Volume Two: A Season of Unrest, Twists and Turns, Chapter 110: Unsettled Daoist Heart, Incarnation of the Demon

In the fox demon’s palm, a long sword wound was still bleeding, yet she seemed unable to feel the pain. She gazed at Fang Wanshan with an aggrieved expression.

Fang Wanshan stared at her in shock. “What are you doing? You are a demon. I ought to kill you. Do you think this will spare your life?”

“I want to become human. I beg you, Daoist, please grant me that wish. I was born a demon; it was never my choice. But I have never done anything wicked, nor have I ever taken a human life. In truth, I have never harmed even a bird, beast, fish, or insect. If killing me can allow me to become human again, then do it.”

The fox demon’s words stirred countless thoughts in Fang Wanshan’s heart. It was true—she had been born a demon and had never been given a choice. Yet she had never harmed even the smallest creature, much less a human being. From the faintness of her demonic aura alone, he knew that everything she had said was true.

Though the Daoist sects were sworn to slay demons and exorcise evil, he simply could not bring himself to raise his hand against the fox demon before him.

“Go. I do not possess the ability to turn you into a human. Do not let me see you again. Whether you have ever harmed anyone or not, the next time we meet will be the day your soul is scattered.”

With that, he pushed the fox demon outside and slammed the door shut.

Afterward, Fang Wanshan leaned against the door, unable to calm his heart for a long while. His mind was filled with the fox demon’s pure, flawless face and the sorrowful words she had spoken.

For several days, he would glance toward the door, whether consciously or not, as though he still hoped to see that fox demon again. But he was a Daoist—what would it matter if they met again?

The indescribable longing in his heart made Fang Wanshan want to leave this place, this place he should have departed long ago.

His master had been right. His Daoist heart was unstable, and he still needed to temper himself amid the mortal world. Had the fox demon never appeared, he might never have realized that his resolve was indeed as fragile as his master had said—unable to withstand even a single blow.

Shouldering the Supreme Demon-Slaying Sword, Fang Wanshan set out along the road back to Dragon Tiger Mountain. Though he knew he still needed further experience, the fox demon’s figure continued to appear in his mind, as though it had been branded directly onto his heart.

More than the need for worldly experience, it was the awakening of mortal affection and his desire to abandon the Dao that drove him onward. He was desperate to return and flee from everything. Once time and Daoist cultivation had dissolved these feelings, he could descend the mountain and resume his training.

Halfway along the journey, as Fang Wanshan passed a ruined temple, he came upon a Daoist who had been defeated by a demon. Fang Wanshan intervened to help, only to be gravely wounded himself. With his life hanging by a thread, the fox demon appeared and took a fatal blow meant for him.

She had never truly left him. It was only because of the words Fang Wanshan had spoken that she no longer dared approach. Yet when his life was in danger, she had not hesitated for even an instant before stepping in front of him.

Watching the fox demon flash past his eyes, struck down and left lying on the ground, barely clinging to life, Fang Wanshan’s eyes reddened. He summoned nearly all the power of his soul and slew the great demon, paying the price by shattering the spirit of the Supreme Demon-Slaying Sword.

The great demon was dead, but the fox demon still lived. She was gravely injured and could no longer maintain her human form, having reverted to her true shape. Looking at the blood-covered fox, Fang Wanshan’s hands trembled. He did not know how to lift her without hurting her again.

At last, Fang Wanshan gathered the little fox into his arms and hurried back to Dragon Tiger Mountain without stopping once. Upon arriving, the first thing he did was seek an audience with his master and beg him to save the fox demon.

His master was deeply puzzled. “You are a member of the Daoist sect, yet you have come to plead with me for the life of a fox demon. I told you to descend the mountain and gain experience. Did you lose your mind out there?”

“Master, she was born a demon and had no choice in the matter. But she is kind by nature. She has never harmed a bird, beast, fish, or insect, much less a human being. This time, she was brought to the brink of death to save me. I cannot simply watch her die before me because she is a demon.”

“Wanshan, you are pure of heart and have never experienced the passions of the mortal world, so you are still unable to let go of worldly love. It is true that this fox demon had no choice in being born a demon. But cause and effect revolve endlessly. The cause planted in her previous life brought about her existence as a demon in this one. Her saving you was merely a bond carried over from that former life; the debt has now been settled. Why must you involve yourself in this karmic sin and taste its bitter fruit?”

“No, Master. I have never experienced worldly love. Without a Daoist heart as firm as stone, I will never attain the Dao. She became like this because she saved my life. I beg you to save her—for the sake of the fact that she has never harmed a living creature, please show her mercy.”

