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Divine Dawn
墨書 Inktalez
Chapter 1: Yellow Sand Plain
The vast Yellow Sand Plain stretched endlessly, with yellow sand swirling in the air. The blazing sun beat down like a furnace, causing the grains of sand to crackle intermittently. Ji Zichen led a horse, which carried two bamboo boxes, while his right wrist was adorned with beads representing the five elements of wind, thunder, water, fire, and earth. These beads emitted a faint glow at night. On his back, he carried a Demon-Slaying Sword tightly wrapped in black cloth, leaving only the hilt exposed.
With hair like clouds and sharp, deep-set eyes, Kiko had a tall and slender figure.
Holding the reins in his right hand, Kiko munched on a butter biscuit with his left as he walked. In such an environment, if he didn’t shield himself with his sleeve from the wind, the biscuit would quickly gather a layer of yellow sand. Fortunately, Kiko was experienced in dealing with such conditions.
It was rare to encounter anyone on the barren Yellow Sand Plain; even if one were fortunate enough to meet someone, they were likely to be a victim of thirst. Under the scorching midday sun, Kiko was not afraid of the heat; rather, he feared encountering corpses. It wasn’t that he was afraid of dead bodies; it was that any death on the Yellow Sand Plain would attract the Green Demon Eagle. The Green Demon Eagle was large and would swoop down on living beings when hungry. Unfortunately for Kiko, his luck had run out—he had stumbled upon dead bodies.
Fifteen corpses lay about seven yards away from him. Even from a distance, he could tell they were dead; no normal person would gather under the blazing sun to lie on the scorching sand.
As Kiko approached, knowing this was the only path forward, he took a bite of his biscuit and glanced at the fifteen bodies before shaking his head. Just as he was about to step away, he froze in place.
His attention was drawn to a girl around sixteen or seventeen years old. She wore rough linen clothes and lay face down in the hot sand, her right cheek buried in it. If it weren’t for her left eye moving slightly, Kiko would have thought she was dead.
Kiko moved closer and turned her over. She had delicate features and a slender figure; her weak yet fiercely determined eyes met his gaze. The sunlight irritated her eyes as she struggled to open them fully. The girl painfully licked her dry lips and weakly murmured, “Water… water…”
Kiko returned to the bamboo box to fetch a water flask for her. After taking a few sips, vitality gradually returned to her eyes. However, she still appeared very weak. Kiko lifted her out from among the corpses and placed her in the shade of the horse so she could rest. He checked the other bodies to see if there were any signs of life left but unfortunately found that she was the only survivor.
Night quietly descended. Kiko did not leave; instead, he set up camp more than ten yards away from the corpses. Since the horse carried heavy loads, if he tried to carry the girl along, she might not survive even long enough to leave this Yellow Sand Plain; if he continued on foot with her on his back, she might die faster than the horse.
Stars hung high in the sky as the sleeping girl’s breathing became rapid. In her dreams, she murmured anxiously, “No… no…” Suddenly waking up with wide eyes, she saw a sky full of stars above her. “Huff… huff…” she gasped for air. “I… I’m not dead.”
Kiko sat across from her by a campfire and took a sip from his gourd before saying, “You’re awake.”
Startled, the girl exclaimed, “Who are you?”
She opened her hazy eyes and saw Ji Zichen through the campfire.
Ji Zichen capped the gourd and said, "Did you forget? I saved you."
The girl then remembered that this was indeed the case, and she felt a bit relieved. "Thank you... May I ask how to address you?"
Ji Zichen smiled lightly. "My name is Ji Zichen, and I sell magical artifacts."
"Magical artifacts?" The girl suddenly recalled something. "Are you referring to relic artifacts? Young Master Ji is actually from The Divine Alliance Under the Covenant."
At that moment, Ji Zichen stared intently at her. Feeling his gaze, she couldn't help but feel frightened. "Why are you looking at me like that?"
Ji Zichen replied, "I thought you were a country girl based on your appearance, but it seems I misjudged you."
The girl immediately became wary and stammered, "I... I'm just a country person."
Ji Zichen sneered. "Look at your clean hands; do they look like they've done hard labor? Most people would be terrified at the mention of The Divine Alliance Under the Covenant, yet you seem so calm. What’s your name?"
The girl hesitated for a moment, debating whether to tell him.
Ji Zichen said, "What’s wrong? I saved your life; don’t you think I deserve to know your name?"
Looking him in the eye and summoning her courage, she said, "Yes, you saved me. I won’t hide it from you; my name is Lin Chuyu."
Ji Zichen responded, "Lin Chuyu, I don't care where you're from or what your background is. But since you already know I'm from The Divine Alliance Under the Covenant, you should also understand that I'm a businessman. Now we need to discuss the matter of compensation."
Lin Chuyu was taken aback. "Compensation?"
"This is the Yellow Sand Plain," Ji Zichen said. "Water is priceless here. You drank three sips of my water, which means I have three sips less to drink. So, I am risking my life to save you. Shouldn't I ask for a reward?"
Lin Chuyu never expected to encounter such a mercenary "savior." She replied, "So how much do you want?"
Ji Zichen smiled and said, "One hundred taels."
Lin Chuyu widened her eyes in disbelief. "For three sips of water, you want one hundred taels!"
Ji Zichen rubbed his hands together, grinning as he patiently explained, "You should consider where we are. The Yellow Sand Plain has many Sand Bandits. I'm sure you encountered some earlier. I don't know how you escaped, but I guess you played dead. Regardless, what if we run into them again before we leave? That would mean I've saved you twice, and the price would naturally go up."
