The House Of Bloody Lotus

The Princess of Darkness

Fourth prince Jungqi was confident enough in the last victories that he thought he could take the Yi manor without trouble. It would be a greater victory if he could capture the stronghold of the most valuable house of his foe right now. The home of Jungjie and Yuanji, the main house of the clan of Yi.

"Jungjie…" He snarled dangerously. The anger resonated in every web of his veins that the name itself was enough to bring out his worse possible rage. There's nothing more he wanted than to skin the young warlord alive. How can anyone so young could've bested him in all their battles? The boy came from nowhere surprising him and everyone. He hardly considered Jungjie a treat. Clearly, he underestimated Jungjie's age and inexperience, he should've considered who trained him. It was an unfortunate oversight on his part and he would not take Jungjie as likely anymore. Every battle from now on will be fought with extreme effort.

"Lotus Bane, tch!" He spat with disgust. The people adored him, they admired his strength. That is what gives him the strength to keep going. He knew the commoners loves the handsome warlord igniting his hatred even more.

And that pathetic brother, Yuanji, fourth prince Jungqi knew he should've killed that man when he had a chance. Yuanji became more of a nuisance since his escape and he knew it was the prince from the southern kingdom of Wang who broke him out. Those people are slicker than their reputation.

He blamed his sister for everything that's happening, the entire family made it well known him and her was the reason for this war and he's slowly losing their patience. Especially after leading a massive imperial army with more numbers than the Changi, Yi, and Wang's combined and still lose every battle.

He kicked his horse, rage reverberated in his muscle fibers. He can see the Yi manor from the top of the hill where he's located. He knew the manor had less than two hundred Yi guardsmen protecting it. He camped outside the manor for days just to make sure of it. He knew it will be an easy victory.

The first thing the prince wanted to do once he takes over the large manor was to behead the master and his wife, just so he could show Jungjie and relish the reaction on his face when he sees the decapitated heads of his parents mounted on a stake. It'll be sweet and it'll be worth it. He thought.

He cocked his head, cracking his neck as he prepared to give his command. "Charge!" Fourth prince Jungqi bellowed with the raised blade. "Kill everyone but leave the masters to me!"

A loud battle cry broke the long silence and his army of men charged forward. They reached the perimeter two hundred feet from the gates when the wind howled with malice, the swooshing breeze made the trees sway, and made the leaves flutter restlessly.

The nature around them came alive.

Shadows nearby moved, fourth prince Jungqi knew something was strange. His intuition told him something more notorious lurked outside the Yi manor and it made it more obvious when the horses became agitated wanting to toss the riders from their backs.

"Whoa! Calm down." He cooed to his horse trying to calm it down, he patted its neck carefully.

The prince drew his sword, eyes scanning the area.

"What's happening?" Inquired one of his captains. The rest of his men gathered perplexed.

"Get away from the trees!" Fourth prince Jungqi snarled to his men, making them scramble away from the shadows, and the towering trees. "This feels like a trap."

The sting of charcoal swarmed the area climbing up to their nostrils. Prince Jungqi's nose flared, his grip tightened on his blade turning his knuckles white. And then, something appeared in front of them, blocking their path. It was a woman, a heartbreaking beautiful woman adorned in a leather outfit. Everything about her looked dangerous. The red lips, her abysmal stare that drew the prince and made him feel like he's drowning, her pale skin white as a porcelain. "She's a demon!"

The sky that was clear not too long ago darkened, clouds drew in and blocked the morning sun, turning the day into night. It was dark, dark as a moonless midnight on a winter night.

"Get out the way!" Fourth prince Jungqi snarled with feral finally.

Ying Yue laughed. "Or what?"

"Or I will trample you to death and I mean it! I don't have time for the interruption, woman!"

"Oh?" Ying Yue purred. "I'm hardly an interruption, I don't butt in unless I'm invited. On the contrary, I'll be the one doing the trampling."

Fourth prince Jungqi groaned impatiently, exchange of banter is cheap. He kicked his horse and launched forward.

Ying Yue smiled with feral delight. The price hardly knew who and how dangerous he's dealing with.

Every lurking shadows came alive and stepped out of their rest. They're the small army Ying Yue deployed months ago to protect her parents and they had been stationed there ever since. The last couple of months had been a drag and she knew her demons were itching for a good fight.

The demons were restless, snarling, hissing, hungry for human blood. Ying Yue told them their time will come, just be patient, and when it comes, it'll be a feast, a massacre every one of her demons craves.

"Go! Satisfy your murderous thirst!" Ying Yue commanded, and her army of a demon, small in numbers as they are jumped into the fight.

The battle outside the manor began, hardly disturbing the masters inside. The massacre took hours of non-stop laughter. Ying Yue lost half of her force within the first half an hour and the rest within the first hour.

The same with prince Jungqi, he lost a quarter of his force within the first hour, though victory remained his as he held the numbers against Ying Yue.