The man clothed in black robes stepped through the gates of Jirong, drawing the attention of the villagers. Their eyes were fixed on his attractive face and all of a sudden, women were blushing beside their husbands. Animals sat silently in their cages or along the streets to watch the dark man drift through their territory. Not one soul was able to recognize the newcomer but after seeing him walk around for hours, the villagers lost interest in the handsome stranger.
The man sifted through shops with the knowledge of having no money but shop owners welcomed him and asked if he was looking for work. The man declined all offers and when asked for his name for reference, he gave a false name. He knew store owners were hunting pretty faces to represent their shops. The last shop he visited had been a bird store.
Wu Yong entered the shop full of caged birds, stooping low and dodging side to side to avoid hanging cages. The shop owner rushed over to him from the counter, shocking the man when he appeared from behind a large statue of a phoenix. The man widened his eyes and held a refined hand to his mouth when he saw the shop keeper.
The short man wore extravagant clothes that resembled peacock feathers. The shimmering fabric imitated the blues and greens of the beautiful bird. In his shop there are at least seven peacocks sitting in tall cages, their tails hanging out of the thin bars. The owner of the shop smiled brightly at his new customer. "It is a lovely afternoon, would you like to buy a chirping friend to bring home?"
Wu Yong scanned the arrangement of cages, liking all of the winged creatures available. He sighed to show his regret while he felt guilty for enjoying the sight. He shook his head, "I would like to purchase a bird but I do not have money and my home is far away. I do not know if such delicate creatures will be able to survive there*."
"Oh, I will gift you the cheapest bird I have. Your face looks so ethereal and I think my daughter would love you!" The shop keeper chuckled and hurried away to fetch the bird he speaks of. The bubbly man returned and held up a raven that looked like it is dead. "Your fashion is a bit dark but if you marry my daughter I will dress you in colors fit for your image. Here is the cheapest bird."
"How much is this raven?" He ignored the bit about the daughter. Wu Yong slipped his finger through the narrow bars of the cage, wondering if the black bird is alive. The bird twitches and he looked down at the owner in shock. The owner told him the raven would cost him six silver coins. He took the bird and thanked the owner, rushing out of the shop as soon as the short man nodded.
"Come back soon! My daughter needs a husband." The shopkeeper kept laughing even when the man in black ducked into an alley. The owner chuckled to himself when he thought of the reaction his customer would receive when he appears in front of the man. The raven given to the handsome customer was actually a special bird he uses to track the men he would want to be his son-in-law.
Wu Yong rushed through the filthy alleyway wedged between brothels and restaurants. He gripped the golden cage in his hand as he searched for an area to release the bird. By now the creature is awake and frantically batting its wings against the cage. "I know, you are eager to be free. I was like that just recently and I think you should also be free. I just have to find a safe place to let you go."
Off in the distance the shopkeeper who gave the bird to Wu Yong shrieked upon hearing those words from the ears of the spy raven. He was not afraid of his bird being released into the wild. He wanted the man to keep the bird so that he could find the man after he briefly tells his daughter about the potential suitor.
Wu Yong found a familiar street and realized he was near the road to the river. This also meant he was standing close to the Xue family house which also explains why he saw the dark blue uniforms decorated with purple clouds. A group of disciples sat beneath the bamboo trees planted outside the house walls. He clutched the cage closer to him, hoping he could get past the house without being recognized.
Acting like a normal passerby, he walked on step by step. As he found the road to the river, a hand tapped him on his shoulder. Wu Yong held his breath and turned around as fast as possible, whipping his hair into a face during the process. He inhaled upon seeing Jian Rui De and his brother, Jian Wang. He masked his horror with a raised eyebrow. "Do you have business with me?"
Jian Rui De shook his head but pointed at the raven in the golden cage. When the man in black raised the bird, his brother hid. Jian Rui De grinned with his teeth. The other disciples formed a group behind him. The twenty year old disciple is known for his strong tongue, "We have not seen you before. Are you visiting? We just wanted to ask if you saw this man wandering around."
"Who is this?" Wu Yong pointed at the roughly painted image of a male. Beneath the face is his name and the list of abnormal things he may have done outside the Xue walls. He tried to stifle a laugh, seeing the disproportionate image. It would be a miracle if anyone recognizes Wu Yong from the painting. "Wu Yong? I am new here and I just sell ravens. Would you like this one? I will not charge you."
"Oh, I apologize for the inconvenience. We are looking for the lunatic because he should have been in the house. You see, we attended a feast at Zhengyi Pavilion and returned but we cannot find him."Jian Rui De rolled up the painting with two hands. He told Bu Xin to take the free bird and to give it to the chef. Jian Rui De bowed politely, "If you ever see Wu Yong, please inform the Xue family or one of us."
"I will be sure to keep my eye open for the lunatic. It would be dangerous if he truly goes about stealing animals and merchandise. Well, I must be on my way. It was good fate to meet you, young cultivators." Wu Yong felt his jaw lock as he returned their bows. He felt the group of disciples shift ad he heard them whisper about his strong presence. He grinned as he straightened his back, "I hope you find Wu Yong soon."
