Blood Beetle

"How did that door heal my injuries? And... it seemed to have increased my strength." Zhang Chen rose from the ground, feeling as though his body had been altered the instant the red light shone on him. It now seemed to be true. Zhang Chen was confident that he could punch straight through this wall.

Zhang Chen lifted his shirt and looked above his right chest. A tiny crimson character had actually appeared on his skin—"Pawn." Zhang Chen had no idea what it represented and did not dwell on it. In any case, he could not sense any aura from it, nor did it affect his body.

"It's just a pity about Yang Zi. If I could have devoured him, my abilities would definitely have increased greatly. Wait, what's this..." Zhang Chen had been so excited earlier that he had not even noticed there was something in his mouth.

He reached in and gently pulled out a calcite-like crystal, no bigger than his pinky fingernail. Red filaments flowed through its interior in an orderly pattern.

If that hook-nosed policeman saw this thing, who knew what his reaction would be.

Zhang Chen knew it was no ordinary item, but now was not the time to study it. Wang Yizhi was still lying unconscious on the operating table.

Zhang Chen hurried to her side and gathered her into his arms, but his face suddenly darkened. "Yang Zi, that **murderer, is clearly dead. Why are Yi Zhi's nails still red? And why did they go from eight to nine?"

Zhang Chen carried Wang Yizhi out of the basement, frantic with worry. He still had not figured out what would happen if all ten fingernails turned red.

"Beep beep beep~!~" Zhang Chen's Ruojia rang. He placed Wang Yizhi on the sofa and saw that it was his older sister calling.

"Hello, Sis, what is it? I have something urgent right now. Can I call you back later?" Zhang Chen was terribly anxious as he looked at the unconscious Wang Yizhi.

"You little brat, Zhang Chen. I'm doing you a favor, and you're the one with urgent business? I found that Xie Wen for you. That girl was pretty, but she died four years ago, right after graduating from college. And she wasn't the only one—her whole family died. Hey, just who are you asking me to investigate?" Wei Na sounded rather displeased.

"What? She died? How..." Before Zhang Chen could finish, he suddenly felt something pierce through his back.

He turned around and saw Xie Wen.

"You actually killed Master. You'll die a horrible death." Xie Wen's eyes had turned red, and what had pierced Zhang Chen was a long fruit knife.

Zhang Chen was just about to use Telekinesis when Xie Wen twisted the blade. Veins instantly bulged across Zhang Chen's body, and he spat out a mouthful of blood.

"You fiend!" A furious roar echoed through Xie Wen's room. Upon hearing it, Xie Wen instantly turned into a skeleton, chunks of bone clattering to the floor.

"Master Pu Hu!" Zhang Chen saw Puhu standing in the doorway in monk's robes. Yet Puhu's beard stood on end, his eyes were crimson, and a savage aura radiated from him, making Zhang Chen wonder whether this was really Puhu at all.

However, after Xie Wen had been smashed to pieces, Puhu returned to normal. He walked over to Zhang Chen, removed a small pouch from his waist that looked very much like the one he had given Zhang Chen, and untied its thin cord. A gray sphere floated out.

"Zhang Chen, eat it!" Puhu ordered sternly.

Zhang Chen understood Puhu's good intentions, so he opened his mouth and swallowed the gray sphere.

A notification sounded in Zhang Chen's mind: Devoured 1 subdued soul. Satiety gained: 0%. Biological repair effect acquired.

Then the horrifying bloody hole in Zhang Chen's back stopped bleeding and slowly began to heal.

"Master Pu Hu, thank you. But please save Wang Yizhi first. If I'm not mistaken, that ghost used some kind of parasitic method. Once all ten nails turn red, it will destroy the host body and gain control over it." Zhang Chen pointed to Wang Yizhi, who lay on the sofa.

"Young brother, you have keen insight. Since this old monk came, I naturally have a way to solve it. However, this Young Girl is already in the late stages of parasitism, so dealing with it will take some effort. Just watch from the side. No matter what happens, do not panic. If this is handled poorly, it may cause irreparable harm to her body," Master Pu Hu said solemnly.

Zhang Chen nodded and stood nearby, watching anxiously.

Puhu walked over to Wang Yizhi and helped her sit up. His white beard began to rise slightly, while Tiger Claw actually grew from his right hand.

"This girl is at the final stage of being controlled. Nine Blood Beetles are already lurking in her brain. Once the final one hatches, they will begin devouring her brain. I will force out these nine Blood Beetles first, then deal with the tenth Blood Beetle egg."

With that, Puhu pressed the tip of his Tiger Claw against the center of Wang Yizhi's forehead and jabbed it in. A small stream of blood flowed out, while Zhang Chen gripped his pants tightly, tense as he watched from the side.

"Ha!" Puhu shouted, and the surrounding air instantly grew dense. Then he pressed his left hand against the back of Wang Yizhi's head and extended the index and middle fingers of his right hand toward the bloody hole.

A red grub, fully five centimeters long, was slowly pulled out from the bloody hole. A red fingernail grew on its body, exactly like the one Zhang Chen had seen Nail Man spit from his mouth the previous night. Only this one had grown longer after feeding on Wang Yizhi's flesh and blood.

Thinking of the eight other worms entrenched in Wang Yizhi's head, Zhang Chen wished he could cut Yang Zi into ten thousand pieces.

Before long, the entire worm was forced out. Puhu caught it in his hand and crushed it.

