Mei Qing’s eyes lit up as he silently marveled at how charming and alluring the woman was.
Madam Shi appeared to be no more than twenty-something, exuding a delicate and enchanting beauty. She wore a pale, flowing dress, with her hair loosely tied in a bun. Her face bore a sorrowful and timid expression, making her appear even more touchingly fragile.
Yet there was something odd: she was carrying a young boy, about four or five years old, who looked pale and was fast asleep.
Mei Qing, however, couldn’t help but frown slightly. Something about Madam Shi seemed off. Unfortunately, his experience was still limited, and he couldn’t immediately tell what exactly was wrong.
Bi Zhen, on the other hand, was quite displeased. Seeing Mei Qing so captivated by Madam Shi, whose beauty was indeed bewitching, she felt a surge of jealousy. Silently, she formed a hand seal within her sleeve, sending a thin beam of green light that pricked Mei Qing’s arm without a sound.
Mei Qing felt a sharp pain and instinctively reacted, but quickly forced himself to appear calm, glancing sideways to see Bi Zhen clenching her teeth in fury, directing her Luming Hairpin to poke repeatedly at his waist.
It was quite a high-grade magical artifact, and yet Bi Zhen had repurposed it for such a petty task. Mei Qing gritted his teeth, enduring the discomfort with a wry smile, while also secretly admiring Bi Zhen’s skill in controlling magical implements.
Meanwhile, Madam Shi was oblivious to Mei Qing’s plight. She slowly approached Zhang Shisan, suddenly kneeling before him and pleading, “Master Immortal, have mercy and save my child!”
At this sudden plea, everyone present wore expressions of shock. Even Bi Zhen momentarily forgot her anger, her beautiful eyes fixed on Madam Shi. Until now, they had only spoken with her from behind a screen, never seeing her in person. A closer look now prompted Bi Zhen to gasp in surprise—”Hmm!”—as she, too, sensed something unusual.
Zhang Shisan sidestepped, avoiding her prostration, and snorted coldly, “Little fox spirit, you broke the rules by marrying a mortal. If I had met you thirty years ago, I would have taken your life already. I used to not care to deal with your kind, intending to let you go. But now you dare to come out and provoke me? Don’t you know how to write the word ‘death’?” As he spoke, a chilling aura of killing intent surged forth, instantly enveloping Madam Shi.
Her face turned deathly pale, and she trembled all over, yet she managed to hold herself up and plead, “Master Immortal, please understand. Though I once gave in to mortal desires and married Shi Lang, I have never harmed anyone through cultivation or otherwise. In my centuries of cultivation, I have never harbored ill intent or harmed a single soul. If you wish to take me, even if it means destroying my bones and refining my essence, I will not resist. But my child is only seven years old, gravely ill and without hope of cure. I beg you, Master Immortal, have mercy and save his life!” With that, she repeatedly kowtowed, her forehead striking the ground.
Mei Qing and Bi Zhen exchanged glances, both deeply startled. They now realized Madam Shi was actually a spirit being. No wonder they had both felt something strange about her. However, neither had much experience with spirits before and had failed to recognize her true nature.
Looking again now, they could faintly sense a strange aura circulating around her—undoubtedly the so-called “spirit aura.” Zhang Shisan had probably sensed it the moment she spoke. As he had said, he likely judged that Madam Shi had not done anything harmful to the Shi family estate, so he had decided to let her go. But she had risked her life to come forward and plead for her son’s life.
The child in her arms must have been underdeveloped as well. A seven-year-old who looked no older than four or five—clearly something was wrong with his health.
Zhang Shisan furrowed his brows slightly and asked, “Do you know me? Why are you asking me to save your son?”
Madam Shi continued to kowtow, saying, “Long ago, I once saw you from afar, Master Immortal, and marveled at your mighty presence. I know you possess boundless magical power and great abilities. I beg you, Master Immortal, to save my child. Even if it means my life, I will not hesitate.”
Bi Zhen sighed and said, “Madam Shi, since you yourself are a cultivator, you must know that your son’s condition is beyond remedy.”
In recent days, Bi Zhen had taken the guise of Master Qi, staying at the estate under the pretense of treating the young master. She was well aware of the boy’s condition. Born with congenital deficiencies, he had little hope of survival. All treatments had only served to prolong his life a few days and ease his suffering.
Madam Shi wept bitterly as she begged, “Master Qi, my son was born with severe deficiencies, his meridians chaotic and disordered, making treatment impossible. Your recent efforts at the estate have eased his suffering greatly, for which I am deeply grateful. Master Zhang is your senior and a true cultivator of high attainment. I beg you, Master Immortal, have mercy and save my child!”
Seeing Madam Shi kneeling on the ground, desperately pleading, Bi Zhen felt a pang of sympathy and asked, “Tell me, how did this happen? You are a spirit being, and your husband is a mortal. How could you have a child? Could it be that this child is truly your own?”
