Chapter 52
It happened without warning.
One moment, Zhuo Yichen was lying unconscious in Zhao Yuanzhou’s arms.
The next-
his eyes snapped open.
Golden light flashed through his pupils.
A terrifying demonic aura erupted from his body.
Before anyone could react, he sat upright and lunged forward.
His hand wrapped around Wen Xiao’s throat..
Wen Xiao’s eyes widened in shock as her feet left the ground.
The pressure around Yichen felt unfamiliar.
Cold.
Violent.
Ancient.
Like something buried inside him for thousands of years had finally awakened.
“Yichen!”
Zhao Yuanzhou rushed forward instantly.
He grabbed Yichen’s wrist and forced him to release Wen Xiao.
But the moment he tried to use a calming spell-
nothing happened.
His heart sank.
Yichen was immune to his techniques.
Always had been.
The demon could save Wen Xiao.
But he couldn’t control Yichen.
For the first time, genuine panic appeared on Zhao Yuanzhou’s face.
Because the person standing before him was neither fully human nor fully demon.
And Yichen himself wasn’t there.
Not really.
Without saying a word, Zhuo Yichen turned and walked away.
Everyone followed.
No one dared stop him.
He moved through the courtyard like a ghost.
Crossing the pond.
Passing the gates.
Leaving the Demon-Hunting Bureau.
As though being pulled somewhere by an invisible force.
❄️❄️❄️✨✨✨😭⚔️⚔️
The streets were quiet.
Only moonlight accompanied him.
Ying Lei arrived first.
His face lit up with joy.
“Yichen Gege!”
He ran forward.
“You woke up!”
For a brief moment, he forgot everything.
Forgot the danger.
Forgot the demonic energy surrounding him.
Forgot how fragile the situation was.
He simply saw his friend awake again.
And he was happy.
“Yichen Gege…”
The young mountain god reached out.
The response came instantly.
A wave of dark energy exploded outward.
BOOM.
Ying Lei’s eyes widened.
He didn’t even have time to defend himself.
The force threw him across the street.
His body crashed through a wooden cart before hitting the ground.
Everyone froze.
Even Yichen paused slightly.
As though a tiny part of him was confused by what had happened.
But the confusion disappeared immediately.
The demonic energy took over once more.
Pei Sijing arrived moments later.
She stopped dead in her tracks.
“Commander Zhuo…”
She had never seen him like this.
Never.
Not even once.
The disciplined commander.
The righteous sword cultivator.
The man who spent his life hunting demons.
Now walked among them with demonic power flowing through every vein.
The sight felt cruel.
Almost tragic.
Further ahead, a night watchman noticed him.
The man smiled politely.
“Commander Zhuo?”
No response.
The watchman looked confused.
“It’s late, Commander. Are you-“
Before he could finish-
dark energy struck him.
The man was thrown violently against a wall.
Blood splattered across the stones.
A scream echoed through the street.
Everything became chaos.
“Stop him!”
“Quickly!”
“No!”
Zhao Yuanzhou’s voice cut through the panic.
He was already chasing after Yichen.
His heart pounding.
Not from fear.
But from heartbreak.
Because he knew.
If Yichen woke later and remembered this…
it would destroy him….
They searched for what felt like hours.
Until finally-
they found him.
Lying beside a deserted road.
Alone.
Weak.
Exhausted.
As though the demonic energy had burned through everything inside him.
Moonlight illuminated his pale face.
Blood stained the corners of his lips.
He looked frighteningly fragile.
Nothing like the terrifying figure from before.
Zhao Yuanzhou immediately knelt beside him.
“Yichen.”
No response.
His voice softened.
“Yichen.”
Slowly, Yichen’s eyelashes trembled.
His eyes opened.
Confused.
Lost.
The first thing he saw was Zhao Yuanzhou.
And for some reason-
that alone made him feel safe.
“What happened?”
His voice was weak.
Nobody answered immediately.
The silence was enough.
Yichen’s heart sank.
He looked around.
At everyone’s expressions.
At Ying Lei’s injuries.
At the blood on his own hands.
His breathing stopped.
“No…”
The word escaped as a whisper.
“No…”
Fragments returned.
Broken images.
A hand around Wen Xiao’s throat.
Ying Lei flying backward.
A watchman screaming.
Blood.
So much blood.
Yichen’s face turned white.
“I…”
His entire body began shaking.
“I hurt someone.”
Nobody spoke.
Because denying it would be a lie.
And confirming it felt too cruel.
Yichen lowered his head.
His shoulders trembling.
“I hurt him…”
His voice broke.
“He greeted me…”
The memory became clearer.
“He was just greeting me…”
A sob escaped him.
“He didn’t do anything wrong.”
The guilt hit him all at once.
Overwhelming.
Crushing.
Years spent protecting people.
Years spent carrying justice.
Years spent fearing the demon blood inside him.
And tonight-
his greatest fear had come true.
Tears filled his eyes.
“I became exactly what I feared.”
Before anyone could respond, Zhao Yuanzhou gently pulled him closer.
Yichen immediately grabbed his robes.
Like a drowning man holding onto the only thing keeping him afloat.
“I hurt him…”
He buried his face against Zhao Yuanzhou’s shoulder.
His voice shaking with every word.
“I hurt an innocent person.”
The tears finally came.
Hot.
Relentless.
Painful.
Zhao Yuanzhou wrapped both arms around him.
Holding him tightly.
“No.”
“But I did-“
“No.”
The demon rested his forehead against Yichen’s.
His own eyes were red.
“You fought it.”
Yichen shook his head desperately.
“I wasn’t strong enough.”
His voice cracked.
“What if next time I kill someone?”
“What if next time it’s Wen Xiao?”
“Ying Lei?”
The thought horrified him.
“What if it’s you?”
Silence followed.
Because nobody knew the answer.
Yichen’s tears soaked Zhao Yuanzhou’s shoulder.
“I’m scared…”
The confession was tiny.
Broken.
Childlike.
“I’m so scared.”
Zhao Yuanzhou’s heart felt as though someone had driven a blade through it.
Because he knew exactly how that fear felt.
He had lived with it for thousands of years.
So he carefully took Yichen’s shaking hands.
Placed them against his chest.
And began teaching him an ancient mantra.
Slowly.
Patiently.
One word at a time.
“Follow my voice.”
Yichen tried.
Failed.
Tried again.
The demonic energy surged violently.
Then weakened.
Again.
And again.
Until eventually-
it settled.
The golden glow in his eyes disappeared.
The darkness retreated.
And Zhuo Yichen finally returned completely.
The moment it ended, he collapsed against Zhao Yuanzhou.
Exhausted.
Broken.
Crying quietly.
Zhao Yuanzhou held him for a very long time.
Neither of them spoke.
Because sometimes there were no words.
Only grief.
Only fear.
Only two people holding each other beneath the moonlight-
trying desperately not to lose themselves.
Or each other.