Feng Qingying looked at the crafty little fox. “That’s all you managed to find out?”
“Of course there’s more.” Hu Xiaohu put on a solemn expression. “Young Master gave Yue Jingming his favorite scarf and storage pouch. Yue Jingming even slept on Young Master’s favorite pillow, and now it reeks of human scent. Young Master bought him a stuffed fox too and refined a portable puppet to protect him. He stayed awake all night because of him, and even when his whole body hurt so badly he could barely stand it, he still got up early to buy him flatbreads. He was afraid Yue Jingming would worry, so he even pretended nothing was wrong, fox—”
“Enough.” Feng Qingying waved a hand and lifted him into the air with true qi, visibly displeased. “No one is interested in their love affairs. Tell me something useful.”
Inside the carriage, Fang Jingyi sat with his mouth hanging open, his face full of disbelief. “That’s absolutely impossible.”
Xiang Zhao asked, “Why?”
“Eldest Senior Brother hates fox demons more than anything. You could say he loathes them to the bone. How could he possibly be involved with a fox demon?” Fang Jingyi shook his head. “Absolutely impossible.”
Xiang Zhao said, “Yue Jingming was already traveling with that fox demon several months ago. They behaved intimately. It didn’t look like an ordinary relationship.”
“Then Eldest Senior Brother must have been bewitched! Fox spirits are best at seducing people!” Fang Jingyi said with complete conviction.
“With Yue Jingming’s cultivation and self-control, I doubt even a thousand-year-old fox spirit could seduce him,” Xiang Zhao said.
Fang Jingyi glared at her. “What are you implying? That my Eldest Senior Brother willingly got together with a fox demon?”
Xiang Zhao neither confirmed nor denied it.
Fang Jingyi trembled with anger. “Eldest Senior Brother isn’t that kind of person!”
Countless people on Zushan wanted to become Yue Jingming’s Dao companion, including many who were both extraordinarily gifted and from distinguished families, but he rejected them all. Everyone knew that Eldest Senior Brother neither took a Dao companion nor accepted disciples. When Fang Jingyi was young, he had once asked why. Eldest Senior Brother told him that this way created the fewest karmic ties, and that once all worldly ties were severed, one could comprehend the Dao and ascend.
Dao companions and disciples alike were burdens. At the end of cultivation, one sought nothing more than freedom from attachments, without desire or want. Fang Jingyi had always treated those words of his Eldest Senior Brother as a guiding principle.
And besides, this was a fox demon!
Outside the carriage, Hu Xiaohu scratched his ears and cheeks, struggling to remember. After a moment, he said hesitantly, “Oh, right. I heard Young Master say from far away that Yue Jingming had fallen into qi deviation, and that the demon-gu was tormenting Young Master badly. Tonight is the fifteenth, the full-moon night. Yue Jingming plans to disperse his cultivation to refine the demon-gu for him, and Young Master might lose all his cultivation too. But after that, they pulled the bed curtains closed and went to sleep together, so I couldn’t hear what they were saying anymore.”
Feng Qingying’s lips curved. “So it’s tonight? I may not have managed to remove his yuan core, but orthodox Daoists like them fear evil qi most. Looks like my poison works quite well.”
Ye Shijiu pressed himself behind a tree, frowning as he glanced down at the little bamboo figure tucked inside his robe.
Master was poisoned? No wonder all those strange, mixed auras were clinging to him before.
“I’ve heard Yue Jingming’s cultivation is profound and that he is a once-in-a-century Daoist prodigy. Ordinary poison probably wouldn’t do much to him,” Xue Lezhi said worriedly.
“Heh. What I refined is no ordinary poison. I took ghost qi from ninety-nine fierce ghosts who died violent deaths, the resentment and fury of ninety-nine demons at the brink of death, added the vital essence of the Five Venoms, then blended in the charm incense I refined myself. It took years to complete.” Feng Qingying took out a small red porcelain bottle and tapped it lightly with one pale finger. “One drop on an ordinary person would make flesh slough away and bones crumble to powder, flesh and bone falling away like maple leaves beneath frost. I gave it a pretty name: Maple Frostfall. Doesn’t it sound nice?”
She tossed the bottle to Xue Lezhi. He hurriedly caught it and felt a chill run through him. “This thing is vicious.”
