Poison of the Human Panacea

Chapter 13

Activating the mechanism and finding the scroll of the Arts of Enchantment scripture that he had once thought of burning in the wall, Bai Tan summoned his courage and unrolled it. A faint yet bewitching fragrance forced its way into his nose, and what came into view were images of people entangled in many different types and ways. They were very lewd and for a moment they occupied his sight and thoughts.

In a daze, it was as though he had returned to his teenage years. It was still in the same Cang Jing Ge and in the same location. He was holding the same roll of Xing Yu Jing[1] in the same manner, with a person standing beside him.

His face was flushed and his ears were red as he looked at the images on the scripture. He looked up and was met with that person"s meaningful glance. Wu Yanfu"s eyelashes were slightly lowered and the pair of narrow eyes was dark like a night sky without a single star or moon. The hint of an enchanting smile was dangling on the corner of his mouth. "As expected of a little kid. Why, are you shy?"

He did not dare to raise his head but clenched his teeth and asked in a soft voice, "Shizun, what is…this?"

"Naturally this is the strongest skill in Fu Tu Sect. When you followed your shizun up the mountain, did you not say that you wanted to become a strong fighter in WuLin, return to Xi Ye, chase your father and the demonic woman from Lou Lan away, and ascend the throne?"

"Nn[2]." He nodded and clenched the pair of fists that were still immature.

Wu Yanfu flicked the scripture with his finger and the paper fluttered to his ankle. At that moment, enchanting bodies as white as snow pounced at him, each with their own pose and charm. Bai Tan was unable to avoid them and he blushed furiously.

"Shi-Shizun, I do not want to learn this. When will you teach me a skill that is powerful? I want to become strong, become a king, and I will kill anyone who dares to hinder!" He was extremely thin skinned and was so embarra.s.sed that he was on the verge of tears. Yet, a slender hand had reached over ahead of time and as though teasing a cat, pinched the tip of his burning ear. Bai Tan was not crying at first but after being disturbed, tears rolled down, wetting his finger.

Wu Yanfu broke out into a laugh and teased softly, "You can"t even deal with such a simple thing……a member of the royal family is indeed delicate. Should I send you back to the palace then?" Bai Tan was stunned and immediately his stubbornness emerged. Clenching his teeth, "It is just learning. I will learn. It is nothing difficult!"

"That is right. Since your shizun took you in as disciple, useful things will definitely be taught. It is not only the skills that are capable of killing powerful skills. You have a fierce and compet.i.tive personality which is why this shizun is trying to dull it." Wu Yanfu had a hand around the back of his neck as the other glided across the scripture before stopping on one of the images.

It was a dancer covered in keyūra[3], balancing on another person"s palm on a single leg while hooking a hand around the other"s neck. Her snake-like waist was stretched as she leaned forward. She had the look of one presenting their charms and asking to be loved.

Wu Yanfu lowered his body and his lips were right next to his ear. "This is the first move that you will be learning."

The man"s voice was quiet and deep, like a wind blowing through a dense forest. Instantly, Bai Tan"s ear was tingling and he nodded with his face red. He snuck a look at him, smiling as he walked to the door, leaving elegantly.

His eyes flitted past the move and Bai Tan"s thoughts floated towards another direction, and in the blink of an eye, the surrounding scenery turned into one of a dense forest.

There were sounds of the Kong Hou coming from deep within the forest. Like a diving dragon entering the sea and the songs of the ghosts that make the G.o.ds cry, it occupied the listener"s heart and soul. It was grand and majestic, as though it was ready to take over the world at a call.

Bai Tan placed a hand over his heart which was thumping erratically like a jumping rabbit and lifted the branch of tree leaves to walk towards the figure by the old well. Behind the man, an udumbara tree was in full bloom, and it matched the silver fox coat on him. His robe was wide open, willfully exposing the firm chest. His hair was also loosely scattered without much thought. With his eyes closed as he held the Kong Hou in his arms, he had a cynical expression -truly looking like the deity in the drawing, lying on the clouds, treating all that exists as nothingness.

