon him, and the beast¡¯s black eyes were glimmering with shades of red causing afterimages to distort the air when it descended from high above.


    ¡°Am I going to die? Just like this?¡±  A fast replay of his short life played up in his mind. He couldn¡¯t remember back to before his mother left him ¨C only the beggar life replayed. Every day he had almost been starving to death, only kept standing by the thought of that his mother would come and find him living blissfully ever after.


    ¡°So in the end, she never came?¡± Xiao Wen¡¯s face became tragic and he wasn''t as scared as before.


    So what if he died. Did anyone care for him? Weren¡¯t everyone just cursing at him and telling him to disappear. Wasn¡¯t he nuisance, a homeless boy living of the everyone''s sweat and blood? Wouldn''t it be better for him to just die...?


    "No!" Xiao Wen screamed. "So what if the village hates me? Don''t I have Auntie? Surging within Xiao Wen''s blue eyes, the flickering flame of determination shone strongly.


    At this moment, a red, crimson barrier formed around Xiao Wen''s body. A tremor shook as the beast charged head-on into it.


    "Boom!"


    A/N: Feel free to comment your thoughts. Thanks for reading :-)

 Chapter 02 – Massive demon horde

    <hr />


    Just as Xiao Wen was about to throw himself in a desperate attempt to dodge the incoming charge from the demon, a loud clamor resounded and everything around him shook. The demon flew backward and landed on its back, whimpering from pain.


    ¡°What¡¯s this?¡±  Xiao Wen gasped from the sight in front of him. All around him, a red faint barrier could be seen. It was square ¨C 2x2 meters and gave the impression of death and destruction. A thick smell of blood started to penetrate the surroundings.


    The demon¡¯s eyes were wide open and completely bloodshot. It didn¡¯t understand what the square barrier was, but it felt the intense killing intent radiating from it. The demon¡¯s fur was standing straight up, and it was even slowly beginning to regret attacking the young boy.


    ¡°ehh?¡±


    Suddenly, the barrier started to shimmer, distort, transforming into a drop of blood. The drop of blood hovered in the air before emitting a shrilling sound, flying straight into Xiao Wen¡¯s chest, causing him to fly backward as a result. Xiao Wen felt a stabbing pain in his heart as he fell down on the ground.


    As the demon saw this, madness filled its eyes. It roared in anger, rising up to attack the boy again.


    ¡­


    A large, grand company of men and women, dressed in plain purple robes. Even though they seemed plain, one had to know that not even one of the villagers could afford to buy one. They were made out of silken. All of the disciples rode big, brown horses and their eyes gleamed with a proud and aloof shine. This was the outer sect disciples of the Purple Cloud Sect, the sect that was in control of the village.


    This no-name village was positioned in the 3rd country of the world. There were 10 countries in the world, and they were ranked after overall strenght. The 3rd country was ruled by the Jiang family; therefore called Jiang country. All sects of the country obeyed the rules set up by the Jiang family, and had to pay revenues or taxes to them. The different sects controlled villages which they gathered taxes from, and then transported it to the Jiang family¡¯s government who then used it to finance military and other important matters.


    ¡°What a drag¡­ to come here all the way form the sect only to protect a village without a name?¡± One of the disciples in the front said to another. His black hair was tied in ponytail, and a sneer was plastered.


    ¡°That¡¯s right. We are disciples of a great sect¡­ but we have to come here and save some commoners? ¡± Another disciple curled his lips in disgust as he looked at the villagers bowing with their heads to the ground in submission.


    This disciple clearly spoke very loudly, clear enough for some of the village¡¯s men to hear it. Their faces instantly became red with anger after being provoked. Just as they were about to open their mouths and refute to what the disciples were saying, an older man¡¯s forehead bulged with veins as he removed his one sandal and gave them a good beating.


    ¡°Aah, old man Wang?!


    ¡°pa pa pa!¡±


    ¡°Sorry, sorry, we weren¡¯t going to do anything, I swear!¡±.


    ¡°You idiots! Don¡¯t lie to me! If you talked back, they would kill you!¡± old man Wang shouted in a low voice, and once again got into the position of bowing. ¡°Now be quiet and bow down if you don¡¯t want to kill us all!


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    The men calmed down and nodded, one of them saying, ¡°As long as that beggar boy doesn¡¯t come up and asks them for money we should be safe.¡±


    This earned the laugh of some of the men, but also a few more hits from by the sandal.