Seeing that he was only a few years older than herself and unsure if he truly had the ability to deal with the Sand Bandits, Lin Chuyu coldly retorted, "You talk big. Do you really have a way to handle the Sand Bandits?"
Ji Zichen shrugged and laughed, "The more money I have, the more capable I become."
Lin Chuyu hesitated and said, "But... I don't have any money right now."
Ji Zichen replied, "That's fine for now. You can go get some from your relatives. If all your relatives are dead, then you'll just have to help me until you repay the debt."
Lin Chuyu reacted strongly, "You want me to sell magical artifacts with you!"
Ji Zichen stared at her. "What's wrong? Is selling magical artifacts beneath your dignity?"
"I..."
At that moment, a series of strange screeches echoed from above. Lin Chuyu looked up and saw three Green Demon Eagles circling overhead. Each Green Demon Eagle was as large as a calf, and upon seeing them, Lin Chuyu's face turned pale with fear.
Ji Zichen remained calm and still like a monk in meditation. "Don't be afraid; they won't bite you as long as you're sitting with me."
Lin Chuyu quickly moved beside Ji Zichen, fear evident in her voice. "What are these monsters?"
Ji Zichen smiled at her. "Green Demon Eagles, they feast on corpses."
Three Green Demon Eagles screeched as they swooped down, diving towards the other bodies to take a bite.
The Green Demon Eagles were large enough to tear through flesh with a single bite. Although Lin Chuyu was terrified, she sensed that among the corpses lay someone very important to her. Biting her lip, she suddenly raised a torch and stepped forward to drive them away. "Don't eat! Don't eat, Uncle Lin... Uncle Lin!"
The Green Demon Eagles were afraid of fire. As Lin Chuyu approached with the torch, the three birds flapped their wings and retreated into the air.
Ji Zichen remained seated calmly, reminding Lin Chuyu, "Be careful; the Green Demon Eagles that are feeding are extremely dangerous."
Seeing that several corpses had already been devoured, Lin Chuyu felt anger rise within her as Ji Zichen continued to sit there nonchalantly. "You're being too much!" she exclaimed.
One of the Green Demon Eagles circled above, screeching loudly. Taking advantage of Lin Chuyu's distraction, it suddenly opened its bloody beak and lunged at her. She quickly waved the torch wildly, striking the Green Demon Eagle on the head. The bird screeched in pain from the fire and flew back up.
Holding the torch in front of the corpses, Lin Chuyu stood her ground as the three Green Demon Eagles dared not descend again. She glared at Ji Zichen, thinking to herself, "I initially thought he was a good person, just a bit mercenary, but I never expected him to be so heartless!"
At that moment, one of the corpses suddenly convulsed violently, resembling a seizure. Lin Chuyu's face turned pale as she recognized it—this corpse belonged to Uncle Lin. After a moment of twitching, Uncle Lin's body stood upright like a zombie, displaying a benevolent smile as he reached out a hand toward Lin Chuyu. "Yuer, come here; I'll take you away from here."
Lin Chuyu's mind went blank as she saw what appeared to be a living Uncle Lin. Though she knew deep down this wasn't real, tears streamed down her face as she softly called out, "Uncle Lin..."
It seemed as if Lin Chuyu was entranced or bewitched; she unconsciously reached out her hand toward Uncle Lin. Overwhelmed with emotion, she exclaimed, "Uncle Lin... you’re not dead..."
Uncle Lin smiled gently. "I'm not dead... How could I possibly die... silly child."
As her hand touched Uncle Lin's, a large crystal pendant hanging from her chest suddenly revealed an eye within it. At that moment, Lin Chuyu jolted awake!
She realized that the grip on her wrist was not Lin Uncle's hand, but rather the claw of the Green Demon Eagle.
Lin Chuyu's face drained of color. "Ah~~"
Ji Zichen sat by the campfire, not even glancing at Lin Chuyu. His gaze was fixed on the flames dancing in the fire. He extended his right palm towards the Green Demon Eagle that had grasped Lin Chuyu's wrist and suddenly exclaimed, "Five Lotus Water!" The beads on his prayer beads dimmed, and behind the Green Demon Eagle appeared a blooming White Lotus, larger than the creature itself.
The White Lotus was filled with many honeycomb-like holes, from which snake-like Water Ropes extended toward the Green Demon Eagle. As they wrapped around it, Ji Zichen clenched his fist sharply. The White Lotus erupted like fireworks.
In an instant, the body of the Green Demon Eagle exploded along with the White Lotus, and Lin Chuyu was knocked to the ground by the force of the blast, watching as petals rained down like a floral shower.
Only then did Ji Zichen slowly lower his hand and say, "The Green Demon Eagle can lure souls. It can make you see your departed loved ones while also trapping their souls." He tossed an object toward Lin Chuyu, revealing a Vajra that landed just in front of her shoe.
Atop the Vajra was a Buddha Head, while its lower part resembled a dagger. Ji Zichen instructed, "Take this and help them complete their final journey."
The remaining two Green Demon Eagles screeched again, and at that moment, Lin Chuyu saw fourteen corpses rising to their feet. They mournfully cried out to her, "Wuwuwu... Kill us! We do not wish for our souls to be controlled by the Green Demon Eagle."
Tears streamed down Lin Chuyu's face. "Farewell, everyone..."
She grasped the Vajra and charged toward them. A brilliant white light erupted, and the two Green Demon Eagles let out a horrific scream before crashing to the ground.
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