Unsheathed

This was the first time Chen Ping’an was entering a young maiden’s residence, let alone her room.

He told Zhu Lian and Pei Qian to wait outside, and he only brought Shi Rou inside the building with him.

Before entering the room, Chen Ping’an knocked on the door and explained the reason for his visit, saying that Assistant Minister Liu had asked him to come here to check on Lady Liu’s room and see if there were any traces of the fox demon.

After waiting for a brief moment, Liu Qingqing finished brushing her hair and applying her makeup, and she instructed her maidservant, Zhao Ya, to walk over and open the door.

Chen Ping’an recognized this maidservant, and he knew that she was the gentle-natured daughter of the elderly steward. However, more of his attention was focused on Liu Qingqing, the young woman who was supposedly charmed by the fox demon.

Observing her for the first time, Chen Ping’an felt like the rumors were slightly different from the truth. A person’s eyes reflected their internal state, and it was indeed easy to feign a sense of dullness. However, it was very difficult to feign a sense of energy and spirit.

Chen Ping’an breathed a sigh of relief, yet he also felt worried about something else. He felt relieved because the most pressing danger was actually easier to deal with than he had imagined. However, he felt worried because a person’s heart was like a mirror—it was easy to shatter, yet it was incredibly difficult to piece back together.

Regardless, this was the young woman’s own destiny to deal with, and Chen Ping’an could only do his best to save her life. He couldn’t mend the heart of a woman he had just met, nor would he attempt to do this.

Even though Liu Qingqing was a young maiden who wasn’t restrained much by her clan, meaning that she had seen many handsome and talented young men from the Azure Phoenix Nation before, she was still very curious about genuine official immortals from the mountains. This was the case even though she had a phoenix cage that housed many spirits in her room.

Thus, she felt less guarded against Chen Ping’an when she saw that he was a decent-looking and warm-natured young man. This was the room of a young maiden, after all, so it was inevitable that Liu Qingqing would feel queasy about allowing outsiders to enter. After all, what would she do if the visitor were a vulgar martial artist who only knew about slaughter or a so-called immortal who clearly had ulterior motives?

Chen Ping’an cupped his fists and apologized, saying, “Our actions don’t adhere to etiquette, but Assistant Minister Liu and the Lion Garden’s mountain lord are both worried about your health. Please forgive us for doing this, Young Mistress. My surname is Chen, and my subordinate’s surname is Shi.”

Only at this moment did Liu Qingqing see the elder standing behind the young esteemed immortal, with his eyes rather cold and indifferent. Liu Qingqing squeezed out a smile and replied, “Esteemed Immortal Chen and Senior Shi, you have come here to help me, so there’s no need to pay too much attention to the small details. Please go ahead, there’s no need to hold back when you search my room.”

The maidservant, Zhao Ya, was feeling rather uncomfortable at this moment. Just what was her young mistress thinking? These people had visited without prior notice, yet her first thought was whether the young man in black would feel displeased after learning about other men entering her room.

In the beginning, Zhao Ya had been very afraid of the handsome young man who was actually a fox demon. She had been terrified when encountering him for the first time, and she had grabbed a pair of scissors and prepared to fight the perverted intruder to death.

However, Liu Qingqing had held her back, and after multiple interactions with the fox demon in the past while, Zhao Ya was still unable to persuade her young mistress to abandon this detrimental relationship. She could only watch on helplessly as her young mistress became increasingly haggard by the day. In the end, she could only forcefully suppress the grief in her heart and try her best to look after her young mistress.

Chen Ping’an retrieved a Yang Energy Illumination Talisman, which instantly burst into flames. However, it didn’t burn very brightly.

It was clear that the fox demon had indeed come here before. Chen Ping’an slowly walked around with the talisman between his fingers, making his way to each and every corner of the room. He noticed that the talisman would burn slightly quicker near the rosewood makeup table and the bed.

Chen Ping’an’s expression remained calm and indifferent the entire time.

Liu Qingqing and Zhao Ya were both novices when it came to cultivation knowledge, so they had no clue what the burning talisman was revealing to Chen Ping’an. Moreover, their senses weren’t sharp enough to detect the slight variations in the talisman’s burning speed.

