Chapter 113: Counters All Bewitching Supernatural Abilities

This... how to handle it?

On the way to rendezvous with Shibo Jiu Wu, Li Changshou had his paper daoist maintain a speed of earth escape that matched what his master could achieve, feeling a bit conflicted.

He had sent the paper daoist in place of his master precisely to catch the enemy's "fox tail."

But now, that "fox tail" had been burned away by his samadhi true flame, leaving only a few remnants, which he had just scattered...

Though the remnant soul in the soul-capturing pearl still lingered a bit, it would soon dissipate completely...

Li Changshou had anticipated this possibility—that the two letters might be a trap, luring his master here for a secret assassination by his only enemy.

What he hadn't expected was that his master's enemy had secretly hired a yaozu true immortal to carry out the murder for hire.

From the remnant soul of the centipede spirit, he could see that the one who appeared before it was a masked man wearing a treasure cloak...

Considering that anyone doing such a thing would use illusions, this scant information was meaningless.

The centipede spirit was truly unlucky;

It had traveled thousands of li from Beijuluzhou to this place, seeking refuge with familiar yaozu "family" here, and had chosen Lindong City as its base.

The centipede spirit had thought this was an easy and secure deal, lurking in hiding for several months, just waiting for a "midnight rendezvous" with the target to kick the turbid immortal to death with its legs...

But little did it know, more than a month before the appointed day, the centipede spirit itself was gone.

Li Changshou put away the soul-capturing pearl, sighed lightly in his heart, and didn't dwell on the matter further.

Perhaps, this was just fate.

Li Changshou deliberately released a wisp of his aura, and Jiu Wu quickly detected Qi Yuan approaching underground.

The short daoist coughed, clasped his hands behind his back, and acted as if he hadn't done anything improper earlier;

That graceful madam was now bound with immortal rope and thrown under a tree.

"Shixiong, haven't you interrogated her yet?"

"Qi Yuan" slowly emerged from the grass, while Jiu Wu frowned and shook his head.

Jiu Wu said, "Shidi, I just did a divination, but my skills aren't refined enough. I could only find out that this yao has a significant amount of merit on it."

Li Changshou deliberately sighed and said,

"This time, I thought there might be some merit treasure..."

"Shidi, you mustn't think that way," Jiu Wu said seriously. "We are both human renqishi, cultivating in Renjiao. Protecting the human race is our duty.

If we let this group of yao wreak havoc in that brothel, who knows how many ordinary families would be destroyed, how many would lose their wives and children, and how many men would have their yang energy drained, shortening their lifespans."

Li Changshou smiled and shook his head beside him—his shibo's awareness was quite commendable.

"This yao is also doing evil," Jiu Wu continued. "Though it has merit protecting it, we can't ignore it.

Once she wakes up, we'll question her a bit, then take action..."

Jiu Wu made a throat-slitting gesture, and "Qi Yuan" beside him gave a thumbs-up, smiling and saying it was good.

The word "good" here is just an affirmative expression, like "fine" or "excellent," often used by older renqishi.

Imagine a white-haired, immortal-looking elder descending on a cloud, saying a few words to his disciple, then nodding with a slight smile and saying:

"Good!" "Alright!" "Sure!" "Just do it like that!"

It would seem rather undignified.

If the elder flicks his whisk and calmly says "Shan," it leaves one pondering while adding to his mysterious aura.

Li Changshou didn't particularly like saying "shan." Once he attained the fruit of immortality and passed through endless years, growing older in mindset, when talking with juniors, he would probably just say:

"Stable."

Back to the main matter.

Jiu Wu and Li Changshou's disguised "Qi Yuan," carrying the brothel madam—who might be a six-tailed fox in her true form and still unconscious—traveled incognito along the edge of the East Sea.

They worried that yaozu experts might come searching for revenge, so they kept changing their hiding spots.

Killing a living being with merit would naturally bring karmic obstacles;

But this yao woman was causing harm in the mortal world, and not killing her would go against the principles of Duixianmen.

Jiu Wu and "Qi Yuan" discussed that if necessary, they would take the female fox yao back to Duixianmen for imprisonment, waiting until her merit faded before executing her.

