7 – Three Days Apart, The Broken Soul-Guiding Bell.
A gentle touch that strikes the heart is more disarming than any violent blow. The condemned prisoner’s pupils trembled violently, and with this one sentence, blood gushed uncontrollably from his wounds.
Liu Wuzhi exclaimed in alarm, “Don’t panic, I’ll find food right away!”
Turning to look at the two Guardians, Lü Xiao clearly had no intention of paying her any mind, while Yuan Lan seemed hesitant, as if there was still room for negotiation.
Liu Wuzhi stepped forward and pointed nearby. “Brother Yuan Lan, may I borrow some things from here?”
The direction she pointed was filled entirely with torture instruments.
Yuan Lan was also quite curious about how far this spy would go to curry favor with the Sovereign Lord, so he nodded indulgently.
After observing for a while, Liu Wuzhi first selected a massive furnace.
Yuan Lan explained, “This Spirit-Melting Furnace was forged from the Immortal Bones of nine True Immortals. Even Demonic Flame cannot melt it, making it most suitable for fire punishments.”
Liu Wuzhi was very satisfied. “Then it must be extremely sturdy.” Perfect for a soup pot.
She first emptied the furnace of its ashes, then selected a Three-Legged Toad from the poisonous creatures and tossed it in from the top. The toad’s swollen poison sac burst with a “pop,” and a green mist condensed inside the torture device, forming a crystalline isolation layer.
Liu Wuzhi then requested Heaven-Burying Abyss Water and Soul-Locking Chains. As she picked out one poisonous ingredient after another, even the two Guardians began to feel uneasy.
Using over a dozen types of torture and potent poisons to interrogate a single person—this spy beauty was truly too ruthless.
Netherworld Karmic Flame was lit, and the Soul-Locking Chains were bent into the shape of a filter, dripping as they strained out the Resentment residue from the water. Rusty mechanisms clanked, and thick, ink-green smoke billowed from the furnace.
While waiting for the water to boil, Liu Wuzhi stepped onto the pedal of the gallows to climb higher, gathering another pile of “ingredients”: the bed of nails could be used to extract Datura juice for a rich broth base, while Heaven-Burying Abyss Water could soften the bones of Fierce Beasts. Melted fat was poured over a grill modified from torture instruments, and skewered Red Spider Lilies immediately curled with golden edges.
She arranged the poisonous ingredients in the order of mutual generation and restraint, pinching a withered, thin stalk of Heartbreak Grass and sighing regretfully. “These Poisonous Herbs aren’t well cultivated.”
Lü Xiao, responsible for the Demon Palace’s internal affairs, couldn’t help but sneer upon seeing the plants she had carefully selected being so disdainfully criticized. “A Nine-Leaf Poisonous Plant is worth a fortune outside. Who are you to judge?”
Liu Wuzhi, an expert in herb cultivation, argued her case. “The lighting and humidity in the demon realm are quite good. As long as the soil quality is improved, it could…”
“Your task is to interrogate the prisoner,” Lü Xiao interrupted her directly. “When the Sovereign Lord returns, if you have nothing to show for it, you’ll pay with your life.”
Liu Wuzhi pouted.
Just as her senior brother had said, the demon race was domineering and unreasonable, like weeds that love to invade soil.
In the time it took to exchange a few words, the dubious dark concoction had already come to a boil. Liu Wuzhi used the remaining skull as a bowl and generously served it to the condemned prisoner. Seeing that his limbs were bound, she even scooped up a spoonful and brought it to his lips.
A man of honor would rather die than be humiliated. The man stubbornly refused to open his mouth.
Back in the Azure Mist Sect, everyone fought over the medicinal soups Liu Wuzhi brewed. Seeing this person so obstinate, she decisively freed one hand and lightly tickled the prisoner near his waist—
“…Ah!” The tickling sensation triggered pain. As the prisoner opened his mouth, he was force-fed an entire bowl of hot soup brewed from poisonous ingredients.
Without her immortal herb body, Liu Wuzhi wasn’t sure what effect this medicine would have, but she trusted Lingzhi’s intuition. “This is Eight-Treasures Tranquilizing Soup. It can relieve pain.”
After waiting a moment, nothing happened, and the condemned prisoner’s face even regained some color. His stomach felt warm, but he showed no gratitude: “Don’t try to bewitch me! Whether you kill me or torture me, I’ll never reveal anything!”
