Chapter Forty: The Enchanting Body

“What we need to deal with now is the surge of vital energy in your body. The other problems will have to be addressed slowly,” said the Lady of Golden Spirit, looking at Yuan Wuji with a mixture of helplessness and resignation. He hadn’t been back in the mortal realm for long, yet so many things had already gone awry.

“Master, what must I do?” Yuan Wuji asked, feeling burdened yet again by trouble he would have to trouble his master with, and this time, it wasn’t something easily fixed. He had thought that returning to the Palace of the Mother of Stars would only mean dealing with issues of cultivation, but hadn’t expected his own body to be in such turmoil.

Hearing the Lady of Golden Spirit’s explanation, Yuan Wuji recalled with a chill the terrifying slaughter he had committed—hundreds of thousands of lives snuffed out in an instant, wiped completely from existence.

“I’ve noticed your primordial spirit and soul have undergone great changes, far beyond what your current cultivation should allow. I’ll help you seal your primordial spirit and soul for now. Once you reach the Taiyi realm, the seal will naturally dissolve.” As she spoke, the Lady of Golden Spirit’s hands moved ceaselessly above Yuan Wuji’s head, performing esoteric arts. With matters of the primordial spirit and soul, even one as skilled as her dared not be careless.

“I’ve already diverted some of your vital energy earlier, so you won’t experience another breakthrough for now. But the vital energy within you is of immense benefit to your body and must not be drained too much. The best way is to let your fleshly body absorb it.” The Lady of Golden Spirit wiped away the fine sweat from her brow. She, who cared most for Yuan Wuji, never allowed herself to be negligent when it came to matters concerning his well-being.

She told Yuan Wuji to adjust his state and said she would go out to make preparations for the next step in his treatment.

Yuan Wuji never questioned her words.

After leaving the Palace of the Mother of Stars, the Lady of Golden Spirit went to see Xiaoyu.

“What brings Your Ladyship to see me?” Xiaoyu asked, bowing respectfully upon seeing the Lady of Golden Spirit.

“Wuji has returned, but his condition is far from good.”

Upon hearing that Yuan Wuji was back, Xiaoyu was overjoyed, but the Lady of Golden Spirit’s next words swiftly banished all happiness from her face, replacing it with worry.

“Don’t be anxious, Xiaoyu. As his master, I will certainly see to his injuries. However, this time I will need your help.” The Lady of Golden Spirit gestured for Xiaoyu to calm herself, then explained her purpose.

“Your Ladyship, as long as I can save Little Monkey, I will do anything you ask.” Without a second thought, Xiaoyu agreed, eager at the prospect of being able to help Yuan Wuji.

“Then tell me, how many levels have you achieved in the Celestial Fox Art?”

“F-five levels.” At the mention of the Celestial Fox Art, Xiaoyu blushed deeply, having already guessed what the Lady of Golden Spirit intended.

“You’ve reached five levels—then you’ve mastered the harmonization of yin and yang. You possess the Body of Enchantment, and you are still a maiden. If you dual cultivate with Wuji for the first time, it will be the greatest aid to his condition and may even allow him to reach new heights.”

The Lady of Golden Spirit had not brought a creature from the lower realm to her side without reason. It was precisely Xiaoyu’s Body of Enchantment that had caught her attention from the start.

“I am willing.” Xiaoyu’s maidenhood was a great boon to cultivation, and it was bound to be taken sooner or later. Better it be given to Yuan Wuji, at least it would be of her own free will.

“Rest assured, I will see to it that Wuji marries you and that you become his Dao companion.” The Lady of Golden Spirit knew well the special nature of the Body of Enchantment. If Yuan Wuji were to take her maidenhood, then continue dual cultivation with her, the benefits would be unimaginable. This was her intention all along.

“Yes, Your Ladyship.” Xiaoyu had feared that losing her maidenhood would mean being discarded by the Lady of Golden Spirit, reduced to misery and abandonment, but now hope shone anew in her once despairing eyes.

Her expression did not escape the Lady of Golden Spirit’s notice. Was her own image in Xiaoyu’s heart truly so poor?

It wasn’t that the Lady of Golden Spirit’s character was questionable, but rather that Xiaoyu had read too much and knew too much. The combination of the Celestial Fox Art and the maidenhood of the Body of Enchantment was so desirable to cultivators that even Xiaoyu herself was tempted. Even without being a maiden, the effects were extraordinary—so Xiaoyu had always been somewhat afraid of the Lady of Golden Spirit.

At that moment, Yuan Wuji was growing increasingly agitated in the Palace of the Mother of Stars. The murderous intent that had been suppressed with his master’s help began to rise again, and his pupils slowly turned blood-red.

“So much pain, unbearable pain…” Yuan Wuji was acutely aware of the murderous intent surging within him. He tried to suppress it, unwilling to become a mindless puppet, but the more fiercely he struggled, the greater his suffering became.

His fists pounded relentlessly against his own body.

With a violent cough, he spat a mouthful of blood onto one of the palace pillars, bringing himself a measure of relief.

The moment Xiaoyu entered, she saw a blood-red figure striking its own chest. She was stunned, but quickly realized that it was Yuan Wuji. No matter how much he had changed, the sense of familiarity he gave her was unforgettable.

“Little Monkey, what’s wrong?” Without hesitation, Xiaoyu embraced Yuan Wuji, stopping him from hurting himself any further.

The familiar voice, the familiar scent, the familiar feeling—no matter how overwhelmed he was by murderous intent, Yuan Wuji could never forget.

His blood-red, fur-covered hand gently rested atop Xiaoyu’s delicate one.

The Myriad Demon Golden Elixir, when forcibly suppressed, inevitably caused a backlash. But Xiaoyu’s presence in Wuji’s heart was even more powerful than the elixir itself,” the Lady of Golden Spirit teased, having just subdued Yuan Wuji’s murderous intent, her gaze playful as she looked at Xiaoyu.

“Xiaoyu, why are you here?” Yuan Wuji asked, wrapping his arms around her, joy lighting up his face.

“You still need Xiaoyu’s help to resolve your condition—how could she not be here?”

Now, in Yuan Wuji’s eyes, there was only Xiaoyu, and in Xiaoyu’s gaze, only Yuan Wuji. The Lady of Golden Spirit had to intervene, lest the two remain lost in each other for days on end.

Her voice sounded behind Yuan Wuji, and as Xiaoyu heard it, her face flushed crimson.

How could she possibly explain this to Little Monkey? That was the only thought in Xiaoyu’s mind.

“Xiaoyu, how do we solve it?” To Yuan Wuji, it was a simple question, but knowing the truth, Xiaoyu turned her face away, not daring to meet his eyes.

The Lady of Golden Spirit too pondered how to explain. This was not a matter that could be addressed too bluntly.

“To put it simply, once Xiaoyu helps you resolve your inner turmoil, you must become her Dao companion.” The Lady of Golden Spirit had phrased it as gently as possible.

Yuan Wuji was no child—he understood the meaning of her words. For once, his face showed a rare embarrassment.

“Master, has Xiaoyu agreed?” he asked.

“If she hadn’t, would she have come here with me?” The old saying proved true—when in love, even the wisest are rendered foolish.