32 Chapter 3

"High immortal Lan Quan is here!"

The entry of the medicine King was announced by the imperial guards of the nine heavens who stood at both ends of the massive doors of Qilin palace.

"The Medicine King is here, your majesty!"

Hou Yao made his own announcement to the heavenly emperor in addition to the imperial guards, the God of Fate turned to see the most respectable immortal aside from the heavenly emperor. They both watched in anticipation as the immortal walked gallantly into the palace.

"Your Majesty! Night Immortal! God of Fate! Lan Quan greets you!"

In a formal tone, Lan Quan paid his respect to the immortals that stood in front of him, taking to his knees and bowing to the them. Night immortal was another name by which the royal advisor was known by in the nine heavens.

"Rise up, medicine king. I was just talking to Hou Yao here about you. How is that disciple of yours doing? His name is Kai Zhen, right?"

Lan Quan obeyed the voice of the heavenly emperor by standing to his feet. His face was a solemn mask as he faced the ruler of the nine heavens.

"Yes, your majesty. Kai Zhen is a cat faerie whom I took as my disciple, he is still in training stage and I'm afraid he may be unworthy to serve your majesty."

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"The God of Fate said you will be facing your trial soon. When do you think your disciple will be ready to step into your shoes and take over your duties while you are away?"

Not a stranger to the inner working of immortals, Lan Quan had seen many both high standing immortals and low immortal come and go through the wheel of fate when it was announced that it was their time. Despite knowing that, Lan Quan outwardly remained unmoved when he heard that he was next in line to face an heavenly trial.

"Your majesty, if you will be so merciful as to let me formally hand over to Kai Zhen. My disciple has a long way to go, but I will use the time I have left to teach him the things that he may be lacking. Please show some leniency towards him. He doesn't know the ways of the royal court, but I will do my best to teach him what he needs to know. I beg of you, your majesty!"

Lan Quan took to his knees again to intercede for his disciple whom he hadn't told the heavenly emperor that he wasn't able to find Kai Zhen.

"Very well, Medicine King. Where is Kai Zhen?"

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The demon minion lazily made his way to where Kai Zhen stood, it's demon aura and the mask that covered his face made him an unpleasant sight to behold.

"Surrender yourself willingly and your death would be swift and painless!"

Carefree by nature, Kai Zhen's ribbon was tied loosely to his long dark hair. His robes danced playfully to the soft wind that blew by.

"Ha! I'm a faerie! How can a worthless demon like you think that you're a match for me?! I can kill you where you stand with my eyes closed!"

Kai Zhen turned his nose up in disdain at the demon whom he saw as no competition. The disciple of the Medicine King was confident in his magical prowess.

"Silly, immortal! That's why you will die in my hands! All of you are the same! I will crush your bones until they turn to dust!"

Kai Zhen's sensitive ears cringed in discomfort at the shrill laughter that came from the hideous mask of the demon.

"Come at me if you dare! You vile creature!"

The battle cry was not lost on the demon who leapt happily at the invitation. Before Kai Zhen knew what was happening, he was surrounded by a heavy fog of demon energy.

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On the day Lan Quan found Kai Zhen, the cat faerie was bruised, dirty and frozen solid in fear while staring at a deadly venomous mountain snake. The reptile was about ready to devour its prey when Lan Quan rescued him and brought Kai Zhen to live with him at Suming hall.

By nature, the Medicine King was not an affectionate person, but he held onto the belief that all lives were sacred. This was what led to the shared fate of Lan Quan and Kai Zhen, but he never foresaw that the day he took it upon himself to intervene and kill the snake that threatened the life of a cat faerie. That marked the beginning of the end as a highly esteemed immortal.

It took years for Kai Zhen to come out of his shell and get close to Lan Quan, on the other hand the Medicine King didn't pay much attention to whether the cat faerie he took in was adjusting to his new life at the mountain tower. He was always busy with his duties as the physician of the nine heavens. Despite that, there was one thing Lan Quan refused to compromise on. That was allowing Kai Zhen to leave Suming hall, not even to join him in dropping pills or portions to the residence of other immortals.

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The cat faerie had underestimated the fighting prowess of his adversary, that he didn't notice until it was too late that the demon was more powerful than him.

Demons by nature are said to be deceptive beings who depend on catching their preys unawares and feeding on their spiritual energy. Depending on the spirit energy base, certain immortal or immortal like beings can cause a fatal effect on those from the demon realm. Low immortals, like faeries are not seen as much of a threat to a demon, especially if the demon had consumed spirit energy in the past.

Dark clouds of demonic energy began squeezing the life out of Kai Zhen, causing the cat faerie to cough up blood.

"I have seen countless immortals like you, who died the same way as you are about to! HaHaaaa! Any last words?"

The demon behind hideous looking mask laughed scornfully at the ripped butterfly that was quivering pitifully in pain, surrounded by thick demonic aura. Around that time, something that was shaped like a teardrop vial fell from the robes of Kai Zhen.