D.E.M.O.N.S: Getting Summoned Weekly isn't so Bad

*Bing chapter

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"You know sis? I think we're lost," said Feng for the fifth time in just twice as many minutes.

"Look Feng, I am not blind to my faults. I'm fully aware of the fact that I get lost all of the time. I haven't suddenly lost my mind wandering these tunnels. Of course we're fucking lost!" hissed Bing.

"You know I can walk now as well right?" said Feng.

"Is this criticise Bing time? Of course you can walk Feng. I'm carrying you around like a child because you were acting like one and it gives me great amusement to know that you needed my help to run away from problems you caused," said Bing with a grin.

Feng winced slightly but managed to hide it. Mostly because his face was behind Bing, and she it was a bit dark in the caves. "I'm just trying to wrap my head around exactly how lost we are. Frankly, this part is entirely your fault,"

"Look, I don't really recall the moment we entered into these caves either, but it's not my fault," said Bing.

"No sis… we had you checked for like… all the curses. There wasn't any, therefore, you're doing this yourself," said Feng.

"It could be a blessing!" said Bing without really believing it herself.

"Ah yes, blessed with the ability to wander forever. What a truly thoughtful gift!" said Feng as he rolled his eyes.

"Look, we were told to get somewhere safe… and I'm getting us there. Eventually. Probably. I mean, who would come looking for us in these caves if not Mum?" said Bing.

Feng was tempted to make a comment about Meng not being their mother… but at this point Bing would probably stab him a bit for a comment like that. Feng still felt a potent mixture of shame, anger, and embarrassment from being scolded by Meng. Part of him wanted to war against Meng's dressing down. To ask who she was, and why she thought she had the right to ask him to do anything…

But Meng had a point. Regardless of if he accepted her as his mother, Meng had raised him for decades, and just recently she had taken an arrow that surely would've been lethal if it had hit him instead. It was hard to argue that Meng had NO right to make requests of him after that. Of course, Feng couldn't just let Bing say something without a witty retort, so he had to improvise. "Oh I don't know, perhaps one of the monsters that live underground in caves and happen to eat people?"

"We haven't run into a single thing," said Bing

"Bing, you had to kill two of those worm things just five minutes ago," retorted Feng.

"Eh, those don't count. I just had to poke a little bit of razor sharp air into their brains and shred their nervous system by forcing it to follow along the pathway of least resistance. I probably burst their hearts as well in the attempt," said Bing normally, like she hadn't just explained how she had viciously destroyed any hope of those worms surviving.

The comment did give Feng a moment of clarity. As he heard Bing describe, with ease, the way she completely ensured the death of those worms, it hit him in that moment. 'I was raised by an assassin. "They're still spirit beasts!" said Feng instead, getting his thoughts away from the turns they had been taking. "We get missions to clear them out whenever they get too close to the mortal villages,"

"Most of them don't even have a beast core," said Bing with a dismissive snort, "They barely count as spirit beasts, and I'm convinced the only reason they are even mentioned in the same breath is because if they were just classified as the pests they are nobody would bother taking the mission. I mean, I know normal farmers that have killed those things before. It's really not a big deal,"

"You say that, but just wait till a Rank 2 one shows its ugly mug in one of the tunnels we're using, in fact, we could be using a worm tunnel to move around right now. It's certainly the right shape," insisted Feng.

Bing shrugged, looking around at the obvious stalagmites visible on the ceilings. If this was actually a worm tunnel, it hadn't been used in decades, maybe centuries. The spiky bits of rock would've broken off. *Still, I guess it could be dangerous if we go too deep. Find some lava monsters or something. I mean, I've never seen one, but that doesn't mean they don't exist. This area was probably volcanic at some point in the past so… maybe? Or we could wake up some ancient evil! That sounds interesting. Dangerous, but interesting.*

"You do remember I'm basically Rank 3 right? I could make the jump right now, if needed," said Bing.

"Yeah but that'd wreck your cultivation," said Feng, correctly.

Bing found she didn't really have a comeback for that. It was true, and sure they both knew she'd do it if it meant keeping them both alive, but it was a shit plan. So the silence stretched on for a while until Bing worked up the courage to ask, "Do you really mean it?"

"Mean what? That it'd wreck your cultivation?" asked Feng, trying to dodge the obvious question, to steer Bing away from just asking.

Bing wasn't playing those games though, instead she just straight up asked, "Do you mean it when you say Meng isn't your mother?"

Feng sighed, "Can you at least put me down if we're having this conversation?"

"Hmmm… do you really deserve it though?" asked Bing, "I mean, you're avoiding my questions, and you really do deserve a punishment after what you did…"

"Are you going to let me down or not?" asked Feng.

"I will… if you promise to actually answer my question," said Bing.

"Fine," grumbled Feng. Knowing Bing as he did, he reacted quickly when she just dropped him off her shoulder. Feng managed to steady himself on the nearby wall and avoid falling on his face. "Yeah… yeah I expected that…" Feng mumbled in a quiet voice.

"Right, you're off my shoulder now, so talk," said Bing as she continued walking forward.

Feng let out a long sigh. "I … don't not mean it?" offered Feng in way of an answer. Bing just pulled out a large cream pie and raised it up as if she was about to throw it at Feng. "Wait why the heck do you even have that?" Bing stopped in place and pulled her leg back, like she was a pitcher at a baseball game, "FINE FINE, I'll talk," Bing kept walking… and the pie in her hand.

Feng let out another sigh, but this time he was determined to give a more complete answer, "I do mean what I said just before… in that I don't not mean it. A bit confusing perhaps… but even if I feel like I'm wrong for saying it… I don't think I'm completely out of line either. I'm not sure how you can be so cool with this… but… Meng captured, and likely killed our real mother…

"And I'm not totally sure that's something I can get over? Especially not after being lied to my entire life. And yes, I do understand that the Meng we have now cares, that she is willing to put her life on the line for us. I'm not doubting that part… I just… how can I ever trust her fully? How can I ever treat her the same way again?"

"I'm not sure you have to treat her the same," said Bing. "I know I certainly won't. It's true, she's not the person we thought she was… but that doesn't mean she can't be our mother. I feel like even if she was our real Mum, Meng wouldn't have been telling us that she was an assassin when we were like… five or whatever you're imagining.

"In fact, if I had to guess, Meng probably wouldn't have told us at all unless we started showing an interest in going into that sort of business. Sure that's a guess on my part… but I know, in my heart, that Meng would protect us from anything, including herself. Sure this whole thing forced the issue, but what I understand, and perhaps you don't yet… is that the fact we're not biologically her kids? It doesn't change anything, not really,"

"Are you trying to make it seem… that I'm… that I'm what? Annoyed that I'm technically adopted?" asked Feng confused.

*Oh for fucks sake Feng.* "No Feng, that wasn't the point I was making at all. Are you just being deliberately obtuse now?" asked Bing, trying to keep the annoyance from her tone and only partially succeeding.

"No I'm not," said Feng petulantly, and making it really hard to tell if he was being truthful or not. "I'm genuinely listening,"

*I doubt that brother… I really doubt that.*