Meanwhile, back at the Demon King’s palace, the Demon King himself gave Little Yue’s hand a reassuring pat.
“Eh, I’m sure they’re just fine,” he said, withdrawing his own hand right before Mingyue moved to swat at it – because the latter had gone into full-on protection mode now, practically curled around Little Yue like a broody dragon – which might not have been too far from the truth, to be perfectly honest.
In any case, Little Yue had stopped shivering at this point, though he still remained noticeably unsettled – and frankly, Hongyan would’ve been a tad unsettled himself if some otherworldly entity had just professed its intentions to hunt him down.
Then again, that largely depended on which otherworldly entity would be doing the hunting. Because as things were, there was at least one otherworldly entity that Hongyan certainly wouldn’t mind getting hunted by. Entertaining such thoughts at such a time was quite inappropriate however, and as such, Hongyan resolutely filed them away for later. Instead, he wracked his brain for the whereabouts of the Far-Seeing Mirror, because it hadn’t been where he had thought it would be.
Clearly, Hongyan ought to keep his collection better organised.
Now wasn’t the time to do so however, because the last time Hongyan had stepped out for any longer period of time, there’d been that whole possession bit, and now, just as he vaguely entertained the thought of leaving, Hongyan sensed a dimensional disturbance.
Soon thereafter, Little Jun tumbled out of a rift over by the sealed doors, making an astonishingly clumsy landing.
“Ah man,” said the other, getting to his feet and brushing off his clothes in a distinctly non-Jun-like manner. “I did not land that land⸺”
He then cried out in surprise, barely dodging the silver needle flung at him. And others would’ve soon followed it, had Hongyan not put his hand up, signalling for Mingyue to stop. Because possessed or not, that was still Hongyan’s only nephew!
“O⸺kay,” said the imposter, putting on a disarming smile as he raised his hands, displaying open palms. “I know this probably looks really bad, but I... come in peace? Also, don’t shoot the messenger and all that?”
Mingyue looked more than ready to give it another shot though, lowering his hand only when Hongyan sent him another disapproving look. The imposter seemingly noticed this as well, snapping his head around to look in Hongyan’s direction.
“Oh!” he then said, putting his hands together. “Taxi driver!”
Ugh. “Former Peak Lord Jiao.”
“Bingo!” the fool said, then turned his attention back towards the others. “Mingming!”
Mingyue gave a noticeable twitch at that, hand once again inching towards his needles. But another hand stopped him, this one belonging Little Yue, who was now looking at the newcomer with a kind of curious wariness.
“Oh, and hello!” Jiao Zilei said, offering up a slight wave alongside a bright grin that looked decidedly out of place on Little Jun’s face. “You’re Yue, right? Really sorry about earlier, by the way. I’m Jiao Zilei. I’m a Transmigrator. Also, I’m sort of dead at the moment and I don’t have my own body, so... I ended up temporarily borrowing this one?”
Hongyan rather doubted that Little Jun had agreed to it though, hence stealing would’ve been a far more appropriate term for it, and he was hardly the only one thinking it either.
“Riiiight,” Jiao Zilei said. “Look, I know this looks like reeeeally bad, but just... hear me out, okay? I’m just here to talk; to explain. I’m not going to do anything else, okay? I’m just here to clarify a few things, to straighten out a few uncomfortable misunderstandings, I guess?”
“What is there to misunderstand?” Mingyue snapped. “You⸺”
“See,” Jiao Zilei sighed. “I told those guys this wasn’t gonna work. But who listens to me these days? Or just any day really? I’ve been stuck inside of a goddamned sabre for all these years, and before that, I was killed and eaten! Cut me some slack here, would you?!”
Hearing this, Hongyan almost pitied the guy – yet at the same time, he felt definite satisfaction. Still⸺
“Those guys?” Little Yue repeated, unwittingly mirroring Hongyan’s own thoughts. Because yes, this was indeed a good opportunity to gather additional information.