"Tan"er, you"re here?" Wu Yanfu opened his eyes lazily while his fingers continuously plucked at the strings.

"Yes." Bai Tan walked up to the Kong Hou and kneeled on the ground. He smelled the strong aroma of wine floating over from the person in front of him.

His line of sight slid from the man"s slender neck to his collar bones, but he did not dare to look for too long and turned away guiltily.

Shizun is really good looking, he thought. Yet, the images of the intertwining figures in the scripture came to mind. His cheeks grew hot and he nearly buried his head in the fur of the outer coat.

"Tell me, what do you think of the string instrument your father gave to this shizun?"

Bai Tan checked it out in great detail. The Kong Hou had the body of a dragon and the shape of a phoenix. The entire instrument was pure white and it looked like jade while also resembling ice. There was only a dash of blood red near the pegs, as though it was made of bones, and it gave off chills.

Remembering his father"s violent ways, he guessed that it was quite likely to have been made from the thigh bone of a certain songstress or dancer, and disgust grew in his heart immediately. He spoke his mind, "It is an incomparable musical instrument, but it is a dangerous item too."

"Terrific, terrific. A dangerous item matches an evil person……" Wu Yanfu laughed loudly. His fingers were moving rapidly and his interest was not lessening but he was staring at him. "That reminds me, Tan"er, how is your practice of the Arts of Enchantment going?"

"Nn…… It, it is fine." Bai Tan"s face started burning up.

"Then let your shizun see if you have improved since the last time." Wu Yanfu lowered the volume of his voice. "If you are able to make your shizun satisfied, then you will be able to travel with this shizun to Xi Jiang."

"Really?!" Bai Tan"s eyes brightened and he stood up.

"Of course." Wu Yanfu raised his eyelid and kept the smile away. His lips part slightly, "Remove your clothes."

"However, previously……"

"That was then. To practice the Arts of Enchantment, even the skin has to be removed to turn into a demon."

"A fox demon?" Bai Tan clenched his belt and mumbled uneasily.

"You? You are still far from it." Wu Yanfu narrowed his eyes. "More like a small cat demon."

"Continue, strip."

Bai Tan took a deep breath and undid his belt while trembling. Removing the outer coat felt like the peeling of a layer of animal hide in a gruesome manner and coming off with it was his pride as the descendent of the royal family.

The inner robes were removed and he stepped out from the pants, leaving him stark naked.

Taking the length of silk cloth that tied his hair off, his black hair spilled downwards, reaching his ankle.

Wu Yanfu observed him from his toes up and his eyes darkened.

"Not bad, your body has been well taken care off. Come, seduce your shizun."

"Yes."

Bai Tan hesitated for a moment before obeying the words and moved to stand behind the man. It was not his first time he was doing such a thing. The way that he had moved and twisted around Wu Yanfu the previous time was still fresh in his memory. However, even when he was drenched in sweat and had shown all sorts of vile appearances, Wu Yanfu remained still, unmoved and proper, like a Buddha statue.

Amid the humiliation and shame, a shred of annoyance from not conceding grew in him.

Holding his breath, he raised the container by the well, drank a few mouthfuls for courage, left some in his mouth, and reached over to pick up some of the man"s hair. Like the "Concubine Ming" on the statue of Vajra, he lowered his body, cuddled up against his back while the burning hot and wet tongue coated in wine licked the icy cold ears teasingly. Using his DanTian to help him regulate his breath, he ventriloquized enchantingly and softly through his closed lips, "Yanfu……Yanfu……"

Wu Yanfu"s face remained indifferent and the sound from the string instrument remained steady like the sea of a silent night.

