Chương 1: Miss Fox Spirit

"You are a good person." Fang Cheng said this to the demonic sword in his hand. To make sure the sword believed him, he had picked a night thick with clouds, dressed like a frail scholar, and come to this abandoned temple in the middle of nowhere, waiting for a beautiful encounter. The temple was bare. A broken table, two broken chairs, dust and cobwebs everywhere. He lit the candle on the table, pulled a scroll from his bamboo basket, sat down, and pretended to read by the flickering flame.

After some time, a soft feminine voice came from outside the door.

"Sir, may this humble girl come in?" As she spoke, the temple door swung open without a sound. A young woman in white stood at the threshold. Her skin was smooth as cream, her eyes dewy and pleading, her whole appearance so tender that it made one's heart go soft.

"Haha, get in here! I've been waiting for you!" Fang Cheng rose with a loud laugh, his face full of excitement, almost rushing to the door. The young woman froze. She had never seen a scholar so eager. Fang Cheng caught himself, smoothed his expression, and put on a gentle, refined smile.

"Please, miss, come in and sit. Don't be shy." She hesitated, her eyes darting over him. After confirming he was just an ordinary scholar, she finally stepped inside and closed the door.

"I am Fang Cheng. May I ask your name, miss?"

"This servant is called Liu'er."

"Ah, Miss Liu'er. A pleasure." Fang Cheng rubbed his hands and gestured for her to sit. Liu'er didn't take a seat. Instead, she swayed toward him, a faint seductive smile curling at the corner of her lips.

"Sir, that chair looks so dirty. Could you help me sit on your...?" She paused, dragging out the last word, sneaking shy glances at Fang Cheng, her face flushed with feigned bashfulness. Her unspoken meaning was that she wished to sit on Fang Cheng's lap.

"No problem. You can sit anywhere. I can satisfy even more demanding requests. But first, I need you to say something." Fang Cheng was unreserved. To convince his own heart, he would pay any price.

"Sir, you're so bad. I haven't even said what I want, and you've already read my mind." Liu'er pouted and gave a coquettish whine. Fang Cheng's face darkened. The word "bad" stung like a needle.

"You have to say I'm a good person," he said, deadly serious.

"But this servant likes it when you're bad." Liu'er giggled and stepped closer, leaning as if to fall into his arms. But before she could, Fang Cheng shoved her back.

"Miss, don't rush. We have more important questions to discuss," he said, his tone heavy with meaning.

"Sir, what are you talking about? This servant doesn't understand." Liu'er bit her lip, baffled. Normally, these high-minded scholars would exchange a few pleasantries before grabbing her and getting down to business. But this one was different.

"Miss Liu'er, let me explain slowly." Fang Cheng began his lament.

"I have a sword inside my body. Right now, it's not convenient to take it out and show you." This Liu'er understood. She covered her mouth, glanced at Fang Cheng's lower half, and giggled.

"Sir, you really are bad."

"I told you, I'm a good person!" Fang Cheng stressed again, barely restraining his anger.

"Fine, fine. You're a good person. This servant is the bad one." Liu'er laughed behind her hand. Fang Cheng nodded. He had finally heard what he wanted. But it wasn't enough.

"The thing with my sword is complicated and hard to explain. In short, it's highly demonic. Though it can't speak, it silently corrodes my heart. I once thought of abandoning it, but it's become part of me. Without it, I'd die. And I don't want to die. If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

"The problem is, its corruption grows deeper every day. I'm terrified that one day I'll become its puppet, driven to commit atrocities. So every day I brainwash it, and myself, saying: please be a good person. I'm begging you. Be a good person."

"Hahahaha..." Liu'er couldn't hold back. She found this scholar wonderfully entertaining. Fang Cheng remained grave.

"Miss Liu'er, don't laugh. Faith is a powerful energy. It helps me resist the sword's demonic nature. I came to you hoping you'd help strengthen my conviction." She laughed even harder.

"No, sir. I like bad men. I like you using that sword of yours to do bad things to me. Don't suppress it. It's bad for your health. Let it out."

"Shut up, you damned vixen! I've said so much, why can't you understand! I'm talking about an actual sword! Not that thing between the legs that you're thinking of! And I can't release it because I can't control it! You'd die! A horrible death!" Fang Cheng was furious. His words were sincere, so why did she keep twisting them?

"You shut up!" Liu'er snapped back. Her face turned cold. She had been polite and accommodating, yet this scholar was so clueless.

"I want to see that thing of yours. I crave it. I want to watch it do bad things to me. Do you know how long I've been lonely?

"On this godforsaken mountain where even the boars are female, I can't even remember the last time I ate a man. Every night, my heart itches like a cat is scratching it.

"Hehehe... I'm done with this. So today, I have to see it, savor it, feel that mind‑blowing pleasure, that near‑death thrill, and then eat the whole damn thing!" Liu'er laughed low and dark. She was done pretending. This scholar was clearly deranged. She'd take what she wanted by force. A red tail burst from her waist, tearing through her white dress. It twisted like a snake, wrapping around Fang Cheng and slamming him against the wall.

