Chapter Thirty-Six: Demons

Summoning the raging waters of the Nu River out of thin air.
Drowning tens of thousands of soldiers.
The words of the apothecary’s assistant caught Qi Xiu’s attention. As he rolled the medicinal herbs between his fingers, he pondered in silence.
It seemed the county magistrate Li of Qingliu County was no ordinary man.
After purchasing the required herbs—since the quantity was considerable—Qi Xiu had the pharmacy hire a cart to deliver everything straight to his home.
He no longer needed to be as guarded and trouble himself as he once did.
At least, with his current strength,
there were few in Baohe County who could pose a threat to him.
Having bought all he needed, Qi Xiu decided to wander about the marketplace.
In these past twenty or so days, aside from venturing out to buy herbs, he had hardly spoken to anyone.
Although he considered himself still of sound mind,
a long period of isolation truly needed a touch of excitement to dilute its monotony.
Perhaps it had been too long since he’d enjoyed such a leisurely stroll.
Qi Xiu walked slowly, idly browsing every nook and cranny.
Unconsciously, dusk fell.
The marketplace was soon ablaze with the light of bright lanterns and candles.
It was the Qiaoyuan Festival.
A celebration much like the Mid-Autumn Festival from his previous life, intended for family reunions, with the custom of hanging Qiaoyuan flowers at the door to pray for the family’s safety and health.
Thus, on this day, the marketplace was crowded with vendors selling Qiaoyuan flowers.
He picked up a Qiaoyuan flower, shaped like a lotus but folded from rainbow-colored paper.
Qi Xiu considered whether he should buy a few to take home.
After all, it was a festival.
Just as he was pondering, a delicate-looking young scholar brushed past him, accidentally bumping his shoulder.
“Sorry,” the scholar mumbled, bowing his head in apology, and turned to walk on.
“Wait.”
Setting down the Qiaoyuan flower, Qi Xiu suddenly called after him.
“What is it?” The scholar frowned, turning back.
“Oh, nothing. Go on,” Qi Xiu replied, giving him a quick once-over before waving him off with a smile.
“Weirdo.”
With a mutter, the scholar strode away.
Qi Xiu stood where he was, his gaze following the scholar’s retreating figure, his expression thoughtful as he lifted his right hand, a talisman marked with the character [Suppress] pressed to his palm.
The [Suppress] sigil showed no reaction—meaning he was not some demon or evil spirit.
But if he wasn’t one of those foul things,
why did the youth reek so heavily of human blood?
As his alchemical skills improved, Qi Xiu’s sense of smell had grown keener,
otherwise he would not be able to distinguish the ingredients in decoctions and pills so readily.
When the scholar passed by him just now,
Qi Xiu had clearly caught the strong scent of fresh human blood.
He’d called out to confirm he hadn’t mistaken it.
Murder was a matter for the magistrate; he had no need to meddle.
Shrugging off the strange incident, Qi Xiu bought a few dainty pastries from the market and made his way home beneath the night sky.

