The Yun Xiang Lou, covered in a blanket of snow.
As the premier brothel in Yunzhou, Yun Xiang Lou had always been teeming with guests, its thresholds usually worn down by constant foot traffic. But now, with Yunzhou City conquered and its inhabitants long gone, the establishment had fallen silent and desolate, a far cry from its former bustling glory.
"Rustle..."
Chen Chong, his hand resting on the hilt of his sword, was followed by dozens of demonic cavalry. They left their horses outside and strode through the snow towards the main entrance of Yun Xiang Lou.
"Hmm?"
Chen Chong frowned. Just as he was about to push open the vermilion doors, someone inside opened them from within. It was an old doorman, clad in a worn-out cotton coat, shivering from the cold. However, upon seeing the group of demons, the doorman offered a familiar smile. "Esteemed guests, are you here for drinks, or perhaps a performance?"
"Oh?"
Chen Chong raised an eyebrow, a smile playing on his lips. "The divine army has entered the city, and a great pillage is imminent. And yet, your Yun Xiang Lou remains open?"
The doorman chuckled awkwardly. "We who entertain for a living, we perform wherever we are. If the lords of the divine army wish for a performance, Yun Xiang Lou will oblige. It's just that most of our girls have already scattered like willow catkins on the wind. Only one maiden remains capable of playing music and singing. I fear it may disappoint you, esteemed guests."
"Hmph."
Chen Chong chuckled. "And who might this maiden be?"
The doorman replied, "Shi Hanyin."
"Ah?"
Chen Chong was taken aback, a pleasant surprise. "Really?"
"This old servant would never dare deceive the esteemed guests."
The doorman turned and gestured towards a pavilion not far away, calling out loudly, "Miss Shi, we have esteemed guests here for a performance!"
Upstairs, with a soft creak, an exquisitely crafted vermilion door opened. A figure of graceful bearing, clad in a crimson dress, emerged from the room. It was none other than the renowned Shi Hanyin. She offered a deep bow to Chen Chong and his entourage below, saying, "It is still early. Might I trouble you esteemed guests to return later? Hanyin will prepare herself accordingly."
"Tsk tsk!"
Chen Chong gazed at Shi Hanyin in the pavilion, his eyes alight with desire. Though he hailed from humble origins in the Neon Kingdom, he was a captain of the divine cavalry, accustomed to seeing all manner of women. Yet, upon seeing Shi Hanyin, all the beauties he had ever encountered seemed to dim in comparison. In terms of looks, could any woman in this world truly rival Shi Hanyin?
"Why wait until nightfall?"
Chen Chong lowered his body slightly, then with a "poof," he sprang upwards, wisps of white qi swirling around him. In an instant, he was before Shi Hanyin. He reached out, intending to embrace her slender waist, and said with a smile, "You can tend to my needs in bed tonight. When you shed your clothes and dance upon the sheets, wouldn't that be even better?"
"Esteemed guest!"
A frosty expression settled on Shi Hanyin's delicate features. She retreated backward, and from her sleeve, a dagger gleaming with a cold light appeared, pressed against her snow-white throat. "Though Hanyin is a woman of the pleasure quarters, I have always sold my art, not my body. Even if I find myself in such a predicament, and am to offer myself to your bed in the future, the rules of Yun Xiang Lou must not be broken. I implore you, esteemed guest, to prepare the fee for the performance and return tonight."
That dagger was the Sky Grade treasure, "Heavenly Fragrance," gifted to Shi Hanyin by Lin Zhao, perfectly suiting her.
"So be it..."
Chen Chong did not wish for Shi Hanyin to perish so tragically. On the contrary, he preferred women who understood the times. If Shi Hanyin were willing to undress and serve him, that would be ideal. Resorting to force would be a last resort. After all, Chen Chong was one of the ten great divine cavalry captains of the Neon Kingdom, a man of refinement!
"Very well."
