Blood Control (Part 1)

Zhang Chen was panicking. Helplessness, dizziness, and suffocation flooded his entire body. There was nothing he could do—except drain blood!

Blood Drain could heal injuries. He did not know whether his current condition counted as an injury.

A pair of fangs extended from Zhang Chen's palm and, in an instant, pierced the rabbit's neck. Within a few breaths, Zhang Chen had drained the rabbit's blood, leaving behind nothing but a corpse.

As the rabbit's blood was absorbed and underwent its wondrous transformation, Zhang Chen's liver suddenly began producing blood at an accelerated rate. Drop after drop of crimson blood formed, easing his dizziness, faintness, and suffocating sense of unconsciousness by the slightest bit.

"It's working!" Zhang Chen did not stop moving. In a daze, he grabbed a wild chicken from the cage and drained it dry as well. The discomfort in his body eased considerably, though his body still burned as if a ball of fire were blazing within him. He was still dizzy, but much better than before, and some strength had returned to his body.

"Draining blood can ease my symptoms. There may be plenty of prey in these Desolate Mountains, but I can't catch any in my current state. There are two roe deer raised at home. If I can drain their blood, I'll surely get through this crisis safely. But with how I am now, I'm afraid I won't be able to walk home on my own." Zhang Chen struggled to his feet and took a few steps. Before long, his head felt heavy and his feet light; the world spun, he lost his balance, and crashed straight to the ground.

"What do I do? Am I really going to die here?" Zhang Chen sat blankly on the ground, dizzy and weak in both hands and feet, as an indescribable desolation surged into his heart. There were clearly animals at home. As long as he absorbed their blood, he could survive this crisis. Yet he had collapsed on the mountain and could not return. Was there anything more tragic in this world?

He clearly had a solution, yet he could not carry it out. Zhang Chen was filled with grief and indignation, unable to stop himself from muttering, "Damn it, if I really die in these Desolate Mountains, the sheer frustration will suffocate me to death."

He felt that he had been too careless. Faced with this strangeness, he had let down his guard and underestimated its power far too much.

His body now felt as though charcoal were burning inside it, crimson flames filling his entire chest. He could not even sense the state of his own body.

"No. I've weathered raging winds and towering waves—how can I die here?" Zhang Chen sprawled on the ground, struggled to his feet, and staggered unsteadily toward home.

How could he possibly accept dying in these Desolate Mountains?

He had already awakened his Golden Finger and even mastered skills. It was not as though he had no hope of transcending the mundane and living forever in the future. How could he be willing to die in these Desolate Mountains and become food for wild beasts?

Zhang Chen stumbled onward, walking through the mountains on sheer willpower. Along the way, he crashed into things until his nose was bruised, his face swollen, and his head bloodied, but his steps never stopped. Driven by his powerful will, he rushed toward home. If he stayed in the mountains, his fate was unknown. Perhaps the mutation inside his body would end and everything would return to normal, but it was also possible that his skill mutation would fail and he would simply die here. What kind of person was Zhang Chen? How could he sit still and wait for death? He had a premonition that as long as he drew blood, he could survive this crisis. Just as Zhang Chen staggered toward the foot of the mountain, a familiar voice suddenly rang out in the distance:

"Kid Zhang Chen, are you all right?"

It was Wang Wu's voice!

Wang Wu was carrying two wild chickens on a shoulder pole when he spotted Zhang Chen stumbling in the distance. He hurried over and supported him.

"Uncle Wang, take me home quickly! I ate some unknown fruit in the mountains and got poisoned. My body has gone weak and limp. Please, take me home quickly." Zhang Chen looked at Wang Wu, instantly coming up with an excuse, and hurriedly said it aloud.

Wang Wu was startled and reproached him anxiously, "You've been hunting in the mountains for three years already. How could you still make a mistake like this? The first time we men went into the mountains, I told you never to eat the fruits there carelessly. How could you act so recklessly?"

Wang Wu grabbed Zhang Chen, swung him onto his back, and carried him swiftly toward the village.

Although Wang Wu was already in his forties, he ate meat year-round and ran all over the mountains. He was strong and vigorous, still in his prime. Zhang Chen, meanwhile, was only half-grown, just fourteen years old. Moreover, he had previously never had enough to eat and had endured Fox Spirit's bullying day after day, living hungry and deprived, so he was not heavy.

Wang Wu carried Zhang Chen all the way home and laid him on the bed. Then he picked up a ladle, scooped a large ladleful of cold water from the vat, pried open Zhang Chen's mouth, and poured it straight down his throat. "Drink more cold water and force the food in your stomach back up. Whether you live or die now depends entirely on your fate!"

Holding the ladle, Zhang Chen did not want to drink a single mouthful. All he wanted was to send Wang Wu away, then drain the two roe deer in the yard. But seeing the worry in Wang Wu's eyes, how could the man possibly have any intention of leaving?

Then Zhang Chen's thoughts shifted, and he quickly came up with an idea.

"A doctor! A doctor! Uncle Wang, please get a doctor for me!"

Wang Wu slapped his forehead upon hearing that.

"Look at this brain of mine—I actually forgot that! I'll go get a doctor right away. Hang in there, kid!"

As soon as Wang Wu finished speaking, he rushed out of the yard like a gust of wind and vanished from sight. Zhang Chen staggered out of bed and stumbled into the yard, where he saw the roe deer tethered there.

Not caring whether Fox Spirit next door might see him, Zhang Chen took tiny, swaying steps and lunged forward unsteadily. Seeing him wobble toward it, the roe deer gave a light leap and fled in alarm. Zhang Chen got back up and lunged several more times, but the roe deer nimbly evaded him each time, until he fell onto the ground and could no longer rise.

Fortunately, at one point Zhang Chen pounced onto the rope on the ground. He felt his way along it and grabbed the roe deer's hind leg.

The roe deer struggled, trying to kick Zhang Chen away. But Zhang Chen's hope of survival rested entirely on it—how could he let go?

Zhang Chen clung desperately to the roe deer's leg. The next moment, a pair of sharp teeth appeared in his palm and pierced directly into its body. The roe deer then stood frozen in place as though struck by an immobilization spell, unable to move as Zhang Chen freely devoured its blood.

Three breaths later, the roe deer collapsed limply to the ground, its breath already extinguished.

After draining one roe deer, Zhang Chen's heart pounded continuously. Blood surged forth from his liver like spring water, endlessly produced and supplied throughout his body.

At last, Zhang Chen's dizziness vanished. Though his limbs remained weak and sore, it was no longer nearly as severe as before. At most, it felt like a bad cold—his body burned as though charcoal were aflame inside him, leaving him deeply uncomfortable.