The Demonic Cursed Sword

The lively market buzzed with energy as Song An walked through the crowd, scanning the stalls and occasionally nodding politely at familiar faces. Suddenly, the voice of the young participant from the recruitment stopped him in his tracks.

"Senior Brother Song, why are you here at the market?" the man asked, strolling up beside him with a teasing smile.

Song An glanced at him, his expression calm but curious. "I could ask you the same. What are you doing here?"

The man grinned, waving a skewer of grilled meat in his hand. "Tasting the delicacies of the He Sect, of course! A market tells you a lot about a sect's culture, don't you think?"

Song An frowned slightly, sensing the man's nonchalant attitude hid something more. "That's an interesting reason," he began, trying to press further, "but—"

Before he could finish, the man had already turned and wandered off toward another stall, drawn by the sight of freshly steamed buns. "Wait!" Song An called after him, hesitating for a moment. "Feng...?"

He stopped, realizing he couldn't recall the man's full name.

"Feng Min," came a calm voice from behind him.

Startled, Song An turned to see Sheng Ling, the other participant from the recruitment, standing nearby who fought with feng min. "Sheng Ling? What are you doing here?"

Before Sheng Ling could answer, a commotion broke out at the stall Feng Min had wandered to.

"I didn't drop it!" Feng Min's voice rang out, sharp and defensive. "Your bun was already on the ground when I got here!"

The vendor, a stout man with flour on his apron, waved his hand angrily. "Don't lie to me, boy! Pay for it, or don't bother coming back!"

Feng Min crossed his arms, his expression indignant. "I'm not paying for something I didn't do. You're trying to cheat me because I'm new here!"

Song An sighed, striding over to the stall to intervene. Sheng Ling followed at a leisurely pace, watching with a faint smirk as if he had anticipated the chaos.

As the argument escalated, Song An found himself caught between the two enigmatic recruits and the bustling energy of the market, wondering how he'd ended up in this mess.

After settling the commotion at the food stall, Song An led Feng Min and Sheng Ling to a quieter corner of the market. The lively hum of the crowd faded into the background as he crossed his arms, his expression firm.

"Now that we have a moment," Song An began, his tone steady but authoritative, "I want to know why you two were so aggressive during the recruitment sparring. It wasn't just competition—it felt personal."

Both men fell silent, their gazes shifting away as if searching for the right words. The tension lingered, and for a moment, Song An thought neither of them would answer.

Finally, Sheng Ling broke the silence, his voice calm but guarded. "It's the way I compete. I don't hold back, no matter who my opponent is."

Feng Min glanced at him, then nodded. "Same here. If you want to test someone's strength, you go all out. Isn't that what sparring is for?"

Song An frowned slightly, studying their faces. Their answers were straightforward, but something about their tone made him feel they were holding back. He decided not to push further for now.

"Fine," he said finally, his voice firm. "But remember, you're part of the He Sect now. Disputes during training are one thing, but we don't tolerate unnecessary conflict. Do I make myself clear?"

Both men bowed their heads in acknowledgment, their expressions unreadable. Song An sighed, feeling the weight of responsibility settle on his shoulders. There was more to these two than they were letting on, but for now, he would let it rest.

The peaceful atmosphere of the market was abruptly shattered by a blood-curdling scream, echoing through the streets and causing the bustling crowd to freeze in shock. Song An, Feng Min, and Sheng Ling turned toward the sound, their eyes narrowing. Without a word, the three of them sprang into action, pushing through the crowd to the source of the commotion.

As they arrived at the scene, they saw an elderly woman lying motionless on the ground, her face pale and twisted in a look of sheer terror. The surrounding crowd had gathered, murmuring in fear, but no one dared approach.

Song An knelt beside her, checking her pulse with swift precision, but he quickly shook his head. Her body was cold, lifeless. The market went silent as everyone realized the woman had died.

"I need to know what happened," Song An said, his voice tense. He stood and began scanning the area, his mind racing.

Feng Min, standing at a distance, suddenly spoke, his tone grim. "It's a demon."

Song An glanced at him sharply, surprised by his certainty. "What makes you say that?"

Feng Min looked down at the woman's body, his expression unwavering. "There's no presence of life in her. The body has been dead for about eight or nine hours. But she was alive just earlier today. How could she have been moving around for that long after death?"

Sheng Ling stepped forward, his usual calm demeanor now replaced by a subtle tension. "That's... impossible. If she was dead for that long, how was she still alive?"

Song An turned toward the woman's body once more, a sudden realization striking him. His eyes locked onto the side of her neck, where a faint dark mark had formed. Slowly, he leaned closer and whispered, "Demonic aura."

Feng Min and Sheng Ling both looked at him, confusion in their eyes. "What do you mean?" Feng Min asked.

Song An stood, his voice firm with authority. "She was possessed. The demon took control of her body and used it to live. That's why she was still moving. But now... it's too late."

Feng Min nodded, understanding the gravity of the situation. "What should we do with her now?"

"Take her back to the He Sect," Song An ordered, his gaze unwavering. "We need to analyze the remains and find out more about the demon that did this."

With that, the three of them carefully moved the woman's body, ensuring it was treated with respect as they made their way back to the He Sect. The weight of what had just happened hung heavily in the air, the realization that a demonic presence had breached the peaceful grounds of the He Sect leaving them all unsettled.

At the He Sect, the elders gathered around the woman's body, which had been laid out in a quiet corner of the sect's main hall. The room was heavy with silence, only the soft murmurs of the elders breaking the stillness. Song An stood beside them, his face serious, as the elders began their examination.

One of the elders, with a sharp and experienced figure, looked up from the woman's body and asked, "How did this happen? How did she die like this?"

Song An took a deep breath, his eyes lingering on the woman's pale face. "From what I gathered, she had been alive just earlier today. But sometime after that, she became lifeless. Her body was cold, and there was no trace of life when we found her."

"But how could she have been alive so long after death?" One of the elders asked.

Song An hesitated for a moment, his mind racing, before speaking again. "There was a strange mark on her neck, a faint dark aura. I noticed it after we found her. It seemed familiar to me."

The elders exchanged wary glances, each of them deep in thought. It was clear that something wasn't adding up.

He Juan, the leader of the sect, turned toward Song An, his gaze piercing. "How did you figure out this was related to a demon?"

Song An stood still for a moment, caught off guard by the direct question. He hesitated, unsure of how much to reveal. After a long pause, he answered, his voice quieter now. "I didn't know it at first. But when I saw the mark on her neck, I remembered reading something about demonic possession in an old book. The way the demon takes control of a body and uses it to live... it fit the signs."

The room fell silent. Song An had left out the part where Feng Min had so confidently declared it was a demon, but he couldn't explain why he felt the need to withhold that detail.

He Juan studied Song An for a long moment, then nodded, though a frown creased his brow. "Very well. We will need to investigate further. We cannot afford to overlook any potential threat."

The other elders remained silent, their expressions somber. They, too, recognized the gravity of what Song An had just revealed. Demonic forces were never to be taken lightly.

Song An bowed, stepping back slightly as the elders continued their discussions, but the unease in his heart remained. What had happened to the woman was only the beginning, and he couldn't shake the feeling that darker forces were beginning to move closer to the He Sect.