"Did you hear? The Demon General is dead!"
"Wu Syaoran is dead? You can't be serious."
"I certainly am! That wicked dog is no more!"
It had only been a day since the incident had occurred, and the news had already spread, shaking not only the cultivation world, but the whole of Hainei, to its very core. The wicked Demon General Wu Syaoran, a corrupt evil that was far more man than beast, was no more. It was a fate everyone, whether cultivator and layman, had been hoping for, after he and his clan had revealed their wicked ways and committed heinous acts against the world. With Wu Syaoran gone, the Wu Sect of Yongyuan was finally no more!
Already, the wings of victory were making their way across the land, spreading faster than the flames of war that had rampaged years before. Every cultivator, from sect leaders to rogue cultivators, were abuzz with excitement, speaking to anyone that would listen. For far too long, the Wu Sect of Yongyuan, which had at one point been revered for its nobleness and righteousness, had been a blight upon the great Hainei, their wicked quest for power having spread chaos and destruction throughout the land. No one had been safe from their insatiable bloodthirst!
That dog Wu Syaoran had been one of the worst of them all. A once bright young cultivator, he had turned himself into a monster through evil practices for nothing more than the sake of power! Through those evil practices, he had been able to command the dead and slaughter thousands– even worse, he had then taken control of those thousands to kill even more! Truly despicable!
Wu Syaoran's power and evil had been so great, that not even the combined might of the other great sects- the Guan Sect of Shaiwan, the Xia Sect of Xuehua, the Hu Sect of Xiqian, and the Dai Sect of Hubodao- had been enough to stop his power, even as it had been enough to topple the rest of his sect. Not until now!
Excitedly, one person asked. "Who killed him?"
"Why, it was none other than Xia Yichen, that's who!"
Someone else in the tavern gasped. "Xia Yichen of Xuehua Xia? He's the one that killed Wu Syaoran?!"
"Ah, of course! The righteous Xia Yichen!"
"Could anyone have expected otherwise?" There were sounds of agreement; Xia Yichen was perfect for the task- he was a highly skilled and noble cultivator, the epitome of righteousness and all that was good. He'd been one of the few to challenge Wu Syaoran directly, and come out of it practically unscathed! It was fitting that he'd be the one to finally do that monster in!
Someone clapped and exclaimed. "Fantastic job, I must say!"
"Fantastic job indeed!"
A gruff man sighed. "If only he'd killed that demon a bit sooner. Think of the hundreds of cultivators that could've been saved had Xia-gongzi gotten to him just a day earlier!"
"Hundreds? Try thousands!" Someone replied.
Someone else barked a laugh. "Ha! Try tens of thousands!" There were multiple roars of both agreement and aggrievance. However many Wu Syaoran had slaughtered in his wickedness, it was too many! If left unchecked, then he surely would have slaughtered the entirety of Hainei in no time!
Among the noise, a curious thought came to someone. "Wait- with him dead, what happened to Emo Zhiying?" At their question, the crowd's mood suddenly dampened. Emo Zhiying, Wu Syaoran's most wicked beast, was a dragon seemingly made from pure resentment. It was powerful, and deadly, and under Wu Syaoran's command it had slaughtered countless righteous cultivators. Even the most stone-hearted of cultivators shivered at just the thought of that monster.
After a moment of heavy silence, someone sighed heavily. "Last I heard, it disappeared." This caused some sounds of confusion.
"Disappeared?"
"What do you mean?"
"How could that be?"
Someone stroked their beard and grumbled. "Even though it was on him in that final battle, no one's seen it since he fell. They haven't been able to find a single trace of it." Another moment of heavy silence, the mood dampened further. As far as anyone knew, Wu Syaoran had been the only one capable of commanding Emo Zhiying. But who knew if that would forever be the case? Should someone else with ill intentions figure out how to command it, then the cultivation world would be in another mess!
Hesitantly, someone offered "Well, I'm sure it'll be found soon enough."
A man huffed. "With the whole cultivation world looking? It'll definitely be found."
"Until then, we can still celebrate the fact that Wu Syaoran is dead!"
"Here, here!" A few people cheered.
