Once a demon, an enemy of the whole world!
Whether they were spiritual cultivators or mortals, their hatred for demonic cultivators was irreconcilable.
This was because demonic cultivators were, by nature, detestable.
Wang Sandong knew all too well that sooner or later, she would become like a rat crossing the street, hunted by everyone under heaven.
But so what?
If it came to that, she would simply go on a killing spree!
Listening to the shouting and fighting outside the carriage, Wang Sandong’s expression was gloomy.
Deep down, she actually hoped the surrounded demonic cultivator could carve out a path of blood.
If she hadn’t just used **[Soul Snatching]** and exhausted her body, she really would have liked to lift the curtain and see the commotion for herself.
She glanced at Yuan Di beside her, mulling over the woman’s words before asking, “What? An old acquaintance?”
“Perhaps,” Yuan Di chuckled, reaching out to peel back the eyelid of Cui San’er’s still-warm corpse.
“Looking at this technique, it should be.”
“What technique?”
Wang Sandong was puzzled.
“Soul Snaring,” Yuan Di said calmly.
Wang Sandong’s brow furrowed slightly.
“The *Chronicles of the Demon Sovereign* records that Soul Snaring is a unique skill of the Demon Sovereign. It can silently turn a person into a puppet, controlled at will.”
“The person who came should be a disciple of the Demon Sovereign,” Yuan Di said slowly.
“As for ‘Soul Snaring’… it isn’t actually that exaggerated. It’s merely a method of influencing the mind. Rumors in the streets have distorted it until it sounds miraculous.”
“Then that disciple… is he a friend or an enemy?”
Yuan Di did not answer.
Wang Sandong asked again, “You mean Cui San’er was controlled by ‘Soul Snaring’? But I didn’t sense anything out of the ordinary.”
To be precise, the “I” she spoke of now was not just Wang Sandong, but also Cui San’er.
Since she had used **[Soul Snatching]** to kill him, she had “plundered” all of his memories.
In those memories, there wasn’t a single trace of being controlled by Soul Snaring.
Yuan Di sneered.
“What is your cultivation level? If you could easily detect it, then the technique would be far too useless.”
Her words were logical, but saying them so bluntly was somewhat disrespectful.
Wang Sandong grunted in annoyance, then thought of a key point.
“Why would the Demon Sovereign’s disciple control Cui San’er? Why go through the trouble of controlling him just to have him die before me? For what reason?”
Yuan Di’s gaze fell on Wang Sandong’s fingertips.
Seeing that the black color on the nails had faded slightly and was no longer as dark as before, she finally spoke.
“So-called cultivation is originally about tempering the body and the nature. While tempering the body is important, tempering one’s nature cannot be neglected. The reason demonic cultivators are seen as the wicked path is that they are extremely prone to being swayed by emotions. In the end, they even lose their humanity entirely.”
Wang Sandong fell silent and did not immediately reply.
She only reflected in her heart, ‘Did I really lose my humanity just now? Was the hatred and killing intent I felt for Cui San’er a loss of humanity?’
“Those who have just entered the path of demonic cultivation have very weak resistance to demonic arts; their temperaments can easily become violent,” Yuan Di reminded her.
“If you cannot wake up early and exercise restraint, you will eventually become nothing more than a cold-blooded, murderous creature.”
As she spoke, she glanced at Wang Sandong’s fingernails again.
Wang Sandong’s brow locked tight.
After a moment, she closed her eyes and slapped her forehead in pain.
She didn’t know if Yuan Di was deceiving her, nor was she certain if she was truly being influenced by the demonic art **[Huitian]**.
But to kill someone just because of a few jokes from Cui San’er did seem a bit impulsive.
Excessive, even.
Even if the other party had insulted her, she could have just let Wang Tong teach him a lesson.
It really wasn’t necessary to take his life.
Outside the carriage, the sounds of fighting gradually faded into the distance.
