Chapter Seventy-Eight: Clearing the Mist

The vigor and confidence of days past had vanished entirely. Within a few short days, the wealthy merchant’s wife could no longer endure such days of hunger and deprivation, so she, too, left with her child. It turned out all of this was thanks to Xuanyangzi’s counsel to the fox spirit.

At that time, Xuanyangzi had advised him, “Everything has already come to its destined conclusion. Even if you kill him, it would be nothing but a momentary vent of anger. Would that truly bring you joy? Why not spare his life, and let his remaining days serve to cleanse his sins?”

The fox spirit, hearing this, nodded in deep agreement, suddenly enlightened as if a new door had opened before him. He realized his previous intentions were far too feeble. To let the man live forever in despair and terror was far more satisfying than simply killing him. The fox spirit brought misfortune upon him, and the merchant’s affairs turned sour. Yet things were not over; the fox spirit was dissatisfied with such mild punishment and resolved to inflict greater suffering. The first thing he did was make the merchant experience the agony of family separation and loneliness after the tea has grown cold—a taste of the pain the innocent fox clan had endured.

But this was not enough; compared to the merchant’s previous deeds, the fox spirit felt he was being far too merciful. Because of his debts, the merchant was soon driven to ruin—his home destroyed, his family scattered. Paying back what one owes is only right, and even the authorities sided with the creditors. From then on, Shaoxing lost a once high-spirited merchant, but gained a crippled beggar on its streets.

Such is the fate of the pitiable; there must always be something in them to despise.

…

Somewhere in Hangzhou city.

A woman sat cross-legged, suddenly opened her eyes, clenched her fists, and growled in anger, “Who dares to plot against me?!”

She felt as though countless ants were crawling in her heart, unbearably itchy and anxious, as if she wished to tear it apart.

The woman hurriedly examined herself; upon discovering her body was unharmed, she finally breathed a little easier. Fortunately, it was not fatal—merely a disruptive spell. However, the fact that the perpetrator could strike her so quietly and invisibly meant they were no ordinary foe. Yet, no matter how she pondered, she could not fathom who she had offended, nor who nearby possessed such skill.

She thought for a while but could not make sense of it, so she resolved to set it aside for now. Her priority was to rid herself of the hidden danger within her body. For two days, she worked to dissolve the strange power inside her, but no matter how hard she tried, she could not move it even a fraction.

That power seemed invisible and untouchable, yet it undeniably existed. More curiously, she sensed it was guiding her, drawing her along in mysterious ways.

It seemed whoever was guiding her was the one who had plotted against her. The woman’s eyes flashed with fierce light. In hundreds of years, no one had ever dared to scheme against her. Today, she would find out which reckless soul had dared to try.

With that thought, she transformed into a flash of light, darted out the door, and vanished.

When she appeared again, she was already in Miao Shihai’s home. Seeing the people gathered around the camp platform, she was stunned, exclaiming in disbelief, “It’s you?!”

At the same time, Yi’an and Xuanyangzi exchanged glances and said almost in unison, “It’s you?!”

Miao Shihai, meanwhile, looked utterly bewildered, as if the others were familiar with this demon before him.

After several days of recuperation, Miao Shihai’s body had finally stabilized, free of earlier discomfort.

The woman turned her gaze to Miao Shihai, speaking with layered meaning, “I didn’t expect you to help them against me.”

She knew Miao Shihai was not to blame, yet she still felt deeply displeased.

“Huh?”

Miao Shihai was stunned, unsure what she meant. If he didn’t help the Daoist to exorcise evil, was he supposed to help the demon turn against his own kin?

Even Xuanyangzi and Yi’an couldn’t help but turn their attention to Miao Shihai, wondering if he might have some secret connection to the demon. Had his earlier words been mere deception?

Otherwise, why would she say such a thing?

As for whether the woman was lying, Xuanyangzi and Yi’an dismissed the idea immediately. Given her identity, she had no need to lie to them.

Miao Shihai quickly gave them an innocent look, feeling utterly wronged. He had no acquaintance whatsoever with the demon—he dared not even utter her name.

“Sir, perhaps there’s some misunderstanding here. This scholar is just an ordinary man, with no dealings with you,” Xuanyangzi said, observing Miao Shihai’s demeanor, which seemed genuine, and based on his prior knowledge, trusting his own judgment.

Meanwhile, Xuanyangzi dissolved his own spell. Since the enemy had already been drawn in, the invocation technique had lost its purpose. Though the spell could disturb her mind, it would not affect her battle prowess.

“Haha, there’s no mistake. It’s him,” the woman laughed, her beautiful eyes sparkling, a smile as lovely as a blooming peony, radiant and alluring.

“Miss Shen, could it be… he’s the one you’ve been looking for?” Yi’an mused.

Indeed, the woman before them was Shen Baiyu of Hangzhou city—the very demon Miao Shihai had encountered.

Yi’an suddenly recalled something: the first time he met Shen Baiyu, she had invited him to Zuihua Pavilion to confirm whether he was the person she sought. He now linked that event to Miao Shihai’s experience, and was immediately enlightened, as if the clouds had parted and the sun shone through. His mind cleared, and his scattered thoughts came together.

Shen Baiyu nodded. “Master Yi is correct. For today, I have waited several centuries. For your sake, I can overlook what happened today, but I must take him with me.”

Originally, she had been close to success, but the obedient and gentle Miao Shihai had suddenly changed—cunning and sly, he tricked her and escaped into the Jade Void Temple. Shen Baiyu was unwilling to let her prize slip away, so she pursued him, but as she stepped into the temple’s territory, a golden light struck her, injuring her.