His master shook his head, then closed his eyes and sensed her condition. Though she was a demon, her aura was so weak that she truly might never have even stepped on an ant. Yet the clearer this became, the more his heart wavered.

Since the founding of Dragon Tiger Mountain, countless evil spirits and great demons had been slain, but they had never once saved a demon.

If they set such a precedent, the centuries-old foundation and reputation of Dragon Tiger Mountain might be ruined in an instant. The consequences could be far beyond anything they could foresee. After pondering for a long while, his master finally spoke.

“Wanshan, it is impossible for Dragon Tiger Mountain to save a demon. If she were human, perhaps there would still be a glimmer of hope.”

Fang Wanshan raised his head, and hope appeared in his eyes. He understood what his master meant: he was reminding him that the fox demon had to become human.

Dragon Tiger Mountain possessed a technique that allowed a Daoist to perish together with a demon by sacrificing his own cultivation. But by reversing the technique, it was possible to transform a demon into human form.

By sacrificing one’s cultivation and exhausting the demon’s nature, the demon could be given a human body. Once its demonic nature was gone, its demonic aura would vanish as well, and it would no longer be able to wield demonic arts. Having taken human form, it would be human—though its heart would remain a demon’s heart. That was the only difference.

“Master, I am willing to surrender all my cultivation to help her become human. The first thing she said when she met me was that she wanted to be human. Today, I owe her my life. I beg you, for the sake of all living beings, please save hers.”

“Wanshan, think carefully. Once your cultivation is gone, it will be gone forever. You will have no further connection with the Dao in this life. Are you truly willing to save her life at the cost of turning your back on all creation?”

“Master, your disciple is foolish and has failed to live up to the years of instruction you have given me.”

Fang Wanshan immediately bowed his head to the ground.

“Whether she is the karmic debt from my former life or not, I still wish to help her become human. In this life, I fear I will no longer be able to serve you. I shall repay your grace in my next life.”

With that, he bowed again.

His master helped him to his feet.

“There are countless affections in this world. If, one day, a person can possess even a moment of true love, then this life has not been lived in vain. Rise. Since you have made your decision, I shall fulfill your wish. After you leave the mountain, take care of yourselves.”

And so Fang Wanshan’s master transferred all of his cultivation to the fox demon, erasing her demonic nature and aura and giving her a human body.

After her wounds had healed at Dragon Tiger Mountain, the two bade farewell to his master and the Celestial Master and left the mountain. From then on, they lived the life of ordinary people.

Fang Wanshan’s master was punished by the Celestial Master for violating the sect’s rules. He was ordered to sweep the Scripture Repository and was no longer permitted to teach. He continued sweeping it for more than twenty years.

Yet in his heart, he always remembered a disciple named Fang Wanshan—a disciple who had done what he himself had once wished to do. Though karmic debts must ultimately bear bitter fruit, human beings were not grass or trees, devoid of feeling. How could one live an entire life by fleeing from love and leaving behind only regret?

After taking human form, the fox demon was no longer a demon. She returned with Fang Wanshan to his family home, and in her heart, she had already chosen him for life. He had helped her become human; she would belong to him from that moment onward.

Fang Wanshan gave her the name Shuang. She was delighted to have a name of her own, for it was proof that she was human. At last, she had become a real person of flesh and blood.

Fang Wanshan’s family was poor, and he could not offer Shuang a life of comfort. Yet she never once complained. She cherished this hard-won existence. Being born into poverty was like being born a demon—neither had been her choice. But they could choose how to live, and they chose to make their days peaceful and happy.

Each day, she waited for Fang Wanshan to return and cared for his parents. Like any other young woman, she learned embroidery and prepared meals. Their life was plain yet fulfilling, tranquil and content.

After ten months of pregnancy, Shuang’s time to give birth finally drew near. This was what worried Fang Wanshan most. He had never wanted children, but as Shuang was about to become a mother for the first time, she insisted on keeping the child.

“If one day I leave this world,” she had said, “I want to leave you a child. Let the child take my place and care for you both.”

Fang Wanshan’s parents loved Shuang dearly as well. Every day, they prayed to Heaven that she would give birth safely.

But things did not go as they wished. Though they had summoned the most renowned midwife, Shuang still suffered a difficult labor. Outside the room, Fang Wanshan could hear only her agonized cries. He never heard the cry of a newborn child. All he could do was pace helplessly back and forth.

“Something has gone terribly wrong! Your wife is having a difficult labor. The child is in the wrong position, and I cannot turn it. I fear neither mother nor child will survive. Hurry inside and see her one last time!”

The midwife had spent two full hours inside, and what emerged was this dreadful news.

The moment Fang Wanshan’s mother heard it, she fainted.