Before that, they needed to interrogate her thoroughly about her origins and what good deeds she had done...

Half a month later...

"Jiu Wu Shixiong, how much knockout drug did you give her?"

"Not much, just one whole pellet of the midan that Elder Wan bestowed."

Li Changshou: ...

This brothel madam, with cultivation only at mid true immortal realm, naturally couldn't withstand such a potent drug.

The matter in Lindong City had already been resolved ahead of time, and Li Changshou didn't want to linger, so he secretly administered a small amount of antidote.

Three days later, the charming female yao finally woke up.

She awoke at dusk, bound by immortal rope on the edge of a deserted island's beach, unable to circulate her yao power...

Li Changshou noticed the female yao's awakening right away and wanted to alert Jiu Wu, but since he was posing as his master, he couldn't speak up.

This madam was no simple character; upon waking, she made no sudden moves, pretending to sleep with her eyes closed while secretly using her immortal sense to observe the two daoists.

Half an hour later, the colorful butterfly mark on the madam's forehead glowed faintly, and a subtle fragrance spread quietly from her body;

She soon let out a soft "hiss," her long eyelashes trembling as she opened her eyes...

Jiu Wu and "Qi Yuan," who were meditating facing the sea, both opened their eyes at once.

"Hmph, finally awake!"

Jiu Wu stood up immediately, flicked his sleeve, picked up his sheathed immortal-grade sword, and turned to interrogate the yao about her origins.

But...

As soon as Jiu Wu turned, his eyes caught a hazy glow under the tree; the yao woman bound by the immortal rope appeared so...

Graceful and alluring, enchantingly beautiful;

Her face seemed somewhat similar to his beloved shijie, and her figure was incredibly captivating...

Jiu Wu lowered the sword in his hand, stopped in his tracks, and stared intently ahead, his breathing growing rapid.

"Qi Yuan" beside him was in the same state, even breathing more heavily than Jiu Wu.

However, "Qi Yuan's" reaction was deliberately put on by Li Changshou.

What a powerful charm technique!

The one disguised as his master was just a paper daoist with a portion of his yuan Shen power;

After the female yao secretly unleashed her technique, Li Changshou felt a slight change in his state of mind...

He silently recited the pure heart mantra, and his heart instantly became clear.

This was Li Changshou's first encounter with such a technique, and he was using the paper daoist to observe it carefully.

This type of technique was called charm art. During the prosperous era of the ancient yaozu, many yaozu specialized in it to ensnare experts and secure a backer for themselves.

At that moment, the female yao wasn't just using simple charm art; she was also enhancing her feminine allure with poses, expressions, gazes, and even the way her lips parted—all coordinated with the technique.

Soon, Li Changshou noticed that Shibo Jiu Wu was struggling...

The short daoist took a small step forward...

If Jiu Wu were controlled by the charm technique, things could get troublesome.

So...

A scroll suddenly slipped from "Qi Yuan's" sleeve and landed on the beach, unfurling slightly.

"Qi Yuan" lowered his eyes in confusion and murmured,

"Isn't this... the scroll Changshou gave me?

Shixiong, Jiu Wu Shixiong?"

"Hmm?" Jiu Wu stared straight ahead, not turning his head, and casually replied, "Shidi, what is it?"

"Qi Yuan" picked up the scroll from the ground, walked over to Jiu Wu, and slowly unrolled it; as if by accident, he bumped Jiu Wu's shoulder with his elbow.

Jiu Wu instinctively lowered his head and saw the slowly unfurling scroll...

At that moment, Jiu Wu's world was all pink;

The scroll opened about half a foot, revealing the edge of a skirt, and Jiu Wu felt a spark of curiosity—he wanted to look up at the beauty under the tree but also down at the figure in the painting.

Then, the scroll opened another inch, revealing the face in the painting;

Seeing that full of wrinkles, the sagging dress, the slightly raised orchid fingers, and the yellowish fingertips...

In an instant, Jiu Wu seemed to hear a "ding" sound, and the seductive whispers in his ears vanished;

The short daoist stepped back three paces, held his breath, his eyes instantly cleared, and he perked up, even shuddering involuntarily.