Shi Rou chuckled coldly in her mind, criticizing the young woman who appeared gentle and elegant on the surface. So what if Liu Qingqing was the noble daughter of an upstanding clan? Wasn’t she still engaged in an illicit relationship?

Chen Ping’an suddenly thought of a troublesome issue. He had always viewed Shi Rou as that beautiful skeletal ghost, and this was simply because that was her initial form when he suppressed and captured her. Even after she moved into Du Mao’s immortal body, Chen Ping’an was still accustomed to viewing her as a female.

There were some discreet methods that people used to imprison souls and nurture sinister entities inside acupoints—for example, how the demonic cultivators in Flying Eagle Fortress raised a ghost infant in the body of the fortress leader’s wife—and Chen Ping’an wasn’t especially skilled at dealing with these sinister methods. However, Shi Rou was a ghost to begin with, and she had even refined and entered an immortal body. Add to that the techniques that Cui Dongshan had secretly taught her, and it was naturally the case that Shi Rou was extremely familiar with these sinister methods. Moreover, her senses were much more attuned to detect them.

Right now, however, Shi Rou was walking around the mortal world in Du Mao’s immortal body. This was rather troublesome.

After all, what would he do if Liu Qingqing refused to make bodily contact with Shi Rou, not allowing her to check her pulse and breathing no matter what? Things would become very difficult if she started to sob, make a ruckus, and even threaten suicide.

Chen Ping’an pinched the talisman and walked over to Zhao Ya. The talisman didn’t react, and it continued to burn slowly like before. Zhao Ya found this very mysterious, so she couldn’t help but ask for Chen Ping’an’s permission to get closer. She actually put a finger in the flames, and to her shock, discovered that they weren’t hot at all.

Then Chen Ping’an smiled faintly and walked over to Liu Qingqing, and the remaining half of the talisman suddenly erupted into flames the size of a palm, causing it to instantly disintegrate into ashes.

“Young Mistress Liu, did the young man ever give you a present as a token of love?” Chen Ping’an asked. “And are you carrying this token of love around with you?”

His questions were thinly veiled, yet not hurtful.

Liu Qingqing wanted to speak, but she couldn’t help but hesitate.

“Young Mistress, think about the current situation,” Zhao Ya persuaded her in a soft voice.

Looking at the pitiful and pleading expression in Zhao Ya’s eyes, Liu Qingqing could only turn around and eventually retrieve a colorful scented pouch that had been hanging near her bosom. There was a pair of mandarin ducks embroidered on the scented pouch.

“Can you hand it over and allow me to take a look?” Chen Ping’an asked.

Liu Qingqing shook her head, refusing to comply with Chen Ping’an’s request.

Zhao Ya was feeling as anxious as could be.

Chen Ping’an’s eyes were extremely pure as he said, “Young Mistress Liu, you are deeply in love with that young man, and an outsider like me doesn’t dare to comment on your relationship. However, what if your relationship puts the entire Liu Clan into danger? What if—and I’m saying what if—you love him sincerely but he only loves you because of ulterior motives? What will you do then?

“Let us disregard this worst-case scenario, and let us disregard the sincere love that exists between you and the young man as well. Focusing solely on this scented pouch, will it reduce the love between you and the young man if I take a look at it? The answer is naturally no. However, it will allow your conscience to feel a little more at ease when it comes to the Liu Clan and the Lion Garden.”

While speaking, Chen Ping’an was actually reminded of Zhu He and Zhu Lu, the father and daughter who had traveled with him during his first distant journey to the Great Sui Nation.

Zhu Lu had willingly leaped into a perilous situation and attempted to assassinate Chen Ping’an for the sake of love. Thanks to the subtle message from Fortune Street’s Li Baozhen, Zhu Lu had become extremely determined and unwavering, sacrificing everything and not caring about anything else. Not only that, but she had felt completely justified and guiltless as well.

The rims of Liu Qingqing’s eyes were bright red as she handed Chen Ping’an her beloved scented pouch with trembling hands.

She felt increasingly guilty, as if she were completely letting her darling down. Handing over the scented pouch was like carving out her heart, and while her hands were now empty, her heart felt even emptier.

