Chapter 1

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Chapter 1: Jiaoren*

Six years ago, outside the Demon Valley.

When Ji Yunhe received the "goods" from the arrogant eunuch, it was the most beautiful day in march.

The wilderness outside the valley was full of romantic mountain flowers, filling the air with their pleasant scent. Ji Yunhe felt distracted even as the eunuch in front of her barked instructions with his incessant voice.

"Our master has spent a lot of effort in capturing it. We will give you three months to train this demon. Don't make us come and pick it up again with such a big box full of charms and spells. Not only is the transportation troublesome, it also looks bad."

The person responsible for dealing with this arrogant eunuch was Ji Yunhe's assistant, Qu Xiaoxing. Qu Xiaoxing was still a teenager, but his mouth was as slick as oil. He smiled and responded to the eunuch, "Eunuch Zhang, you can rest assured. We have tamed many demons over the decades. It doesn't matter what kind of a monster sits in this tin box, as long as they come here, they will surely leave submissive and loyal. We will not make any mistakes."

"Well, just don't be careless. This here is no ordinary demon."

"We know this is a task assigned by Princess Shunde. The valley of demon management is absolutely dedicated to taming this demon. When you return you will be proud."

Qu Xiaoxing was the best at dealing with these people. He spoke until Eunuch Zhang showed some satisfaction.

Ji Yunhe listened to their conversation and walked to the carriage.

The box behind the carriage was half a person high, made of black iron and covered with layers of paper talismans. Ji Yunhe reached out and lifted one of them. Seeing the inscription on the paper, she raised an eyebrow and casually uncovered a small piece.

The moment the paper talisman was removed, a loud dong was heard inside the black iron box together with the sound of iron chains clanking.

Ji Yunhe was surprised. This demon was very powerful. She had only uncovered one of the many talismans, and the demon immediately sensed it.

The noises inside the box frightened the horse pulling the carriage. It let out a loud neigh and pounced its hooves to run. The coachman immediately pulled on the reins, gave it a good toss and stabilized the horse.

Eunuch Zhang turned his head. "Aiya, be careful! This demon is very powerful!" he took a few steps back and said. "Who the hell are you? Don't foolishly touch anything if you have no idea what you're doing! Hurry up and paste the talisman back. Careful we charge you with a punishable crime!"

Qu Xiaoxing quickly gave a smile. "That is our..."

"Vermilion sand yellow talisman, thunder incantation, lock five senses, seal demonic power. This is the handwriting of the Grand Master." Ji Yunhe interrupted Qu Xiaoxing and took a playful glance at the talisman in her hand. Then her eyes turned and swept sharply onto the eunuch standing on the side. Her fingers moved, and the vermilion sand yellow talisman immediately shot out like an arrow and fixated on his neck.

Eunuch Zhang's eyes bulged and his mouth opened with anger, but no sound came out. The eunuch was startled and reached out to tug at the paper talisman on his neck, only to have his fingers flicked away. His eyes added several points of fear as he stared at Ji Yunhe, pointing his finger at her and speechless.

"Yap yap yap half a day," said Ji Yunhe while she clapped her hands. "Now it's finally peaceful."

She gave a wink to a few sturdy men standing behind her and they stepped forward to reach for the carriage. The guards escorting the carriage nervously pressed their hands to the hilt of their swords.

"We will take this carriage off of your hands now. Come back in three months and we guarantee the demon will behave. Your job is to ensure a smooth transition back and forth, right? Now that the demon has arrived at the Demon Valley, it's our turn to take over. What is with this gesture? Are you guys not going to let us do our job?" Ji Yunhe stared at the guards. "Are you listening to Princess Shunde's orders, or are you at this eunuch's command?"

The guards looked at each other and retreated. A few men then invited the coachman off of the carriage, set up the horse and steered into the valley.

As the carriage pulled away, Ji Yunhe said to the eunuch, "I do not know how to lift the talisman from your neck. Go back to the Grand Master for help."

She then brushed her sleeves and entered the valley.

