Chapter 60: 60 Ghost Girl (II)

Some of Wang Wu's statements were correct, some were absurdly wrong, including his understanding and speculation of the ghost girl's identity after half a year of knowing her.

But he is practically illiterate in this world, so it can't be blamed on him.

"Demon?" Wang Wu heard the title and almost thought she was referring to himself, but then he caught on, paused, and said, "How could that be? A ghost girl is a ghost no matter how you look at it. How could she be a demon?"

"Is a demon like that?"

As a man who cultivates the Heavenly Demon Body, Wang Wu naturally believed he had absolute authority in discerning demon pests. After all, if the ghost girl were truly a demon, how could he possibly not crave her?

Hold on.

Wang Wu suddenly realized.

Those who cultivate the Heavenly Demon Body have no desire for other practitioners of the same body; they only desire those who have completely fallen into demonic failure, as they make excellent food for them.

Then he looked at Zhao Xingyue, who was also looking at him at that moment.

"Ancient Shang merchants cultivated not the present true Way but the demon Way," Zhao Xingyue said slowly, looking into Wang Wu's eyes:

"One enters the demon with one's body, feeds the demon with one's body. Ultimately, when the demonic nature within fully matures, it is devoured; if the cultivation method reaches perfection, one can transform into a true demon while retaining consciousness, and step onto the Path to Heaven."

"And if it fails..."

"Then they'd become the demon pests in Si Hun Shan?" Wang Wu asked.

"Hmm," Zhao Xingyue nodded.

After hearing Zhao Xingyue, Wang Wu fell into thought, but after a brief moment he tossed the matter aside.

The ghost girl mattered little to him; he was a monster himself, so such things were irrelevant. What intrigued him was that this world also seemed to have a cultivation approach similar to that of Assassin Brother's hometown.

The Heavenly Demon Vajra Body resembles the cultivation method of ancient Shang people in this world, and the true qi power system used in Assassin Brother's world is often mistaken by the locals here as a true realm martial path.

"So you actually plan to dig up the ghost girl's tomb?" Wang Wu asked.

"Um..." When Wang Wu brought it up, Zhao Xingyue's expression grew awkward. "Indeed, it was actually a grand tomb of a Shang cultivator from the previous dynasty used as a human sacrifice. That cultivator came from the noble merchant class, exceedingly prestigious, and that sacrifice ushered in several decades of prosperity for the Great Shang."

"However, that was also the last golden age of the Great Shang."

"Why?" Wang Wu asked.

"Because after that comes my Great Zhou," Zhao Xingyue said. "In that grand sacrifice, merchants offered as human sacrifices 99,999 barbarians and captives, 9,999 commoners, 999 townsfolk, as well as 99 inner‑rank and outer‑rank nobles, and seven members of the Wang royal clan."

As she spoke, Zhao Xingyue noticed Wang Wu's gaze drifting, and after a few days together she understood why.

"Is there something you didn't understand?" Zhao Xingyue asked.

"Um?" Wang Wu snapped back, "Oh! Right, what are the townsfolk, the commoners, the inner‑rank and outer‑rank, and the barbarians and captives?"

Zhao Xingyue patiently explained to Wang Wu, then asked, "Do you understand now?"

"Understood," Wang Wu nodded.

"Your ghost girl, according to the records, should be Zi Yuan, one of the Zi‑surname Wang clan from the former Shang, the third daughter of Emperor Di Yi, also called Fu Yuan."

"How tragic." Hearing the ghost girl's former identity, Wang Wu sighed, "She was a royal… um, the emperor's daughter, yet she still had to become a human sacrifice. The ghost girl is truly pitiful."

"Heh, you're quite sentimental," Zhao Xingyue chuckled lightly, "But for Zi Yuan, it must have been a great honor, right?"

"After all, Shang merchants believed in ascension; if one could serve as a human sacrifice at the grand ritual, the demon god they worshipped would guide them, granting a step toward heaven."

"Those war captives, slaves, and the common folk—uh..." Zhao Xingyue sighed, noticing Wang Wu's drifting gaze again, "Those ordinary civilians are the demon god's blood food."

"As for the inner‑rank and outer‑rank nobles, and the Shang royal heirs, although they are offered as human sacrifices, their bodies are not served at the demon banquet; they are given proper burial."

"After all, they aim to ascend," Zhao Xingyue said with a smile.

After a while, without hearing Wang Wu speak, she looked at him again and found the fellow already sitting on the ground, his head tilted, asleep. Clearly, he wasn't interested in the customs of the previous dynasty.

Watching his sleeping form and staring at his face, Zhao Xingyue was momentarily entranced.

Zhao Xingyue had indeed seen monsters before and had slain evil monsters that wreaked havoc, even though those monsters were no less handsome than Wang Wu. But…

Wang Wu was different, vastly different. He differed from every monster Zhao Xingyue had encountered so far—whether evil monsters that caused trouble, sectal demon slaves, or benevolent monsters.

"No, no, no, no..."

She snapped back to herself, realizing her lapse, and felt her face flush. At the same time, she was embarrassed by the sudden, inexplicable thoughts that had leapt into her mind.

She jerked her gaze away from Wang Wu's face, turned her head back to the night sky above. Forcing the tangled thoughts down, she closed her eyes and resumed refining the demon pill in her hand.

However, her efficiency was poor; it wasn't until over an hour later that she finally managed to calm herself.

Morning arrived quickly, and while fully immersed in refining the demon pill, Zhao Xingyue suddenly heard a strange sound—odd, indefinable, and right next to her ear.

She thought it might be Wang Wu tinkering with something again, and combined with the wild thoughts she had after he fell asleep last night, she decided not to open her eyes to investigate.

Although Wang Wu had indeed saved her life, and over the past few days they got along well, Zhao Xingyue's impression of him grew increasingly positive.

But, this shouldn't, and must not, develop into another kind of feeling.

Only, the sound never ceased, and it was interspersed with a woman's voice. Moreover, gradually the sound grew stranger, increasingly piquing her curiosity.

Finally, under the relentless bites of countless curiosity insects, she gently opened her eyes and looked beside her.

But the moment she looked, her pupils jolted, and she immediately shut them, turning her head away.

But at that moment, the sound at her ear grew louder and clearer. Even with her eyes closed, the scene that had just flashed before her eyes remained on her retina, impossible to erase.

Her face began reddening at a visible speed, her body temperature rose, breathing quickened, her heart pounded so fast in her chest it seemed about to explode.

"Um... eh, hmm? Ah?"

A man's voice sounded at her ear, first bewildered, then puzzled, finally surprised:

"Third Lady? Shu Niang? How... hiss, stop, let's get out, get out..."

For the rest of the day, Zhao Xingyue didn't proactively speak to Wang Wu.

(End of Chapter)