Chapter Twenty-Three: Watching the Demon Transform into Human Form, Dao Fruit Gives Birth to a Precious Jade

After the spring rain, the morning was cloaked in a gentle golden haze as dawn’s light poured through wisps of cloud, wrapping the world in a soft warmth. In the courtyard, a lady in coarse homespun stood with her back to Anle and Huang Xian, who waited at the gate. She was tending to potted flowers and plants, each blossom more radiant and dewy after yesterday’s rain. Bathed together in the golden dawn, both the flowers and the woman seemed touched by a harmonious serenity.

Anle found his gaze drawn to her—not for her beauty, nor for the striking figure that even plain garments could not conceal. Rather, it was the aura she bore: wisps of the essence of years, rising and twining endlessly about her! And carefully counted, there were more than twenty such strands! What did this mean? Lin Manor’s famed Miss Swift and the ethereal Lady Yunrou from the flower boats each possessed barely more than a dozen strands, yet this woman, in a humble alley near the Grand Ancestral Temple, possessed over twenty.

But there was something more. The essence of years about her was not merely gray; upon its surface shimmered a deep and enchanting black, as if suffused with a bewitching aura—like the energy of a demon.

Anle’s eyes narrowed slightly. A demon?

In this world, aside from cultivators, there existed beings born of nature’s favor and endowed with wisdom, known as demons. Their legends stretched back through the ages: some were evil, wreaking havoc and slaughter; others, like the tale of the snail maiden repaying kindness, were good. Only recently, it was rumored that beneath West Lake dwelled a serpent demon of a thousand years’ cultivation.

Anle had not expected that this woman, living so near the Grand Temple of Great Zhao, might be such a creature.

Huang Xian, unable to sense anything unusual due to the gulf in their abilities, merely thought her an ordinary woman. Without betraying a hint of his realization, Anle followed Huang Xian into the courtyard.

It was a simple residence, not a spacious one with multiple courtyards, but ample enough for Anle’s needs, especially for practicing the Five Beasts exercises that required room to move.

Noticing their arrival, the woman paused her work and turned slowly. Though not a classic beauty, her striking figure lent her a certain allure.

“Sister-in-law, this is Mister An. He’s looking to purchase a residence, so I brought him to see yours,” Huang Xian said with a smile.

The woman glanced at Anle, taken aback for a moment by his handsome features, then inclined her head in greeting. Anle returned the gesture politely.

“Mister An, this courtyard is for sale at six hundred taels. Would you find that acceptable?” she asked gently, a warm smile on her lips.

Anle took in the tidy courtyard, with its pleasing array of flowers, and smiled lightly. He did not haggle, but nodded. “That will do.”

He drew a pouch from his robe and took out two silver spirit coins. “These two coins equal six hundred taels exactly. Please, take them.”

The gentlewoman accepted the coins and then produced the deed, presenting it to Anle with a bow. “Mister An, the deed is now yours. The flowers and plants here were cultivated with great care; they are living beings of this earth. I hope you will tend them well.”

Anle returned her smile. “Madam, be assured—when I practice martial arts, I shall move the pots aside to avoid any harm.”

Her face brightened at his reply.

Huang Xian, pleased with the transaction, felt gratified. Six hundred taels was a generous price for such a modest home; if it had been listed with a broker, it surely would not have fetched so much. He hoped the widow and her daughter could take this windfall and start anew elsewhere.

“Sister-in-law, take care when you leave Lin’an. These are troubled times,” he advised.

She nodded. “Once I’ve sent my daughter to my family, I’ll return to Lin’an once more…”

Huang Xian paused in surprise.

“My husband’s death, Chief Huang, you must know there was something amiss… Someone wanted him dead. I must go to the capital to seek justice,” she murmured, her head bowed, long hair falling forward.

Huang Xian was momentarily at a loss for words, feeling as if a great weight pressed upon his throat.

Anle, listening to their exchange, sensed a deeper story but did not pry. Silently, he drew two more wisps of the essence of years from the woman. Chief Huang himself had only ever possessed two such strands, and with these taken, there was nothing left to draw.

With two more strands in hand, Anle felt a spark of joy: one of them was a golden thread, the kind that could be used to condense a Dao Fruit!

