WangXian Forever 2

Chapter 18 Demon

The soothsayer took Wei Ying's hand.

"We both have to touch the knife." He said.

"The last time I touched it, I saw...things."

"I am not sensing any hostility, Young Master." He looked at Lan Zhan. "Can we count on you to pull him away from the knife, if I am wrong?"

"Mn." Lan Zhan squeezed his knee, passing him additional courage.

Wei Ying took a deep breath. It was best to get it over with. He looked at the soothsayer and they both touched the knife together.

Immediately, a whisper, a thin curl of smoke rose from the handle, the onyx shining brighter for a second, before the smoke became solid and took form.

Black scales covered the being, shining in a beautiful, glittery madness, red eyes in an alluring face, a single horn upon his head, the mere stump of it's second one, blunt with a story of it's own. He had an arrowhead tail.

Wei Ying was fascinated.

He stood upright and proud on the table, all two feet of him, staring intently. And then he bowed, surprising all of them.

"Immortal one, thank you." His voice was a whisper of forbidden things, the desire and the chaos it created. "I am Hui Gai."

"I am Wei WuXian. This is my Cultivation Partner, Lan WangJi." He couldn't stop staring either.

"I need your help." He continued. He licked his lips, mouth red like a berry.

"How? Why do you need our help?" Wei Ying thought it would have been the reverse, that the Demon could help them.

"My brother and I are trapped. We are bound by this knife, cursed to assist a madman. Against our will." He paced back and forth, tail twisting and snapping with his agitation. "We wish to be free."

"I don't understand. How can we help with that?"

"You shall see. I am still able to move about, to talk to you. My brother has a fate worse than death. And our vessels are contaminated with the desires of it's owner. Whether we wish it or no, we have to help our master."

"Who is your master?" He was aware of his leg moving again, and Lan Zhan's hand.

"My master caught us when we were mere babes, casting us into the weapons and separating us for all this time. We were powerless to fight against his curse. His name is Min Qi Xue."

Wei Ying looked at Lan Zhan.

"I will remember." He reassured him.

"My master is a cruel man. He has spent decades perfecting his sorcery for a single night." He licked his lips again.

"Would you like some water?" Wei Ying offered, hoping he wouldn't do it again.

"You are too kind, Immortal one. I have not tasted water in years." He looked hopefully at Lan Zhan.

Wei Ying thought he looked a bit cute like that. He drank from the cup, but licked his lips again. So much for that idea, Wei Ying thought, wistfully.

"What is he making you do? Wei Ying asked.

"My master performs...rituals. We are needed to complete the sacrifice and transfer energy. It is a terrible tragedy. I for one, would rather give up this shell than continue in his service." He sat down, tail swishing behind him.

"How will I know what to do?"

"With your permission, and the Guide," he looked at the soothsayer, "you can witness our origins. Perhaps that can shed light on how to release us."
He smiled sadly at Wei Ying. "Even if the result is death, even if my brother does not agree, it is the right thing to do." Then, as if another thought occurred to him, his face lit up. "Do you know why the Creator told you to keep me close to your skin?"

"No." But he was interested.

"It is because our vessel has the ability to absorb negative energy. I can protect you." He stood up and resumed pacing. "As an exchange for helping us, I am willing to counteract your curse."

"What curse?" Lan Zhan demanded.

Hui Gai stared at them both. "You don't know?"

Wei Ying shook his head, worried.

"But, Immortal one, your arm? It is the result of touching the vessel, but it would not have been possible if you weren't already compromised." His words were full of disbelief.

"What has my arm got to do with anything?"

"The curse was already present in your body, before you touched the knife. You need me."

"So you're telling me, I was already cursed? Before I touched the knife?" Wei Ying repeated. He could feel his head starting to throb.

"Yes. Can you remember anything you did, which might have caused this?"

"No. I have no idea."

"Then perhaps, it is not a normal curse. That's probably why you couldn't detect it."

Wei Ying felt a little dizzy, his head buzzing on overload with his thoughts. And then he remembered something Hui Gai had mentioned before.

"When you say your master is preparing for a single night, what do you mean? I am assuming you want us to stop him before then?"

"He is preparing for the night of the Autumn Equinox. In that single night, he will slaughter one hundred and eight dragons. And after that, you will not be able to stop him, or help us."

"But...but that's in sixty days!" Wei Ying shot up, accidentally removing his hand from the knife.

Hui Gai vanished faster than he appeared.