While he was cursing, Liu Wuzhi had already set down the soup bowl and was flipping through the dossier Yuan Lan had given her. She learned that this unyielding condemned prisoner before her was named Su Ye, and he was actually the Ember Ruins Guardian, one of the five trusted aides. His original authority was precisely to oversee punishments and prisons.
The betrayal of a Guardian was no small matter, yet Liu Wuzhi remained unperturbed. She fought poison with poison, applying medicinal paste to Su Ye’s wounds and wrapping each one with torn cloth into little bows.
Once his critical condition had stabilized, she asked again, “Uncle Ye, where is the ring you used to wear on your finger?”
Her voice remained gentle, but upon hearing this, Su Ye’s flawless expression froze instantly.
There were marks on his fingers from years of wearing a ring, but now they were empty. This detail had gone unnoticed even by Jie Hui and Wang Tan, who had worked with him for years.
The little girl who had struck a nerve continued her questioning: “I’ve seen Storage Rings, Contract Rings, and Protective Rings. What kind of ring did Uncle Ye wear?”
“Shut up!” Su Ye roared, cutting her off.
The bound beast posed no threat at all. Liu Wuzhi’s pupils shifted slightly, and she slowly curved the corners of her eyes: “Then it must be a Dao Companion Ring!”
“The demon realm doesn’t form Dao companions. Is the person Uncle Ye likes from the Five Cities and Ten Continents? I know that the Tai Xuan Sect, Ling Xu Palace, and Clear Sound Valley use rings as contracts.”
She was reciting from a basic textbook, but to Su Ye, it sounded as if she already had a thorough understanding of the Immortal Sects.
—This woman is deeply cunning!
“I won’t say anything! Don’t try to trick me!”
Liu Wuzhi let out an “oh” and carefully examined his wounds once more: “I guess… the sister is from Clear Sound Valley, right?”
This time, Su Ye’s face turned completely pale.
How on earth did she figure it out?!
It wasn’t that Liu Wuzhi guessed correctly on the first try, but rather that there were too few rumors about the Immortal Sects. Before she assumed human form, she had heard gossip about love affairs that crossed the boundaries between immortals and demons, including the story of the Clear Sound Valley Master falling in love with a member of the demon race. True love was precious, but in the end, the other party abandoned her to follow the Demon Lord. Because of this, the disciples of Clear Sound Valley had come to her senior brother more than once to weep and complain.
“If you loved the Valley Master sister so much, why did you leave her?”
Su Ye’s eyes reddened, but he still refused to speak. The wounds beneath the bandages split open once more.
“It’s too late for you to go back now,” Liu Wuzhi sighed. “I heard that the Valley Master of Clear Sound Valley has already sacrificed her Immortal Clan Primordial Spirit to guard the dual realm seal.”
Once the Primordial Spirit is sacrificed, the body is no different from dead.
From the moment he was exposed, Su Ye had endured countless tortures and torments without ever breaking. Yet now, with just a single offhand remark from the girl, the tightly wound string in his mind snapped instantly, and his crimson pupils seemed almost ablaze.
He had thought that as long as he killed Baili Zheque, he could go back to find her! But now, it turned out… A Ling had already…
The moment he learned the tragic news, years of pent-up hatred erupted: “Baili Zheque deserves a wretched death!”
As Su Ye moved, the dark iron chains piercing his collarbones instantly tightened, firmly shackling him in place. Yet he did not stop struggling. Flesh tore, bones cracked, but he fought desperately to break free from his restraints.
Even across species, Liu Wuzhi couldn’t bear to watch his self-destructive behavior and quietly comforted him, “Actually, if the Primordial Spirit offered in sacrifice can be pieced together fragment by fragment, it can still be recovered…” Her true form, the Jade Green Lingzhi, was one of the Catalyst Herbs.
“Impossible!” Su Ye roared. “The area near the Realm Boundary Stele is filled with Space-Time Turbulence! It can’t be found!”
Having crossed the critical line, he seemed to have finally found an outlet for his emotions, pouring them out recklessly: “Back then, A Ling was injured by demon energy from the Inter-Realm Rift. I had no choice but to offer my Dao Companion Ring and secret treasure to seek help from Baili Zheque. But who would have thought that beast would go back on his word after following me to Clear Sound Valley? He held A Ling’s Life Soul in his hand, forcing me to become his slave, betray my path, enter the demon realm, and pledge loyalty to him!”
