The Snow Emperor and the Little Plum

Chapter 26

Dark smoke laid thick over the city. It sneaked in between the buildings revealing the presence of fire but not its location. A cought escaped Yecao Cao who covered his mouth and nose in order to protect them from the smoke. People were running towards the inner city, away from the gate, so he could only assume that he should go towards the entrance to the city.

People shoved him out of the way and he even got some glares when he tried to push himself against the stream of people. Their eyes never lingered for long though as panic struck once more when another trembling shook the ground. Yecao Cao's entire body wobbled but he was able to stay on his feets as he finally reached the scene.

Soldiers were being slaughtered by terrifying creatures in all shapes. Some with the head of drooling wolves, others with bodies of large horned creatures. But the ones that caught Yecao Cao's eyes stood on the roofs of the buildings. All looking fairly human with some strange traits such as pulsy black veins or hair and eyes the color of blood. One of them, a woman with a beauty to match Yecao Cao's sisters, laughed maniacally as she watched with delight the people being slaughtered. She held onto a terrifying whip with thorns that was sure to cause additional damage to its victims.

Her long, white hair danced around her as she jumped down from the roof to join the fight. Yu Yuwang stood there with a grim face and covered in blood. From the look of it the blood was both his own and his enemies. He turned his spear towards the woman who apparently recognized his rank of Zhang Xia and wanted to take down the general.

Yecao Cao cursed under his breath as he pulled out his sword and rushed to aid the man. His eyes was still on the demons, who most likely was the strongest. One of them, a dark visage of a man with obsidian eyes so calm and cold that they reminded Yecao Cao of a dark lake, met his eyes for a second before Yecao Cao focused on the woman who had decided to lash out with her whip.

With a grimace, Yecao Cao grabbed onto a close by wolf-headed demon and threw it between Zhang Xia and the woman whose gleeful eyes turned to shock when the wolf demon was slashed in half instead of her intended target. It gave Yecao Cao enough time to rush up beside Zhang Xia whose eyes had turn wide for a second before he collected himself.

"This is no place for a Zhiji!"

"This is no place for a soldier, even one as accomplished as you," Yecao Cao replied grimly and watched as a few disciples was being pushed back. Most of them were low ranking as the higher ones had left to attack the demons base. This was not looking good.

A smile plastered onto Zhang Xia's face which only made it look even more terrifying as the scars on the stern face stretched. "Then we seek death together."

"I would prefer to survive but if I must..." muttered Yecao Cao and pointed the sword at the woman who looked enraged.

"Who the hell is this pig? Go back rolling around in the mud," hissed she and lashed out once more with her whip. Yecao Cao jumped out of the way and grimaced when he saw the whip rip of a piece of his attire. He assumed that it was for whipping but the force of the woman made the whip more like a blade than a whip. A deep wound stretched across the ground where the whip had landed revealing the force behind the whip.

"Don't get hit by it," Zhang Xia yelled and Yecao Cao rolled his eyes. Like he hadn't already noticed that.

"My name is Yecao Cao, lady. Remember it," Yecao Cao said proudly and signaled for Zhang Xia with his eyes. Say what you will about the large man but he understood Yecao Cao's plan immediately and started to move.

"Should I know it?" the woman huffed and lashed out again. The whip circled the air like a snake as it hunted in the retreating Yecao Cao's footsteps.