“Ah Sheng is back?” Liu Fuyi was astonished, “Why aren’t you coming in?”
When the youth returned, there was a fine layer of frost over his body. He crossed the courtyard and stood under the eaves while a single bright beam of moonlight illuminated his shoulder. He stood there silently.
Mu Yao was hugging Chuchu, who was already dozing off, and lowered her voice to wave to him, “You came just in time, I have something to explain to you.”
Only then did his feet start to move once again, sluggishly moving into the hall.
There seemed to be waves of warmth and light inside the house, for a moment, it caused him to be unable to open his eyes. He stood about a distance of two steps from Mu Yao, hiding his bleeding palm in his sleeves and wiping vigorously, “Sister.”
Below the candle flame, there wasn’t the slightest hint of warmth or kindness in his pitch black eyes. He was just like a small animal that had suffered the duress of an entire night’s downpour, fur listlessly matted down and not a single shred of energy to be found anywhere.
Mu Yao was somewhat worried, “What’s wrong with you? Do you feel unwell?”
Mu Sheng shook his head and then tilted his head to dodge Mu Yao’s hand again, “I’m fine.”
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“Sister Mu, are you suspecting that Madam Shi is a painted skin demon?” Ling Miaomiao raised an eyelid.
“Analyzing Chuchu’s words, Madam Shi takes advantage of the night to don her painted skin to hypnotize Li Zhun. At the same time, take the opportunity to absorb some of his vitality.”
“This painted skin demon has very likely already evolved to a high rank.” Liu Fuyi lowered his voice, using his finger to draw on the ground, “She only transforms at night and manipulates Li Zhun to listen to her obediently during the day. Using Li Zhun’s yang qi, she can freely act as she likes. When a painted skin demon reaches a high rank, the vitality of living people can no longer satisfy its hunger, they also need to absorb large amounts of yin qi…..”
“Thus, she tricked the entire household of Li Zhun to move to Jingyang Slope. After all, tens of thousands of people have died here before and the yin qi here is thick, thick to the point that even a yin-yang fissure was born?”
“…..that’s right.” Liu Fuyi looked at her for a moment, not finding that he had to supplement her explanation at all. He nodded his head in a satisfactory manner.
“Do you remember us having tea together with Madam Shi a few days ago?” Mu Yao turned to Miaomiao, “She told us how she met Li Zhun and at the time, I thought that there was something off but I couldn’t put my finger on exactly what was wrong. Now I understand.”
Miaomiao was somewhat lost, “What was off?”
“Her gaze was problematic.” Mu Yao was certain. “Her narration of how she and Li Zhun ‘met’ only contained Li Zhun and his wife. She didn’t mention herself. She was just like a tree, flower or some animal in their courtyard, watching their lives without actually joining in herself.”
“She had said that she was Li Zhun’s friend but as a friend, how could you possibly not even share a single exchange of words?”
Miaomiao’s head was full of the image of Madam Shi with her finger pressed against her lips that day. She had told her that in order for someone to love you in absolute, that you had to also give out the same amount of love.
Painted skin demons, as their name suggested, put on their ‘skin’ to enchant the masses, using a hollow face to bewitch people.
Madam Shi… who had repeatedly said she loved Li Zhun the most… was truly a demon that absorbed his vitality. She was a painted skin demon that controlled, manipulated and bewitched him? Her ‘use love to exchange for love’ was simply a terrible joke. In the end, all she was using was just the ‘skin’ of a beauty that could topple nations?
There was a bundle of confusion within Miaomiao’s heart as she sunk into a long silence before continuing, “Then what do we do?”
“I have already set up a Seven Killing Array outside her door.” Mu Yao softly replied, “If she really is a great demon, she will be trapped as soon as she exits her room. However, it’s not easy for us to enter her room so we’ll still need Chuchu’s help.”
Liu Fuyi stooped down, cusping the little girl’s shoulder, “Chuchu, do you still remember everything Brother Liu told you just now?”
Chuchu nodded and slowly extended her hand, exposing half of a yellow talisman concealed in her sleeves.
As a talisman that Liu Fuyi had drawn with his own blood, it could greatly weaken a great demon’s strength, restrict its movement and send it into a confused state. Basically, it would leave them in a state ripe for the picking: To be captured. Its effectiveness was up to par to the Peachwood Sword of the Taoists. 1 [1] The Peachwood Sword is basically the defining weapon for taoists to use in the exorcism of demons.
