Volume One, Chapter 16: The Fusion of Yin and Yang

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Ming Shu furrowed her brow. “To mend the seal, we must first find the breach and understand the sealing method. Before that, I have three questions.”
“First, the corpse aura has leaked, spreading across the entire courtyard, but why is it that only you, Second Uncle, and a few others have been affected?”
“Second, before Second Aunt lost her first child, both of you had been exposed to the corpse aura for over twenty years, yet you remained unharmed.”
“Third, a few days ago, I saw Dashan and Xiaoshu; there was no sign of corpse aura on their faces.”

Cheng Shi and Fu Yanshan exchanged glances: indeed, why was that?

Fu Zhixun suddenly thought aloud, “One, the corpse aura recognizes people; two, perhaps there is something in this courtyard that suppresses or even purifies the corpse aura?”

Ming Shu’s eyes brightened. Fu Zhixun had reached the same conclusion as her—truly the mind of a future prime minister.

Her gaze fell on Cheng Shi’s face. “Second Aunt, you once brought back a sword from the General’s Mansion. May I see it?”

Cheng Shi was momentarily stunned, then realized. “My father’s sword can really purify the corpse aura?”

Ming Shu nodded. “Protecting the nation is an act of loyalty and righteousness. Even if it involves bloodshed and killing, it is righteous energy, naturally capable of resisting dark forces.”

Cheng Shi quickly turned around. “The sword is stored in the warehouse. I’ll have someone fetch it right away…”

“Madam—” Fu Yanshan spoke weakly, “I lent Father-in-law’s sword to the Marquis of Zhen Nan’s heir…”

“What?!”

“The Marquis’s heir wanted to spar with Commander Cao of the Qian Niu Guard and lacked a divine weapon, so he borrowed Father-in-law’s Dragon Sparrow Sword from me…”

“Fu Yanshan, did you—did you ask me first?!”

Ming Shu’s expression darkened as she cut them off. “Second Uncle, when did you lend out the sword?”

“Three… three days ago…”

“The day Dashan had a fever and Xiaoshu’s soul left the body. The child’s fate is weak, easily invaded by evil qi… What about the Second Miss? Is she alright?”

“Xiang’er isn’t in the mansion. She’s staying at her maternal grandfather’s home… It’s fortunate she’s not here. Fu Yanshan, do you even think before you act?!” Cheng Shi’s voice trembled with anger. “Hurry up and retrieve the sword!”

Fu Yanshan dared not delay and sprinted out to order his trusted men to fetch it.

Ming Shu saw Fu Zhixun squatting on the ground, staring at the bronze Fang Zun vessel, and asked, “What did you discover?”

“Each corner at the shoulder of the Fang Zun has an elephant-trunk beast. This one is chipped.”

Fu Zhixun’s slender hand pointed to a spot.

Ming Shu squatted down to examine it carefully. Upon comparison, there was indeed a small chip on the elephant’s trunk. Had Fu Zhixun not pointed it out, she wouldn’t have noticed.

As if a sudden thought flashed through her mind, she quickly grabbed it, her eyes widening.

Seeing Fu Yanshan enter, Ming Shu asked urgently, “Second Uncle, were you cut by this elephant trunk before?”

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Fu Yanshan had not yet recovered from the earlier shock and instinctively replied, “No…”

“Think carefully!” Ming Shu’s tone sharpened.

“Fu Yanshan, think!” Cheng Shi growled.

Fu Yanshan stepped back, swallowed hard, and stammered, “I… I think…”

His face contorted for a moment before he suddenly slapped his thigh. “It’s true! When I bought the Fang Zun from an old farmer, I didn’t catch it properly and cut my hand—right at the elephant trunk… Yes, right here. Later, I noticed the damage and felt quite upset about it…”

“You feel upset about that evil thing? Why don’t you feel upset for our children!” Cheng Shi’s eyes reddened.

Ming Shu exhaled slowly. “I understand now. The corpse aura inside leaks out from this breach, but because the outer seal is strong, the leaking aura is harmless to ordinary people. But when Second Uncle’s blood seeps into the Fang Zun, it’s different…”

Ming Shu continued calmly, “Using blood as an offering to draw the soul—this is the sacrificial formation hidden inside the Fang Zun.”

