Inside the Fox Tail Sac, Ge Xian was forced to listen to one scandalous secret after another.
Though he had broadened his horizons, it did nothing to ease the panic in his heart. The more he heard, the tighter his brow furrowed.
Especially the bursts of laughter that rang out from time to time—pleasant to the ear, yet wanton and perverse. They made Ge Xian understand all the more clearly what kind of demon he had fallen into the hands of.
"Yelü Yuyan is a mad Eldest Young Lady with a penchant for women. Her upbringing and childhood experiences have also left her somewhat twisted in the head."
"If I fall into her hands and she finds out I'm actually a man, not a 'Dragon Girl,' I'm afraid my fate will be miserable. What am I supposed to do?"
"Though I still have five Skin Sacs left on me, how could that possibly be enough for her to tear apart?"
Ge Xian was already miserable, and he frantically racked his brains for a way to escape.
Who could have guessed that the secret entering his ears next would suddenly be of an entirely different kind?
A hundred times more serious than any scandalous gossip.
He heard Lu Hualong's voice from outside. The man spoke casually:
"Yuyan, my father-in-law wanted me to put on an act with the Evil Cultivators of the Eternal Life Cult. I've done as he asked. Once word of today's events reaches the provincial government, it should be enough to dispel Bao Hanzhang's suspicions—that 'Iron-Faced Black Carbon Head'—and make things easier for my father-in-law."
"But as husband and wife, we should make plans for ourselves too. They say a man who doesn't look out for himself will be damned by heaven and earth. The Yelü Family won't give us much support. If we can't amass a decent store of resources, we may never advance to the Spirit Connection Realm."
"What do you intend to do?"
"Heh, simple. Sell off Qiantang County."
At those words, Ge Xian's eyes flew wide open.
Sell an entire county?
How?
The answer entered Ge Xian's ears the very next moment.
"Qiantang County is the heart of Hangzhou Road. All the major forces have their eyes on it, but they've never dared reach out for fear of the Dayuan Dynasty's power. But now, it's obvious we're at the end of the dynasty. Those ambitious fellows have all grown bold."
"Of course, if we want a good price, we'll need to arrange a few things first."
"For instance, throw in over a hundred thousand people—tender, fresh human flesh, free of demonic poison, with their hearts and souls intact."
"We can't sell the Eternal Life Cult...but we can use my father-in-law's name to quietly sell it to the Ghost Clan, Dragon Nest, or the Pure Land Cult. They'll surely offer a high price."
"You certainly know how to do business. I agree. I'll help you deceive that Old Turtle, Yelü Tianzheng. Once the deal is done, you get three parts and I get seven."
"Deal!"
Those few words rang in Ge Xian's heart like thunder.
No wonder!
After this Demon County Magistrate had carved the flesh from people's thighs to eat and used the bodies of children from the whole city to raise the Taisui Gu Worm, he'd dealt with the Evil Cultivators and then magnanimously lifted every restriction, handing out money and grain without asking the county's people to pay a thing.
So this was what he'd been waiting for.
He really had been raising them like pigs while already looking for a buyer to take the whole lot.
What a deal!
What nerve!
While Ge Xian was still trying to digest the horrifying secret inside the flesh sac, the married couple outside stopped chatting and got down to business.
Before long, the quiet, fragrant room began to echo with sounds that made one blush and set one's desires ablaze.
The strange thing was, it wasn't Yelü Yuyan who was crying out.
Ge Xian listened more closely, then wore an expression of utter disgust. Inwardly, he marveled:
"These two really get up to all kinds of things."
"Since they can't do it for real, they've turned to playing at sadomasochism."
"Yelü Yuyan fits the image of a sadist, but why would Lu Hualong be willing to be the one on the receiving end?"
"Could it be that cultivating the Gu Devouring Immortal Scripture gave him a fourth Vicious Habit, on top of eating thigh meat, wearing flowered clothes, and admiring evil while despising the loyal?"
"No, he stabilized his Mortal Transformation Realm tonight, so he's no longer under the sway of his Vicious Habits. This must be what he truly desires."
Though he was more than reluctant, this time Ge Xian truly was eavesdropping.
And he listened for a full two hours.
If he could, Ge Xian would have shut off his Supernatural Perception and spared himself the filthy language and nauseating sounds.
But he had to stay alert at all times, lest he miss his chance to escape and lose his life.
That chance came soon enough.
Once their rough play ended, Lu Hualong returned to the county office, satisfied.
Yelü Yuyan had been about to go to sleep when she suddenly remembered that a stupid Dragon Girl was still locked in her tail sac.
She manifested three Flesh Tails and gave them a casual shake. At once, an "unconscious" ugly woman tumbled out.
Perhaps the fall had hurt her, because the Dragon Girl soon came to.