    Before anyone else could say anything, the horses stopped and all of the disciples hopped off. An older man, this one with a purple robe different from what the others wore; embroidered with a golden dragon, walked forward to the center of the village where everyone could see and hear him as he spoke.


    ¡°Ahem.¡± The older man cleared his throat. He was very old, and wrinkles covered his entire face. His hair was long gone together with his youth, but a thin, knotted beard hung down from his chin making him seem very scholarly.


    He spoke briskly. ¡°The horde should arrive some hours from now. You know the routines. If you kill a demon and give us its demonic embryo, you can enter the Purple Cloud Sect as an outer disciple. Everyone else should stay inside their house during the monster horde¡¯s invasion, if you don¡¯t want to die of course.


    The old man chuckled lightly, turning around and saying to the other disciples. ¡°When night comes, when the sun dies in the sky, we shall prepare the Lesser Demon Killing Formation. In the meantime, you can all do as you please.


    ¡°Yes, fourth elder!


    All of the disciples bowed in unison as a response. It was clear that the fourth elder held quite the respect from all of the disciples since they were very courteous toward him, and didn¡¯t dare to question his orders in the slightest. Their proud and aloof demeanor was completely gone in front of this mighty fourth elder.


    ...


    Xiao Wen¡¯s clothes were completely soaked from sweat. A chill went through his spine as the dog demon leapt in the air toward him. This time he could move his legs.


    If he died, Auntie in the village would be all alone. How could he accept that? She had been there for him every time he needed it, and she hadn¡¯t complained the slightest as villagers started to act maliciously to her too just because she helped him. That''s why he had to live, to return what he owed.


    ¡°Dammit!¡±


    He realized that his dodge wasn¡¯t enough, and that the demon would definitely tear him apart. In the split second he had to think, he made a choice that no one else would have made. Xiao Wen¡¯s eyes flashed for a second, determination surging within them as he stretched forward his arm and used it as a shield to block the demon.


    A ¡°Slash¡±, followed by, ¡°Aaaaargh!¡± could be heard throughout the forest.


    Xiao Wen¡¯s left arm was cut of like cotton by the demon''s claws. He screamed in pain as he saw his left arm being torn of from his body. Blood and gore splattered on the ground, and Xiao Wen''s face twisted in excruciable pain as he fell to the ground, rolling some meters holding what was left of his left arm with his right hand. Everything from below his shoulder had been taken by the demon¡¯s swift leap.


    Rolling around the ground, even with the pain, Xiao Wen quickly understood that this was a chance. Without looking at the demon, he crawled to his feet, almost stumbling. With all his force, he propelled himself forward and dove into the lake.


    <hr />

 Chapter 03 – Three despicable disciples

    Once inside the lake, Xiao Wen frowned his brows as he discovered that there was no blood in the water. Inspecting his arm, his jaw dropped and his eyes went wide. Where the claws should have torn there was only smooth skin like that of a newborn baby¡¯s. It was as if he had been living with one arm his whole life. He still couldn¡¯t believe his eyes.


    Did this have something to do with the bead, or maybe with the drop of blood? And what was that barrier, capable of blocking the demon? Questions were swarming around in Xiao Wen¡¯s head. Things had occurred too rapidly.


    Earlier when the beast had taken his arm, he was sure that he was going to die. And when he fell down in the ground, screaming from pain, he was hundred percent certain that the reaper was close by. Yet, with those strange events, he didn¡¯t.


    ¡°Uhh, wait¡­ what happened the demon? It¡¯s so quiet.¡±  Xiao Wen muttered, a tad confused, releasing a ¡°hmm?¡± face as he looked toward the demon. ¡°W-what the¡­?¡±


    The demon was on the ground, black mist was oozing from its body. Most of its body was gone, and it didn¡¯t move, completely still.  Xiao Wen was thinking about how to proceed.


    ¡°Is it dead? Xiao Wen squinted his eyes. ¡°But how did it die? And why are the events today so strange¡­? Maybe it just plays dead?


    ¡°I¡¯ll wait here for two hours max. If it doesn¡¯t move a bit, I run back to the village. Hopefully the demon horde isn¡¯t ready yet. This demon was probably some sort of scout they sent to see how our village were doing.¡±


    Making up his mind, Xiao Wen found a comfortable position closer in to the shore. Two hours later, he rose form the water, his clothes completely soaked, walking forward to the demon whose body was less than half remaining. The corpse was beyond recognition.


