The Wicked Disciple Has Fallen Into Demonic Possession, And The Master Can No Longer Withstand It! - Chapter 13

“Must we really spend the night here?”

The campfire flickered to life. Yan Jue squatted by the flames to warm his hands, watching A-Ye skillfully clean a grass carp caught from the lake and place it over the fire. He pointed to a branch above and said to Lu Wu, “You can stay up there.”

The burning wood crackled softly. As the fish grilled, it released an inviting aroma that made Yan Jue’s mouth water. He stared intently at the fish while A-Ye watched him without blinking. A-Ye’s usually sharp eyes were softened by the orange glow of the fire as his gaze rested on Yan Jue’s soft profile.

Without realizing it, A-Ye had grown to find this person increasingly pleasing to the eye. Though Yan Jue could be foolish, ignorant, and clumsy, he possessed a kindness that A-Ye had never seen before. There were many mysteries about the man that intrigued him. Long-term companionship had made A-Ye feel that Yan Jue belonged only by his side, and he felt a trace of possessiveness.

Thinking of this, he looked up at the tree branch. Lu Wu was indeed sitting there holding a folding fan. He looked like one of those detached celestial officials, carrying an air of pretentious elegance that A-Ye found irritating. He wondered when someone like this had appeared by Wen Fuchen’s side.

Yan Jue noticed none of this. He was focused entirely on the grilled fish. In truth, even if he looked, he would see nothing new. Since the day they met, A-Ye had always worn the same black robes and bronze mask, radiating an aura that warned others to stay away. Yan Jue knew the youth was not a bad person, and they shared a silent understanding. He did not wish to pry into the boy’s secrets, so even now, he did not know what A-Ye truly looked like.

What Yan Jue did not expect was that he mattered more to A-Ye than the boy mattered to himself.

Soon, the fish was ready. Yan Jue rubbed his hands and accepted the deboned meat from A-Ye.

“It is hot,” A-Ye warned.

“Thank you, A-Ye.” Yan Jue accepted the care with a sweet smile. Over the years, it might have seemed that Yan Jue was the older one providing for the youth, but in reality, A-Ye took much more care of him.

Yan Jue ate two pieces of the charred, fragrant fish along with his toasted cake. Watching the two of them in harmony below, Lu Wu felt neglected on his branch and began to recite a melancholy poem. “Sitting alone at dusk, who is my companion? The crepe myrtle flower faces the crepe myrtle youth.”

Yan Jue heard the poem and sensed something was off. “Immortal Lu, you are talking nonsense again. There is a child here.”

Lu Wu chuckled, looking down at A-Ye’s cold, unchildlike gaze. “The world is full of truths and lies, Brother Wen. Can you be sure that everything you see is the truth?”

Yan Jue could not stand Lu Wu’s flowery rhetoric. “Speak plainly.”

As soon as he spoke, a sudden gust of wind swept toward them without warning. All three sensed the anomaly and held their breath in high alert. The air fell silent, save for a faint rustling sound in their ears. Lu Wu narrowed his eyes and looked into the depths of the forest, which was rapidly being swallowed by darkness. He leaped from the branch and stood in front of the other two.

A-Ye also moved to shield Yan Jue with his bare hands.

“Where did this evil wind come from?” Lu Wu asked. His lips were thin and tight, lacking the relaxation he had shown while joking. A murderous aura emanated from his eyes.

“It might be the Demon Race,” Yan Jue suggested. In these times, wild beasts were not the most terrifying thing in the wilderness; scattered demons were far more to be feared.

Lu Wu unfurled his folding fan and swept his long sleeves, striking the evil wind back toward its source. “Mere demons, stop playing tricks!”

A burst of golden light erupted from him. The demons within a two-mile radius had nowhere to hide and were quickly reduced to black mist.

Just as the obstacle was cleared and Lu Wu prepared to turn around with a flourish, a black vine emerged from the void and shot straight for Yan Jue. Before Lu Wu could move, A-Ye had already swung his short blade and severed the vine.

“Kid, you have good moves,” Lu Wu remarked.

The words had barely left his mouth when countless black vines emerged from all directions. Lu Wu slashed several with his fan, but these vines seemed sentient. Every single one of them targeted Yan Jue.

A-Ye grabbed Yan Jue and ran in the opposite direction, leaving Lu Wu to hold the line. Lu Wu had a limited number of times he could cast spells in the mortal realm. Relying mostly on his physical movements, he soon found himself slightly overwhelmed and looked for an opportunity to retreat.

“Wait for me!” Lu Wu shouted.

However, the vines were too fast. They quickly locked onto Yan Jue. A-Ye severed most of them before they could reach him, but Yan Jue did not sit idly by. He quickly formed a hand seal.

“Break!” With a low shout, the vines in front of him were instantly destroyed by a blast of flames.

Yet, countless more vines surged forward as if they felt no pain. Yan Jue realized he was the target. He turned to the person beside him and said, “A-Ye, you must leave.”

A-Ye acted as if he had not heard him. He continued to swing his blade, severing the vines surrounding them. This was the first time Yan Jue had seen A-Ye display such skill, but he was still worried. After all, A-Ye had a mortal body. How could he withstand demons?

His fears were quickly realized. Just as he was worrying, a vine shot through A-Ye’s arm. The black vine was sharper than a blade. It pierced through flesh and bone like a spear before quickly withdrawing, leaving a spray of blood in its wake.

Yan Jue gasped. “A-Ye!”

Before he could reach the youth, the vines surged toward the boy’s thin frame like wolves smelling blood. The sound of a sharp edge piercing flesh echoed again. Deep red blood began to seep from the edges of A-Ye’s mask.

Yan Jue watched in horror as a vine pierced through the boy’s abdomen and then withdrew cleanly. A-Ye’s body swayed before he collapsed toward the ground. Yan Jue rushed forward and caught him just in time. He looked at the dark red blood on his hands and heard the boy’s weak, pained gasps.

In that moment, he lost his reason. The Phoenix Fire hidden deep within his body erupted. Feeling the surge of power, Yan Jue waved his hand against the incoming vines. Instantly, flames exploded before them. The vines caught fire and writhed in the air like burning snakes before being reduced to ashes.

Lu Wu caught up and stared at the scene with shock. “The Phoenix Karma Fire?” He then seemed to remember something. “Good! The Phoenix is good!”

Returning to the original form of the Phoenix was an incredible stroke of luck. Lu Wu had to admire Yan Jue. With such fortune, it was no wonder he had been able to ascend after only a few decades of cultivation in his previous life.

Yan Jue ignored him. He stared at the bleeding youth in his arms, his voice trembling. “A-Ye, can you still hear me?”

The boy blinked in response, but it did not comfort Yan Jue.

“It hurts, does it not?” Yan Jue asked.

A-Ye coughed violently and spat out more blood, yet he whispered, “I am fine.” He tried to stand up but overestimated his strength and fell back into Yan Jue’s arms.

Yan Jue did not believe him. “How could you be fine?”

Not being able to see the boy’s face made him feel uneasy. A-Ye had a hole in his abdomen, yet he did not even groan in pain. Was he enduring it, or was he truly fading away? Yan Jue reached out to remove the bronze mask that the boy had worn for years, but his hand was quickly pressed down.

“No, do not take it off,” the youth whispered. His voice was weak, but the hand holding Yan Jue’s arm was firm and unyielding.