Redeeming The Sins Of Xu Rouguang [BL]

It was already past midnight, but the demons were still cooped up in their club. There was no one making merry as everyone was sullen to the core. They all had slouched backs and long faces, hoping they could survive the next night.

Botangca was sitting in her office with Director Cheng accompanying her. She was only staring at her drink which had the water visibly separated from the alcohol. The empress then moved to massage her head. "Louyan... Emodao did what again?"

"He took the pill and almost died." Louyan downed a shot of Bloodvein wine. The supposed bittersweet drink tasted a lot bitterer than how he remembered it. "I bought a bottle just to show him. I didn't know the brutal murders around the city were related to these. I should have handed it to Xu Rouguang instead."

"Hmph, Emodao keeps on acting high and mighty like he's some royalty when he's just a headache." Botangca pressed her hands against her face. She g.r.o.a.n.e.d under her breath. "Louyan, you have to help me. You saw what the peddler looked like. We have to catch this man before Xu Rouguang kills everyone else."

"I doubt he'd do something of that scale." Director Cheng chuckled as he leaned against his seat. No matter how he looked at it, he was still on a couch next to the goddess beauty Botangca. He couldn't help but stretch his arm behind her and act like he was fifty years older. "Xu Rouguang was already being too benevolent towards us. All we have to do is cooperate with him. We needed not to bow down like fools; we just have to help him find this peddler...

"Perhaps we would know how Dunzhao got out of the heaven's prison... and why he sought for Emodao." Louyan glared at nothing in particular. "I have a feeling that Xu Rouguang knew that a rebellion wasn't the goal... it was a diversion... or a test."

Botangca laid down the old man's crossed t.h.i.g.hs and lifted her legs to the armrest. "A demon insurrection... it's been a long while since we have heard of that. Emodao was only demon king who managed to call out to hordes and hordes of demons and used the entire army to raze multiple cities and even empires to the ground." She closed her eyes and sighed. "A lot tried after him... but all of them were broken apart by the immortals. How did Emodao grow so powerful anyway? How did he become so much more than everyone else? Even I couldn't do what he had done..."

A hand crawled and rested in the middle of Botangca's abdomen. She didn't even flinch as she continued lying down. She only listened to Louyan's ideas: "Everyone keeps on saying Emodao did this and that like he was alone in leading the insurrection. Let's just say it wouldn't have been possible if he didn't have his sentinels. Bingxing could perhaps be the wisest among all of us while Lanyan was a siren like you. Dunzhao and the others were also obedient despite the strength they've got.

"Just like how Nuwa led the massive count of her soldiers, she needed a few more hands to help her. Heaven wasn't created by a single being; it was a collection of hearts and wishes, strength and belongingness." Louyan's lips began to curl as his hand moved up and down her abdomen. "Most demons wanted to follow someone who could make the heavens kneel. Emodao was just lucky to rise before there was a Xu Rouguang... and continued to smash the deathless general from time to time."

"Mhm, are you saying that they didn't want Emodao to coax the entire Imperial Army into thinking that they are invincible? I doubt Emodao would think that way. Even if he knew most of his sentinels like the back of his hand, they could always change." Botangca huffed as she crossed her arms on top of her, trapping the naughty hand underneath. "If Bingxing is with them, then Dunzhao would know better."

"If Bingxing was with them, the city should have fallen already." Louyan grimaced as he was secretly called out for feeling her. He couldn't wait to be reborn again and get a much younger body. Not even the most desperate of sirens would touch his wrinkled skin now. "What if Dunzhao and the others knew that some sentinels would still seek Emodao's side... and that he was way too willing to protect the demons if he could? Well, under normal circ.u.mstances, Emodao wouldn't do this... well, if he didn't have Xu Rouguang as a dog, I mean."

"Right, an insurrection would only kill thousands of us." Botangca chuckled as she turned to the side, eyes at the door that was locked from inside. "After all these years of letting Nuwa have her way with him, the demonkind still thinks so highly of that oversized bull." She closed her eyes and curled like trying to get some sleep. "Louyan, could you negotiate with Xu Rouguang on my stead? I still couldn't face him... especially with how he acted earlier."

Louyan then resorted to combing her long hair of pitch-black and occasional light-blue. "There's no need to negotiate with him face to face. Emodao would talk to him for us... as long as he recovered fully. The extent of the demon energy devouring his body was colossal. I'm surprised he was still breathing."

Of course, he would be fine. Xu Rouguang's dense heaven and earth essence was more than enough to repair every cell in his body, fixing all the deformation done by the pill. However, it couldn't rid of the pain it caused during the transformation. The general was aware that it would be possible for him not to wake in another few days again.

Lai Mingjie was back on their bed while Xu Rouguang watched over him for the night. He had relieved Steel Carapace of his duties, to which the turtle happily obliged. The general was left to stay in his side of the bed and hope that his love would be awakened tomorrow morning... or even just by Monday.

The morning was almost here, but not much of the city was awake. However, for some former demons, their work was just concluding. They were the muscles that had been digging massive graves than they had for the year until last night. Last night, another twenty were killed in the clean-up drive of the immortals. For some reason, they couldn't bear to hate on any side. These dead demons were their colleagues, but they almost got everyone else killed. The immortals' main duty was to protect humans from the demons; of course, they would kill demons rampaging around the city.

"We should wrap up quickly! The visits will soon begin!" The head sepulcher called out and heard a mix of acknowledgment and whining from his workers. He huffed and finished labeling the graves; he just needed to collect information about them.

"Huh? Who are you? What are you doing here?" The head sepulcher noticed a man was watching them work, the bodies of the demons not yet completely covered by dirt. It would spell trouble if someone saw them.

"No need to worry. Are they the ones who were killed last night?" The man tilted his fedora as if greeting the head sepulcher. "That's quite a number of them. Did Emodao day anything about the death toll?"

"I don't know. I haven't seen Boss again yet." The head sepulcher only shrugged his shoulder. "The only order I received from him was to make sure we bury everyone that had lost their lives. We should also gauge the people who would come looking for their family." He then adjusted his dirt mask. "Who am I speaking to?"

"It doesn't matter. Just tell Emodao that I came. He would understand." The man tipped his fedora again before leaving, the head sepulcher only scratching his head in confusion.