Yuan Di spoke again, “Though the technique of **[Soul Snatching]** is powerful, it kills one thousand enemies at the cost of 300 to yourself. Your body is already weak and your cultivation is shallow. It is not suitable for you to use it continuously within a short period of time.”
Wang Sandong didn’t need Yuan Di to tell her this; she felt it most clearly herself.
The last time she killed Miss Zheng, she could still barely crawl out of the carriage.
This time, even speaking felt like an effort.
Her entire body felt completely hollowed out.
“Then… how long counts as a short period?”
“Everyone’s constitution is different. I haven’t actually practiced **[Soul Snatching]** myself. You will have to figure out the specific intervals on your own.”
Wang Sandong pondered for a moment.
Suddenly, a thought struck her.
“Did the Demon Sovereign’s disciple control Cui San’er just to intentionally provoke me?”
“Yes,” Yuan Di nodded.
“So, make sure to stay indoors more often lately. If there is nothing important, you don’t need to come to Fengyue Tower to find me.”
“What is that person’s goal?”
Wang Sandong speculated aloud.
“If he wanted to kill me, he wouldn’t need to go through all this trouble. He could just do it. Since he is a disciple of the Demon Sovereign, his cultivation must be extremely strong. Killing me would be like an elephant stepping on an ant. Using Cui San’er to create trouble is very strange.”
Wang Sandong strongly suspected the disciple had another motive.
Yuan Di smiled and nodded.
“Since you know you are an ant, you don’t need to worry about the elephant’s business.”
Wang Sandong was stunned.
On second thought, she supposed that made sense.
However…
‘I think there’s an eighty percent chance I’ve been dragged into your mess.’
Yuan Di smiled without a word.
Seeing her like this, Wang Sandong knew it was useless to keep obsessing over it.
Rather than overthinking these things, it was better to ask about serious business.
She struggled to lift her hand and looked at her fingertips.
“Look, it happened again.”
Between the cracks of her nails, some faint black demonic qi had reappeared.
“I told you long ago. The demonic qi in your body is not bound by a Spiritual Root. It bounces around everywhere, so a little leakage is perfectly normal.”
“I remember,” Wang Sandong sighed.
“I’m asking if there is truly no way to cure the root of the problem?”
Yuan Di shook her head.
Recalling the way the black on Wang Sandong’s nails had darkened and then faded earlier, she said slowly, “As your cultivation deepens, the leakage of demonic qi will only become more frequent. Furthermore, using a large amount of demonic qi will cause it to vent, turning your nails completely black. Once the demonic qi stabilizes, it will flow back on its own and the color of your nails will recover, but some traces will always remain.”
Wang Sandong was filled with disappointment and let her arm drop weakly.
Thinking about how she would constantly have to hide her fingers and be wary of anyone discovering the anomaly made her feel that it was a huge hassle.
She took another look at Cui San’er’s corpse, her eyes showing a bit more worry.
“The world knows that all demonic cultivators are cold-blooded and murderous; there are rarely any exceptions.”
Wang Sandong was deeply concerned.
“From this, it’s clear that very few demonic cultivators can withstand the influence of demonic arts and retain their original nature, right?”
“No, it isn’t that few,” Yuan Di said indifferently.
“Some people are simply born cold-blooded and murderous. Like the Demon Sovereign.”
“Uh…”
Yuan Di added, “You don’t need to worry too much. Losing control of your emotions might not be entirely due to the **[Huitian]** demonic art; sometimes it’s related to ‘stagnant heart-fire.’ One of these days, I will refine a pill for you that can let you ‘vent your feelings’ for a while.”
She looked at Wang Sandong’s fair and handsome face and added one more thing, “At least experience it once, so when you become a woman in the future, you won’t regret it too much.”
Wang Sandong’s lips twitched. She felt exhausted and frustrated.
There were words she wanted to say but didn’t want to speak.