    ¡°Hmm? What¡¯s this?¡± seeing something glimmer inside the dead demon, where there was a hole, Xiao Wen stretched his hand inside and grabbed it. He turned his hand around and looked at what he found. It was a round ball emitting a dark, reddish glow.


    Minutes passed, and he couldn¡¯t yet understand what it was, so he shook his head. ¡°I¡¯ll see what it is when I get to the village, the demon horde can come any second now.¡±


    He had no pocket, so while he ran back to the village, he held the ball with his hand. What Xiao Wen didn¡¯t notice though, was that the ball began to produce a stronger light as he ran. And eventually, it entered his palm and disappeared without a sound.


    It was almost night when Xiao Wen came back to the village. The villagers who were still awake gasped as they saw the little beggar boy missing an arm from his body. But they didn''t ask him, only stared at him for a while, then returned to what they were doing.


    Xiao Wen quickly tried to find Auntie, and found her a bit further away, sitting alone. When her eyes grazed past him, a joyous expression appeared on her face. All of her anxiety and fear became a distant memory.


    ¡°Oh, Little Xiao! I¡¯m so glad you¡¯re safe¡­ ehh,  y-your arm? W-what happened!?¡± her joyous expression quickly turned ugly. Tears could be seen in her eyes. ¡°H-how did this happened, did someone hurt you? Who is it? Anyone in the village?


    She clenched her fists, trembling. "Oh, little Xiao...¡±


    ¡°No, Auntie!¡± Xiao Wen explained briskly and tried to calm her down as good as he could without lying too much. ¡°It wasn¡¯t anyone in the village, it was a demon! I was out in the forest, and it came out of the blue, attacking me and taking my arm. It was only by luck that I made it to a lake. The demon eventually got tired of waiting for me.¡±


    ¡°But you arm. Little Xiao, you lost an arm, how can you be so calm?¡± Lady Mei cried softly, ¡°You¡¯re not lying to me now, are you? Are you sure it wasn¡¯t the villagers?¡±


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    Xiao Wen nodded. ¡°Yes, Auntie. I swear.¡±


    ¡°Oh little Xiao¡­ come here.¡± Lady Mei gave him a hug. Her face was stricken with sadness but at the same time, contained relief since she confirmed that he was alive. She held him tight, and only released him after a long time. ¡°I beg of you, sleep at my house tonight.¡±


    ¡°Eh.¡± Xiao Wen hesitated.


    After a long time, he answered her. ¡°Fine.¡±


    It¡¯s not as if he didn''t want to sleep at her place, he just doesn¡¯t want her to get in trouble.


    Just as they were about to go back to her house, they heard screams coming form the drunken boar. It sounded like the shriek of women.


    The drunken boar is where most villagers goes to in the evenings. There, they drink their homemade ale and sing songs together while dancing. Xiao Wen didn¡¯t understand why they liked it. It only became sweaty and stinking. Everyone¡¯s breath smelled bad after spending the night there.


    Lady Mei and Xiao Wei both nodded to each other, and went to take a look.


    As they entered the pub, they were instantly petrified. In the middle of the pub, where there was a platform for performances, three disciples of the Purple Cloud Sect were standing above a young woman. It was the daughter of the village¡¯s shoemaker, the beautiful Biyu Liu. Her white dress was ripped in halves, and a bruise covered her left cheek.


    A bit farther away, there laid a young man. His body was curled up in the corner, and his face was a mess. His nose was broken, and more than one tooth was gone.


    One could easily understand what had happened here with one glance. The young man was the beautiful Biyu Liu¡¯s boyfriend or pursuer. But since the village¡¯s traditions was that only married couples were allowed, the latter was more likely. He had tried to defend Biyu Liu from the Purple Cloud Sect disciples, and gotten beaten in return.


    ¡°Heh, young lady.¡±


    The fat one of the three showed his black teeth, and smacked his lips while revealing a lewd smile. ¡°We came to this crappy village to save it, and you don¡¯t even allow us to have some fun?¡±


    ¡°You despicable¡­!¡±


    Biyu Liu pulled the white night gown closer to her body.


    All of the three laughed together. Looking at Biyu Liu, the one who seemed to be the leader, a tall and lean teenager, coughed dryly, ¡°Why don¡¯t we go up stairs? We¡¯ll even teach you some of our arts in return, eeh?¡±


    Everyone in the pub understood that all these disciples wanted to do was to take advantage of the girl, and have some fun with her upstairs. In reality, it wasn¡¯t so strange for these events to happen when the Purple Cloud Sect came to visit. Most villager had gotten used to it, and turned a blind eye when it happened to avoid trouble.


