chsdbacks Chapter 7: The Formless Soul
Chapter 7: The Formless Soul
The night was dark and the wind was high.
The hill behind Sitong Martial Arts School was originally a flat area. When the school was first established, the owner, Chongxin, felt there wasn't enough place to relax, so he insisted on having people build a 30-meter-high hill by hand and plant it with peach trees, which were his wife Fu Huiying's favorite flowers. This 30-meter-high "Mountain of Yearning for My Wife" became a beautiful story praised by everyone in Chuan County.
In previous years, when the peach blossoms were in full bloom, Chongxin would always bring his wife to the mountain for a few days. This year, however, he was away on a mission and missed the blooming season. Now, only fallen petals remain on the mountain.
Apart from a few servants on night watch at the foot of the mountain, there are few people around on ordinary days.
Tonight, however, is an exception.
The pavilion on the mountaintop is surrounded by peach trees on three sides, with only a gap on the north side revealing a few scattered lights from the city—the lights of those who are still working to make a living.
Inside the pavilion, the burning impulse from before suddenly subsided. Exhausted, Fu Huiying slumped weakly against the cool wooden railing.
Her red lips parted slightly, exhaling warm, moist breath, her blush still lingering.
A low sigh echoed in the darkness; it was Zhang Ping. He felt completely relaxed, every pore radiating comfort.
Chongxin had only been back at the martial arts school for a little over a month, and he never expected that Madam Fu would dare to sneak in at night and bring him to this back mountain for a secret rendezvous. Her audacity was outrageous, but it also perfectly satisfied the irrepressible impulse in his heart.
The evening breeze, carrying a chill, brushed against his skin, and Zhang Ping shivered. He quickly draped his outer garment over Fu Huiying's shoulders and back, his arms naturally encircling her soft waist, pulling her into his embrace.
Even through her thin clothes, I could feel the warmth of her skin and the slight perspiration.
"Madam...you've got some nerve," Zhang Ping chuckled in a low voice, though his own voice trembled slightly.
To have an affair with the martial arts school's owner's wife right under the school's nose? If this gets out, he wouldn't have enough lives to pay for it!
"Don't...don't let anyone know..." Fu Huiying's breath was uneven, and her small hand weakly touched his firm chest.
The soft touch in his palm made Zhang Ping's heart skip a beat. He fell silent. Once on this ship, it seemed unlikely he'd find peace. If he'd known she was a woman of high moral character, he should have taken the money and found another martial arts school, or simply left Lingchuan far behind.
"If you do this... what about the master..." Knowing that mentioning Chongxin at this moment would be extremely inappropriate, Zhang Ping couldn't help but probe. Chongxin was a martial artist at the Refining Realm, one of the top figures in Lingchuan. Martial artists possess abundant blood and qi; even if he didn't have his extraordinary talent, he couldn't possibly be...
When Chongxin was mentioned, a fleeting look of disdain flashed across Fu Huiying's face. Zhang Ping saw it clearly and his heart skipped a beat: all the rumors about them being so lovey-dovey outside, but this is what's really going on inside?
"Him?" Fu Huiying snorted coldly.
"He's not even a man!" She uttered this one sentence, then pursed her lips and said nothing more.
Zhang Ping's curiosity was like being scratched by a cat's claws, but seeing her expression, he ultimately suppressed it. He changed the subject:
"Madam, I'm a little short on cash. You see..." Zhang Ping asked the woman for money without any remorse.
Fu Huiying didn't even look up: "There are silver notes in the left pocket of your clothes. One thousand taels. Is that enough?"
"That's enough! That's more than enough!" Zhang Ping's face immediately broke into a smile. One thousand taels! Enough for him to brand the horse leg beast pattern, and he could even ponder other beast patterns!
……
"Fang Tou, that kid's been holed up in the martial arts gym like a coward, even having the kitchen staff do the grocery shopping! Are we just going to sit here and do nothing?"
In a dark alley diagonally opposite the Sitong Martial Arts School, a man holding a dagger was anxiously scratching at the mottled wall with the tip of the blade. The wall was already covered with marks of varying depths, some of which were even carved into the blue bricks.
"What's the rush! He can't possibly stay inside and lay his eggs, can he? He'll have to come out and breathe eventually! Keep a close eye on him!" The man with a long sword at his waist hissed. A hideous centipede-shaped scar crawled from the corner of his eye across the bridge of his nose and disappeared into his neck below his collar.
"But... what about the master..." Mentioning the master, the man with the dagger froze, instinctively shrinking his neck.
