Vol. 1 - Ch. 34 - Enchantress

Chapter 34: Enchantress

As the sobbing cries reached the cave entrance, the tailing whimpers meant to evoke sympathy got stuck in her throat, transforming into a stifled "Uh." The wooden girl clutched her left arm, standing dazed at the doorway. Her crying expression, frozen on her face, looked somewhat comedic.

Bai Yan followed, stepping over the scattered beast corpses and stopping at the entrance with Xiao Bai, momentarily stunned.

Admittedly, the scene before them was peculiar—a spiderweb-laden cave, Ji Yaoge perched high on the largest web, lips stained with blood, her clothes dirty and tattered. Beneath her stood a fair-skinned young boy, his cool gaze aside, looking like a tasty morsel that had mistakenly walked into a spider’s lair.

"Sister," Bai Yan's concern returned after a brief pause.

"She’s meditating," the boy said, extending his hand toward the wooden girl.

The wooden girl handed him her arm, cautiously calling, "Brother Yuan?" The boy simply responded with "Mm." Only then did she burst into loud sobs, "My arm, my arm, my arm..." The calm from before vanished as if it had never happened. The arm she had recently obtained was gone within two days, causing her excruciating pain.

Bai Yan approached the web, heeding Yuan Huan’s words not to disturb Ji Yaoge, observing her steady breathing. Most of the bloodstains weren't her own, so he relaxed, turning back to the two people. The wooden girl's arm, severed, turned into a dry log. Just like she said, she wasn’t human. Old Yuan had disappeared and was replaced by a young boy with some resemblance to Xiao Bai—was this the "Brother Yuan" she kept mentioning?

"Who is this?" Bai Yan inquired of Xiao Bai.

"Brother Yuan," she answered simply. The boy remained silent, focused on examining the joint of her severed arm.

"Brother Yuan, about Xiao Bai's arm..." Bai Yan never cared much for formalities; the people here all had quirks enough for a dozen.

Yuan Huan didn’t respond. Quickly grabbing the wooden girl’s shoulder, he infused two streaks of green light, reattaching the arm. With a "snap," the arm reconnected seamlessly. She waved her arm, delighted at the smooth movement, grinning widely, shaking off her earlier gloom. "Thank you, Brother Yuan.” Then she linked her arm with Bai Yan’s, "And thank you, Brother Bai."

Seeing her happiness, Yuan Huan smiled—his smile inscrutable.

"Go clean up the battlefield and think about how to please her," he finally suggested.

Her smile collapsed instantly.

——

The cave inside and out was littered with beast corpses, making cleanup laborious. To the rogue cultivators of Tiyu State or those with lower cultivation, these beast hides, bones, blood, and crystals were valuable materials. Only someone like Yuan Huan, with three thousand years of cultivation, accustomed to rare treasures, was indifferent. After scanning the battlefield, he pocketed a few items from the three beast cultivators' storage bags, leaving the rest to Bai Yan and the wooden girl.

The beasts retreated, the storm dissipated, and twilight settled. Unknowingly, the battle had lasted over a day.

A stick of incense’s worth of time was short. Ji Yaoge didn’t have time to process all the beast spirits. These spirit bones were harder to digest than ordinary low-intelligence ones.

Visually, high-level beast spirit bones were different, glowing faintly blue, more radiant, like pigeon-sized jade stones. The three beast cultivators’ spirit bones were darker, purer blue.

Though she couldn’t process all the spirit bones in a single incense stick’s time, she could swallow them—they weren’t hard to absorb. Her speed was ten times faster than others, but these bones contained immense power, power that...

Stirred her soul sea like ice shards striking warm flesh, causing her primordial spirit to tremble upon each intake. The three beast cultivators’ spirit bones were even more potent, like hurling a bomb into calm waters, creating tumultuous waves.

She underestimated the strength of these spirit bones and overestimated her endurance.

Standing under the web, Yuan Huan watched Ji Yaoge’s skin turn from normal white to pale blue, her expression pained. As the incense stick burned down, her eyes snapped open, her plain face distorted, red veins spider-webbing her eyes, making them look terrifyingly seductive.

A century, a millennium, wilderness survival—these obsessions swept her mind like a storm at sea. She struggled to maintain control, her composure cracking.

"What technique do you practice?" Yuan Huan asked, leaning against the wall, watching her suffer.

Locking eyes, she gripped the web, fiercely defiant, "Beautification... Perfection Technique." Her tone, taunting, didn’t sound sincere.

To her surprise, Yuan Huan didn’t mock or scorn her. Instead, he appeared contemplative.