“When Madam Shi coaxes you to sleep tonight, find an opportunity to stick this on the door. You can’t let her discover you, can you do it?”
Chuchu looked at him, not entirely understanding what he was saying but still slowly stuffed the talisman into her sleeves. After a few moments, she raised her little face and her black gem-like irises sparkled as she nodded with absolute seriousness.
“Good child.” Liu Fuyi patted her back and woke up the wet nurse thundering away at the side with her snores.
The wet nurse carried the little girl by her shoulder and when they were about to go behind the screens, she bit her lip and waved her little hand towards Liu Fuyi.
The main leads also all waved at her, she was probably the smallest participant in the entirety of the novel.
“Whether or not she’s a great demon, we’ll discover in the morning.” Mu Yao injuncted, “Tomorrow night, we’ll make another trip to the incense factory. Let’s see if there is still anything fishy hidden in the factory when the demon is not there to control things.”
From the beginning till the end, Mu Sheng maintained his absolute silence. He was like a wandering ghost as he listened to Mu Yao’s explanations, then turned to head back to his room with a mind laden with thoughts. The whole time, Mu Yao shot him several glances but he always avoided her gaze.
“Ah Sheng, Ah Sheng….” Mu Yao knit her brows as she watched Mu Sheng’s figure from the back. She turned to Miaomiao, wanting to question her, only to discover that she had also slipped away at some unknown time. At her side, there was only Liu Fuyi with a confused face.
“…. Eh? Where’d she go?”
Mu Sheng pushed open the door.
There were only two small candles lit within the room. They labored to leave a clear silhouette around all the objects and furniture. When he turned to close the door, the darkness immediately submerged him.
He took off his outer cloak and placed it on the table. He familiarly made his way past the cabinet in the darkness to push aside the mesh hanging above the bed. He sat at the side of the bed and started to unravel the bandages around his waist.
He had only just loosened one of them when his pupils suddenly flashed with a cold light and he spun around like lightning to clench his hand around a neck, “Who?”
“It’s me… cough cough…. “ The girl’s voice came out high-pitch and exaggerated, just like a rooster being choked.
Feeling the satiny smooth skin of the neck in his hand, he immediately loosened his grip. The familiar fragrance began to waft through the air.
Ling Miaomiao.
Was on his bed.
“………” An Exploding Sparks flew out from his fingertip and exploded, illuminating her face. A spot of light reflected off her apricot shaped pupils as she stared at him without blinking.
Once the Exploding Sparks extinguished into nothingness, the room once again sunk back into darkness, hiding her face from view.
She seemed to be a bit alarmed, “Your room is this dark and you don’t light a candle, can you even see anything?”
He groped his way around the table’s surface until he found a candle and ignited the wick with a light ‘whoosh’. Holding it in his hand, he was about to hurry her out of his room but then suddenly scrunched his brows, “You drank wine?”
The floral fragrance wafting through the air was stained with the aroma of wine. It was just like a flower slowly opening up: giving off a strange sense of sweet intoxication. She was hugging a pot of wine, both of her cheeks vermillion red.
Miaomiao made an ‘nhm’ sound, “Wine… wine can bring out one’s guts if one is scared.”
Climbing onto the black lotus’s bed truly required a large amount of courage. Her palms were currently clammy, afraid that Mu Sheng would suddenly toss her off of his bed.
As expected, Mu Sheng grabbed a hold of the corner of her clothes and pulled her towards the door. His tone was rather unpleasant: “…get out.”
“But you’re not going to sleep yet….” She lowered the wine pot and hugged the bedpost in the corner of the bed tightly with both hands, starting a ruckus. “I’m just here to sit, why are you so petty ah? Ziqi, Ziqi, Ziqi……”
She mumbled his name repeatedly, causing him to feel as if there were countless claws scratching at his heart. He suppressed the fire within and immediately lit up another three candles. He placed them between them, lighting up the distance between the two clearly.
This was fine. Much better than the dusky midnight everything had been concealed under just now.
“Do you drink wine, Ziqi?”
“Sleeping so early? That’s so boring…. Not a single bit of nightlife in you at all.”
