103 - Little Peasant Wife

As she pondered, the cunning girl before her clearly cared a great deal about the beautiful half-spirit from earlier. If she could leverage control over the half-spirit, it would ensure the girl's obedience. Regarding the girl's potential... Truth be told, having spent many years in the world of cultivation, she'd heard of numerous single-spirit cultivators. Even within major sects and families, such individuals were eagerly sought after for their exceptional aptitude. Not to mention, the girl possessed a pure yin body that complemented her single water spirit root, promising unparalleled progress in her cultivation journey. Such a physical constitution was the envy of female cultivators across the land, and an irresistible lure for many demonic cultivators seeking the perfect vessel to absorb and replenish their own power. Her own aptitude was rather ordinary, merely having triple spirit roots. Reaching the Golden Core stage was nearly her ceiling. However, if she could cultivate this child to the Foundation Establishment stage, she might seize the opportunity to possess her body. With the girl's extraordinary constitution, she would undoubtedly surpass the Golden Core stage, possibly advancing to the Nascent Soul stage, or even higher into the legendary realms. A gleam of anticipation shone in the Guo Shi's eyes as she envisioned herself ascending to great power, exacting revenge on her family with wind and rain at her command. She narrowed her eyes, glancing downward at Zhang Qiao Er, who looked on in confusion yet with admiration and reverence, swelling her with pride. She approached Shen Lu Man, raising a hand to grasp her throat, ready to finish off the female cultivator. The half-spirit appeared to be just a child, still young. With proper guidance, she wouldn’t remember today's events. Even if she did, her mere mortal aptitude posed no threat under her dominion. With these thoughts, she activated her dark arts, beginning to siphon the spiritual energy from Shen Lu Man. Shen Lu Man felt powerless. This wasn't her first encounter with the ruthless cultivation world, but this time she couldn't die. She couldn't leave Liu Er to this malignant woman. Summoning every last ounce of strength, she tried to muster her spiritual energy for one final counterattack, hoping to buy time for Liu Er until Jing Ao Xue arrived to take her away. Her mind was clouded, her planning was far from perfect. She forgot that Jing Ao Xue, like her, was only a third-level Qi Refinement cultivator. Against a Foundation Establishment Guo Shi, they stood no chance. Yet she couldn't worry about all that. Anger surged within her, green lines surfaced on her face as her spiritual energy roiled uncontrollably inside her. Seeing this, the Guo Shi stood stunned, exclaiming, "A demon kin... no, a human's aura. You're a half-demon?!" In her years, she'd never encountered a living half-demon before. She dismissed Shen Lu Man's desperate struggle, moving closer to curiously absorb her spiritual energy. That energy was indeed different from typical cultivators, bubbling with vibrant life and restless undertones. She barely took a sip before the turbulent energy repelled her fiercely, and in fury, she squeezed tighter, bones cracking audibly as she drained the last breath from Shen Lu Man's body. Releasing her grasp, the Guo Shi regretfully let the lifeless form slump to the ground. She mused regretfully: if only she'd been gentler, she could have studied this half-demon thoroughly to see what kind of creature it truly was. And though it was only a residue, that vital energy had transformed her significantly. Her once wrinkled, slack skin instantly became white and smooth. She hurriedly retrieved a mirror from her storage bracelet, seeing a woman in her early thirties. The Guo Shi was ecstatic; her middle-aged visage had troubled her with constant unrest and anger, making her as volatile as an erupting volcano, prone to flying into a rage over trivial matters. She had tried everything to regain her youthful looks, keeping her from returning to the capital, forcibly confining herself to this desolate town's tedious compound. But now with her appearance mostly restored, if she could absorb a bit more spiritual energy from the female cultivator, she might completely regain the looks of a fifteen or sixteen-year-old. She eyed the body on the ground with increasing regret. Such a half-demon was a rare sight, even among demon cultivators, perhaps only appearing twice in a century, whenever the demon beast forests erupt in beast tides. Usually, demons and humans lived in separate worlds, not interfering with each other. But maybe one day… Wait, the girl said the little half-spirit was Shen Lu Man's daughter. That means the child might also carry demon blood?! The Guo Shi was immediately thrilled, moving to Zhang Qiao Er, asking, "Hand over the child to me." Tension-strung, Zhang Qiao Er hurriedly replied, "She's... critically injured, if—" The Guo Shi paid no mind, grabbing the unconscious Liu Er and using her dark arts to test the life force within the half-spirit. Mortal bodies contained spiritual energy, though scarce compared to cultivators. Her usual method was to draw energy from mortals, but without the necessary conditions, she impatiently attempted the most dangerous method instead. Not intending to take much, wary of killing the only remaining child with demon blood, she was quickly entranced by the delightful aura. Far superior to the half-demon's earlier, it overwhelmed her with comfort, banishing her previous reservations as she indulged recklessly. Doubt flickered in her mind—how could this simple mortal harbor life force and energy surpassing any cultivator she'd drained before? The question barely surfaced before she buried it, preparing to continue when suddenly the frail body in her grip opened its eyes. A flash of blood-red malevolence crossed her vivid hazel eyes. Sensing danger, it was too late; the girl spewed forth a blazing fire with apparent consciousness, inescapable, engulfing the Guo Shi in full. She was trapped as if in molten iron, searing pain forcing a piercing scream from her lips... Chapter 62: Hatred The Guo Shi writhed on the ground, her sharp cries of agony filling the air. Her protective robe was incinerated, leaving her fair skin blistered and burnt, quickly charring to ash. A moment ago, she was an all-powerful force, but now she was unable to protect herself. The sudden change left the onlookers stunned. Liu Er had long since been released, suspended in mid-air without support. Zhang Qiao Er, thrilled, tried to rush over to check on her. However, Liu Er cast her a blood-red glance, akin to being targeted by a predator, sending a wave of fear that rooted Zhang Qiao Er to the spot. The overwhelming sense of danger paralyzed her, unable to move a muscle. But Liu Er took no further action against her; she slowly raised a hand to her chest and murmured, "This fragile human body won't last long. What a bother, if only I hadn't agreed to that contract." Sighing, the presence controlling Liu Er's body was none other than Xiao Hui, the phoenix who had entered a master-servant contract with Liu Er. Xiao Hui had been in a dormant state within Liu Er, recovering from the severe injuries sustained in a battle with Li Mu’s fiery essence within Jing Ao Xue's dantian. Only a few days had passed, yet here her servant was, entangled in enormous trouble. Piecing together events from Liu Er’s consciousness, Xiao Hui realized the peril Liu Er faced from external threats. Furious that someone dared to harm her servant, she also discovered a flaw in the master-servant contract, which caused her to share Liu Er's pain, and the injuries slowly seeped onto her own being. She had awakened due to the agony radiating from Liu Er, whose mind was consumed with thoughts of her mother. Despite the pain muddling her awareness, Liu Er refused to relinquish control. Xiao Hui, unwilling to meet the same fate at the hands of the Guo Shi, persuaded Liu Er to rest momentarily so she could take charge of the body. However, Liu Er stubbornly resisted, relenting only when the Guo Shi choked her, siphoning away her spiritual energy, allowing Xiao Hui’s fury and tenacity to seize control forcibly. Still weak, Xiao Hui unleashed not her phoenix fire but the devoured Li Mu fire—a top ten legendary flame—sufficient to make even a Foundation Establishment Guo Shi suffer. Meanwhile, Liu Er's chatter continued incessantly within the mind, annoying Xiao Hui, who irritably kicked the fallen Guo Shi before moving to check Shen Lu Man's condition. Her fingers detected no pulse at Shen Lu Man’s neck, a clear sign that she had died. This realization jolted Liu Er's consciousness, prompting her to wail uncontrollably. Irritated by the noise, Xiao Hui muttered in exasperation, "Stop crying, there’s still a way!" Liu Er, hiccuping through her tears, inquired about the solution, making Xiao Hui ponder: the contract seemed to have landed her a master more than a servant, with every crisis demanding her intervention. Reluctantly, Xiao Hui maneuvered Shen Lu Man's dislocated neck, righting it with practiced ease. Unfazed by the two footsteps approaching from behind, she remained focused. Despite originally looking down on half-demons, Xiao Hui had grown somewhat accepting of Shen Lu Man’s existence in the mortal realm, seeing her resilience as more palatable compared to fragile humans. In the demon realm, half-demons faced severe prejudice due to their mixed blood, rejected by demon kind and regarded as weak. Half-demons typically fell into three categories: The first, where demon blood dominated, resulting in a beast-like appearance with intelligence akin to typical demon beasts. However, such individuals were held back by the human blood within them, often living short lives weaker than beasts. The second, where human blood prevailed, these were born with demonic features but essentially human, thus shunned by demons and ejected from their world. Weaker than even the first type, they carried demonic marks but lacked spiritual roots, leading lives as common mortals, often dying young unless beauty or skill led to another's patronage as a mere plaything in the cultivation realm. The rarest case—Shen Lu Man's—is a balance between human and demon blood, harmonious within, avoiding mutual interference.