It happens suddenly, unexpectedly.
It happens quickly, and with brutal efficiency, saying as much about their preparedness as about his lack thereof. Because Jixue hadn’t come to this place expecting this sort of thing – he hadn’t been taking part of the Inter-Sect Competition thinking that some demons might just⸺
It’s a blur, honestly, and for once, the System proves decidedly unhelpful – unhelpful in anything but in its instruction that he must do whatever he can to ensure his own survival – and Jixue chooses to fight, because what else can he do? The lot has already bled him to such a degree, leaving him weakened and faint but also desperate.
The System can’t help him, so Jixue has to help himself, and since the situation is what it is, he reaches into himself and grabs hold of it – grabs hold of the only thing that can save him here. Because as a cultivator, he clearly stands no chance, but as something not-human, he just might.
Of course, he lacks the energy for a more complete transformation. However, incomplete or not, talons are talons and Jixue uses them as intended, and although his wings are far too weak and bloodied and tousled for flight, they’re still enough to propel him forward, allowing him to finally make a getaway.
Being outside isn’t much better though, because he’s being hunted and finds himself hopelessly lost. He’s clearly no longer in the Human Realm and likely quite deep inside the Demon Realm as well, if his current surroundings serve as any indication. How had he ended up here though? How⸺?
[A portal,] System 225 supplies, before that strange interference is back, leaving Jixue stumbling and barely catching himself against the nearest wall as he struggles to catch his breath.
He then takes off running, putting additional distance in-between himself and that place, because maybe that’s it – maybe that’s the thing that keeps disrupting the connection?
In his blind determination, Jixue doesn’t pay enough attention to his surroundings – something that soon has enormous consequences as he barrels into someone – into some demon smelling strongly of alcohol.
Jixue gets away though, rounding the corner without additional incidents, but then⸺
Suddenly, he finds himself facing a dead end, and upon turning, he finds that the other demon has followed him. Damn it. Damn it all! This means Jixue must once again⸺
Something hits him from above, and Jixue is entirely too stunned to react in time before the other pounces on him. Oh, he resists it of course, kicking and scratching and hissing as the other bundles him up in fabric.
A moment of disorientation follows – strange but horrifyingly familiar all at once – and once they emerge, Jixue keeps still only long enough for his captor to let his guard down, and then⸺
He’s free, but not for long, and he scarcely has the time to register the rain of cherry blossoms around them before he’s once again caught, his captor mumbling all sorts of incomprehensible nonsense as he crushes Jixue against his chest.
Then⸺
There’s a rumble in the other’s chest, but not a growl but a purr, and upon hearing it, Jixue jerks once and then goes completely still.
Some manner of cat demon, he thinks, and is instantaneously caught in-between two wildly contradictive urges – to run, or to keep very still. Because running would make the other want to chase him, but if he stayed very still, then the other might also⸺
“You⸺”
Additional voices, additional presences – equally familiar, equally unwelcome.
This is how I die, Jixue thinks, readying himself to bite off his own tongue. But then⸺
His captor puts him down, and Jixue stays put, watching warily as the other turns to face the newcomers. In doing so, the other laps up a stray trickle of blood from his hand – and it is undoubtedly Jixue’s blood, meaning that soon, the other would also⸺
Jixue closes his eyes, and doesn’t open them even as he hears the first scream. It’s soon followed by another, and both of them are quickly cut short.
This is how I die, Jixue thinks, smelling the bloodshed long before he opens his eyes to see it for himself – and it is a bloodbath, truly, bodies strewn about, some of them in pieces. Jixue derives little satisfaction from seeing them though, even though they all belong to his enemies. After all⸺
I’m next, Jixue thinks, greeting this realisation first with resignation and then⸺
He tries to run, and when that fails, he decides that if he’s going to die anyway, then he’d rather do so on his own terms. It certainly isn’t his first time biting off his own tongue either, even if it is his first time in this universe.
Clearly, his captor disapproves, because before Jixue manages to go through with it, he is once again subdued, and this time around, he is not only restrained but also gagged. Still, even though he’s effectively at the other’s mercy, Jixue cannot help but glare – and soon, he can’t do even that.
