Everyone woke up refreshed as the sound of festivities occurred outside.
The massage Li Huang gave them all was truly divine.
Li Huang looked at them as they looked at her with a blush, and she only giggled.
"Guo Juan, send me a letter if you need any tips; I have many more things up my sleeve." Li Huang commented after remembering what Guo Juan specialized in.
"I will hold you to that after we go back to our homes." Guo Juan smiled at the offer as they all walked towards a campfire with many people dancing and singing around it, pots full of broths and meats being roasted all around them.
"Our saviors!"
"Our saviors are here!"
"Protectors!"
Many of the villagers began shouting and offering them all bowls and meats for them to eat.
The young and the old were back, and everyone was in a happy mood; no one died!
and the village was completely fine!
The elder made her way forward.
"Protectors, I am Xiong Li, the elder of this village, and I must thank you all for your timely arrival and the way you protect the village and everyone in it." The Xiong Li bowed down, and everyone from the village bowed down as well.
"Don't worry; by the way, is it fine if I ask some questions?" Li Huang asked
"Sure, sure, here, we can eat while we talk." Xiong Li offered Li Huang a bowl of broth with many chunks of meat inside.
Xiong Li sat down at a chair while the group was standing up.
"So, what is it that the protectors wish to know?"
"First things first, where are we? We accidentally... washed up here, and we don't know if we are at an island or a continent or something else."
"Oh, that's tragic! But protectors are on an island; it's a big one. We sometimes have visits from powerful men that fly in the sky."
Li Huang nodded
"When was the last time one of those powerful men stopped by?"
"Well, usually they stop by after a beast wave, so there should be one coming soon if that is what the protector wishes to know."
Li Huang nodded, and everyone was sighing in relief now.
"When they come here, what do they usually do?"
"Well, sometimes they come here and take away a few of the young while giving us many things, such as plants and many weapons."
"Other times, according to others, the strong flying man that comes to them just observes and does nothing, while others interact with their villages."
"There are some stories about a strong man that came to a village only to kill them all," Xiong Li said with a grave voice.
Li Huang nodded with a serious face as everyone got a serious look on theirs.
They didn't even know where the closest continent was, much less where they were.
Getting on a boat was suicide, so their best chance was to get one of those strong cultivators to get them back into the mainland, but to do so they needed to be friendly.
and if they were part of the group that tossed them into the void?
best case scenario, they were captured
Li Huang continued asking a few questions as everyone continued eating before going to eat something herself.
The group then sat together around a small campfire to discuss their future.
"Look, if we see a strong cultivator flying around, I think it's best for me to communicate with them while you all remain hidden; we don't know their intentions, and I am less known than you all." Li Huang said while drinking some broth from a bowl
"That would be prudent, but why? If something goes wrong, why not let Gong Shen do it? He should be stealthy and fast enough to hide away from the average strong cultivator." Min Ying added while Gong Shen nodded as if agreeing.
"If it's someone from that so-called blood demon cult, they will know about Gong Shen, and if he is here, everyone is here; they must not even know my face, as I was a variable in their plans."
"My going alone while you all hide is the best course of action."
"And if he is friendly, then we don't have to worry about anything as we are going away either way."
"But what if he is from the blood demon cult? What then? you leave and we stay?" Gang Jian added while glaring at Li Huang.
Li Huang shook her head
"Don't worry, I will find a way to save you all."
Gang Jian huffed but accepted it.
"Speaking of which, I already have an idea, but I will need the trust of you all and especially the help of Yi Yan, depending on how her insects work."
Everyone got a weird look on their faces but nodded.
Li Huang asked Yi Yan some questions, and she answered without hiding anything.
once Yi Yan was done Li Huang explained her plan to everyone in case the worst-case scenario happened.
"No way, absolutely not, no fucking way." Gang Jian was the first to object while standing up.
"Hear me out; this is the worst-case scenario. It's a last-ditch plan; we won't necessarily do it."
"Still! What you are suggesting is pure madness! We can't be certain of shit if we do that plan!" Gang Jian added, almost shouting
Min Ying put a hand on Gang Jian's shoulders as he lowered him to calm him down.
"Gang Jian is a bit... angry, but what he says is true: that plan is nothing short of madness." Min Ying said with a calm but nervous voice.
"That is why it is a last-ditch effort plan," Guo Juan said, backing Li Huang up.
Yi Yan nodded, "I believe that if the worst-case scenario happens, then yes, I will help in Li Huang's plan."
Just as the group was about to argue and maybe even fight each other, Li Huang got up.