    Biyu Liu¡¯s face who was already pale, became paler as she heard what they said. They wanted to take her purity? Then what would she give her future husband? She wouldn''t be able to marry!


    "Ohh?¡± The third one of the three saw when Lady Mei and Xiao Wen entered the pub. His mouth curved into a smile.


    He pointed at Lady Mei. ¡°Hey, Bao Long. Look at that woman over there. Don''t you like aged wine the best?"


    Bao long, the leader of the three, inspected Lady Mei up and down, saying. ¡°Indeed, I do. This woman has nice shapes. I wonder how she tastes like.¡±


    He licked his lips and walked over to Xiao Wen and Lady Mei.

 Chapter 04 – Beep! Request not possible

    Earlier release since me and my twin bro will have a poolparty for some friends this wendesday. Next chapter will therefore be scheduled to saturday.


    <hr />


    Bao Long¡¯s face was adorned with a sinister expression. His gaze invertedly brushed past Lady Mei. Checking out her mature but elegant figure, his eyes showed a glint of lust.


    Bao Long wanted have some fun with her.


    Lady Mei understood Bao Long¡¯s reason, and knew what he sought after.


    This was not a strange occurrence in villages ¨C that the sect disciples coming to protect the villages where infuriated by its women. Manly outer disciples lacked necessary strenght to get a women in the sect, and could only satisfy their needs outside in the villages.


    And with insatiable amount of lust, the outer disciples would take anyone they could get. There were even cases of manly disciples going for the same gender. If put in perspective, Lady Mei was a very good find, even if her age was taken in consideration.


    Xiao Wen stood there, unable to understand what was happening. He was but a boy, and had yet to be educated in the teachings of adultery. His blue eyes blinked when he saw Lady Mei show fear in her eyes. He looked at the sect disciple walking to them.


    ¡°What¡¯s your name?¡±


    Bao Long stared at her.


    ¡°M-mei, Mei Rong.¡±  She spoke softly while keeping her head down, not daring to look at him.


    Lady Mei didn¡¯t want Xiao Wen to know what this man wanted. But she had no choice but to comply with his request, otherwise maybe the leader would do somethin to Xiao Wen...


    ¡°Come with me.¡± Bao Long said to her, then walked up to the second floor of the pub.


    Lady Mei turned around to Xiao Wen.


    ¡°Little Xiao, Auntie have some matters to take care of. You should go back to my house, and I¡¯ll come when I¡¯m done.¡±


    ¡°But, Auntie.¡± Xiao Wen frowned.


    He understood something was amiss, but couldn¡¯t say what it was.


    Xiao Wen asked her quietly. ¡°Auntie, Is there something wrong?


    ¡°Oh, little Xiao.¡±  Lady Mei smiled to him and patted his head. ¡°Don¡¯t you worry, Auntie will be back sooner than you think.¡±


    Xiao Wen felt an urge to ask Lady Mei why she lied, because that was the feeling he got from her words. Yet, he also felt that she wouldn¡¯t change her mind even if he asked. So he decided to drop it.


    ¡°I will head back now then.¡±


    Xiao Wen cupped his hands and exited the pub. He glanced back to the pub once more, before walking to Lady Mei¡¯s small house in the southern part of the village. Her husband had died a few years back, so she lived all alone there.


    Later, as he laid down in Lady Mei¡¯s bed, he somehow knew that something bad would happen. He didn¡¯t know why, but he still felt something amiss. But as fatigue from the fight with the demon, and the lack of sleep, he quickly fell asleep.


    Hours later, when the sky had turned completely black, Xiao Wen was woken up by loud voices and blood curling screams.


    ¡°Kill it!"


    ¡°Don¡¯t let it enter the outer perimeter!¡±


    ¡°Reinforce the left side!¡±


    Xiao Wen was obviously very tired, but was instantly brought to a state of clear mind as he understood what was happening. The demons had broken through the Purple Cloud Sect¡¯s formation, Lesser Demon Killing Formation.


    This was his first time experiencing the demon horde like this. The first time he heard of the demon horde was only after it been repelled. This was when he had been sleeping in his tree house, and somehow, hadn''t been discovered by the demons.


    Now, two years later, a demon horde had gathered once again to attack the village. No one knew why the demons formed hordes to attack the villages. Perhaps it was due to their instinctual hate toward all living organisms except for their own kin, or maybe because of some unknown force controlling them to do its bidding.


