Ever since he became a demon, Wan Yuntao had felt as though he were drifting through some unreal space.
Whether he was speaking to someone or doing anything else, he no longer possessed the steadiness and calm of Ren Yijue. He had to suppress his restless emotions at every moment, endure his consciousness suddenly slipping away, and accept that when he came to himself again he might be somewhere completely unfamiliar.
After spending time with Qian Xuelang, Wan Yuntao’s fear became even more definite.
He was afraid that one day he would wake to find Qian Xuelang lying before him covered in blood.
And yet, in a certain sense, Wan Yuntao was deeply fascinated by this state. He felt relaxed, unburdened. At times the duties and helplessness that had tormented Ren Yijue seemed to fall away with him. The shackles of the mortal world loosened one after another. It was like… like his dealings with Hua Hanyan.
He was perfectly willing to play along with Hua Hanyan’s act for a while. But once he grew tired of it, the game could end whenever he chose. He would be the one to end it.
Somewhere deep inside, Ren Yijue kept reminding him that he ought not behave this way.
But who could say what the world was supposed to be like, or what sort of man Ren Yijue was supposed to be? What was so wrong with living freely and comfortably? Besides, as his lapses of consciousness grew less frequent and he gained ever more control over this powerful body, the cowardly unease Wan Yuntao had first felt was gradually fading.
Yet what replaced the fear was a hunger and thirst that surged constantly within him.
The greedy hunger pounding in this demonic heart did not know when enough was enough, as Ren Yijue did. It did not understand, as Ren Yijue did, that going too far was as bad as falling short…
That demonic face seemed forever to be grinning savagely at Ren Yijue: in the water, in his dreams, even while he was awake. It mocked his deliberate restraint and all the principles he had built over decades.
To Wan Yuntao, so much of Ren Yijue’s thinking seemed absurd, absurd almost to the point of cowardice.
But was Wan Yuntao himself always able to live exactly as he wished?
Wasn’t Ren Yijue also standing coldly at his side, spoiling his pleasure by reminding him how he ought to act and think, and mocking him with the indifference Qian Xuelang had shown him?
Yes, Wan Yuntao had kissed Qian Xuelang. So what?
Had that accomplished cultivator cared in the slightest? He did not remember Wan Yuntao at all, much less care for this arrogant stranger’s love. He coolly weighed the demon’s feelings against the enormous debt of having had his life saved, settled the accounts without emotion, and left without even looking back.
He would smile for Ren Yijue. When had the demon ever been granted such an honor?
Perhaps things would have been better if he could be only Wan Yuntao or only Ren Yijue. But he was always consciously being Ren Yijue, yet unable to keep himself from becoming Wan Yuntao.
This body was destined never to return to Ren Yijue’s identity. He could not face everything belonging to Ren Yijue while wearing this appearance, and so for a while he had fled from Ren Yijue’s life.
But where had Wan Yuntao come from?
At times, while fully awake, Wan Yuntao would be overcome by an agonizing dizziness. He seemed to have no connection to this world at all: no friends, no family. He did not know where to go or where he belonged, lost and adrift in an endless emptiness.
He had been born for Qian Xuelang, yet Qian Xuelang did not want him. That hopeless, painful love almost tore Wan Yuntao apart. He had come to this village entirely by chance, yet the village accepted him, as though he had been born and raised here.
It almost made Wan Yuntao imagine that he really was a demon from this village, nothing more extraordinary than any of its ordinary residents.
And so Wan Yuntao followed his heart and asked, “Village Chief… We’ve never met before. Why… why are you so good to me?”
The question was utterly sincere, without a trace of his usual shrewdness or cunning.
The chief looked at him kindly and reached out a broad hand to stroke Wan Yuntao’s head. It was the most ordinary gesture of affection from an elder to a younger person, yet Wan Yuntao’s nose stung and he nearly burst into tears.
“Because you are a child of the Heavenly Demon,” the chief said gently. After a pause, he pointed to the distant white mountains. “Look at that mountain. Doesn’t it resemble a human figure?”
“It does,” Wan Yuntao answered. “And it looks like a woman.”
“She is the Demon Mother too.” The chief slowly began recounting the past. “The Demon Mother was human, so she could not live for long in the realm below, nor could she stay beside Lord Heavenly Demon forever. When she agreed to his proposal of marriage, she asked for only one betrothal gift.”
“What gift?”
“To become a demon. She wanted Lord Heavenly Demon to transform her into one of the demon race.”
Wan Yuntao froze. The demonic brand and demon thralls suddenly came to mind, but he could not be certain. After a moment’s hesitation he said, “I imagine Lord Heavenly Demon managed to do it.”
He knew little of what sort of woman the Demon Mother had truly been, but after suffering such blows and setbacks she had still dared to seek out the Heavenly Demon and enter his service. She must have been a formidable person, not some weak or timid creature.
“Indeed, Lord Heavenly Demon succeeded.” The chief’s voice brimmed with pride and happiness. “Lord Heavenly Demon created a technique called the demonic brand. He bestowed this brand upon the Demon Mother, and on the day she became a demon, he married her. At last, he was able to take the Demon Mother as his wife.”
So it really was the demonic brand.
“Later, many demons wished their human partners could remain with them for their whole lives, so they asked Lord Heavenly Demon to teach them the technique,” the chief said mildly. “The demonic brand was an extraordinarily domineering technique. When he placed it upon the Demon Mother, Lord Heavenly Demon chose to bear its backlash himself. But others were not all capable of withstanding such a technique, so he improved the demonic brand until it could be used by more people.”
