Ex-Wife is a Big Villainess
Chapter 80 - 76: The Demon Soul Possesses a Body

Chapter 80: Chapter 76: The Demon Soul Possesses a Body

"Enough!"

Jiang Shouzhong coldly watched Li Guanshi.

"Whatever your purpose is, it’s none of my business. I will avenge Sister Ye’s death, and I don’t need anyone’s help. I don’t wish to know you, and it’s best if you don’t bother me."

"I’m not a flood or a savage beast, why are you so afraid of me?"

Li Guanshi helplessly massaged his temples.

Is this guy even a man? How could he not be interested in such a tempting snake demon?

Snake spirits have quite a variety of tricks.

"I said, I don’t want your gift."

Jiang Shouzhong said brusquely, "Since Sister Ye didn’t wish to mention you, it means she doesn’t recognize you as her master. Therefore, I do not want any involvement with you."

Faced with the man’s staunch resistance, Li Guanshi wasn’t angry but walked to the bathtub, resting his hands on the wooden edge, and softly laughed, "I can tell you frankly, she is a snake spirit with decent cultivation. You seem to have been investigating a case these days, right? That rabbit demon was saved by her."

Jiang Shouzhong suddenly looked up, staring at the bridal-clothed woman.

The snake demon called Mengniang nodded gently, "That day, I happened to see a fragment of a soul escaping to Cloud Lake. At that moment, there was a corpse of a woman in the lake that had not been dead for long and was filled with resentment. So, I allowed it to possess her."

So that was it.

Jiang Shouzhong’s doubts were mostly resolved.

"I’ll give you another clue."

Li Guanshi continued to play the good Samaritan, "The reason the rabbit demon could survive is that it had a ’Life-Death Mysterious Thunder Talisman’ on it. This is a secret technique unique to the Sky Demon Sect. That means the rabbit demon is definitely from the Sky Demon Sect."

The Sky Demon Sect?

Jiang Shouzhong was surprised in his heart.

He hadn’t expected to find a connection to the Sky Demon Sect.

Recalling that Ran Qingchen had mentioned encountering a skilled person at Wufeng Temple and that the rabbit demon had been killed by that individual, it seemed that the skilled person... probably came from the Sky Demon Sect.

"Feel free to ask whatever you want, and don’t worry, I’m not asking for a reward."

Li Guanshi exchanged his facade to a seductively sweet smile.

Since the other party said so, Jiang Shouzhong didn’t hold back.

He turned his head to the snake demon, "I would like to ask some questions about demon souls possessing humans. Under what circumstances would it be most difficult to detect if a demon soul was inhabiting a living person, and how long would it take for it to completely take over the body?"

As a hidden agent of the Liushan Division, Jiang Shouzhong had some understanding of demon creatures.

But no matter how well he understood them, it couldn’t compare to the detailed knowledge of the demons themselves.

Mengniang said, "To inhabit a living person, the best way to stay hidden is to always lurk and not come out. As for how long it takes to take control of the body, it depends on the strength of the demon and the person it is possessing.

Generally speaking, it’s best if the possession is successful within thirty days. If it takes longer than thirty days, the demon soul will suffer a great loss, and even if it manages to take over the original owner’s body, it will be quite detrimental to future cultivation."

Thirty days...

Jiang Shouzhong silently calculated in his heart.

He then asked, "If the demon soul is forcibly expelled from a living body, will it affect the living person?"

"It depends on how long the possession has lasted,"

Mengniang explained, "If it’s within fifteen days, the possessing demon soul can be easily extracted because at that time, the demon soul is not stable. However, once it’s been over fifteen days, it means the demon soul has started to intertwine with the original owner’s soul. If the demon soul is forcibly scattered at this point, it will inevitably cause damage to the original owner’s soul unless assisted by some very potent magic artifacts."

"During this process, is the demon soul able to control the body?"

"It can, but it causes a high consumption to the demon soul. It’s best to remain quietly lurking within the body."

"I see."

Jiang Shouzhong nodded, then asked out of curiosity, "You mentioned that it is best to take over within thirty days. If the demon soul’s strength is lacking, but it wishes to take over within thirty days, what is the most effective method for success?"

Mengniang smiled faintly, "It’s simple. Subject the original owner to severe trauma, making their soul unstable. Since the goal of the demon soul is to smoothly devour the original owner’s soul and occupy their body,

once the original owner’s soul becomes unstable, it can easily take over and become the true master of the body."

Jiang Shouzhong’s gaze sharpened, "Is it the same if the demon soul possesses a gravely ill old person?"

Mengniang paused and then nodded her head, "Old people close to death are more sensitive to demon energy. Once a demon soul possesses them, even if it’s inconspicuous, they will notice. But they can only watch helplessly, powerless to do anything."

