One Night

Scourge Alchemy, as the name implied, used the power of the Scourge as its foundation to carry out all manner of transformations. It was further divided into potion brewing, the spread of diseases and plagues, and the creation of Scourge creatures.

The book did not begin with any sort of general outline. Instead, it directly listed explanations of various basic materials, such as Ghoul Teeth, Rotting Zombie Brains, Night Bat Wings, and so on.

Flipping back a couple of pages, Li Shaolin felt his scalp tingle. The things this stuff required were way too disgusting, weren't they? Still, it looked like the person who had compiled this book was lazy as well, scribbling things down so casually without even an introduction. How was anyone supposed to make sense of it?

His understanding of this world was limited to begin with. As for ghouls and zombies, he had not even seen what they looked like yet, much less gathered materials and practiced alchemy.

He flipped through it at random, skimming ten lines at a glance as though he were reading a novel. Before he knew it, it was already deep into the night.

After finishing it, he could not help yawning, feeling somewhat sleepy. So the formation in the basement was meant to gather Wraith Power. Every three days, it needed to be infused with the blood of the living, and the construction process was extremely troublesome. Above the five points of the pentagram, one had to gather the resentment of five people who had died unjustly and seal it within gemstones before the formation could circulate. Once completed, if the supply of blood stopped, those five wronged souls would lose their attachment and burst free from their shells. Like the woman in the coffin, they would turn into Ghosts.

It seemed he could not stay here for too long. Five Ghosts... could he even beat them?

Just then, Sulonna, lying on the bed, let out a soft moan, as though calling for someone.

When he went over to check, he saw that her face was flushed red. Before he even got close, waves of heat washed over him. She had a fever.

"Do you need some water?" Li Shaolin hurried over and lowered his head to ask.

Sulonna's face was red as though she were drunk. Her lovely eyes opened slightly, and she glanced at him with what seemed like a smile before suddenly grabbing him and pulling hard.

"Ah!" Before Li Shaolin could react, he was dragged beneath the covers.

Waves of heat mixed with a sweet, seductive body fragrance flooded his nose. With the beauty before him pressed close against his body, his blood immediately began to boil, and the desire he had suppressed for so long erupted. In moments, he lost all reason.

As for the delights that followed, they were not for outsiders to know.

Morning.

When he opened his eyes, it seemed he had slept well last night. Turning his head slightly, he saw Sulonna beside him. At the same time, a smooth, warm body was pressed tightly against his, sending an unfamiliar feeling through him.

Sulonna had her eyes open and was looking at him with a faint smile.

"Well... ah." Li Shaolin hurriedly sat up, wanting to say something but not knowing where to begin. He felt awkward for a moment.

Seeing his expression, Sulonna burst into laughter. She grabbed him and said with a smile, "Say, you little brat, if you had such wicked intentions, you really took advantage of me while I was injured."

"No, no!" Li Shaolin waved his hands repeatedly, but the facts were what they were. He had no strength to argue.

"Look at that foolish face of yours!" Sulonna teased him. "I know you didn't do it on purpose. It's already happened, so let it be." As soon as she finished speaking, she slipped out from under the blankets.

That medicine really was effective. The wounds on her shoulder and chest had already scabbed over, and it seemed last night's rolling about had not affected them. Of course, her skin, smooth as congealed cream, also entered Li Shaolin's view.

His nosebleed flowed freely.

Sulonna was remarkably open about it. She dressed right in front of him, then tapped his forehead with a finger. Only then did Li Shaolin come to his senses. Embarrassed, he hurriedly got up as well.

Ah, how muddleheaded. I actually did something so absurd last night. But... heh heh, she seemed to feel really good.

Both of them seemed to have things on their minds, and for a while, neither spoke.

After getting dressed, they went downstairs.

Several weapons and some gold coins lay scattered across the floor. The corpses of the three Defias members were already gone. It seemed the Clay Golem had not slacked off last night. Among the items, a gleaming dagger stood out in particular. It was Mogani's.

"You're quite efficient. You cleaned the place up so quickly and thoroughly." Sulonna looked at him in surprise, finding it somewhat unbelievable.

"Heh heh." Li Shaolin gave a simple laugh and scratched his head. With that exchange, the distance between them immediately seemed to shrink again.

"The other weapons are ordinary enough, but this dagger is a fine treasure." Sulonna bent down to pick it up, flicked the blade with her finger, and spoke.

"A treasure?" Li Shaolin could not really tell. He suddenly remembered Detection and wondered whether it would work on items.

As soon as the thought arose, he cast it. Sure enough, a line of text appeared before him: Gemmed Dagger (Superior), +1 Stamina. So it was a green item.

"These spoils should belong to you. Take it." Sulonna handed him the dagger.

After some polite back-and-forth, he ultimately could not overcome her insistence. They each made a concession: Li Shaolin accepted the weapon, while Sulonna took half the gold coins.

"By the way, where is Mentor Karnak? What is your relationship with him? And I don't think I even know your name yet." As they ate breakfast, Sulonna suddenly asked.

"Well, I'm a distant relative of his. I only found out recently. It seems he had something to deal with and left Westfall. He won't be back anytime soon." Karnak had once been a noble of Stormwind City, so saying they were relatives should not be a problem, right? As for Karnak, he was dead, so he definitely would not be coming back.

"Oh, I see. Mentor Karnak must be involved with this, then. What do you plan to do next?" Sulonna tore open the bread in her hand and put it into her mouth, casually pointing at the two skeletons behind him. Apparently, she believed Karnak had been summoned away by the Scourge Legion's inner circle.

"What next?" Li Shaolin himself did not seem to know where he was going next.

"Right, aren't you afraid?" Unable to answer, Li Shaolin suddenly thought of something. Didn't everyone fear the Scourge Legion? Why was Sulonna not afraid?

"No. When I first joined the Defias Brotherhood, I was heavily ostracized within the organization, just like Mentor Karnak. Perhaps because we were both in the same situation, Karnak helped me, intentionally or otherwise. And since he himself was a noble from Elwynn Forest, I was able to gain a foothold quickly and gradually rise in status alongside Erland. Of course..." Sulonna blushed slightly. "Morgan deserves some credit too."

Receiver Morgan? So that was it. That guy's status in the Brotherhood was probably not low either.

(I've been moving house these past few days and really haven't had time to write. Please bear with it, everyone. Sorry.)