WITH FU JING’S great escape plan thwarted by the curse, he needed to distract himself with something else.

As he sat with Xiao Song at his favourite noodle shop, he produced his broken spiritual weapon.

Each spiritual weapon had a crystal embedded in its hilt—a spiritual stone that melded the blade to the wielder’s core. By stepping on Fu Jing’s sword, Xuan Qi had shattered the blade and destroyed the crystal.

While Fu Jing couldn’t use the weapon to kill the demon (for now) he still wanted to fix it. Showing the hilt to Xiao Song, he asked, “Do you know where I could find a spiritual stone?”

Xiao Song shook his head.

Fu Jing had figured as much, given that Xiao Song was still quite young and had much to learn.

That didn’t pose much of a problem, though.

As long as they were in the capital, Fu Jing had no qualms about consulting other demons and yao.

And luckily enough, a few weeks later, his inquiries bore fruit. The people pointed him to a cave hidden deep within a part of the woods Fu Jing hadn’t explored yet.

Fortunately, Xiao Song seemed quite familiar with the area and took the lead after they politely declined a shady demon’s offer to guide them.

Their trek led through a dense, pitch-black forest. The air was heavy with yin energy, a chilling stillness that clung to the pine and fir trees like a ghostly fog. The more they advanced, the more difficult it became to push through the underbrush.

The cave was at the heart of the forest, carved by nature into a small mountain. It led into a cool chamber of stone where stalactites hung like jagged teeth, mirrored by stalagmites rising from the floor. What was most curious, though, was the bright and pulsating blue light within.

Fu Jing’s heartbeat quickened.

This looked promising.

Stepping closer, he found the light’s source: a massive glowing crystalline boulder in the centre of a pool. Its water was as clear as the crystal itself, and each glow was as steady as a heartbeat.

This had to be it!

Fu Jing wasted no time. He rolled up the hems of his pants and fastened his robe securely around his waist to keep its sleeves dry before wading into the knee-deep water.

Xiao Song, on the other hand, patiently waited at the pool’s edge. He hated water and avoided its wet touch as much as possible.

Fu Jing didn’t mind. Since harvesting spiritual stones was a one-man job, he luckily wouldn’t need Xiao Song’s help anyway.

At least, that’s what he thought.

The moment his fingers brushed the boulder’s surface, something unexpected happened.

It moved.

Fu Jing froze, blinking in confusion.

That was odd. These kinds of boulders usually didn’t move. They also didn’t unroll. And they most certainly didn’t sprout enormous wings that spanned the entirety of the cave, knocking stalactites from the ceiling and sending dangerous shards of stone crashing around as they flapped.

Fuck.

Fu Jing barely had time to react before the dragon-like boulder—no, creature—fully emerged, its glowing form bathing the cavern in a dazzling, blinding blue. It wasn’t until it faced Fu Jing, letting out an ear-splitting screech, that he finally dashed out of the water, snatching Xiao Song in the process.

But he was too slow.

Before he reached the mouth of the cave, the creature had already caught up to them and lunged with one of its massive crystal-like claws.

There was no time for Fu Jing to dodge, let alone gather spiritual energy to fight back—so he could only curl into a ball, shielding his head with his arms and bracing himself for the inevitable blow.

Except… it never came.

When Fu Jing looked up, slowly, carefully, his breath caught. Towering over him like a massive bear was a hulking black beast, its powerful form standing between him and the glowing monstrosity.

It was Xiao Song!

Fu Jing was astonished once more. It turned out that his tiny companion was a shapeshifter that had just saved his life.

Before things could get worse, Fu Jing didn’t hesitate any longer and sprinted out of the cave.

“Xiao Song!” he called over his shoulder as he kept running. “I’m safe! Hurry and get out!”

He dashed into the forest, closely followed by Xiao Song, who had reverted to his small, feline self.

Unfortunately, it didn’t take long for the crystalline dragon to exit the cave as well. Judging by its clumsy movements and sluggish attempts to gain altitude, Fu Jing had probably woken it from a deep slumber. It screeched in frustration, the sound piercing the night as it pursued them with earth-shattering stomps.

Xiao Song’s ability to transform was remarkable, but he couldn’t hold it for long. Even if he were able to maintain his larger form, he and Fu Jing stood no chance of defeating this monster. They tried to escape, but the dragon’s rampage left no room to hide. Trees were violently uprooted and smashed aside as the creature relentlessly barrelled forward.

