“No. How do you use it?” Shen Sheng looked completely blank.
Jiang Buyan muttered: “Heavenly Thunder Talismans are very useful for roasting chickens to eat.”
Shen Sheng: “…” Use Heavenly Thunder to cook chicken?!
Jiang Buyu eagerly explained the method of use, then pulled Jiang Buyan to start the third round.
One game determined the winner. Two pudgy little hands reached out simultaneously, followed by Jiang Buyan bursting into laughter. “I won, I won! I’m sleeping at the head of the bed!”
The sound of victory made Shen Sheng’s head ache. She grabbed the talismans and ran out.
These two little brats were just nuisances, absolutely no help.
Shen Sheng, talismans in hand, had no idea where to go to find anyone. She turned around and went back into the room, bellowing: “Sleep!”
Immediately, the two lay down perfectly straight and rigid, staring wide-eyed at the ceiling.
Shen Sheng asked them: “Is there a talisman for flying?”
“There is.” Both nodded in unison.
Shen Sheng was thrilled. “Can you two draw it?”
“Can’t.” The two refused in chorus.
Shen Sheng was excited for nothing and wished she could pull them both up and give them a good spanking. Too infuriating.
Unable to find anyone, she could only lay out a floor mat on the ground.
Jiang Buyan, lying at the head of the bed, turned over to look at the person on the floor. “You want to learn talisman arts? Let me tell you, making talisman paper consumes Divine Power. We can’t make them.”
Shen Sheng turned her body to face her. “Why can’t you do it?”
“Mother won’t let us learn. Why don’t you go learn?” Jiang Buyan opened her eyes wide, staring at her.
“Sleep,” Shen Sheng said coldly.
So noisy.
Shen Sheng waited all night but didn’t see anyone return.
The next morning, she tucked the Heavenly Thunder Talismans into her bosom, led out her little horse, and arrived before the Chancellor’s Manor.
Today was the third day of the New Year. The sky was gray and overcast. Daylight was coming far too late.
Shen Sheng attached a talisman to the stone lion at the main gate of Zhou Manor. She muttered the incantation under her breath, then with a low shout: “Explode!”
With a Boom!, a sudden clap of thunder exploded out of nowhere at the main gate of Chancellor Manor, sending dust flying.
Her scheme successful, Shen Sheng mounted her horse and fled.
This New Year, the Zhou family wouldn’t be having a good one. Just thinking about it filled Shen Sheng with immense satisfaction.
Not long after returning home, the beggars sent word: Zhou Yi, disregarding his collapsed gate, had gone out of the city again.
This time, Shen Sheng feared nothing. Taking her Heavenly Thunder Talismans, she hurriedly gave chase.
She chased them out of the city. Zhou Yi was heading towards the mountain area. Shen Sheng’s heart filled with suspicion as she journeyed deeper into the mountains. It was completely desolate, no sign of people.
A cave came into view. Zhou Yi slipped inside. Shen Sheng immediately thought of the Fox Demon.
Wary of the Great Demon inside, Shen Sheng halted. Climbing up a tree, she activated a Heavenly Thunder Talisman.
Another huge Boom! The mountain rocks crumbled, and the large tree swayed violently.
The person inside the cave rushed out. It was actually only Zhou Yi alone. Zhou Yi also hadn’t spotted Shen Sheng in the tree. He fled in panic.
Standing on the tree, Shen Sheng clearly saw that Zhou Yi’s face was pale, with dark circles under his eyes. His footsteps were even more unsteady and weak. Had his body been completely drained?
After Zhou Yi left, Shen Sheng began to climb down the tree. But before her foot could steady itself, Zhou Yi unexpectedly returned, startling her so much she scrambled back up.
The cave entrance was now blocked by fallen rock, impassable. Zhou Yi, desperate, frantically tried to move the rocks.
But the strength of his two hands was limited. He moved rocks for a long time to no avail. Furious and hateful, he finally left.
This time Shen Sheng didn’t climb down right away. She waited until Zhou Yi was far gone before jumping down from the tree.
She then used another Heavenly Thunder Talisman to blast open the cave entrance. Pulling out a Fire Starter from her pouch, she cautiously made her way inside.
The cave was a bedchamber, a woman’s bedchamber.
Shen Sheng wandered around inside for quite a while. She bundled up everything inside and carried it out. Maybe some of it would be useful.
When she came out of the cave, she was carrying a massive bundle on her back, so large that her slender back was bent over from the weight.
The people from the Twelve Gates, secretly following her, were astonished at the sight of the huge bundle. “Is the Young General Shen resorting to thievery now?”
“Thievery is a good thing. I thought that cave was a secret meeting place for her and Prince Consort Zhou.”
“Seen this way, then it’s definitely not that.”
Shen Sheng placed the bundle on the horse’s back. The horse shrieked at her several times, extremely displeased. It was crushing the horse to death.
Having no choice, Shen Sheng had to carry the bundle herself. In this comparison, she had even overtaken the horse.
Panting and exhausted, she outran the horse.
Shen Sheng ran in front, the little horse followed haughtily behind, neck held high.
At the city gate, Shen Sheng was so tired she couldn’t even stand. From afar, she spotted a familiar figure. She threw down her burden and rushed over, shouting: “State Preceptor! State Preceptor!”
