The Cannon Fodder Also Has a Will to Survive [Rebirth] - Chapter 20

Demon-Spirit City, Hurricane Square Teleportation Array.

The Great Priest of the Yao race had just lowered his staff. He turned to the crowd with a look of relief and said, “The teleportation array has been sealed. For the coming period, please focus your hearts on preparing for the Birthday of the Demon-Spirit God.”

A motley crew of Yao gathered around the square began to dance and cheer. They held hands and circled the array, singing traditional folk songs of their kin. Suddenly, a flash of white light erupted from the center of the platform, and two unfamiliar voices emerged.

Instantly, the square fell silent. You could have heard a pin drop.

“What is happening!” the Great Priest cried out in shock, rushing toward the array to investigate.

Since An Jiu had no cultivation, the teleportation process had been excessively jarring for him. Throughout the transit, he had instinctively leaned against Han Zhong; by the time they hit the ground, he was nestled entirely in Han Zhong’s arms.

Dizzy, he looked up and met an eerie, exotic face.

“Where, where are we?” An Jiu felt his head spinning even faster.

Han Zhong scanned their surroundings before helping the boy up. “Demon-Spirit City. As luck would have it, we’ve arrived exactly when they’ve sealed the city.”

Being of the Yao race himself, Han Zhong knew the laws of this place. This period marked the month leading up to the great festival. He hadn’t expected to time their arrival so perfectly with the day of the lockdown.

The Priest Quewei looked at Han Zhong, then pointed at An Jiu. “Are you of the Yao? And is this your partner?”

An Jiu opened his mouth to protest, but Han Zhong snatched him back and clamped a hand over his mouth.

“Indeed,” Han Zhong admitted calmly. “This is my Daoist Companion.”

The Great Priest saw their strange reaction and remained skeptical. “Where is the Yao-Bond (Demon Bond)?”

Han Zhong’s expression didn’t flicker as he lied through his teeth. “It is part of our marital intimacy, it is in a private place.”

In other words: it’s not for your eyes. The Great Priest became even more suspicious. “If you are truly Yao, you should know that during the holy celebration, Demon-Spirit City accepts no outsiders unless they are the bonded partner of a Yao.”

Han Zhong smiled. “The Great Priest is jesting. As a member of the Yao race, I would never dream of breaking our laws. Jiu-jiu is indeed my partner; I brought him here specifically to attend the celebration.”

Once the city was sealed, it would not reopen until the festival was over. This was a rule that even the City Lord could not change. Furthermore, the Great Priest’s sealing spell was irreversible even he could not reopen the array during this window. Since they were stuck, the only way to stay was to legitimize An Jiu’s presence.

An Jiu finally understood the gravity of the situation and shrank into Han Zhong’s embrace, keeping his mouth shut.

The Great Priest scrutinized them for a long time before beckoning two Rabbit Spirits over. “Take this human inside for an inspection.”

An Jiu’s face paled. Han Zhong was really talking nonsense now. Not only was he about to be “inspected,” but the real problem was that he didn’t have a Yao-Bond at all.

Han Zhong offered An Jiu a reassuring smile. “Go on, baby. Don’t be afraid. It’s just a routine check.” He then turned to the Priest. “My partner is shy and easily frightened. Please be gentle with him.”

Han Zhong planned to time it perfectly: he would go in to “rescue” An Jiu after a short while, claiming the boy was too traumatized to continue. Once he got him away from the crowd, he would find a way to forge a fake Yao-Bond in private.

An Jiu followed the Rabbit Spirits into a sealed room, expecting a physical examination. Instead, they brought out a massive mirror.

“I have to do this in front of a mirror?” An Jiu asked in disbelief. This is too humiliating.

“It’s a new magical artifact!” one of the rabbits explained. “Just place your hand on the mirror. If it senses your identity as a Yao-partner, the Yao-Bond will glow.”

“The Great One said your bond was in a private place,” the other rabbit added, “which is why we brought you in here.”

Checking in private was actually a mercy; if something on An Jiu’s body started glowing in public, it would be far more embarrassing.

“…You’re actually quite thoughtful.” An Jiu thought that once he touched the mirror and nothing happened, at least only these two rabbits would witness the failure rather than the whole city.

The Rabbit Spirits, feeling praised, began to hop for joy, holding hands and pulling An Jiu into their dance. An Jiu was happy to stall for time, playing along with them. He realized these natural-born Yao were actually quite simple-minded.

After two laps, the rabbits remembered their duty. “Let’s begin, our friend! We believe you won’t deceive us, right?”

An Jiu: I’m afraid I’m going to have to fail that trust.

Like a hero facing his end, he stepped forward and pressed his hand onto the mirror, turning his head away, not daring to look.

The rabbits stared at the mirror. As a flash of pale blue light erupted, both rabbits collapsed to the floor, their eyes filled with a mix of agony and obsession.

Within the mirror, a massive Nine-Tailed Fox totem appeared behind An Jiu. The nine tails swayed with immense power, as if asserting dominance over all who looked upon it. The totem lasted only a second before vanishing. Only the staring Rabbit Spirits saw it; An Jiu, who had been in a daze, missed it entirely. He only saw the two rabbits suddenly hit the floor.

“What’s wrong with you two?” An Jiu asked curiously.

The rabbits trembled on the floor for a long time before standing up. “The pressure of a Great Yao, we couldn’t withstand it.”

