ragginovel Chapter 573 "Narcissus"
Chapter 573 "Narcissus"
Chapter 573 "Narcissus"
Borjigin Tawu is forty years old this year.
From the age of twenty, Tawu had been known as the "First Warrior of the Northern Yuan".
His appearance matches everything you would imagine for that title: a fierce face, a thick beard, and a powerful physique made up of a mixture of muscles and fat...
Even a tall, strong man like Kunduli, who was born with superhuman strength, could only admit his inferiority when standing in front of Tawu.
However, in terms of personality, Tawu was even more extreme than Kundul.
Alcoholism, lust, tyranny, arrogance, cruelty, untrustworthiness, shortsightedness, lack of strategy, being easily influenced, lack of compassion, and so on—all the stereotypical labels you can think of that could be attached to ancient tyrants and incompetent rulers fit Tawud perfectly.
This is why, even though Tawu was already the "first warrior," the previous Khan insisted on passing the Khanate to Tawu's mediocre older brother.
And Tawu... had no complaints about this.
At least he didn't back then.
This is not hard to understand. Think about it: a giant baby with an IQ and EQ lower than Kunduli, whose mind is only focused on eating, drinking, gambling and whoring, would have no interest in fighting for the Khan's throne if he could enjoy these things whether he was Khan or not.
If someone around him were to instigate him, such as his mother or a close advisor, constantly whispering in his ear to encourage him to fight for it... then it might be possible to persuade him.
But the problem is that the current Khan and Ta'u are brothers born of the same mother. Surely his mother wouldn't instigate her two sons to kill each other, would she?
Furthermore, Tawut's relationship with his brother, if not exceptionally good, was at least better than his relationship with his other brothers who didn't share the same mother. Therefore, when it came to the succession, he not only didn't oppose his brother, but even took a stance of helping his brother eliminate other competitors.
And so, Tagu's brother successfully became Khan, and then took good care of his scoundrel brother Tagu, bestowing upon him the title of "Prince of Valor".
This guy is reasonable. First, he's very "brave," and second, he's the Khan's "own" brother. These are the only two good things you can find about Ta'u. Everything else is just bad.
Over the years, as long as Tawu did not do anything to shake the foundations of the country, his brother did not interfere and let him do as he pleased.
So he lived up to expectations and went even further, living a life of debauchery and immorality for many years.
Until... one day three months ago.
That day, a beautiful woman of unknown origin appeared before Tawu.
This woman was not only stunningly beautiful, but also possessed a curvaceous and captivating figure. Moreover, she seemed to be quite skilled in the arts of the bedroom. Even a womanizer like Tawu, who had seen countless women and was a seasoned veteran of the brothel, was completely captivated by her and soon made her his concubine, treating her like a precious treasure and obeying her every word.
Therefore, the woman called herself "Narcissus", hence the title "Fairy Consort".
Having read this far, I imagine many readers have already automatically pictured the story of Daji bewitching King Zhou.
Yes, you're pretty close to the truth...
"Narcissus" is the "Water Fairy" who appeared in the previous chapter (Chapter 54 of Swords and Demons), and she really is a member of the demonic path.
Of course, I doubt you'd remember her name if I just mentioned it. So I'll just list some keywords like "very beautiful and sexy", "very unrestrained in her clothing style", "likes to flirt", and "absorbs yang energy to replenish yin", so you can quickly absorb and recall them.
Speaking of this Water Fairy, the last time she appeared was at Wujian Manor. We mentioned at the time that Water Fairy and Fire Lotus True Lord were disciples of the same "magic master". There were also three other demonic beings with similar Taoist names, namely "Gold", "Wood", and "Earth".
Now that we've reached the story of "The Four Demons Wreaking Havoc in the Divine Land," we can talk a little about their lineage.
First, let's talk about that "magic master," named Wuji Zun. His status is similar to that of Bu Dongzi in the righteous path, and he is a generation higher than Bu Dongzi.
His five disciples—Golden Cauldron Demon Lord, Wood Pure Zen Master, Water Element Fairy, Fire Lotus True Lord, and Earth Calamity Dharma King—each possessed unique skills.