"Finally that beast is dead!"
"Death is a mercy for someone like him!"
Someone sighed. "Ah, and to think he was once a model young cultivator." He had indeed not always been so wicked. Wu Syaoran had once been an incredibly promising young cultivator, in fact, his skill in martial arts and cultivation quickly surpassing many of his peers. He had excelled in all areas of his study, with a noble upbringing and a courteous and friendly demeanor that made him worthy of his title as second young master.
Another person scoffed. "Just goes to show how far one can fall."
"This is why you should never stray from the righteous path!"
"Or you'll end up just like him."
"Nothing but a dead dog!"
"May he never return!"
—
While the rest of Hainei rejoiced, in a town far removed from the chaos of the cultivation world, a lone figure sat in their room at an inn. It was a young boy, no older than seventeen. He wore simple dark robes, a bamboo hat placed on the floor beside him, but he sat with a grace and poise that indicated a noble upbringing. He sat at the table, staring at the contents he'd left scattered atop the wood.
This boy was Sun Guanyu.
He toyed mindlessly with the strings of a qiankun pouch. It had a simple exterior, with roughspun silk and an incredibly mundane appearance. Just by looking at it, one would think that it was nothing special. It technically was nothing special. It was what was inside that made all the difference.
Sun Guanyu kept toying with the strings. If he moved his fingers in a particular way, he'd be able to open it. To access the contents inside. To learn the things he'd been barred from learning. To drench the world in cultivator blood.
His fingers maintained their mindless movements. He didn't move his hands to open the bag. Because if he opened the bag, he'd stop toying with the strings. And if he stopped toying with the strings, he might just break apart.
He was exhausted, in more ways than one. He wanted to go home. He wanted to go to his room and lie down, and wake up the next day with the past few days having been nothing more than a nightmare. But there was no nightmare to wake up from. No room to go back to. Hell, there was nothing for him to go back to. Nothing but ash and pain.
Guyue Tower had been his home for the last four years. The Wu Clan had taken him in even when he was one of their enemies, the crown prince of a bloody empire. They had fed him and clothed him, had protected him as the rest of the cultivation world had called for his head. They had raised him as one of their own, and had trained him in the art of cultivation. They had become a second family, had become everything to him. But now they were all dead, massacred by greedy monsters that called themselves cultivators.
Sun Guanyu supposed that he would be in the same position, had it not been for the sect leader, Wu Chuntao. As the cultivation world had blasted through the wards and laid siege, she had shoved the qiankun pouch and had told him to run. Sun Guanyu had tried to argue with her, but she hadn't been willing to hear it.
"You can't let them get their hands on this." Her words echoed in his head. "You have to protect it."
Those words had been the only thing that had kept him from turning back. And even that almost hadn't been enough.
He stared blankly at the pouch. In it contained the secrets of Wu Syaoran's cultivation, secrets no one but the man himself had been privy to. Sun Guanyu had been supposed to take the pouch and find Wu Syaoran, but before he could even begin, he was already too late.
Now he wasn't sure what to do. The Wu Sect was dead with no one else to turn to, and his home was destroyed. With nowhere else to go. He'd be dead if the cultivation world ever found him, and the whole of Hainei would be much worse off should the information he was protecting fall into power-hungry hands.
It was too much. He didn't want to make Wu Chuntao's sacrifice be for nothing, but how was he supposed to make it be for something? Nowhere was safe for him. He was too easily recognizable. He had a strong golden core, but that meant nothing against the thousands of cultivators that wanted him dead. He couldn't do this. Not alone. He couldn't expect to survive for long. He was going to be caught, and killed, if he wasn't tortured first, then the very thing he'd been meant to protect would be taken and used for someone else's personal gain, and then Wu Chuntao's sacrifice would be all for nothing–
Something thudded heavily against Sun Guanyu's window, jarring him out of his thoughts.
Heart leaping into his throat, his head snapped towards the window. He held his breath as he heard the thing fall onto the awning just below his window, its claws scrabbling useless against the tile. It tried for a moment to get back to the window, though its movements were weak. It stopped after a moment, and then there was silence for a short while. Then, a sound broke the silence– a pained whine.