Then, after mumbling even more incomprehensible nonsense, the other picks him back up, and a brief moment of disorientation later, they’re somewhere else entirely.
Then his captor puts him back down, and soon, Jixue finds himself kneeling on cold stone. They’re in a cave, he thinks, and although this should alarm him, he feels strangely calm. he once again tries to make contract with the System, but this time around there isn’t even static but complete silence. This should’ve been a cause of great alarm, and yet⸺
There are fleeting touches on his back and wings and particularly the latter, accompanied by quiet murmurs that sound almost apologetic.
At some point, the gag also gets pulled from his mouth, replaced by prodding fingers. Jixue bites down on them in a renewed act of defiance – he bites down on them hard enough to draw blood, causing them to be withdrawn with a pained hiss and a curse.
There’s a flash of anger, and Jixue braces himself. He expects something like a blow, but instead, the other’s hand just clamps down on the back of his neck, giving it a firm squeeze – a warning to stay put.
And Jixue does. He does, even as he feels the other’s stinking breath directly against his face. It gives him something of a forewarning for what comes next, but knowing doesn’t make it any less disgusting. Jixue makes this known too, even if it ultimately proves futile as his mouth is forced open once more, and then⸺
The sharp yet sweet taste of berries register, briefly distracting from the stench of alcohol and blood, as well as from the hand covering his mouth. Jixue swallows without really thinking, and then⸺
The satisfaction of his captor is palatable, and when the hand is removed, the other attempts to push yet another berry into Jixue’s mouth, and when he eats it and the ones that follows, the other purrs.
Jixue isn’t quite sure what to make of the situation, but since his captor hasn’t actively harmed him yet, Jixue tries to reason with him.
Ultimately, this proves useless however, because there’s little reasoning with this demon – this drunkard – and Jixue’s efforts only result in him getting dragged into the other’s arms and held while the other purrs and purrs and purrs.
It’s strange. It’s jarring. But at the same time, Jixue finds it increasingly difficult to keep his eyes open. It doesn’t matter anyway, because he’s still blindfolded and bound in qi-restricting restraints. It doesn’t matter anyway, because⸺
“Little Xue.”
Disoriented, Jixue blinked his eyes open and was immediately distracted by the increased clarity and sudden vibrancy of everything.
There were even new colours visible to him, some of them marking the skin of the one before him – stripes – and Jixue momentarily thought about touching them before abruptly remembering the situation and putting more distance between them.
The bastard clearly didn’t care though, appearing quite proud of himself. And indeed, in a way, the other had technically helped him, providing him with a crude but efficient transfer of energy, but⸺
“I’m not going to thank you,” Jixue spat, wiping some of the remaining blood from his mouth.
“Then don’t,” Àiyǎn said, still smiling. “Go take care of things and then come back. I’ll be waiting.”
And if Jixue wouldn’t come, then the other would undoubtedly hunt him down – this, Jixue immediately knew, even without the other telling him.
Well, the bastard was welcome to try, Jixue supposed. Jixue probably ought to kill him now and be done with it though.
“So?” Àiyǎn said, leaning forward. “Where should I send you? The Spider Caves?”
As much as Jixue hated having to rely on others, this would undeniably save him some time; enough of it had already been lost after all. And with that said⸺ “Send me to the Lake of Bones.”
“At the entrance or inside of the cavern itself?”
Jixue considered it. Then he gave his answer.
Thanks to the bastard of a Demon King, Jixue got right where he needed to be, and just in time, apparently. “I don’t have fucking time for this!”
Without further ado, he went to Yue’s side, and upon finding the other in quite a state, he quickly fed him some of his blood, because time was of the essence and if the other died, then it would take more time and effort to fix this. Besides, as things were, Jixue had other fishes to fry.
Expelled from its previous vessel, the orb of light that was System 707 darted frantically around the room, targeted by Youming Jun. Then, once again, the demon brat managed to strike it, and this time around, there was no vessel standing in the way.