So that’s how it happened. A technique invented long ago to fulfill his wife’s wish was now used to control others and even build his own demon army.
Wan Yuntao pondered for a moment. “Is there a demonic brand on me as well?”
“No, of course not. You carry something far greater than a demonic brand.” The chief laughed. “I don’t know where you received this blessing, but there is no mistaking it. You are a Heavenly Demon Child.”
A Heavenly Demon Child?
Bai Wujin had once explained that demon thralls and Heavenly Demon Vessels were different. A demon thrall was the Heavenly Demon’s slave, while a Heavenly Demon Vessel was his clothing. And now there was this new thing called a Heavenly Demon Child.
Wan Yuntao asked, “What is a Heavenly Demon Child?”
“How can you know so little, child?” The chief sighed, but did not hold it against him. Instead, he patiently explained. “Let me start at the beginning… Earlier I told you that outsiders had come here before and would come again. Do you remember?”
“I remember,” Wan Yuntao said. “I wanted to ask about it, but I was afraid of offending you.”
“There’s nothing offensive about asking. In ancient times, it was perfectly ordinary for gods, demons, humans, yao, and other races to live together. But as time passed, gods and demons disappeared while humanity flourished. Even half-demons came to be treated as outsiders.” The chief spoke slowly. “Some children in the village look no different from humans. Others are plainly born with demon blood, and you can tell at a glance.”
Wan Yuntao nodded. “That’s true.”
“In earlier years, our village had dealings with the outside world. Our people went out to travel and gain experience. But humans did not welcome half-demons. Children who looked human might get by, but what about those who looked like demons? We could hardly let the children be abandoned.” The chief shook his head. “That wouldn’t be right. It wasn’t White Stone Village that wanted to shut itself away; it was the outside world that had shut itself in.”
Wan Yuntao was silent for a moment, then said gently, “Village Chief, that is truly noble of you.”
“There’s nothing particularly noble about it. We just want full bellies and somewhere to sleep. In fact, many of the half-demons of White Stone Village were brought back from outside by villagers traveling through the world, and they prefer living among their own people.” The chief’s aged voice held deep compassion. “That was the Demon Mother’s view too. Human or demon, what’s the difference? Only strength and weakness. People insist on drawing such clear distinctions because they want an excuse to harm one another.”
Wan Yuntao said nothing.
“But don’t imagine every half-demon is pitiful and innocent. There have been many who, hoping to earn human mercy, deceived us and led humans into the village to slaughter everyone, so they could win lifelong wealth and status. I don’t know what became of them, or whether the humans ever fulfilled their promises, but there have been no few such half-demons.”
Wan Yuntao’s heart tightened. Although White Stone Village still resembled a secluded paradise, he could not help worrying for its people. Knowing they must have paid a terrible price, he asked with concern, “How does the village defend itself?”
“You’ve seen it for yourself. Apart from Wuhui, most of the villagers are ordinary demonkin. At most they’re a little stronger and taller than most people, eat a little more, and grow hungry a little faster.”
Wan Yuntao and the chief both laughed at that. The chief rubbed his knee. When his laughter subsided, he seemed faintly wistful.
“We’ve wandered far from the subject. Anyway, after the Demon Mother became a demon, she could no longer bear children. There is a forbidden place in the village, inside the Demon Mother’s belly. Within it remain the blessings that Lord Heavenly Demon and the Demon Mother left behind. Each generation sends its newborn children into the cavern. Those who receive the blessing are Heavenly Demon Children.”
“Heavenly Demon Children are very similar to the demons of old, so they are extremely sensitive to clear and turbid qi. But to protect the village, they often have to endure a lifetime of…” The chief’s expression grew sorrowful. “While the other children can go home and play, Heavenly Demon Children must remain in the Demon Mother’s belly, receiving instruction and undergoing hardship. Usually, the Heavenly Demon Child of one generation trains the next. That loneliness and suffering have passed from one generation to another, and no one has found any other way. The villagers can only depend upon the Heavenly Demon Children to protect them.”
“Wuhui is this generation’s Heavenly Demon Child?” Wan Yuntao suddenly asked.
“That’s right.”
Wan Yuntao understood Wuhui’s condition quite well. He realized that Heavenly Demon Children were people who possessed Heavenly Demon Vessels, except that the Heavenly Demon Vessels in White Stone Village were relatively weak, far less powerful than his own.
No wonder the village regarded its Heavenly Demon Children as the offspring of the Heavenly Demon and the Demon Mother. They received a blessing and shouldered the duty of protecting everyone else. Because this custom existed, the villagers had regarded Wan Yuntao as one of their own and welcomed him so warmly.
“But even with Heavenly Demon Children, even if… even if everyone became one when the village was attacked, they would still lack training. I fear their power to resist would be very limited.”
Wan Yuntao had become vastly stronger after taking on his demon body, but Wuhui’s Heavenly Demon Vessel was clearly much more limited.
The chief studied Wan Yuntao strangely for a long time, then said slowly, “You truly don’t seem like a demon. Why would everyone need training? Demons can devour one another. The next Heavenly Demon Child devours the previous one. The villagers enter the Demon Mother’s belly one after another to receive her blessing. Then the Heavenly Demon Child devours them, fusing them all back into one body so they can resist the enemy together.”
Wan Yuntao was suddenly at a loss for words.