Chapter 200: Mid-Autumn Massacre: A Trial!
Little Emerald said, “There might be a way to test her.”
Shi Hao looked at her expectantly.
Little Emerald said, “If that old woman has possessed her, no matter how well she disguises herself, she’ll be wary of you, Young Master. And her subconscious will still be her own, while Du Yuejiao’s memories will only be on the surface.
“On the other hand, if she’s still Du Yuejiao, she’ll trust you completely, without reservation. And even in a moment of passion, her subconscious habits won’t change.”
Shi Hao nodded, “I understand.”
He returned to the valley and found Du Yuejiao, her sword at her waist, looking around.
“Yuejiao,” he said, taking her hand, feigning relief, “I’ve been so worried about you these past few days. I’m glad you’re safe.”
Du Yuejiao, dressed in a beautiful robe, her figure graceful, her sash tied tightly around her slender waist, the pleated skirt falling to her ankles, looked down and whispered, “I’m glad you’re safe too, Brother Shi.”
“Let’s talk somewhere more private,” Shi Hao said, leading her away from the others.
They entered a small cave among the trees and rocks, and Shi Hao gently pushed her down.
“Brother Shi!” she said, her hands on his chest, turning her face away, “Why did you… run away like that…?”
“You mean when that old woman captured you?” Shi Hao, his arm around her waist, said softly, “She wanted the Blood Poison in my body. If I had stayed, she might have killed you. By running away, I forced her to keep you alive, to use you as a hostage.”
Although she had already figured this out, hearing him say it brought her a sense of relief, the lingering resentment fading away.
Shi Hao gently moved her hands aside, untied her sash, and his hands, exploring the curves of her body beneath her robe, made her blush.
“You’re always bullying me,” she whispered, her voice a mixture of playful complaint and pleasure, as she surrendered to his embrace, her cries echoing in the small cave.
He turned her over, his hands exploring, his touch leaving no part untouched.
Afterwards, exhausted but content, she nestled in his arms, drifting off to sleep.
Shi Hao was now certain she was still Yuejiao… No one else would tolerate such treatment.
And those subtle nuances, those involuntary reactions, those small signs of affection and trust… they couldn’t be faked.
As she slept, he gently took her wrist and checked her pulse, examining her energy flow.
Her Daoist internal elixir was indeed gone, replaced by a stronger demonic foundation.
And a chaotic demonic energy pulsed within her middle dantian.
“Little Emerald,” he whispered, “are you there?”
Little Emerald materialized beside him, “Y-yes, Young Master.” She had been watching, her eyes wide, a blush on her face.
She had never imagined such… variety.
And the way he had held the girl’s head, forcing her… and then, ignoring her protests, taken her from behind… was that even allowed?
She was now certain that Du Yuejiao was truly, deeply in love with him.
Anyone else, possessed or not, would have slapped him.
He was treating her like a toy!
She had watched, initially embarrassed, then increasingly… disturbed.
She wanted to hit him.
But she was now certain Du Yuejiao hadn’t been possessed.
Who else would tolerate such treatment?
Little Emerald extended her hands towards the sleeping girl, probing her memories, entering her dreams.
The girl, even in her sleep, was still being… tormented by her lover.
Little Emerald, stirring the girl’s dreams, exploring her subconscious, said, “It’s her. There’s no doubt.”
Shi Hao said, “But there’s a chaotic demonic energy in her middle dantian, replacing her Daoist internal elixir. And it’s incredibly powerful, perhaps even stronger than sixth-rank.”
Little Emerald whispered, “Two souls can’t occupy the same body for long. Since her own soul is still here, that old woman’s soul must have dissipated.
“But Yin Demons are different. They’re not human. We don’t know how much of her soul has been corrupted, but she’s definitely afflicted by demonic influence. The Yin Demon is lurking within her, waiting for an opportunity to take control.”
“It will offer her power, making her stronger, but also more susceptible to its influence. It’s a one-way path. Once her soul is completely consumed, she’ll be gone.”