Yet, Qi Xiu failed to notice—
as he finished his shopping and prepared to return,
an unusual pair of eyes in the shadows was fixed intently upon him, bloodshot and glinting with a strange, wicked light.
...
“The recipe for Crimson-Blood Tonic is nearly unraveled.
In a few days, I’ll go to the ghost market on the treasure ship and find that conniving merchant.
If he obediently hands over the Scarlet Heart Palm manual, all will be well.
If not, I’ll set up a stall beside him and sell Crimson-Blood Tonic at half price—buy one, get one free, and referrals get a further discount. Let’s see if he dares refuse me then.”
Munching on a piece of date-and-walnut cake, Qi Xiu’s lips were dusted with sugar as he muttered about how to deal with the unscrupulous wine merchant.
Suddenly, a figure darted out from the alley’s corner—
it was the very young scholar who reeked of human blood.
Surprised to find the youth blocking his path, Qi Xiu licked the sugar from his lips:
“What do you want, a robbery?”
“Heh, that’s right.” With a twisted smile, the young scholar nodded slowly.
Qi Xiu’s face grew serious as he quietly retreated two steps.
“Are you after money or... something else?”
“...”
“Your life!”
The scholar suddenly flung a large puff of pale pink smoke at him, sneering coldly.
“Heavenly orchid, leaf-green, nine-star grass, black-scaled viper venom...
Tsk, even yang-qi stone...
What kind of concoction is this?
Who puts yang-qi stone in knockout powder?”
Listing off the ingredients with a frown, Qi Xiu criticized the scholar, who looked increasingly alarmed.
Hearing the names and seeing Qi Xiu untouched, the youth’s heart lurched with dread.
Not good!
His eyes flicked, and he turned to flee.
Whoosh—
A sharp sound cut through the air. The young scholar froze in place, paralyzed and unable to move.
Qi Xiu had struck a pressure point from a distance, immobilizing his would-be assailant. He strolled up with a cheerful smile.
“I wasn’t looking for you, but you came looking for me.
Since that’s the case, let’s have a good talk.”
He patted the scholar’s shoulder amiably, then grabbed him by the collar and dragged him into the shadowy depths of the alley.
...
“You mean that in just seven days, you’ve killed seven people—one every day?”
The scholar, pale-faced and drenched in sweat, looked as if he’d just been pulled from a river, slumped in the corner.
“Yes,” the youth replied weakly, nodding.
Qi Xiu’s face grew dark as he stared at someone even younger than himself, a flicker of murderous intent in his eyes.
He seized the scholar by the throat and hauled him up.
“Come. Take me to your home.”

Having suffered Qi Xiu’s torment, the scholar had grown much more obedient.
They walked through the thickening night,
crossing half the county, weaving through narrow, winding alleys, until they stopped before a hidden, dilapidated courtyard, its entrance half-concealed by a large tree.
Qi Xiu casually tore off a thumb-thick bronze lock,
his terrifying strength making the young scholar’s scalp tingle.
With a heavy rumble, he pushed open the gate.
Wind chimes clanged.
A low, oppressive chanting seemed to seep into Qi Xiu’s ears.
Buzz!
The [Suppress] sigil in his breast burst forth in radiant light, majestic and overwhelming, forcibly subduing the strange force.
The courtyard was choked with chaotic, twisted plants, its walls riddled with cracks filled with moss and tangled vines.
A heavy malice and chill pervaded the space.
Qi Xiu’s gaze slowly swept the deathly, unsettling courtyard until it locked onto the main hall directly ahead.
He hoisted the scholar up, brow tightly knit, and questioned in a low voice:
“You dare to worship demon spirits?”
At the center of the ruined hall,
an altar stood, and upon it a statue of a fox demon, clad in long robes, its face frozen in a ghastly smile, one hand fixed in a mystic gesture, its eyes eerily trained ahead.
All around the fox statue lay seven shriveled, blackened corpses.
“Demon spirit? That is the Fox Immortal! Fox Immortal, save me!”
With sudden, wild strength, the scholar broke free and lunged madly toward the statue.
“Fox Immortal! Fox Immortal!”
His face contorted with fanaticism, he scrambled toward the fox demon statue in a crazed rush.
Whoosh—
A stone shot through the air with such force it shattered the youth’s kneecap,
blood spraying.
The scholar collapsed with a thud, raising a cloud of dust.
Expressionless, Qi Xiu strode over to where the youth was still dragging himself forward, about to reach down and seize him—
when a ghastly pale apparition suddenly burst from the boy’s body.
A bone-chilling wind rose,
the ghostly thing lunging for Qi Xiu’s seven orifices.
“Hmph!”
With a cold snort, Qi Xiu’s eyes blazed like the midday sun; the [Suppress] sigil kindled, golden light seeping through his clothes—
like a giant hand, it struck the ghostly apparition hard across the face.
“No wonder the [Suppress] sigil didn’t react before—you’re a vengeful ghost, possessing a living body.”
Qi Xiu’s features hardened as he stared at the drifting, smoke-like wraith.
So, the demon finally couldn’t resist reaching into Baohe County...