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    ¡°But this is my chance.¡±


    The flame of determination flickered in Xiao Wen¡¯s eyes. He was told about the rewards from killing a demon. If he could bring the embryo of a demon, the source of its power, to the fourth elder, he would be given the chance to join the Purple Cloud Sect as an outer disciple.


    ¡°Wait. What happened to the ball that I picked up from the demon¡¯s corpse?¡±


    Xiao Wen had completely forgotten about the ball that he recovered from the demon¡¯s dead corpse when he saw Auntie. Could he perhaps have dropped it on the way to the village?


    He swore inwardly.


    Could that dark, red ball that seemed out of the ordinary possibly be the embryo of the demon that took his arm? The more he thought about it, the more certain he became. But he had lost it so easily! He cursed himself over and over again until he ran out of foul words.


    ¡°Siiii!¡± Xiao Wen drew in a cold breath as he understood what he had lost.


    He decided to calm down. It was of no use to think about it any longer. When the demon horde was repelled, he would go back and look for it. If lady luck was on his side, maybe he would find it on the ground where he had dropped it.


    ¡°But won¡¯t the sect be gone by that time? How do I give them the embryo if they are gone?¡±


    He gritted his teeth. ¡°I only have one chance if I want to join the sect, I need to go out and kill a demon.


    ¡°Can I really do it?¡± Xiao Wen¡¯s courage faltered. ¡°Even the grown men of the village can not. Why would I be able to kill one when they can not. Last time when the demonic dog died, it was all due to luck, and I still have no idea of how it died.¡±


    ¡°I got no choice.¡± Taking a deep breath, Xiao Wen made up his mind.


    Suddenly, just as he was about to get up from the bed, a weird, metallic voice could be heard within his mind.


    [ Beep! Enough demonic energy has been gathered. Objective is now completed ]


    ¡°Eeeeee?!¡± Xiao Wen fell out of bed surprised by the voice


    ¡°Where are you? Show yourself!¡± He let out a scream, and took a battle position.


    [ Beep! Request not possible ]


    Upon hearing the voice, Xiao Wen was startled. He couldn¡¯t locate the owner of the voice, was it all in his head?


    ¡°Who are you?¡± His vigilance increased.


    [ Beep! Mistress gave me no name. ]


    ¡°Huh?¡± Xiao Wen thought for a moment.


    Was he still dreaming?


    He pinched himself.


    No, this was not a dream. Xiao was wide awake, and this was real.


    ¡°Why are you here? What do you want?¡±


    [ Beep! Mistress gave life to me for the purpose of keeping you safe. Further information is not available at this point ]


    ¡°Protect me?¡± Xiao Wen was shocked. ¡°Who is your mistress?¡±


    Once again, the voice replied inside his head.


    [ Beep! Request not possible. Access to information is denied ]


    Xiao Wen gnashed his teeth.


    ¡°Then, who is your mistress to me? Why does she want to protect me? ...is it my mother?¡±


    [ Beep! Request not possible. Access to information is denied ]


    ¡°Arrrgh! You¡¯re driving me crazy!¡±


    Xiao Wen couldn¡¯t hold it anymore and exploded with anger He was but a kid, and was very impatient by nature.


    [ I apologize ]

 Chapter 05 – Magical Artifact Jiqiren

    Since I messed up the schedule, I will post this chapter as an apology. See you all on saturday.


    <hr />


    ¡°Jiqiren. Are you saying that you can make me a cultivator?"


    [ Correct. I¡¯m a magical artifact with the capabilities to dissolve demonic embryos and directly store them within your sea of consciousness. I have the ability to remember information that I hear, and replay it any time. I¡¯m the perfect guide


    Xiao Wen¡¯s white teeth showed as he smiled. ¡°Doesn¡¯t that mean you¡¯re like a cheat?¡±


    [ You could say that ]


    Xiao Wen had talked with the mysterious voice in his mind for a while. He gave it the name ¡äJiqiren`, which was another word for ¡ämechanical person¡ä.


    ¡°If I were to fight with a demon now, how high would my chance of defeating it be?¡± he asked Jiqiren curiously.