The moment she opened her eyes, she saw Yelü Yuyan leaning toward her.
The woman's contrast was far too stark. She was a madwoman with a twisted heart and soul, yet she wore the delicate, lovely skin of a pitiful young girl.
Seeing that "sexually sated" madwoman about to tear at the skin on her body again, Ge Xian hurriedly scrambled to his feet. Then, as if by accident, he released a little Charm Qi that shared her own source.
Just a tiny bit!
He didn't dare give her more. Though Yelü Yuyan was somewhat spent, Ge Xian was still afraid that too much might stir her back to life.
She was a demon in the Mortal Transformation Realm, too. With the slightest movement, she could pin Ge Xian beneath her, leaving him utterly unable to fight back.
To escape, Ge Xian spoke at once, pleading in a soft voice:
"Fox Woman, I admit defeat this time. I'm willing to stay with you for a year and let you practice Cai Bu on me. I only ask that you set me free after a year."
"Oh, this rash Dragon Girl has changed her tune quickly. I suppose you've guessed that Dual Cultivation with me could bring you benefits. Very well, I agree. But unless you become more beautiful than me, I'll tire of you long before a year is up. If you serve me well, I'll naturally give you your freedom."
"Good! Let me wash up first. That skin-sticking art is filthy, and I'll need to use a secret method to restore my appearance."
"Very well."
As promised, Yelü Yuyan called over a bewitching Fox Whore and told her to take Ge Xian to wash up.
After giving her instructions, drowsiness came over the demon. She yawned, then sank limply onto the bed, seeming ready to fall into a deep sleep.
It was also then that she finally could no longer maintain her human form.
With the sound of cloth tearing, a fox-beast appeared, reeking of a strong, rank odor. Blood Filth covered its body, and three Flesh Tails sprouted from it. It radiated a strange beauty and a nauseating stench.
It curled its tails around itself and slept like a spring beauty, though the drool spilling from its mouth was clearly poisonous. Pink wisps of smoke drifted visibly from it.
Fortunately, Ge Xian's senses were sharp. He held his breath in time and didn't inhale a single whiff.
Then he followed the bewitching Fox Whore, who called herself Chun Niang, to the washing place.
At first, Chun Niang had assumed Ge Xian was there to compete with them for favor, so she'd been deeply hostile. In the room, she'd smiled sweetly, but the moment they stepped outside, she'd turned sour and even tried to teach Ge Xian some manners.
Unfortunately, her cultivation was too shallow. She was only an ordinary fox demon in the Dao Entry Realm.
How could she resist Ge Xian's Charm Qi? To avoid causing trouble, he released even less of it than he had in the room.
So, after they'd walked just ten steps, Chun Niang, eager to catch the enticing scent, took Ge Xian by the arm. Before long, she was calling him her sister at every turn, acting as if they were already close.
Another twenty steps, and Chun Niang had learned not a scrap of information about Ge Xian. In exchange, she'd spilled every one of her own secrets and even betrayed her mistress.
"Dear sister, why do you smell so wonderful? No matter how I look at you, I find you utterly pleasing."
"Let me tell you, Master is actually very easy to serve. As long as you don't bring up taboos like her father or brothers, she's quite tolerant most of the time. If you can make her happy, you're sure to get some reward."
"Master may not be a true Qingqiu Fox, but the Mistress has deep ties to Qingqiu. So Master has never wanted for Dao Qi, flesh, or immortal scriptures and cultivation techniques. On top of that, she's the Yelü Family's only daughter. You could say she's as rich as a whole region."
"It's just that Master's temperament is a little too uninhibited. Otherwise, even if she went to Dadu, plenty of young talents would be after her."
"I see. By the way, Chun Niang, the layout of Willow Oriole Alley looks so complicated. I've just arrived, and I'm afraid I'll get lost and cause trouble."
"Don't worry. Since you'll be serving Master from now on, who would dare give you a hard time? The ones usually standing guard are just stupid servants and monsters like Ox Slaves and Fox Ghosts. If you run into them, just scold them. If you're still worried, you can borrow my Waist Token for now. Once you see Master tomorrow, you'll get one of your own."
"Tomorrow?"
"You're lucky. After Master and Master Lu do that thing, they always sleep for several hours before waking up. If you're going to serve her in bed, it'll have to wait until tomorrow."
"But I've gotten us off track. Earlier, Chun Niang, you said Master Yuyan rewarded you with some sort of cultivation technique. Could you show me, so I can broaden my horizons?"
"If you were some other wanton hussy, you could beg all you liked, but I'd sooner die than let you take a look. You're different, of course."
