Chapter One (continued)

In the dungeon, an enraged Zhuo Yichen listened to Zhao Yuanzhou’s demand that Wen Xiao accompany him.

“Keep dreaming!” He would never allow Wen Xiao to be so close to danger.

Zhao Yuanzhou’s ears twitched. He heard familiar footsteps outside the dungeon and gave a laugh. “Keep dreaming? But I don’t need to dream; it will happen. Right now, this is my essential requirement. You do not have the authority to say ‘No.’”

Zhao Yuanzhou suddenly flew into the air, the shackles clanging in their brackets on the wall. His back collided with a stone wall that turned instantly to golden, rippling light and he passed right through. When the golden light disappeared, the cell was empty save for the shackles still fixed to the wall.

Zhuo Yichen charged into the cell at once, pulling at the chains embedded in the walls and bristling with anger. Behind him, a whimper. Zhuo Yichen turned to see Zhao Yuanzhou strike Situ Ming unconscious with a single strike to the neck. Then, at the prison cell’s door, Zhao Yuanzhou looked at Zhuo Yichen with a smile. He raised a hand and locked the gate with a click, trapping Zhuo Yichen inside.

Smile still in place, Zhao Yuanzhou turned and strode quickly toward the corridor. The guards stirred and charged at him with swords drawn. Zhao Yuanzhou lifted a finger to his lips and said in a soft voice, “Dream.”

In the twinkling of an eye, the guards dropped to their knees and fell soundly asleep. Zhao Yuanzhou stepped right over them, taking the last step with a bit of a skip, his long sleeves fluttering.

---

Wen Xiao anxiously paced at the prison’s entrance, making things difficult for the guard following orders. She grew only more uneasy about what could be happening inside the dungeon. Suddenly, the guard and Wen Xiao heard a whispering wind coming from the dungeon, yet saw no one. At this ghostly sound, everyone except Wen Xiao collapsed to the ground and fell deeply into dreaming.

Wen Xiao fixed her eyes on the empty corridor to the dungeon, alert and on guard. She knew it: Zhu Yan was coming. What happened to Xiao Zhuo? She couldn’t bear to imagine it, forcing herself to stay calm.

A figure swept out from the shadows of the corridor. Wen Xiao’s heart pounded like thunder. In the blink of an eye, the figure dropped down in front of her. A bouquet of fresh flowers appeared in his hand, white flowers gently drifting in the wind, and he offered them to her.

“A gift for our first meeting. Do you like them?”

Wen Xiao stared dumbfounded, then looked to the bouquet held before a handsome yet unfamiliar face. Two dark eyes gazed at her with weight and meaning.

Flowers… Memories of the Wilderness flickered through her mind. Every time Great Demon met her, he brought a bundle of flowers. Wen Xiao paled, legs weakening beneath her. Startled, Zhao Yuanzhou tossed aside the flowers to catch her before she fell. An arm around her waist, he pulled her to his chest.

“A mortal woman taking such initiative?” Zhao Yuanzhou said, teasing in his voice but none in his eyes.

“I’m in poor health, so my body is weak. Sir, please take no offense.” Wen Xiao let a bit of a smile cross her beautiful features. She gave an unusual laugh and Zhao Yuanzhou didn’t know what to make of it for a moment.

“You’re not afraid of me?” he asked. “I’m a demon.”

“I know. You’re the Great Demon Zhu Yan. You look familiar. Have we met before?”

Zhao Yuanzhou smirked. “Such an old pick-up line. Are you serious?”

“I’m Wen Xiao.”

Zhao Yuanzhou looked in her eyes and spoke his name. “Zhao Yuanzhou.”

“I didn’t expect the powerful Zhu Yan would have a stage name.”

He glanced at Wen Xiao’s injured shoulder, then let out a little laugh. “Even a sly little rabbit has three dens. A great demon like me having a few names is not worth mentioning.”

“Mr. Yuanzhou, my legs aren’t weak anymore. You can help me stand now.”

Hearing this, Zhao Yuanzhou did. Once she was steady, his finger casually brushed her shoulder wound with a stream of golden light.

Suddenly, the silver-blue glow of the Cloud-Light Sword extended straight behind Zhao Yuanzhou. He turned and the blade collided with finger glowing red with demon power.

Zhuo Yichen fell to the ground, unharmed, sword still aimed at Zhao Yuanzhou. “Let go!” he ordered sternly.

Zhuo Yichen had come out faster than Zhao Yuanzhou expected. Still supporting Wen Xiao by the arm, he conspicuously let her go and turned a wronged expression her way. “Did you hear that? He told you to let me go.”

Zhao Yuanzhou only now realized Wen Xiao’s expression was all smiles, and he had no idea when she’d pulled the dagger. She pressed its tip to his neck. Zhao Yuanzhou chuckled dismissively. “Zhuo Yichen’s Cloud-Light sword can’t kill me. You think this little knife of yours—Aiya! You—!”

Before he’d even finished speaking, Wen Xiao slashed with the dagger, marking his neck with line of fresh blood. “You can’t be killed, but you can still feel pain, right?”

Zhao Yuanzhou covered his neck and gaped at Wen Xiao. He knew that smile had been out of place! She was clearly more than a little crafty. “So ruthless? Fine, then I’ll also—Wait, wait—” Zhao Yuanzhou staggered, then dropped unintentionally to sit on the floor. He weakly pointed at Wen Xiao. “What did you put on that blade?”

Idioms that appear in this section:

怒发冲冠 (nùfà-chōngguān) – bristle with anger; be in a towering rage (or passion)

意味深长(yìwèi-shēncháng) – having deep meaning; pregnant with meaning; of profound significance

不足挂齿 (bùzú-guàchǐ) – not worth mentioning; nothing to speak of

毫发无伤 (háofàwúshāng) – unscathed, unharmed, without a scratch

[Note from Kathryn: Forgive me if the photos are too much. I’m indulging. I love this show so much.]