“No. In its current form, Maple Frostfall can only dissolve a person’s flesh and bone. Against a cultivator like Yue Jingming, at most it can strip away his cultivation.” Feng Qingying sounded almost regretful. “If I could add one final ingredient, it would destroy a person’s foundation as well. Cultivation, merit, everything would vanish into smoke. Against someone like Yue Jingming, there wouldn’t even be any need to fight him.”
Xue Lezhi asked, “What ingredient?”
Feng Qingying jumped down from the tree and tucked her hands into her sleeves with a smile. “Moyao blood.”
“Does the poison have an antidote in its current form?” Xue Lezhi held the bottle, uneasy about throwing it away yet equally uneasy about keeping it.
“All things generate and restrain one another. Naturally there is a way to counter it,” Feng Qingying said.
Ye Shijiu raised an eyebrow and cautiously leaned out. Sure enough, he could see the little porcelain bottle in Xue Lezhi’s hand. To his eyes, dense black qi was rising from it, seemingly from the same source as the black qi around Yue Jingming.
As though sensing something, Feng Qingying suddenly turned around.
The forest was dense with weeds. Only the wind moved through the trees.
Hu Xiaohu said anxiously, “Grand-Aunt, please hurry and save my young master. He really can’t bear any more pain. He has to return to Zixu Mountain tonight, and that demon-gu absolutely cannot be disturbed. Yue Jingming is about to get him killed!”
“Hmph.” Feng Qingying gave a laugh. “Don’t worry. Naturally I’ll save your young master. Go back to his side for now. We’ll arrive shortly.”
“All right.” Hu Xiaohu turned and burrowed into the weeds, quickly disappearing.
Xue Lezhi said, “Even without his cultivation, Yue Jingming may still be difficult to deal with. We should separate them. As it happens, I have someone here who can be put to use.”
Inside the carriage, Fang Jingyi’s expression changed. He glared furiously at Xiang Zhao. “You tricked me into sending Eldest Senior Brother a Yingshi Talisman?!”
Xiang Zhao said, “If he comes to save you, you still have a chance to live. If he doesn’t, you’ll only die faster.”
“I absolutely can’t let Eldest Senior Brother risk himself for me—mmph!” Before Fang Jingyi could finish, Xiang Zhao stuffed a strip of cloth into his mouth.
Nearby, Feng Qingying and Xue Lezhi were still discussing the details of their plan. Behind the tree, Ye Shijiu listened with his heart pounding. Clutching the little bamboo figure in his hand, he whispered breathlessly, “Quick. G-go back and tell Master and Martial Uncle.”
The little bamboo figure stammered, “I-I-I’ll be burned to ash.”
“N-no, you won’t.” Ye Shijiu poked its forehead. “Hurry.”
The little bamboo figure floated lightly to the ground, then ran into the forest on its two short legs.
Ye Shijiu lowered his head and slowly wound every strand of red cord around his palm, swallowing nervously.
Master had been poisoned, fallen into qi deviation, and lost all his cultivation. From what these people were saying, Martial Uncle would be at his weakest tonight. Brother Liang was an ordinary man and could do even less. The only one who could fight was him… He had to deal with all these people and rescue Master’s junior brother too.
Ye Shijiu clenched his fist and silently encouraged himself.
And there was still that bottle of Maple Frostfall.
* * *
At the inn.
Yue Jingming folded the talismans he had drawn one by one.
“What are you drawing all these talismans for?” Xiao Chunhe did not know what he intended to use them for, but copied his movements and helped fold them anyway.
“When both of us lose our cultivation, we’ll still need some means of protecting ourselves,” Yue Jingming said. “These talismans are unorthodox, but precisely because of that they don’t require true qi or cultivation to use. That will make them more convenient for us.”
Xiao Chunhe suddenly understood. “So that’s why. I thought…”
Yue Jingming took several talismans and placed them over Xiao Chunhe’s heart and the locations of several puppet nails. “Don’t worry. They’re only for self-defense. I won’t use these talismans to do evil.”
Xiao Chunhe could not resist touching his face. “My good wife, even in qi deviation you won’t do evil. You really are the greatest good man under Heaven.”