“Oh, yeah,” Jiao Zilei immediately began, focusing his attention solely on Little Yue now. “I’m really sorry about earlier, about my partner, System 403. He – well, she, it, whatever – isn’t normally like that, and... I know this is going to sound really weird to you, but 403 isn’t really a bad System. Like sure, 403 calls me all sorts of names and generally insults my intelligence, but... is actually pretty nice? I mean, as nice as Systems can get, I suppose? Anyways⸺”
He smiled, deliberately gentling both his voice and demeanour. “⸺Systems in general can be a bit... harsh, I suppose? And they sometimes say things without really taking into account how they might be interpreted – or in this case misinterpreted – by others, if you get my drift? Anyways, what I really mean to say here is that 403... is not planning to eat you. Okay? Okay. I’m glad we got that one out of the way. Now⸺”
He paused, clearing his throat, then raised his – or rather Little Jun’s index finger. “With that out of the way, hang on just a sec. I’ve got a letter on me.”
Jiao Zilei then reached into his sleeve, rummaging around a bit before finally withdrawing a folded piece of paper and unfolding it.
“Okay, so...” He cleared his throat. “Greetings. Now that the fool has undoubtedly made an even greater fool of himself – hey! – it falls onto me to clarify the situation at hand, as I am the only member of this party in possession of both opposable thumbs and a legible hand. I write on behalf of System 403, who shared the fool’s fate in being sealed inside of a certain sword, and that of System 225, who was summoned to assist in the apprehension of the entity known as ‘System 707’, which stands accused of multiple transgressions, mainly towards one Yue, involuntary Transmigrator. Thus, both Systems request safe passage and an audience with the aforementioned in order to better assess and amend spiritual damage and to⸺ dammit, this letter is way too long and the writing way too tiny! Dammit, Frosty, you had one job!”
So focused was the transmigrator on the letter that he completely missed out on the startled looks exchanged in the meantime. As a matter of fact, he even missed out on the swift nod Mingyue gave in response to Hongyan’s wordless inquiry, and by the time he looked up again, they were all staring at him.
“So,” Jiao Zilei said. “Basically, System 403 is not the System you’re looking for. System 707 is the bad System, and is currently in custody. But to make sure this guy gets what he – she, it, whatever – gets what... they deserve, we need more evidence, so... could you guys please stop chasing us around? Because if you do that, then bam, we’ll be done in no time and gone in a jiffy, and I’m pretty sure that’s what we all want, right? Right?”
“Right,” Hongyan said, stepping closer. “I for one would be perfectly happy to see you gone right this moment, but I understand. Now, what of my dear nephew and Hua Hongzhu, my ward?”
“We’ll obviously return them,” Jiao Zilei said, as if baffled that anything else would even be considered. “I’ll even go and fetch that Butterfly Demon chick right away, no problem. Then I’ll drop this possession bit and then... yeah.”
“Oh, no need.” Hongyan smiled genially, holding out his hand. “I suppose I could allow you to borrow the body of my foolish nephew for a while yet – to shorten the trip, if for nothing else. Little Jun’s stamina is rather limited though, so I’d recommend making as few trips as possible. And when you return, do come to the throne room. This place might be a tad too small for this sort of affair.”
“Oh,” the Transmigrator said, eyeing the extended hand as if he didn’t quite understand what to make of it. Then, hesitantly, he motioned to the letter still in his hand, and seeing Hongyan’s slight nod, he promptly handed it over.
“Well,” Jiao Zilei said, visibly relieved when Hongyan stepped back once more, letter in hand. “I’m glad that all worked out. So, I’m just gonna pop out and let the others know, okay? Bye, bye for now!”
And with those words, he conjured up another rift and vanished once more, leaving three pairs of eyes to exchange looks.
“You truly intend to let them come here?” Mingyue asked at last, eyeing Hongyan with obvious distaste.
“Of course,” Hongyan said, readily allowing the other to snatch the letter from his grasp. “But who said anything about letting them leave?”
Hearing this, the current Peak Lord Bai stilled, his gaze flickering briefly towards the contents of the letter before landing firmly upon the Demon King. Then, gradually, a cold smile formed upon his lips.
