Chapter 137: Moon Tribe of the Witch Clan
Chapter 137: Moon Tribe of the Witch Clan
The woman wearing the Bronze Mask was now utterly furious because of Fang Cun. She looked ready to rush over and bite him right then and there. Especially when Fang Cun mentioned her identity, her anger almost exploded out of her as she shouted, “I don’t believe you!”
By this time, Fang Cun had already formed his own plan. He just watched her coldly, his gaze indifferent. He looked her over, starting from her hair bun, moving down. Bronze Mask, eyes, neck, clothes, waist, hands, legs, ankles, even the pair of white cloud-patterned boots on her feet. This intense scrutiny actually chilled the woman’s heart. She hugged her chest and cried out, “What are you looking at?”
Fang Cun called softly, “Serve tea. Cloud Mist Tea, preferably!”
The woman was stunned. “You…”
Fang Cun suddenly looked straight into her eyes and asked, “Are you from the Corpse Refining Sect?”
The woman was slightly taken aback. She sneered coldly, “What does it matter if you guessed that…”
Fang Cun shook his head. “You are not.”
The woman: “…”
Fang Cun continued, “The weird corpse you controlled belongs to the Southern Borderlands Corpse Refining Sect. But people from the Corpse Refining Sect deal with corpses often; they must carry some foul smell. And their fingertips tend to be a little blackened from corpse poison. You have no rotten smell; instead, there’s a faint orchid fragrance. That proves you are no corpse refiner. Your nails are painted an easily stained moon white, another habit corpse refiners wouldn’t adopt!”
The woman’s brow immediately furrowed deeply.
Fang Cun added, “Even though you are not a corpse refiner, you can easily control the weird corpse. That means you possess a similar method…” He paused slightly, looking into her eyes. “The Spirit Refining Method from the Classic of Spirits, or the Soul-Splitting Method from the Scripture of Souls?”
A flicker of clear mockery passed through the woman’s eyes.
Fang Cun nodded slightly. “Oh, so it’s the Talisman-Inducing Method from the Classic of Documents!”
The woman’s eyes showed a hint of panic for an instant, but she quickly concealed it.
Fang Cun said, “Your imperial court speech isn’t standard; it clearly has a southern accent…”
The woman flared up in anger, shouting, “My imperial court speech is perfectly standard!”
Fang Cun ignored her and spoke directly, “If you only had the weird corpses with you, that might be understandable. After all, many in the Southern Borderlands refine corpses and evil things to sell as Magic Treasures. But you also possess the corpse refining methods themselves. That doesn’t make sense. Could it be you actually stole these weird corpses too?”
Hearing this, the woman’s gaze grew disordered.
Fang Cun nodded. “Exactly. Earlier you were very generous. Three Treasured Body Realm weird corpses, even the methods of the corpse refining sect, you could give them to me as the price for removing the Gu Insect. Only things that aren’t your own could be given away so casually. Otherwise, even if you were willing to part with the three corpses, the refining methods are your personal insights and understandings. Unless I specifically demanded them, you would certainly be reluctant to give them away…” As he spoke, he suddenly looked back at the woman. “You come from the south; your accent naturally resembles the Southern Borderlands. Plus, after stealing so many weird corpses, you were mistaken for a Corpse Refining Sect disciple. So you just went with the flow, hiding your true identity…”
“Am I right?”
The woman gritted her teeth slightly but said nothing, as if afraid Fang Cun would figure it out.
Fang Cun, however, laughed. “You are young, yet you understand the Talisman-Inducing Method of the talisman path. Plus, your cultivation isn’t low, which means your background must be respectable. To command the Talisman-Inducing Method, your Destined Scripture must be either the Classic of Documents or the Scripture of Souls. So, you…”
The woman’s pupils contracted slightly.
Fang Cun smiled. “It’s the Classic of Documents!”
Amazement now appeared in the woman’s eyes.
Fang Cun stared directly into her eyes. “The border between the Southern Borderlands and Great Xia is widely recognized as a barbaric wilderness. Places where sects gather are few. So, where are you from?” As he spoke, he watched her eyes. “Phoenix City? Yue Province? Pleasure Quarters? Yi Ridge? Tai Province? Fengguan? Or further west, among the Hundred Tribes of the Barbarian Ridge? The small Dreamland under the Moon Worship Mountain?”
The woman’s eyes remained wide open, now showing a trace of fear in her gaze.
Fang Cun caught the slightest flicker of panic in her eyes. Smiling, he said, “So it’s Yue Province!”
He picked up a volume of geographical records, flipped it open gently, and scanned a few pages. Smiling, he said, “Yue Province is not large. It’s closer to the Southern Borderlands. Sects and families specializing in the Classic of Documents are only a handful. So, are you from the Chen family of Jiangwei? The Mohe Sword Script Sect? The Qu County Deer Park? A clan member of the Old Scholar Ruan who retired from court in Zhaoge three years ago? Or…” He paused. “…the newly surrendered Moon Tribe of the Witch Clan?”
By this point, the woman had tightly closed her eyes, her expression completely still.
Fang Cun gave a faint smile. “I need only slightly activate the Gu Insect, and you won’t be able to block all six senses. Your spirit will still react.”
The woman abruptly opened her eyes and stared fixedly at Fang Cun.
After a long moment, she spoke in a hoarse voice, “I admit I’m completely outmatched. Please don’t guess anymore.”
Fang Cun closed the geographical records and smiled gently. “I can stop guessing.”