Yue Jingming caught his hand. “My reason is still intact for now. If I continue letting this develop, I can’t say what will happen. That’s why I need to disperse my cultivation in time and abandon the No-Thought One-Mind Art. Even if my heart turns crooked afterward, without cultivation I won’t be able to commit some enormous evil.”
“So that’s what you were planning?” Xiao Chunhe froze.
“Mm. You’ll keep an eye on me too.” Yue Jingming smiled.
“I…” Xiao Chunhe hesitated. This Daoist trusted a fox demon’s conscience far too much, but when the words reached his lips, he swallowed them again. “Of course.”
Yue Jingming leaned in and kissed the corner of his mouth, then wrapped an arm around his waist and drew him onto his lap, lowering his head to kiss the wound on his chest.
Xiao Chunhe was both shocked and pleased. He could not resist lowering his head and biting Yue Jingming’s ear. “Good Jingming, tell me honestly. Do you want to kiss me this badly because you’re in qi deviation, or have you always wanted to?”
Yue Jingming lifted his head. That handsome, otherworldly face still looked cool and calm, but his once-clear eyes were now stained with endless desire, and the damp flush at the corners of his eyes made him look almost more like a charm demon. His Adam’s apple moved as he caught Xiao Chunhe’s chin and kissed him.
Amid the entanglement of desire, Xiao Chunhe heard him say, “Both.”
Xiao Chunhe’s lips slowly curved. He ought to have stopped Yue Jingming in time, yet instead he indulged the Daoist’s obsession and desire without restraint. After all, he was a fox demon. Greed, lust, desire, passion, jealousy, all of it lived in him. He had only forced himself to suppress those things because he had fallen for a pure-hearted, desireless Daoist.
A false front could never be maintained forever. This opportunity was simply too good. Given his wife’s good temper, when Yue Jingming recovered later he would only blame and regret himself even more, never Xiao Chunhe for tempting and indulging him.
“My good Rongxi, my good Jingming, look at me.” Xiao Chunhe reached out and cupped Yue Jingming’s face.
Yue Jingming closed his eyes briefly. His gaze was full of aggressive desire, yet he obediently looked at him. “Chunhe, I… still want to kiss you.”
Xiao Chunhe was delighted. “I love you this much, so of course I’ll let you kiss me as much as you want. But the full-moon night is almost here, and the pain will be unbearable. If you’re willing to help ease it for me, I’ll be endlessly grateful.”
Yue Jingming frowned slightly. “How do you want me to help?”
The fox demon slowly narrowed his eyes. His hands loosened Yue Jingming’s robes, and in an instant charm incense flooded the entire room like a crimson tide. His teasing voice drifted near and far beside Yue Jingming’s ear. “Go lie down on the bed. I’ll make you feel better.”
Even through the charm incense, Yue Jingming accurately caught his wandering hand. “Have you really thought this through?”
Xiao Chunhe hooked one finger into Yue Jingming’s disordered collar and smiled. “The red-fox clan has a secret dual-cultivation method. I’m only a half-demon, but I should still be able to use it. I’ll give you half my cultivation and true qi. That should suppress the ghost qi in your body, and then we won’t have to go to such extremes.”
Through the drifting red mist, Yue Jingming met those shimmering fox eyes. “Chunhe, you don’t trust me?”
“Of course I trust you. I just think your method is too dangerous.” Xiao Chunhe licked the corner of his mouth. “Mine is safer. I borrow your body to suppress the demon-gu and puppet nails, while you borrow my true qi and cultivation to suppress the ghost qi. Wouldn’t that solve both problems at once?”
Yue Jingming gave a soft laugh. “You don’t trust me.”
Xiao Chunhe sighed. “You don’t trust me either.”
If Yue Jingming had not been in qi deviation, Xiao Chunhe thought he could have hardened his heart, thrown caution aside, and gritted his teeth through agreeing to Yue’s plan. But now this Daoist’s temperament seemed to have changed. For both his own sake and Yue Jingming’s, Xiao Chunhe did not dare nod so easily. Once the demon-gu was successfully refined, Yue Jingming would become its actual controller, and Xiao Chunhe’s life or death would rest on a single thought from him. Xiao loved this Daoist desperately, but that still made the arrangement far too dangerous.