Had either of them been raised in a more modern setting, then this would have been the moment where they – having found common ground at last – would have bumped their fists together in a show of mutual agreement and support.
But this wasn’t the case, and so, they did not. Instead, Bai Mingyue clutched both the letter and his onetime disciple, saying nothing further as the Demon King stepped out to make preparations.
There was something terribly arduous in waiting. There most certainly was, and Hongyan was on the verge of vibrating out of his own skin. He had his reasons though, because Jixue was back now – Jixue had returned – and if things went according to plan, then Jixue would not be leaving again.
Granted, Hongyan did have his reservations about some of Mingyue’s suggested... methods.
“Look,” he said, eyeing the needles the other was currently dipping in venom. “I know that I said that I had no intention of letting them leave, but we do not want to inflict any permanent damage. You understand that, right, Mingyue?”
At this, the other levelled him with a definite look, as if offended that Hongyan would even suggest such a thing – but it definitely felt warranted, considering the potency of said venom.
“Master is peerless,” Mingyue finally muttered. “This won’t keep him down for long.”
Yeah, but⸺ “Just... hold off on it, for now, at least. Focus on Little Yue. Leave your master to me.”
At this, Mingyue shot him a decided dirty look, then looked back at where Little Yue lay, fast asleep. Hongyan wasn’t entirely sure what Mingyue had done to him, but Little Yue did seem to be resting quite peacefully now, which might honestly be for the best. Hongyan didn’t let his eyes linger though, far too aware of the searing eyes keeping watch.
Briefly, he considered suggesting that Mingyue leave Little Yue to him and deal with his master directly. However, something held him back; a stray thought rising to the surface.
“I’ll go deal with the final preparations,” Hongyan finally decided. “Better make sure the area is cleared as well.”
At this, Mingyue did offer up a slight nod, finally ceasing his whole bit with the needles and cleaning his hands before he returned to Little Yue’s side, hesitating briefly before taking a seat beside him. Once seated however, there was little hesitation, and soon, Little Yue lay sprawled halfway across his lap, and Mingyue’s fingers were in his hair, stroking it with such tenderness.
Seeing it made Hongyan look down at his own hand. He stared briefly at his own palm and then curled his fingers, hiding it in his fist.
Meanwhile, elsewhere, the other side was engaged in a tactical discussion of sorts.
[So,] System 403 said. [It’s undoubtedly a trap.]
[Undoubtedly,] System 225 agreed. [100 percent.]
[We need a distraction,] System 403 said next.
[Indeed,] System 225 agreed, turning its head. [A suitable decoy.]
Jiao Zilei turned his head as well, following the other’s gaze towards Frosty, who had moved off into one corner and was now sitting there motionless, seemingly meditating.
And indeed, if they were looking for a distraction, then Frosty would be the most obvious choice. Because honestly, while others might think otherwise, Zilei wasn’t dumb – he might not be sharp-eyed or attentive enough to notice and commit every single detail to memory, sure, but looking at his fellow transmigrator, Zilei thought back upon his recent confrontation with Mingyue and the Demon King.
Earlier, he had recounted the events, and the Systems had listened attentively to him – for once, one might add. Now as for Frosty on the other hand⸺
“Stop staring.”
Zilei immediately averted his eyes, but not for long. Then he looked back again, taking in Frosty’s appearance through the eyes of his current host; his half-demon son.
“Frosty?”
With a shuddering breath, Frosty’s glacial eyes slid back open. There was something about them though; this unusual, glassy look. And now that Zilei was really looking at him, the sheen of sweat on Frosty’s brow was undeniable, and so was the tiny but noticeable shiver as those cold eyes slid back shut. And despite having been told not to look, Zilei found himself transfixed. He found himself doing more than that though, because in-between one moment and the next, Zilei was now close enough to touch.
