Chapter 2

Under the gaze of those beastly pupils, Ji Chan's strength gave out. Her face pressed against the ground, her voice barely audible: "You... are you going to eat me?"

From the darkness, only heavy breathing answered, and those terrifying beastly eyes remained unchanged.

"Then come eat me. It's better than dying here like this..." She murmured brokenly, "I'm just a little afraid of pain."

In the suffocating silence, she suddenly heard a soft, enchanting female voice: "I don't eat people."

The voice undoubtedly came from the owner of those beastly eyes hidden in the darkness.

"You... you're a demon?"

Only the legendary demons could speak human language and take human form.

"Yes."

"How... how did you come to the capital? If you're discovered, you'll die." Ji Chan curled up on the ground, the fear of impending death seeming to fade with the demon's presence beside her.

"I came to seek investiture."

Ji Chan vaguely remembered that in the strange tales she'd read, if a demon succeeded in seeking investiture from a human, they could take on a human form.

"So you want to become human. You can... seek investiture from me."

"Why? I'm a demon. Aren't you afraid?" The pleasant voice carried confusion.

Ji Chan's eyes stared blankly at the snowflakes drifting before her: "What's so scary about demons?"

The most terrifying thing was humans, was the human heart.

The voice in the darkness paused, then suddenly asked: "Do I look human?"

"You do. You look more human than any of them."

After saying this, Ji Chan had exhausted all her strength, yet in the darkness, nothing happened.

She heard the voice's owner sigh: "Pity. My eight tails are all severed. I can't become human."

The matter of seeking investiture could not be spoken aloud. She had only told this dying woman before her because she wanted someone to talk to before she died. To her, seeking investiture was merely an obsession.

"How... could that be?" Ji Chan felt an inexplicable unwillingness rise in her heart. She could do nothing—couldn't even help someone else before dying.

"I'm going to die too," the voice said.

She had fled ten thousand miles to reach the Great Xia capital, but there was no way for her to survive here. She had broken into the city, only to wait for death. She just hadn't expected to have a human companion before the end.

In the darkness Ji Chan couldn't see, a fox demon with no tail, her body covered in wounds deep enough to show bone, lay quietly curled on the ground. Her body was already broken beyond repair, unable to hold on.

Snow fell on her, quickly stained by the blood seeping from her wounds.

"To be able to die here together—perhaps this is what you humans call fate."

Ji Chan seemed infected by the faint surprise in her words and unconsciously tugged at the corner of her mouth.

Yes, having someone to die with could be considered fate.

"Why... are your eight tails all severed?"

"Because I trusted someone I shouldn't have. And you?"

"Maybe because my father didn't want me to live."

The human and the demon fell silent again. Betrayed by someone trusted, betrayed by one's own flesh and blood—both sounded equally pitiful.

After speaking just one sentence, Ji Chan coughed up blood. She gradually lost sight of the snow before her.

She knew she would die soon, but her heart still refused to accept it—refused to die so easily, refused to be powerless.

She suddenly thought of the strange tales she had read: "I've heard... I've heard that ghosts and monsters can possess humans and live on in their bodies. Is that true?"

"It's true, but it's very difficult. Such evil deeds are not tolerated by heaven."

"What if... what if it's voluntary?" Ji Chan's tone grew urgent. "If I give you my body, can you survive?"

"...Perhaps," the voice finally answered after a long pause.

Ji Chan curved her lips into a smile: "Good. I leave this flesh and blood to you. After I die, live on for me."

"Why?" The voice was thick with confusion.

"You said it—we have fate. We can't both die here. One of us has to live, and I want it to be you. If... if you can survive, can you help me and my mother take revenge?"

"...Alright." If she truly possessed this human before her, perhaps she could indeed survive as the other said.

She was a natural eight-tailed fox with a powerful soul. After entering a weak human body, her remaining strength could repair the other's flesh.

She didn't know what she would face in the future by agreeing. But if she could live, who would want to die?

Hearing her answer, Ji Chan wanted to smile, but her face had already gone stiff.

She said: "My name is Ji Chan. Ji of the Four Seasons, Chan of Changjuan. My mother gave me this name. I like it very much. From now on, I lend it to you."

"Good. After I avenge you, I'll return your name to you."

"Thank you... and you? What's your name?"

"My name is A Chan. Chan of Lingering. I have no surname."

"A Chan..."

Ji Chan let out a soft cry, then fell silent.

The moment the last trace of life faded from Ji Chan's body, the beast's pupils in the darkness suddenly dimmed. A streak of green light escaped the fox demon's broken form and surged into Ji Chan.

A muffled thunderclap rang out from the clear sky, followed by unceasing rumbles.

Just as A Chan had said, Soul Possession defied the laws of heaven, especially here in the capital, a place where the human way flourished. For a demon to take a human body, the Heavenly Dao would not permit it.

If Ji Chan hadn't willingly offered her body, the moment the possession began, she would have died under the heavenly thunder.

After entering Ji Chan's body, weakness and searing pain instantly eroded her consciousness. The thunder roared endlessly in her ears, as if it might tear her soul apart at any moment.

But in the end, the thunder only exploded in the sky and never fell.

Atop the Reaching Heaven Tower in the imperial city, the Directorate of Astronomy, who had been observing celestial phenomena to divine the Great Xia Dynasty's fortune for the year, turned pale at the sound of thunder.