"Beautification Perfection Technique?" Finally, he spoke, "You’ve got guts, practicing the Enchanting Bone Art." Seeing her stunned look, he continued, "Surprised I know the Enchanting Bone Art?" He smirked, "There’s nothing on Wanhua I don't know."

Indeed, Uncle Yuan Huan, owner of the Five Prisons Tower, was renowned not for his cultivation but for his chosen path—studying forbidden techniques and elixirs, understanding the mysteries of immortality, gaining profound insights. He knew more than his current realm suggested, making him sought after even by higher-level cultivators.

Knowing about obscure arts like the Enchanting Bone Art wasn’t surprising.

He might even know more than her mere hearsay.

"Revered Immortal, your knowledge is vast," Ji Yaoge gritted out, struggling to control her emotions.

"Bit off more than you can chew, huh, Sister Ji?" The young boy grinned mischievously.

She tightened her grip on the web, trying to appear sincere. "Then, Brother Yuan, how should I digest it?" Trying to adapt, she asked without pretense.

Yuan Huan squinted, resembling the wooden girl’s charm. Raising his hand, a green needle lodged into Ji Yaoge’s brow.

A sudden coldness surged, her primordial spirit encased in frost. The turbulent soul sea stilled, her runaway feelings subdued. Rubbing her brow, she questioned, "What is this?"

"A Needle of Clarity," Yuan Huan stood straighter, "It stabilizes the primordial spirit, temporarily easing your condition. It lasts an hour."

"Thank you," Ji Yaoge felt a wave of clarity, enabling her to circulate the Wonderful Lotus Mantra.

"No need to thank me. I don’t need another madman, not while Ren Zhongping is waiting for you." Yuan Huan turned away, hiding his excitement for studying the Enchanting Bone Art.

Ji Yaoge resumed meditating before he completely left the room.

——

As Yuan Huan warned, the Needle of Clarity’s effects lasted an hour. Running the Wonderful Lotus Mantra twice stabilized her emotions, preventing a full meltdown, though she couldn’t fully process the spirit bones.

Turning all spirit bones could take three months of seclusion, but she lacked that time.

Opening her eyes to a silent cave, she thought back to the fierce battle, wondering about the outside world. As she moved to leap down, her foot touched something hard.

Beneath the web, a pile of items, herbs, elixirs, crystals, weapons—everything forming a small mountain, two faces peering up like eager pets awaiting her attention.

Ren Zhongping and the wooden girl squatted side by side, hands on cheeks, faces turned skyward.

"What are you doing?" Ji Yaoge asked, retracting her foot.

"Waiting for you to wake up," the wooden girl smiled, losing her former fear.

Ren Zhongping simply barked, "Fairy sister," like a happy puppy.

"All of this," the wooden girl gestured grandly, circling the pile, "is for you."

Ji Yaoge understood quickly—

When the spirit essence escaped, it likely followed Yuan Huan. Upon reuniting, the wooden girl, clearly non-human, was extremely sensitive to her and she felt a strange familiarity with her. This didn’t need explanation.

Yuan Huan must’ve given her a hint, and now she cleverly chose a different approach instead of running away.

"Is this the spoils from outside?" Ji Yaoge dangled from the web, asking.

The wooden girl nodded fervently. "This is just from the three beast cultivators’ storage bags. I’ve reserved it for you. There are still more beast carcasses outside. Brother Bai is cleaning them up. Do you want to see?"

Marking out her allegiance, the wooden girl wasn’t stupid, knowing where her interests lay.

With a casual sweep, Ji Yaoge stored the pile into her ring, finding a spot to land.

The ring emitted a soft green light, signaling lack of space. Nearly two centuries old, it was time for a new ring.

"I’ve organized most outside, waiting for you to inspect," the wooden girl continued, now admiring Ji Yaoge instead of fearing her.

Ji Yaoge, sensing no ill intent, nodded and followed her out of the cave. Though beasts, unlike beast cultivators, had no bags of holding, every part of their bodies—from hides to bones to blood to inner crystals—was valuable, useful for alchemy, weapon forging, or selling at markets.

With Gao Badou’s help, she had never lacked spiritual jade, but more wealth was never a problem, especially in resource-scarce Tiyu State.

The cave mouth, once sealed, was now blasted open. The corridor destroyed, like a gaping maw missing its teeth, sunlight flooding in. Outside, the orderly herb garden lay ruined, now a field of beast corpses. The wooden girl bounced ahead, with Ren Zhongping frolicking beside her, having been well-hidden from the beasts.

Bai Yan, counting the loot, rushed forward seeing her, "Sister, are you well?"

"I’m fine. How about you?" Ji Yaoge squinted, seeing his dirtied white robes, more disheveled than hers, yet still handsome, ruggedly so. An unusual emotion bloomed. Without thinking, she reached out.

