Chapter Twenty-Two: Acting Skills

The room was brightly lit. Yang Shouxin paid no heed to whether Zhou Hongxian's clothes were soaked; he simply flung her onto the bed. Zhou Hongxian struggled several times to escape, but Yang Shouxin pushed her down again and again, finally pressing himself atop her.

"My dear, where did this wound on your face come from? Tsk tsk, lucky it's not too deep. If it had ruined your beautiful face, I'd be heartbroken!" Yang Shouxin gently caressed the cut on Zhou Hongxian's cheek left by a stone, his expression shameless and lewd.

Zhou Hongxian was revolted beyond measure, and she cursed at him, "You filthy pervert, let me go!"

"My dear, you fox demons curse so differently from others—it really excites me!" Yang Shouxin grinned nastily, his hands already tugging at her collar.

Soon, Zhou Hongxian's collarbone and shoulder were exposed, glowing white under the lamplight and drawing Yang Shouxin's lascivious gaze. Unable to resist, he looked further down her neck, then suddenly muttered with a laugh, "My dear, you're truly extraordinary. I've never seen anyone in Yanhe Town who compares to you!" With that, he reached to strip away her last defense.

An unprecedented sense of humiliation and terror flooded Zhou Hongxian's heart. Tears welled in her anxious eyes, and she cried out, "Yang Shouxin, stop! I have a secret to tell you. If you don't listen, you'll regret it!"

Yang Shouxin paused, then smirked, "Even now you're trying tricks? Isn't it in a fox's nature to be wanton and seductive? You expect me to take the initiative—how mischievous!"

Zhou Hongxian gritted her teeth. "Listen carefully: I'm actually a male fox. This appearance is just a deception, a transformation by illusion! Aren't you disgusted to make a move on me?"

Yang Shouxin suddenly halted, his face filled with suspicion. "Are you telling the truth?"

"Believe me or not, it's up to you! What you see is all illusion. What you desire, I do not have; but what you possess, so do I!"

After hearing this, Yang Shouxin's expression changed drastically, and for a moment he hesitated.

Meanwhile, in the deepest room on the second floor of Jade Harmony Tavern, the lamp still burned.

Xuan Chongzi spoke to a boy with a sweet face, "Young Master Yang, it's already midnight. Go and rest. You can help me copy the Dao De Jing tomorrow."

The boy was Yang Yin, son of Yang Shoucheng. Hearing Xuan Chongzi's words, he shook his head, far more polite than he had been with Zhou Hongxian. "It's nothing, I'm not sleepy yet! Master, you need this scripture to destroy the demon for me. Even if I have to copy it till dawn, it's worth it!"

Xuan Chongzi smiled gently. "Don't worry, I won't leave Yanhe Town until I deal with the demon. It's all right if you don't finish copying tonight. Besides, even if you're not tired, I am!"

Yang Yin blushed slightly. "I'm sorry, Master, I didn't consider that." He bowed respectfully, excused himself, and left, closing the door softly behind him.

Xuan Chongzi stroked his beard, smiling as he watched Yang Yin depart. Afterward, he picked up the scripture Yang Yin had been copying and sighed, "This child is so sensible, and his handwriting is beautiful—truly clever. It's a pity he lost his parents so young. How sad!" After a moment, he prepared to sleep in his clothes.

But just then, Yang Yin's excited shout rang out from outside the room: "Something's wrong! The demon has escaped!"

Xuan Chongzi was startled, grabbed his fly-whisk, and rushed out. He went straight to the tavern's backyard, where a lit oil lamp sat on the ground beside the cage that had held the fox demon. Yang Yin was crouched by the cage, crying loudly, "Father, the demon is gone! Your revenge can't be taken!"

His cries woke three inn workers who lived at the tavern. They hurried out, still in their nightclothes.

"Young master, what's going on?"

"When I passed by here heading to my room, I saw an oil lamp burning and thought it odd. When I went closer, I found the cage had been pried open and the demon was gone! Boohoo..."

"What! Is the demon really that powerful?"

"Master, what should we do?"

Xuan Chongzi found the situation strange. He circled the cage, then pointed to a hammer lying on the ground. "The fox demon couldn't have escaped alone. Look, someone helped her!"

The workers were even more astonished. "Who would dare risk their life to release a demon?"

Xuan Chongzi thought for a moment. A name sprang to mind. "Where is your manager's room?"

The three workers were shocked. "Master, our manager is dead. That's a chilling question!"

Xuan Chongzi paused, then smiled wryly. "I mean your current manager, Yang Erlang!"

The workers relaxed. "Ah, you mean Yang Erlang—we almost missed that!"

In no time, Xuan Chongzi, Yang Yin, and the three workers approached Yang Shouxin's room. The lights inside were blazing, and Yang Shouxin's unmistakable lascivious laughter rang out: "My dear, you think such nonsense can trick me? You really underestimate me, Yang Erlang! Let me tell you, I don't care about anything else. In my eyes, you're irresistible. I want your beauty, even if you're a male fox!"

"You sick freak, get away from me!"

A worker, hearing this, turned pale and kicked the door open.

"Who is it?" came the startled cry from within. The workers saw Yang Shouxin's face as he turned—he was sitting on the bed, pinning the legs of a young woman whose beauty rivaled the flowers, though her hair was disheveled and her face flushed with shame. Her delicate hands were crossed and held down by Yang Shouxin, and just one step more would strip her of her last covering.

It was a scene of scandalous intimacy. The workers' eyes widened, and upon recognizing the woman, a mix of fear, envy, and desire brewed in their gazes.

Xuan Chongzi's expression did not change. He immediately covered Yang Yin's eyes and said quietly, "Do not look upon what is improper."

Yet Yang Yin still saw, though at his young age he did not understand. He merely saw his second uncle with the fox demon, and cried loudly, "Second Uncle, why did you rescue this fox demon? She killed my father!"

The workers quickly suppressed their inappropriate feelings and demanded, "That's right, manager, aren't you afraid for your life, daring to touch a fox demon?"

Yang Shouxin, shocked, suddenly shuddered as if possessed. As the others looked to Xuan Chongzi for help, Yang Shouxin abruptly stopped shaking, his face clouded with confusion.

"Huh? What's happened to me—it's as though I was dreaming?"

The others: "..."

Then Yang Shouxin looked at them, surprised. "It's the middle of the night, why aren't you all asleep? How come you're here?"

"Manager, what's going on?"

Yang Shouxin didn't answer. He turned to the woman on the bed, who had just finished putting her clothes in order. Suddenly, his eyes widened in anger. "I remember now! This fox demon cast a spell on me, making me muddled and bringing her here! She must have seen how strong my essence is and tried to harm me, just like she did my brother. That's it!"

The workers suddenly understood. "Manager, lucky we arrived in time, or you'd have been doomed!"

"Demon, you're truly vicious! Even in this state, you still try to harm others?"

"Master, please destroy her now, so she can't hurt anyone else!"

But Xuan Chongzi showed no intention of acting. His expression remained unchanged. Since the woman's clothes were properly arranged, he removed his hand from Yang Yin's eyes. Yang Yin, young but full of anger, glared fiercely at the woman.

Strangely, the woman said nothing—no mockery, no retorts, no seductive words. She simply stepped down from the bed, ignoring everyone, her face bearing a bleak yet striking smile.

(Author's note: This concludes three chapters of suffering; from here on, things will lighten. This was to advance the plot, not to inflict pain for its own sake. Please forgive me, dear readers!)