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Xing Ruyi stepped forward, pinching the Rabbit Demon by its ears and dragging it back into the courtyard. Yin Yuan called from behind, "Mother, this rabbit is mine! I want to make soup with it."
"Mother isn't saying it's not yours. Be good, and after I finish asking my questions, you can choose whether you want it braised or stewed!" Xing Ruyi placed the Rabbit Demon on the ground and examined it closely. Although it was seriously injured, none of its vital points were harmed. She guessed that when the lightning struck just now, the fox had been secretly doing something. The Rabbit Demon clearly understood this, so it was behaving obediently now.
"Why did you borrow a human body, and why do you stay by Han Fei's side as his concubine? Have you fallen in love with him?"
"The demon borrowed a human body but did not harm anyone's life," the Rabbit Demon struggled to sit up. "That concubine was already dead when I found her. I saw her lying in the grass, lifeless. Just then, I wanted to borrow a body, so I took hers. If you don't believe me, you can ask in the Underworld."
"I will certainly inquire about your matters. If you're lying, no one will help you when you face tribulations next time. Just now, you saw clearly that with your current cultivation level, you can't defend yourself at all."
"I swear by my hundred years of cultivation that everything I just said is true," the Rabbit Demon perked up its ears.
"What about Han Fei? Why do you hide beside him as his concubine? Is it because you fancy him or because, as sung in plays, you want to repay his kindness?"
"Neither!" The Rabbit Demon shook its head. "At that time, I had just borrowed a body and wasn't very familiar with it. That body was weak, so I fainted on the road shortly after leaving. It was a main road, and Han Fei happened to pass by. Perhaps he thought I looked decent and took pity on me, so he saved me. Seeing that he was a good person, I decided to stay and recover while practicing how to control this body."
"So it was merely a mutually beneficial relationship!"
"Yes! He only desires my appearance and my body, but those don't truly belong to me, so if he wants them, he can have them. What I seek is his identity and family background. Of course, I'm not referring to what ordinary people value; rather, his family is well-off enough to hire many doctors to help me recover. Moreover, since he is the young master of the Han family, I can interact with more people and better conceal my identity."
"Then why didn't you leave after recovering?"
"Leave? Where would I go? I'm a Rabbit Demon; my greatest wish is to become human. But my cultivation level is low; after a hundred years of practice, I can barely use a human body. If I truly became human, I wouldn't know what to do with myself. So I could only learn from others and be an obedient concubine beside Han Fei to please him. Besides, my tribulation is imminent; although I've heard from other demons that as long as one borrows a human body, they can successfully overcome their tribulation, I'm unsure if this method actually works. The Han family isn't an ordinary household; they can even invite imperial physicians from the palace. I thought that if something unexpected happened later on, staying with the Han family would be better than being elsewhere."
"So your borrowing of a human body and staying beside Han Fei ultimately serves only to overcome your tribulation?"
"Yes!" The Rabbit Demon did not deny it.
"Sigh! If this is the truth, then Han Fei is truly unfortunate. You are overcoming your tribulation while he nearly lost his life because of you."
"The demon did not expect the power of the tribulation to be so immense; even borrowing a body couldn't allow me to escape," the Rabbit Demon shook its head dejectedly.
"Transcending Tribulations is a test that you must go through on your path of cultivation. If you try to take shortcuts, it will only end up worse for you. Do you really think those beings above are foolish?"
As soon as Xing Ruyi finished speaking, a loud thunderclap erupted from the ground. The fox looked up displeased, while Yin Yuan squatted at the door, fuming, "What’s with the noise? My mother just said that 'those beings above are foolish.' What are you all unhappy about? Are you trying to prove that you're not beings or that you're not foolish?"
Another thunder rumbled, but this time it was a muffled sound!
The fox glanced up again, and Yin Yuan leaned in closer, saying, "Father Fox, are those beings above becoming less capable? Or are the ancient deities you left behind better? They all have grace and don’t bicker with words. They truly are a disgrace to deities! By the way, Fox Demon mother, have you finished asking your questions? Yin Yuan's stomach is already growling!"
"I know!" Xing Ruyi replied, tugging at Rabbit Demon’s ears. "What should we do? My son wants to eat you!"
Rabbit Demon drooped her ears helplessly.
Xing Ruyi sighed lightly, stood up, opened the door, and let Yin Yuan in.
"Mother, can I go stew a rabbit now?"
"You can, but not the one in this room. Your Father Fox has already prepared one for you; by now, Deer Lady should have it cooked. Go ahead and take this rabbit to the backyard to let her recover before she leaves."
"Are you planning to let her go?" Yin Yuan asked with his head tilted.