From within the house, a little girl with pigtails came out, shyly hiding behind her mother. The woman picked up a bundle prepared in advance and nodded to Anle.

“Mister An, thank you for your generosity,” she said softly, unaware she had been relieved of her precious essence. She knew well that this little courtyard was not truly worth six hundred taels; Anle’s kindness was for the sake of her and her child, and she would remember this favor.

“There’s no need to thank me, madam. This was a transaction, freely agreed upon by both sides. I wish you safe travels,” Anle replied with a smile.

The woman looked at him deeply, as if wondering whether he had seen through her secret. But she did not pursue the matter. With her daughter and their bundle, she took one last look at the courtyard—perhaps filled with sweet memories—then turned and melted away into the morning mist and the bustling crowds on Clear Wave Street.

Huang Xian sighed.

“Chief Huang, is there more to this story?” Anle asked. “If it’s inconvenient, you needn’t say.”

“It’s no trouble,” Huang Xian replied, shaking his head. “It’s only the filth that lies beneath Lin’an’s prosperity—people abusing power to oppress and harm others. In Lin’an, there are many nobles, and they act with impunity, sheltered by their privilege. Best not to speak of it; it only breeds resentment. The Black Bureau may oversee cultivators, but even they cannot and dare not control certain nobles.”

His mood soured, Huang Xian excused himself. “Mister An, congratulations on your new home. I must return to my duties. With your portrait in hand, the culprit will not escape. When my work is done, I’ll bring a jug of old yellow wine, and we’ll drink together.”

Anle bowed in farewell. Huang Xian, sword at his waist, glanced once more in the direction the woman and her daughter had gone, then heaved another sigh. He seemed to age a little, his back bending as he departed.

Anle closed the gate, set his bundle down inside, and surveyed the spotless rooms and courtyard. Though the woman was a demon, she had truly lived as an ordinary wife and mother.

Huang Xian had not spoken of her secret openly, and Anle did not press the matter.

With a thought, he set the golden-threaded essence he had drawn from the woman aflame in his mind, watching as it transformed into a pillar of golden incense, burning slowly.

...

Moonlight, cool as water, bathed the mountains. Deep among ancient trees, atop a gnarled pine growing from rock, a squirrel sat upright on a branch, tail gently swaying in the silver glow. Subtle streams of moonlight seemed to gather around it, being absorbed bit by bit, and as they did, a demonic aura began to stir.

Absorbing the essence of sun and moon, feeling the blessing of heaven and earth—this was the metamorphosis of a demon into human form. The demon energy thickened, swirling around the squirrel like a shroud of black mist, growing ever more dense until it resembled an enormous pine cone.

At last, the demonic mists began to fade, and from their depths, a long, pale leg—smooth as jade—extended forth, dazzlingly white beneath the moon’s cold light.

...

The vision slowly dissipated, and Anle’s consciousness returned. Through the golden thread drawn from the woman, he had witnessed the transformation of a demon into human form—something he had not expected. The woman was a mother squirrel demon, who, after taking human form, for reasons unknown had married a mortal man. There were surely many other stories behind it, but Anle would never know them.

Before his eyes, blue script shimmered in the air.

[Acquired Dao Fruit of Years: Demon-Tempered Jade]

[Note: Demon-Tempered Jade (Dao Fruit): A precious jade that absorbs demonic energy and can use it to temper the body, making one as robust as a demon; wearing the jade also weakens the influence of demonic energy.]

Anle drew a deep breath. Suddenly, a fierce demonic wind swept through the courtyard. Black energy rolled in like storm clouds, tossing flowers and dust into the air. When the wind and miasma at last subsided, a round, nine-patterned white jade pendant with a tassel drifted gently into his palm.

...

At that very moment, in the multi-eaved, spired Grand Ancestral Temple a few miles away, an elderly man in plain robes, long-browed and dignified, was painting at his desk. All at once, the brush in his hand stilled. He turned to gaze toward the alley’s courtyard, an amused smile on his lips.

“A squirrel demon just departed, yet now such an intense demonic aura arises… For a demon to dwell so near the royal temple—how bold to treat this old man as if I do not exist.”

He set down his brush, clasped his hands behind his back, and pushed open the temple doors. Unhurried, he walked toward the little courtyard in the alley.

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