Rise of The Demon General

It felt like it had been ages since Amon had gone unconscious. He couldn’t sleep anymore, after all. Even when he was reduced to only his left arm by Zhang Daofeng, he was still roughly aware of what was going on. This time, it was nothing.

When he could think again, he wondered if he had died. He couldn’t open his eyes or move his body. Everything was dark and silent. The next thing he wondered was whether he would be transmigrated again if he had indeed died. Perhaps his transmigration was not because of a vague, bullshit creator. Perhaps it was because he had a secret power of getting transmigrated into a different world every time he died.

That would be interesting. His only regret was that he hadn’t conquered or caused enough chaos in this world before he passed. He wondered what kind of world he would be born into this time. Could it be a world of magic instead of cultivation? Perhaps it would be a technologically advanced world? Maybe he wouldn’t even be born as a human. Maybe he would be born as a slime? That would be hilarious and pathetic at the same time.

Then, he heard sounds. Rustling, at first. The sounds grew richer with time, until he heard what he thought were someone’s voices. It sounded like a woman’s voice. He couldn’t make out what was being said. Everything was a murmur.

He didn’t know how long, but he could feel his body again. He knew then that he hadn’t died. He was still in the same cultivation world. While he was curious about how he survived, that was not the priority. He focused his mind to regain control of his body.

It took some time before he could start twitching his fingers. That was also when he knew his body was still intact with no limbs missing, including his tail. The voices also sounded more coherent now. He could understand what was being said.

Curiously enough, there was only the voice of one person, a woman, and she sounded young. It didn’t sound like she was speaking to anyone. She was telling a tale. From what Amon could make out, it was a sob story about a knight and a princess. He couldn’t believe it. Could someone be telling him stories while he was unconscious? Such a thought gave him untold shame.

Amon felt restless. It was excruciating to hear the tale. He preferred physical torture to listening to this. He almost believed he had been captured by someone who hated him, and this was a torture designed specifically for him. This motivated him to regain control of his body.

Yet, his body fought him. It seemed his wounds were more serious than he thought. Did whoever was tending to him now not feed him a recovery pill and instead let him heal naturally? He was even surer now that he had been captured and was under torture.

On several occasions, his captive even sang to him. While her voice was melodious, it still annoyed him. Even so, her singing was preferable to the sob tales she kept reading to him.

He estimated it was several days later, after countless unbearable tales of romance and bravery, before he could open his eyes. He was inside a cave. His tormentor, the tale-telling young woman, was not around. He was glad for that, at least. He had the time to review his surroundings before his captive returned.

He could not move his head much, but it was enough to survey his surroundings.

”What the...,” he muttered. He was covered with a blanket and lying on a cozy bed, which was a rock bed covered with soft animal furs.

He removed the blanket and was surprised to find nothing was binding his body. He was naked under the blanket, and his body was filled with healing burn marks.

”My things...,” he muttered while looking around warily. He saw his black space ring on a small stone table beside his bed. There was also a set of clean clothes next to his ring.

”Hm...” He looked at the cave’s exit. He could see a garden, trees, and even a clear sky above those trees.

He closed his eyes and tried to connect with Lin Li. He could feel her and gauged her general direction, but that’s it. He opened his eyes.

The fact that he could not share his senses with Lin Li proved that he was still inside the misty border. He looked outside the cave again. ’Where are all the mists?’ He thought.

”You are awake! Good.”

A female voice interrupted his train of thought. He turned and saw a young woman walking out of one of the openings that led deeper into the cave. Her appearance was that of a woman in her twenties. She had long, black hair and wore a sleeveless white dress with an underside that covered most of her legs. Her face was well-proportioned and pleasant to look at. Her skin was white and clean. He noticed she was barefoot and walked with an elegance absent from most women in this cultivation world.

She went first to a table, took a cup, and filled it with liquid from a jug. She came over and handed the cup to Amon. ”Drink this. You will feel better. I could only drip a few drops into your mouth when you are unconscious.”

Amon hesitated. His eyes studied the liquid inside the cup before moving to the woman’s face. The liquid seemed like a common tea. The woman was smiling. Amon felt no malice or danger from her. She looked innocent.

Amon took the cup and smelled the liquid. It exuded a pleasant fragrance. He held the cup for a while. The woman didn’t rush him. She patiently sat beside him and waited.

Amon intentionally delayed his action to fish for the woman’s reaction. Since he didn’t get any, he decided to drink the liquid. It tasted as well as it smelled. Once the liquid entered his body, he could feel it working inside. It might not be as potent as a recovery pill, but he knew it helped his body heal. Whatever the liquid was, it had a natural healing property.

”Do you want more?” The woman asked. When Amon didn’t answer, she asked, ”Can you speak? Or is my human language not understandable?”

”Your language is fine,” Amon finally responded. ”So, you are not a human?”

The woman smiled. ”That’s not important. Do you feel better? I was worried that you might never wake up.”

”How long did I pass out?” Amon asked.

The woman made a calculating gesture using her hand. She then answered, ”I think it was seven days... No, it was eight days.”

”Mm... Where are we?”

The woman gave Amon a confused expression. ”I don’t understand,” she said.

”Are we in the misty border?” Amon rephrased his question.

”I have no idea what this place is called. I have lived here since I was born. If by misty, you mean a place with lots of mists, then yes. The area outside our home is covered in mists.”

”Our...? There is another person who lives here with you?”

The woman nodded. ”I live here with my uncle. He told me never to go outside where the mists are. I always listen to him. He is away for now.”

Amon stopped asking questions and pondered his situation. The woman just stayed there, silently watching him. When he glanced at her, she was still smiling.

”What is it?” Amon asked.

The woman shook her head and giggled. ”I’m sorry. I don’t mean to stare. It’s just that this is the first time I’ve met and conversed with a human. I feel very excited.”

”Why?”

”Because your kind has so many exciting stories. My uncle once brought me a book written by a human. It is filled with amazing stories, stories of adventures and discoveries. Ever since, I have always begged him to bring me more. My chamber inside is filled with such books. Do you want me to show you?”

”No,” Amon answered. ”So, am I free to go?”

The woman’s face turned sad when she heard that. ”Ye... Yes, of course. You are free to go if that is your wish. Although... You are not fully healed yet. It is best if you rest here for a few more days.”

”Can I have my things back?” Amon pointed at his black space ring.

”Yes, certainly. Please, you can wear this outfit as well,” the woman took the clothes and the black space ring and offered them to Amon. ”I don’t know if it will fit you. We don’t have many human clothes.”

Amon first took his ring before accepting the clothes. He checked the ring’s contents while putting on the clothes. Nothing seemed to be missing.

”Do you truly wish to leave?” The woman asked. Her voice sounded sad.

”Maybe not immediately,” Amon answered. The clothes he wore were rather tight. He was larger than most humans, after all. ”I will look around this place first. It’s okay for me to do that, isn’t it?”

”Absolutely!” The woman became excited again. ”I will show you around the place!”

”What should I call you?” Amon asked.

”My uncle calls me Di Ying. What about you?”

”I am Amon.”