Chen Hui looked at Achan with hope, “What way?”
“There’s an incense that can preserve a corpse in its best state, as it was in life.”
“Really?”
What kind of incense could have such an effect?
In Chen Hui’s understanding, this was impossible. But sitting here as a dead person, perhaps nothing was truly impossible.
“It’s true.”
Achan didn’t tell Chen Hui that the formula was used for preparing sacrificial offerings. There was a peculiar clan that, every year, offered their finest hunted game to their ancestors.
Before presenting the offerings, they wanted them to look pristine, so they developed this incense.
It ensured the offerings on the altar remained as fresh as when they were alive.
It sounded strange, and it truly was.
Achan had never seen it herself, yet through the records in those books, she could almost glimpse the vibrant, fascinating past of her mother’s clan.
“But...”
Achan’s tone grew hesitant. She calculated the materials needed to fumigate a person, and her vision darkened. After counting twice on her fingers, she still didn’t have enough money.
“But what?”
“I don’t have enough silver to buy the materials.” Achan felt a bit embarrassed admitting this.
Chen Hui tugged at her stiff face, trying to smile, “No matter, I have five hundred taels of silver saved at home.”
That was the dowry silver her ex-husband was forced by Yan Liru to compensate her with when they divorced. She bought a shop with some of it and saved the rest.
She had thought her life would only get better, but fate played this cruel trick on her.
“Good. Once we get the silver, we’ll split up to buy the materials.”
As they spoke, the black patches on Chen Hui’s face had faded to just one spot.
Achan took out another incense pellet. After Chen Hui swallowed it, the rotting patches on her face and body healed completely.
She looked no different from when she was alive, except for the absence of a heartbeat.
Achan said to her, “Though you don’t need to breathe, it’s too easy for others to notice something’s off. You should get used to breathing and make your heart beat. You’re capable of doing both.”
This was basic body control, something Chen Hui, as a living corpse, should be able to manage.
Chen Hui nodded and followed Achan’s advice, starting to breathe, letting her chest rise and fall, and mimicking a heartbeat.
At first, it wasn’t easy. Her breathing would stop, and her heartbeat was frighteningly slow. Gradually, she got the hang of it.
Achan thought to herself that Chen Hui was indeed clever, grasping it quickly.
The next day, past noon, the sky remained overcast, but the rain had finally stopped.
Achan took the silver Chen Hui had stored at home, and they each went to different markets to buy materials.
Achan headed to the West Market, where two special materials, cartilage vine and tiger jiao skin, were only sold at the hunter’s shop.
This time, she chose a different shop. The transaction was similar to the last, but because she needed it urgently for the next day, it was pricier. Cartilage vine was reasonable, one jin for fifty taels, but three pieces of dried tiger jiao skin cost her two hundred taels.
Achan began to miss the days when she could kill a pond full of tiger jiao with a single swipe of her claw. She had wasted so much silver.
After placing the order, she returned home. Chen Hui had also gathered the materials Achan specified.
Chen Hui bought mostly herbs and branches. Common ones were easy to find at stalls selling fodder and firewood, but those with special uses had to be purchased at Datong Lane.
Datong Lane was a hub for all sorts of people. Chen Hui had only heard of it before and never dared to go herself.
Now, cloaked in her cape, she broke the hands of two people trying to tug at her hood, and no one dared point at her again.
Besides these, she bought a large vat and hired a cart to deliver everything to Achan’s home.
By evening, the weather was poor, and the streets were nearly empty. The surrounding shops had few customers and closed early.
Only Achan’s door remained open, as if waiting for her return.
After unloading the goods at the door and paying the delivery person, Chen Hui began moving everything inside.
Her hands gripped the edge of the vat. With a slight effort, she lifted the vat, large enough to hold a person.
Achan observed from the side. Chen Hui hadn’t trained in martial arts and had only recently become a living corpse, so her strength was roughly equivalent to a first-realm cultivator. In a real fight, she might be at a disadvantage, but living corpses had advantages in strength and speed. She could probably lift five of herself and still toss them around.
Chen Hui placed the vat in the backyard, then carried the rest of the items in. Achan followed, closing the door and latching it.
The backyard was now filled with the items they’d bought during the day. Chen Hui recalled buying nine types of herbs and nine types of branches, piled high in layers.
Achan took about a third of each, breaking the branches into palm-sized pieces and arranging them neatly at the bottom of the vat. She then layered the herbs on top, leaving a fist-sized gap in the center.
Next, she lit the branches, letting them burn slowly beneath.
“Fumigating the vat takes a whole night. It can’t be exposed to open flames, only smoked,” Achan said.