“As soon as Second Uncle’s blood enters, both his body and soul become part of the formation. Not only will he be affected by the formation and tainted by the corpse aura, but his wife, who shares his essence and blood, and their children, who carry on his bloodline, will all be influenced by the formation.”

“Infants cannot withstand the formation and corpse aura, often dying young.”

“The blood sacrifice formation is especially strong during extremely Yin years. Within a sexagenary cycle, the Xin Chou year is the peak of Yin.”

“The Yin year, Yin month, and Yin day cause the seal to loosen. The treasured sword cannot suppress the formation’s corpse aura and malevolent energy. The Second Miss is young and vulnerable, which is why she fell ill. So it is…”

Fu Yanshan stood there stunned, shivering, looking pleadingly at Ming Shu.

Cheng Shi now hated Fu Yanshan deeply, but seeing his pitiful appearance, her anger subsided slightly.

Ming Shu’s gaze grew ever more intense as she stared at the breach on the elephant trunk.

Feng Shui originated with Fuxi and the Yellow Emperor, and the sacrificial rites are one branch of it, sharing the same roots. But these events happened thousands of years ago, and the records are incomplete. She had never seen such a seal in her sect.

In short, even if she found the breach, she did not know how to mend it.

Fu Zhixun glanced at Ming Shu as if reading her mind. “You can’t fix it?”

Ming Shu answered cautiously, “It’s rather complicated…”

Fu Zhixun smirked faintly. “You said you understand feng shui and geomancy, can read fortunes, alter feng shui, and even exorcise ghosts and disasters.”

A lump formed in Ming Shu’s chest.

His implication was clear: if she wanted to live peacefully in the Marquis’s mansion, she needed to resolve this matter.

A threat, then?

Very well.

Ming Shu’s expression turned grave. “Mending the seal will take time. But the corpse aura inside Second Uncle must be removed quickly, or it will continue to spread to Second Aunt, Dashan, and Xiaoshu.”

“My body has not yet healed. Husband, I ask for your full support!”

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Having just sensed the strong pure Yang energy within Fu Zhixun, she could not work for nothing—this pure Yang energy would serve as her reward.

Fu Zhixun raised a brow. Trying to scheme against him?

“Fine.”

Tsk, no one in this world had ever managed to gain benefits from him so easily.

Ming Shu looked at the blood still seeping from her palm, then retrieved a bronze mirror, two jade pieces, and a bowl of realgar.

She quickly drew talismans on the bronze mirror and gestured for Fu Yanshan to press one hand onto the mirror. Her right hand grasped his arm, while her left hand forcefully opened the wound, enduring the pain to hold Fu Zhixun’s hand and activate her metaphysical cultivation method.

Blood mixed as Fu Zhixun’s Yang energy surged like a river into Ming Shu’s body.

Her body tingled suddenly, her pupils bright as stars, and a layer of white mist rapidly spread around her.

Meanwhile, the black vapor seeping from Fu Yanshan’s palm was swiftly drawn into the bronze mirror.

But the black vapor was too much; the mirror trembled, and wisps of dark qi spilled over its surface, clearly overwhelmed.

“Fu Zhixun, use the jade to press down the bronze mirror!” Ming Shu could spare no hands.

Fu Zhixun glanced at her from the corner of his eye: when she lied, she called him “husband,” but when telling the truth, she used his name.

Yet he did not stop moving.

The jade rapidly absorbed the black vapor again, and the mirror settled.

At the same time, a strange sensation spread throughout Fu Zhixun’s body.

His spirit platform cleared, his meridians felt reborn, and his whole body felt extraordinarily light.

When he was eighteen, he had broken through the ninth level of “Earth Fire Obscuration” cultivation and felt just like this.

Fu Zhixun’s surprised gaze shifted slowly from their tightly clasped hands to her snow-white face.

Her bright, penetrating black eyes, her luscious red lips, and beneath her pale skin, a radiant glow seemed to shine through.

Fu Zhixun’s heart suddenly skipped a beat.

Yin and Yang merging.

The immense energy did not belong to him alone—she too was receiving it.