Instead, there was a terrible scream followed by a blinding light, accompanied by another shockwave of energy as the sabre cracked and shattered, scattering into pieces as it released those previously trapped within it – and System 403 quickly found itself a new vessel in the shape of one of Hua Hongzhu’s butterfly talismans, and together with System 225, it kept System 707 firmly occupied and away from either of its previous vessels, allowing Jixue to launch his own strike.
Spotting a dried spider carcass, he swiped it up midway through, and then, as the errant System got within striking distance, Jixue promptly grabbed it and shoved it right into the prepared vessel.
From an outsider’s perspective, it probably looked seamless, even easy. Such obviously wasn’t the case though, because errant or not, the other was still a System, and thus capable of strong resistance.
Jixue himself was certainly no pushover though. Previous encounters and engagements with Systems and System-like entities had shown that Jixue was resistant to them, making him and System 225 natural candidates to find and take out any errant Systems – and they had done so on occasion, not that many times, but enough times for him to earn another name; Vector.
System 225 had rarely used it however, indicating a distinctive dislike of it without ever expressing it. Jixue understood though, because it was undeniably a name with certain connotations.
None of that mattered though, especially not now. None of it mattered, because⸺
“Poison,” Mingyue said, tending to his disciple. “Mad honey.”
“Not good,” Jiao Ziyu said, earning himself a mild scoff, because that much was obvious.
There was no real need for alarm though, and Mingyue clearly realised as much, readily surrendering his disciple to Jiao Ziyu in favour of pursuing other matters – matters such as Jixue, who wasn’t about to fall for the same trick twice.
He found it annoyingly difficult to move though, hampered just as much by exhaustion as by the weight and pain stemming from the massive wings that had just sprouted from his back. He looked towards System 225, but then⸺
The bastard of a Demon King suddenly appeared, moving quickly across the cavern before vanishing once more with the Systems – but not before pausing to offer them a smile and a wink that made Jixue want to strangle him.
They’d been used – used as a diversion, used as a⸺ “That fucking bastard! I’m going to fucking kill him!”
Jixue would kill him. Jixue would gut him like a fish and then strangle him with his own intestines. But he’d do that later. First, he had other fish to fry.
“Stay put,” Mingyue said, undoubtedly addressing him even while crouched down beside the profusely bleeding Hua Hongzhu. Then, with a flash of qi, the demoness was no longer bleeding out, leaving Mingyue’s hands free to do other things. “Hand.”
Jixue reluctantly offered up his wrist for inspection even though he felt quite tempted to strike him. He didn’t though, because that would’ve just given Mingyue an excuse to sedate him again. Jixue wasn’t planning on letting that happen though – for obvious reasons.
Instead, he quickly withdrew his hand and pulled back once the inspection was finished, putting additional distance in-between them – showing the insolent brat that nothing had really been forgiven or forgotten and that Jixue would sooner rely on anyone other than him – which now happened to be Youming Jun.
“Get us back to the palace,” Jixue said. “This is no place for treating patients, and you’re going to need another System to sort out this mess. I can fix a lot of things, but this is beyond my level.”
And even if he’d had the credentials, it would’ve been way above his paygrade – and also way beyond what he could reasonably be trusted with, considering his current condition.
“Jun,” Jixue said more firmly this time around. “Take us back to the palace... before Mingyue does something irreversibly stupid.”
Because Mingyue would undoubtedly do something stupid – something stupid like trying to delve into System 707’s former Host’s psyche in the hopes of finding and untangling whatever mess said System had left behind.
The mere thought of it gave Jixue a terrible headache, like a bonus to a body already screaming in pain. He hardly let this show however, because whether in this life or in another, Jixue had become extremely accustomed to hiding his pain – except when playing it up just so happened to be the most advantageous option.
Mingyue could probably tell though, but that brat had always been annoyingly perceptive – and although Jixue was rather proud that he hadn’t managed to raise a complete buffoon, he knew well the reckless tendencies that resurfaced whenever the other’s emotions ran high, such as now.
Mingyue conspiring with Àiyǎn also strongly suggested a certain awareness of the Systems, as did Mingyue’s seeming attempt to keep Jixue well out of it.