Eyes going wide, Sun Guanyu shot to his feet. He rushed over to the window, throwing it open and peering out. He was met with the sight of a small, ribbon-bodied creature clinging almost desperately to the tile just below. The creature was about the length of his forearm, and was covered in black scales and fur that had a violet sheen to them, shining like ink under the moonlight.
As Sun Guanyu peered down at it, the creature– a dragon– looked up at him and let out another whine. It feebly tried to wriggle towards him, its little claws clacking against the tile as it tried and failed to get closer.
In this state, she looked and sounded rather pathetic. But Sun Guanyu recognized her all the same. In her prime, she was a massive, fearsome creature, her roar terrifying and ferocious as it echoed through the air. The Demon General's loyal companion and guardian of Guyue Tower, she was capable of, and has, razed through armies, her shadow striking fear into the hearts of even the toughest cultivators. To the rest of Hainei, she was known as the infamous Emo Zhiying, but Sun Guanyu knew her as–
"Yinying?" He whispered hesitantly, almost afraid that she'd disappear at his acknowledgment. He reached out, gingerly lifting her up into his arms. Yinying was cool to the touch, small and light enough for him to hold her with ease. He held her close and she relaxed into his hold, nuzzling her face against him and clicking affectionately.
It was clear that she was exhausted, her body becoming practically limp in his arms. Sun Guanyu quickly checked her over for any sign of injuries. When he found nothing wrong, he let out a relieved sigh.
"Were you looking for me?" He cooed softly. Yinying let out a small huff, resting her head on his forearm and closing her eyes. He cracked a small smile, his heart warming for the first time in days. He hadn't seen her since the last time he'd seen Wu Syaoran, a few days before the Siege of Guyue Tower. Sun Guanyu hadn't really expected to see her again, either. Not after Wu Syaoran's death, at least. The man had died at the Dai Sect grounds of Haitang Island, a long way away from Yongyuan. And in the aftermath of his death, Sun Guanyu had heard nothing of Yinying's whereabouts, which could only make him assume the worst. It wasn't an unreasonable assumption. She was a being of legend, after all, and she was extremely powerful. Yinying would make a valuable prize to anyone seeking power, especially to those who saw her as nothing more than a weapon.
But somehow, she'd gotten away and found him.
Sun Guanyu's heart swelled at the thought, and he cuddled Yinying closer to his chest. He'd gotten to know her well in the past few years. Although she often followed wherever Wu Syaoran went, sometimes she would deviate, shrinking herself down small enough to cuddle up to the nearest person she liked. She would find any pocket she could– their lap, their shoulders, even inside their robes– to attach herself to and hang out. With Sun Guanyu, she liked lying over his shoulders, and her cool body had provided a nice bit of relief during hot summer days.
Having her again made him feel a little less hopeless.
"Yinying, ah Yinying," Sun Guanyu sighed quietly. "You don't know how happy you've just made me."
Yinying didn't respond, aside from an ear twitch. Her breathing was slow, and her body relaxed, telling Sun Guanyu that she'd fallen asleep in the few moments he'd been holding her. He couldn't resist smiling.
Adjusting his grip, he freed one of his arms to shut the window. He decided to follow in Yinying's footsteps and prepare for bed himself, bathing and then giving Yinying a bath. The dragon was tired enough to remain sleeping through the whole endeavor, letting him maneuver her as needed. The only time she would move was when Sun Guanyu got on the bed, curling up against his stomach with a deep sigh. Sun Guanyu waved a hand to blow out the candles, content to stroke her head until he finally drifted off to sleep.
Neither knew what the future would hold. But the future was beyond what either were currently willing to consider. They were exhausted in many ways, the toll of the past few days draining them in both body and mind. They could only meet future challenges as they happened, and that fate would treat them more kindly.
Translation/Culture Notes:
1. Calling someone a dog is seen as an insult in imperial China.
2. Qiankun pouch - a small pouch traditionally used to hold herbs and other items. Oftentimes in Xianxia novels/shows, qiankun pouches are enchanted to hold much more than what they appear to.