There were fine porcelain jobs she wanted to take on, but she lacked the diamond tools…
In this scene, she suddenly wanted to recite a poem:
“Before the campaign was won, the strategist died; ever since, heroes’ robes have been drenched in tears.”
Good poem.
A very good poem.
Wang Sandong sighed silently and closed her eyes weakly.
“Please, dispose of Cui San’er’s body.”
Yuan Di sensed Wang Sandong’s fatigue and gave a soft affirmative.
She ordered Wang Tong to drive the carriage to a secluded spot before she shouldered the corpse, stepped off the carriage, and disappeared into the night.
***
The carriage slowly drove back to the Wang Mansion.
Wang Sandong went to bed early to rest.
Although she fell into a deep sleep, it was not a peaceful one.
The memories that originally belonged to Cui San’er surged in her dreams like a tide.
However, for some reason, this time it wasn’t as painful as when she was hit by Miss Zheng’s memories.
The next morning.
Before Wang Sandong could wake up on her own, she was roused by Wang Tong’s urgent voice.
“Young Master! Young Master! Something terrible has happened!”
Wang Tong looked anxious.
“The Master has been injured by a demon!”
The Demon-Slaying Whistle had sounded last night.
The head of the Wang Family, Wang Zhongyi, and a group of experts from the Old Capital had heard the signal and set out to kill the demon.
Who could have known that the demon was not only highly cultivated but also insidious and cruel?
The group struggled with it all night.
In the end, they lost track of the demon, and Wang Zhongyi was unfortunately ambushed, leaving him in a heavy coma.
“Mr. Yi is currently in the mansion treating the Master. Young Master, you should go see him quickly!”
Wang Tong was full of worry.
Reasonably speaking, if a father was heavily injured, a son should immediately go visit.
Moreover, her father had always treated her as the “pearl in his palm,” never letting her suffer even a little grievance.
But…
The painful memory of being forcibly stripped of her Spiritual Root by her biological parents in her past life still caused Wang Sandong’s heart to stall.
“Young Master?”
Wang Tong thought she was just frightened.
Wang Sandong looked at Wang Tong.
She swallowed the retort she had been about to say.
Thinking of how Wang Zhongyi usually doted on her in every possible way, her heart eventually softened.
However, before departing, she had to clean the leftover demonic qi from under her fingernails.
Currently, because Wang Zhongyi was heavily injured, the entire Wang Mansion seemed to be covered in a layer of gloom.
When the news spread, many people rushed over.
Those who came to visit included not only relatives of the Wang Family but also friends from the Old Capital who frequently associated with them.
Although Wang Zhongyi’s wife, Lady Wang, was burning with anxiety, she still had to pull herself together to greet the guests.
Since Wang Zhongyi’s condition was unclear, they might need to rely on these people for help in the future, so she didn’t dare to be neglectful.
In the middle of the chaos, Lady Wang saw Wang Sandong walking toward her.
Her eyes instantly turned red as she fought back her emotions.
“My child.”
“Mother,” Wang Sandong sighed.
“How is Father?”
“Mr. Yi is inside treating him. He hasn’t come out yet, and we don’t dare disturb him. Your second uncle and the butler are waiting by his side, so you don’t need to worry too much.”
Even though she was worried sick, Lady Wang was still putting on a brave face to comfort her child.
“Heaven helps the worthy. Mother, please don’t be too distressed.”
“Yes, Mother is fine.”
Lady Wang gave a forced smile.
“Over the years, what grand storms has Mother not seen?”
She paused before adding, “Your second uncle says we should send someone to the New Capital to inform your elder brother of the family’s misfortune. But Mother feels it’s better not to disturb your elder brother’s cultivation for now. We should wait for Mr. Yi to give his diagnosis before making a decision.”