    [ Your chance of victory is less than 0,1%. It¡¯s highly unlikely for you to last even ten breaths of time. When you fought the abyssal hound, you only survived due to my help, and that reckless sacrifice of yours ]


    Xiao Wen¡¯s eyes twinkled in surprise. ¡°That was you?¡±


    [ Yes, but I had not yet awakened, and could only unlock the most basic defense array in the collection. Since the demon¡¯s attack was too strong, I had to use a drop of mistress blood to bolster the blood shield. You were very lucky in that encounter ]


    Heaving a loud sigh, Xiao Wen pursed his mouth and asked. ¡°Is there no way for me to defeat a demon at this point? To join the Purple Cloud Sect I need to give them one in exchange.¡±


    [ There is a way, but you might not like it]


    ¡°Tell me.¡± Xiao Wen said firmly.


    [ Since I have consumed the embryo of a demon and has awoken, I can evolve If you can procure one of the following ingredients; Ghost toxin flower, Triple colored orchid, or Pale faced mushroom. ]


    ¡°How hard would it be to find one of them in a few hours?¡±


    [ Less than 0.0001% success rate without sufficient leads ]


    ¡°Dammit!¡±


    Xiao Wen had admittedly no idea about what to do. Should he risk it all by attacking a demon, even if Jiqiren stated that he would have less 1% chance to survive? Or, should he try to look for one of the three herbs, even though he had never even as much as heard of them before Jiqiren mentioning them?


    ¡°Is there truly no other way?¡± Xiao Wen asked Jiqiren.


    [ There is ]


    ¡°Then why didn¡¯t you say so earlier?¡±


    [ Because I want to evolve ]


    Upon hearing the answer, Xiao Wen fumed with anger. This voice really got on his nerves. ¡°Oh shut up! How can a magical artifact that is supposed to be god-defying be so shameless!? Dammit, you only care about wanting to evolve!"


    * knock, knock *


    Xiao Wen was interrupted in his thoughts as he heard knocking sounds on the door.


    ''Auntie. "He hurried over to the door, and opened it as quickly as he could.


    It was Auntie.


    ¡± W-what¡­ what happened to you, auntie?!¡± Xiao Wen¡¯s mind began to tremble as he saw Lady Mei¡¯s current shape. Her normally well dressed attire was completely shamed. Her shirt was torn in the middle, revealing her still ample mounds. Her hair was a mess, and bruises could be seen on her face.


    ¡°Don¡¯t look at me like this, little Xiao.¡± Lady Mei said and covered her bosom.


    Xiao Wen turned around, his mind still reeling. He was right, something was amiss at the pub. But he didn¡¯t feel the slightest joy from having guessed correct, just a sour sadness.


    ¡°Here. This is for you.¡± lady Mei hugged him from behind and put something in Xiao Wen¡¯s hands.


    The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.


    Looking down at his hands, he saw something familiar to him., Xiao Wen¡¯s eyes went wide, and his breath became ragged. The exterior of it was smooth, but was also ice cold, shining with a mysterious white light.


    ¡°Jiqiren, what is this?¡± Xiao Wen swallowed, quietly whispering to Jiqiren.


    [ Beep! Scanning object. Sssss. Process completed.]


    [ This is a demonic embryo from a Frost butterfly of rank 0. Frost butterflies are normally found around the desolate northern glaciers, where the bitter and cold temperate keeps their wings at their best. It¡¯s rarely seen in warmer and more humid climates ]


    Xiao Wen felt something crawl up on his spine and spoke with shaky voice. ¡°Auntie¡­ how did you get his?¡±


    Lady Mei still hugged him tightly. Her soft, motherly figure embraced him with utmost care. Yet her eyes were filled with tears, and remnants of what she had done to get her hands on the embryo could be seen in her eyes.


    ¡°Oh my little Xiao, don¡¯t worry about that. I only did someone a small favor. With this you can join the Purple Cloud Sect. I know you want it so badly. This is the least an old lady like me can do for you.¡±


    Xiao Wen was quiet the whole time, and didn''t respond to what Lady Mei told him.


    ¡°Jiqiren, analyze the situation. What happened to Lady Mei.¡±  Xiao Wen¡¯s melodic voice was thin and raspy as he whispered under his breath.


    [ Beep! Scanning target. Sssss. Process completed.]


    Xiao Wen¡¯s eyes were closed as he awaited the results.


    [ Minor wounds to chest. Several cuts to thighs. Grave wounds to private parts. Judging by this, target has more or less been forced into sexual intercourse, which resulted in all of these injuries. Probably, the physical injuries are lighter, while the physiological¡­ ]


    ¡°Auntie¡­¡± Even though Xiao Wen wasn¡¯t the most knowledgeable about these adult matters, he could get the general idea of what happened to her. Bao Long, the Purple Cloud Disciple in the pub, who told her to follow him, had abused her cruelly.