First, let's talk about the Golden Cauldron Demon Lord. He has the highest cultivation level among the five, but like Huang Donglai, this guy is obsessed with alchemy. "That's his only hobby." He stays in his mountain cave year-round, rarely going out or interacting with anyone except for collecting materials.
You might say he's a good person, but he doesn't really have any moral compass. He's the kind of person who kills without batting an eye. As long as it's necessary for alchemy, he won't hesitate to take on any human, animal, or ghost.
You might call him a bad person, but he hasn't killed anyone for many years. The deeper his research into alchemy goes, the more he realizes that the demonic practice of "using living beings or resentment to refine things" is actually quite inferior. While these methods might produce some impressive results in the short term, they often come with significant side effects and have a fixed upper limit.
As an aside: the "Sword Demon Yin" created by True Lord Fire Lotus and the whisk that Fairy Water Element stole from Wang Shilian's "Innate Spiritual Bone" and refined are actually both inferior items of this kind.
In short, the Golden Cauldron Demon Lord, due to his hobby, kept studying and researching, and through his research, he gradually went astray on the path of alchemy... and onto the right path.
This also shows that the theory that “there are thousands of ways to achieve the same goal” that Miao Yinzi mentioned when he handed over the Twelve Truths to Huang Donglai was not just something he made up to argue, but a correct theory.
Even if you are a demonic cultivator, as long as you study a certain "Tao" or "Technique" to a certain level, in order to break through that limit, you will definitely glimpse the true form of the Great Tao behind it. Of course, some people are determined not to "step onto the other side," which is another matter.
The Golden Cauldron Demon Lord has already crossed that threshold, so from the perspective of the demonic path, this guy is basically useless. If he studies for a few more years, he might actually be able to refine some kind of elixir that allows him to transcend tribulations and ascend to immortality after consuming it.
Next, let's talk about the second one—Zen Master Muqing.
This guy is a fake monk, but a real scoundrel. Of his five disciples, he and Fire Lotus True Monk are the most vicious.
Normally, this Zen Master Muqing always presented himself as a kind-faced, white-browed old monk, searching everywhere for kind-hearted people who were willing to help and support him, only to repay kindness with enmity, causing their families to be ruined and their lives destroyed.
He would even deliberately torture and kill the other person's family in front of others to intensify their resentment after death, and then collect this resentment to enhance his cultivation.
Without a doubt, creating "karma" like him cannot last long. So, two years ago, after the "Thirteen Dead Zodiacs" escaped from Yandengpo and before they gathered in the capital, Zen Master Muqing encountered a dead zodiac that, like him, liked to change and deceive people—"Big Fire Rabbit".
With his cultivation level, he naturally couldn't see through the changes made by the Deathly Owl. As a result, he encountered a scene similar to "a con artist being cheated against and then tortured to death," and died.
Therefore, the birth of the Death Zodiac has both positive and negative aspects. There are many karmic consequences in this world that the righteous path does not know or cannot trace, but the Death Zodiac can easily eliminate them. The coming and going of the Death Zodiac also has its own cause and effect. This is why Bu Dongzi, who can predict the future and understand the way of heaven, has always been very open-minded and calm when facing the Death Zodiac. Even when he is angry with people, he has never had any personal grudges or love and hate towards the Death Zodiac.
So, next, let's talk about the third one...
The title "Water Fairy" is indeed beautiful, and she is beautiful now. But when she first joined the sect, she was just an ordinary-looking widow. The reason she was widowed was because her husband discovered her affair with another man, and she conspired with him to kill him. Later, fearing that the affair would be exposed, she found another opportunity to kill the other man as well.
But after all, it involved two lives, and even if the local government was confused, they had to investigate thoroughly. So, when she realized that if the investigation continued, she would eventually be caught in the crossfire, she simply fled to avoid punishment and left her hometown. After several twists and turns, she finally became a disciple of the Five Extremes Venerable.
Seeing such a promising talent for the demonic path, the Five Supremes were certainly generous in passing on their knowledge. Not many years later, a female demon who was proficient in seduction and believed in "absorbing yang to replenish yin" was born.