Chen Chong nodded and smiled. "Since Miss Shi Hanyin is so insistent, Chen Chong shall prepare the fee for the performance after sunset and bring my brothers from the battalion to admire your artistry. But after the performance, you shall be my woman."
Shi Hanyin nodded gently, implicitly agreeing to Chen Chong's terms.
"Alright, we're leaving!"
Chen Chong led his men out of Yun Xiang Lou, even leaving a contingent of soldiers to guard the establishment, lest someone else try to snatch Shi Hanyin, which would be a grave loss.
...
At noon, smoke curled from the chimneys of Yunzhou City. Tens of thousands of demonic cavalry entered the city to rest, making fires to cook in official residences and civilian homes. Although the food within Yunzhou City had been consumed, the demonic cavalry still carried several days' worth of rations. Moreover, the battle outside the city had yielded a significant amount of horse meat. Thus, sustenance was not an immediate concern.
After a hearty meal, the demonic cavalry began their massacre of the city.
Elite demonic soldiers traversed the streets and alleys, flushing out those who refused to leave their homes. Soon, the streets became crowded, and the demonic cavalry began loading carts with various gold and silver treasures. Tianji City was, after all, the capital of Yunzhou. Even though most of the population had evacuated, a substantial amount of wealth remained.
A short while later, desperate cries echoed through the streets. From her pavilion, Shi Hanyin watched as many Yunzhou citizens were herded onto the snow-covered ground. Men and women, old and young, were present. Many knelt, while demons in light golden armor drew their swords and held the blades to the backs of their heads.
"Kill!"
At the command of the centurion, dozens of heads flew, spurting blood several meters, instantly dyeing a patch of snow crimson. Those who witnessed the carnage let out screams. Days earlier, when Chen Xi had issued the final evacuation notice, a group of people had still remained, unwilling to abandon their ancestral homes.
Their reasoning was simple: whether it was the demon race or the devil race, their conquest of Yunzhou was merely a bid for dominance. Once Yunzhou City fell, its people would become their subjects. Even if these demons were foolish, they wouldn't slaughter their own subjects, would they?
After all, in many people's minds, it didn't matter whose subjects they became.
Alas, they had overestimated the humanity of the demonic race. Upon entering the city, Yu Feng had no intention of sparing the human populace. He sought to make an example of Yunzhou City, to kill them all and be done with it, thereby intimidating the regions of Yanzhou, Ningzhou, Jizhou, and Huangzhou. Furthermore, it was early spring, a time of scarcity, and the demonic cavalry were severely lacking in provisions.
The warhorses were fine; they could survive by nibbling on grass beneath the snow. But the demonic cavalry needed food. Therefore, the bodies of the city's inhabitants naturally served as excellent provisions.
Soon, thousands of Yunzhou citizens in the streets were slaughtered. Their clothes were stripped, and their bodies were dismembered on the spot. Groups of demonic cooks, wielding butcher knives, carved chunks of flesh from the corpses and loaded them into carts. For the demonic cavalry, who were preparing to attack Jizhou, these would be precious rations.
On the pavilion, Shi Hanyin watched the horrific scene unfold with a deathly pale face. It seemed to solidify her resolve. How were these demonic cavalry any different from beasts? If so, then every one she could kill, the better!
...
By evening, the snow-covered streets and alleys of Yunzhou City were stained red with blood. The remaining citizens had been almost entirely annihilated, with only Yun Xiang Lou spared thanks to Chen Chong's protection.
"Rustle..."
A figure appeared beside the pavilion. It was Qin Cheng, a Sword Cultivator of the eleventh realm from the Mohist school. Frowning, he presented a talisman stone, clasped in his hands. "Have you made up your mind? Once you leave, there will be no turning back."
"Yes."
Shi Hanyin smiled softly. "Young Master Qin, thank you. Hanyin has her plans now. Please leave. If you can keep your life, you can kill more of those beastly demons in the future. That is what the upper five realms of the human race should be doing."
"We will."
