The Heavenly Yin Enchantress

The bamboo grove rustled, and from within stepped a sprite-like girl in white, seemingly no more than fifteen or sixteen. Her figure was lithe and graceful, her chest gently curved, her bare feet pale and delicate as snow. Her jet-black hair reached down to her waist, and her eyes shimmered with a captivating charm, exuding an intoxicating allure no man could resist.

"Heavenly Yin Enchantress, you demoness—are you still following me? Do you truly believe my Cold Abyss Sword fears your Enchantress Art?" The middle-aged Taoist, upon seeing the barefoot girl, recoiled as if from a viper, growling low as he gripped the hilt of the sword on his back.

"Cold Abyss Sword, you know full well why I've come to you. How pitiful—Junior Sister Lan Yun was so devoted to you, yet you can bear to let her lie alone beneath the earth?" The girl's gaze was like water as she slowly approached the Taoist.

"Demoness, how many times must I say it? Yun'er's death had nothing to do with me. Someone overheard our meeting place, and that's how she was ambushed and fell." The Taoist's face twisted in sudden ferocity. With a sharp shing, he drew a sword veiled in azure light and growled his reply.

"To me, whether you meant it or not makes no difference. Since you once swore to Yun'er that you'd live and die together, I've come only to help you fulfill that vow. No need to thank me." The barefoot girl chuckled lightly, then flicked her sleeve, revealing a short ruler as white as jade.

The ruler was no more than half a foot long and two inches wide, but its surface swirled with wisps of white mist that churned without cease, giving it an air of profound mystery.

"The... the Mystic Ice Ruler! Isn't that your Heavenly Yin Sect's ultimate treasure? You madwoman—you stole such a priceless artifact for a dead person? Aren't you afraid your sect's disciplinary elders will find out and cripple your martial arts?" The Taoist, who had been ready to fight to the death with his sword, now stammered in terror at the sight of the short ruler.

"Hehe, that's none of your concern. Let me just send you on your way first." The barefoot girl giggled, giving the ruler a gentle flick. The air around her rippled, and clusters of white mist began to coalesce, spinning swiftly into blossoms as wide as a bowl.

"Kill me? Dream on."

With a whoosh, the Taoist hurled the small beast in his hand straight at the girl, while he himself pushed off the ground, launching backward into the air. He twisted mid-flight like a great bird and vanished into another dark grove not far behind.

"Demoness, once I spread word of the Mystic Ice Ruler, let's see how you explain yourself to your sect!" The Taoist's vicious voice echoed from the grove, its tone fading into the distance—he had clearly fled far.

"Fool. A mere imitation scared you off. You've been marked with Soul-Chasing Incense—there's no escape, no matter how far you run. Hmm? This Golden Silk Rat has already opened its spirit pupils!" The barefoot girl raised a delicate hand, catching the Golden Silk Rat with ease. A trace of mockery flickered across her face as she murmured to herself, but when she lowered her gaze to examine the small beast, she was taken aback.

"I thought someone of Cold Abyss Sword's standing wouldn't bother stealing an ordinary Golden Silk Rat. So it's a Spirit Pupil Rat on the verge of evolving into a spirit beast." The girl put away the jade ruler, cradled the golden beast in her arms, and stroked it with delight.

The small creature, resembling a golden mouse, rolled its tiny green eyes frantically, but dared not move a muscle under the girl's slender fingers.

"Oh, there's another little one here." After playing with the golden rat for a while, the barefoot girl seemed to notice the nearly frozen "Shi Mu" nearby.

Shi Mu still stood in place, but a thin layer of white frost had formed on his skin. Only his eyes remained fixed on the barefoot girl.

The girl giggled and walked slowly toward him.

Shi Mu's eyes tracked her movement, never relaxing for a moment.

"How amusing."

Seeing this, the girl's face showed a hint of interest, and she began to drift left and right in erratic motions.

Shi Mu's body couldn't move an inch, but his eyes swiveled back and forth, looking utterly ridiculous.

"Hehe, too funny." The barefoot girl stopped in front of Shi Mu, doubled over with laughter while clutching the beast, as if her stomach ached.

She laughed for a good long while before straightening up. With a flick of her sleeve, a puff of white mist shot out and vanished into Shi Mu's body.

A startling sight followed.

The frost on Shi Mu's skin melted away at a visible speed.

Thud.

Shi Mu pitched forward and crashed heavily onto the dirt, too weak to rise, barely able to lift his head.