Qu Xiaoxing rushed to the side of the eunuch with a smile. "That is our Master Warden. She has a bit of a temper, but on demon mastery she is second to none here in the valley. Please don't take it to heart. I cannot help with this talisman as my power is very low compared to others. To limit your suffering, I'm afraid you will have to go back to the Grand Master for help..."

"Qu Xiaoxing," Ji Yunhe called out to him.

Qu Xiaoxing hastily acknowledged her and did not speak with the eunuch again. He gave him a few gestures of apology then turned around to catch up with Ji Yunhe.

Qu Xiaoxing sighed. "Master Warden, how many times do I have to say this, these people bringing demons to our valley might be just servants of the royalties and noble families, but they all have a mouth that can be heard by important ears. You cannot keep offending them like this… This is the eunuch around Princess Shunde, if he decides to say some damaging words about you..."

"Mhm mhm, I've done a thankless deed." Ji Yunhe casually brushed him off.

"So you better go back to him and lift the talisman. If you make him travel all the way back mute, god knows how big of a grudge he will hold."

Ji Yunhe gave him a side eye. "Qu Xiaoxing, we want to please their masters, not them. And the way to please their masters is to tame the demons well. Everything else is frivolous."

Qu Xiaoxing sighed again.

"You have a point. Also it's unfortunate that today's world is so unfavorable for us demon masters. I heard fifty years ago, before the Grand Master developed the poison against us, our tribe was very powerful. We called the wind and rain at will, and demons came to our bidding. Hard to believe that we have fallen so far in just fifty years. Even a court eunuch can yell at us like this..."

"Come on, you talk as if you were there fifty years ago."

They arrived at wide open gates to the Demon Valley. Heavy fog filled the air. Ji Yunhe digressed, "The demon brought in today seems quite special. Let's go to the dungeon and watch the unboxing."

Qu Xiaoxing nodded.

Inside the Demon Valley dungeons were black iron cells densely engraved with spells and seals, blocking the power of demons.

The black iron box was sent to the largest cell. The top of the box had a black iron hook. Demon masters hooked it to a chain hanging from above and the engravings around the cell started to glow with power.

This lockbox had been developed by the valley to be convenient for dignitaries to catch feral demons and transport them in.

The hook on top of the box was actually from inside. It was attached to the chains used to subdue demons, so they could be easily hooked and connected to the chain in the prison cell. Once connected, the magic spells from the cell would then be transmitted through the chain onto the demons, strengthening the force of the seal. This had been designed to keep demon masters from harm as demons often grew excited upon seeing the light of day during their unboxing.

After the hook and chain were in place, a demon master inserted a key into the lockbox. Click. The box immediately made a series of knocking and trembling sounds.

The demon master did not even have time to withdraw the key yet when the lockbox suddenly exploded from inside, every shard covered with talisman. Along with the scattering of debris, a giant white and blue fish tail fell out.

Ji Yunhe stood just outside the dungeon. Before she could shout "watch out," a powerful force swept across the prison cell. The demon master who unlocked the box let out a miserable cry as his blood splattered everywhere.

Ji Yunhe held Qu Xiaoxing's head and pushed him down onto the ground with her, narrowly avoiding the demonic aura from the fanning tail.

She looked up from the ground and saw the lockbox was now in pieces. A demon hung from the chain with his hands bound, completely naked, and the lower half of his body was a huge fish tail. But different from the others, his tail was blue and white and formed layers and layers like a giant lotus. More surprisingly was his face...

Jiaoren was a race known for their beauty, but Ji Yunhe never thought there would be a face like his. So stunningly beautiful that it was breathtaking...

This demon was a...

Male jiaoren.

*Jiaoren is a mythical creature with the head and torso of a woman and the tail of a fish. They are similar to mermaids except jiaoren are believed to inhabit the South China Sea. Many different versions of half human half fish creatures are found among ancient chinese literature with jiaoren first appearing in "In Search of Gods" written by Gan Bao (280 - 336 AD). Legend has it that jiaoren specializes in weaving dragon silk that stays dry underwater, shed tears that turn into pearls, and possess an enchanting singing voice.

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