The Rakshasa Curse Lifted
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Three miles Heaven Dou City, a gravel path branches off from the main road, leading to a secluded courtyard.
The courtyard wall is made of bluestone and is low; you can see inside by standing on tiptoe. In the courtyard, an old osmanthus tree has lush branches and leaves, and under the tree are four wooden tables and more than a dozen bamboo chairs.
A handwritten wooden sign hung under the eaves. "The proprietress isn't here; the wine's in the jar, pour it yourself."
When Nan Feng stood at the courtyard gate, it was just past noon. Sunlight filtered through the leaves of the osmanthus tree, scattering golden fragments on the ground.
He sensed a familiar presence in the courtyard. The golden-black patterns of the Rakshasa God Curse lurked deep within her soul, much fainter than when she was in the Slaughter City, but still there.
"Come in, you're just standing there like a doorman."
Hu Liena's voice came from behind the house. The Nan Feng swept past the old osmanthus tree and saw her leaning against the bar, wiping glasses.
The bar counter was made from an old door panel and placed on top of two wine vats. Hu Liena wore a faded dark red dress, her blonde hair was loosely tied back, and a few strands of hair fell beside her ears.
Her fox tail retracted. Nan Feng sensed that the essence of the fox tail within her soul was still intact, but it no longer needed to maintain its Martial Soul in a physical form.
She wiped the cup slowly, but her gaze drifted over. Her golden fox eyes appeared pale in the afternoon light, like two pieces of amber worn thin by time.
"The busy man has arrived."
Hu Liena put down her glass, walked out from behind the bar, and picked up an unopened jar of wine.
"I heard you've cultivated to become an immortal? The whole Heaven Dou City is buzzing with the news that a thousand-foot-tall tower exploded in the sky Jialing Pass, suppressing two deities from the Spirit Hall."
Nan Feng sat down on the bamboo chair. The nine-story bronze pagoda spun in his palm, its azure-gold Immortal Mark flowing with golden immortal light, and the Nine Heavens Treasure Pearl at the top of the pagoda emitted a tri-colored interwoven immortal radiance.
He sensed the Rakshasa Curse trembling, like a snake that had been dormant for many years smelling the scent of its natural enemy.
"You sensed it."
Hu Liena sat down opposite him and slammed the wine jar on the table. Her movements were casual, but Nan Feng noticed that her fingertips were trembling.
"The Rakshasa Curse," Nan Feng said, "I can break it now."
Hu Liena froze. The smile on her face froze, and her golden fox eyes suddenly contracted.
From the Slaughter City to Jialing Pass, from the Spirit Hall to this small tavern Heaven Dou City, the golden-black shackles in her soul have followed her for over a decade.
The Rakshasa God Curse, personally planted by Bibi Dong, suppressed her Martial Soul Origin and distorted her Soul Power meridians. Every time she used her charm power, her soul was torn apart.
She thought this curse would stay with her for the rest of her life.
"What did you say?" Hu Liena's voice was very soft.
The Nan Feng levitated the tower to chest level. The nine-story bronze tower turned in the afternoon light, its lapis Immortal Mark shimmering with golden light.
He sensed the full extent of the Rakshasa Curse. Golden and black shackles were wrapped around her Martial Soul Core, each loop tightening extremely deeply.
"The Rakshasa Curse in your soul," Nan Feng said, "I can now break it."
Hu Liena remained silent for a long time. She looked down at her hands.
From their first meeting in the Slaughter City, she knew that this man possessed a soul capable of devouring the power of Rakshasa Power. From that day on, she had been waiting. Now that the time had come, she was at a loss for words.
Will it hurt?
Nan Feng shook his head. "There will be a little, but it won't last long."
Hu Liena looked up at him. She took a deep breath and placed her hands flat on the table, palms up.
"Bring it on."
Nan Feng infused her soul with Primordial World Immortal Power. Golden immortal light surged from the tower, flowing along his fingertips into Hu Liena's palm, and then through her meridians to the Martial Soul Core.
Sensing the approaching Immortal Power, the Rakshasa Curse suddenly contracted. The golden-black shackles trembled on the Martial Soul Core, and the phantoms of the Death Spider Emperor and the Soul Devouring Spider Emperor emitted silent hiss from the depths of the curse.
Hu Liena shuddered, her back straightening. Her golden fox eyes widened, and the golden-black pattern deep within them became clearly visible.
The Rakshasa Curse shattered inch by inch under the impact of the divine light.
The first shackle shattered, its golden-black fragments turning to dust in the celestial light. The second shattered, and a section of her Martial Soul Core shone brightly.
