Shape of the Wind - Volume Meteorite Chapter 2

Chapter 2: Brothers

The capital of the Demon Race, the Great Demon Palace, was placed deep inside the Demon Realm. After the War of the Nine Provinces started, for the convenience of ruling, an auxiliary capital, the Heavenly Demon Castle, was built in the Mortal Realm.

Parted with Eris, Temujin left alone his subordinates who were busy occupying and returned to the capital alone. His Heavenly Demon Skills were already trained to the seventh stage, making him a first rate expert of the world. With such martial arts, to travel thousands miles in an instant was ordinary to him. So his could come and go like a shadow without trace.

It was late at night when he returned to the palace, which was brilliantly illuminated. Temujin didn't want to disturb others so he quietly returned to the King's Study, thinking of processing some files and, by the way, checking out if his elder brother was there.

Under the flickering light, a graceful and fatally attractive man was resplendently reviewing the mountain-like piles of pet.i.tions and papers on the desk.

"Fourth Brother!"

"Oh! You've come back."

Yinzhen put down the file in his hand, happily looked at his fourteenth brother's return.

"Your Heavenly Demon Skills improved once again. I only noticed your existence the moment when you pushed the door. Your fourth brother really is good for nothing now."

"Fourth Brother, you must be joking! If your weren't handling business attentively, not a single movement in the Heavenly Demon Castle could get pa.s.s you."

"You have a point. These troublesome matters are tiring. How do I want to go command actual battles, so that I would be free from these. Right. Since you've come back, have a drink with me! I just got ahold of the Rouge Red of a thousand years. Do you want some?"

"Oh! That's good stuff! I do want some. Pour me a gla.s.s!"

This is a tradition between the two brothers. Whenever they met in private, they would enjoy a drink while talking. Most Demons like drinking and the noise of songs and dances. The ones serving in the army even constantly kept alcohol around. Temujin was young and under the influence of the surroundings. He naturally adapted this tradition.

Of dozens of Xuanye's sons, not many could get pa.s.s trail after trail and survive at last. Among them, Yinzhen was the fourth and Temujin the fourteenth. They had the best relations.h.i.+p of all brothers.

To take a look at all the royal princes, they were all elites good at both civil and martial arts. After the war broke out, the princes all tried their best in the pursuit of the throne. At that time, the officials were in favor of the strongly backed second prince Yinreng. While the military supported the eighth prince Yinsi whose Heavenly Demon Skills was almost as strong as his father's. However, during the war and fierce internal struggle, these people all fell one after another. While the fourth prince Yinzhen, to the officials amazement, showed his long hidden true strength.

After that, Yinzhen followed by his father's side, commanded the army and helped the rule. He attacked cities and captured territories, established a record of unparalleled brilliance. Wherever his flag waved, the enemy ran as h.e.l.l.

However, no one could have thought, before Xuanye pa.s.sed away, he appointed Temujin as his successor. To everybody's astonishment, when the decision-making leaders.h.i.+p was starting to plot something against this frustrating appointment, Yinzhen overrode all objections and fully supported Temujin's succession, while himself being at the second place, a.s.sisting the king.

No one knew why Yinzhen made this move. Anyway, after Xuanye pa.s.sed away, he was undoubtedly the one with the most power. With his support, Temujin took the succession.

As for succeeding to the throne, Temujin felt indifferent. Under his fourth brother's repeated encourage, He finally decided to came out and hew out a career. The brothers worked together to conquer the world, to consolidate their rule. Therefore, the relations.h.i.+p between Temujin and Yinzhen was more like partners than emperor and official. Temujin was very respectful to this brother, while Yinzhen also felt the same way. The two of them, one in charge of the inward while the other in charge of the outward, were cooperating seamlessly.

In Temujin's eyes, since his mother pa.s.sed away, in the entire palace, the only person who would gave him a smile was this elder brother. Therefore, now then he's already the king, he still treated Yinzhen as the closest relative.

"Is there any trouble?"

"I wouldn't say trouble. It's just…" Yinzhen forced a smile, "The insets have quite tremendous vitality. That's very bothersome!"

It's been five hundred years.since the war broke out. Although the strength of Demon Race was overwhelming and they won battles one after another, the remaining human beings could always held firm last few areas.

The Demon Army could easily destroy each and every resistance force. But all kinds of rebellions and riots rose one after another, making it impossible to rule peacefully. Moreover, with days went by, there were resentful voices from the inside of the Demons. There were even careerists trying funny things. Although these people were immediately arrested by Yinzhen and were made an example, but in the long run, this was still an annoying problem.

"Hmm… That's really troublesome..." Temujin was also very vexed, but couldn't find a good way to cure the disease rather the symptoms.

"That's not actually a big deal. It just takes a little more effort. Some occasional disinsection should serve well as entertainment." Yinzhen said indifferently. "Disobey and die" was the ironclad rule of the Demon Realm and also the determined policy. Yinzhen's approach was no more than a common sense of all Demons.

"Right. I see you have high spirit today. Is there anything interesting?" Changed the topic, Yinzhen started a chitchat with his younger brother.

"Nothing particular. Just the norms." Said Temujin with a plain voice. But he could barely hide the smile in his eyes.

