Chapter 8 The Bloodshed at Haiting, Finally Ends

The night was thick and dark, splashing freely, merging the sky and the sea, shrouding everything in endless darkness.

The waves crashed wildly against the shore, roaring and seemingly trying to devour everything. The sharp, howling sea wind, carrying a salty, damp scent, felt like sharp blades cutting into the skin, hinting at the danger and murderous intent of the night.

Zhang Xuan was dressed in a red brocade robe, holding the Blood Moon Blade tightly in his hand. The blade was long and slender, its edge gleaming with cold light. As the sea breeze swept over him, his clothes fluttered in the wind, and his face showed a sharpness and alertness that was beyond his years.

Finally, he walked step by step toward the pavilion by the sea, his steps light yet tinged with caution.

The moment Zhang Xuan stepped into the pavilion, an indescribable eerie atmosphere rushed towards him. Looking up, he saw that the pavilion's pillars were a glaringly red, so red that they seemed to be dripping blood.

The color didn't look like paint; it looked more like it had been soaked in blood for countless days and nights.

Just looking at the pillar, his grip on the Blood Moon Blade tightened unconsciously, his knuckles turning white from the force, and all the nerves in his body tensed up.

His eyes were sharp, and he was fully focused on his surroundings.

A breeze was blowing.

Zhang Xuan's heart started pounding involuntarily. He tried to suppress his panic; this place had an inexplicable strangeness about it, and he couldn't afford to be careless.

The moment the thought crossed his mind, the threads on those pillars began to twist and writhe without warning. His pupils contracted sharply, and before he could react further, the threads transformed into small red snakes, baring their fangs and claws as they lunged at him.

Zhang Xuan reacted extremely quickly. His eyes sharpened, and he swung his sword without hesitation. The Blood Moon Blade drew a sharp arc in the air, accompanied by a piercing whistle!

With a flash of light, the small snakes that charged forward were instantly cut in two, turning into pools of blood, and a foul stench filled the air.

He kept swinging his knife, each strike killing the snake.

However, the little snakes kept coming in like a tidal wave! They surged in from all directions! They flicked their tongues, hissed, and occasionally stared at each other, as if their cold tongues could pierce through one's soul!

Zhang Xuan moved with agility, his movements as fluid as flowing water. Each swing of his knife carried great power and precision, the blade striking the small snake with a crisp sound.

But there were just too many snakes; the pavilion pillars were flashing red, and wave after wave of blood snakes appeared.

Zhang Xuan gradually felt powerless.

Just then, a faint blue protective barrier suddenly appeared on his vital areas, such as his heart and aorta. Although the light was weak, it was like a tough armor that temporarily blocked the blood snake's fatal attack.

The demonic aura in the air grew increasingly intense, like a thick layer of gloom that made it hard for Zhang Xuan to breathe.

With the enhancement of demonic energy, the blood serpent became even more frenzied.

Fine cracks began to appear on Zhang Xuan's protective barrier.

"If this continues, I'll surely die," a resolute glint flashed in the boy's eyes. He gripped the Blood Moon Blade tightly with his right hand and forcefully slashed the blade towards his left palm.

A flash of silver light streaked across the boy's bloodshot eyes, and blood instantly gushed from his hand, flowing down his palm onto the Blood Moon Blade.

In an instant, the Blood Moon Blade flashed with a cold light. The originally dull blade seemed to be infused with endless power. The blood moon spiritual energy surged, and the red light on the blade became even more dazzling, illuminating the entire pavilion.

Relying on this power, Zhang Xuan once again launched a counterattack, and in an instant, swords flashed and shadows danced, and blood mist filled the air.

Finally, the sea breeze began to swirl wildly once more, intertwining and colliding with the dense demonic aura, producing a sharp howling sound.

In the center of the pavilion, the figure of a man slowly emerged.

It has a human body and a fish tail, covered in scales.

He exuded a powerful demonic aura, and every inch of his skin seemed to contain endless evil power. His eyes were cold and cruel, as if he were looking at an ant that was about to die.

Zhang Xuan was now covered in blood, his body riddled with wounds, blood flowing continuously and staining the ground beneath his feet.

He knelt on one knee, his right hand still tightly gripping the Blood Moon Blade, supporting his body.

He raised his eyes and stared intently at the merman demon in front of him. Despite his weak aura, an indomitable flame still burned in his eyes.

The demon chuckled disdainfully, raised his fingertip, and instantly demonic energy condensed.

Zhang Xuan's heart was in his throat—

"Whoosh—"

A swift, circular shadow rushed towards the demon, carrying an extremely powerful and mysterious blue spiritual energy—

The mermaid demon's pupils contracted, and it instantly used its condensed demonic energy to confront the disc.

The blood-red demonic energy intertwined with the clear, ocean-like spiritual energy, and before the demon could react, the disc swiftly spun back into Wen Chuan's hand.

"Human-demon fusion, no wonder."

The boy's clear, melodious voice rang out, instantly dispelling the heavy darkness within the pavilion.

The mermaid looked at them, and the moment she saw them clearly, her pupils dilated, and she was unable to move!

"Put her down—"

As soon as the words were spoken, the blood-covered, knife-wielding youth knelt on the ground, swaying precariously. Beside him stood another youth, his fingertips hooking a strange yet ornate disc, his expression calm yet terrifying. At the very back stood a girl supporting a frail, semi-conscious woman.

Qingyu helped Madam Gao up, and she also looked at the monster that was neither human nor demon.

The mermaid demon is extremely selfish. Her entire body is covered in scales, and she has a penchant for eating people. Therefore, her upper body is human, while her lower body is a fish. She roams the sea and often uses her songs to seduce people.