The third one shattered. The following ones shattered one after another, at an increasingly faster pace. Golden immortal light poured in from the cracks, swallowing up all the fragments of the Rakshasa Curse.
Something was released from Hu Liena's soul. A surge of Soul Power that had been suppressed for over a decade exploded from the depths of her Martial Soul Core —the most primal power of her allure.
As that power surged forth, Hu Liena's golden hair moved without wind, and the golden light in her fox eyes intensified.
Then the curse shattered.
The last shackle vanished in the celestial light. Hu Liena's soul suddenly felt lighter, and the golden-black pattern that had followed her for over a decade disappeared.
Her Martial Soul Core was exposed in the golden immortal light, enveloped and nourished by the Primordial World Immortal Power. The fragments of the Rakshasa Curse melted away completely in the immortal light.
Hu Liena trembled, and tears welled up in her eyes.
She didn't cry out loud, she just sat there. Tears rolled down her golden fox eyes, one by one, landing on the table and in her outstretched palms.
She looked down at her hands. Golden celestial light lingered between her fingers, and the traces of the Rakshasa Curse were dissipating.
"I'm free." Her voice was very soft.
Nan Feng retracted the tower. He sensed that the shackles had completely disappeared. Her Martial Soul Core was repairing itself under the nourishment of immortal light, and the alluring power that had been suppressed for more than ten years was growing anew.
"The proprietress's special brew," Nan Feng said.
Hu Liena looked up at him. Tears streamed down her face, and the corners of her mouth curved into a smile. She wiped her face, stood up, walked behind the bar, and pulled out a tightly sealed jar of wine from the back.
When the mud seal was broken, a rich aroma of wine burst forth, causing the leaves of the old osmanthus trees in the courtyard to tremble.
"I've buried this jar of wine for twelve years." Hu Liena walked back carrying the jar and slammed it on the table. "I buried it the year Slaughter City. I originally planned never to open it for the rest of my life."
She poured a bowl for Nan Feng and one for herself. The wine was amber in color, swirling in the bowls and reflecting the afternoon light.
Hu Liena picked up the bowl and raised it towards the Nan Feng.
"This drink is on me," she said. "I'll treat you for life."
Nan Feng picked up the bowl. He sensed that something within Hu Liena's soul had completely changed. After the curse dissipated, her soul was clean and whole, her golden fox eyes reflecting the azure- Golden Immortal light of the tower, no longer shadowed.
The two tilted their heads back and drank the wine in their bowls.
Hu Liena put down the bowl, looked at the remaining wine at the bottom of the empty bowl, and suddenly smiled.
That smile was different from her usual smile; it lacked any allure or calculation. It was just a pure, innocent smile.
"You know, back in the Slaughter City, I thought my life was over. I'd either die on the battlefield or be tormented to death by the curse. Then you appeared and said you could break my curse. I believed you then, but only a little. Because no one has ever been able to break the curse of the Rakshasa God."
"And now?" Nan Feng asked.
Hu Liena looked at him. She reached out and patted the wine jar.
"Now? From now on, this tavern will only be open to you."
Nan Feng retrieved the tower into his palm. He sensed the Golden Core in his dantian spinning, indicating that the second realm of Immortal Dao had been stabilized, and the Nine-Layer Cycle within the tower was endlessly regenerating.
The Rakshasa Curse in Hu Liena's soul had completely dissipated, and her Martial Soul Core was regenerating under the nourishment of immortal light, making her golden fox essence even purer than before. Her fox tail unfurled from behind, its golden-red tail swaying in the afternoon light, the tips of its fur glistening with golden immortal light.
"Hu Liena."
"Um."
"You don't need to call her 'boss lady' anymore."
Hu Liena paused for a moment, then smiled. She picked up the wine jar, poured herself another bowl, tilted her head back, drank it all, and wiped her mouth with her sleeve.
"Okay. What will you call me?"
Nan Feng did not answer. He picked up the bowl and drank the last drop of wine. The wine went down his throat with the fragrance of osmanthus, just like the scent of the old osmanthus tree in the courtyard.
Hu Liena leaned back in the bamboo chair, her golden-red fox tail swaying behind her, her golden fox eyes half-closed, like a fox that had been relieved of a heavy burden.
The leaves of the old osmanthus tree rustled in the afternoon breeze. The Golden Immortal light emanating from the pagoda overflowed from the palm of Nan Feng's hand, intertwining with the golden light on the tip of Hu Liena's fox tail in the air.
At the end of this gravel path Heaven Dou City, there is a small courtyard made of bluestone, an old osmanthus tree, and two bowls of wine that have been drunk dry.