Bai Tan knew that he could not retreat. Retreat and he would lose the chance to learn proper martial arts directly from Wu Yanfu. Immediately, he steeled his resolve and taking advantage of his pet.i.te body, slipped into the other"s embrace. Following the pose taken by a figure in the drawings, he wrapped himself around Wu Yanfu like a parasitic plant[4].

Wu Yanfu"s hand move to the end of the instrument and the pitch elevated. The rise and falls stopped abruptly yet it was not messy at all.

Bai Tan"s head was lowered and did not dare to look at him. His chilly body was already sweating and a single puff from the wind made him shiver from the cold. He instinctively cuddled closer into Wu Yanfu"s warm chest, hearing the thumps of his heartbeat.

They were like the thumps from the morning and evening drum, never changing. It would not change because of him as well.

Even when they were this intimate, one of them was an emotionless rock while the other was a momentary blooming flower[5].

It was just that at that point in time, he was still unaware that his affection for Wu Yanfu was only because Wu Yanfu had chosen him to be "Concubine Ming", and the more he used the Arts of Enchantment to help him cultivate, the deeper he would sink.

To Wu Yanfu, he was but a useful p.a.w.n, a human tool used for practicing and cultivating.

"Shizun……what will it take to make you satisfied?" At that moment he had forgotten to ventriloquize. The youth who experienced love for the first time raised his head, brushing his lips against the man"s smooth adam apple. His heart sputtered and he held it in his mouth.

An unusual motion came from their lower half. It was not him but Wu Yanfu.

The music was slightly messed up before it steadied again not long after. Wu Yanfu looked down and pinched his chin, "Being able to tempt your shizun to this state, your Arts of Enchantment can be said to be quite good."

"Is that so?" Bai Tan raised his head in a daze, meeting the pair of deep and dark eyes. The eyes seemed to hide deep affection, yet it also seemed to be emotionless and not have any desire. He still let himself get trapped within them, presenting himself.

Tears flowed down his cheeks unknowingly. "Shizun, what does it feel like to fall in love with a person?"

Wu Yanfu did not speak but replied with the sound from the string instrument. Yet, a murderous intent surged in the music.

Bai Tan was teary as he licked the tear that was by the corner of his lips, not knowing why he felt so sad.

With the tear in his mouth, he inched closer to the man"s thin lips timidly.

Ventriloquizing softly, "Even if it was to die for him, it would be willingly?"

Wu Yanfu"s lips were parted slightly, taking in the tip of his tongue. Bai Tan"s heart trembled like a flower"s first bloom.

"Shizun, will you fall in love with someone?"

The sounds from the instrument stopped abruptly with a string emitting a broken note. It snapped unexpectedly.

A gust of strong wind exploded outwards from Wu Yanfu"s body, flinging him away and onto the ground.

His chest was twitching from the immense pain and blood spilled out from his mouth. Bai Tan sprawled on the floor, battered. He trembled and shook as he grabbed the robes that were scattered across the floor and wrapped it around himself. He did not know if it was from the pain or from the embarra.s.sment, but he could not stop the tears from spilling out and he did not understand what wrong he had committed.

Yet, Wu Yanfu did not even raise his eyes and only swept the udumbara flower that had landed on him off, "I treat you like this flower, watering it daily, cultivating it patiently. Your most beautiful moments are the wine in my cup -for me to consume, for me to take. There is nothing else. Do not have wishful thinking. Understand?"

Bai Tan"s hand trembled, and the scripture fell to the floor, pulling him back to his senses.

He looked around, lost. Ah, so it was just a memory. That person had been turned into ash and the ash was scattered by him. Contrary to his thoughts, however, he felt empty. He picked the scripture with barely any strength and patted the dust off of it. Leaning against the wall, he studied the container containing the scripture carefully and, sure enough, found a small dent.

Pressing on it, an additional length of paper appeared.

Reading each and every word, Bai Tan was already drenched in sweat when done.