Jiang Shouzhong clenched his fists.

He remembered the vision in the Dream Mirror where Ms. Zhang had watched her son kill his wife.

Undoubtedly, it was a great shock to her spirit.

After gaining a rough understanding, Jiang Shouzhong inquired about another matter, "That rabbit demon you saved, did it mention anything about ’Demon Energy’?"

Mengniang thought carefully and then shook her head gently, "No, she only mentioned ’Xichu Pavilion.’ It must have been someone from Xichu Pavilion who harmed her."

Xichu Pavilion...

Jiang Shouzhong’s expression became grave.

He had heard of this "Xichu Pavilion."

It was one of the renowned pleasure quarters in the Capital, with an extremely deep background.

That night he and Zhang Yunwu encountered the rabbit demon, the woman they rescued from drowning seemed to be from Xichu Pavilion.

"This case is getting deeper and deeper."

Jiang Shouzhong wanted to record these clues into a small notebook he carried with him, then realized he was still soaking naked in the bath, and couldn’t help but say, "Could I at least put on my clothes first?"

"Did I stop you?"

Li Guanshi pretended not to understand the implied meaning in his words.

Jiang Shouzhong frowned and, not wanting to get into a debate over morality with this woman, he simply stepped out of the bath, grabbed a towel nearby, and began to dry himself off quite unselfconsciously in front of the two women.

The snake demon averted her lovely face.

Her eyes betrayed a hint of surprise at Jiang Shouzhong’s masculinity.

What was astonishing, though, was that Li Guanshi never shifted her gaze from the start until the end.

She watched Jiang Shouzhong with sparkling eyes,

as if he was nothing more than a prop in a shadow play.

This instead made Jiang Shouzhong a bit embarrassed, so he quickly turned around, wiped off the water on his body, and slipped on his robe in a hurry.

"How about it, I’ve shown such sincerity, how about you reciprocate?" Li Guanshi’s eyes were shimmering with light, "She’s not an ordinary demon. As a Liushan Division covert investigator, you’ll inevitably deal with more demon cases in the future. With her help, you could save a lot of trouble."

Li Guanshi then said, "Of course, if you want her to wholeheartedly be your personal bodyguard, or to warm your bed, that will depend on your own charm."

"Knowing that I’m a covert investigator of the Liushan Division, you still bring a demon to me?"

Jiang Shouzhong’s gaze was icy.

"So what? Is Liushan Division so clean?" Li Guanshi’s lips curled up with a faint sneer, "I don’t believe that no one in Liushan Division privately harbors demons. The clean may not be stainless, the sullied not necessarily impure."

Jiang Shouzhong remained silent.

After contemplating for a long while, he looked at Li Guanshi and said, "Allow me to consider it first before I give you an answer."

"No problem, I have patience."

Li Guanshi smiled lightly, without any intention of forcefully pressing her point.

If it weren’t for Yan Changqing being there, she wouldn’t need Jiang Shouzhong’s agreement at all.

Li Guanshi left the address of her small residence in the Capital and then left with the snake demon named Mengniang. As she was leaving, she winked at the man, "My disciple carries a famous magic artifact, you know."

Jiang Shouzhong rolled his eyes.

After Yan Changqing entered the room, Jiang Shouzhong cautiously asked, "Mr. Yan, did that woman notice the Taoist River Map inside me?"

Yan Changqing replied with a smile, "Don’t worry about that, the Taoist River Map is extremely well-hidden. Not just Li Guanshi, even the number one in the world, Zhao Wuxiu, would have great difficulty perceiving it unless your cultivation reaches a certain level, then it might reveal something."

Jiang Shouzhong was relieved.

It seemed that it was more appropriate to lay low at this stage.

"However, there’s one sect that may come looking for you, and that is Zhenxuan Mountain."

"Zhenxuan Mountain?"

"Yes," Yan Changqing said seriously, "Zhenxuan Mountain once guarded the ’Tianyuan River Map Book’ for nearly a century, so Jianghu also recognizes the Taoist River Map as belonging to Zhenxuan Mountain. They have methods to locate it."

As soon as he finished speaking, the Sword Demon showed an expression of helplessness.

"Oh, this cursed mouth of mine. I send away one Bodhisattva only to summon a devil."

...

Outside the house.

A young Taoist carrying a sword looked at the house in front of him and smiled, "Two mischievous little ones, it’s time to go home."

The Taoist strode forward, flicked his sleeve, and burst through the door.

About to sing a line from a golden Taoist verse, he stopped when he saw a friendly-looking middle-aged man inside, smiling at him.

"My apologies, wrong door," he said.

The young Taoist thoughtfully closed the door again, then turned and ran away.