After that, the appearance of the Water Fairy remained at around twenty years old due to her "absorbing yang to replenish yin" practice, and this continued for about a hundred years.
Over the course of a century, her appearance and figure... were similar to the part of evolutionary theory that "organisms will gradually undergo physiological structural changes and even grow new organs in order to adapt to the environment and to reproduce," meaning that she became more and more beautiful and sexy with each encounter.
To this day, this Water Fairy is truly:
Her black hair reached her waist.
The frost and snow solidify the skin and the moon shines brightly.
Fox-like eyes, captivating and alluring.
Her alluring body was concealed beneath her robe.
Just imagine, what would a pretty woman look like if she turned on a beauty camera and turned on all the effects like skin smoothing, breast enhancement, waist slimming, etc., to the level you think is most appropriate? That's probably what she would look like.
A woman with that kind of appearance would definitely turn heads on the street even today. At most, modern people might maliciously speculate that she's made of "technology." But in ancient times, people would naturally easily mistake her for a fairy or a demon.
Then we have to take a step back... does it matter whether she's a fairy or a demon?
Go ask those victims who were victims of "yang-tonification"—does it matter? Does it matter? Does it matter?
I told you he'd spit blood all over your face and yell at you, "I'm happy to be obsessed with women," do you believe me?
In short, unsurprisingly, Fairy Shuiyuan has been the most successful of the five senior and junior disciples over the years, because her victims are generally those who brought it upon themselves. Even if she actively seeks them out, none of them refuse or complain, and none of them ever do so until their deaths.
Such evil deeds committed by the righteous path are very difficult to detect, and even if they are discovered, they are not easy to deal with.
Unless it happens like the time at Wujian Manor, when Fairy Shuiyuan took direct action for that "innate spiritual bone," such opportunities to catch someone in the act are truly rare.
So how did this Water Fairy transform into the so-called "Narcissus" or "Fairy Consort"?
This story goes back three months...
At that time, a great battle took place in the Central Plains Demonic Sect.
As for the prelude to this battle, you may have heard of it. It was when Huang Donglai led Budongzi and others to the capital to deal with Si Xiao that they encountered a fake doctor named Xiong Fengshan who sold fake medicine.
This Xiong Fengshan was originally a country bumpkin. Decades ago, he had a strange encounter. His act of "slaughtering a mother deer and her cubs" was seen by a passing demon, who, on a whim, gave him some pointers.
And that demonic path was a senior even more powerful than the Five Extremes Venerable—the Undying Demon King.
Now, let's talk about Xiong Fengshan. After Huang Donglai and others ruined his business of selling fake medicine at Wuren Temple, Bu Dongzi crippled his shallow Taoist skills and spared his life.
But this fellow did not keep his promise and remained unrepentant. He even tried to find his "master" to come out of the mountains and avenge him.
But where could he look? He didn't know anywhere else, so he went back to the mountain and forest where he first encountered the Undying Demon King, back to the place where he killed the deer, and... he actually found it.
The Undying Demon King had lived for too long and had actually forgotten to give guidance to her disciple Xiong Fengshan. But recently she had been feeling quite bored, and today she seemed to have a vague feeling that she was about to undergo some kind of tribulation. So when she saw Xiong Fengshan come to her door, she thought that this might be an opportunity. So she decided to take advantage of this moment to go out of the mountain and see.
Well, as soon as I went out, I ran into someone from the same industry.
It turned out to be the Five Supreme Beings, who were about to undergo a heavenly tribulation that day, and Water Fairy and Earth Calamity Dharma King were also present to protect their master.
The sudden appearance of this immortal demon king from the mountains naturally startled the other side... According to the logic of the demonic path: this must be because the news of my preparation for tribulation has been leaked, and someone is taking advantage of the situation.
What else is there to say? Let's strike first before the time for our tribulation arrives. If we win, everything will be fine.
Then Xiong Fengshan was reduced to ashes in the very first second of the battle. There was nothing that could be done about it. Even if his Taoist skills hadn't been crippled by Bu Dongzi, he probably would have only lasted until the second second.
Then came a fierce and chaotic battle, and guess what happened?
On the Five Supremes' side, three against one, they lost.