Naturally Yue Jingming did not truly want to dual cultivate with him either. The secret dual-cultivation method was controlled by Xiao Chunhe. It was true Yue would borrow half his cultivation and true qi, but Yue would also have to bear half the demon-gu and puppet nails for him; that much was still acceptable. The problem was that Yue Jingming had long heard about the red-fox clan’s method: when someone dual cultivated with a fox demon, their hun and po could fall under the fox’s control. In worse cases, the person lost all reason and obeyed the fox demon’s every command. Such a person was called a cauldron-puppet mate.
Elio’s Notes: Luding (炉鼎, literally “furnace/cauldron”) is a cultivation term for a person used as a vessel or partner in certain dual-cultivation practices. Here the source combines it with 傀侣, “puppet mate,” to describe someone reduced to an obedient cultivation partner.
Man and fox fell silent together while the charm incense hanging in the air grew even denser.
“Forget it, forget it.” Xiao Chunhe let out a long sigh and swept his sleeve, drawing all the charm incense back into the phantom stone. He buried his head gloomily against Yue Jingming’s shoulder. “Otherwise, once you sober up you’ll accuse me of taking advantage of you while you weren’t yourself.”
Yue Jingming pinched his ear. “You are taking advantage of me while I’m not myself.”
Xiao Chunhe shoved him down onto the bed at once and said fiercely, “Fine! So what if I am? Even if we don’t dual cultivate, I’m still going to hold you down and consummate our marriage today!”
Yue Jingming said, “All right. I’ll be gentle.”
Xiao Chunhe raised a brow. “Wrong. I’ll be gentle.”
Yue Jingming said, “…”
Xiao Chunhe said, “…”
After a strange silence, Xiao Chunhe looked horrified. “Aren’t I your husband?”
Yue Jingming looked slightly shocked as well. “I’m your husband too.”
Xiao Chunhe wiped a hand over his face. “That isn’t important. I’ll do it.”
Yue Jingming said calmly, “I’ll do it.”
“Tsk.” Xiao Chunhe caught his chin and gave it a little shake. “Good Daoist, you’re not usually the kind who fights to get his way.”
Yue Jingming looked directly into his eyes. “With you, I am.”
Xiao Chunhe choked. He had never imagined the two of them would end up disagreeing over something like this. His eyes shifted, and a sly smile appeared. “Let me go first this time, and you can next time. How about that?”
Yue Jingming refused. “No. Once I’m no longer in qi deviation, I might not remember.”
“Oh?” Xiao Chunhe raised an eyebrow. “You’re surprisingly—”
Before he could finish, a yellow talisman suddenly appeared between them. Yue Jingming’s gaze sharpened. He immediately sat up, took the talisman in hand, and said, “It’s Jingyi’s Yingshi Talisman.”
“That little junior brother of yours?” Xiao Chunhe vaguely remembered Yue mentioning him.
“Mm.” Yue Jingming borrowed a little of Xiao Chunhe’s true qi to draw the answering talisman, and Fang Jingyi’s urgent voice immediately came from the paper.
“Eldest Senior Brother, I was captured after I came down the mountain. They say they’re from Shangyun Pavilion! Eldest Senior Brother, you have to be careful. Don’t let them discover you!”
“Shangyun Pavilion?” Xiao Chunhe was visibly annoyed at having the moment interrupted.
“Cen Shuang and Xiang Zhao both came from Shangyun Pavilion.” Yue Jingming pulled his half-removed robes back into place. His reason had returned somewhat, though the heat in his ears refused to fade, and he could only force himself to steady his mind. “This is the Yingshi Talisman I left Jingyi. It can locate him precisely.”
Xiao Chunhe narrowed his eyes. “The same as the one you gave me before?”
Yue Jingming rose and walked to the table. “Mm. They can both find someone quickly. They’re simply more troublesome to prepare than ordinary talismans.”
Xiao Chunhe clicked his tongue irritably and snatched up the inner robe scattered on the floor, pulling it back on. “Your little junior brother really knows how to pick his timing.”
He could have called for help earlier or later, but no, he had to send the distress talisman right when the arrow was already on the string and everything good was about to happen!
And his talisman was the same as Xiao Chunhe’s!
Yue Jingming turned toward him. “I…”
“It’s fine. Saving someone is more important.” Xiao Chunhe forced out a considerate smile. The moment Yue Jingming turned away, his face twisted and he ground his teeth.
He wanted to eat someone.