The merman in front of them had no scales on its upper body and looked just like an ordinary person. The scales on its fish tail had turned black, and she even vaguely felt that the fish tail was about to turn into human legs.

What exactly happened to create this feeling of human-demon fusion?

She paused, then followed the mermaid's gaze to Madam Gao in her arms.

Her loose clothes couldn't hide her thin figure, listless face, and faint gray hair. Her eyes were closed and her lips were dry, but Qingyu looked closely and seemed to be able to glimpse her youthful beauty in her pale face.

"Madam, please wake up."

With a slight twitch of her fingertips, a small wisp of azure spiritual energy flowed from her fingertips into Madam Gao's forehead.

Upon seeing this, Wen Chuan also began to cast a spell.

A serene and mysterious blue aura entered the mermaid's heart.

With that done, Qingyu placed Madam Gao on a bench inside the pavilion, while Wenchuan helped up Zhang Xuan, who was about to faint. They exchanged a glance and then left the pavilion.

Inside the pavilion, only a monster that was neither human nor demon remained, and a weak and heartbroken woman.

Qingyu turned back one last time and seemed to see the demon laughing and crying, and the woman crying and laughing.

She paused, then waved her hand, and a thin layer of spiritual energy protected the pavilion.

At this moment, dawn is breaking, and the sea is breathtakingly beautiful.

No one knows what happened inside the pavilion at that moment.

...

Zhang Xuan sat cross-legged on the reef, closing his eyes to recover. He was indeed seriously injured and could not even speak.

Qingyu: "How did you find Madam Gao?"

Wen Chuan did not answer her directly, but remained silent for a moment before turning to look at the surging waves and saying, "That person died long ago, but for some reason his soul is immortal and he is still fighting against that mermaid demon."

Qingyu remained expressionless: "That strange bloody smell is... the scent of that person when they died, which has traveled through time, hence... old and eerie."

Wen Chuan: "Perhaps. All I know is that Madam Gao and he must have had a past relationship."

Qingyu smiled, but there was no smile in her eyes. "No matter how great the fate, it's still a regret after so long."

Wen Chuan turned to look at the girl: "There are countless lovers in the world. To see each other again may be someone's lifelong wish."

The implication is that there's no need to be so pessimistic.

Qingyu curled the corners of her lips, not refuting his words, but simply added,

"It's vulgar, and their relationship might not even be love."

Wen Chuan smiled as well.

The sky had broken into daylight, and rosy clouds appeared again in the darkness.

The young man said gently, “I did not say that. Love, family affection, and friendship are all moving and there is no distinction between them.”

...

Zhang Xuan closed his eyes and regulated his breathing. Qing Yu glanced at the sky; it was almost time.

She walked to Zhang Xuan's side, and Zhang Xuan, thinking she was going to say something, didn't open his eyes.

Qingyu looked at the young master covered in blood, clicked her tongue a few times in her heart, and gently patted Zhang Xuan's shoulder.

Her tone was unusually gentle, soft yet earnest.

"Your injuries are so severe, you should get some sleep first."

After saying that, she turned around and walked with Wen Chuan into the soon-to-disappear sea pavilion.

Mrs. Gao sat on the ground, her body tilted to one side, her expression numb.

Qingyu didn't speak; she looked at the mermaid demon in the distance, at the very last moment.

That was the shadow of someone on the verge of death; mortals could no longer see it.

The shadow seemed to know what she was going to do. It gave Qingyu an apologetic and awkward smile, and Qingyu actually saw a bit of honesty and simplicity in it.

Qingyu didn't move, and the shadow looked at Madam Gao on the ground again.

He squatted down, tilted his head, looked at her, and sighed, his eyes showing a hint of anxiety and helplessness.

He stood up, stomped his feet in anger, put his hands on his hips, and circled Madam Gao several times. Finally, seeing that she looked numb, he had no choice but to give up.

Neither Qingyu nor Wenchuan spoke; it was pointless now.

That's true.

Shadow couldn't cheer her up, so in the end he could only pat her head and smile helplessly.

Madam Gao seemed to sense something, and in that instant she suddenly smiled.

She closed her eyes.

Qingyu lowered her eyes, cast a spell with her hands, and black array marks appeared in front of her hands, with ancient and mysterious patterns scattered within them.

The shadow transformed into a visible breeze and quietly entered Qingyu's formation.

Qingyu obtained the spirit of the mermaid demon.

The demonic aura dissipated, and a jade pendant mysteriously floated in the air.

The sky was already bright, but the sea was unusually calm.

The so-called East Pavilion on the coast.

It's just a small pavilion from fifteen years ago; no one knows who built it or when.

Back then, children often played there, parents would wait for them to return home, and close young men and women would chat and joke around when they were bored.

It was just an ordinary place, but unfortunately, fifteen years ago, a fisherman encountered a demon in this pavilion late at night, and his flesh and blood were devoured. Since then, no one has dared to go to that pavilion.

In a short while.

The pavilion gradually disappeared into the sea.

The jade pendant fell to the ground with a clear, double sound.

Wen Chuan squatted down and picked up the two halves of the jade pendant from the ground.

He stroked the two jade pendants; although they were a pair, they had never been put together.

Qingyu ignored the jade pendant; her only target was the demon spirit.

She picked up the unconscious Madam Gao and looked at Wen Chuan: "Let's go, someone's coming soon."

Wen Chuan stood up, and they stepped out of the pavilion together.

Madam Gao was unconscious in Qingyu's arms.

Qingyu and Wenchuan did not turn back.

The woman seemed to sense something; in her dazed state, she tried to open her eyes, but then closed them weakly again.

The sunlight shimmered like waves.

That little pavilion.

It vanished into thin air before her very eyes.

A note from the author:

----------------------