Then the second and third worms were slowly pulled out in the same way. By Zhang Chen's estimate, removing one worm took around seven minutes. Throughout the process, blood kept flowing from the center of Wang Yizhi's forehead, soaking her clothes completely red.

By the time they reached the ninth worm, Wang Yizhi's lips had turned white, and her complexion was terribly pale. Zhang Chen could no longer sit still, afraid that by the time the final worm was extracted, Wang Yizhi would already have lost too much blood.

Just as Zhang Chen was about to rise, Puhu's aura stirred and stopped him from moving forward. Trusting the old master, Zhang Chen sat back down.

With a splat, the ninth worm was forced out and crushed in Puhu's hand. Then Puhu brushed Wang Yizhi's forehead with his left hand, and the bloody hole vanished completely, as if it had never existed.

However, Wang Yizhi was already severely anemic, her face turning purple. At that moment, Puhu pried open her mouth with his left hand and poured the blood from the crushed Blood Beetle into it.

"These Blood Beetles consume vast amounts of flesh and blood, refining it into blood essence stored within their bodies. Using that blood essence to replenish her blood will work after only a few drops," Puhu said to Zhang Chen.

In less than two minutes, color gradually returned to Wang Yizhi's face. After five minutes, she had completely returned to normal. Watching from the side, Zhang Chen finally felt the weight in his heart lift.

"Zhang Chen, come here. Take out the pouch I gave you last time," Puhu said.

Zhang Chen thought about it. After taking the pouch at Wang Yizhi's house yesterday, he had put it in his pants pocket. He felt around, and it was indeed still there. He took the small pouch and went over to Puhu.

"Though these Blood Beetles are low-grade ghost insects, if used properly, they may still threaten some high-level ghosts. Moreover, you carry the aura of their former master, so taming them will be easy. I will extract the tenth Blood Beetle egg shortly. Catch it with the pouch I gave you."

After saying that, Puhu used Tiger Claw to cut open the tip of Wang Yizhi's uncolored thumb. Before long, a tiny red egg flowed out with her blood.

Zhang Chen immediately opened the pouch and caught the tiny red egg. Then he pulled its sealing thread tight and sealed the pouch.

After all that was done, Wang Yizhi's fingernails all returned to their normal color. Yet her tightly shut eyes still did not open.

"Master, why hasn't she woken up yet?" Zhang Chen could feel Wang Yizhi's normal breathing, and she had no injuries. Logically, she should have awakened.

"These Blood Beetles are no ordinary parasites. Once a ghost insect parasitizes a human body, it will inevitably damage the soul to some degree. Like that woman just now, she had been completely parasitized by the Blood Beetles, and her soul had been gnawed clean away." Puhu pointed at the pile of bones on the floor.

"Then..." Zhang Chen's expression turned ugly.

"I just gave her a great deal of Blood Beetle blood essence. It can not only replenish her blood, but also repair her soul. If nothing goes wrong, she will wake tonight," Puhu said with a smile.

Zhang Chen immediately dropped to both knees and bowed to Master Pu Hu. "If Master had not helped, I would probably have spent the rest of my life drowning in regret. Thank you, Master."

"Haha, I merely acted at someone's request. There is no need to thank me. Take this talisman paper. In three days, come alone to Sanxue Temple. Burn it at the main gate, and you will be able to see me. I have something to tell you." Puhu took out a yellow talisman from his waist and handed it to Zhang Chen.

Zhang Chen took the talisman, stood up, nodded, and put it into his pants pocket.

"The police should arrive soon. You should take the Young Girl and leave quickly." With that, Puhu vanished directly.

"Yi Zhi is covered in blood. It probably wouldn't look good carrying her out like this." Holding Wang Yizhi, whose body was stained red with blood, Zhang Chen went to the bedroom Wang Yizhi used in Xie Wen's home.

"There should be clothes belonging to Wang Yizhi here, right?" Sure enough, Zhang Chen found a pale blue long dress in the wardrobe. If he remembered correctly, it was the dress Wang Yizhi had worn the first time she came to his house during summer vacation.

"Am I supposed to change her clothes?" Zhang Chen's face instantly flushed crimson. He shook his head at once. "Damn it, what time is this? You're still embarrassed? At worst, I'll devote my whole life to her."

Zhang Chen gathered his courage and slowly removed Wang Yizhi's top. Fourteen-year-old Wang Yizhi had developed quite well and was even wearing a bra. Zhang Chen nearly fainted at the sight. He turned his head aside and slowly took off Wang Yizhi's denim shorts.

"Zhang Chen, Zhang Chen, is this what they mean by blessings after surviving a great disaster?" Zhang Chen steadied himself and used one hand to hold Wang Yizhi's back, lifting her from the bed so he could dress her. That pull pressed their bodies directly together.

Barely aware of what he was doing, Zhang Chen finally managed to put the long dress on Wang Yizhi. By then, his entire body was red, and he was drenched in sweat, as though he were more exhausted than after the battle in the basement.

After calming down, Zhang Chen carried Wang Yizhi on his back and left Xie Wen's home. He placed Wang Yizhi on the bicycle seat, sat on the rear passenger seat himself, and rode away from the white building.

Along the way, police sirens wailed one after another, and ten police cars drove in the opposite direction. Zhang Chen gradually calmed down as well, then suddenly recalled what had happened earlier.

"Zhang Chen, don't you have Telekinesis? Why did you use your hands to help Wang Yizhi change clothes?" Zhang Chen instantly felt incredibly perverted.

"Hehe..." Those were the only two words Zhang Chen could use to describe how he felt.