His Demoness

37 ⚔️ A Discovery

The afternoon sky was a striking blue; the sunlight soaked its warmth into their skin as a gentle breeze ruffled their clothes. It was the perfect weather to be out and about.

Everyone had gathered at the Jiang clan's training ground. A friendly competition among the clans was about to take place, one that was planned by Jiang Yifeng himself. There were three categories in total - archery, sword-fight and hand-to-hand combat.

As each group currently consisted of three members, it was mandatory for everyone to participate in at least one category.

Dukai spun around to face his team. "Alright, boys. I'll take on the archery match. Suyan, you can have the sword-fight while the kid takes on the last round."

Zhijian frowned, puzzled. "Why are you taking on the easiest job and giving me the hardest one?"

"Because you're the youngest, and you're still vim and vigour." Dukai thwacked his chest for good measure. "You hear that sound? Your muscles are solid and sturdy like a rock."

Suyan couldn't help chuckling while Zhijian shot them an annoyed look.

"You do that one more time and I will tell everyone your embarrassing moment – the one where you like this woman, only to find out that she was actually seeking payback for her friend–"

Dukai clapped a hand over Zhijian's mouth. A frown crossed his face as he recalled the disturbing memory. "Not that one please," he muttered bitterly. "It's not a fond memory."

The sound of a gong echoing throughout the training ground interrupted their conversation. Everyone turned to face the front as the archery contest commenced.

The rules were simple. Each person was to shoot seven arrows into the target board and points would be tabulated based on the accuracy of their shots. The clan with the highest score would win this match.

Showing off was one of the things that Jiang Yifeng thoroughly enjoyed. When it was his turn to display his archery skill, he exaggerated his movements and took his time to shoot his arrows. When he was done, his smug grin grew wide as his score topped everybody else.

His triumph, however, was short-lived.

Even though Dukai had chosen to partake in this match simply because he claimed that he was the oldest in their team and it was the least strenuous activity, his archery skill was unrivalled. His stance was relaxed, but his eyes glinted like a hawk. In the shortest amount of time possible, he released his arrows without so much of a pause.

All he took was seven seconds for seven bull's-eyes.

When the last arrow met its target, Dukai tossed the bow behind him and waltzed out of the platform coolly. His eyes slowly scanned his shocked audience and he smiled broadly, obviously loving the attention that he was getting.

Needless to say, he was declared the winner.

And that fact alone wiped off the arrogant smile on Jiang Yifeng's face. Jealousy and annoyance filled his eyes as he eyed Dukai.

Zhijian couldn't hide his smile.

For once, he was proud of his mentor.

***

Later that night, Zhijian perched on a tree. Shadows from the canopy above him concealed his body as he laid in wait for Jiang Yifeng to appear again. When the man finally appeared, Zhijian leapt off the tree lightly and followed him.

They entered the burial grounds, where gravestones were organised in neat rows with flower offerings.

However, Jiang Yifeng had no intention of praying to any of the deceased.

With swift steps, he hurried to the back of the cemetery where a small dune-shaped building sat. When he vanished down the stairway, Zhijian waited for a couple of seconds before he eventually followed.

Descending the stairs, the air was cold and still. The walls were made of stone with old, vintage candle holder sconces mounted along the left wall. As Zhijian walked through the dimly-lit passage, he passed by a few rooms and peered into them curiously.

Coffins.

There were at least six in each room. Judging from their golden linings, they must be the coffins of the former leaders.

This whole place, he realised, was a catacomb.

A small stream of light escaped from the room at the end of the passageway. As Zhijian creeped closer, low whispers could be heard coming from inside. The door was slightly ajar and he peeked through the opening quietly.

In the middle of the room, a body was lying on a bed. There were two people present - Jiang Yifeng and an unfamiliar-looking woman. They stood unmoving as they observed the subject closely.

"I heard from Father that the results are beyond our expectations," the obnoxious man stated. His voice was laced with an unmistakable excitement and admiration. "She's a jewel, isn't she?"

When he tried reaching out to touch the body, his hand was swatted away immediately.

The woman next to him glared. "I suggest that you keep your hands to yourself, Brother."

"Ugh, Jiang Ziyi!" Jiang Yifeng groaned out loud in frustration. "You're so annoying! Why do you always stop me from having her? Father says that I can have her if I want."

"She's heavily sedated, and now you wish to take advantage of her?"

"Who cares? She's just a puppet."

"But still a woman." Jiang Ziyi lifted her chin challengingly. "And according to Father's orders, she's under my watch. If you try to put a finger on her, I promise that you'll find yourself missing all ten of them."

Her brother shrivelled slightly under her glowering eyes. "Fine! I'll wait, but don't think you're getting away with this. If only you weren't my half-sister, you would find yourself being pummelled to death."

"You can still try, Brother." Her eyes glinted dangerously with a haughty smirk on her lips. "If you dare."

Jiang Yifeng gritted his teeth in annoyance. "You really do have a death wish, don't you? First, you are disrespecting your older brother and now you are showing compassion towards this girl? What's next? Freeing her?"

A dark scowl crossed her face. "I will not go against Father's wish, but I can go against yours. You cannot think that all women are at your disposal. Now scam, you gloating pig! You are disrupting my rest. Our rest."

As the Jiang siblings exchanged heated glares, Zhijian inched his body slightly forward. He wanted a glimpse of the female that they were quarrelling about, but Jiang Yifeng was obscuring his view.

When the man eventually stepped aside, Zhijian finally caught sight of her.

In a startling discovery, his eyes widened and his breath lodged in his throat. The surroundings around him faded away, his attention focused solely on the girl and only her.

Even if he hadn't seen her for a month, he would never forget her face, her eyes or the curves of her lips.

He had found his soulmate.