To make matters worse, Fu Jing’s foot caught on an exposed root, sending him crashing to the ground with a sharp twist of his ankle.

Gritting his teeth against the pain, he grabbed Xiao Song and held him tightly in his arms as he scrambled backwards until his back hit the rough bark of a tree. Left with no other choice, he faced the monstrous beast, now only mere metres away.

The dragon had spotted them and was fast approaching, raising a claw to shred them to pieces.

Fu Jing clutched Xiao Song tightly to his chest, his heart pounding.

This was it.

But before the creature could strike, its movements suddenly stopped.

A strong hand had gripped the creature by its head and brutally smashed it against a tree. A second later, the headless body keeled over with a resounding crash.

Fu Jing’s wide eyes slowly travelled upward to see the imposing figure standing above the dragon’s lifeless body.

It was Xuan Qi.

The demon scrutinised his hand as if disgusted by the blood and gore that covered it. Then, his sharp gaze darted toward Fu Jing, who remained crouched against the tree with Xiao Song in his protective arms.

Xuan Qi stepped closer to Fu Jing, glaring at him. “What the fuck are you doing here?”

“I was… just exploring…” Fu Jing said. It wasn’t even a lie.

Xuan Qi snorted. “You think I’m stupid?”

He grabbed Fu Jing by the arm to yank him to his feet, and used his other hand—the clean one—to delve into the folds of Fu Jing’s robe.

“Hey!”

But before Fu Jing could protest any further, Xuan Qi had already fished out what he was looking for: Fu Jing’s spiritual weapon—or what was left of it.

Xuan Qi inspected the hilt, turning it in his hand every which way.

“How naive can you be? You should know there is no such thing as spiritual stones in the demon realm.”

“I could still cultivate one…,” Fu Jing meekly replied.

Xuan Qi let go of Fu Jing, who, due to his still trembling legs, promptly collapsed back to the ground.

“Say you manage to fix this,” Xuan Qi said, his voice laced with disdain, “What’s your plan? Killing me?”

Fu Jing still held Xiao Song in his shielding arms, averting his eyes. “…No…”

Xuan Qi was silent for a moment. Then, without warning, he pulverised the hilt.

“No!” Fu Jing blurted, watching in horror as the particles fluttered to the ground, the last remnants of his hope destroyed.

Xuan Qi placed a hand on his hip, tilting his head toward the sky. “It’s almost full moon. You should come with me.”

Fu Jing shook his hanging head, his face hidden in shadow. “I’ll come later.”

Xuan Qi rolled his eyes, but left with no objections.

As soon as the demon was gone, Fu Jing’s shoulders began to shake. Tears spilled down his cheeks, falling onto Xiao Song’s small face. His voice cracked as he choked out, “See? He’s so heartless!”

Xiao Song felt a bit helpless, gazing at the weeping man with sorrowful eyes. To better comfort Fu Jing, the kitten transformed into a long form that gently coiled around Fu Jing’s shoulders like a furry snake.

Filled with disappointment, Fu Jing decided not to return to the palace right away. Instead, he headed to a nearby tavern, seeking to drown his sorrow. After the mistreatment, Fu Jing couldn’t face the demon and drink his blood in a sober condition.

The tavern was bustling with life. Nearly every seat on the first floor was occupied by guests. Despite its crudeness, the flickering candlelight cast a warm, inviting glow.

Fu Jing had never really drunk before, aside from the occasional sip during celebrations. So when he took a seat at the counter, he found himself at a loss, unsure what to order.

He observed the patron to his left downing a drink served in a golden cup. The liquid was a dark red, almost the colour of blood, but the scent wafting from it was incredibly sweet.

“What’s that?” he asked the bartender, pointing at the drink. “Demonic alcohol?”

The bartender chuckled dryly. “Yes, it’s liquor. Simple and plain alcohol, no need to put ‘demonic’ in front of it.”

Fu Jing eyed the drink, chewing on his lower lip as he debated whether to order it. He was a bit apprehensive, given he didn’t know his own limits.

As he was mulling over this, the bartender raised an eyebrow. “Want to try it?”

