Blood Beetle

"What's going on with this door? It actually healed my injuries, and... it feels like my strength has increased." Zhang Chen stood up from the ground, feeling as if his body had been transformed when the red light shone on him. It seemed to be true now; Zhang Chen was confident he could punch through this wall.

Zhang Chen lifted his clothes and looked at the upper right side of his chest. A small, crimson character had appeared on his skin – "Pawn." Zhang Chen didn't know what it meant and didn't pay it much mind. He couldn't sense any aura from it, nor did it affect his body.

"It's just a shame about Yang Zi. If I could have absorbed him, my abilities would definitely have been greatly enhanced. Wait, what is this..." Zhang Chen had been too excited earlier to notice something in his mouth.

He reached out and gently pulled out a crystalline substance, similar to calcite, from his mouth. It was only as big as a pinky fingernail, with red filaments flowing rhythmically inside the crystal.

He wondered what reaction the hook-nosed policeman would have if he saw this.

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

Zhang Chen hurried to her side and held her in his arms, but his expression suddenly darkened. "Yang Zi, that murderer, is already dead. Why are Wang Yizhi's fingernails still red, and why have they increased from eight to nine?"

Zhang Chen carried Wang Yizhi out of the basement, his heart filled with anxiety. He still hadn't figured out what would happen if all ten fingernails turned red.

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

"Hello, sis, what's up? I'm in a hurry right now, can I call you back later?" Zhang Chen was very anxious seeing Wang Yizhi unconscious.

"You, Zhang Chen, I'm helping you out, and you're in a hurry? Xie Wen found out for you. That girl looks good, but she died four years ago when she graduated from university. And it wasn't just her; her whole family died. Hey, who are you having me investigate?" Wei Na's voice sounded a bit displeased.

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

He turned his head and saw it was Xie Wen.

"You killed the master, you won't die a good death." Xie Wen's eyes had turned red. The long fruit knife piercing Zhang Chen was a fruit knife.

Just as Zhang Chen was about to use his telekinesis, Xie Wen twisted the blade, causing Zhang Chen's veins to bulge and a mouthful of blood to spray out.

"Vermin!" A furious roar echoed in Xie Wen's room. Upon hearing the sound, Xie Wen instantly turned into a pile of white bones, with skeletal pieces falling to the ground.

"Master Pu Hu!" Zhang Chen saw Pu Hu, dressed in a monk's robe, standing at the doorway. However, Pu Hu's beard was bristling, his eyes were red, and he exuded a ferocious aura that made Zhang Chen doubt if this was truly Pu Hu.

However, after Xie Wen was reduced to dust, Pu Hu returned to his original state. He walked over to Zhang Chen, took a small pouch from his waist, which looked very similar to the one he had given Zhang Chen. He untied the drawstring of the pouch, and a gray sphere floated out.

"Zhang Chen, eat it!" Pu Hu said sternly.

Zhang Chen knew Pu Hu meant well, so he opened his mouth and swallowed the gray sphere.

A prompt sounded in Zhang Chen's mind: "Devoured 1 subdued soul, Saturation: 0%, Body repair effect gained."

Then, the gruesome bloody hole in Zhang Chen's back stopped bleeding and began to slowly 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. When all ten fingernails turn red, it can destroy the host's body and gain control of it," Zhang Chen said, pointing to Wang Yizhi lying on the sofa.

"Young brother has sharp eyes. Since this old monk is here, I have a way to solve it. However, this young lady has reached the late stage of parasitism, so it will be a bit troublesome to resolve. Young brother, just watch from the side. Don't panic no matter what happens. If it's not handled properly, I fear it might cause irreparable damage to her body," Master Pu Hu said solemnly.

Zhang Chen nodded and stood aside, watching anxiously.

Pu Hu walked to Wang Yizhi and helped her up. Pu Hu's white beard began to lift slightly, and his right hand grew tiger claws.

"This girl is at the final stage of being controlled. Nine Blood Beetles have already infiltrated her brain. They are just waiting for the tenth beetle to hatch before they start devouring her brain. I will first force out these nine Blood Beetles, and then deal with the egg of the tenth Blood Beetle."