The method recorded in the scripture said to find a man that had pure and immense inner energy, who was also still a virgin, and have intercourse with the man while being on the receiving end. He was to execute all the moves in the Xing Yu Jing to make the other feel and desire while staying unmoved during the intercourse. When the other is about to climax, he was to use the final, "Tian Nu Gou Hun[6]" to absorb the other"s fine blood and inner energy into his own body, for himself to use.

It was as Ji Du said.

Bai Tan closed the scripture and felt the blood and energy billow in his chest. The Arts of Enchantment was something that he did not want to touch on and wanted to forget. For him to practice the Sky of Six Desires in this manner was a huge irony.

Despite his thoughts, he stuffed Xing Yu Jing into the pocket of his sleeve and drifted back into the stone room like a wandering ghost. Without the mood to eat, he laid on the bed as he revised the moves in the Arts of Enchantment. He had unknowingly read it "till late in the night and had unconsciously fallen asleep. Maybe it was because there was an old belonging in his arm that he had a nightmare.

In a blur, it felt like he had fallen into h.e.l.l. In the memories, where it was perpetually dark, it had morphed into a dark net, wrapping him tightly. One moment he was kneeling in front of Wu Yanfu, begging him not to send him into Yue Yin Palace, and he left heartlessly, with his hand behind his back; another moment, he was on a stage and was being observed like a rare beast; next moment, he was suffering all sorts of torture in the dungeon, carving figures made of mud, day after day, till his nails were worn away.

Between dream and reality, a person fed him a very bitter medicine that was held in his mouth – mouth to mouth – like how he was fed water in the dungeon when he was on the brink of death by the person who saved him from the gate to h.e.l.l.

He gripped onto the person"s sleeve and could not help calling benefactor but when he woke up, there was no one beside him. His reflection in the mirror that was supposed to be covered in injuries was clean and without injuries except for the single scar on his abdomen.

He had wanted death but was unsuccessful.

When he left the room, he was uneasy, not knowing which month or which day it was. Everything was unfamiliar and frightening. Even a single leaf, a single stick, seemed terrifying, and it all only made him want to escape far away from this place.

Stumbling through the corridors like a wandering ghost, opening one door after the other, lifting the many layers of curtains, like a moth that would gravitate towards the fire regardless of what might happen, but he ran into a person.

The man"s chest was hard like a rock; a strong smell of alcohol radiated off his robe with a subtle hint of blood mixed in it. He raised his head, wanting to ask but was met with the pair of eyes which was staring at him.

The eyes were dark, as though they were a well that was too deep to see the bottom, capable of swallowing light and consuming souls.

Bai Tan was so shocked that he had forgotten how to speak at that moment. He turned around and wanted to run but his wrist was nabbed sharply.

"Where are you going?" The man"s breath was burning hot and humid. It actually seemed as though he was drunk.

"Shizun……" After the battle at Yue Yin Palace, Bai Tan was afraid of him and, at the same time, hated him. He staggered as he moved backwards.

Wu Yanfu pulled him back forcefully, caught hold of his chin and as though he had never seen him before, observed him in great detail as the fingers that could easily take another"s life tightened. It was as though when he had his fill of looking and torturing him, he would, in the next instant, snap his fragile neck.

"Where does my Tan"er want to go, hm?"

Bai Tan did not struggle. Of course, there was no opportunity for him to and only the tears fell torrentially.

"Shizun, your disciple was wrong!"

"What did you do wrongly? You weren"t wrong. It"s your shizun who was wrong." In the darkness, the man"s voice that used to sound pleasant was hoa.r.s.e and weird.

The thumb that was pinching his chin gradually moved up, tracing the shape of his lips, the force exerted slowly increased as the thumb caressed repeatedly, as though he hated the mouth that could not speak well.

Bai Tan"s trembling lips seemed to have been crushed by the rubbing and he could taste the metallic tang of blood.

"Your shizun……made the mistake of bringing you back from Yue Yin Palace. What an evil creature[7]."

