Chapter 23: Draining Fu Heng to Nourish the Body

Chu Li had not expected Fu Heng’s "yang fire" to be so incredibly useful. Not only could it drive away the surrounding cold, yin-infused air and power her pathfinding talismans, but within its radiance, she found that her own magical energy was actually being replenished.

It was said that the Son of Heaven was protected by dragon qi and blessed by the nation’s destiny; a true sovereign possessed the violet star’s aura, which inherently held a powerful exorcism force, making their yang fire far more potent than that of an ordinary person.

Yet, Chu Li recalled that Fu Heng was merely a prince of a different surname; he possessed no royal bloodline. Why, then, did he have such a unique constitution?

The pathfinding talisman soon led them to a small ditch. Along its banks stood rows of dense, low-lying shrubs—saplings less than three years old, clearly planted only recently. It was said that the local village head had ordered the townspeople to plant them to prevent landslides.

It should have been a place overflowing with vitality, but all Chu Li could sense was a thick, suffocating aura of death and the fluctuations of a deeply hidden, malevolent talismanic power.

Chu Li immediately came to a halt, reaching out to block Fu Heng’s path.

"Is this the site of the incident?"

Fu Heng looked at the slender arm stretched out before him and silently took a few steps back. Though it was a question, he already had the answer in his heart. Those who had killed were always more sensitive to the smell of blood, and he, more than anyone, knew it well.

Here, there was not only the scent of fresh blood but also a faint, underlying stench of decay. The stream in the ditch appeared clear, but that was only because it had been washed clean by the upstream flow.

This place had once been a stream of blood.

Chu Li ignored Fu Heng. She beckoned, pulling the floating pathfinding talisman back to her. With a quick hand seal, the talisman burned away into nothingness, and Fu Heng’s yang fire settled into her palm.

Fu Heng raised an eyebrow as he watched. To his surprise, Chu Li made no move to return the flame. Instead, right before his eyes, she kneaded the fire with her fingers, shaping it into a small, glowing sphere.

"What are you doing?"

Chu Li still did not acknowledge him. From an angle where he could not see, her eyes sparkled as she stared at the little flame in her palm. She licked her lips, opened her mouth, and swallowed the ball of fire in one gulp.

Fu Heng: !

As the yang fire entered her belly, Chu Li felt a surge of warmth rise through her body, her magical power swelling significantly. This flame of Fu Heng’s was incredibly nourishing; in a short time, it could completely compensate for the deficiency of her missing earthly soul.

With the light source consumed, the surroundings plunged into darkness.

However, Fu Heng possessed exceptional night vision. He saw clearly that after her absurd action, the woman was licking her lips with a look of utter satisfaction. His gaze darkened, and he pressed forward.

Clang! A sharp blade was drawn from its sheath, the tip resting swiftly against Chu Li’s slender neck.

"Chu Meng, you have a lot of nerve!"

Chu Li rolled her eyes. She reached out to push the blade away, only to find it did not budge an inch. In the faint light, his soul-piercing gaze grew increasingly sharp. If looks could kill, she would likely have been slain by Fu Heng’s blade-like stare a thousand times over.

But so what? She had already eaten it; she couldn't exactly spit it back out.

"Your Highness, what are you doing? Once yang fire leaves the body, it cannot return to its source. This humble girl simply didn't want to waste your fire, so I consumed it. You saw it yourself—I am frail, my constitution is far weaker than the average woman’s, and I always need to supplement it."

That was a lie! Of course, it could return to its source; she was simply greedy for this man’s yang fire.

As she had expected, after swallowing that ball of flame, she felt wonderful. She estimated she wouldn't have to worry about her missing earthly soul for a while, and she would be able to use her spells as she pleased.

No wonder those evil cultivators loved to harvest yin to nourish yang, or harvest yang to nourish yin—this was truly nourishing!

However, Chu Li’s explanation only made Fu Heng’s brows knit tighter.

"Are you saying that by swallowing my yang fire, you can strengthen your body?"

Chu Li admitted it candidly. "If you must put it that way, that is correct. But please, Your Highness, do not misunderstand. Under normal circumstances, I do not nourish myself by harvesting others; otherwise, I wouldn't be so frail, would I?"

Fu Heng did not believe her. Who was it that had just moved like the wind, running all the way from Luohe Town to here without even a flushed face or a heavy breath? He had seen it clearly!

"You don't believe me? I am wronged, Your Highness! I am but a commoner; how would I dare to deceive you? Let us focus on the matter at hand. There is a talisman array here; it must be the key to the Luohe Town tragedy."

Chu Li shifted the topic at the right moment. Fu Heng squinted, scrutinizing her, but he couldn't find any flaws in her expression. This woman was quite the actress!

Ultimately, Fu Heng withdrew his sword and looked toward the small ditch.

"You had better show me your worth. Otherwise, I wouldn't mind adding another soul to those beneath my blade."

Chu Li was not in the least bit afraid of his death threat. Although she realized she didn't know him well enough, she was certain that this man wouldn't truly kill a weak woman; at most, he would simply grow to loathe her.

Nourished by Fu Heng’s yang fire, Chu Li no longer needed paper or ink. She traced symbols into the void, drawing the talisman through the air.

As her final gesture landed, a golden talisman suddenly ignited in the darkness. Standing beneath the golden light, Chu Li waved her hand and whispered obscure incantations, causing the void-drawn talisman to blaze with brilliant radiance.

"Golden talisman gathers the spirit; divine power descends. Demons, ghosts, and evil spirits—reveal yourselves!"

With the final word, the golden talisman burst, scattering into specks of light that surged into the dark night ahead.

In the next instant, a bizarre, blood-red talisman array manifested.

The circular array was composed of eighteen separate seals. Blood-red energy churned within it, and black mist seeped from the earth trapped within the circle, radiating a deeply ominous feeling.

Fu Heng’s expression shifted drastically as he looked at the scene in disbelief. He had seen the so-called "arrays" set up by the old charlatans at the Bureau of Divine Prayers, but they were nothing compared to this.

Even standing outside the array, Fu Heng felt the threat of death. He felt that if his foot were to touch that formation, he would be in mortal danger, meeting the same instant, fatal end as the corpses in Luohe Town.

Chu Li’s expression also grew grave. She hadn't seen this "Blood Fiend Array" in many years.

The one who set this up didn't require much magical power, and the talismans used were relatively simple—any ordinary evil cultivator could complete it. However, because this was purely a killing array, it provided no tangible benefit to the caster; on the contrary, if it backfired, the caster would suffer a massive loss. Thus, very few evil cultivators would risk setting such an array.

Luohe Town was just a poor, small town, so insignificant that its tax difficulties made it a place no one cared about. There was no reason for an evil cultivator to harbor such malice as to set a Blood Fiend Array against them.

What was the evil cultivator’s goal in doing this? Was it purely for the sake of slaughter?

Seeing that Chu Li hadn't moved, Fu Heng assumed the situation was dire.

"If it’s truly impossible, I shall immediately write a report and send it to the capital, letting those useless fools at the Bureau of Divine Prayers handle it."

Chu Li snapped back to reality, surprised.

"Your Highness, do you doubt my abilities? Or is it that you are worried about me?"