Author's notes

Xiao Lanhua surprises Chang Heng when...

Two young demon deer try...

In the Demonic Mountain...

Chapter 30 - Xiao Lanhua's Curiosity

"Of course! I abhor the slavery of any being! Even more so of innocent people. You did nothing wrong and were brutally hunted just because they wanted to enslave you. They say that demons are bad and that they deserve this. But, just like there are humans good, there are bad humans and humans who are neither good nor bad being indifferent to this world. It is the same with demons. Condemning an entire race because of a few individuals is unfair as well as cruel. Furthermore, I also call it hypocrisy. After all, there are people who cannot even be called humans because of the atrocities they commit while at the same time there are countless crimes among humans. I think it's worse because humans do evil against members of their own race. You demons , are a different race and compared to the crime of a demon to a human, I think the crime between humans is much worse. I don't see these demon masters doing anything for humans in trouble when it is a human who does harm to another human They only act like they are a demon and, nevertheless, even if the demon is in your location, far away and without doing any harm, he is still hunted in the same way as you were. It's simply unfair because demons usually live far from humans and only a small part of them come closer while humans live in clusters. I also think capturing without any judgment and distinction is an attitude of hypocritical people."

He is surprised to hear it and smiles immensely, then asks, "How did you get that necklace?"

"My grandfather gave me the necklace. He said he got it from a deer demon mother and her cub after my grandfather treated them decades ago."

Chang Heng smiles even more as he was immensely happy that his guess was correct. She was as unique as her grandfather.

In fact, he was right to entrust her fate to that human because he was not mistaken when he first looked at her. The young woman's aura, if there was such a thing, demonstrated her kind and gentle heart, just as it was with her grandfather.

The human saved her life while her grandfather saved his and her mother's lives because they would not have been able to survive the ambush they suffered without his providential help, with the deer feeling that he had to pay that debt, now doubled in the name of your honor. The necklace alone was not enough payment. Protecting her could be considered a form of payment.

Furthermore, he thought she was beautiful and had fallen in love at first sight.

Therefore, staying with the young woman would not be any punishment and he hoped that over time their feelings would correspond, with both of them staying together even if it took years.

For demons, time was irrelevant due to their very long longevity, which varied from species to species as well as lineage.

"I haven't seen this necklace since it was created to repay a human's kindness to us."

She displays a pleasant surprise on her face as she asks in a confirming tone, "The cub was you, right?"

"Yes. You remind me of your grandfather in many ways. Plus, I also associated it with him because of that medallion."

The doctor instinctively takes the object in her hand and when looking at the medallion, she remembers her grandfather's words.

"What my mother and I forgot to tell you is that the medallion would accept descendants of him even if they were not related by blood. All you had to do was deeply consider that person as a member of your family. I assumed from the time I saw this human that you would be his granddaughter."

"My grandfather insisted on giving me the medallion when I left home for the journey of medicines and herbs, as well as perfection and healing practice."

"He did well to give it to you. As for this journey..."

"We belong to a long line of imperial doctors. However, if we just stay in the palace like many do or only attend the Imperial Medical Academy, our knowledge is limited. Traveling through the villages, learning about various strange diseases and seeking forms of treatment enriches our knowledge. There are many diseases out there. Any member of the royal family, from emperors, princes, princesses, wives or concubines, as well as other nobles, can contract a disease different from those usually seen at court. If you don't have extensive knowledge, you won't be able to save lives. My act of traveling will also save many lives in the future. As I have a hidden pulse, it allowed me to travel unassisted. Normally, when it involves traveling by women in my family, they never travel unaccompanied. Even with my hidden pulse, He insisted that I possess the medallion saying that it would protect me from any danger."

"He did well to give it to you. Furthermore, you have a very noble heart. You are very distinct. Not just any human would be willing to save another life, especially a demon."

"How did that bastard find you? I don't hear much about appearances of some species of demons. Demonic stags are rarely sighted."

"If I tell you a secret, can you keep it to yourself?"

"Yes."

"Many don't know, but we have healing abilities" She is surprised and he continues talking, "I usually get close to villages that are in difficulty and heal from a distance. The problem is that I end up exposing myself and that's what happened, unfortunately. At least, I managed to treat the entire village before I was hunted. So, as for freeing myself, my size and color draw a lot of attention. Even if I isolated myself in places that humans can't access, I would be hunted likewise because demon masters have power and techniques that allow them to deal with climates that ordinary humans cannot handle. Staying with you will ensure that I will not be hunted."

What he kept from her was that his bloodline abilities allowed him to cure curses and the master-slave contract is essentially a curse. With some effort, he could free himself if he wished and this was knowledge kept under lock and key by his clan and which he swore never to tell a human or a demon slave.

Regarding healing abilities, it was not considered such a big secret.

Xiao Lanhua twists her fists and feels great anger overcome her. He heals and treats humans. Even so, he was being hunted by a bastard demon master and as he thought about it, he discovered that he didn't feel any pity for the frozen curse they carried. In his view, they deserved slavery since they made a point of enslaving demons. It was poetic justice if you looked at it from that angle.

The more he witnessed the attitude of the demon masters, the more indifferent he felt towards their situation.

He becomes worried and asks, "What happened. I see you're angry. Was it something I said?"

"I'm angry with the bastard demon masters. I'm tired of hearing reports of slavery practiced by them. The one who attacked you had four slaves. You were doing humans good, treating the villagers who don't have money because of the absurd taxes. They often depend on the occasional pity of other people and the ancient knowledge they possess. Even so, there are diseases that require more treatment and you, with your powers, can cure them and your species only no longer cures humans because of demon masters, right?"