Seeing the woman relax slightly, he added with a smile, “People in the Jianghu often reveal identities and build connections when discussing matters. That makes everything easier to talk about. Yet you preferred to offer Divine Elixirs, Magic Treasures, and even the methods of the Treasure Body cultivation stage to exchange for my removal of the Gu Insect, rather than take off your mask. This means your true identity is extremely important to you. That’s also why you haven’t dared to let anyone know you’ve been infected by my Gu Insect even now. Is it truly because speaking out would damage your pride? Or…” He paused for effect. “…is it actually because you fear being exposed?”
Pure terror now flashed in the woman’s eyes. Her voice trembled slightly, “I am serious… Please… please stop guessing!”
Fang Cun nodded. “Alright, I won’t guess.”
Just then, the cabin door opened. The Little Fox Girl entered, carrying two cups of tea.
Fang Cun placed one cup in front of the woman. “You are from the south. Cloud Mist Tea should suit you.”
“You…”
The woman finally understood why Fang Cun had ordered Cloud Mist Tea—even that was a hint he’d guessed her origin. A desolate silence filled her heart.
She didn’t drink the tea. After a long while, she said, “What must I do… for you to let me go?”
Fang Cun set down his own tea cup lightly, his voice bland. “The deeds of merit I told you to perform… you haven’t done a single one, have you?”
“You…”
Anxiety stirred in the woman’s heart, but finally, she remained silent.
These past three months, she had been desperately searching for a way to remove the Gu Insect. How could she have thought about that?
Seeing this, Fang Cun smiled. In truth, even if she claimed she had performed ten or a hundred deeds, he would have no way to verify it. But now, this woman was emotionally unsteady. She couldn’t even think through this simple point. The timing was perfect to apply pressure…
“Enough!”
He chuckled seeing her like this. “You are indeed different from ordinary Jianghu folk. I can remove the Gu Insect for you.”
“Really?”
Hearing this, the woman was overjoyed and urgently asked for confirmation.
“Of course.”
Fang Cun nodded. “However, since you’ve fallen into my hands, following Jianghu rules, you cannot escape without paying any price. So…” He pondered briefly. “…I can remove the Gu Insect for you, but you too must pay a certain price.”
The woman immediately nodded repeatedly. “Name it. I will definitely do it for you.”
Fang Cun was silent for a moment. “First, this Young Master keeps his word. If you want the Gu Insect removed, you must abide by the rules I set earlier. Go perform ten great deeds of merit to make up for what you lacked in the past three months. Otherwise, others might see this exception and come begging favors from me too. If that gets out, how am I supposed to command my subordinates?”
‘A terrifying monster like you… who would dare come begging to your face?’
The woman cursed inwardly, but nodded in agreement. “I swear I will do it!”
“Also…”
Fang Cun looked at her with a smile that didn’t reach his eyes. “You must do three things for me.”
The woman was shocked. “What!?”
Fang Cun said coolly, “I don’t have tasks for you right now. I’ll tell you what they are when I think of them later…”
“You…”
Anger choked her voice. She shot to her feet fiercely.
“Sit down, sit down.”
Fang Cun’s smile remained unperturbed. “I won’t use these three tasks to coerce you. I will help you remove the Gu Insect before asking you to fulfill them.”
Hearing this, the woman felt instant relief. “That’s… acceptable.”
As she spoke, she looked at Fang Cun with intense nervousness again. “Then… will you help me remove it now?”
“Don’t get too far ahead…”
Fang Cun glanced at her. “If I remove it for you now, what if you run away?”
“I…”
Her lip nearly bled where she bit it. She was truly at a loss for words.
Fang Cun chuckled lightly. He gestured for the Little Fox Girl beside him to fetch a silk pouch. From it, he took out three pills and placed them before the woman.
“Each of these pills can protect you for three months. Taking all three together, they’ll ensure your safety for nine months. Within these nine months, you go and earn those ten acts of merit. When you’ve finished all ten merits, come find me to have the Gu Insect removed.”
The woman hesitated visibly. She seemed ready to argue further, but Fang Cun cut her off, “I’m visible; you’re hidden. Surely you aren’t afraid I will run away?”
This statement finally reassured her a little. After a long silence, she picked up the three pills. First, she swallowed one immediately. Then she carefully stored the other two away. After that, she remained silent, simply observing Fang Cun, seemingly not knowing what else to say.
Fang Cun broke the silence. “What are you waiting for? This Dharma Ship was stolen by you. I’ve confiscated it. So the one leaving is you.”
“You…”
The woman bit her lip again, shot Fang Cun one more hateful glare, and turned to leave.
“Hey…”
Fang Cun suddenly called out, stopping her with a smile. “What’s your name?”
The woman paused slightly. Then, a cold sneer appeared on her face. She ignored him and prepared to leave again.
Fang Cun stated calmly, “Answering your name. That counts as one of the three tasks you must do for me.”
The woman froze. A flicker of pleasant surprise crossed her eyes before it vanished behind her cold expression. After a slight pause, she said coldly, “My name is Hanzhuang. As for my surname… guess it yourself!”
With these words, she soared out of the Dharma Ship and vanished into the clouds in an instant.
“Hanzhuang…”
Fang Cun slowly repeated the name. Then, he retrieved a handkerchief from beneath the desk. The fabric of the handkerchief was exceptionally fine, clearly very valuable. Embroidered upon it was a swirl of clouds, within which a faint outline of a full moon could be seen. The cloth held a crisp, chilly fragrance, identical to what he smelled earlier on her.
In truth, being able to deduce the woman’s origin and identity through their Q&A was partly due to his experience, observation, and quick thinking.
But the main reason was actually finding this handkerchief – clearly bearing the Moon Tribe of the Witch Clan’s emblem – on her when she was unconscious earlier…
‘Heh, just bluffing her a little!’
Fang Cun smirked inwardly.
‘The Moon Tribe of the Witch Clan… they all seem to bear the surname “Yue”. So her full name must be…’
‘Yue Hanzhuang?’