“Tomorrow, I’ll…..” She suddenly roused herself and muttered out the words ‘Making the leap’ through her teeth, “We’re about to go demon hunting tomorrow so why don’t we just play a bit more today, ok? Say something Ziqi, say something….”
She really did grow in courage after all that wine. Mu Sheng coldly watched her arms hugging the bedpost. She was far from her normal thoughtful and careful self, it was a shock to him.
Climbing onto a man’s bed in the middle of the night to drink wine….
The fire he had just barely managed to suppress was stoked and erupted. He hurriedly pulled on her sleeves and endured his anger as he rebuked her, “What in the world are you doing here? Return to your own room.”
“I won’t go!” She dragged out every syllable of the word ‘won’t’, leaving it full of an unwillingness to comply. She angrily stared at him, as if he was the one invading her personal space.
Negotiations have failed. Mu Sheng pulled on his collar to let the heat out. It was just too warm in the room.
His brain turned into a complete mess.
Spells, cultivation, the Mu family, the future, his elder sister….. The things that originally took up the entirety of his mind and head, all turned into chaos the moment his eyes fell upon her. He never had enough time to think and could only single-mindedly deal with the mess before him.
“How much did you drink…..” He lifted the pot, discovering that it was… well, empty. He paused and immediately became furious, expression sinking in a moment, “You drank it all?”
“Yep!” She nodded her little head pridefully, her tone as excited as the storytellers spitting out spittle with every word. “I downed it all in one shot, all in one go!”
He closed in on her. Their eyes reflected one another in each other’s eyes. They were so close they could see each and every hair of each other’s lashes. He lowered his voice, “Then what do you want to drink with me?”
“Well come closer, I have more!” She fumbled in her robes and unexpectedly managed to pull out another pot of wine. Her eyes sparkled like gems as she said, “I saved this for you.”
With her clothes being pulled at so many times, her pale white skin was exposed, if only a portion of it. He wanted to retreat yet Miaomiao pulled his hand and refused to let go, forcing the pot to his lips, “Touch it ah, it’s still warm, I used my body heat to help you warm it up…..”
She smiled as wide as a Cheshire cat, almost like she was in her own world. Her smile seemed just like the tinkling of a silver bell, like one of the female enchantress demons in the Pan Silk Cave. 2 [1] This is another reference to Journey To The West, there were seven insects that transformed into beautiful women inside the Pan Silk Cave.
He was completely surrounded by her fragrance. The source of fragrance was almost in his embrace, the delicate body so close he could touch her and nearly overlapping with the dreams he once had.
He felt like he was about to go insane.
His head was in a mess and he couldn’t help but continuously recall the words she spat out of her mouth that night. They seemed to turn into blades as she cut deep into his heart, immediately waking him up.
Remembering his sister, it was as if a pail of cold water was thrown on his head.
The person in front of him moved a little, moving further in. Suddenly moving away from him, she curled up and started to hug her knees. Except that, she used a single hand to poke him.
“…. Are you drinking?”
“C’mon, give me some face.”
He suddenly turned around and blew out the candles, the whole room suddenly submerging back into darkness.
Ling Miaomiao yelped and then started to complain, “Drinking in the dark? Are you stupid? Can you even see my face?”
He couldn’t help but think in his heart: That’s exactly what I need, to not see your face.
His long eyelashes lowered, heart in turmoil as he raised the pot of wine then downed it. All in one go.
……Where’d she find this pot of strong liquor? …. It was intense and burned as it went down his throat.
[1] The Peachwood Sword is basically the defining weapon for taoists to use in the exorcism of demons.
[2] This is another reference to Journey To The West. There were seven insects that transformed into beautiful women inside the Pan Silk Cave.
TLN: :-0
Next week is so far away!! What is Miaomiao doing there and drunk at that?! And I still want to believe in Madam Shi’s innocence… I’m totally rereading both chapters a few times until next update! Thanks for your hard work!
NEXT WEEK PLEASE COME QUICKLY!! if we don’t get some steamy content im crying!!!!
Chuchu is kinda sus , I know she is a kid but it is the perfect twist .
Oh dear oh dear, Miaomiao what are you thinking now? Not that I mind hehe~ Thank you for the chapter!!