"Yes. Others even want it because we have healing powers. Unfortunately, the fear of being captured makes many stay away."

"They're bastards."

"But, isn't it wrong to condemn an entire race because of a few individuals?"

"Well, I'm not condemning the human race but just some individuals. In that case, I'm only condemning the demon masters."

"True. It's just a group."

"Yes. The hidden pulse is rare. Unlike demons where all of you are born with powers, among humans only a small group are born with power. It is not a usual power of our race. Therefore, they only fit as a group with abilities as well as special powers that set them apart from other humans and whose powers could be used to save lives from the hands of criminals, for example. Recently, I heard reports of a village being attacked by looters and even with a demon master close to the place, he ignored them because he was hunting demons and because the village couldn't pay for this service. After all, they needed to save all the money they could get to pay the abusive taxes. With his powers, he could easily save them. But, he left people suffer. There is not just this report, there are several others as I walked between the villages. In fact, they only help the villagers if they are paid. They say they attack demons to save humans, but that is a lie. They attack and capture in many cases because they want power and slaves, in addition to being able to rise socially among their peers by talking about their prowess, treating the enslaved demons as trophies. If it were to protect humans, they could help those in danger, as in the case of looters who attack villages, for example. They say it's to save humans just to signal false virtue. Even though I'm not good at seals and spiritual techniques, I did my best to save a village from looters. Someone like me, whose strong point is medicine and not fighting, managed to deal with these bandits. A demon master training for this would handle it with both hands behind their back. It wouldn't cost more than a few minutes. Still, they don't do it."

He confessed that he was surprised by her opinions at the same time that he felt immense concern when imagining her fighting criminals.

"You really are unique. Does your grandfather share the same opinion?"

"Yes."

"I want to be with you. You need protection and as long as you are under this master-slave contract, I am safe from being hunted by demon masters."

"But..."

"It is my wish. Furthermore, your life is ephemeral. You will live longer and retain your youth for longer thanks to your hidden pulse. But, it is an indisputable fact that I can live long beyond your life. Furthermore, We, demons, have a different understanding of time than you, humans. As we have a very long life, our vision of years is very different."

"How many years can demons live?"

"It depends on several factors, the ones that most influence are the cultivation of power, lineage and species. There are species that by nature have a long longevity. Normally, regular demons can live up to a thousand years. But, there are those that can reach ten thousand years and even more. My species normally reaches close to eight thousand years due to its healing abilities. Because of my lineage I can reach twenty thousand years or even more if I am diligent in my cultivation by cultivating a lot."

The young woman was stunned as she looked at him in a mixture of admiration and amazement. From what little she had read in parchment there was no consensus on a general idea of how long a demon could live and now, she understood why there had never been a consensus. The time varied a lot between them. It was not possible to have a generic time base like it is with humans.

As she reflected on this, she questioned why such information was not in the books, even though the books and scrolls about demons only focused on appearance and powers, as well as weaknesses. Age was not the focus.

He notices her thoughtful expression and asks, "What happened?"

"In the books and scrolls about demons there is never a consensus on lifespan and after your explanation, I understand why. I also didn't understand before why with so many demons as slaves there wasn't this and other information. There is only useful knowledge for hunting , subjugation and capture. I believe they never bothered to learn about you because they only care about your appearance, powers and weaknesses so they can hunt you in order to subjugate you, then kill you or enslave you."

"Well, that thought makes sense."

They talk a little more as he admires her smile which was beautiful as well as her delicate features.

Then, the young woman prepares to sleep, with the deer saying that she would be on guard despite her insisting that he rest, with him explaining that demons did not need as much sleep as humans.

After she enters his tent and falls asleep, two stag with antlers smaller than his approach shyly, making him turn his ears towards them. These same deer bow respectfully and one of them asks, "Tiazi (Crown Prince), are you really going to stay with this human?"

"You even ended up enslaved in a master-slave contract. Why?"

"It was my choice and at that moment, there was no other way to solve the problem. Furthermore, I owe a debt to her grandfather. We must always honor our debt. Remember that humans have an ephemeral life and even May the hidden pulse prolong her life, it will never match our lifespan." He says the end sadly when remembering the difference in lifespan between them.

"But what about the kingdom?"

"My mother can rule in my place. She has been doing so for centuries since my father's death."

"But, the contract, I mean, the curse..."

"Xiao Lanhua will break through when the time comes. Furthermore, she said she made an additional seal. When she dies, the contract would be terminated. After all, she removed the part about passing it on to a descendant or ascendant. You guys shouldn't have forgotten either the fact that my bloodline allows the breaking of curses and this contract is in essence a curse. Therefore, there is no reason for you to be worried. I can break it whenever I wish."

Then, with his words spoken with conviction, they calm down.

Even so, they try to convince him again to abandon her and after he denies it, again, the duo sighs resignedly and walks away after bowing respectfully, muttering something about the headache they would have with the elders, just like his mother, making Chang Heng roll his eyes, and then go back to looking after the human who was sleeping soundly.

Hundreds of kilometers away, more precisely in the Demonic Mountain that was in the western region of the Dacheng kingdom, the leader spoke while pointing to a location on the map magically projected in the air, "Here is the demonic bear tribe and next to it is the Valley of Dragons where the ancient dragon Tian Yao is located and protects the valley. We can attack both. Try to capture demons of considerable power. We managed to produce a lot of transport boxes. Our most coveted prizes are the capture of the ancient dragon Tian Yao and the leader of the demonic bears. This dragon is said to be close in power to the Sapphire dragon of the legendary four beasts."