"Look, this is the last case scenario. I will do it; there is no discussion. The only thing I need is your trust that I won't betray you all."
"And there is a chance I won't even do it, so relax and eat; the strong men are coming soon." After saying that, Li Huang sat down and continued eating while the rest of the group was anxious, scared, and angry.
On the next day everyone woke up a bit anxious, waiting for their possible savior.
no one came that day and the following one
After a week they finally saw the first strong man flying high up in the sky.
The group looked at each other and then at Li Huang.
Yi Yan nodded, and Li Huang nodded at everyone and smiled before turning
Everyone was gone after a minute; only Li Huang was in the village.
She looked up and prayed that maybe, just maybe, everyone could leave together.
"You are not a native; why are you here?" A voice said from behind Li Huang, and she quickly turned with wide eyes to look at the person that just spoke.
She wore a black cloak concealing her features, but Li Huang knew she was a woman due to her breasts, even if she could not look at her face.
"W-who are you?" Li Huang tried to speak, but she was extremely nervous inside.
"I asked a question first, girl; answer me." The figure did not even bother with Li Huang, only slightly amused.
Li Huang took a deep breath and began speaking.
"I am a nobody, the daughter of a whore and an unknown man. Some people sent me here as punishment for something I never did because I was involved with some people of noble birth. I don't even know where I am; I only know those people didn't kill me just to make me suffer."
The figure was silent for a few seconds before speaking again.
"You have some cultivation; is that why? You stole a cultivation manual from a noble?"
Li Huang shook her head
"No, nothing like that. My cultivation is due to my aunt's help. I never met either my mother or father, and the brothel owner took care of me and helped me cultivate."
"I am here because I was near people of noble birth when I shouldn't have been."
Li Huang only spoke truths; those strong people usually have a good sense for truths and lies, so Li Huang made sure to only speak truths; even if she believed they were false, they were the truth.
The figure was silent for a few moments before she nodded and took off her hood.
blonde hair like wheat and blue eyes the color of the deep sea
"I don't usually help people, but I will make you an offer due to your circumstances."
"I am from the blood demon cult; we help people like you take revenge and quench their thirst for blood."
"Considering your talent, you should fit right in in our cult; feel free to refuse, but I won't take you away from the island." The woman spoke in a cold and detached voice; she truly didn't care about Li Huang and would have killed her in any other circumstance, but she decided to talk with her just out of curiosity, and the only reason she was offering a position in the blood demon cult to her was due to her story. Revenge can drive people to drench the land in blood, and that is the main reason the blood demon cult even exists, so considering her talent, Li Huang was a good fit for the cult.
"I am willing!" Li Huang nodded with a resolute expression.
"Good, let's go. I don't have anything else to do here. I will take you to the eastern continent and into one of our locations."
"I am Xue Fang; tell me your name; you shall forget your surname and will take Xue as yours."
"Huang, my name is Huang."
"Alright, Xue Huang, let's go." Xue Fang nodded and took Li Huang by her hand as she was lifted into the air and began flying away.
Underneath Li Huang's shirt, hidden away inside her bellybutton, a small bee-like insect was there, quietly sleeping.
That was Yi Yan, the queen insect, the foundation of her cultivation.
and the only way the plan would work
the plan is simple
Yi Yan would give Li Huang her queen insect to take back into the mainland; there, Li Huang would somehow contact a sect or group, and using the connection the insect had with Yi Yan, it would fly back to her while being followed by the group or sect and would then save everyone.
The problem was that Li Huang would have to both contact a group, explain the situation to save everyone, and then save herself.
but one thing at a time
As she flew up in the skies, Xue Fang began explaining a few things to Li Huang.
"We all change our surnames to Xue as a form of appreciation to our founder, the blood demon."
"We normally practice blood techniques, using the blood essence of others to cultivate or to perform techniques, but you can practice any technique as long as you are loyal to the cause."
"Normally you would have been infected by a blood parasite to guarantee your loyalty, but your case is special considering your background and how I found you, so you probably won't have to deal with them."
"as long as you show your loyalty in your first days or weeks, you should be able to avoid the blood parasite and gain a blood inheritance."
"The branch I am from doesn't utilize many blood techniques due to the powers in the continent using primarily wood and holy techniques, so using blood techniques puts us at a disadvantage."
Xue Fang then looked at Li Huang.
"The moment you show hesitation, you will be infected by a blood parasite and made to be used as a slave. I hope your vengeance is stronger than whatever morals you held previously."
"Don't worry, they will pay; I will make sure." Li Huang said in a serious face, and Xue Fang nodded before continuing their journey.