The Director immediately handed the Heavenly Observation Disc to the flustered Deputy Director beside him and ordered, "Quickly, deliver the disc to the Commissioner of the Mingjing Division. Tell him a Great Demon has entered the city, stirring the heavens."

"Yes, my lord." The Deputy Director cupped the disc in both hands and hurried away.

The Mingjing Division was founded by the Great Xia Dynasty's founding emperor and was commanded by his elder brother, Prince Ming.

In the thousand years since the dynasty's establishment, the Mingjing Division had been passed down through generations. Every Division Head came from the Imperial Clan and bore the title Prince Ming.

The Deputy Director stumbled into the Mingjing Division office, announced himself, and demanded to see the Commissioner. But the Duty Guard hesitated and said, "Tonight, the Sage is hosting a grand banquet for all officials in the imperial city. The Commissioner has attended the feast."

The Deputy Director's heart sank. The Great Demon the Director spoke of was likely at least in the Fourth Realm.

Among the world's cultivators, the Fifth Realm was supreme. The Mingjing Division's Division Head, Prince Ming, was a Fifth Realm cultivator. The Commissioner was at the peak of the Fourth Realm. With Prince Ming absent, only the Commissioner would be the safest choice.

Tonight was the day when the dynasty's fortune converged. If the commotion grew too great and alarmed the Sage, no one would escape unscathed.

"What should be done, then? Aside from the Commissioner, which other lord is present?"

The Duty Guard replied, "The Pacification Commissioner is still in the office."

"Which Pacification Commissioner?"

The Mingjing Division had four Pacification Commissioners, each tasked with suppressing strange disturbances across the nine provinces. Their cultivation was formidable. If one of them was present, it might barely suffice.

"Lord Bai Xiuming."

Hearing it was this Pacification Commissioner, the Deputy Director's heart settled completely. He quickly said, "Lord Bai is actually here? Please, announce me at once."

Watching the Duty Guard hurry off, the Deputy Director wondered to himself. Tonight was the Shangyuan Palace Banquet. Why hadn't this Lord Bai attended with Prince Ming?

Bai was the imperial surname. This Lord Bai, who had become a Pacification Commissioner at such a young age, was naturally a member of the Imperial Clan. There were even rumors that he had been raised by Prince Ming and might one day inherit the title.

Five years ago, Bai Xiuming had been appointed Pacification Commissioner out of nowhere. Many had objected at first, but after he cut down a rampaging Fourth Realm Black Dragon with a single blade at Weishui Riverside, those voices finally fell silent.

This Lord Bai had previously been stationed in Youzhou. By his calculations, it was time for his rotation.

These thoughts flashed through the Deputy Director's mind. He didn't wait long before the Duty Guard returned. "My lord, please follow me."

He led the Deputy Director toward the main hall of the Mingjing Division office.

Before they could draw close, a figure slowly emerged from the hall. The man looked remarkably young, with an exceptionally handsome face. A pair of peach-blossom eyes naturally carried a hint of tenderness when he looked at others, easily leading people to mistake him for someone with a gentle temper.

He wore a golden crown on his head and a black cloak over his shoulders. Beneath it, only a corner of his bright red official robe could be glimpsed as he walked.

The Deputy Director dared not stare. As soon as Bai Xiuming appeared, he immediately bowed. "Lord Bai, This official is the Deputy Director of the Celestial Surveillance Division. I have been sent by the Director to report that a Great Demon has entered the city, stirring the heavens."

"Location."

The Deputy Director offered the disc with both hands. "This is what the Director ordered me to give you, my lord."

Bai Xiuming reached out and took the somewhat worn Heavenly Observation Disc. The ring on his index finger clinked softly against the wooden body.

He lowered his eyes to the disc. Three needles—black, white, and red—were set within. The red needle had shifted, pointing to the location of the Great Demon that had entered the city.

"Summon People," Bai Xiuming said.

Several voices immediately answered from all around: "Yes."

The Deputy Director was startled. He looked left and right but couldn't see where the speakers were.

In the span of a few breaths, dozens of Mingjing Division Guards were ready and waiting.

Before mounting the Dragon Blood Horse his subordinate led over, Bai Xiuming ordered someone to escort the Deputy Director back.

The Mingjing Division's Dragon Blood Horses galloped straight through Heavenly Street. The surrounding commoners quickly made way, and no one dared follow to investigate.

With the Dragon Blood Horses' speed, it took less than a quarter of an hour to reach where the Great Demon had stopped.

A dozen horses halted at Anping Quarter. The men dismounted and slipped silently into the quarter, while Bai Xiuming strode toward the location the needle indicated.

The pitch-black alley couldn't block a cultivator's gaze. With a single glance, Bai Xiuming saw everything clearly.

A person and a demon lay collapsed together. The demon had no breath left, but the human curled up beside it seemed still alive. By the person's hand lay an arrow stained with blood.

After the soul repaired the shattered heart, her body remained weak. A Chan had no strength left. Humans were frailer than she had imagined, especially ordinary ones like Ji Chan, who couldn't cultivate.

She couldn't rise now, so she could only huddle close to her original body for warmth.

Suddenly, she heard steady footsteps. Someone was coming.