She turned around with tears trickling down her face.

Chen Ping’an accepted the scented pouch, and observed it carefully, noticing that the pouch was woven from silky threads of five different colors. Among them, the black-colored threads were identical to the strand of fox fur that he had found on the ground. As for the other four, he couldn’t tell what they were.

After opening up the scented pouch, Chen Ping’an saw that there were only some exquisite trinkets inside. Afraid that he was missing something important and unable to discern the mysterious nature of these trinkets, he looked to Shi Rou for confirmation. However, Shi Rou also shook her head, saying in a quiet voice, “This scented pouch is like a bright lantern in the dark night, and it allows that fox demon to find this young mistress more easily. The items inside probably aren’t too special.”

Chen Ping’an handed the scented pouch to Shi Rou and said, “Hold it for me.”

Afterward, he retrieved the demon-binding chain that he had refined in Stalactite Mountain from thin air. This demon-binding chain was forged from the golden whisker of the Nascent Tier flood dragon from the Flood Dragon Trench, so it could be regarded as an extremely high-grade immortal treasure even among all of the strange and mysterious immortal treasures in the world.

Shi Rou accepted the scented pouch and put it inside her sleeve. At the same time, she accepted the golden demon-binding chain that even blind people could tell was an extraordinary treasure. The resentment in her mind reduced a little. Giving her the scented pouch was attracting trouble to her, yet lending her the demon-binding chain to protect herself with was a sign that Chen Ping’an was providing her with some compensation after making use of her.

Chen Ping’an turned to Liu Qingqing and said, “Young Mistress Liu, please allow us to feel your pulse. Many mystical abilities from the mountains are extremely subtle and discreet, so we won’t be able to notice anything if we only observe your Qi.”

They had first entered her room, then asked for her scented pouch, and now they were even asking to make bodily contact with her?

There was utter despair in Liu Qingqing’s heart, and tears quickly filled her entire face. She glared at Chen Ping’an and sobbed, “Don’t push your luck! Perhaps you’ll ask me to take off my clothes after taking my pulse? And only then will you be satisfied?”

“Of course not,” Chen Ping’an replied in a calm and composed voice.

Liu Qingqing’s embarrassment transformed into anger, and she lay down on her makeup table and sobbed uncontrollably, with her shoulders trembling as she stammered, “I want to see my father… If he were here… then he definitely wouldn’t allow you people to wantonly humiliate me like this…”

Chen Ping’an pondered for a moment before saying to Shi Rou, “I’ll stand guard for you. Use your true appearance to take this young mistress’ pulse for her.”

Even though Shi Rou was prejudiced against Chen Ping’an in all sorts of ways, there was one thing about him that she would never ever doubt. Namely, if Chen Ping’an said he would do something, then he would do it.

And thus, Zhao Ya saw a beautiful woman dressed in colorful garb floating out from the body of the old man. Her sleeves were extremely large, and she looked both real yet illusory at the same time. Zhao Ya was stunned by what she was witnessing.

“Young Mistress, Young Mistress, hurry up and look!” Zhao Ya hurriedly exclaimed.

Liu Qingqing turned around and wiped the tears from her face, after which she saw an unfamiliar woman who was even more beautiful than her.

Meanwhile, the old man was standing completely still as if he were taking a nap.

“Give me your hand,” Shi Rou instructed without expression.

Liu Qingqing was seemingly in a daze as she raised her arm.

Shi Rou grabbed Liu Qingqing’s smooth and jade-like wrist.

While Shi Rou was observing the flow of Qi inside Liu Qingqing’s body, Chen Ping’an suddenly discovered Zhao Ya signaling to him with her eyes as he carefully examined the room. Chen Ping’an followed her gaze, and his eyes eventually settled on a small and exquisite box that hadn’t been put away in a drawer yet. This looked like a container that young ladies would use to store rouge or other makeup.

Chen Ping’an silently shuffled over and opened the small container, only to discover that it held several medicinal pills that gave off a sanguinary smell. He pretended that he had discovered this by accident, and he looked at Liu Qingqing and asked, “Dare I ask, Young Mistress Liu, did the Lion Garden concoct these medicinal pills themselves? Or did an esteemed immortal from outside the clan give them to you?”