Anu was in her Daoist robes, sleeves fluttering in the wind. The red silk ribbon in her hair gently swayed in the biting winter wind.
Shen Sheng approached. “Anu, Anu, where did you go last night?”
As soon as the words were out, everyone around stopped what they were doing. Especially the City Guard General who was talking with the State Preceptor—his mouth twitched.
Anu didn’t answer, her gaze falling onto the bundle.
Shen Sheng immediately said: “Come take a look, did I fish out any treasures?”
She opened the bundle. Inside were various bottles and jars, and a bronze mirror.
Anu picked up the bronze mirror. “This one is worth money.”
“Worth money? Not some kind of magical artifact?” Shen Sheng crouched on the ground, sifting through the items, her face full of disappointment.
Anu frowned. “Who would leave magical artifacts brazenly lying around in a cave for you to find?”
“Take it to the pawnshop. Get some money to buy candy for Buyan and Buyu.”
Shen Sheng had been busy for nothing. Obediently, she picked up the bundle and led the horse off to find a pawnshop.
Anu asked, puzzled: “Why don’t you ride the horse?”
“The horse can’t carry it.”
“Oh? Is that so?” Anu countered. She took the bundle from Shen Sheng’s back and tossed it onto the horse’s back.
The little horse reared up and shrieked towards the sky. Then, its front legs knelt down, refusing to move.
With a smile, Anu said: “If you don’t walk, I’ll chop off your hooves and feed them to the dogs.”
The words fell, and the little horse immediately started moving. It stood up and walked forward.
Shen Sheng watched, dumbfounded. “It… how can it also be so bullying to the weak but afraid of the strong?”
“Just bullies the kind-hearted, that’s all,” Anu said mockingly.
That one bundle was pawned for over ten thousand taels of silver. Shen Sheng was so shocked her mouth couldn’t close. Holding the silver notes, she burst out laughing.
“Zhou Yi really is willing to spend money,” Shen Sheng was so happy she practically jumped for joy while clutching the silver notes. “When the betrothal was set when I was young, Zhou Yi would send me things like poems and the like. Pure, cost-nothing things. For others, he spends money like this.”
Anu’s expression looked displeased for a moment, but she only said: “I’ve caught the Fox Demon and used her for the cauldron.”
The smile on Shen Sheng’s face vanished instantly. Anu continued: “She’s a Fox Demon from a thousand years ago. Her Spiritual Power is deep. She’s the best tonic.”
“You went to catch the demon last night?” Shen Sheng reined in her smile, her gaze falling on Anu’s lips.
Pale lips, pressed into a thin, heartless smile, sent a chill through anyone who saw them.
“The Fox Demon and Zhou Yi Formed a Contract. Zhou Yi became her slave. Once the Fox Demon dies, the contract ends, and Zhou Yi will also survive,” Anu rarely deigned to explain. “A thousand years ago, mortals couldn’t cultivate immortality, but they could Form a Contract with demons to obtain their Spiritual Power.”
“If an Immortal and a human fall in love, they can use the Lovesickness Gu to Form a Contract. Do you understand now?”
Shen Sheng opened and closed her mouth, recalling the events of that night. A chill ran through her heart. “We… we Formed a Contract?”
“Consider it so. Gave you a long life. Aren’t you pleased?”
“Pleased…” Shen Sheng couldn’t bring herself to smile. She asked more: “What about Buyan and Buyu?”
“Even if you died, they wouldn’t die. They are true Demigods, while you are merely artificially made. Their lifespan will be longer than yours. A true Demigod is born with Divine Power. You have the lifespan of a Demigod, but you possess not a shred of Divine Power,” Anu explained.
Shen Sheng pressed further: “The Lovesickness Gu… are there any… negative aspects?”
“What do you think?” Anu countered.
Shen Sheng couldn’t quite put it into words. For a human, a mortal gaining eternal life was a joyous thing.
Anu continued her own explanation: “If one party betrays the other, their soul will be scattered and dissipated.”
Shen Sheng hurriedly touched her own neck, feeling a lingering fear. “You… you’re really ruthless to yourself.”
Anu smiled slightly. “A Contract between a demon and a human… a Contract between a God and a human… do you see the difference?”
“What difference?” Shen Sheng couldn’t answer.
Anu placed her hands behind her back, her gaze imposing. “The Contract between an Immortal and a human is about mutual affection, mutual love. The Contract between a demon and a human is about mutual benefit.”
The Lovesickness Gu is, essentially, the power of love.
Even the South River water is the same.
Beautiful myths, veiled in illusion.
Shen Sheng sighed softly, curious. “Did your mother also Form a Contract?”
“Yes. Later, she died. One party betrayed the other.” Anu said it calmly. “Her soul scattered and dissipated, leaving not even a Divine Soul behind. So… are you afraid now?”
When an ordinary person or God dies, they can be reincarnated.
But when someone afflicted by the Lovesickness Gu falls, their soul is entirely destroyed, without even the chance for reincarnation.
The Lovesickness Gu has both advantages and disadvantages. There is no absolute good.
Thus, the Lovesickness Gu is a terrifying legend, one that confuses and crazes, one that strikes fear into the hearts of Immortals.
When love reaches its depths, the Lovesickness Gu becomes proof of deep affection.
But if the love fades, the complete destruction of the soul is the bitter price to pay.
