Chapter 41: A Frenzied Dance of Demons, Part 34

The world was shrouded in darkness. When Shi Xianyu awoke, she found herself flying through the sky.

Earlier, because she was deep in the mountains, she hadn’t dared to wander, so she’d rested inside the bridal sedan. At some point, she’d drifted into a daze—perhaps even been bewitched by some spirit or demon. All she knew was that she’d lost consciousness, and now, upon waking, she and the sedan were both floating midair.

Lifting the sedan’s curtain for a look outside, she saw dense forest below, and in the distance, the myriad lights of Qingshan City. The sedan was no longer carried by wild foxes, but by four stooped, shadowy figures—

They resembled condensed black mist: indistinct, sticky, with faint outlines of human limbs visible within the gloom. Where their faces should have been was a single sheet of white paper, each marked with a solitary, staring eye.

“So these are the sorcerer’s puppets Brother Shen mentioned?” Shi Xianyu murmured. “There are four of them… Surely these aren’t the sorcerers themselves, just their underlings?”

She was deeply uneasy; whatever they were, these were certainly not benevolent beings.

What should she do now?

With neither Shen Xiao nor Lin Yuan by her side, she was isolated and no match for them.

Escape? From this height, she might survive a jump, but was just as likely to break a limb or worse.

She felt for her sash, collar, and inner sleeve pocket—thank goodness, everything was still there. That brought a little comfort; at least she had a few means of self-defense.

But then—if these puppets could render her unconscious, why hadn’t they searched her at once and taken anything suspicious from her? Clearly, puppets were just puppets, clumsy and careless in their actions.

She peeked out the side curtain again and saw the sedan was moving at remarkable speed. They had just passed the outskirts of Qingshan City and were now heading straight for the mountainside. The closer they drew to the massive rocky cliff, the more perplexed she became, blinking in confusion.

What were they planning?

The sedan was about to crash into the cliff, any moment now—

Shi Xianyu’s eyes widened; she instinctively held her breath as the collision seemed imminent! But instead, the bridal sedan passed straight through! Astonishing! The cliff face was nothing but an illusion—a hidden cave lay within!

Shi Xianyu was utterly shocked.

Not only was there a cave, but it was vast, allowing the sedan to proceed unhindered.

Now, anxiety began to gnaw at Shi Xianyu’s heart. She hadn’t felt true panic while flying through the air, but the moment they entered this deep, pitch-dark cavern, a wave of claustrophobic dread seized her—what if she could never get out?

Cautiously, she poked her head out of the sedan. Torches glimmered along the stone walls; the sedan hovered half a man’s height above the ground. Jumping down would be safe enough, but the puppets moved so quickly—even if she escaped, she’d never outrun them.

As she hesitated, uncertain whether to make a dash for it, voices echoed from deep within the cave.

She quickly withdrew her head and sat back, nerves taut. The sedan came to a halt. She heard a man’s voice say, “Just one more, and we’ll have enough. Bring her out.”

The voice sounded familiar—it seemed to belong to Boss Wu.

Her legs moved of their own accord; as if bewitched, she stepped out of the sedan, unable to move her hands.

Looking down, she realized her hands weren’t immobile of their own accord—they were gripped tightly by several inky-black hands! On either side of her body crouched two shadowy puppets, each clutching her knees and ankles, shuffling forward and forcing her to walk.

Disgust rendered Shi Xianyu speechless. The sensation was beyond words; it was even more revolting than being slimed by a slug.

Behind her, Boss Wu spoke again: “No need to remove the wedding dress. I’ve heard the dress the fox demon sends bonds to the skin and bone once worn. We’re refining Fragrant Sweat Pills, so best not to make a bloody mess.”

Every hair on Shi Xianyu’s body stood on end. So—the missing girls from the city weren’t taken by the fox demon at all, but by these men, for pill refinement!

No time to dwell on it; she was pushed forward by the shadows. Ahead, a shallow pool stretched before her, bodies strewn haphazardly within—surely the missing girls, though Shi Xianyu could not tell, for their entire bodies were raw and red, as if their skin had been dissolved by the water.

Fragrant Sweat Pills… Only skin can secrete sweat, can it not?

A chill of horror ran through her; Shi Xianyu’s scalp prickled with terror. She must not step into that pool!

Absolutely not! If she did, she would meet the same fate as those within.

But what could she do? She couldn’t move, not even to reach for the pearl the deity had given her, which rested just inside her collar.

Her feet, still gripped by the puppets, took another step forward.

Her shoes touched the water; she felt the dampness seep in, cold creeping up from her soles until her whole body shivered. The clammy sensation was appalling—it felt less like stepping into water, and more like she was about to walk into living acid.

Just then, the puppets behind her all released their grip and retreated a few steps.

They, too, seemed wary of the shallow pool and were reluctant to enter with her.

One of the shadowy puppets reached out and tried to shove Shi Xianyu into the pool.

But she stubbornly planted herself at the edge, refusing to budge.

Not only did she refuse to move, but a desperate urge to flee rose within her.

Then, ripples began to surge across the pool. At its center, an enormous eye broke the surface!

This eye was identical to the ones painted on the papers masking the puppets’ faces.

“Grand Sorcerer?” Boss Wu exclaimed, startled. He stepped to the pool’s edge, as if he could communicate through the great eye. “What? All the puppets sent out have been destroyed? Ah, who’d have thought the fox demon was so powerful! Well, that’s good news—if the fox demon is strong, then the demon core will be all the more potent. My congratulations, Grand Sorcerer.”

Shi Xianyu heard no other voice, yet Boss Wu conversed freely.

“Understood. Once it goes berserk, even if it doesn’t perish on the spot, it’ll be exhausted sooner or later. Then we’ll send out more puppets—the demon core will be ours.”

He stepped closer, listening intently, then nodded obsequiously.

“The Fragrant Sweat Pills will be delayed this month; please put in a good word for us with Her Highness the Imperial Consort. The fox demon has been taking brides so often lately, nearly every eligible girl in the city has been seized. It’s been a real difficulty for us. Only pure girls who’ve just come of age can yield the most fragrant pills. We’ve spent too much time searching in Qingshan City. Luckily, we found this fox demon—so the trip wasn’t in vain… Rest assured, I’ll dispatch as many puppets as possible. The demon core won’t escape our grasp.”

Boss Wu bowed deeply and knelt, saluting the eye in the pool. “Grand Sorcerer, please bestow the Sacred Ink.”

As his words faded, Shi Xianyu saw black streaks begin to seep from the pitch-dark pupil of the great eye, like flowing ink. Yet the darkness did not spread through the water; instead, it formed one eye-shaped pattern after another, floating on the pool’s surface—