His voice was very soft, his breath was shallow, and his hand curled around the back of his neck.

Bai Tan was not steady on his feet, and with such a fright, he fell straight into Wu Yanfu"s arms; the swaying curtains bound them like a coc.o.o.n.

Struggling instinctively, he stepped back to retreat, but he stepped on something and it made him slip. He reached out and quickly caught his sleeve.

When he fell facing up and landed on his back, the pain that he had expected did not arrive. An arm held him steadily. The curtains which were hanging covered the sky and blocked the sun, but it could not cover the pair of narrow eyes which were looking down at him from above. There was something that was surging in his eyes and if the floodgates broke, it would submerge him.

It was killing intent. A voice screamed in Bai Tan"s mind. He had seen the look in Wu Yanfu"s eyes when he took Shiyue out to go against an enemy. The thirst for blood, the desire to kill, and at this moment, they were so similar.

"Shizun, Shizun……"

He curled his trembling body up and could not help moving backwards, but his ankle was grabbed by the hand that seemed to have a flame hidden in its palm and it burned his flesh and bone.

Wu Yanfu seemed to be really drunk. Strangling his neck and lowering his body to get closer to his ear. His cold-blooded thin lips rubbed against his earlobe and he said in a drunk and hoa.r.s.e voice, "Do not call me that……"

In the fear of being on the brink of death, Bai Tan"s eyes were wide from being suffocated and tears streaked down. His lips trembled as he spoke hesitantly, "Shizun, let me, let me go? Pori, Shizun has gotten it already, right?"

"Pori……" Wu Yanfu repeated in a soft and deep voice, his breath splashed on his neck like boiling water. A hand tightened on his collar and the finger pierced through the thick fur coat. "You still dare to ask me?"

Bai Tan knew that he was severely drunk seeing as he had even forgotten to use "your shizun" and his sentences were broken. Killing him was as simple as snapping his fingers. He was fl.u.s.tered and tried his best to turn over, not caring about how his collar was ripped, but Wu Yanfu pulled his untied hair, refusing to let go and pulled him back under him. He was like a deer struggling with all its might as its neck was bitten by a wolf.

"It was all because of you, evil creature……" He muttered as he leaned against the back of his neck.

The fingers that were pressed against the front of Bai Tan"s chest curled, tearing his robe into tatters.

His robes were all torn and his chest was plastered against the icy cold floor without any obstructions. The chill penetrated his bones, but where the boiling hot fingers pa.s.s, red marks from being burned were left behind. It seemed as though he was caressing, but it was also as though he wanted to peel his skin and break his bones.

"Shizun-Shizun! Uu-" Bai Tan became incoherent from the crying.

"What are you calling Shizun for? Why don"t… I kill you now to save me the trouble?" The man was breathing roughly next to his ear. His boiling breath sprayed across his cheek and there was the smell of alcohol as well as the smell of blood. Bai Tan was increasingly afraid and his chest was extremely painful. He shook his head and cried out loudly, "Tan"er, Tan"er is wrong, Shizun, forgive me…"

Tears dripped onto the floor and shattered like ice crystals.

Wu Yanfu"s hand loosened and released him suddenly.

At the same time, "shing" and a ray of silver light appeared before his eyes like a lightning as it came out of its sheath, suddenly and rapidly slicing through the chaotic darkness within the many layers of curtain. Wu Yanfu was holding Shiyue and was swinging it towards him!

Bai Tan screamed and curled into a ball, closing his eyes in despair.

The biting cold wind made by the blade brushed past his ear, only cutting a few stands of his hair. What followed was a series of sounds of cloth ripping, but in the quiet night, it sounded like a strong wind destroying a forest and a blizzard crashing down on a mountain. He turned his head around in fear and saw a figure swinging and moving the blade between curtains. The shreds of cloth scattered like escaping crows and sparrows, but before they could reach the floor, they were engulfed in a blue flame and were almost instantaneously turned into ash, disappearing from sight.