    ¡°Why did you let him to it?¡± Xiao Went softly asked Lady Mei.


    ¡°You¡­¡±  Lady Mei stumbled with her words for a while, unable to understand how Xiao Wen discovered what Bao Long did to her.


    Sighing, Lady Mei said. ¡°I had no choice. If I didn¡¯t comply, he would take me by force, and even hurt you¡­¡±


    Xiao Wen froze when he heard the last part. Because of him, Auntie got hurt?


    ¡°But it¡¯s alright now, Little Xiao.¡± Lady Mei let out a helpless smile. ¡°We are both alive.¡±


    Xiao Wen didn¡¯t hear her, he only thought. Because of me, she got hurt? His head was spinning, and he felt dizzy.


    ¡°Jiqiren. If you were to evolve, and if I were to fight Bao Long after, what would my odds be?¡±


    [ Beep! Calculating¡­ Sssss! Running battle simulations¡­ Ssss! Process completed ]


    [ 51.3% ]


    Jiqiren¡¯s voice struck out like thunder to a clear pond. Xiao Wen''s anger very quickly rose to the heavens.


    Lady Mei had done everything to him, and now she had even gotten hurt because of him.


    ¡°I will avenge her!¡±  Xiao Wen swore in his heart while escaping Lady Mei¡¯s embrace.


    Xiao Wen looked at Lady Mei, cupped his hands in respect. ¡°Sorry, I must go somewhere. Thank you for everything.¡±


    Lady Mei saw his expression, hastily trying to grab him with her hands. ¡°Little Xiao, please don¡¯t! I know what you¡¯re going to do, please don¡¯t think of it! I beg of you! He will kill you!


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± said Xiao Wen and left her hanging as he left through the door.

 Chapter 06 – Blood Arrow Talisman

    I changed some minor stuff in the last chapter. Please re-read the latter half.


    <hr />


    The night was dark and silent; but the winds were still lukewarm, and weren¡¯t the least bit uncomfortable to Xiao Wen as he propelled himself forward through the village. Even though Xiao Wen¡¯s intent to kill was strong enough to make people¡¯s scalps go numb, he was strangely calm, narrowing his eyes as he scanned the empty streets.


    ¡°Jiqiren.¡± Xiao Wen called out to Jiqiren and asked him in a low voice. ¡°Why are these embryos so important to you? Does it have to do with demonic energy that you said to have met the requirement the first time I heard you talk to me? ¡±


    A long silenced elapsed, before the usual beep sound broke it.


    [ Ooh, I¡¯m surprised you figured it out that quickly. Indeed, it does. Inside all embryos there is demonic energy that can only be found there and not anywhere else. It¡¯s a must for you and me if we want to use spells. ]


    ¡°Spells?¡± confusion appeared in Xiao Wen¡¯s eyes.


    Xiao Wen thought that he could hear a slight chuckle from Jiqiren.


    [ Listen. Spells are the tools that demon vanquishers use. It''s manifestations of demonic energy. The line between normal cultivators and demon vanquishers is drawn here. While normal cultivators can only absorb the natural heaven and earth energy, demon vanquishers can do both that and absorb demonic energy, therefore having the keen advantage in strenght. To be more precise, spells are more like the magic you hear in fairy tales ]


    [ I''m a magical artifact bound to you and has a collection of spells that was given to me by mistress. With enough demonic energy, I can unleash these spells with you as a medium. I can also imprint them onto talismans, enabling you to use them whenever you need to. But they are rather costly to create, and can only be used one time each.


    Thinking through what Jiqiren had explained, Xiao Wen pointed at the demonic embryo in his hands, posing another question: ¡°Then, if you absorb the demonic energy in this embryo, what spells can you unleash?


    [ Right now, since I have just awakened, I only have access to the defensive spell that I used to save you earlier ]


    ¡°To save me from the abyssal hound?¡±


    [ Yes ]


    Xiao Wen frowned. Unless Jiqiren could use an offensive spell, Xiao Wen would stand no chance against the disciple who ravaged Lady Mei.


    ¡°Is there no way for you to access an offensive spell from the collection that can enable me to defeat Bao Long without having you evolve?¡±


    [ There is. If you can pay the price, I can make a deal with you, and give you a talisman containing one of the offensive spells from the collection ]


    ¡°What do I have to do?¡±


    [ I want the next three demonic embryos we find including this one ]


    Xiao Wen instantly protested, saying. ¡°But, I need one to enter the Purple Cloud Sect?¡±


    [That¡¯s fine. This frost butterfly embryo will be yours to do what you want with. But in that case, I want the next five embryos we find.