"This art is called the Fox Heart Maiden Yuan Stealing Art. It didn't come from Qingqiu, but it was created by a senior from the Fox Clan. First, you drain nine women born in yin years and yin hours, raising a Maiden Fox Heart. Then you have sex and steal the blood essence and vital energy from ninety-nine men. That will let me fully stabilize in the Dao Entry Realm, and I won't have to worry about dying suddenly."
"Half my work is done now. I've already got the Fox Heart; all I need is to drain those stinking men."
"Oh, really? Chun Niang, show me your Fox Heart. Is it beautiful? Does it smell nice?"
"Bah, I misjudged you. You're not just some rash Dragon Girl—you're a lustful little thing... If you want to see it, you'll have to wash up and show me your true face first. Then we sisters can admire it together in bed. With you wearing such an ugly face, I couldn't bring myself to kiss you."
"Fine, fine. Hurry and take me to that rockery. I'll use the secret method to show it to you right now."
Before the two had even walked a hundred steps, Chun Niang, the Fox Whore, was thoroughly bewitched by Ge Xian. He dragged her off the path and into a hidden cave in the rockery.
She'd thought she would get to play at being a man with the Dragon Girl and have her fill before her mistress.
She hadn't expected to lose her life the moment she went inside.
A low Dragon's Roar sounded. The Fox Whore's bright smile had not yet faded when her fair neck was wrenched around.
A bloody hole had been torn open in her chest, and a bloodied, mangled Fox Demon heart had been pulled out.
By one measure, this was the first time Ge Xian had ever killed someone.
He still wore that ugly Skin Sac. His breathing quickened slightly as he stared at the heart in his hand.
Kill Chun Niang!
He'd had two choices. The other, naturally, had been Cai Bu.
She was a Dao Entry Realm Fox Whore, and he'd completely bewitched her without making a sound. A gentle use of Cai Bu would have been enough to drain her dry as a fox corpse.
But after hearing Chun Niang describe in vivid detail how she'd drained those women, Ge Xian had changed his mind.
It had been a little violent, but looking at things now, he'd clearly made the right choice.
The Fox Heart in his hand was covered in Blood Filth and densely packed red veins, writhing like maggots. Worse, nine tiny women's faces were embedded in it. Their expressions were identical, pained and twisted, as if they'd suffered some unimaginable torment in life.
With a muffled bang, the heart burst into ash. In its final moment, all nine faces relaxed.
Seeing this, Ge Xian felt no joy.
He only suddenly felt fortunate that he hadn't rashly chosen something to absorb into his body and step into the Dao Entry Realm after taking the Dog Treasure, Dog Beating Staff Technique, Dragon Scale, Eighteen Dragon Subduing Palms, and other items from Hong Buyi.
"So far, every Cultivation Path I've seen or learned about has been like this."
"Bizarre and horrifying, with not a shred of humanity."
"Anything cultivated through these methods can hardly be called an Immortal God. They're clearly just a way to keep raising demons and evil gods, each more ferocious than the last."
"A mere Fox Whore like Chun Niang devoured nine women to practice her art... A county magistrate raised a hundred thousand people to reach the Mortal Transformation Realm and still wasn't satisfied. His greed burned so fiercely that he wanted to fatten them up and sell them all... Then what does Yelü Tianzheng, the head of these Perverted Couple, get up to? What kind of dirty business would the lord of Jiangzhe Province be involved in?"
"Strangely, with demons devouring people at this rate, how have the Dayuan Dynasty and all the dynasties before it lasted so many years? Could there be some secret behind it that I don't know?"
Ge Xian was only a Bottom Layer peddler. Though fortune had favored him, his knowledge was limited, so he didn't rack his brains over it.
After successfully killing Chun Niang, he should have searched her corpse as usual. But out of caution, he decided not to this time. He only took the Waist Token, found his way, and fled wildly under cover of night.
With the Waist Token to get him through, his journey was uneventful, if not without danger.
Neither the Ox Slaves nor the Fox Ghosts dared make things difficult for him. They respectfully escorted him out of Willow Oriole Alley.
Once outside the alley, Ge Xian discarded the Waist Token but didn't go straight home.
Instead, he wandered all over the city, making a point of going to places like cesspits and filthy ditches. At every stop, he removed another layer of Skin Sac.
After spending a full half hour checking that he had nothing foreign on him and that his senses detected no danger, he finally made his way home with caution.
Just like last time, as soon as he entered the little courtyard, the door creaked open and the oil lamp lit up, illuminating a bright, spotless little room.
In the corner stood the pretty young wife, shy and waiting expectantly for him.
It was already close to dawn. In other words, after he'd left, this Broom Spirit had worked for another hour or two before finishing cleaning the room.
At the sight, Ge Xian couldn't help but smile and say:
"It seems not every cultivator or spirit is a demon or evil spirit. My Broom Spirit looks quite respectable."
Before you continue