“I’ll watch it,” Chen Hui replied immediately.
Achan started to say it wasn’t necessary but, realizing Chen Hui didn’t need sleep, didn’t insist.
Worried Chen Hui might get bored watching the vat, Achan found a few interesting storybooks for her to read. Chen Hui accepted them gladly.
The next morning, Achan woke early, unusually not lingering in bed. Her first task was to check the vat in the backyard.
The herbs and branches had burned overnight, leaving a layer of ash at the bottom. The vat’s walls were coated with ash as well. Achan swiped a finger across it and sniffed: amid the smoky scent was a hint of herbal fragrance.
This step seemed fine. Once the hunter’s shop delivered, Chen Hui could be fumigated.
Then Achan noticed Chen Hui was gone. Thinking she’d stepped out, Achan was surprised when the kitchen door opened. Chen Hui emerged with a bowl of porridge, a plate of cold mixed vegetables, and two scallion egg pancakes.
Seeing Achan standing there, staring, she asked, “Not eating breakfast?”
“I’ll eat.” Achan followed closely behind.
Living corpses didn’t need to eat, and if they did, they consumed flesh and blood.
Chen Hui was different. She could eat human food without much reaction, though she couldn’t taste it.
The scallion pancakes were a bit salty, but to Achan, they were still delicious.
After the simple yet tasty breakfast, Achan patted her stomach and said to Chen Hui. “Thanks.”
“I should be thanking you for helping me.”
“Thank me after you’re restored.”
Achan had Chen Hui take a bath and checked her body. After a day, some patches had reappeared but hadn’t started rotting yet.
It seemed two pellets only lasted a day.
Achan took some dragon bone powder, mixed it with water, and had Chen Hui swallow it. The effect was as good as before, and the patches quickly faded.
Once her body was fully restored, Achan, as the day before, arranged branches in the vat but first poured in half a jin of cartilage vine, then layered the herbs on top.
By noon, the hunter’s shop delivered. The hefty sum of silver was worth it: the goods were top quality and delivered to her door.
Achan inspected the items, completed the transaction, closed the door, and brought everything to the backyard.
Everything was ready. Achan lit the tiger jiao skin with a fire starter. The oily skin burned like a small candle. She placed it in the gap among the herbs, using it to ignite the branches and cartilage vine below.
Soon, the tiger jiao skin melted, and faint smoke rose from the gap.
Achan placed a stool inside the vat, had Chen Hui sit in it, and covered the vat with a large wooden lid.
Chen Hui needed to stay inside for a full three days without leaving.
On the second day of Chen Hui’s fumigation, a group of officials suddenly arrived at Changping Lane. Achan had to stay at the shop, but Shopkeeper Xu went to see the commotion.
He returned and told Achan, “Yesterday, a murderer broke into Boss Yao’s home, the one selling rouge on the back street, and killed her.”
“Murdered?”
Shopkeeper Xu sighed, “Not just murdered. They say someone saw the body, and it was gnawed beyond recognition.”
Achan’s heart jolted. This manner of death, why did it feel so familiar?
“Did the officials say anything?”
“What can they say? A bunch of greedy good-for-nothings. I bet this case will end up with the Mirror Division. Hopefully, they’ll solve it quickly so that unclean thing doesn’t keep causing chaos in the lane.”
Shopkeeper Xu’s words proved prophetic. On the third day, another person died: the night watchman, his body mangled as if gnawed by something.
That morning, during the court session, an imperial censor stepped forward to impeach the Chief Enforcer of the Mirror Division.
“Your Majesty, I heard yesterday that a demon intruded into the city, not only injuring the city guards but also killing and devouring citizens two days in a row, causing panic among the people. The Mirror Division handles supernatural cases, yet failed to act promptly. This is a grave oversight.”
No one noticed Yan Liru’s face pale at the mention of devoured corpses.
“Bai Xiuming, what do you say?” the Emperor asked.
Bai Xiuming stepped forward, offering no defense, “I am at fault. I request Your Majesty’s punishment.”
“Then you shall be punished...”
“Your Majesty,” Yan Liru interrupted, stepping out. “The capital’s cases are first investigated by the Capital Prefecture. This case wasn’t reported promptly, so the blame shouldn’t fall on Lord Bai.”
“If it’s not his fault, how should this case be handled?” the Emperor asked.
“The Ministry of Justice is willing to take over. I guarantee we’ll catch the culprit swiftly,” Yan Liru said.
“Bai Xiuming, your thoughts?”
“I have no objections.”
“So be it. The case is handed to the Ministry of Justice. Yan Liru, give me answers soon.”
“Yes.”
