“Heavenly thunder and earthly fire, ghostwood green flame, Samadhi True Fire, gather in the cauldron and shine bright—Forgive!” Mei Qing wore a slightly solemn expression as he carefully recited the incantation, slowly casting each talisman upon the frail body of Shi Lengzi before him.
Shi Zhuangzhu and Madam Shi had been sent away by Zhang Shisan under the pretense that they shouldn’t witness the process. Hou Shen had also been expelled to stand guard outside the door. Inside the room remained only four people: Zhang Shisan, Bi Zhen, Mei Qing, and the unfortunate Shi Lengzi.
According to Zhang Shisan, the root issue with Shi Lengzi wasn’t merely congenital weakness, but rather the excessive demonic energy within his bloodline. To heal his body, the first step was to extract this demonic essence. However, this young man was born from a union between human and demon, and for years had survived solely on the demonic energy provided by his mother. This energy had nearly fused completely with his body, making it extremely difficult to separate.
Zhang Shisan seriously informed Mei Qing that there was only one way to extract the demonic energy—refining it.
“You know how steel is forged through repeated heating, right? Each time you refine it, the impurities are burned away. It’s the same with this Shi Lengzi—refine him again and again, and the demonic essence will vanish,” Zhang Shisan explained.
Though Mei Qing deeply doubted Zhang Shisan’s theory, he had no choice but to follow it. After all, while Zhang Shisan’s ideas were questionable, Mei Qing himself couldn’t even come up with a dubious theory of his own.
One by one, purple-flamed talismans, conjured by Mei Qing’s incantations, enveloped Shi Lengzi’s frail body. Carefully following the techniques taught by Zhang Shisan, Mei Qing guided the flames into the boy’s crown, channeling them along the Eight Extraordinary Meridians, gradually refining the accumulated demonic energy within his body.
Given Shi Lengzi’s current physical condition, enduring such a refining process with True Fire was extremely dangerous. Hence, Zhang Shisan had earlier inscribed talismans into his body to protect his internal organs and meridians, preventing Mei Qing from accidentally incinerating him entirely.
Even so, Mei Qing was drenched in sweat from tension. After all, refining true energy within the delicate meridians of a child was no small feat. If not for his exceptionally strong spiritual awareness and rapid cultivation progress, it would have been nearly impossible to accomplish this.
As he refined each meridian one by one, Mei Qing felt the purple-flamed talismans gradually merging with the mysterious violet flame that had once appeared within his own body. The two seemed to blend seamlessly, becoming indistinguishable from each other. The True Fire responded to his will, breathing and circulating within the cauldron and golden dantian, obeying his every command with perfect precision.
He had nearly forgotten that he was healing a child. All he knew was to instinctively channel the True Fire within his body into every tiny meridian before him, gradually refining the thick demonic energy stored inside. As impurities were purified, the demonic energy flowed back along the fiery pathways into Mei Qing’s own body, where it was further refined by the violet flame into something as pure and smooth as jade fat. Each drop seeped into his cauldron and golden elixir, releasing a dense, visible purple mist.
Within the cauldron, the true energy gently propelled the golden elixir. Under the reflections of the sun and moon within his body, it rotated continuously. With each revolution, it absorbed more purple mist, growing stronger. The elixir’s rotation slowed further, while the purple mist thickened and congealed, emitting a sound like the chime of jade and the clang of metal, heralding strange transformations within.
At some unknown point, the demonic energy within the meridians before him had been completely refined. Yet the energy within his body boiled like a raging sea, surging and crashing about. It swelled under the intensifying sunlight, then calmed under the soothing moonlight, cycling endlessly without beginning or end.
Suddenly, a familiar and joyous spiritual presence joined his own. Mei Qing instinctively accepted it, intertwining and merging with it. The two spiritual threads slowly spiraled, like two yin-yang fish continuously revolving, diving deeper and deeper until they became indistinguishable from each other, forgetting everything else.
At the most profound moment, something deep within Mei Qing’s heart stirred. He suddenly understood. A golden elixir, as large as a 斗 (ancient measure), shining like the sun and moon, trembled suddenly, resembling a newborn infant stretching out its tiny arms, letting out soft and inarticulate cries.
So that’s how it is.
Mei Qing seemed to stretch lazily, murmuring unconsciously before sinking into a deep slumber.
When Mei Qing awoke, he almost doubted whether time had reversed itself, returning him to the morning of the previous day.
Everything seemed so familiar—the sunlight filtering into the guest room, his own naked body lying in bed, and beside him, the ever-charming Bi Zhen.
She looked even more beautiful than before. Her delicate features glowed like jade under the morning sun, almost translucent in their purity. Her long lashes, straight nose, and small, cherry lips—though they had known each other so intimately, Mei Qing found himself entranced once more.
