"I realized that you won't have much use if you're just slinging that thing around like a dumb monkey. Take this and go find out where Tang Wuying and Gong Jun live. Find out their cultivation realms, if not expect hell. You'll be meeting up with an ally at the Mission Hall. I haven't told you much of anything yet but I'm gathering influence within the sect. The only thing you need to do is follow my instructions and don't tell anyone about your relation to me. I've let the others know as well to not reveal any information about me." Jing commanded to the kneeling Bing.

  She threw a shield martial art in front of him and then placed on a simple white wooden mask on her face. The mask had no mouth hole and only two eye holes. She soon disappeared silently.

"Thank you Empress..." He said with a sob as his future was now 100% set in stone as a follower of the demoness.

----------------------------------------

  Bing got up as he felt Jing's presence disappear from behind the tree. He started flipping through the shield art with a wide grin on his face as he walked towards the Mission Hall.

"Who knew there were really martial techniques for shields?" Bing asked to no one in particular.

  He didn't even believe there were shield arts. He's never even seen anyone use a shield besides mortals in wars with other mortals. He didn't know why but apparently shields are seen as cowardly and weak tools and should only be used by mortals. The mocking comments and constant laughter, he experienced while carrying his shield throughout the sect was not a small number. It wasn't all bad though. Bing could ignore those comments without any problems. The cowardly weakling title placed on him helped him avoid being challenged and bullied by anyone strong.

  It has been 2 months since he's disposed of those Huan clan members that broke into his house. He hasn't had any more encounters with the group ever since then. He didn't know if they didn't know that he killed those that broke into his home or they were biding their time to strike him at his weakest. And if it was the latter...

"Hehehe..." He sniggered looking at the potential of his new martial art.

…

  Bing arrived at the Mission Hall and was waiting for the other person the demoness definitely forced under her rule. As he took in the enlightening text inside the shield art, he started to hear whispers.

"There she is again!"

"Doesn't she know that she only looks like a fool?"

"Hahahaha! There's a fine line between stubbornness and retardation! Guess which you fall in line with!"

  Bing looked up to notice a young girl coming towards the Mission Hall. If it was just any girl, he'd pass a quick glance and then go back to what he was doing but this girl was far from your average girl. First of all, the big freaking blade she was dragging around caught his attention more than her beautiful looks! It contrasted her gentle and weak look completely! And that annoyed angry grimace on her face also didn't help Bing's first impression of her. Not to mention how she just punched 2 of the cultivators making fun of her and made them collapse into an indignifed heap of pain and weeping.

'Dangerous. Definitely not my type of girl. Seems like the type to try and slice me in half for staring at her breasts. She does have very nice breasts though. Large and shapely just like how I like em.'

  As he was lost in thought thinking about the types of girls he likes and how excited he was to start training with his shield art, the girl suddenly popped up in front of his face!

"Oi! You there?" She asked waving her hand in his face.

"Ah! Sorry. Hello? Are you the person I'm waiting for?" Bing guessed.

"Are you the person I'm waiting for?" She asked back with a little bite in her voice.

"I'm uh.. I was told to wait here for an ally. Are you them...?" He asked a little bit frightened. Her aggressive disposition and higher cultivation level and big weapon were intimidating.

  Bing recently reached the Qi Gatherer stage 3 and has been training diligently with his devil techniques ever since he came to the sect. He's been feeling unstoppable ever since he's met with the demoness. If he was to be honest, he feels as if he's changed ever since coming in contact with her too. He's done things he would never imagine himself doing before being enslaved by her during the first test.

  He's murdered and didn't feel that horrible about it. He relished in grievously injuring and mocking those who fight him. Training and cultivating are becoming more fun and less tedious as it was in his childhood. Causing trouble to those who don't like him. He's completely changed from the cowardly, nervous, and gentle boy he used to be.

"Yep. Let's get moving..." She dragged waiting for him to say his name.

"Bing. Ai Bing."

"I'm Yue. Ying Yue. I can tell you're a bit surprised by this guy here but don't worry he doesn't bite." Ying grinned while rubbing the surface of her blade.

"That is uh.. A big sword..." Bing said unnerved by the eye glaring into his soul.

"Your shield also looks interesting. Did Jing gift it to you too?"

"You're saying the Empress gave you that monstrous thing...?"

"Don't insult him!" She yelled.

"Sorry!" Bing jumped from the strength in her voice.

"He's very sensitive and I have to feel all of those emotions whether I want to or not."

"You mean that thin- sword is alive?"