Bai Tan caught the strands of hair that were cut off, and his heart was filled with the fear from having just escaped death. The last of the lingering feeling was eventually completely cut off by that slash that did not reach.

Suddenly, a cough could be heard among the howling of the blade. Wu Yanfu stopped his movement and immediately fell on a knee with a hand on the ground as though he was so drunk and he could not stand properly. His back could be seen vaguely between tattered curtains and actually seemed a little lonely.

Bai Tan hid in the darkness, not daring to take a single step forward.

They were only a few steps apart, yet their hearts were worlds apart.

Wu Yanfu turned his head to the side and in the flickering light, half of the handsome face was in brightness while the other half was in darkness. It was eerie and a trickle of blood hung on the corner of his mouth that was curled up coolly. He swept it away with the back of his hand as he spat out a single word hoa.r.s.ely.

"Scram."

It was as though his heart had exploded in that instant. Bai Tan twisted his head around and started running madly.

He dashed onto the snow-covered ground bare footed, dashing about without much thought. Even when his feet were bleeding due to the random stones and weeds, he did not feel the pain.

In the dark sky and ground, there were waves of wolves" howl chasing him persistently. A starving snow wolf pounced on him and the breath that stank of blood sprayed on his face. Its fangs slashed his head and he put all his strength into pushing the wolf away with his hands around its throat. They were tangled in the fight and they rolled down the steep snowy slope together. Right at that moment, an earth-shattering blast could be heard; it was as though a large wave had risen on the snowy mountain and it crashed down covering the entire ground, completely burying him under it.

"Ah-Ah!"

Bai Tan shouted as he woke up from the dream. He reached out in a panic, rolled out of the bed and fell straight into a cold and firm embrace. The moment he opened his eyes, he met the pair of pale blue eyes.

"Master, what happened?" The deep and real voice rang in his ears.

He was finally awake. Bai Tan wiped the sweat off his forehead while still feeling the fear. He took a few breaths and reached his hand out from within the tiger skin, hugging the yao ren. At that moment, he felt that it was extremely comfortable to be around this person, "Mm… had a nightmare."

He sounded like he was acting coy and Wu Yanfu could not help holding the little ball of fur tightly, as though he was bewitched. The calls for "Shizun" that sounded like cries were still lingering by his ear.

Is it because you miss your shizun, or is it because you are afraid that your shizun would come for your life after you destroyed the body?

He felt the youth"s soft and warm body through the tiger skin and could not resist moving closer, taking a deep whiff of the faint scent coming from the boy.

Bai Tan could not breathe because of the arm that bound him. His body started heating up in the thick tiger skin and he started struggling. With a twist and a shove, he wriggled his way out from Wu Yanfu"s embrace and gave him a kick. "Stupid Ah Chi, what are you doing hugging me so tightly? Are you trying to smother me*?!"

The yao ren"s arms remained in the same position stiffly, staring at him as though in a daze.

Bai Tan did not like the intensity in his eyes, "Why are you always staring at me?"

Wu Yanfu lowered his head, "Master…… looks good."

Bai Tan raised his hand and threw a resounding slap on his cheek, "Impudence!"

Translator"s Notes:   

[1] Xing Yu Jing (行欲经) translates to "Act of Desire Scripture".

[2] A sound of consent or agreement.

[3] A type of ornament that was originally used for the Buddha but was later popular among females.

[4] To be more exact, the term cuscuta, otherwise known as dodders, was used.

[5] The udumbara flower that Bai Tan was named after.

[6] Literally the "Heavenly Girl Luring/Tempting the Soul".

[7] It does not actually say evil creature. The word is usually used in ancient time by and elder when the younger person is unfilial or causes plenty or problems.  

*The “I” or "me" makes a reference to his position or suggests a high rank.

                                                                                                               Chapter 14