In any case, Jixue didn’t really care. He certainly hadn’t asked for the other’s intervention, and if Mingyue were to continue standing in the way of things, then Jixue would remove him in one way or the other. He wouldn’t kill him, of course, but anything beyond that was definitely on the table. Because honestly, while Jixue’s lessons had primarily focused on matters related to the physical body, he’d definitely covered certain things concerning the mind and soul, and thus, Mingyue really had no excuse.
Jixue didn’t really have the time or energy to lecture him though. He’d said what needed to be said, because these people didn’t really need to know all the details. In fact, Jixue himself didn’t really need know all the details, but what he’d sensed when he’d touched the other had pretty much confirmed it – that other’s bond had been improperly severed.
Even without taking a proper look, Jixue could pretty much guess the consequences of that, namely that the fraying edges of the bond had become tangled up, and that any well-meaning amateur’s attempt to get rid of them would prove catastrophic and likely also inflict irreversible damage to the young transmigrator’s soul.
Spiritual cores and souls were different after all – oftentimes connected, but also separate. One could live a decent life with a damaged core – or even without a properly formed core, like most commoners did.
A damaged soul meanwhile was a decidedly more serious matter – and while it was technically possible to live even with a damaged soul, it wasn’t much of a life. It was usually far kinder to just kill them and then attempt to put their damaged soul back together to allow them to re-enter the cycle of reincarnation with no greater ill effects.
And, speaking of ill effects⸺
Feeling a sudden obstruction in his throat, Jixue put a hand up to his mouth, unable to quite smother the incoming cough.
In mere moments, Mingyue was right beside him, prying the hand away. And although Jixue was tempted to spit on him, he did turn his head away when he spat out the thing that had just lodged in his throat; a clump of congealed blood.
Whose was it though? Was Àiyǎn’s or was it his own, stemming from some internal bleeding? Well, in any case, Jixue felt marginally better now. Granted, he still felt like absolute shit and his head was absolutely killing him, but at least Youming Jun seemed to have somewhat gotten his shit together.
“I’m... I don’t think I have enough left in me to bring everyone along.”
That wasn’t surprising, but⸺
“The Demon King then?” Jiao Ziyu suggested, and Jixue quite disagreed.
“No,” he said. “This can’t wait.”
And Youming Jun nodded in turn, looking down at the one cradled in his arms.
“I’ll give it a shot,” he then said, already making his way over. “But I’ll definitely crash afterwards, so... against my uncle, you’re on your own.”
That would probably be for the best though, or at least Jixue thought so as he watched them all move closer.
Youming Jun then deposited Yue into Jiao Ziyu’s arms, completely foregoing Mingyue, and the sight brought sadistic joy to Jixue’s heart, and going by the look sent his way, Mingyue definitely noticed. Jixue honestly didn’t care though.
Still kneeling, he held out his hand towards Youming Jun.
“Master,” Mingyue said. “I’ll⸺”
Jixue immediately shut him up with a look though, then went back to ignoring him in favour of another. “Jun,” he said. “Hand.”
This time around, Youming Jun did move, putting his palm up against Jixue’s own, allowing him to interlace their fingers. It certainly wasn’t the most efficient way of transferring energy, but⸺
“Okay,” the other finally said. “I think I have enough to⸺”
He attempted to pull his hand back, but Jixue held on, conveying a final instruction through their connection.
Make sure Mingyue doesn’t do anything stupid. This is a System-related problem. Only a System can fix it.
There was no audible response, but Jixue knew his message had been received. He also knew that the brat would ultimately listen to him. Thus, he wasn’t alarmed, conserving his remaining energy as he felt the wave of demonic qi spread out underneath them.
“Brace yourselves,” Youming Jun said, and then the ground disappeared underneath their feet.
Moments later, they reappeared in the throne room of the Demon King, greeted by the other’s servants and advisors present at the scene. Jixue vaguely recognised a few of them, but he didn’t really care, and he didn’t follow the rest of them as they left to continue tending to Yue.
If Mingyue noticed, then the other gave no real indication of it, clearly focused upon other things.
Youming Jun definitely noticed though.
“Go,” Jixue told him, turning away, and soon, they’d all left, allowing him to focus on other matters. He did after all have other fish to fry – or, to be specific, a Demon King to gut.