An Jiu assumed it was similar to a high-level cultivator releasing their aura onto a lower-level one. But what he didn’t know was that Yao pressure isn’t just about cultivation level it’s about the hierarchy of the bloodline.

Once the rabbits calmed down, they looked at An Jiu and pointed to the back of his neck. “The Yao-Bond is right here! It’s not in such a ‘private’ place after all.”

The other rabbit nipped its companion’s ear. “Hush! What if human culture considers the back of the neck private? Some tribes can’t stand being touched there.”

An Jiu turned to the mirror in confusion, only to realize that the back of his neck was indeed glowing.

Did Han Zhong pull some strings? He figured Han Zhong’s cultivation was high enough to tamper with the artifact, and since the man had allowed the check, he must have been confident they wouldn’t be caught.

He should have told me earlier, An Jiu grumbled. I was worried for nothing.

Just as he relaxed, a commotion broke out outside. Han Zhong, followed by a crowd, burst into the room.

“Baby, don’t be afraid, I’ve come for you.” Han Zhong stepped forward with a smile, naturally pulling An Jiu into a protective embrace, intending to leave.

“Great Priest!” the two Rabbit Spirits called out respectfully.

The Priest nodded and blocked Han Zhong’s path. “Wait a moment, Great One. Let us hear what Xiao Yi and Xiao Er have to say.”

The rabbits reported, “There is no problem, Great Priest. This young master is indeed the recognized partner of our kin. He bears a Yao-Bond.”

An Jiu nodded along with total confidence, completely missing the way Han Zhong’s body stiffened for a fraction of a second.

The Priest’s stern expression finally thawed. “My apologies. Please do not take offense, Great One.”

Han Zhong breathed a subtle sigh of relief. At least they wouldn’t be spending the month in a dungeon.

Only after they left Hurricane Square did Han Zhong have the chance to ask what had happened in the small room.

Han Zhong rubbed his chin thoughtfully. “I hadn’t realized that after being away for a century, they’d developed artifacts to monitor Yao-Bonds, our clan’s artificers must be truly bored.”

“Tell me about it,” An Jiu said, walking beside him and mimicking the chin-rubbing gesture.

Han Zhong looked over and laughed, patting the boy on the head. He really is just a child. “So, how did you fool the check? How did you fake the bond?”

An Jiu let out a confused “Huh?” and pointed to the back of his neck. “Didn’t you do something? They said the bond was right here.”

The moment those words left his mouth, Han Zhong’s expression went cold. In an instant, he transformed back into the stern judge of Fengyuan Peak who had once terrified An Jiu.

Han Zhong stared at An Jiu with a chilling gaze. He let out a cold laugh and reached out, gripping the back of An Jiu’s neck. “Is that so? Come, let me see the ‘credit’ for my work.”

Hooked by the neck, An Jiu was pulled nearly into Han Zhong’s chest. Just as he began to struggle, Han Zhong pressed down. “Stay still!”

An Jiu muttered, “Why are you being so mean all of a sudden?”

Han Zhong ignored him, lifting the boy’s long, flowing hair to expose his slender, white neck. The skin was clean; there was nothing there. Han Zhong pressed his fingers against the skin, rubbing back and forth… yet he sensed no abnormality.

He withdrew his hand, recalling what Lin Jingyuan had said. An Jiu had a power within him fighting against Si Xuanye’s seal a power Lin Jingyuan couldn’t identify.

Han Zhong hadn’t paid it much mind before, but now, combined with the “Yao-Bond,” he began to understand exactly where that power had come from.

A Yao-Bond was a unique brand belonging to the Yao race a mark used by natural-born Yao to claim their partners. There were only two ways to forge one:

1. A Dual-Cultivation ceremony, where both parties swear an oath to their Heart Demons.
2. …A more primal way. Even natural-born Yao evolved from beasts. During their primitive stages, mating and procreation were hard-coded into their instincts. A Yao-Bond can be successfully formed during a Yao’s “heat” if they couple with a partner and neither side resists the union.

Given An Jiu’s unique constitution, the source of that mysterious power within him was now clear.

Han Zhong processed the revelation. When he looked at An Jiu again, his gaze became profoundly meaningful. “I didn’t realize Jiu-jiu had such a little secret tell your Junior Uncle, to whom did you give your Primal Yang?”

An Jiu’s face flushed a deep, burning crimson before suddenly turning deathly pale. Han Zhong leaned in close to his ear and whispered with a smile, “Is it something you cannot say?”

An Jiu shook his head frantically.

He didn’t dare say. An Jiu knew he had only ever had one such encounter that night at Dongqi Peak. If Han Zhong wanted to know who it was, how could he possibly answer? Aside from that person’s immense prestige, given the complex relationships between that man, An Yunge, and Han Zhong, speaking the truth would only bring more disaster upon himself.

An Jiu’s eyes darted around, refusing to meet Han Zhong’s gaze. “You, you wouldn’t know him anyway. Stop asking.”

The man beside him let out a soft chuckle and stopped the interrogation.

He knew he wouldn’t “know” him; in the entire Wan-Yan Sword Sect, he was the only natural-born Yao. He assumed the little thing had hooked up with some “wild man” out in the world and was now feeling guilty and afraid.

It doesn’t matter if you won’t speak, Han Zhong thought. Once your cultivation is restored, the Yao-Bond will manifest fully. I’ll see for myself which ‘wild cub’ had the audacity to steal the ‘Heavenly Spirit Medicine’ of my Wan-Yan Sword Sect.