Zheng!* Chu Chu unsheathed her longsword, pointing it at Yang Sheng with frost in her eyes. "No matter who you are, you can't bully Third Uncle! Apologize, or I'll make you bleed here!"
"You'd draw weapons on me for a cripple? My infatuation was wasted..." Yang Sheng's face reddened, a bloody glow in his eyes.
"Something's wrong—this kid has demonic qi!" The Cauldron Lord's voice suddenly sounded.
"Demonic qi?" Lin Yu studied Yang Sheng, noticing the oddity. Not only did bloodlight gather in his eyes, but his skin burned red as if scalded, looking like a boiled shrimp—eerily strange.
"Brother Yang, what's happening to you?" The others惊呼 (exclaimed) at his transformation.
"Kill... Kill you all...!" Yang Sheng lost his mind, his face contorted by greed, anger, jealousy, and hatred—all阴暗 (dark) emotions汇聚 (converged), twisting his handsome features into a狰狞 (ferocious) mask. Only the urge to kill remained.
"Not good—Brother Yang has gone demonic! Capture him!" Someone finally realized, and Yang Sheng's peers attacked, aiming for his shoulders, wrists, and back.
"Kill!" Yang Sheng roared, demonic qi rippling out. His peers flew back, slammed to the ground. The black ripples of demonic qi swept dozens of zhang, toppling people and horses, shaking buildings. His power surged after demonization, overwhelming peers of equal strength.
As demonic qi surged, Chu Chu slashed, her cold sword qi dispersing the tide toward Lin Yu. Turning to him, she declared, "Third Uncle, go! I'll handle him!"
"Chu Chu..." Lin Yu looked at her in surprise.
"Exorcising demons is our duty as warriors. Whether in Han or Zhou, I can't ignore demon cultivators!" Chu Chu gripped her sword, stepping toward the blood-red, rabid Yang Sheng. In this moment, she seemed to grow up entirely—no longer the little girl缠着 (pestering) him for stories, but a woman with the weight of responsibility.
But Yang Sheng, after demonization, outmatched Chu Chu. Lin Yu watched the fleeing crowd, swiped between his brows, and summoned the Wind Controlling Sword from the God-Eating Cauldron. The sword rose, a scarlet light shrieking toward Yang Sheng.
"The National Protector! The National Protector is acting!"
"Great! With the protector, these demon cultivators are doomed!"
"He must have been guarding the capital—no one else could act so quickly!"
The crowd fanatically watched the sword blaze forward. As Chu Chu charged, a scarlet light flashed past her, piercing Yang Sheng's heart before soaring into the sky, circling above the capital.
"Prince Su?" Chu Chu started, but Prince Su used wind intent, not fire. This wasn't Han—Prince Su couldn't be here. The attacker was someone else.
Yang Sheng's heart pierced, but no blood flowed. His body膨胀 (swelled) like an inflated sack, doubling in size, veins bulging until skin纹理 (texture) showed clearly. Blood pooled in his chest like a blazing flame, his body a human lantern.
*Bang!* Before anyone reacted, Yang Sheng's "lantern" exploded, blood rippling out in a rain.
"Not good!" Lin Yu frowned as blood rained down. The Wind Controlling Sword descended, incinerating demonic blood aimed at Chu Chu. Others weren't lucky—touched by the blood, they howled in pain as demonic qi entered them. In an instant, their eyes turned red, faces狰狞 (ferocious), mirroring Yang Sheng's murderous rage.
"Run! Demonic blood turns people demonic when they explode!"
"Beware! Don't touch the blood!"
"Don't panic! The National Protector will slay them all!"
As the crowd shouted, Lin Yu willed the Wind Controlling Sword to surge. Scarlet flames ignited the possessed, turning them into torches. All were incinerated before exploding.
骚动 (Commotion) broke out across the capital, with惊恐 (terrified) cries ringing out. The sword rose, and Lin Yu saw seven or eight more areas where demonic warriors had exploded, infecting hundreds. If unchecked, the capital would become a bloodbath. He guided the sword to each outbreak, reducing the possessed to ashes. Soon, the crisis subsided.