73 - Confession (Ying Cheng)

**Chapter 73: The Mystery Box** Yan Jue focused intently on Qi Xianqing's fair hands, curious about the contents hidden within the Demon Lord's Bag of Wonders. Qi Xianqing moved swiftly, retrieving an item from the bag. It was a garlicky-shaped jade bottle, intricately carved with a serpent's body, its sinister fangs baring fiercely, exuding a faint red glow. Qi Xianqing frowned slightly, shook the bottle, and a sloshing sound came from within. She opened the bottle and sniffed. Yan Jue was slightly taken aback, "This is..." Qi Xianqing replied, "It's Yin Spirit Water." "Yin Spirit Water is a demonic liquid used to enhance the battle prowess of souls; it can also be used to nurture ghosts. Typically, only demonic cultivators utilize this." Yan Jue interjected, "For body possession." A brief silence descended upon the room. In demonic sects, body possession was not uncommon. Souls would leave their original bodies to seize control of another. The soul originally within the seized body would be forcibly expelled—at best, becoming a wandering ghost, at worst, completely obliterated. Qi Xianqing nodded slightly, "Indeed." "When cultivators consume Yin Spirit Water, their soul becomes stronger when outside the body, increasing the likelihood of successfully seizing another's body." After a moment's pause, Qi Xianqing reached back into the Bag of Wonders and produced another item. It was a copper mirror, seemingly ordinary. Yan Jue fell silent as she observed it. If she remembered correctly, this should be... Qi Xianqing knit her brows, "This is called a Heart-Guarding Mirror. If tied to the chest, it can deflect most spells and magical attacks." As expected. This was a magical artifact the male protagonist in the original story once used. Of course, it was given by the Demon Lord to him. The Heart-Guarding Mirror had saved the male protagonist from a deadly blow by a demon in a certain secret realm. Yan Jue accepted the Heart-Guarding Mirror, examining it carefully. While its defensive capabilities were ordinary, its ability to reflect an opponent's spells in their entirety was quite remarkable. She placed it on the table, "Go on, Senior Sister, draw another." Qi Xianqing's eyes flickered and suddenly passed the Bag of Wonders to her, "You draw the next one, Junior Sister." Yan Jue grinned, "Alright, we'll each take a turn." She was rather intrigued; this was like opening a mystery box. Qi Xianqing couldn't help but smile at how enthusiastic Yan Jue looked. Yan Jue reached into the bag and retrieved something with a light flick. She was startled. It turned out to be three nails. The nails were somewhat dark, emitting a faint purple hue, and razor-sharp—clearly not ordinary items. Qi Xianqing mused, "These are Penetrating Bone Nails. They carry a dark attribute and, upon contact with flesh, automatically pierce through bone, causing excruciating pain to the struck person." Qi Xianqing was like a walking encyclopedia. Even more detailed than Duan Luxi. Dusk settled, as the light gradually dimmed in the room. Yan Jue propped her chin up, examining the Penetrating Bone Nails. These, too, were sinister artifacts the male protagonist once used in the original story, having slain a fifth-realm demon beast. These nefarious items, oozing malevolence at a mere touch, would require further identification at the Artifact Refinement Hall once retrieved. The Bone Nails seemed stained with a bloody aura, and even if they were in one's possession, they dared not misuse them lightly. It was Qi Xianqing's turn for the fourth draw. She infused the Bag of Wonders with a trace of spirituality, reached in, and pulled something out. A stamp crafted from vivid green jade. Upon flipping it, the word "Gu" was carved beneath. Qi Xianqing mused, "This is the Ten Thousand Gu Seal, also the Demonic Sect's possession." Yan Jue recalled seeing this seal in the original, used by the male protagonist. Injecting spirituality into the seal and applying it to a cultivator would bind them with Gu poison. Gu poison came in various forms, with the seductive poison Yan Jue encountered a few days ago being one of the most lethal. Which type did this particular seal carry? For the fifth time, it was Yan Jue's turn. It was an umbrella. Yan Jue's pupils slightly contracted. Qi Xianqing took the umbrella, slowly opened it. It was a pale cyan oil-paper umbrella. When unfurled, the texture of bamboo and wood was clearly visible. Yan Jue's eyes widened further as Qi Xianqing opened the umbrella and disappeared right before her. Qi Xianqing then closed it, musing, "This umbrella has concealing powers." She was a bit surprised. She had read countless artifacts' records but had never encountered such an umbrella-shaped artifact... Moreover, judging by its quality, it wasn't inferior, yet inexplicably absent from the records. Invisibility artifacts were scarce, and even a high-level Invisibility Elixir could only briefly conceal a person's aura. Against powerful beings with strong spiritual senses, it was ineffective. Yet this umbrella could render the holder completely invisible. Yan Jue knew it was more than that. This umbrella, named the Cloud Veil Umbrella, was among the male protagonist's five great artifacts in later stages and could completely conceal one's presence, deceiving even the heavens! For the sixth draw, Qi Xianqing seemed to grasp something but frowned. A strong scent of blood wafted into the air. She returned what she had felt into the bag, withdrawing her hand only to find it covered in fresh blood. Yan Jue was startled, "What is it?" Qi Xianqing peered into the Bag of Wonders, spotting a faintly red object, "It's a Sage's Heart. A Seven Apertures Linglong Heart." "This is a rare material used by demonic cultivators for alchemy." Demonic cultivation techniques were devised for those eager for results and typically involved little advancement; instead, killing could substitute cultivation. Hence Qi Xianqing's strong disdain for demonic cultivators. As the sun receded behind the mountains, leaving a deep purple hue in the sky, the two continued drawing items from the mysterious bag. The seventh draw produced an oddly shaped puppet, another sinister artifact Yan Jue recognized from the original story. The eighth draw revealed a fiery red fruit, trapped in millennium-old ice, still glowing faintly. Qi Xianqing mused, "It's a Spirit Candle Fruit, a rare fire attribute spiritual fruit, exclusive to Spirit Candle Trees on Kunlun Mountain, in the Northern Realm." "Once picked, it withers immediately. A special preservation method is necessary." Yan Jue pondered, "Does it enhance cultivation significantly?" Qi Xianqing replied, "It's akin to a tonic. Initially, it won't help with cultivation, but over time, it offers qualitative improvement." However, with only one fruit available, its immediate use seemed lacking. Yan Jue's interest piqued, "I would like this Spirit Candle Fruit." Qi Xianqing handed it to her. For the ninth draw, Yan Jue pulled out a gourd of pills. "There are so many pills," Yan Jue commented as she spilled them out—pale blue pills rolling across the table. Qi Xianqing frowned slightly, "They're all Beast-Nurturing Pills." Yan Jue was puzzled, "Aren't those for nurturing spirit beasts…?" It was odd indeed. Despite the heavily injured Demon Lord residing in the cave, she carried not healing nor energy-recovering pills but a heap of Beast-Nurturing Pills. Yan Jue suddenly thought of the beast egg under the bed. She remembered noticing the Demon Lord nurturing the egg within the cave for a long time. Could these Beast-Nurturing Pills be specifically for that egg? What kind of beast was within that egg, and why was the Demon Lord so intent on hatching it? Qi Xianqing asked, "Do you know who inhabited that cave?" Yan Jue suddenly had the feeling that Qi Xianqing already knew who resided there long ago. Yan Jue quietly said, "The cave housed an esteemed demonic sect practitioner." As she spoke, Qi Xianqing seemed to have deduced it as well. Qi Xianqing didn't probe into how Yan Jue came across such knowledge about the cave's inhabitant, which gave Yan Jue some relief. In the end, they could draw no more items. Qi Xianqing and Yan Jue divided the artifacts. Yan Jue kept the Cloud Veil Umbrella and the Spirit Candle Fruit, while Qi Xianqing sent the dubious artifacts for appraisal at the Artifact Refinement Hall. Then their attention turned to the egg in the corner of the room. The beast egg had been pinned beneath the Demon Lord's corpse when they found it in the cave. By the time they moved the body, it was already disfigured, likely because the Demon Lord, though departed, continued to feed it with her essence. After inspecting it, Qi Xianqing found it to be a regular beast egg, not some malevolent entity. "Do you know how to hatch it?" she asked. "All the mysteries might be resolved once it hatches." Yan Jue was stumped; she hadn't learned how to nurture a spirit beast egg. Qi Xianqing approached the egg, extending her right hand, infusing it with a trace of true energy. Cracks began to show on the dark, glossy beast egg as... A strong fluorescent glow emanated from the previously dark beast egg. Qi Xianqing advised, "By infusing true energy into this beast egg daily, it won't be long before it hatches." --- After Qi Xianqing left with the artifacts to be identified, Yan Jue lay back on her bed, her palm resting over the beast egg as she infused a trickle of true energy into it. The egg, in response, gleamed vigorously with spiritual light. Yan Jue even wondered if it might explode the next second. Once she had tended to the egg for a while, she closed her eyes and let her spiritual consciousness sink inwards. Her body began to shrink until she transformed into the form of a little red fox. She shook her fur and twitched her ears before leaping out through the window. She intended to see what Qi Xianqing was up to. The small fox padded along the familiar mountain path and soon arrived at the misty cold pool. Despite the hot summer weather, the cold pool was an ideal spot to cool down. However, since not many knew of its location, it remained secluded even during the Wufeng Summit. Yan Jue, with her tail swaying, arrived at the Ice Peach Orchard and looked up to find Qi Xianqing watering the peach trees with a water ladle. Apparently, Qi Xianqing had only just arrived at the orchard, still dressed in her pleated skirt, with the fairy sword Zhuying hanging from her back. Whether it was just an illusion or not, Yan Jue noticed the once-pale, plump ice peaches seemed larger and radiated more spiritual energy. This was all thanks to Qi Xianqing's diligent care. Hearing the tiny footsteps, Qi Xianqing turned her head, a slight smile softening her features. "You're here." Yan Jue scampered over with tiny steps, nuzzling against Qi Xianqing's knee. Placing the water ladle by the well, Qi Xianqing ran a hand through her slightly disheveled hair, crouching to stroke the fox’s fur. "Your fur’s a bit dirty." Yan Jue typically kept herself clean, but after the recent rain, crossing the mountain roads had left her fur matted with foliage and dew. Picking her up, Qi Xianqing mumbled to herself, "I'm about to take a bath anyway, so I might as well wash your fur too." Yan Jue: ? Taken aback, Yan Jue shook her head vigorously, took a step back, and let out a protesting "Woof!" Qi Xianqing seemed momentarily surprised by those amber-colored, elongated phoenix eyes. "You don't want to?" With a soft chuckle, she set the fox down and gestured for it to follow her. Inside the cabin, everything was in its usual place, with a wooden bathtub sitting in the corner. The tub was filled with hot water, steaming gently, carrying a soothing aroma of herbs. The little fox took just one glance before scurrying to the bed. Suddenly, Qi Xianqing's voice called from behind, "Will you keep me company? I've lit fewer candles today, and I'm feeling a bit scared." The room was indeed dimly lit. In the quiet space, her voice sounded particularly forlorn, halting Yan Jue in her tracks, the tiny fox seemingly frozen in place. Qi Xianqing lifted her snow-white hand, undoing her collar slowly, allowing her inner garment to slip down, revealing her slender neck. Yan Jue stiffly sat down by the tub like a wooden stake, avoiding looking around arbitrarily. Her heart pounded like it might leap out of her chest; the faint sound of water above only amplified her unease. After what felt like an eternity, the sound of water echoed once more. Qi Xianqing donned her inner garment, tied her sash with delicate fingers, and cast a glance at the immobile fox on the floor, her eyes shimmering subtly. The little fox sat frozen, its spine rigid, four tails tucked tightly behind. Yan Jue heard footsteps approaching. Knowing Qi Xianqing had finished her bath, she was just about to exhale a sigh of relief when her entire being stiffened again. She found herself hoisted from behind, with Qi Xianqing’s arms cradling her gently from beneath. Startled, Yan Jue placed its front paws onto Qi Xianqing’s shoulders. Pulling back the bed curtains, Qi Xianqing placed her onto the bed. Settling beside her, she wrapped her arms around Yan Jue's waist. Her body felt soft against the little fox. Yan Jue's pupils contracted, her hind legs involuntarily giving way, leaving her pressed against the bed. Qi Xianqing lay on her side, her eyes closed in relaxation as she inhaled the fresh milky scent from Yan Jue, idly scratching her belly with her fingertips. Night enveloped them in silence. The little fox felt overwhelmed by the tingles coursing through her, wanting to shift but unable to resist the itchiness seeping into its bones, her clear phoenix eyes narrowing. What was with this woman today? Was she in a bad mood or... She seemed perfectly fine just moments ago while drawing from the mystery box. This woman was teasing her! !!! How could such a wicked woman bear to seduce a fox?