Chapter 484 18: Resolved

The Zhou Family was one of the most prominent families in Taiyuan Prefecture, and Zhou Ruxuan was their youngest and most doted-upon daughter.

In the Prefecture City, she had always acted without restraint.

After all, with her family's protection and her own considerable strength, almost no one dared to provoke her.

But she had forgotten how treacherous people's hearts could be.

A moment of carelessness, and she had fallen into a trap specifically set for her, captured and brought to this place.

"Mmmph…"

"Ptui!"

The cloth gag was removed from her mouth, and Zhou Ruxuan immediately started cursing:

"Ma, you bastard, let me go! If I make it out of here alive, I swear I'll have my father kill you!"

"You…"

"What did you do to me?"

She tried to shout, but found her entire body was limp, her voice weak and powerless.

"I didn't do much."

Ma Yuanzhi grinned, his eyes gleaming as he moved closer.

"Just gave you a little something. With this drug, forget an Eighth-Grade Martial Artist—even a Seventh Grade expert would be just as limp and powerless as you if they couldn't expel it quickly."

"You…" Zhou Ruxuan's eyes widened in fury. "How dare you?"

"Do you have any idea what the consequences are for provoking the Zhou Family?"

"Are you threatening me?" Ma Yuanzhi narrowed his eyes.

"Don't you worry. I've specially prepared a Tier Seven Mind Enchantment Talisman for you. With the help of a Secret Medicine, I'll make it so you can never leave my side, body and soul. You'll be begging to be with me every single day."

"My sister will be pleased if I marry a daughter of the Zhou Family."

As he spoke, he retrieved a Spirit Talisman. With a light flick of his wrist, it ignited without flame, transforming into a streak of light that shot into the space between Zhou Ruxuan's eyebrows.

A faint ripple of Magical Power flashed through the room and was gone.

A Mage!

No one would have ever guessed that this profligate dandy, Ma Yuanzhi, was actually an Eighth-Grade Mage.

Terror filled Zhou Ruxuan's eyes.

The mere thought of marrying Ma Yuanzhi made goosebumps crawl all over her skin.

'Disgusting!'

'Repulsive!'

'Loathsome!'

But as the Spiritual Light sank into her body, her breathing grew ragged and a faint blush crept onto her cheeks.

An inexplicable and uncontrollable feeling of closeness toward the man before her began to well up inside her.

"When a chick hatches or a newborn beast opens its eyes, it will treat the first living creature it sees as its mother."

Ma Yuanzhi said slowly,

"The Mind Enchantment Talisman was created based on this very principle. It plunges your consciousness into a state of hazy confusion, making you feel naturally drawn to me."

"Besides…"

"You still have the Secret Medicine in your system. Soon, we will experience ecstasy together, and after that, you'll never be able to leave me."

"…Despicable," Zhou Ruxuan's voice was faint. She felt a searing heat course through her body. Although her physical strength was slowly returning, her consciousness was growing hazier by the second, leaving her completely unable to muster the force to resist.

"Do you have any idea how much effort I've put into getting you?" Ma Yuanzhi said, closing in step by step.

"But it was all worth it. The most pampered daughter of the Zhou Family… here I come."

'Hm?'

Just as he spread his arms to lunge forward, a warning siren blared in his mind, and the Protective Spirit Talisman on his body activated to defend its master.

HUMMM…

A layer of Spiritual Light enveloped him completely.

'An assassin!'

Ma Yuanzhi's heart went cold. A Spirit Talisman appeared in his hand as he whirled around and pointed at the intruder.

Soul-Shocking Needle!

His reaction was incredibly fast. To cast a spell so orderly and composed in a moment of crisis showed that his Talent for Magic was truly remarkable—a stark contrast to his rumored persona as a debauched playboy.

Zhu Ju, his face masked to reveal only his eyes, remained expressionless, a flicker of mockery in his gaze.

'Magic?'

'A Divine Soul Secret Technique, no less!'

This type of Magic was effective against Martial Artists below the Sixth Grade, capable of at least shocking their minds.