As her lashes fluttered, he saw her clear, bright eyes slowly open. Upon seeing Mei Qing, Bi Zhen smiled radiantly without restraint.
With that smile, the entire room seemed to brighten.
“Zhen’er, are we… huh?” Mei Qing suddenly gasped.
“What’s wrong?” Bi Zhen gently embraced him, asking.
Mei Qing looked puzzled for a moment, then thought deeply before replying, “I think… I think I’ve formed an infant soul!”
Bi Zhen chuckled, “Just noticed? You’ve formed your infant soul.”
Mei Qing asked in confusion, “How do you know?”
Bi Zhen replied proudly, “I did too.”
“…So that’s how it is. My dear wife, perhaps we should celebrate again?”
“Hey you two lovebirds,” came Zhang Shisan’s raspy voice at the most inopportune moment, “the sun’s already high, and you’re still enjoying your marital bliss while your old master has been waiting outside all night. Maybe it’s time you two took a break?”
“Tsk tsk tsk, if the cultivators of this world knew, half would be furious and half would be terrified,” Zhang Shisan said seriously, examining Mei Qing and Bi Zhen. “You two must have some incredible fortune. How many days has it been? And you’ve already reached the Spirit Transformation stage. Heh, in a couple more days, I might be the one calling you masters!”
Bi Zhen giggled, “Master, you don’t have to be jealous. Your cultivation is pretty good too.”
“Little girl!” Zhang Shisan sighed, shaking his head. “Fools have lucky stars. You’re carefree and innocent, so it’s only natural you’d be blessed. But this brat, with all his scheming, how come he’s so lucky too? It’s just not fair!”
“Master,” Mei Qing protested, “if I’ve made such progress in cultivation, doesn’t that bring honor to you as my master? Instead of handing out some treasures as a reward, you’re just mocking me?”
“Treasures, huh?” Zhang Shisan chuckled. “I’ve already taught you the techniques. You can refine your own treasures from now on. As for what little I have, I’d better keep it for later. I can’t just give it all away now. But listen, kid, rapid progress isn’t always a good thing. Be careful.”
Mei Qing nodded thoughtfully. “I never expected such fortune. I never imagined that the demonic energy within the boy’s body could be so abundant, allowing me to form my infant soul in just one night.”
Zhang Shisan’s expression turned serious as he shook his head. “Although refining demonic energy certainly helped you pass the Qi Refinement stage, the real reason behind your sudden breakthrough likely lies elsewhere. I suspect it has much to do with that little cauldron of yours.”
Mei Qing’s heart stirred with concern as he said, “That’s just it. I still don’t know the origin of that cauldron. It’s quite puzzling.”
Seeing Bi Zhen also looking puzzled, he asked, “By the way, Zhen’er, last time I asked you about it, but you never explained clearly. How exactly did you end up here with that cauldron?”
Bi Zhen looked slightly embarrassed. “Actually, when I heard you were going to Yongping, I got worried and pestered my grandmother to let me come along. Eventually, she relented and secretly helped me disguise myself, warning me not to reveal myself and to protect you in secret.”
Though Bi Zhen spoke lightly, Mei Qing felt deeply moved. Thinking back to the times Mei Qing had taken risks before, Bi Zhen had always been anxious and fearful. This time, she must have insisted persistently to finally join him.
Seeing the affection in Mei Qing’s eyes, Bi Zhen smiled sweetly and continued, “Later, I followed them all the way to that port town. When I saw Sweetie, I noticed something strange—she had a deathly aura about her. At first, I thought it wasn’t my business and tried to ignore it. But I couldn’t shake the feeling, so I went to her new room late at night to investigate.”
“When I arrived, I felt a bit hesitant to look…” Bi Zhen blushed slightly, since it wasn’t proper to spy on a newlywed couple. “But upon closer inspection, I discovered that the person in the bridal chamber with Sweetie wasn’t actually the groom, but someone else entirely!”
Mei Qing was shocked. “How could that be? I saw Sweetie and Dashan seemed deeply in love. On their wedding night, could there really be another lover involved?”
“No,” Bi Zhen shook her head. “At the time, someone must have cast a spell. Dashan was unconscious nearby, while Sweetie was in a trance, probably thinking she was with Dashan, when in fact she was being taken advantage of by another.”
“Oh,” Mei Qing said in realization. “So she was attacked by a flower-picking thief?”
Bi Zhen shook her head again. “At first, I thought so too. I was about to shout and intervene when the man cleverly conjured two illusions of himself and fled. I chased the wrong one at first, but fortunately, he relied only on magical artifacts and had no real cultivation skills, so I was able to track him all the way to Changchun Dian.”
Tai Sui Yellow Amulet Paper FuLu Taoist Love Talisman Traditional Chinese Spiritual Charm Attracting Love Protecting Marriage