The scarred man gave him a cold glance: "The master has plenty of things he's interested in, he doesn't need this one. Besides—" He paused, his tone carrying a hint of barely perceptible contemplation, "The master probably doesn't have the mind to deal with this right now."
……
Tonight, the Demon Exorcism Bureau of Lingchuan County is brightly lit, as bright as day.
Seated at the head of the hall, Chu Hanwei's face was frosty. Her cold gaze swept over the long list presented by her subordinates, her voice devoid of any warmth:
"Is there any clue as to the demon's whereabouts?"
"Replying to...Replying to the Chief, not yet..." The one who answered was a burly man, eight feet tall, with a fierce face like a demon god, but at this moment he looked like a child who had done something wrong, his tongue tied in knots. Sitting on both sides of the hall were all elite members of the Demon Extermination Division, but at this moment they all held their breath and dared not even utter a sound.
Click!
A sharp cracking sound of wood breaking echoed clearly in the deathly silent hall!
Chu Hanwei actually crushed a corner of the hard rosewood armrest beneath her seat! The surging blood and qi within her surged, almost uncontrollable.
"What a fine demon-slaying bureau of Lingchuan!" The voice was like a blade chilled to the bone.
"Demons have broken through the city's defenses! Thousands of people have been silently devoured by demons! If someone hadn't risked their life to spread the news, the west side of the city would be a living hell by now! And you couldn't even find a single clue?"
Anger surged within her. Less than a month into her term, she had stumbled upon such a thorny issue! The magistrate was being controlled by a demon, and the entire city was kept in the dark! If she hadn't happened to be returning from outside the city and passing through the west side, keenly sensing the violent and chaotic demonic energy that was breaking through to the next realm, and forcibly interrupting the demon's ascension process, the consequences would have been unimaginable!
Even so, it was too late when she discovered it. Within half a month, thousands of able-bodied men in the western city had vanished without a trace, becoming food for demons. If the county government hadn't received reports of disappearances but deliberately suppressed the news, such a catastrophe could never have occurred!
"Judging from the lingering demonic aura, it must be the work of the 'Formless Soul'," an elderly man with graying temples said in a deep voice in the hall. His name was Ling Qi, and he had served in the Exorcism Division of Lingchuan for decades. He had a good understanding of the habits of the demons around him and had read through many ancient books and secret files that recorded demons.
"The Formless Soul is a demonic soul, formless and intangible, which can only survive by parasitizing a host. This demon devours the essence of living beings to strengthen itself, and also has a wicked ability to share power with its host! Therefore, there are always those with evil intentions who are willing to let the demon enter their bodies in order to achieve quick success."
"This demon has two souls, Yin and Yang. Usually, the Yin soul inhabits a male body, and the Yang soul inhabits a female body. Regardless of gender, once possessed, it will transform into a monster that is neither Yin nor Yang. However..." Ling Qi's voice grew increasingly solemn.
"Historical records state that there was once a strange case in the Great Wei Dynasty where a vengeful spirit possessed the body of a woman! The woman possessed was exceptionally beautiful, and during sexual intercourse, she could silently absorb the vital essence of a man, making her extremely difficult to detect!"
"Back then, that witch used such evil magic to wreak havoc on the entire prefecture! Half of the martial artists were drained of their life force and turned into dried corpses! Even experts above the Refining Realm, such as those at the Bone Forging and Blood Essence Realms, could not resist her allure!"
Even... even the Marrow Transformation Realm experts who rushed to her aid from the capital fell at her feet, willingly becoming her lackeys! In the end, the imperial court was furious, and the Demon Extermination Bureau mobilized all its forces, fighting a bloody battle for three days and nights before the matter was finally quelled...
Ling Qi's voice was filled with fear: "That catastrophe...it was a devastation, with hundreds of thousands dead!"
"From that time on, the Demon Extermination Bureau showed no more contempt for the Formless Soul; they would kill it on sight, without hesitation!"
Upon hearing the words "Formless Soul," the faces of everyone in the hall turned deathly pale. This was one of the demons they least wanted to face, possessing unparalleled abilities in stealth and concealment!
and……
All eyes, without prior arrangement, secretly turned to Chu Hanwei, who was sitting in the main seat.
Chu Hanwei's face was also ashen, her eyebrows almost standing on end. She abruptly stood up, shattered wooden splinters falling to the ground, her expression carrying an undeniable resolve:
"Issue my order! The entire Demon Extermination Division is to be mobilized! Even if it means digging three feet into the ground and turning the whole city of Lingchuan upside down, spare no expense to find that demon!"
"Yes, sir!" The crowd in the hall roared in response, their killing intent soaring to the sky!