Demon King's Repayment - chapter 6

Yu Yao took out a talisman from his sleeve. Such talismans, which had red letters written on a yellow paper, were very common in the world and were widely used by people on various occasions. Whether it was a wedding, a funeral, or for a medical treatment, one could see people demanding them.

But Yuan Xiang never felt that they could actually play a proper role.

Sometimes, she could even see those little fairies playing with these so-called oppressive runes in talismans as leaf cards.

The piece in Yu Yao’s hand, however, although it was the same red letters printed on a yellow paper she usually saw, when he took it out, it felt different. At this moment, in her eyes, the runes written with the red cinnabar seem to have spirit which continuously circulated a brilliant aura along the strokes over the piece of yellow paper. It faintly revealed shocking power.

Yu Yao’s long fingers moved. He dexterously and skillfully folded the talisman into a standard triangle, then gently slipped it into Yuan Xiang’s belt. A faint warm feeling came from her waist, which made Yuan Xiang relieved as it dispelled her fear and calmed her down.

She had finally seen a talisman in true sense.

“You…” Yu Yao squatted in front of her, but he was a little embarrassed to say the next words. He had not accepted the apprentice yet and he still didn’t know how to get along with such a small apprentice. “Would you like to call me shifu?”

“Shifu.”

Yuan Xiang answered without pressure and, of course, she didn’t have much sincerity.

She didn’t have the deep-rooted notion of a shifu being a father for a lifetime in her mind. The only thing she needed to consider at the moment was how to make her young body survive safely in this world.

But Yu Yao was already very satisfied. He reached out and touched Yuan Xiang’s head. “My home is not too far from here. In order not to make my wife wait, Little Xiang must work harder and walk with me tonight, okay?”

“Yes, I will listen to Shifu.” Yuan Xiang was sweet and well-behaved.

As long as he didn’t turn into a big demon and swallow her in one bite, she would listen to everything.

Yu Yao was very touched. He often heard some fellow daoists complain about how hard and troublesome it was to lead an apprentice. So how could his little apprentice be so cute.

“Come, I will carry you.”

He turned around then squatted down, his back facing the obedient and sensible little apprentice.

…

Yuan Xiang lay on Yu Yao’s back and they walked a long way. The night was already deep and the sky was full of stars.

Yu Yao’s steps were very steady and had a unique rhythm, making Yuan Xiang a little sleepy. Her shifu should not be a demon. She had never seen a big demon walk such a long way like a human.

With such thoughts, the young body could no longer resist sleepiness and became muddled from the gentle and regular shaking.

This man’s back was very wide and it was strange that his body had the smell of sea water. This made Yuan Xiang, who had lived in a seaside city since childhood, feel very familiar and at ease.

She vaguely had a dream, in which she returned to her childhood, a period of time she had forgotten. There was a mature and steady man. Yuan Xiang couldn’t remember his face but when her mother saw him, she gave a rare gentle smile. That uncle took her and his mother to the biggest playground in the city and they spent a happy and joyful day until it got dark and the city lights lit up like stars. They slowly walked back under those beautiful stars.

At that time, Yuan Xiang lay on the solid back and fell asleep at the man’s swaying pace, thinking that this might be the feeling of her father. But when she woke up the next day, everything returned to its original condition. The father’s back disappeared, she was sleeping in a luxurious yet empty room, and her mother was colder than before.

The long night had passed and the sky was bright. Yuan Xiang opened her eyes and found that she was still on his shaky back. Shifu had walked the whole night with her on his back.

In the morning of midsummer, the sun was already very pricking. A blue bamboo hat crookedly covered her head. Yuan Xiang laid on the man’s back and opened her eyes, watched the swaying sunlight that leaked from the cracks of the hat. Since she had already been a daughter and a sister, then there was nothing wrong with being an apprentice.

She got down from Yu Yao’s back and saw the back where she had slept all night. The clothes were soaked with sweat. While wiping the sweat from his forehead, her Shifu took out the kettle and got a drink first.

Yu Yao’s somewhat detached face began to gradually transform into a sweaty appearance like a real human.

Yuan Xiang said softly: “Shifu.”

This word was very light, but finally brought a little sincerity. It’s a pity that Yu Yao couldn’t tell the difference. He only felt that his newly recruited apprentice was soft and docile, which was really good.

A stream appeared in front of them, which flowed eastward. There was a wide stone bridge that spanned across the stream and on the other side of the bridge was a lively and extraordinary town.

“This is Queqiu Town and my home is here. This Qingxi stream originates from the Celestial Wolf mountains from the south of the town and it’s the source of the stream at the entrance of your village.” Yu Yao introduced it to Yuan Xiang.

Queqiu Town was an ancient town with a long history. To the south of the town was the steep Celestial Wolf mountain. A wide stream flows out from the steep mountains which surrounded the town all the way east.

Yu Yao took Yuan Xiang’s hand and slowly stepped into the noisy mortal world.