Zhao Ya felt like this young master with a sword on his back was truly very thoughtful and quick-thinking. He was always very considerate of other people.

This was in stark contrast to the “esteemed immortals” who had visited before, with all of them haughty and arrogant. In fact, it was as if they wanted to write the word “Immortal” on their foreheads. Not only that, but they even liked to repeat the phrase “fox demon” again and again in front of her young mistress. How could Liu Qingqing not feel deeply offended and upset?

“These are calming pills that he gave me,” Liu Qingqing replied timidly. “He said that they can nourish my body, calm my mind, and nurture my Qi.”

In reality, Shi Rou had noticed the pungent smell of the medicinal pulls a long time ago. After taking a glance at them, she sneered, “Calming pill? Do you know what a genuine calming pill is? This is a type of heretical pill used for raising ghosts and creating puppets. After ingesting these pills, the souls of humans or ghosts will gradually solidify and become frozen in place.

“The three immortal souls and the seven mortal forms should possess the ability to move freely, yet calming pills will transform these souls and mortal forms into something akin to the clay used for making pottery. In the end, those who ingest calming pills will have their souls and mortal forms shaped into a vessel. Nourishing the body, you say?”

There was a derisive smile on Shi Rou’s face as she continued, “Of course, your lover might say that this is a high-grade secret technique used by immortal forces in the mountain to make up for the insufficient aptitude of their juniors, allowing them to soar to the heavens in a single step. And this explanation isn’t entirely false.

“However, immortal forces that are willing to use this method are either small and mediocre forces or forces that are stuck between a rock and a hard place, forcing them to rapidly produce many powerful cultivators. After all, there are countless detrimental side effects caused by ingesting these calming pills. For that reason, they are also known as ‘dead-end pills.’ Those who ingest these pills will be detested by heaven and earth. Humans will become half-dead and ghosts will become half-alive.

“The most brutal fate entails becoming a good vessel to absorb and accumulate spiritual energy from the mountains and waters. Afterward, someone will shatter the vessel and take away all of the accumulated spiritual energy. As for the fate of the shattered vessel? Their three immortal souls and seven mortal forms will dissipate, denying them the ability to reincarnate after death. And if the vessel’s consciousness doesn’t completely fade after death, then they will most definitely become a malicious ghost.”

Shi Rou spoke very bluntly.

Zhao Ya became as pale as a sheet as she listened.

Liu Qingqing was terrified in the beginning, yet she was still unwilling to let go of the hope in her heart. Thus, she quickly found a reasonable explanation for everything. However, she was extremely inexperienced with these matters, so she naturally failed to realize the deeper meaning and mystical use cases of these calming pills.

A dark expression fell across Chen Ping’an’s face. This type of immortal technique… Was it not similar to the bonded porcelain from the Jewel Small World?

Chen Ping’an hadn’t intended to get involved in the troublesome situation in the beginning, so he wanted to take a direct path to the capital city. However, he had changed his mind after hearing the incense provider from the river guardian temple mention that scholar and the saying, “Where there are demons and fiends causing trouble, there are definitely Heavenly Masters with peach wood swords.”

This was because Chen Ping’an was reminded of his good friend, Zhang Shanfeng. He was precisely one such person, and if he hadn’t returned to Mount Longhu with his master, he would have definitely visited the Lion Garden after hearing of the troubles plaguing the Liu Clan.

That being the case, Chen Ping’an refused to believe that this problem couldn’t be solved. The culprit not only wanted to cause harm by snatching the fortunes of the mountains and waters and the Liu Clan’s fortune at the same time, but it even wanted to profit from an innocent girl’s love and leave her for dead? In fact, even its identity as a fox demon might be fake. Its intentions were vicious and its methods were even crueler. It deserved to die a hundred times over!

Chen Ping’an walked downstairs to the entrance of Liu Qingqing’s residence, and he instructed Pei Qian to enter the residence. He then told Zhu Lian to immediately ask the Lion Garden for official gold ingots distributed by the imperial court. The gold ingots needed to be ground into powder, and the more gold ink that was produced the better!

He was going to draw talismans to subdue the demon!