The man in black continued down the road when a Xue Sect disciple rushed into his way with arms flailing frantically. The disciple looked as if he was face to face with an evil spirit. He met the Jian Rui De and the rest of the students, stopping only to take a breath. Jian Wang asked what had happened and the disciple gasped. It must be difficult to sprint in the Xue Sect uniform.
"We found Wu Yong! He was floating in the centre of the river when we fetched him out. Xue Qing Chu confirmed that Wu Yong is dead." Everyone gasped, double checking with the exhausted disciple. The boy nodded solemnly, "The cause of death is unknown. Should we investigate further or should we burn the body before outsiders see it? The others do not know what to do."
The man in black stopped in his tracks and listened to Jian Rui De replying to the anxious boy. The older disciple burst into laughter, "I am so glad he is gone. The Xue family would never fear the lunatic hiding in their house! The house would be so peaceful, would it not? Go and tell them to do whatever they want with the body. I will inform Madam Xue right away. She will be so happy!"
Wu Yong watched Jian Rui De lead his group back into the Xue house. As he stepped through the archway leading to the main courtyard he threw the scroll depicting the face of the lunatic. The man standing outside Xue house could clearly see the overjoyous disciples bounce into the courtyard. They looked like warriors who are so excited to return him after battle. "In a way they were battling me. It is good for all of us now that I am apparently dead. I have to confirm if the body brought out of the lake is mine. Could this be the immortal cleaning up my mess?"
Wu Yong quickened his steps to match the pace of the messenger disciple. The younger boy ran as fast as a trotting horse. Wu Yong barely noticed the forest and graves as he passed them, focused on reaching the river. Soon enough the trees gave way to the shore where a large group of people gathered around in a circle. Wu Yong recognized the uniforms of all the righteous sects in Jirong.
Students from the Xue Sect were the nearest to the center where Wu Yong assumed was his body. The disciple who led Wu Yong to the site pushed past a bunch of Li Sect disciples. He raised his voice to make himself heard amongst the chatting spectators. "Xue Qing Chu, you can dispose of the body as you see fit. Xue Liang might come over to check."
"Don't we need to confirm the cause of death? I might take the body back to the manor for further prying!" Xue Qing Chu shouts back, his voice fading after being overpowered by the loud whispers and gasps. In his mind, the doctor was more excited to cut open the corpse than he was willing to determine the mysterious reason of death. He knew the lunatic had been well and breathing the day before but he did not stop to think about how the man ended up dead in the middle of a large river.
Wu Yong squeezed through the flabbergasted onlookers, preparing himself to see what should be his lifeless body. He finally pushed past the last layer of Xue Sect disciples and like them, he looked down.He had to stick his fingers into his nostrils to keep the scent of decaying flesh out of his system.
There it was! The corpse of his former body in its ugly gloriousness. The man in black acknowledged the fact that the features of the body did resemble Wu Yong when he lived in Forbidden House. The immortal created a false body that imitated the true body perfectly. Only Wu Yong knew about the magical body and he was quite impressed.
The usually dirty hair had been washed by lake water and is currently in the process of being dried by the wind. The rags are soaked and because the sun is drying the dirty cloth, the stench of the body was intensified. The skin was so pale Wu Yong compared it to paper. The skin on fingers and toes shriveled up to look like white mountains. Wu Yong felt as if he truly was looking at his own death but as a spectator.
As he stared at the corpse, Wu Yong recalled all his memories of the Xue family and the manor. He looked like that when the Xue family rules his life. The image of the beggar faced fool was the only face Xue Sect disciples thought looked atrocious. They did not need to know his name to know he was a lunatic. Of course, many students were crying tears of joy. The males would not need to waste their efforts on the lunatic while the girls would not need to listen to the boys rant about the lunatic.
Wu Yong thanked the immortal for killing him in this way. The death of the Lunatic of Xue House meant he is free from the hands of the Xue family. Wu Yong is free from Xue Liang and his arrogant attitude. Xue Weifeng would have to find another target for her fits of anger but she would not be angered by one particular person for the rest of her life. Xue Xian Tou would continue his life and the original son of the Xue family would be forgotten.
Wu Yong sighed. His chest felt heavy as he realizes it is time to shed his past self and become a better self. It would take a while to adjust but he is now the new Demon King. His goal starting from the death of the lunatic Wu Yong is to survive living on the streets like a rogue. Once he feels ready to travel to Youming, he would.
"Ah," The man in shadowy clothes held out his arms as he sauntered away from the banks of the river. He left the sects to the fake corpse, not looking back once. Like a spirit, Wu Yong drifted away and started walking back through the forest. "Who knew freedom from the righteous sects was so refreshing? If I knew defecting from the righteous path felt so liberating I would have done it ages ago."
***
Home: Here, he is referring to the Xue family house. He is planning to become a wanderer until he finds the Demon Sect in Youming but he knows that at the moment his home is in Jirong. He believes that if he brought a bird to the house, the bird would surely die. The Demon Sect is home to thousands of magical bird species but Wu Yong does not know if common birds survive in the dangerous empire.