In this seemingly equal exchange of negotiations, Baili Zheque had accurately gauged Su Ye’s desperation and lack of alternatives, seizing the opportunity to drive down the price.
What a clever yet cruel profiteer.
After recounting the past, the demonic mark between Su Ye’s brows began to dim and shatter wildly—a clear sign of self-destruction. Liu Wuzhi wanted to stop him, but Su Ye shook his head and smiled bitterly. “Neither you nor I will be spared by the Sovereign Lord.”
“How can you give up without even trying?” Liu Wuzhi, accustomed to saving others, couldn’t accept his self-destruction. “I can help you negotiate with the Sovereign Lord.”
Su Ye lowered his head with a mocking smile, watching his gradually collapsing body, and slowly noticed something strange: beneath the butterfly-knot bandages wrapped around him, every inch of his wounds was actually inscribed with Immortal Sect Incantations drawn in demon blood.
No, the details went far beyond that—
Spiritual Plants were scarce in the demon realm, yet she had managed to pick out mutually reinforcing and restraining ones, effortlessly transferring demon energy through a Spirit Array.
Neutralization, purification, and healing—three layers of spells were superimposed, with the Nine Palaces and Eight Trigrams Formation subtly woven within.
Even this woman carried an aura unique to the Demon Lord.
Could it be… could it be…
Driven to the extreme by hatred and resentment, Su Ye laughed maniacally: “Hahahaha, Baili Zheque, just you wait!”
His curse was drowned out by the deafening explosion of a powerful being’s self-destruction: “When a Heavenly Demon plagues the world, a World-Ferrying Deity will inevitably arise to face the calamity. It’s a pity I won’t live to see the day you are utterly destroyed, body and spirit…”
His bones shattered into powder, and black blood poured out like thick ink. The turbulence coalesced in Liu Wuzhi’s palm into a small, bloodstained bell, still faintly carrying a trace of Su Ye’s aura.
“The Soul-Ferrying Bell,” Yuan Lan remarked, having observed for a long time before stepping closer to examine it. “The legendary immortal artifact said to guide souls—he really did hoard it in secret.”
Liu Wuzhi perked up her ears: An immortal artifact that guides souls? Could it help her return home?
Lü Xiao twirled her smoke pipe, collecting the Soul Breath left behind by Su Ye, and said dismissively, “Just trash. He tried to use this thing to harm the Sovereign Lord, poured too much magical power into it, and ruined it long ago.”
Sure enough, Liu Wuzhi spotted cracks on the surface of the Soul-Ferrying Bell and asked disappointedly, “Can it still be repaired?”
“It would waste too much magical power. Don’t get your hopes up,” Lü Xiao replied, taking another puff of smoke. “Besides, this Magical Treasure is practically useless. It can only be used when the soul has left the body—utterly impractical.”
Soul leaving the body? Wasn’t that exactly her current situation?
This little bell absolutely had to be repaired!
Three days later, the Demon Lord returned in complete victory.
Heart-burning to ashes, building hatred into ruins. The Ember Ruins Guardian oversaw punishment and prisons, and was the most frequently replaced among the Five Great Guardians.
After all, once someone has been in charge of punishment for too long, they all turn into irrational madmen. I had thought that Su Ye, this traitor to the Immortal Sect, could be used a bit longer, but he still wasn’t quite suitable.
Baili Zheque had assumed that after three days apart, he would surely be able to savor much hatred and despair in that dungeon filled with sin.
Yuan Lan and Lü Xiao waited outside the Demon Palace early on.
With a sweep of his wide sleeve, Baili Zheque casually tossed down the corpses of the leaders of the three rebel armies.
The mangled bodies crashed heavily, leaving several holes in the ground, their deaths extremely gruesome. Yuan Lan dared not delay, quickly ordering the corpses to be hung outside the city walls, while the blood-soaked spoils were sorted and sent into the Demon Palace.
The Demon Lord never cleaned up the battlefield; what could be brought back was at least somewhat intact. Who knew what state the outside had been left in?
With such reckless slaughter, the Previous Dynasty was bound to be plunged into bloodshed and turmoil again.