And when cast with the aid of a Magical Artifact, its power was even greater.

Unfortunately for him, he had chosen Zhu Ju as his target.

As a former Nascent Soul True Man, though his Physical Body was frail, his Primordial Spirit remained incredibly powerful.

Ma Yuanzhi felt his unfailingly potent Soul-Shocking Needle vanish as if into an abyss, failing to create the slightest ripple.

In the next instant, a divine light flashed in Zhu Ju's eyes, and a far more powerful Soul-Shocking Needle brutally pierced Ma Yuanzhi's Sea of Consciousness.

The Formless Divine Light could not only see through others' Secret Techniques, but it could also turn them back on their caster.

It was the perfect nemesis for Divine Soul Secret Techniques.

"Ah!"

Excruciating pain wracked his skull.

Ma Yuanzhi couldn't help but let out a scream, but the sound was cut short by a sharp crack from his throat.

CRACK!

His vision suddenly spun one hundred and eighty degrees.

The corpse with its neck snapped swayed for a moment before slowly collapsing to the ground.

Zhu Ju glanced at the dazed-eyed woman on the bed, his brow furrowing slightly. He quickly rummaged through the valuables in the room before vanishing without a trace.

Back in the room, Zhou Ruxuan was gasping for breath. As her Qi Blood began to surge, the clarity slowly returned to her eyes.

Gazing at Ma Yuanzhi's corpse on the floor, her eyes filled with elation.

"Serves you right!"

'But who was that person?' she wondered.

The figure from moments ago had given her a sense of familiarity, of closeness, but she couldn't tell if the feeling was genuine or just an effect of the Mind Enchantment Talisman.

After composing herself, she forced her arms free of their bindings, kicked Ma Yuanzhi's corpse for good measure, and then staggered out of the room.

*

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「Baiyun Temple」

Although the chaos in Taiyuan Prefecture hadn't reached the Daoist Temple outside the city, the atmosphere within its walls had grown tense.

At the Temple Master's command, the Daoist Children skilled in Martial Arts took up swords, spears, and staves to guard the entrance.

They also sent men out to gather information.

「A short while later」

"The experts from the Qingyi Gang are hurrying back. They should be here soon, and the chaos in the city will be suppressed then."

"But they were supposed to be heading out of the city to exterminate bandits. Now that this has happened, I'm afraid that mission will be left half-finished."

"Isn't that the truth?"

"The timing of the Demons entering the city was too convenient. It perfectly helped the Celestial Eagle Thieves escape. This must be the work of the thieves."

"Getting so many Demons into Taiyuan Prefecture without anyone noticing… that's not something a mere band of thieves could pull off. Other powers must be involved."

"Sigh…"

"The poor people of the city, to suffer such a disaster!"

"…"

The buzz of whispers and worried chatter continued unabated.

「In a side courtyard」

Shuang'er paced back and forth, her face etched with worry as she repeatedly glanced in the direction of the Prefecture City.

"Don't worry."

Daoist Jingyun tried to reassure her.

"It's just a few Low-Tier Pig Demons that entered the city. Stupid Demons like that are just a little stronger than the average person; they're no real threat."

"Besides, Young Master Zhu sensed this was coming and made preparations. This chaos won't affect him."

"Yes." Shuang'er nodded, her heart easing slightly, but she still muttered under her breath,

"It would have been better if we hadn't left the city."

"Heh…" Daoist Jingyun chuckled softly.

"Silly child."

"A very important person is arriving in the next couple of days. If you can manage to catch his eye, even I will benefit from your good fortune."

"We absolutely cannot miss such an opportunity."

As she spoke, she seemed to sense something and abruptly looked up at the sky, her eyes wide with astonishment.

"What is that?"

Shuang'er raised her head as well, her eyes growing wide.

"A ph… a phoenix?"

"No!"

Daoist Jingyun shook her head.

"It's a Simurgh Bird!"

She straightened her robes, strode quickly to the center of the courtyard, and knelt on one knee, facing the sky.

"Disciple Jingyun greets Senior Wujiu!"