With that, Pu Hu pressed the tip of his tiger claw into the center of Wang Yizhi's forehead, poking it in. A small amount of blood flowed out. Zhang Chen, watching from the side, tightly gripped his pants, his tension palpable.

"Drink!" Pu Hu shouted, and the surrounding air immediately condensed. Then, he placed his left hand on the back of Wang Yizhi's head, extended his right index and middle fingers, and aimed them at the bloody hole.

A red worm, a full 5cm long, was slowly pulled out of the bloody hole. The worm had a red fingernail on its body, exactly like the one Zhang Chen saw the Nail Man spit out of his mouth last night, except this one had grown longer after feeding on Wang Yizhi's flesh and blood.

Thinking that there were still eight more worms lurking in Wang Yizhi's head, Zhang Chen wished he could flay Yang Zi alive a thousand times.

Soon, the entire worm was forced out by Pu Hu, who then crushed it in his hand.

Then, the second and third worms were also slowly pulled out in the same manner. Judging by the time, it took about 7 minutes to remove one worm. During this process, the center of Wang Yizhi's forehead continued to bleed, and her clothes were completely stained red.

By the ninth worm, Wang Yizhi's lips had turned white, and her complexion was extremely poor. Zhang Chen was starting to get restless, fearing that Wang Yizhi would bleed to death by the time the last worm was removed.

Just as Zhang Chen was about to get up, Pu Hu's aura shifted, stopping him. Trusting his master, Zhang Chen sat back down.

With a "splat," the ninth worm was forced out and crushed in Pu Hu's hand. Then, Pu Hu waved his left hand over Wang Yizhi's forehead, and the bloody hole vanished as if it had never been there.

However, Wang Yizhi was already extremely anemic, her face turning purple. At this point, Pu Hu moved her mouth with his left hand and poured the blood from the crushed Blood Beetles into Wang Yizhi's mouth.

"These Blood Beetles absorb a large amount of flesh and blood, converting it into vital essence stored within their bodies. I will use this vital essence to replenish her blood. Just a few drops will be effective," Pu Hu told Zhang Chen.

In less than two minutes, the color began to return to Wang Yizhi's face. In five minutes, she was completely back to normal. Zhang Chen watched from the side, the stone in his heart finally lifted.

"Zhang Chen, come here and get the pouch I gave you last time," Pu Hu said.

Zhang Chen thought for a moment. He had put the pouch he took from Wang Yizhi's house yesterday into his pocket. When he felt for it, it was indeed there. He then walked over to Pu Hu, holding the small pouch.

"Although these Blood Beetles are low-level ghost insects, if utilized properly, they can pose a threat to some high-level ghost creatures. Coupled with the aura of their original owner on you, taming them will be very easy. I will extract the tenth Blood Beetle egg shortly, and you will catch it with the small pouch I gave you."

After speaking, Pu Hu used his tiger claws to make an incision at the tip of Wang Yizhi's thumb, which had lost its color. Soon, a small red egg flowed out with the blood.

Zhang Chen immediately opened the pouch to catch the red egg, then pulled the drawstring to seal the pouch.

After everything was done, Wang Yizhi's fingernails had all returned to their normal color. However, her tightly closed eyes still did not open.

"Master, why isn't she waking up yet?" Zhang Chen could feel Wang Yizhi's normal breathing, and she had no injuries. Theoretically, she should wake up.

"These Blood Beetles are not ordinary parasitic insects. Once ghost insects parasitize a human body, it is inevitable that their souls will suffer some damage. That woman just now was completely parasitized by these Blood Beetles, and her soul was completely gnawed away," Pu Hu said, pointing to the pile of white bones on the ground.

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

"I just gave her a large amount of Blood Beetle vital essence. Not only does it replenish blood, but it can also repair the soul. If all goes well, she will wake up tonight," Pu Hu said with a smile.

Zhang Chen immediately knelt down and bowed to Master Pu Hu. "If it weren't for your help, Master, I would likely have lived my life in regret. Thank you, Master."

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