"Don't you see the moving eyeball?" She asked as if seeing a living sword was a common thing in the world.

  Bing just rapidly nodded so that he doesn't get on the bad side on this violent girl.

"I'm sorry for yelling at you. My nerves have been bad lately and I've haven't really found a good outlet yet. I didn't mean to turn that on you."

"It's fine. Let's go find Tang Wuying and Gong Jun."

"Let's go."

  Bing started to walk away from the Mission Hall towards the higher ranked outer disciples homes. Those with higher ranks can afford better homes to live in if they defeat those living in the homes in a ranking match. These homes are much nicer, bigger, and well-maintained than the shacks the lower ranked disciples live in. They even get a servant to clean their homes.

Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

"Hey wait up!"

  Bing looked back to notice that Ying was still near the top of the stairs while he was already at the bottom. He hoped he didn't seriously have to walk at such a slow pace the entire time but watching at her drag that colossal thing down at the speed she was going. Life is truly unfair to him.

…

"Why do you think Jing wants us to find stuff out about Wuying and Jun?" Ying asked while still strenuously dragging her eye sword behind him.

  Bing shrugged his shoulders. He honestly had no clue what could possibly going through the she-devil's head. He hasn't been able to understand her ever since he met her.

"You think she plans on taking them out?"

  Bing shrugged his shoulders.

"You do know they are having a duel by the end of the week, right? Maybe she's planning for something to happen before then. What do you think?"

  Bing shrugged his shoulders once more.

"You definitely aren't popular with girls." Ying muttered.

"What!? What does that have to do with anything!?"

"You don't know how to talk to people."

"I can speak with people perfectly fine. It's just the questions you were asking were bad questions!"

"Yeah blaming the girl, real manly of you."

"I'm not blaming you! I just meant to say that I don't know what goes on in the Empress's head."

  Ying snickered once she heard him call Jing, Empress.

"Did you just call her Empress again?"

"Yes. What about it?"

  Ying bust out laughing. Bing's eyebrows furrowed.

"I don't see what's so funny."

"I'll admit that Jing is terrifying even for me but Empress?! Hahahaha! That's a bit too far don't you think?"

"Hmph." Bing turned his head and started to quickly walk forward.

"Ah come on! I wasn't laughing at you, I was laughing because you called her Empress."

  Bing kept walking ahead.

"You're pretty sensitive too aren't you. Come on man don't leave me behind! We're partners!" Ying yelled while still snickering.

  Bing suddenly stopped in his tracks but not because of his own free will. Three people appeared in front of him. One girl and two guys. The guys were both 5th stage Qi Gatherers while the girl was a 6th stage.

"You're Ai Bing right?" She asked.

  Bing tightened the grip on his shield. He doesn't know anyone and no one should be looking for him.

"Nope. My name is Lin Feng." He lied with an straight face.

"Lin Feng huh..." She dragged while narrowing her eyes.

"Give me a description of Ai Bing." She ordered to the guys behind her.

"He's fat, at the 3rd stage, carries a shield, and looks stupid."

  She looked at Bing and smirked.

"Looks like you're our guy."

  Ying finally managed to catch up to Bing

"You actually waited for me. Thanks. I won't make fun of you anymore okay? Are these your friends?" Ying asked not aware of the tense situation.

"I don't know this Ai Bing but like I told you I'm Lin Feng. Will you stop blocking my way now? I'm on my way somewhere right now."

"Quite a mouth on you for someone just at the 3rd stage. Boys beat him half  to death for talking to me in such a way."

  The two guys grinned as they slowly walked towards Bing.

"Before this escalates, tell me something first. Are you from the Huan clan?" Bing asked.

  She only smiled in response to his question. By this time, the two thugs dashed towards Bing. Ying was confused but realized that these guys were after Bing for some reason. She looked at the girl before grinning wildly. She pointed towards the 6th stage cultivator and crushed her hand.

  Her entire being burst into flames. Her orange hair brightly burned as it flowed in the wind. A layer of flames surrounded her figure and her great sword turned into a wide mass of flames.

"If you're picking a fight with my teammate, then you're picking a fight with me!" She gestured with her finger telling the girl to come at her.

"You dare pick a fight with the Huan clan!?" She asked.

"I dare it alright. You punks aren't nothing more than a bunch of losers teaming up to protect yourselves. Now come at me already! This Mama doesn't have all day you chicken!"

"You... You... You will regret this! I swear on my name as Qing Huan that I will teach you a lesson!"

"Bla bla bla. Are we gonna fight or are we just gonna talk!?" Ying said with her body still blazing.