Shi Hao asked, “What can we do?”
Little Emerald shook her head, “Not much. We can only try to prevent her from using that power. The power granted by Yin Demons is tempting, easy to access, and their whispers are seductive. She has to resist it herself. We can’t help her.”
Shi Hao, holding Yuejiao, stroking her smooth skin, felt a pang of guilt.
Although he had had no choice at the time, it was his decision to flee that had led to this.
He wondered if Su Mei could help.
The next full moon was tomorrow night.
Du Yuejiao woke up just before dawn.
Shi Hao talked to her about what had happened, warning her to be careful, to resist the Yin Demon’s influence.
He told her about the hidden power within her, a power that, if unleashed, would further corrupt her.
The Hun was life, the Po was consciousness.
In the early stages of demonic affliction, only the Po was affected.
The Yin Demon would whisper in her mind, amplifying her desires, twisting her thoughts, tempting her to use its power.
But when the Hun was also corrupted, her actions would no longer be her own.
Little Emerald believed that only one or two of Du Yuejiao’s seven Po had been affected so far.
It was still manageable.
But if her three Hun were also corrupted, it would be too late.
Du Yuejiao herself felt… different.
Shi Hao’s words frightened her, strengthening her resolve to be cautious.
As dawn broke, sunlight streamed into the cavern.
The electrical energy on the surface, having sunk into the earth, mingled with the spiritual energy within the mountains.
The world was quiet, the trees withered and dead, the animals either gone or their bodies scattered across the desolate landscape.
It was the Mid-Autumn Festival, a day of celebration in the outside world.
But here, a heavy silence hung in the air, a sense of impending doom.
Little Emerald left to meet with Sha Lingshan, informing her of their agreement with Little Demonic Mother.
Shi Hao rejoined the others, and Xiang Gu gave him the Azure Sky Vermilion Fruit.
It was in a square, green jade box.
Inside, the fruit, pink and translucent, like a fairy peach, radiated a faint, cool light.
Of the four main ingredients Shi Hao needed for his next breakthrough, three were now in his possession: the Illusory Sea Spirit Fruit, the Molting Snake Reverse Scale, and now, the Azure Sky Vermilion Fruit.
The Azure Sky Vermilion Fruit had been the most difficult to obtain, since the Immortal Qilin’s Blessed Land, where it grew, had been destroyed by Su Mei three hundred years ago, transformed into the Demonic Qilin’s Lair.
Now, he had it.
The Illusory Sea Lingzhi shouldn’t be a problem; Yuejiao could likely obtain it for him.
The remaining ingredient, the Dream Grass, only grew in the East Sea Dragon Palace. He would have to go there eventually.
He carefully put away the Azure Sky Vermilion Fruit.
At noon, the sunlight, streaming down into Wu Gorge, made the air unnaturally hot and oppressive.
A series of tremors echoed from below, and a red miasma seeped through the cracks in the earth.
The Poisonous Sunflower Sect had begun their attack.
Their initial plan to use the Plague Stars to weaken the Shen Ting Sect, thwarted by Shi Hao, they had resorted to using poison and a direct assault.
Even on the surface, the tremors and rumbles from below indicated the intensity of the battle.
They didn’t rush in but waited.
As the sun began to set, beams of light erupted from the ground.
Looking down from a high vantage point, Shi Hao saw eight pillars of light, arranged according to the eight trigrams, their runes glowing faintly, rising from the cracked earth.
It was a Bagua formation.
As the formation activated, the electrical energy on the surface sank into the earth, revealing the scarred and desolate landscape, the charred and broken trees like the skeletal remains of a once-beautiful woman, a disturbing sight.
Once you have seen the vast ocean, all other waters seem mundane; once you have seen the clouds of Wu Mountain, all other clouds are profane.
If they couldn’t protect the spiritual energy here, this ancient poem would become a lament.
The collapse of Wu Gorge, the shifting of the Long River… it would be a catastrophe.
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