Hearing Bi Zhen’s question without an outright refusal, Madam Shi’s face lit up with hope. She quickly recounted her story to everyone.
To Mei Qing, the tale wasn’t particularly strange. From what he remembered, stories of spirits falling in love with mortals weren’t uncommon. But the others were clearly astonished, finding it quite unexpected.
Madam Shi was originally a fox spirit who had cultivated for centuries.
Spirits differ from humans; their cultivation is far more arduous, and the critical stage of forming a human body is fraught with danger.
Fox spirits, while not born of divine essence, are known for their intelligence and cleverness. Two hundred years ago, Madam Shi had gained access to the cultivation path by sheer fortune. Knowing her powers were weak and that she lacked protection, she had always been cautious, avoiding major calamities.
Fifteen years ago, she was nearing a critical stage in her cultivation and needed to survive a tribulation. By chance, she discovered the ruins of a palace in Changchun Dian. Though long abandoned, the site still retained traces of imperial energy, so she decided to hide there, using the emperor’s lingering aura to shield herself from the tribulation.
Unfortunately, disaster struck. Somehow, a group of cultivators arrived at the palace at that very moment. Changchun Dian was remote, and the palace had long been deserted, so Madam Shi had let her guard down, not expecting anyone to come, only to be caught off guard.
The cultivators were skilled, but normally, Madam Shi could have easily escaped. However, the tribulation descended at that very moment. Though she managed to flee the palace wounded, the tribulation followed her closely. Severely injured, she was struck by wave after wave of lightning, left battered and broken, seemingly on the verge of death.
Coincidentally, the young Master Shi, then known as Shi Wuqi, was gathering firewood in the mountains. When the storm broke out with thunder and lightning, he climbed a tree to take shelter and happened to see the dying fox spirit.
Moved by pity, Shi Wuqi picked her up and applied some herbs he had. Strangely, once in his arms, the lightning ceased to strike them. Thus, Madam Shi narrowly escaped death.
After the rain cleared, her injuries somewhat healed, she quietly slipped away to recover in a secluded place. Once healed, she returned to find Shi Wuqi. Orphaned at a young age, he had been making a living by chopping and selling firewood. Grateful, Madam Shi secretly cooked for him and managed his household affairs, and thus several years passed.
Though puzzled by the strange occurrences in his home, Shi Wuqi was a simple-minded man who didn’t dwell on things he couldn’t understand, and so the years passed. It wasn’t until one day he accidentally discovered that the one secretly caring for him was such a beautiful woman that he felt both love and reverence. Being straightforward, he insisted on marrying Madam Shi, regardless of her feelings, and eventually, half-resisting and half-willingly, she became his wife.
After their marriage, Madam Shi used her accumulated resources to help Shi Wuqi gradually uncover hidden treasures, purchase farmland, hire workers, and establish the Shi Clan Village.
Their life together was harmonious and happy, and they performed many good deeds, making their life seem nearly perfect. However, one regret lingered—they had no children. Initially, Madam Shi tried to arrange concubines for Master Shi, but he was stubbornly devoted to her alone, refusing to take any other woman, leaving Madam Shi helpless. Fortunately, a few years ago, she finally became pregnant. However, the child was born weak and frail, requiring countless medicines and consultations with numerous physicians, all to no avail.
“Truth is, my poor child was born with severe deficiencies. I fear he may not live long. What can ordinary doctors do? I keep seeking treatment merely to ease Master Shi’s worries,” Madam Shi said tearfully, gazing at her child.
Zhang Shisan pondered for a moment before asking, “I suppose carrying this child must have cost you dearly?”
Indeed, the union between a human and a spirit being was unnatural. Normally, they could not conceive. To become pregnant, Madam Shi had shattered her own spiritual essence, forcibly transforming her spirit nature into a human one for a brief moment to conceive. This act was no small feat. Besides nearly exhausting all her cultivation, the pain she endured was beyond imagination.
For spirits, the most painful stage of cultivation is the transformation into human form. For humans, this stage is relatively easy, but for spirits, it means breaking down the “horizontal bone” and reversing their form—essentially tearing apart and reconstructing their entire body, an ordeal of immense suffering.
Madam Shi had forcibly shattered her spirit nature, using her true essence to simulate a moment of human consciousness. Beyond the physical transformation, she had endured double the pain mentally. Her willpower was truly admirable.
Unfortunately, even so, she could only barely conceive. Afterward, when her body reverted to its spirit form, the fetus inevitably suffered damage. Moreover, being half-human and half-spirit, the child’s constitution was inherently weak—a being defying the natural order.
Tai Sui Yellow Amulet Paper FuLu Taoist Love Talisman Traditional Chinese Spiritual Charm Attracting Love Protecting Marriage