"Is that so? I'm very experienced myself. You can't hide from me." Yinzhen laughed out loud, saying: " You have all the stirrings of love on your face, like an estrogenic bull. Which n.o.ble lady do you have in mind?"

Yinzhen was quite a casanova, having constant romantic affairs. With his high status, he had more than a hundred of concubines and more than a thousand of tributary slave women in his mansion. He was a veteran of the affairs between man and woman. He spotted his brother's abnormal at a glance.

Couldn't bear his brother's making fun of him, Temujin told his meeting with Eris from beginning to end. He wanted his fourth brother to share his happiness.

"Hmm… Not bad. Not bad at all. Sounds like an interesting woman."

Yinzhen nodded his head repeatedly. It's unusual that his younger brother had a feeling for a woman. It's not a bad thing. However, why was she a human!

In the traditional point of view of the Demons, human beings were inferior. After they invaded the Mortal Realm, the leaders.h.i.+p deliberately led the opinions. They already put human at the position equivalent to farm livestock. They were considered indecent lowly animals.

Among the ruling, Yinzhen clearly knew that was actually not the case. Although humans were no match of Demons at natural strength and battle capability, their spirits were no second to any other races. Especially, they had many emotions that were difficult for Demons to understand, so as they could always display some unexpected strengths. If not for such reasons, this lowly race would have long been conquered by the Demon Race.

However what did his brother have on his mind? If he only wanted to take in a concubine, that would be harmless. There usually were a lot of human slaves in high-ranking Demons' mansions. It was nothing to be surprised at. However, seeing Temujin's scorching look, Yinzhen worried. The kid mean it!

"Then, what is your plan? Are you gonna take her as a bondmaid..." Pretending to be nonchalant, Yinzhen wanted to test his younger brother's true heart.

As he expected, Temujin frowned his eyebrows. As far as he concerned, he just wanted to make friends with Eris. He hadn't even thought about romance. The ever victorious champion in battlefield, the supreme sovereign of the Demon Race, he was nothing different from normal people when it came to dealing with love, no more than a dull boy.

His reaction was thoroughly observed by Yinzhen. It made Yinzhen begin to worry.

This look, it can't be wrong. It was the same look on king father's face. Although fourteenth brother has not yet found out his feelings, maybe one day he will have true affection for that woman. That's not good!

Thinking as such, Yinzhen remained unperturbed and asked smilingly: "Or say, you want to take her as a royal concubine? You said she is kind of a princess. If you like her, I will send an army to take her first thing tomorrow. Let her be your royal concubine. How about that?"

"Fourth brother! I… I didn't mean that!" Temujin's face reddened, frantically waving his hands, saying hurriedly: " Anyway, I'm not yet at the age for wedding!"

"Ha ha ha… You are the Great Demon King of us Demon Race. There's no woman that you cannot marry." Yinzhen said: "Moreover, to marry early and have an heir was also your duty as a king!"

Temujin was currently eight years old. Although he was considered a minor according to human standard, he already had the ability to father children. The Demons had very diversified traits. There were plenty gifted ones among them. There was a former Great Demon King who had had dozens of children at the age 10. Therefore, as long as Temujin had this intention, he could always wed a royal concubine and breed the next generation.

In fact, since Temujin's coronation, the lords and officials of the Demon race were trying their best to send their sisters and daughters into his harem in order to please their king. The pet.i.tions for requesting him to wed early never ended. It was left behind only because Temujin never approved.

Hearing the word "heir", Temujin put up a straight face, speaking sincerely: "I don't need no heir. This position should have been fourth brother's in the first place. Should anything happen to me, the next Great Demon King is no other than fourth brother. There's no need for an heir."

Hearing brother's voice of heart, Yinzhen didn't know what to say for the moment. He was very serious with power from the beginning. The only reason he was content to a.s.sist rather than to rule was because the successor was Temujin. If it was someone else, he would have already start the killing and overtaking the moment the will was announced.

"
"That I'll have to thank you! But, even though you are not gonna marry a royal concubine, you can always consider the women in the palace. To give birth to..."

"No." Temujin firmly shook his head. He knew exactly what his elder brother was implying. And that's the precise reason why he felt harder to bear.

For a royal family member of Demons, having a child had a deeper use than having an heir.

Among the vast number of demonic arts, there were quite a few sorceries deeply related to blood relation and posterity. Especially because of the same bloodline, the differences between bodies could be easily overcome. If one had incurable disease, one could always continue his life by terminating the life of one's offspring.

Generations of Great Demon Kings would choose a pure and immaculate infant from their offsprings and seal them in secret. They served as a secondary body. In case one were badly ill or injured, one could conveniently reincarnate through that body.

However, out of some psychological cleanliness, Temujin was utterly averse to such doings.

"Is that so? Then you shall have it as you like!" Unfolding his hands, Yinzhen smiled.

"Go carry out what you've chosen. Fourth brother will support you."

"Thank you, fourth brother."

"However, if your choice is wrong, you shall burn in h.e.l.l."

"Fourth brother, There you go again."

"Ha ha ha ha..."

Yinzhen threw back his head and roared with laughter. but took serious notice in his mind.

In the future, I should pay more attention to my brother. After all, it concerns the entire Demon Race! He'd better not forget his position. I hope that day won't come. Otherwise...