This Is... So Interesting!

In the first second, Lu Li grabbed the Buddha Head with his left hand and smashed it into the Corpse Ghost's waist, melting away a huge chunk of flesh. The Corpse Ghost's claws swung back around to grab him, trying to crush him to death in a bear hug. Lu Li's mind remained perfectly calm. With his brain released, he analyzed everything with astonishing efficiency. He had finished analyzing the Buddha Head's power. The plan could proceed...

In the second second, Lu Li dropped to the ground, dodging the Corpse Ghost's retracting claws. He hooked his feet around its right leg and twisted his body hard, then lifted the Buddha Head with both hands. His muscles bulged as he tensed his abdomen and sat up. The Buddha's face was compassionate as it slammed into the Corpse Ghost's left knee, melting it away completely. With one foot gone, the Corpse Ghost toppled to one side. The flesh at its waist, which had been burned away earlier, had partially regenerated. Lu Li had finished analyzing its regenerative abilities. The plan was confirmed...

In the third second, Lu Li raised his left hand to shield himself and drew in his legs, bracing himself with his left foot. Gripping the Buddha Head in his right hand, he leaned forward. The muscles in his left leg exploded with force, propelling him upright and sending him lunging forward. The Corpse Ghost opened its mouth, and its revolting tongue shot out, piercing Lu Li's raised left palm. Lu Li twisted his left hand around and grabbed the tongue, then swung with his right. The Buddha Head smashed into the Corpse Ghost's mouth.

When the time limit passed, Lu Li immediately ended his Muscle Release. But several muscles throughout his body had torn, and his right arm and left leg bones had snapped under the strain. Blood streamed from his nose. These were the adverse effects of overclocking his brain.

White smoke, reeking of burnt flesh, drifted through the air. The Corpse Ghost couldn't even scream. The Buddha Head had smashed into its mouth and melted it away, sinking completely inside. The Corpse Ghost collapsed to the ground, its face constantly regenerating only to be melted again by the Buddha Head. Its broken leg failed to heal as it focused all its strength on repairing its head. Its revolting tongue had been severed by the heat. Lu Li also fell backward, landing on the ground.

Enduring the agony throughout his body, Lu Li pulled off the revolting tongue. He saw that the wound on his left hand had turned black, and the discoloration was still spreading. Remembering the description of the Variant Corpse Ghost, he knew what it was: the Variant Corpse Ghost's ability, Life Pollution. It injected polluted life force into another person through its tongue, turning the victim into a Corpse Servant.

Lu Li immediately made a conscious effort to close the blood vessels in his left hand. The pollution spread more slowly, but it still consumed most of his forearm. He glanced at the Buddha Head, still locked in a struggle against the Corpse Ghost's regenerative abilities, and shook his head. Bracing his left hand against the ground, he exhaled. Then he released the muscles in that hand and pressed down hard. A crack rang out as the joint between his forearm and upper arm snapped!

He lifted his left hand. His limp, useless forearm hung there. Without hesitation, Lu Li clamped his teeth around the joint. He released the muscles in his mouth. Since the blood vessels had been sealed, only a little blood flowed, staining his snow-white teeth red.

Bite by bite, his forearm fell to the ground. Lu Li trembled all over,...

The Puppet scrambled quickly up the steps. The vermilion tear at the corner of her eye had grown even more bewitching. Connected to something inside the temple, she used that bond to ignore the temple's divine light and bypass most of the distance, moving faster and faster. She prayed over and over, "Please, don't let anything happen! If something happens to you, what will become of Master? But as long as you're quick and take shelter in the temple, you should be fine. You're so clever—you'll be all right!"

Thinking of how Lu Li had gleaned so much information from her few words, the Puppet felt a little less worried. But she didn't slow down; she sped up even more. Almost there, almost there! Once she got there, she could obtain that thing and guarantee Master's life!

The tear at the corner of the Puppet's eye had a lot to do with how she had arrived so quickly—or, more precisely, with the material used to make it. Back then, the Old Man had spent all his savings acquiring enough materials to make the Puppet. But once she was finished, he realized that although she looked beautiful, something seemed to be missing.

Later, after the Old Man saw a woman with a tear mark on her face, he suddenly understood. He wanted to paint a tear on the Puppet, but there was no way he would use ordinary paint. Every material he used to make her had been top quality, which was why he had spent all his savings. But now he had no money left to buy good paint.

In the end, the pigment the Old Man used for the tear came from a small piece of high-grade cinnabar given to him by an old monk. He used it to paint the flawless tear at the corner of the Puppet's eye. The Puppet had also gained sentience so quickly because of that cinnabar. Strangely, after the cinnabar was used to paint the tear, it lost all its luster and crumbled into pale red powder that scattered away, as if all its essence had been concentrated in that single drop.

Only later did the Puppet learn that the old monk had been the one who founded the temple. He had chipped a corner off that treasure—that piece of cinnabar—and it was from the cinnabar that the Puppet had learned so many things.

"No matter what, no matter the cost, I can't let anything happen to Master!" The Puppet reaffirmed her resolve, then stepped off the final stair—and saw a sight she could never have imagined.

Not far away, the Variant Corpse Ghost lay on the ground, twitching. A Buddha Head had sunk into its face, which kept regenerating only to be melted away again. Given what she knew, the Puppet could tell that the Corpse Ghost was merely clinging to life with the energy stored in its body. It wouldn't be long before it died and melted into a puddle of liquid.

What truly stunned the Puppet was Lu Li. He sat slumped on the ground, his entire left forearm lying beside him. He bowed his head and trembled continuously. The Puppet sighed. Perhaps this man had been scared out of his wits. It made sense. Although he had always seemed calm, and she was amazed that he had managed to use the Buddha Head to kill the Corpse Ghost, Lu Li was still just an ordinary person. Losing a hand was bound to terrify him.

"Are you all right? Your injuries aren't too serious. Once we return to the real world, everything will heal. You might not have full mobility afterward, but..." The Puppet approached and tried to comfort him, her heart easing at the same time. As long as he was alive, she could bring that thing into the real world. Then everything would be fine, and Master would be saved.

Just then, Lu Li raised his head. The Puppet instinctively took a step back. His face was covered in a smile, and blood smeared his mouth and chin, giving him a bewitchingly eerie beauty. He wore a red opera costume and trembled with excitement. When he saw the Puppet, he said, "This is... This is so interesting!"

Xu Ming had trembled while writing this chapter too, but only because the air conditioner was cold... Votes and all that—so interesting...

Lu Li: I've already lost my left arm, and you still won't vote or follow me?