After court, back at the Ministry of Justice, Yan Liru summoned Xue Mingtang. When Xue entered and closed the door, Yan Liru was startled by his appearance. Xue looked gaunt, with dark circles under bloodshot eyes, as if he hadn’t slept soundly in days.
“What happened?” Yan Liru frowned.
“Sir, the snow needle snake was caught by the Mirror Division,” Xue Mingtang said, fear flashing in his eyes. “I was nearby when they captured it. They might already suspect me.”
These past few days, every time Xue closed his eyes, he imagined Mirror Division guards breaking down his door, dragging him to the Suppression Prison.
Under such pressure, he hadn’t slept properly in days.
Yan Liru’s face darkened: “You’ve disappointed me greatly. You couldn’t even control a contracted snake.”
Xue Mingtang muttered, “I was too gravely injured earlier to suppress the snow needle snake. It escaped on its own. Sir, if the Mirror Division traces the contract to me, what should I do?”
“Has there been any disturbance in your contract with the snow needle snake?” Yan Liru asked.
“Not yet.”
Yan Liru sat, pondering for a moment, then said, “Come to my residence in two days. I’ll sever your contract with the snow needle snake.”
“Thank you, sir,” Xue Mingtang said, relieved, though doubt crept into his eyes. “Sir, I heard a contract can only be broken if one party dies. You wouldn’t...”
“What are you thinking? I have the demon seal. It can forcibly break the contract.”
“Good.” Xue Mingtang exhaled, safe as long as the contract was severed.
Hearing Yan Liru mention the demon seal soured his mood. He had gone to great lengths to steal it from the forbidden vault, thinking it was merely a valuable artifact. Only after handing it to Yan Liru did he learn it was the jade seal of the Demon Kingdom.
After the Demon Emperor’s death and the kingdom’s fall, the seal ended up in the Great Xia Dynasty’s hands, stored in the forbidden vault until recently stolen.
If only he could have kept it for himself, but it was wasted on Yan Liru, who couldn’t cultivate. A travesty.
Of course, Xue Mingtang dared not voice this thought.
With his life-or-death crisis temporarily resolved, he asked, “Sir, did you summon me for a task?”
Yan Liru nodded, “A living corpse may have entered the capital recently. It killed two people in Changping Lane. Capture it quickly and destroy the body.”
Xue Mingtang didn’t ask why, only agreeing, “Understood.”
Just then, a knock came at the door.
Xue Mingtang opened it to find another of Yan Liru’s trusted aides.
The man entered and reported, “As you predicted, sir, the living corpse’s body is indeed missing. I suspect the young master didn’t behead it as ordered.”
A living corpse dies once beheaded. Yan Liru had tasked his son with disposing of it, but he hadn’t expected disobedience.
Suppressing his anger, Yan Liru closed his eyes and asked, “Anything else?”
“I visited the hill where Chen Hui was buried, as you instructed. It was struck by lightning days ago, reduced to black ash. No body was found.”
“Even if struck by lightning, there should be remains,” Yan Liru said, sensing something amiss.
“No remains were found,” the aide replied, then ventured, “Sir, since Chen Hui was bitten by a living corpse, could she have become one?”
The higher the rank of a living corpse, the more potent its saliva and blood’s corpse poison, increasing the chance of turning its victims.
The one raised by Madam Fang and the young master was a second-realm living corpse, equivalent to a human second-realm cultivator, extremely rare.
Yan Liru considered this, then turned to Xue Mingtang, “I’ll give you a portrait later. While investigating the living corpse in Changping Lane, check if the woman in the portrait has appeared recently.”
“Rest assured, sir, I know what to do.”
The court’s affairs had nothing to do with Achan. Today was the final day of fumigation. Once the smoke cleared, Chen Hui could emerge.
Achan was in the shop, sewing sachets. Her skills were still poor, but with Chen Hui’s guidance, they were starting to look like sachets.
Suddenly, a commotion arose outside. Achan stepped to the door and saw Shopkeeper Xu and his assistant peering out.
“What’s happening?” she asked.
“I heard the Ministry of Justice is here, searching house by house for a living corpse and looking for someone,” Shopkeeper Xu sighed. “What a world, with living corpses running loose.”
Achan’s face shifted slightly. She started toward the backyard but saw Xue Mingtang approaching with a group of Ministry of Justice clerks.
Acting as if he didn’t know her, Xue Mingtang said coldly, “You’re the owner of this shop?”
“Yes.”
“Search the place.”
As his men barged into her shop, Achan worried about Chen Hui being found in the backyard. She had no time to care about her incense pellets being tossed around.
A clerk suddenly shouted, “Sir, there’s someone in the backyard.”