Because one of his two good apprentices was killed first, and then the other one, sensing the danger, fled.
Well, it's the Demonic Path, so it's normal. Anyway, Fairy Shui Yuan survived.
Even with two disciples, Wuji Zun could only manage a back-and-forth fight against the opponent. He certainly couldn't have done it alone. Then, his time for tribulation arrived... and so, this great demonic figure perished in this tribulation.
Then, something even more unfortunate happened.
After the Undying Demon King killed the Five Extremes Venerable in this unexpected encounter, he obtained all of the Venerable's magical treasures and cultivation for free. Overjoyed, he actually... died peacefully in his old age.
Her premonition was right; she really was going to have a calamity today...
She laughed herself to death.
Such is the way of Heaven. Who would have thought that a small Xiongfeng Mountain would become the guide for two powerful figures of the demonic path to embark on their journey?
But the matter is not over yet.
The Five Supremes and the Undying Demon King are gone, but the demonic energy they left behind lingered, attracting a person who was also somewhat demonic.
This person's surname is Gu.
He is the younger brother of the former leader of the Qi Gang, the founder of "Youying", and is proficient in astronomy, geography, mathematics, chemistry, martial arts, and his body has long been trained to be extraordinary... Gu Qiying.
Several years had passed since the Shuangxie "Burning Tianqi Gang". Although Gu Qiying had survived that night thanks to his unusual body and martial arts skills, he had been tormented by internal injuries ever since, and his appearance had become neither human nor ghost. Therefore, he could only hide in the mountains until... this day.
However, for now, let's leave aside what happened to Gu Qiying for later. The truth will be revealed when he reappears in the future.
Let's go back to what we said earlier...
Regarding the five disciples of the Five Supremes, the fourth one is the Fire Lotus True Lord.
He was actually mentioned the most in the previous book. Anyway, after the battle at Wujian Villa, Huolian Zhenjun still followed "Sword Demon Yin", which means he went to Wen Yuzhai's side. He is still there and will appear in this volume, so I won't go into too much detail now.
As for the fifth one—the Earthly Calamity Dharma King—we've already mentioned that he was killed by the Undying Demon King while protecting our master, so I won't make it up... I don't need to say anything more.
The Water Fairy, who abandoned her master and fled during the battle, was unaware of the fate of the Five Extremes Venerable. Fearing that her master might seek revenge if he survived, she simply left the Central Plains and went to the Northern Yuan.
Of course, she wouldn't stay still once she got there. In fact, since she was no longer within the Divine Continent's barrier, she suddenly had a brilliant idea and felt that she could also do great things.
To make a long story short, if everything goes smoothly, in another month or so, Fairy Shuiyuan will be able to put Tawu on the throne of Khan, and at that time she will be the Yesun (i.e., "Great Empress", which will be referred to as Empress in the following text for ease of understanding).
So some people might ask, if the Water Fairy can bewitch the Khan's brother, why doesn't she just bewitch the Khan directly? Wouldn't that be redundant?
The reasons mainly come from two aspects...
Firstly, the current Khan already has an Empress, and he is a fairly sane person who has ruled the country for many years. So no matter how cunning Shui Yuan Fairy is, it will be difficult for her to gradually replace the Empress. After all, palace intrigue takes time to develop, right?
This leads to the second problem: given the current Khan's physical condition, if the Water Fairy were to approach him, his body might not be able to withstand it before she completes her palace intrigue plan.
But this "Brave Prince" Tawu is different. His physique, his intelligence... even if this guy fails to usurp the throne in the end, the Water Fairy's trip won't be in vain.
On this day, Tawu led his troops to the front lines in person, bringing the "Fairy Consort" with him.
So, you're saying that leading troops into battle while also having a favorite concubine by your side, indulging in nightly revelry, is that reasonable?
Hey~ no one questioned Tawu's actions, because he had done countless more outrageous and ridiculous things over the years, so this was nothing compared to what he had done before.
Little did the Water Fairy know that this trip would be her last.
Because Miao Yinzi sent Shuang Xie here for two calamities, one of which was to deal with her, a demonic cultivator who came from the Central Plains and attempted to wreak havoc on the Northern Yuan!