Before his eyes appeared a pair of lotus-root-like bare feet, the ten toes tipped with bright red polish, as alluring as flower petals.

"Do you like my feet?"

The owner of those jade feet asked slowly.

Shi Mu's face flushed red. A sudden surge of strength welled up inside him, letting him struggle to his feet. He stared at the stunning face before him with a strange look.

"Little one, do you know that if you were two or three years older and looked at me like that, I'd gouge out your eyes right now?" The barefoot girl cradled the beast, her eyes shimmering, but her words sent a chill down the spine.

"What's your name?" Shi Mu finally spoke, his voice hoarse but surprisingly steady.

"You think I'd tell you?" The girl blinked, then replied with a grin.

"I need to know your name so I can send a betrothal gift to your family." Shi Mu stared at her, a fiery intensity he couldn't quite name creeping onto his face.

"What did you say? I didn't catch that." The girl thought she'd misheard, widening her beautiful eyes in surprise.

"I want you to be my wife. I will marry you." Shi Mu said without hesitation, his expression deadly serious.

"You... what nonsense are you spouting? Do you know how old I am, what my status is, to dare say such a thing?" The barefoot girl, usually ruthless and cunning, was left dumbfounded by the boy's words.

"Are you already betrothed, or are you forty or fifty years old?" Shi Mu frowned.

"Neither, I'm only in my twenties... Why am I even answering you? You—" The girl first replied instinctively, then flushed with embarrassment as she realized what she'd done.

"Twenty-something and not betrothed—good! Whatever your status, from the moment I first saw you, I've been utterly smitten. I must marry you." Shi Mu sighed in relief and spoke solemnly.

"Hehe, just because you like me, you think you can marry me? Don't say you're just a Martial Disciple—even if you reached the Xiantian realm... Bah, why am I even discussing this with you? Truth is, I don't believe a word any man says, and I've long decided never to marry." The barefoot girl finally regained some composure, letting out a light laugh, though her gaze unconsciously strayed from his burning eyes.

"My mother once told me that if I ever met a woman I truly loved, I should confess my feelings at once, lest I miss a great match. I, Shi Mu, swear here and now that I will take this lady as my wife. If I break this vow, may I die pierced by a thousand arrows, cut down by axes and blades." Shi Mu's eyes never left the barefoot girl as he raised his hand and made a solemn oath.

As if by coincidence, the moment his words ended, a few rumbles of thunder echoed from the clear sky.

The barefoot girl's red lips parted slightly, her beautiful eyes wide as she stared at Shi Mu, unable to speak for a long moment. Then she burst into laughter.

"This... this is too funny! I, the Heavenly Yin Enchantress, actually have someone proposing to me to my face—and a mere boy of ten-something! Fine, fine. I won't say I didn't give you a chance. If you can reach the Xiantian realm before you're thirty, come find me at the Heavenly Yin Sect on Wanlong Mountain. Then I'll tell you my real name. This is your payment for the Spirit Pupil Beast."

After her laughter subsided, the barefoot girl straightened up, tossed a small bottle to Shi Mu, and crushed something hidden in her sleeve.

Puff.

A gale suddenly rose in the air around her, and clusters of white clouds materialized, lifting her a dozen zhang into the sky. She flew off into the distance, leaving behind a lingering voice.

"Oh, and one more thing—that spirit beast was faking unconsciousness. If Cold Abyss Sword hadn't grabbed it first, you'd probably have come back empty-handed."

The barefoot girl finished speaking, tossed out the small bottle, scooped up the little beast, and soared into the air—all in the blink of an eye, vaguely giving the impression of a hasty retreat.

"Flying... a Heavenly Yin Enchantress..."

Shi Mu clutched the small bottle in one hand, staring blankly in the direction where the girl had vanished. For a long moment, he was dumbstruck, then began muttering to himself.

After a while, he finally came to his senses. He glanced at the bottle in his hand, then at the trap he had set earlier, and a wry smile crept onto his face.

"This time, aside from blowing hundreds of silver taels and this thing, I guess you could say I tried to steal a chicken but lost the bait instead."

He couldn't help feeling a bit curious about what was inside the bottle.

After all, a woman so mysterious—what she gave couldn't be anything ordinary.

Shi Mu thought it over briefly, then unceremoniously opened the bottle cap and tipped it into his palm. With a soft clatter, a thumb-sized, milky-white pill rolled out, faint silver threads shimmering on its surface.

"Spirit Qi Pill!"

The moment the young man recognized the pill, he couldn't help blurting out in shock.

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