Lü Xiao also stepped forward to bow: “Reporting to the Sovereign Lord, including the former Ember Ruins Guardian Su Ye, a total of thirty-seven death row prisoners in the dungeon have been executed.”
This efficiency somewhat surprised the Demon Lord, who glanced at her sideways.
“However, the interrogation methods of the beauty Wuzhi are rather… heretical.”
Lü Xiao followed the Sovereign Lord all the way to the main hall, reporting in detail how Liu Wuzhi had treated and healed the traitors, provided psychological counseling, used torture tools and poisonous materials as kitchen utensils and ingredients, and even invented the “Tickling Interrogation Method”… leaving nothing out, she truthfully recounted everything.
The main hall was empty of others. After her words ceased, the surroundings fell into complete silence.
Seated on the throne, the Demon Lord, surrounded by Nether Butterflies and Dusk Crows, silently wiped the bloodstained Sword Within the Zither. Lü Xiao trembled in fear, kneeling with a thud on the crystal steps below: “Every word I said is true! I dare not conceal anything!”
The Demon Lord paid no attention. After a long while, he chuckled softly. Transforming into a blur, he vanished from the spot.
In an instant, he arrived at the dungeon beneath the Demon Palace.
This dungeon was the former royal city he had personally destroyed. Inside and outside the ruins lay piles of bones and remains that had accumulated over a century, never cleared away. Shattered emblems of the previous dynasty were everywhere, and every sight evoked loathsome memories.
If Baili Xuanye were ever captured, he too would have to die here.
Yet at this moment, the person who held clues about the Demon Lord’s sworn enemy showed no fear, helplessness, malice, or darkness, nor did she attempt to contact anyone behind the scenes.
The young girl, using a vessel meant for refining souls, filled it with hot soup and was “interrogating” the prisoner who had poisoned the palace banquet through the iron bars: “Why did you poison the food? The dishes you made were truly delicious.”
She was so focused that she had no idea how many lives she held in her hands at that moment, nor did she realize what kind of bewitching, captivating radiance her naturally alluring face was emitting.
Her seduction art was exceptionally profound, but when used for persuasion, it inexplicably took on the effect of a “Word Spirit.”
Each word pierced the heart, and the prisoner was moved to tears: “Miss Wuzhi, you are the first person to ever affirm me.”
Liu Wuzhi set down the bowl and patted his shoulder comfortingly. The more sincere her tone, the more terrifying the “Word Spirit” effect became: “It’s not just me. If you study cooking properly, more and more people will love your dishes. You can definitely become the Kitchen God.”
The prisoner grew even more remorseful and self-reproachful: “Yes, how can killing compare to cooking? I’ve ruined such a bright future.”
“I don’t deserve it! I don’t deserve to live in this world!” Before Liu Wuzhi could stop him, he slammed his head against the iron bars. In an instant, brain matter splattered everywhere.
The effects of the seduction art were far too enduring. Even before his last breath, the prisoner was still murmuring, “In my next life, I want to be a… culinary god…”
The Demon Lord who witnessed the suicide scene: “…”
Liu Wuzhi instinctively wanted to save the man, but she couldn’t get past the bars at all. In her anxiety, she suddenly heard a familiar cry.
Her hope reignited as she turned around: “Ya Ya!”
After a few days apart, the Dusk Crow’s pronunciation had become even more accurate: “Zhi… Zhizhi!”
Where there was a Demon Lord, there were Life Beasts. Liu Wuzhi had long prepared a pile of shiny things to share. Seeing the Dusk Crow attracted, she even boldly stroked their feathers. Moments later, the Netherworld Butterfly also came to join the fun and was fed plenty of hot soup.
Wait, if both Fu Die and Ya Ya were here, did that mean the Demon Lord was nearby too?
When she looked up again, she was met with Baili Zheque’s icy-cold face.
So cold it seemed he could freeze someone to death with just a glance.
The standing Demon Lord seemed twice her height, far more dangerous than when seated.
Liu Wuzhi shrank back at first, then put herself in his shoes: Betrayed by so many trusted subordinates, with countless others wanting to kill him, the Demon Lord must be deeply saddened, right?
Thinking this, her watery eyes, shimmering with a seductive glow, unconsciously held a trace of sympathy. It seeped out in delicate threads, like sorrow, like longing, like weeping, like lament.
Baili Zheque, who was unexpectedly fed a mouthful of sympathy: ?
Author’s Note: