23. she's my woman

The elder of snake species gave the younger a look filled with wickedness as he stands beside him, chuckling,

"Tsk, tsk, tsk, now you dumb fish.... Even killing off the whole rabbits in the world won't be enough to fill my thirst of hunting rabbit spirits. Well, it's not like you're gonna understand with how naive you are,"

He places his hand on the merman's shoulder, getting irritated,

"Don't you see yourself the way how she treats you? Why are you standing up to her when you should have been one of us, you moron!"

"One of you?"

"That's right. I bet you were hated on for being a very dangerous predator, weren't you? And of course, on top of that a corrupted one."

" You are an outcast, just like all of us are, while walking around the humans."

Wang Yi furrows his eyebrows,

"How do you-"

"Especially that damned woman over there. I've seen it all, from the very beginning you set foot in here...the way how she has been mistreating you, it must have been this way since day one, hasn't it? Its obvious that I can see it."

He points at Xiao Xiao, who had no idea she was being watched from quiet far away.

The snake elder then smirks as he notice the youth tense up at  seeing how she had her arms wrapped around the lion cub child in a tight embrace.

"T-that's...I don't-"

The snake demon interrupted again,

"Look at that filthy woman...just throwing herself at any man she lays her eyes on. I really don't get how can you marry someone so dirty, worse than a slut.... Don't you have eyes?"

Shaking his head,

"What man!? That's a child!!"

Wang Yi argues as he pushes the man, finding this absurd.

"And she's not a slut. And even if she was so what!? it has nothing to do with you so how would you know anyway!? You're only throwing shade at someone you barely even know!"

"A child!? Hahah!!!"

Bursting into laughter, his smile then immediately fades away as he claims,

"He's just under a cursed spell of being trapped in a child's body... That one's way older than you think, kiddo. Older than you even."

"Huh!?? What do you mean he's not a child!? I don't understand-"

Squeezing his knuckles in a tight grip, with full of resentment the elder looks at the boy,

" Actually, all of us are under a spell of the cursed ones by our lord. This isn't my real body nor do I even look like this, I'm  way younger than I appear right now. And the only way to lift up that spell, we were ordered to slay that cultivator rabbit over there. She's the source of all our losses and misfortune. If we don't get rid of her, we are all damned. Do you understand?"

He's also trapped under  another form of body just like that lion...Just who would be so wicked to be capable of doing such things!!?

Hold in, did he just say "Lord"?

"Wait, what Lord are you talking about?? Are you all under control of one person? Was it that person that made so much lies about the rabbit cultivator  and ordered you to get rid of her!?? I don't believe she could cause so much deal that all of you hold such a big grudge against her!!"

"Oh, come on. You should use your great merman strength for something way better than being a pathetic slave of a husband for your wife. It is an eyesore to see that you're doing anything she asks of you to while she kills off your own kind-"

"Don't say it like i'm one of your kind, I'm not!!!"

"Oh, yeah? Well, would you look at that."

he whispers into his hear, voice now filled with sweetness,

"Can't accept of who you've became into, kiddo? You know I've noticed this earlier, but the fresh scar on her neck was no doubt a bite mark..."

Memories of earlier events came flashing by his mind the moment he mentioned about her neck, making 

Wang Yi feel shivers run down his spine as if he was caught red handed,

"...Is caused by you, isn't it? I'm very jealous...you got to get the taste of her before any of us could. So tell me...was it satisfying to eat your very own wife?"

Hurrying to deny,

"I didn't, I'm not- that wasn't my intention! It was you, all of this was caused by you!!!!"

The younger one shouts as he faces the snake, but seeing his unamused face, he goes even more nervous.

"...B-besides she understands!! She wouldn't blame me so we will get through this. And it won't be a problem as long as I don't do it again, alright. Everything i- "

Not letting him finish, the elder corrupted demon rolls his eyes,

"Oh, please!! You really are dumb and naive, aren't ya? The way you think is so freaking childish, who in the world would consider having a husband that could potentially devour them one day!?? You seriously think she wouldn't abandon you as of now!??"

"What!?"

"I...I don't think she would do that. I'm her only- no, hold on, why should I!?

i am not like you...!!"

The elder spat,

" Freaking pathetic, it makes me even somewhat pity you for having such a mindset. Wake up already, you're an outcast! You think there wouldn't be a replacement for you!? You're no good for that damned righteous of a cultivator so expect her to mercilessly go against you and execute you before you would even have a chance to  escape! Crap, why am I wasting all of my time  on this kid!?"

"Anyway," 

"...If you join us, we will treat you with love and respect because only I can understand you, all of us do not like those heartless humans..."

"We could fight the injustice and murder the cultivators together. You have no idea how good our meal will be! So all that's left for you to do now is to just slay her, it is gonna be way because she trusts you, come on ... "

Making up his mind, Wang Yi began,

"You know what...? You're right. I was treated the worst among others just because of my background that I held no responsibility for."

"That's right, kiddo... Why don't we start with the people who mistreated you the most, huh?"

The merman turns to look at his teacher, while at the same time sending daggers with his eyes at the lion cub over the other side of the room, who was getting treated by his supposed to be wife, Xiao Xiao. It made him sick in the guts at how the jade rabbit had a very tender look full of love at someone else, that was not him and as he assumed, never would be.

Especially now knowing that it wasn't a child, but a grown man, made him even grumpier.

"And that woman....was so unreasonable towards me for over so many years.  Till now I just don't understand what was it in me that always annoyed her that she would never pay attention to me, look at me, ignore me, act like I don't exist in her eyes. However despicable she might be..."

"That's it, you're getting it..."

Preparing his daggers filled with Sun energy, the merman finishes his sentence,

"...She's my woman. So I won't let you nor anyone hurt her. Except for me, no one should dare take my woman away from me!!!"

Before he swings his weapon at the unprepared snake demon, catching him off guard. The nameless elder, however, was quick enough to dodge with only the left side of his shoulder having touched the burning flame.

Hissing in utter pain that was collected with his earlier injures caused by the jade rabbit woman, he still laughs,

"...Oh, you actually almost got me there! What a shame. Didn't think you would be entirely hopeless, kiddo. I'm seriously disappointed in you."

With his other working hand, the elder snake was going for a counterattack, but Wang Yi cautioned himself that the snake demon was without shield, so he has the upper hand.

But nevertheless fear coursed through the boy. He felt suddenly alone, this having been his very first mission on his own with no assistance of his respected teacher. Prescience had fed his knowledge with countless experiences, hinted at the strongest currents of the future and the strings of decision that guided them, but this was the real-now. This was death hanging on an infinite number of miniscule mischances.

Anything could tip the future here, he realized.

I'm afraid, if I fail, it will cost teacher's life.

"You look quiet tense, I haven't even started yet,"

The snake snarled. And in the middle of the last word he plunged forward with his attack.

The boy's reactions were those of youth and trained to a peak that the snake has never seen. But the attack was trained, too, needing control and trickery to get through this fight.

Again the elder attacked, elliptical ink-dark eyes glaring, but Wang Yi could only slip away to return too slowly on the attack. And again. And again.

"I aim to take up his energy by wasting his efforts, I don't believe that in that form of an elderly he will fight with vigor."

Thought the boy.

Each time, Wang Yi's counterblow came an instant late, defensive reactions were blindingly fast.

When he raised the two of his daggers to aim at the elder, his both hands get caught by him, now unable to attack.

"Are you taking me for a fool!? Cowardly acts. I expected more from a mighty merman, you're actually a disappointment to your race!!"

While he talked, Wang Yi could only smirk with his serrated teeth wide in display, lifting up to bring forward his leg to lend a kick at the man, making him tripple over, past injuries making him appear weaker.

Wang Yi didn't waste time to move, raising his sun energy filled daggers to throw them at the man.

Blood dripped from the injury for a moment, stopped. Burning his skin. His eyes were wide and staring– two yellow-black holes-studying Wang Yi with a new wariness in the dull light of this room.

"Ah, that one hurt, you're not so dumb after all." the man murmured.

Wang Yi called out "Do you yield?"

"Hah!" he cried.

"There can be no yielding in our clan. Death is the test of it."

The snake man backed now that the realization swept over him–that this was no soft offworlder.

Wang Yi saw the shadow of desperation in the man's face. Now is when he's most dangerous, he thought. Now he's desperate and can do anything. He sees that this is not like a demon of his own people, but a fighting machine born and trained to it from infancy. Now the fear I planted in him has come to bloom.

The elder saw the way the boy moved, the beads of perspiration on his face and shoulders, the careful wariness visible in the flow of muscles.

 When your opponent fears you, then's the moment when you give the fear its own rein, give it the time to work on him. Let it become terror. The terrified man fights himself. Eventually, he attacks in desperation.