"I never intended to make things difficult for her. I have no grievances with her and no ties with Han Fei; why should I go against a Rabbit Demon for his life? If she were to harm someone, I might teach her a lesson on behalf of the victim, but right now she is borrowing a dead person's body. Han Fei was injured because he was enchanted by a woman. Why should I stick my neck out for this?"
After finishing her words, Xing Ruyi stretched and said, "I've been busy all night; I'm tired and need to catch up on sleep. As for you and your Father Fox, figure it out yourselves! Be good!"
"Fox Demon mother’s wishes are beautiful, but unfortunately, reality is a bit cruel. Listening to the footsteps outside, it seems Uncle Sheng has arrived!" Yin Yuan said as he sniffed the aroma and headed to the backyard while calling out, "Deer Lady, what delicious food are you making? This smell is making Yin Yuan's stomach rumble!"
"Not much! Last night, Lord Yin brought back a pig. After thinking for a while, I made a simple dish of sesame oil stir-fried pig liver; we’ll eat the rest of the ingredients for lunch."
"Sesame oil stir-fried pig liver? How about that? Did you also buy this dish from the Good Fortune Restaurant? Just be careful not to eat too much; this dish can be deadly!" As he spoke, Shengzi pushed open the door and walked in quickly. In his hand was a basket containing a plate of food—sesame oil stir-fried pig liver.
There are many ways to prepare sesame oil stir-fried pig liver; the simplest method is to slice the pig liver thinly and dust it with cornstarch. Then boil water at about 70°C and blanch the pig liver before removing it. In a pan, add sesame oil and sauté ginger slices until fragrant; then add the pig liver along with chopped green onions and garlic slices, tossing in appropriate seasonings until cooked. This dish promotes blood circulation and is considered a good remedy for replenishing blood.
Xing Ruyi was dozing off and waved her hand at Shengzi, saying, "What’s the matter? It’s still early in the morning, and you’re bringing me food?"
"Ruyi, don’t joke around. This isn’t food; it’s medicine—poison!" Shengzi replied, placing a dish of sesame oil stir-fried pig liver in front of Xing Ruyi. "Brother Chang asked me to bring this over. We looked at it from every angle and couldn’t find anything suspicious. We even consulted a doctor and tested it with silver needles, but everything seemed fine. However, strangely enough, anyone who ate this dish has either died, been injured, or fallen ill—there are already more than ten cases."
At that moment, it was still dim outside. Once it got light, the families of those injured would likely swarm the Yamen. "Ruyi, Young Master Yin, please help us figure out what’s wrong with this dish. Also, if your family’s food is bought from Haoyun, don’t eat it."
"This dish looks quite ordinary. The ingredients are correct, and it’s cooked properly; it’s clearly made by an experienced chef. Of course, in terms of color, aroma, and overall presentation, it can’t compare to what the Deer Lady makes. But for common people, it should be sufficient. You mentioned that those who just ate this dish either died, were injured, or fell ill—what symptoms did they have?"
"Symptoms?" Shengzi frowned. "Yes, there are symptoms—mainly indigestion. We consulted several doctors, and they all concluded the same thing. Additionally, these patients experienced vomiting before falling ill or dying; however, what they vomited wasn’t undigested food or anything from this dish—it was Guanyin soil!"
"Guanyin soil?" Xing Ruyi stood up. "I know about that soil; it's an important raw material for ceramics and glazes and is rich in minerals like silicon, zinc, magnesium, and aluminum—it’s known as the 'Universal Stone.' Although it's called the Universal Stone, it shouldn’t be eaten. In times of famine, some starving people might resort to eating it to stave off hunger. While it can temporarily relieve hunger pangs, it lacks nutrition and cannot be digested or absorbed by the body. Consuming it leads to symptoms like bloating and constipation, ultimately causing death by suffocation. But right now isn’t a time of famine; there shouldn’t be any such soil in a well-functioning restaurant—and certainly not in the food."
Xing Ruyi reached out to sift through the ingredients of the sesame oil stir-fried pig liver; there wasn’t a trace of dirt.
The fox had been leaning against the door but came over upon seeing Fox Demon’s actions. First, she pulled her fingers out of the dish and then took a cloth to wipe them clean before picking up the dish and glancing at it. "It’s an illusion! It seems this person must have a grudge against the restaurant; otherwise, they wouldn’t resort to such underhanded tactics."
"An illusion? Is that what people commonly refer to as sleight of hand?" Xing Ruyi asked while rubbing her eyes and even activating her ghost sight. No matter how she looked at it, it appeared to be just an ordinary dish.
"My illusion is a type of demon magic—a branch of Tang Dynasty Tian Shou. Since the caster has a high level of cultivation and profound skills in demon arts, your eyes can’t see through it," the fox explained as she gently brushed her hand over the dish.
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