His hand was caught midway through though, caught in a bruising grip on his wrist. Zilei didn’t pay too much attention to it though, temporarily frozen under the force of the other’s gaze. Then, strangely compelled to do so, Zilei found himself reaching out with his other hand, intending to press it against that pale forehead.
It never found its target though, because suddenly Zilei felt something in his mind – like the mental equivalent of being tugged back on a leash. It wasn’t a very mild tug either. It was quite strong – strong enough to make Zilei drag himself backwards to avoid getting strangled.
Annoyed, Zilei’s eyes sought out the origin of said pull, which was System 403, barely even noticing System 225 as it brushed past him.
Unfortunately, the ensuing conversation in-between Frosty and System 225 was the quiet, telepathic sort, leaving Zilei out of the loop. Whatever it was though, Frosty seemed to be breathing just a tiny bit easier afterwards. However, he still didn’t look well, which Zilei found quite alarming. He opted not to comment on it however, keenly aware of System 403’s lingering attention.
Instead, Zilei turned his attention towards another portion of the cave they had sought refuge in, his gaze landing upon the butterfly demoness, still out cold. Briefly, he considered offering to drop her off wherever to ensure that she wouldn’t get in the way in whatever came next. But he ultimately decided not to, the Demon King’s words about limited stamina fresh in his mind.
And, speaking of the Demon King, Zilei had never quite understood the guy. He had never really understood the guy, but he had always had the distinct feeling that the other didn’t like him very much. This had never really stopped them from cooperating though – or rather, it had never really stopped them from trading favours.
In hindsight however, it seemed to Zilei as though he had been the one to reap the greater benefits from that whole arrangement, but⸺
Again, Zilei chanced a glance in Frosty’s direction.
The Demon King had always been weird about Frosty – possessive, to an extent. It hadn’t seemed malicious though, which was why Zilei had never seen much reason to interfere with it – and if he had interfered, then who knows? Maybe the two of them would have been able to overcome their differences and dealt with Zilei once and for all?
Still, Zilei couldn’t help but recall that time – that abduction incident, when the Hua clan had taken Mingyue for reasons best known to themselves. But whatever they had hoped to achieve with that stunt, it had ended very badly for them, with many dead at the hands of the Demon King.
And now, said Demon King had once again heavily involved, putting the final confrontation firmly within his own realm of influence, and perhaps Zilei ought to have asked for a more neutral ground for these negotiations, but frankly, he had been far too on edge to even think of such a thing.
[This matter needs to be resolved quickly,] System 225 said. [The situation is not ideal. However, we cannot afford to prolong it. We have only one chance. The opposition might seek to trap us, yes – in fact, this is practically a guarantee. However, that is not to say that we cannot leave before the trap snaps shut, and for this, Host of System 403, your timing will be crucial.]
Zilei swallowed, picking up on the inherent gravity of the situation. In fact, he was fairly certain that this may or may not actually have been the first time the other System had ever spoken to him directly. “Uh... sure thing. I think I’ve gotten the hang of it?”
There was a distinct feeling of disapproval from System 403 at that, but honestly, what was Zilei supposed to do? Was he supposed to lie about it and in absolute confidence offer up firm reassurances that he would be able to do it?
[We’ve only got one chance,] System 225 reiterated. [Although this System possesses the means for an emergency extraction, this is to be treated as an absolute last resort. The reason for this is because this World is now too unstable, meaning that we cannot leave and expect to be able to return. Furthermore, there would be consequences. If we do nothing, then this World will collapse, potentially setting off a chain reaction with adjacent Worlds, which is to be avoided at all costs.]
Oh. “That... sounds kind of bad.” Like really, really bad. “But what if we⸺?”
[The matter will be resolved, one way or the other,] System 225 said, staring coldly at him with its beady black eyes. [If the Transmigrator cannot be safely extracted, then they will have to be neutralised alongside the ‘System’ that started this whole affair. This is the only other available option.]
Hearing this, Zilei snapped his eyes towards Frosty, who did not look back or even blink. Instead, a definite look entered the other’s gaze, plunging Zilei’s stomach into even icier depths.
