Zanxing (Retranslated)

Chapter 96 - The Secret Art of Yanyang (2)

Footsteps approached from behind. A maid stepped forward and came to the side of Princess Lizhu, whispering softly, “Your Highness, just now, Senior Gu sent word requesting your date of birth.”

Princess Lizhu snapped out of her reverie, turning around in surprise. “My date of birth?”

The maid nodded.

After a moment of thought, Princess Lizhu said, “Very well, since they ask for it, then I shall provide it.”

“Your Highness,” the maid advised with disapproval, “as a member of the royal family, how can you casually give out your date of birth to others?”

“They are from the sect,” Princess Lizhu countered, “what use could my date of birth, a mere mortal’s, be to them? It is only useful in the case of dealing with shark demon.” She walked towards the long table in the hall. “Besides, my son is already the ruler, and I have long left the palace, and I am no longer counted as a member of the royal family. If this can help resolve the matter sooner, subdue the monsters, and bring peace to the people of Li’er, then so be it.”

She stopped at the table, instructing the maid to lay out paper and ink. Then, she picked up a pen and said, “Let me write it myself.”

Princess Lizhu’s movements on the blank paper were quick.

It took about the time of two incense sticks for someone to go and get the date of birth. When the maid beside Princess Lizhu arrived, she handed a red silk pouch to Zanxing, repeatedly admonishing her not to let anyone see the date of birth inside before leaving.

After the maid departed, Zanxing returned to the room with the red silk pouch and handed it to Gu Baiying.

Gu Baiying opened the pouch and took out the slip of paper containing Princess Lizhu’s date of birth. After glancing at it, his expression turned cold.

Tian Fangfang and Men Dong anxiously asked, “How is it, Martial Uncle? Was she born on Yin months, Yin days, and Yin hours?”

Gu Baiying remained silent for a moment before handing the slip of paper to them. “Indeed, she has a pure Yin physique.”

Zanxing sighed inwardly. It was as they had suspected.

When Gu Baiying asked Princess Lizhu for her date of birth, she had already guessed this outcome. The Li’er royal family kept Emperor Shengning’s scrolls tightly sealed, the details of the shark demon case were murky, the sudden decision to marry Princess Lizhu—none of it seemed coincidental.

However, knowing the truth was chilling.

When the maid went to fetch the date of birth, Zanxing had already informed Men Dong and Tian Fangfang about their findings at Tianlu Pavilion. Tian Fangfang looked at Gu Baiying and spoke in a lowered voice, “Martial Uncle, the situation is clear now. Emperor Shengning was a schemer. Back then, in order to prolong his life, he secretly practiced the Secret Art of Yanyang, sacrificing those pure Yin physique girls for his rituals, and even Princess Lizhu was just another victim prepared by him. What about the murderous shark demon? It was simply taking the blame for the late emperor. These people from the Li’er Country even sculpted the statues of others so ugly and ferocious, insulting them at will. Pfft, that’s too despicable!”

“But it doesn’t make sense,” Men Dong was puzzled, “if the records in the scrolls aren’t false, then back in the palace, the demon-slaying formation indeed caught a shark demon. If Emperor Shengning was the real culprit, then where did the shark demon come from? Could Princess Lizhu be lying?”

Zanxing didn’t think Princess Lizhu was lying. Perhaps she herself hadn’t realized that Emperor Shengning married her, a princess of the Linshi Kingdom, to obtain eternal life. However, many years ago, there was indeed a shark demon in the palace, but why did it appear there? And thinking of the creature that appeared in her room last night, Zanxing looked at Gu Baiying and asked, “Martial Uncle, if the incident back then really had nothing to do with shark demons, and even if Princess Lizhu was lying and there were no shark demons back then, the current bloodbath is still happening. The girls forty years ago died because of the Secret Art of Yanyang, but why are girls tragically dying now? It can’t be a second person practicing the Secret Art of Yanyang, can it? However this time, the girls they found do not possess pure Yin physiques born on Yin months, Yin days, and Yin hours.”

“My naive junior sister, you’re not seeing this clearly,” Tian Fangfang said as he pulled her along. “Look, these girls this time are not pure Yin physiques, indicating that the killer isn’t murdering for practicing dark arts. But the way these girls died is exactly the same as back then. It’s clearly the descendant of that shark demon from forty years ago is coming back for revenge. Just think about it, they did nothing wrong, yet they were cursed as supreme demons, turned into statues, and everyone spits when they see them. If I were a descendant of that shark demon, I’d be furious too. It’s bullying!”

Zanxing shook her head. “That’s not it. If it was just for revenge, why sneak into my room last night? I have no grievances with this shark demon, I wasn’t even born forty years ago. It couldn’t have come to me in the middle of the night just because I look like a good person and ask me to clear its grievances through dreams.”

“What?” Tian Fangfang exclaimed. “A monster sneaked into your room last night? Junior Sister, are you okay?”

“I’m fine,” Zanxing reassured her. “Martial Uncle stayed in my room all night after that, and he didn’t give the monster another chance to come back.”

“What?!” This time it was Men Dong jumping up, his face incredulous, as if Zanxing had burned down his house, loudly demanding, “Martial Uncle stayed in your room last night? What did you do to him?”

Zanxing was puzzled, “What could I possibly do to him?”

“You two alone together, anything could happen,” Men Dong’s words were cut off by Gu Baiying, who covered his mouth with a stern expression. “Shut up!”

Men Dong struggled for a moment before Tian Fangfang said, “I think there are still some unresolved issues here. Maybe we should go back to the princess and clarify the details of the shark demon case from back then. At least we need to find out if there really was such a ‘shark demon’ back then.”

As they were discussing, suddenly there was a commotion outside. They looked out the window to see a few cultivators chattering in the palace courtyard. Men Dong’s eyes lit up, and he excitedly waved outside, “Sister Meng! Brother Mu!”

Meng Ying and Mu Cengxiao had returned.

Tian Fangfang opened the door, and Meng Ying and Mu Cengxiao approached. As they came closer, they noticed that Mu Cengxiao’s right shoulder was stained with a large patch of red, indicating he was injured.

“Junior Brother, how did you get injured?” Tian Fangfang hurriedly pulled Mu Cengxiao to sit down and asked Men Dong, “Men Dong, quickly help Junior Brother Mu and take a look at the wound, do you have any medicine?”

“It’s nothing,” Mu Cengxiao sat down on the chair, “just a minor external injury.”

“Don’t call me Men Dong,” Men Dong wasn’t too pleased with being called his name. “He was bitten by something. Just apply some herbal ointment, and he’ll be fine.” With that, he took out a small bottle from his waist, removed the stopper, and handed it to Mu Cengxiao. “Use it sparingly. I don’t have much left.”

***

I think we can all guess who the actual shark demon was and what happened to him ☹

(even if you didn’t, it’s fine, you’ll find out soon enough).