    Gritting his teeth, Xiao Wen slapped his thigh and nodded. ¡°Fine.¡±


    If Xiao Wen could join the Purple Cloud Sect and become a cultivator, he would obviously be able to kill demons on his own. So what if he had to give the next five to Jiqiren? To take revenge upon the the man who hurt Lady Mei, it was very much worth it.


    [ Stretch forward your hand. ]


    He did as Jiqiren told him to, and felt something hot begin to conjure on his hand. Looking down, he saw purple energy starting to weave itself into an object of merely ten centimeters in length and five in width.


    Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.¡°This is a talisman?¡± in Xiao Wen¡¯s handed there laid a small, thin metallic object. It was like a paper slip, but made of metal. it was very cold to the touch, and on the surface, Xiao Wen could see red characters written. They pulsated with demonic power.


    [ This is a Blood Arrow Talisman and it has the power of half first rank. To use it in battle, throw it at the target and visualise it becoming an arrow flying toward the target.


    ¡°Thanks.¡±


    Killing intent flashed in Xiao Wen¡¯s eyes. He would take revenge for Lady Mei.


    ¡°Hmm?¡± Xiao Wen neared the outskirts of the village, and could see a huge purple barrier stretching itself up in the air above the village. It encompassed the whole village!


    ¡°Kill the demon, don¡¯t let it break through!


    ¡° Dammit, how come this demon horde is so powerful?¡±


    Furious shouts could be heard throughout the village. Near the purple barrier there stood numerous of Purple Cloud Disciples fighting against the demons. Most of them used swords, sabers and weapons, while some few  were actually firing spells. These few were demon vanquishers, while the rest were normal cultivators.


    ¡° Jiqiren. Can you tell me how to distinguish cultivators? Who is powerful, and who is less powerful. I need to know what I¡¯m up against.¡±


    [ Cultivators are split into 7 realms, which each has 7 layers. The first realm is called foundation realm and is where one lays the foundation for further realms. It¡¯s like building a house. Without a strong base, the house will collapse later on. As of now, you can¡¯t see the difference between cultivators since you have yet to become one. But don¡¯t worry, if you ask me, I can tell you what is what ]


    ¡°Ok. Good.¡±  said Xiao Wen, then quickly looked through the scene in front of him to find Bao Long. Unfortunately, he couln¡¯t find him, and as he searched, a thought struck him like a bright light in the darkest void. What would he do if he found Bao Long, just attack him with the Blood Arrow Talisman? Wouldn¡¯t the other disciples try to protect Bao Long if Xiao Wen attacked him?


    ¡°Whatever. I¡¯ll deal with that once I find him.¡± Making up his mind, Xiao Wen continued. But minutes later, he understood that Bao Long wasn¡¯t here.


    [ Maybe he¡¯s still in the pub ]


    Jiqiren¡¯s comment made Xiao Wen facepalm himself. Of course, the pub!


    Catching one last glance at the purple barrier and the ongoing fights, Xiao Wen rushed away towards the pub. It took a couple of minutes, but he was there now.


    He opened the door to the pub and stepped inside. The dim light was the same as always but the whole pub was a mess. Xiao Wen saw Bao Long and his accomplices sitting on the bar chairs and drinking the village¡¯s ale. Surrounding them were women from the village, obviously trying to curry favor. Maybe they could get a demonic embryo or something that held value if the Purple Cloud Disciple¡¯s took liking to them.


    ¡°Should I just fire the Blood Arrow talisman? But if I do, the women will die too.¡±


    Xiao Wen scratched his head. He had so much anger pent up, but he had never actually hurt someone before, and was therefore very nervous. Also, He wasn¡¯t willing to hurt others just for the sake of revenge.


    He decided to ask jiqiren. ¡°Uhh, what should I do now?¡±


    [ Wait until they go up to sleep. By then you can go to Bao Long¡¯s room and kill him with the Blood Arrow Talisman ]


    ¡°Kill him?¡± Xiao Wen¡¯s eyes went wide.


    [ This world is no easy one. It¡¯s killed or be killed. If you only hurt him, and not kill him, he will come back to you after recovering and cause even more trouble for you. This is called the cycle of revenge. Look, there is only one way to end it, and that is to remove all loose ends. Xiao Wen. You have to kill him ]