Before he finished, a woman in her early twenties, strikingly beautiful, emerged from the backyard. She wore a cloak, her long hair loose, looking somewhat disheveled.
She approached Achan, bewildered, “Miss Ji, why are people suddenly barging in?”
Achan froze briefly, recognizing the woman, then replied, “It’s nothing. The Ministry of Justice is searching for a fugitive.”
Xue Mingtang glanced at the young woman, comparing her to the portrait in his hand. She seemed similar, but the age didn’t match.
The clerks who searched the backyard returned, reporting to Xue Mingtang, “Sir, there’s a vat in the backyard. It seems to be burning something.”
“That’s my incense being processed, quite valuable,” Achan said.
“Shut up, you have no say here,” a clerk snapped, glaring at her.
“Enough,” Xue Mingtang stopped his subordinate, giving Achan a deep look. “We’re leaving.”
As he turned to go, Achan wasn’t about to let him leave so easily.
Her voice rang out behind him, “Lord Xue, after all this show of authority, letting your men ruin my incense pellets and materials, you plan to just walk away?”
“What do you want?”
“Compensation, of course,” Achan said matter-of-factly. “Fifty taels, not much.”
“Outrageous!” a subordinate barked before Xue could respond.
Achan didn’t flinch, deliberately stoking Xue Mingtang’s anger, “If Lord Xue lacks the silver, you can borrow some from your sister.”
Xue Mingtang’s face darkened, “Ji Chan, you’re provoking me.”
“I thought it’s only fair to compensate for damaging others’ property. If you won’t pay today, I’ll have Lord Bai come collect another day.” Achan chuckled lightly. “Lord Xue, you can consult your sister. She’s likely familiar with Lord Bai’s style by now.”
Xue Mingtang knew well how Bai Xiuming had gone to the Jinyang Marquis Estate to retrieve Ji Chan’s dowry. Being reminded of it now, he still felt indignant for his sister.
He took several deep breaths, then yanked the money pouch from his waist and threw it at Achan’s feet.
“Safe travels, Lord Xue.”
Humiliated by Achan’s threats in front of so many, Xue Mingtang abandoned searching the street, ordering his men to continue while he left quickly with the others.
The shopkeepers watching the spectacle returned to their stores, satisfied.
They had long discussed Achan’s ties to officials, so this wasn’t news, but today confirmed that Miss Ji’s backing was indeed strong.
While others paid to shoo away those pests, she extracted fifty taels with a single demand. Luckily, Miss Ji was kind and gentle, so they didn’t worry about accidentally offending her.
With the nuisances gone, Achan closed the door and turned to face Chen Hui, who now looked a decade younger.
She was indistinguishable from a living person: elastic skin, bright eyes, normal breathing, and a heartbeat, all proof she was alive.
Even Xue Mingtang, a cultivator, hadn’t noticed anything amiss.
As Achan turned, Chen Hui suddenly knelt.
Startled, Achan heard her say, “Your kindness in remaking me, Chen Hui will never forget.”
Achan helped her up, “Just call me Achan.”
Chen Hui smiled, her face no longer stiff, her smile radiant, “Then call me Hui Niang, like my parents did.”
“Hui Niang, what are your plans?”
Chen Hui hadn’t restored her human appearance out of vanity.
Touching her face, now as it was in her twenties, she thought Yan Liru would find it familiar.
Recalling the countless times he swore she was the only one in his heart, Chen Hui decided it was time to test that.
She said, “I’m going to the Yan residence. Someone must avenge my family.”
“Yan Liru is the Vice Minister of Justice. His home isn’t safe, and your strength isn’t enough.”
“I know,” Hui Niang smiled. “Fang Yu is the only daughter of the Marquis of Zhenbei, always guarded. If I want revenge, I’ll need other methods.”
“Even if you might be discovered and die again?”
“Yes.”
Achan wasn’t surprised by Chen Hui’s choice. Though she wasn’t optimistic about it, she had no intention of stopping her.
She helped Chen Hui because she felt it was a pity for her to die like that. But this was Hui Niang’s choice.
Achan sighed softly, “Hui Niang, do you know the phrase ‘bewitching words’?”
Chen Hui looked puzzled.
“Demons have their bewitching words, corpses their corpse speech. Some people have strong wills, hard to sway, but there’s a way.” Achan looked at her. “Start with small things. The first time he agrees to you, your influence over him grows. If you can sway him a thousand times, you’ve succeeded.”
Achan smiled, “Hui Niang, you still owe me a great debt of gratitude. I’ll wait for you to repay it. Don’t make me wait for the next life, I don’t believe in that.”
Chen Hui nodded firmly. “Good.
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