Cold fingertips brushed Bai Yan’s cheek, lingering at his lips, wiping away the blood. Bai Yan froze, then shook his head, "I’m fine. It isn’t my blood."

"You’re all dirty, how pitiful," Ji Yaoge’s voice, soft and whimsical, unlike her usual straightforward tone.

Battle-hardened Bai Yan blushed under her gaze, her demeanor changed, moving fluidly with a serpentine grace.

"Sister, I’m not pitiful," Bai Yan grasped her wandering hand, sensing something off.

"Xiao Bai was right, you are very good-looking..." She laughed softly, unbothered by his hold.

The wooden girl and Bai Yan exchanged puzzled looks, finding no answer in each other's eyes. Glancing at Ren Zhongping—useless for answers.

"Come closer, let me see," Ji Yaoge leaned toward Bai Yan, her eyes playful slits, her body lithe.

Bai Yan, unprepared, felt awkward—normally he initiated any flirtation, and she would brush him off with a jest. Now roles reversed, he felt the tension and attraction, her softness within reach, his resolve faltering. He wasn’t a saint.

Suddenly—

Two large kites flew overhead, the wind from their wings catching Ji Yaoge’s attention. Landing on the rock before the cave were four unexpected guests who alighted.

"Brother, look! Didn’t I say yesterday’s anomaly meant something? So many beast corpses!" a clear, excited voice called before even steadying her stance.

Ji Yaoge glanced over, releasing Bai Yan, and leaping towards them.

The four newcomers, three men and one woman, wore similar azure robes with purple lingzhi embroidery and swords strapped to their backs—not typical of Tiyu State’s local sects, though their cultivation wasn’t high, they bore the air of disciples from a prominent sect.

"Junior Sister Zhou, don’t be loud," a fair-skinned, scholarly-looking man chided the excited girl beside him.

"So many treasures! Bringing these back will make everyone jealous!" another rough-looking man with a giant sword on his back exclaimed, jumping from the kite.

"Calm down. We don’t know if this mountain has an owner. With so many corpses, something’s off. Better inform Senior Brother Gu," the last man, with a neat topknot, spoke more gravely.

"Why should we report it! If we found it, it’s ours!" The girl dismissed his words, marching ahead.

"That’s not right. Senior Brother Gu leads this trial. We should report," he persisted, only to be shoved aside by the rough man.

"Get lost. You want to suck up to him, do it yourself."

"Exactly," the girl giggled, linking arms with the scholarly man, now affectionate. "Brother Lin, let’s go..." Turning, she startled seeing Ji Yaoge standing ten steps away.

When did she get there? They hadn’t noticed.

"Interested in these items?" Ji Yaoge asked, smiling warmly.

The four stood stunned, "Who are you?"

"A disciple of the Chixiu Palace, Ji Yaoge. And you?" Ji Yaoge introduced herself, eyes fixed on Brother Lin.

The girl chewed on her words, suddenly paling, "Chixiu Palace? Isn’t that the sect for seductresses?" Brother Lin began, "I am from the Autumn Sect..." but was cut off, "Brother Lin, don’t talk to her! Those from the Chixiu Palace use enchantments. Keep away!"

Her warning came too late. Ji Yaoge, already close, said, "What a handsome fellow..."

Bai Yan, catching up, sighed, grabbing Ji Yaoge’s hand, trying to wake her, but she kept staring at Brother Lin, his face red, unable to look away.

Her face, though ordinary, seemed enticing. Bright eyes, a seductive gaze, a ruby between her brows adding allure, her body swayed like a willow, igniting a fire within. Even the two men behind Brother Lin blushed.

"Stop looking!" Only Junior Sister Zhou remained unaffected, pulling Brother Lin behind her, glaring at Ji Yaoge, "Witch!"

Indeed, with Bai Yan on one side and Ren Zhongping on the other, it looked like Ji Yaoge had a harem of male pets.

"Get lost!" Junior Sister Zhou snapped.

Unexpectedly, Ji Yaoge focused on her, her aura shifting, "What a pretty girl, so lovely…" She pinched Junior Sister Zhou’s cheek.

"..." Junior Sister Zhou was dumbfounded.

"..." Brother Lin was dumbfounded.

"..." The other two men were dumbfounded.

"What’s happening?" The wooden girl, seeing Yuan Huan hiding nearby, ran over, stammering in shock, pointing at the scene.

"Snake Demon Hook Chen,a beast of lustful; Red Flame Bird, a beast of desire," Yuan Huan, arms crossed, commented.

What does that mean?

The wooden girl didn’t understand.

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