The question was as good as an invitation. Fu Jing nodded to himself, his decision made. He looked the bartender square in the eye and replied with a resolute “Yes.”

The bartender shook his head as he chuckled again and poured Fu Jing a cup of the crimson liquid. Before passing it to Fu Jing, however, he paused, giving him a sceptical once-over. “How do you intend to pay?”

Fu Jing froze. He didn’t have any money. And with his robes all tattered and covered in grime, he probably didn’t make a reliable impression. He cleared his throat.

“Xuan Qi will pay,” he replied with confidence. “What? You don’t believe me? Why don’t you go ask him?”

“…”

The bartender sighed, but without much of a choice, he handed the drink to Fu Jing.

After taking a cautious sip, Fu Jing’s eyes widened in astonishment. It was really sweet! And so rich in flavour!

“Are you sure this is liquor? I can’t taste any alcohol in it.”

The bartender grinned. “Yeah, gotta be careful. You might get drunk before you know it.”

This was perfect. Fu Jing had never been too fond of the bitter taste of human wine, but this? This he could drink like tea. And so, he did.

By the time he’d downed his third—or was it his fourth?—drink, Fu Jing was already dead drunk. His head was swimming and his vision blurry when someone slid into the chair to his right.

It was a strikingly handsome man with black hair and two prominent horns on his forehead. Unlike Xuan Qi’s horns, however, these were yellow, matching the stranger’s gleaming golden eyes.

Fu Jing narrowed his eyes and looked to his left, moving his head like a lizard. Xiao Song still sat perched on the counter and tilted his head.

For a brief, drunken moment, Fu Jing had thought the kitten had transformed into a demon.

The stranger broke the silence with a radiant grin. “Mind if I join you?”

Fu Jing sized him up. Upon closer inspection, his other features—apart from the horns—also resembled that of Xuan Qi. His face, however, appeared to be a lot younger and cheekier, his skin much smoother than that of Xuan Qi.

Without waiting for Fu Jing’s response, the stranger leaned closer, a sly smile playing on his lips. “You smell very sweet, you know that?”

Fu Jing frowned. Truthfully, he didn’t know what he smelled like. A bit concerned, he lifted his arm to sniff his robe.

The stranger burst into boisterous laughter. “Hahahaha! And you’re funny, too!”

Realising how ridiculous he must look, Fu Jing’s face flushed red and he hastily lowered his arm.

The stranger had propped an elbow on the counter, his cheek resting on his hand as he stared at Fu Jing with an intensity that should’ve been unsettling—but it wasn’t. On the contrary: something about this unknown demon was alluring.

The man leaned closer, his golden eyes glinting with mischief, until their faces were mere inches apart.

Taken in by his presence, Fu Jing didn’t mind that this stranger had hooked a finger under his chin and tilted his face upward.

It wasn’t that Fu Jing wanted to kiss this stranger, but something inside him urged him not to resist, almost as if persuading him. His eyes fluttered closed.

But their lips never met.

“What are you doing?” a deep voice behind Fu Jing asked.

Fu Jing blinked in a daze. “Huh?”

The seat next to him was empty. The stranger had vanished into thin air.

Fu Jing whipped his head around—maybe it had been Xiao Song after all?

But the kitten still sat at the counter, staring back at Fu Jing with big, innocent eyes.

Had it been a hallucination? Was Fu Jing really that drunk??

Whatever the case, Fu Jing squeezed his eyes shut and shook his head until Xuan Qi snapped him back to reality.

“Did you just wait for me to pick you up? I thought you said you’d come yourself.”

Fu Jing turned to the demon, who stood behind him with his arms crossed. He dramatically stretched out his own arms and demanded, “Carry me home!”

Xuan Qi cocked an eyebrow. “Are you drunk?”

“Maaaaybeeee,” Fu Jing drawled, jerking insistent hands toward Xuan Qi.

The demon sighed, then stepped forward, circling one arm around Fu Jing’s shoulders and the other under the crook of his knees to scoop him up.

Lifted like this, Fu Jing was startled for a moment, then quipped, “Is this my lucky day? You usually carry me around like dead prey!”

He was the only one laughing at his joke.

Xuan Qi glanced down at him, deadpan.

“Oh, by the way,” Fu Jing patted Xuan Qi’s chest, “You gotta pay up.”

“…”