  Qing took out her sword and angrily charged towards Ying. Her speed was fast and basically unseeable. At moments it looked as if there were multiple versions of her. When faced with a speed like this, any normal cultivator would lose their head before even being able to find where Qing was. It was how she made it near the top 100th ranking in the Outer Court. Most opponents wouldn't be able to follow her speed before being defeated by her.

  Ying leaned on her sword and yawned as Qing was nearing her. She looked at her with a cheeky grin. Even the sword was watching Qing's movements as it intensively burned on ground. Qing couldn't believe it was possible for some 5th stage Qi Gatherer to possibly follow her movements. It must be her imagination. It's impossible. She would've recognized this girl if she had any talent or was a genius.

  Qing appeared behind Ying and aimed to slice her neck off with one strike. For daring to challenge her and acting so arrogantly in her presence. Refusing to put her beautiful self in her eyes, is only punishable by death! And this first and last attack will finish this.

Smack!

  Ying casually backhanded the 6th stage cultivator in the face. Qing was sent flying as if she was just smacked by a giant! Bing and the two cultivators Qing brought along eyes were enlarged like flies as Qing's body flew past them in the middle of their fight. After seeing Qing crash along the ground, they looked over to see Ying, not on fire anymore, checking her nails as if she didn't just battle with someone an entire stage above her.

  Bing took this chance as those two were distracted and attacked! He used his shield and uppercutted one of the Huan clan members away in an arc. The other one tried to stab him in the side but he managed to block with his shield as the last remaining guy unleashed a flurry of sword attacks upon him. Bing blocked the slashes with his superior physical strength from the joint use of Devil Arms and Devil's Physique. His constant blocking only made his opponent attack with even more power and haste.

  He could see his opponent tiring out and getting weaker and slower. He was waiting for his chance to turn this around in one swift move like a patient lioness waiting for the perfect chance of pounce on her prey.

  And there it was! He was planning to strike down and cleave Bing in two with his blade from above.

Shing!

  Bing's shield was slashed down upon and during this moment, Bing deflected the blade to the side, causing the swordsman's sword to stab into the ground. Bing  raised his shield high in the air before bringing it down painfully on the back of the cultivator who didn't expect his attack to be deflected.

Crack!

  He dropped to the ground with a painful yell.

"So... do you have a death grudge these guys or...?" Ying asked as she held her foot on the guy Bing knocked away.

  He could be seen struggling to remove Ying's foot but it was as if she weighed as much as a mountain! He couldn't move her leg even with all of his strength! Just what kind of freak did his clan get involved with...? A fair-skinned beauty with the strength of a giant and attitude of a ferocious beast.

"Hmm... Leave them alive. I'll personally deal with their clan in the future. It seems they just won't leave me alone, so I'll handle it myself." Bing told her.

  Ying removed her foot and let the last Huan member scamper away in fright. Bing walked over to Ying and the two continued their task given by Jing.

----------------------------------------

  A youth could be seen inside his lavish and well-furnished home. That youth gave off a wild and powerful type of feeling to anyone that saw him. He was a 9th stage Qi Gatherer and one of the strongest disciples in the Outer Court. He himself would claim the #1 spot in the Outer Court but only to goad the actual #1 into fighting him. The pussy bastard's too scared to fight him with everything on the line. He's definitely hiding some secret technique or item that he doesn't want people knowing about.

  Unbeknownst to him, a figure appeared behind him. They wore a white wooden mask with only eye holes present. They let their qi flow out and spoke.

"Are you Hu Tao?" The masked feminine figure asked.

"And just who in the fuck are you? How did you get in my house? If you're looking to get fucked by me to improve your standing in the sect, fuck off." A wavy white-haired shirtless youth said lazily lounging on his impressive couch.

"I heard about you becoming the slave of whoever manages to defeat you."

"And you think a shitty 1st stage Qi Gatherer like you can do that? I don't know what kind of special technique or object allowed you to sneak in my house without me noticing but if you keep wasting my time, I'll kill you."

  The figure smiled beneath her mask.

"An untrained mutt is a useless one. Come along doggy. Let this Mistress teach you some manners."

  All of a sudden, in front of her eyes, was Hu Tao punching straight towards her face! A normal cultivator wouldn't have been able to spot the moment Hu Tao left his couch! Much less clash with him and suffer no injuries from his surprise attack!

"What the hell...?" He muttered as his punch and Jing's kick were evenly matched in strength.

"Just who the hell are you!?" He roared as a crazed smile found itself on his face.