Qin Cheng smiled sadly. "With Shi Hanyin gone, Qin Cheng has no lingering attachments. Besides slaying demons with my sword, what else is there to look forward to?"
"I'm sorry..."
Shi Hanyin said softly, "Hanyin already has someone in her heart, so I have failed you, Young Master Qin. My apologies..."
"It's alright."
Qin Cheng clasped his hands again. "Then I shall leave?"
"Go, may you travel the world safely, and take good care."
"Mm."
Qin Cheng turned and left, never looking back. His form dissolved into a ripple and reappeared in the backyard. With a single punch, he shattered the face of a demonic cavalryman, donned his armor, and rode away from Yunzhou City.
...
Nightfall descended.
The old doorman had prepared a considerable amount of food. He was not a cook, so his dishes were not particularly delicious. However, they were made from provisions stored in the Yun Xiang Lou kitchen, and for the ravenous demonic cavalry, being able to cook something was enough.
As darkness fell, red lanterns were lit, and a grand performance was about to commence at Yun Xiang Lou.
Outside, Chen Chong had changed into an elegant white robe. He was followed by a throng of demonic officers, numbering in the hundreds—all senior commanders of Chen Chong's division. They poured into Yun Xiang Lou, only to be greeted by the sight of the old doorman serving tea. Disappointment flickered across their faces, but when they saw Shi Hanyin appear on stage, holding a pipa, their slight disappointment vanished.
"Hanyin, begin."
Chen Chong waved his sleeve gently, his eyes fixed on Shi Hanyin's chest, waist, and hips, as if he could devour this earthly beauty. And soon, after the performance, she would be his.
The demonic generals stared, their mouths spewing vulgarities without restraint.
Shi Hanyin, holding her pipa, wore a smile on her delicate face.
"Alright."
Chen Chong raised his hand. "Silence, everyone. It begins."
Shi Hanyin nodded her thanks on stage and then strummed her pipa. Her beautiful eyes swept over the numerous demonic officers below, her gaze filled with sorrow and loneliness. The next moment, she began to sing a recently composed song titled "Shattered Mountains and Rivers." As the words left her lips, they were dripping with blood—
White robes, white robes, riding the wind and thunder.
Yunzhou, Yunzhou, mountains and rivers shattered.
At the end of the signal fires, autumn frost stains, geese fly south.
Who can know, how many return from the Heavenly Lake of the snowfields?
Beauty's fate is thin, in the end, but a handful of gray dust.
To ask the north wind, why do the sons of Yunzhou not return?
...
"Excellent!"
As the song concluded, Chen Chong was the first to erupt in applause. The demonic generals followed suit, raising their wine jars and drinking. Meanwhile, the old doorman was outside, busily piling dry firewood against the outer wall, occasionally glancing at the demonic warriors.
After a few more songs, many of the demonic generals were already quite drunk.
Silently, Shi Hanyin pressed the mechanism on the talisman stone hidden in her sleeve. Instantly, a golden barrier rose, enveloping the entire Yun Xiang Lou. It was the "Dragon Trapping Formation," meticulously crafted by the eleventh-realm Mohist cultivator Qin Cheng over six months. The next moment, the old doorman ignited the oil-soaked firewood. Flames leaped up, igniting the spirit stones buried underground.
In an instant, Yun Xiang Lou was engulfed in flames.
The spirit stones, once burning, generated extreme heat, unbearable for ordinary people, let alone those in the upper five realms.
The demonic generals were thrown into a panic, like ants on a hot pan.
The fire rapidly consumed Yun Xiang Lou, and screams echoed endlessly.
The performance on stage continued, the pipa's melody poignant, the song's end arriving before the audience dispersed.
...
In the night sky, Lin Zhao's wisp of consciousness watched Yun Xiang Lou burn fiercely. He saw Shi Hanyin engulfed by the flames. He had never imagined that woman would be so resolute. In the flickering firelight, tears streamed down his face.