Without waiting for Wang Sandong to speak, she muttered to herself, “It just had to happen during the Celebration Ceremony. Your grandfather is far away at the Righteous Alliance, and then this happened… and your wedding is coming up…”
As she spoke, Lady Wang unconsciously gripped the corner of her robe and paced back and forth, making Wang Sandong a bit dizzy just watching her.
Wang Sandong could see clearly that her mother was in a state of complete confusion.
Ever since she married into the Wang Family, this woman had always treated her husband as her world.
She had never had to worry or make decisions regarding family matters.
Now that Wang Zhongyi had fallen and the eldest son, Wang Jinghong, was not by her side, she had lost her support and was already panicking, even if she was trying to maintain the calm and composed appearance of a noble matriarch.
More guests arrived to visit, and Lady Wang hurriedly went forward to greet them.
Wang Sandong found a quiet corner to stand in.
As Wang Zhongyi’s child, if she didn’t stay here at a time like this, people would surely criticize her behind her back.
So, whether she wanted to or not, it wasn’t convenient to leave.
Not long after, Cui Er arrived, bringing a precious medicinal herb for healing.
After exchanging a few pleasantries with Lady Wang, he walked over to Wang Sandong.
This fellow, who usually loved to bicker with Wang Sandong, looked exceptionally solemn.
“The Master has high cultivation. This little injury won’t be a problem.”
Wang Sandong looked at Cui Er, and Cui San’er’s memories involuntarily surfaced in her mind.
Aside from the usual life of debauchery and indulgence, there were the various ways the Cui Family suppressed and insulted Cui Er, the backstabbing ridicule and sneers—it was all ringing in her ears, vivid as life.
But this young man, who was not yet 20 and always had a smile on his face, had never mentioned the grievances he suffered at home to anyone.
He spent his days laughing and talking, looking energetic as if his life were very pleasant.
Poor aptitude was the greatest original sin.
Wang Sandong thought again of the terrified and desperate look on Cui San’er’s face right before he died.
She wondered what Cui Er’s reaction would be if he knew she had killed that younger brother of his who frequently bullied him.
“Frequently bullied” and “younger brother”—both were key phrases.
“Wang Tong and your third uncle are still tracking that demonic cultivator’s trail.”
Cui Er’s face was full of worry.
“That demon is just too cunning.”
As they were speaking, the bedroom door suddenly opened.
The gaze of everyone waiting outside was instantly drawn toward it.
Mr. Yi stepped out first, followed closely by Second Uncle Wang and the family butler.
Lady Wang hurried forward and asked urgently, “Mr. Yi, how is he?”
Mr. Yi was about to answer when he caught sight of Wang Sandong in the corner.
His gray eyebrows twitched slightly before he turned back to Lady Wang.
“The Master’s meridians have been fouled by demonic qi. We must find a way to purge the demonic qi as soon as possible. Otherwise… once the demonic qi enters the bone, it may be impossible to cure.”
“Ah! Then let’s purge it quickly!”
Lady Wang said anxiously.
Mr. Yi did not respond.
His gaze swept over toward Wang Sandong again, seemingly without intent.
“Everyone, thank you for your concern for my brother.”
Second Uncle Wang suddenly cupped his hands and spoke loudly to the crowd.
“It is not convenient to host guests today. Please, return home for now. If there are difficulties in the future, the Wang Family may come to seek your aid. For now, I offer my thanks.”
After speaking, he gave a deep bow.
The guests naturally understood the intent to see them off.
After a few polite words, they scattered.
Once everyone was gone, Second Uncle Wang looked at Wang Sandong and said warmly, “Nephew, your body is weak. You should go back and rest as well.”
“Thank you for your concern, Second Uncle.”
“We are family. No need for such formalities.”
Wang Sandong bowed and withdrew.
After walking only a short distance, she thought of those two meaningful looks from Mr. Yi, and a sense of unease suddenly rose in her heart.
She hadn’t been dealing with Mr. Yi for just a day.
She knew clearly that he would never look at her for no reason.