The female yao under the tree frowned but tried to intensify her effort; however...

It seemed her technique had completely lost its effect.

Jiu Wu was covered in cold sweat and whispered, "What just... happened?"

"Qi Yuan" continued to slowly unroll the scroll. "Shixiong, look, the brushwork is quite skillful."

"I..."

Jiu Wu looked down at the now half-unrolled scroll, where the "beauties" struck various poses, but his heart stirred no ripples.

Jiu Wu frowned and asked, "Shidi, what is this thing?"

"Ah, this is something Changshou gave me," "Qi Yuan" said with a bitter smile. "It just fell out somehow.

Changshou was teasing me, saying I'm old, so he gave me this odd beauty painting."

"Good thing it was here!"

Jiu Wu narrowed his eyes and looked toward the female yao under the tree.

With a clang, Jiu Wu drew his immortal sword and gritted his teeth, scolding, "How dare you use charm art to deceive us!

You're asking for death!"

Under the tree, the brothel madam furrowed her brows but then gave a soft, charming smile, looking pitiful, her phoenix eyes brimming with tears, like a lone orchid blooming in the dust...

The old daoist beside her approached again with the scroll. "Shixiong, look at this figure—Changshou's painting is truly excellent."

Jiu Wu glanced down and saw the old woman in the painting seem to come alive, winking at him.

He shuddered again.

Now, looking at the female yao under the tree, what he had just seen as "a lone orchid blooming in the dust" instantly became...

"Just some common foxtail grass in the dust!"

Jiu Wu flung his immortal sword toward the brothel madam; the sharp blade grazed her ear and embedded itself in the large tree behind her.

This time, the brothel madam was thoroughly shocked.

She stared at the scroll in the old daoist's hand, unable to see its contents from her angle;

But she was certain that this scroll had allowed the two of them to shake off her full-force charm art almost instantly!

What kind of treasure was this?

Jiu Wu quickly threw out dozens of talismans, effortlessly suppressing the female yao's power and soul, as she was already bound by the immortal rope.

Jiu Wu then looked at Qi Yuan and asked via voice transmission, "Qi Yuan Shidi, what exactly is this thing?"

"It's just a painting," "Qi Yuan" replied via voice transmission, slowly rolling up the scroll.

"The Portrait of One Hundred Beauties in Old Age," a must-have for renqishi to cultivate tranquility and resist charm art!

"Let me take a closer look."

"This... alright.

Though it's good, Shixiong, please don't look too much. After all, you have a dao companion."

Jiu Wu chuckled and said calmly,

"Don't worry, no problem.

Nephew Changshou's painting skills are truly impressive. Red dust and skeletons, youth is fleeting—better to seek immortality and freedom, just go with the flow."

Li Changshou: ...

This effect might be a bit too strong.

Later, he could give his shibo some Dragon Poison Wine. After all, if Jiu Wu really became someone who couldn't hold his liquor, that would mean Li Changshou had formed a karmic tie with him.

Half a day later, Jiu Wu and Li Changshou's paper daoist flew toward Dongshengshenzhou on clouds.

They hadn't killed the female yao directly; they had already interrogated her origins, and once her charm art was ineffective, she didn't resist much and readily confessed her background.

In short, this fox yao was confident in her merit protection, assuming they wouldn't kill her.

Just as humans have good and evil, so do yao;

This six-tailed fox had cultivated for over six thousand years, merely running a brothel, amassing wealth, and taming lesser yao, without directly absorbing yang energy from mortals.

But she hadn't done any good deeds either; this merit was "inherited" from her ancestors, who had secretly saved many humans during the Witch-Yao War, and when humans rose to prominence, they were rewarded with some merit for her clan.

Since this yao had merit and her ancestors had aided humans, the two couldn't easily deal with her, so they decided to take her back to the sect for judgment.

"Shidi," Jiu Wu said, "can you lend me that beauty painting?

I'm worried the elders in the sect might be bewitched by her. It might not cause major issues, but it could embarrass our seniors."

Li Changshou hesitated briefly but handed over the painting.

It was just an ordinary painting with a clever concept—nothing significant.

Besides, he had... more like it.