Chapter Seventeen: The Demoness

"Brother Shen, are you all right now?"
The little fox sat shyly beside him, her cheeks flushed as she looked at Shen Chang'an.
Shen Chang'an, however, wore a bitter expression, his face clouded with emotions he could not name. At last, he could only curse under his breath, "Damn the wicked old world."
Just moments ago, when it seemed his life was slipping away, the little fox, unable to bear the sight, passed her inner elixir to him out of compassion.
The elixir entered his body, instantly dissolving the lingering poison and resentment, and even cleansing him inside and out—his form now vibrant and responsive.
At this moment, his body was at least ten times stronger than before; his meridians robust, his soul and mind clearer than ever.
Clearly, the little fox was a rare and unusual creature. Though her strength was inferior to Shen Chang'an, her inner elixir was remarkably pure, a marvel in itself.
Yet, in order to save him, the little fox had to feed him the elixir mouth-to-mouth. By the customs of this age, she was bound to him for life. Now, she shrank behind him, gripping the hem of his robe, unable to lift her gaze.
Shen Chang'an wanted to ask: couldn't she have simply handed him the elixir? But remembering that it was cultivated within her, akin to a second heart, he realized this debt could never be erased.
He could only smile bitterly; when he departed, who knew how long the little girl would mourn?
But then he shook his head. Let her grieve, if she must; he was only a passerby here. If he lingered, wouldn't his family and friends in the world he came from be just as sorrowful?
With this thought, Shen Chang'an stood and addressed the little fox: "Earlier, you mentioned something about that Yasha sister. Could you tell me what happened, exactly?"
The little fox nodded. She was not from Wang Family Village and had no reason to hide anything.
The truth was much as Wang Yi had told him, except that Wang Sheng had encountered not a demoness, but a female Yasha.
Shen Chang'an had heard of such tales: it was said the Yasha had their own kingdom, on an island in the sea. Some men, lost and stranded, would be chosen by the female Yasha to become their husbands, marrying and raising children, then returning to the Central Plains with their families. With the Yasha's immense strength, they would win glory on the battlefield and make a name for themselves.
Wang Sheng had not taken the main road that day, but wandered the woods, seeking a scenic spot for a spring outing. He prided himself as a charming scholar, and such adventures were not uncommon for him.
And so, this time, he encountered the Yasha in the mountains and was carried off to become her groom.
Ordinarily, this would have been nothing remarkable, but trouble arose with the appearance of Wang Yi in Wang Family Village.
Wang Yi had left the village years ago, journeying and studying, only recently returning. According to the little fox, he had mastered sinister arts during his travels. Using these skills, he soon became master of the village.
Upon discovering Wang Sheng's affair with the Yasha, Wang Yi's ambitions were stirred.
He made Wang Sheng lure the Yasha, then trapped her with his dark arts. Using a secret ritual, he severed her head, slaughtered her, and refined her remains into a powerful "medicine," which he distributed among the villagers.
Wang Sheng had no idea Wang Yi intended such things; he had only heard that the Yasha would be allowed into the family records, and hurried to bring her, inadvertently causing her death.
After capturing the Yasha, Wang Sheng was killed as well, his body discarded, never even laid to rest in the family cemetery. When Shen Chang'an arrived, Wang Yi retrieved the corpse, returned it to Wang Sheng's home, and staged a performance for Shen Chang'an.
Originally, after this show, Wang Yi intended to let Shen Chang'an go. But during their meal at the tavern, whether from Shen Chang'an's repeated probing or a "carelessly" served dish, Wang Yi's murderous intent was awakened.
What followed, unfolded as it did.
Yet, there was one matter Shen Chang'an could not grasp: the Yasha's resentment poison.
How had the Yasha come to possess such deadly resentment?
As previously noted, the birth of resentment poison was extremely rare. To condense it, one must have suffered immense hatred and unwillingness, only in the most extreme circumstances would such poison arise.
If Wang Yi's group had butchered the Yasha alive, perhaps resentment could have been born. But according to the little fox, they killed her first, then began their ritual. Though the Yasha surely died with hatred and regret, it should not have been enough to create true resentment poison.
There is a world of difference between dying and what comes after. Ghosts born of resentment only live through a lingering obsession; even if their bodies are desecrated, they do not change much, save for greater fury.
Otherwise, wouldn't alchemists who use monster bodies to refine pills find resentment poison everywhere?
The key was this: if the Yasha had truly produced resentment poison, how could Wang Yi and the others have survived?
That was resentment poison!
Shen Chang'an was tainted by the smallest trace and nearly died, saved only by the little fox's kiss!
How could Wang Yi's group survive under its influence? It made no sense!
Even if they were blessed and lucky, escaping the poison alive, how could they possibly control it?
What, was Wang Yi some unprecedented genius, able to analyze the structure of resentment poison at a glance and, with his mediocre skills, capture and refine it for his own use?
Nonsense!
Shen Chang'an, even with his beast-hide tome, would not claim such ability—so why should Wang Yi?
If he truly possessed such talent, what was he doing as master of Wang Family Village? Why not emerge as a great villain and wreak havoc upon the world, living free and wild?
Thus, Shen Chang'an was almost certain: this resentment poison was not born of the Yasha.
He recalled how, when the little fox saw him wounded, she immediately said, "This is Yasha sister's resentment poison." She must know something more.
He hurriedly questioned her, and the answer stunned him even further.
"That's what the villain said himself. When I met him, he told me he'd let me die under the Yasha's resentment poison."
The villain, of course, was Wang Yi—and for him to claim it was the Yasha's poison sent Shen Chang'an's mind reeling.
"Damn it, that fellow is no longer Wang Yi!"