She grabbed Fang Cheng's collar, eager to tear his clothes open and taste that great big delicacy, but at that moment, Fang Cheng pulled out his sword. The sword was black, gleaming with an eerie demonic light. On the hilt was carved a coiled black dragon, savage and terrifying. It breathed black flames that licked the blade, giving off a cold, sinister sheen. Liu'er was already prostrate on the ground, trembling. She dared not look at Fang Cheng, nor at the sword. A suffocating pressure crushed her from all sides.

She gasped for breath, but her chest was squeezed so tight she felt she'd burst. Demon! Only a Heavenly Demon from beyond the void could exude such terrifying might.

"Mercy..." she managed to choke out.

"Don't be afraid. I can control it," Fang Cheng reassured her. He noticed the sword was unusually calm today. Perhaps it had no interest in a mere fox spirit.

"Miss Liu'er, let's continue. We're only one step away. Come on, raise your head bravely and say to this sword: You and your master are both good people." Liu'er's forehead was drenched in sweat. She tremblingly looked up, took one glance at the black demon sword, and immediately averted her eyes. She feared that if she looked any longer, the sword would kill her.

"You are... a good person," she stammered. Fang Cheng frowned. Something was off. He thought for a moment, then realized.

"Wrong attitude. Not sincere enough, Miss Liu'er. Your attitude should be like mine. I could have just gone straight to your cave and dealt with you openly, but I did not. I waited here in this temple for so long, disguised myself as the scholar you like, and I could have even let you do what you enjoy doing. I showed you enough respect, so should you not show me some in return?"

"How... how should I show it?"Liu'er was on the verge of tears. She had never been bullied like this before. She wanted to say, "Just kill me then," but she was too afraid to utter a single word.

"From the heart. And smile. Don't look like I'm forcing you." Liu'er forced a smile, facing the sword radiating demonic energy, and said, "My lord, you and your master are truly good people. I mean it. You're not forcing me." At those words, Fang Cheng felt immensely satisfied. He laughed joyfully and said to the sword, "You hear that? Even a man-eating demon says I'm a good person. Hahaha, how could I be a bad guy? Even if I slaughtered an entire village, they were all bad people!

I put those beasts on the iron plate one by one, roasted them until they sizzled and dripped with oil. Delicious. Fragrant. Talking about it makes me drool. Hahaha. I rid the people of vermin. I am a good person. Hahahaha!" The more he spoke, the happier he became. He raised the demon sword high, spun around, danced, cheered, his laughter growing louder and more unhinged. Liu'er was too terrified to speak, but she had to. She felt that if she stayed any longer, she'd die, torn apart by this madman.

"My lord, I've done what you asked. Can I go now?"

"Go, go. I'm done with you." Fang Cheng waved her off impatiently, still in high spirits. Liu'er breathed a sigh of relief and scrambled toward the door. But she had barely taken a few steps when an invisible hand grabbed her neck and dragged her back before Fang Cheng.

"Sorry, Miss Liu'er. I just realized a problem." Fang Cheng said.

"Look, I'm a good person, and you're a man-eating fox demon, right?" Liu'er sensed the danger but forced herself to agree.

"My lord, you're right. Please let me go. I can be a good person too. Starting now, I won't eat people. Only vegetables."

"No, no, no." Fang Cheng shook his head.

"If all the bad people turned over a new leaf, then what would a good person like me be needed for? You bad people have to exist, and then you have to be killed by me. That is how I prove I am a good person. Yes, exactly. So there need to be a whole lot of bad people, so I can prove I am a really, really good person. Haha. I am making so much sense right now. Hahahaha..." He laughed, but then stopped abruptly. Something about that last sentence didn't sound like something a good person would say.

But what was the right way to say it? His head hurt. He clutched his skull, his face contorted in unbearable pain.

"Miss Liu'er, tell me, how can I kill you with righteous conviction?" Liu'er had already wet herself. The foul-smelling liquid soaked through her thick red tail, leaving it wet and sticky. This was exactly what she had wanted to see and have just moments ago, but now she no longer wanted it. She just wanted to live.

"My lord, have mercy! I'm just a small demon in the wilds. My cultivation is shallow. I'm not worth your appetite. A great Heavenly Demon like you should seek out powerful monsters. I'm not worthy."

"Shut up, you damned fox! I've told you many times, I'm not a demon!" Fang Cheng roared, his eyes burning red. The words "you are a demon" echoed in his mind. This shameless demoness was slandering him. This lying wretch had to die. Right now!

"Sword, rise!" With his low shout, the demon sword shuddered violently. The black flames on its blade split open into a gaping maw, extending a crimson tongue that slowly licked its lips. Then he gripped the hilt and gave a gentle push forward. The scarlet tongue shot out, lunging straight at the fox spirit. In the blink of an eye, it had swallowed her whole, piercing through Liu'er's body. Blood sprayed everywhere, and all that filled his vision was the red of blood.