Legend of The Young Master

Chapter 111: Luding

Two hundred li to the northwest from Yushan fortress, where Wuyi's faction had camped, Luding sat beneath an ancient Divine Oak that had witnessed countless cycles of the moon and sun. The tree stood tall and expansive, its offspring filling the space between the northern hills and the ever-deepening Qinglian River to the south.

Luding was in a meditative stance, his aura a far cry from the modest cultivator he once was. Now, when he stood, he resembled a foreboding specter. The gaps in his dark, enchanted robes revealed skin of a deep black crimson hue, as if soaked in demonic Qi. Resting on his lap was a staff, hewn from the wood of a tree cursed by dark lightning during the Blood Moon.

His elongated fingers, akin to the claws of a demonic raven, sketched complex sigils in the air, emitting a malevolent, dark purple flame as he reached into the Abyss to connect with his network of demonic informants.

He focused his thoughts on the youngest and most volatile among the Qihogs, a formidable race from the untamed Wilds known to humans as Qi demons. Nixi—youthful, irate, and easily swayed.

Luding sent forth his mental summons cautiously; Nixi had more potent kin who would not appreciate their younger relative being exploited for Luding's purposes.

Nixi burst forth from the eastern oaks, his powerful legs in full stride, his body leaning forward, balanced by his heavy, armored tail—a defining feature of his race. His torso bore an uncanny resemblance to a human's, albeit in an unusual shade of blue-green.

His face possessed an ethereal beauty—large, slanted eyes that appeared open and guileless, separated by a ridge of bone that extended into an elegant crest, distinguishing males from females among his kind. His beak shaped mouth . He carried a sword so massive that few humans could even lift it. Not that he needed the sword with his talons he could tear anyone apart easily.

Nixi was visibly irate, a common trait among young males of his age.

"Why have you summoned me?" he screeched.

Luding nodded. "Because you are needed," he replied.

Nixi clicked his lips disdainfully. "Perhaps I have no need for you or your schemes."

"It was my schemes that enabled you to slay the female," Luding retorted. Though he could no longer physically smile, he felt a sense of inner satisfaction. Nixi was still so young. The lips clicked once more. "She was inconsequential," Nixi declared, clicking his tongue in deep contentment. "You promised me a feast and handed me a morsel.

A trifle."

Luding caressed his staff. "She is indeed inconsequential now." His ally had requested the elimination. Layers upon layers of treachery, of favors sought and debts accrued. The untamed Wilds and demons. His focus wavered, threatening to drift away from the demon.

Allowing Nixi to execute the kill in the valley might have been an oversight.

"My cousin reports that armed men are traversing the valley. Our valley," Nixi articulated, his words tinged with emotion, as was common for his kind.

Luding leaned in, his interest piqued. "zinni observed them?" he inquired.

"Detected their scent. Observed them. Tallied their steeds," Nixi responded, his eyebrows shifting in the unique way demons do. It resembled a smile but caused the beak like mouth to shut—a gesture akin to the satisfaction one feels after a hearty meal.

Over the years, Luding had devoted much time to understanding the demons. They were his closest yet untrustworthy subordinates. "How many?" Luding questioned, his tone patient.

"Numerous," Nixi replied, already losing interest. "I shall seek them out and eliminate them."

"You shall not," Luding interjected, leaning forward as he carefully rose to his full height, his towering frame brushing against the middle branches of the venerable oak.

"From where have they mustered these warriors?" he mused aloud. One of the drawbacks of solitary life in the Wilds was the tendency to vocalize one's thoughts. He had grown accustomed to speaking to himself audibly. It no longer unsettled him as it once did.

"They arrived from the South West lands," Nixi declared. "I will track them down and eliminate them."

Luding let out a sigh. "No, you will locate them and observe. Maintain a safe distance. We need to assess their capabilities and vulnerabilities. Most likely, they will continue their journey eastward across the bridge, or perhaps align themselves with the lady as her soldiers. It's not our concern."

"It's not your concern, Traitor. This is our territory, our valley, our hills, our stronghold, our dominion. You are feeble—" Nixi's mouth clacked thrice in quick succession.

With a swift motion of his elongated fingers, Luding immobilized the demon, who collapsed as if his muscles had been severed. Luding's voice took on the sibilance of a snake.

"Weak, am I? The soldiers are numerous? They hail from the South? You are but an ignorant child, Nixi. I could extract your soul and consume it, and you'd be powerless to resist. Even now, you're incapacitated, unable to muster any energy.

You're as helpless as a fledgling caught in a swift current, awaiting the predatory fish. 'Many,' you say, as if you're a lord tossing scraps to beggars. How many, precisely?" Luding leaned over the fallen demon, jabbing his staff into the creature's abdomen. "Tell me the exact number, you insignificant fool."

"I don't know," Nixi barely managed to utter.

"From the soutwest? From Leidian and the emperor? Across the mountain ranges? Do you have any idea?" Luding hissed.

"No," Nixi admitted, visibly shrinking. "Nixi, I prefer civility. I like to behave as if—" Luding searched for a term that could bridge the gap between his consciousness and the demon's. "As if we are collaborators with mutual objectives."

"You regard us as mere underlings! We bow to no one!" Nixi,, retorted. "We are not like your human followers, who deceive and flatter. We are Yingmo!"

Luding intensified the pressure of his staff into the young demon's abdomen. "There are moments when I grow weary of the ceaseless strife in the untamed lands, of dealing with demons such as you. I aim to assist you and your kin in reclaiming your valley.