Monster Strain

Rumble!

At some point, the sky beyond the window had been shrouded in dark, heavy clouds.

Lightning flashed and thunder roared. A torrential rain was about to fall.

Xie An's pupils contracted sharply as he stared fixedly at Zhao Hu's chest cavity.

Though Xie An possessed the strength to withstand a novice Pile Training expert head-on, he still felt an instinctive wave of nausea, sick enough to vomit... along with an indescribable, overwhelming terror.

Every piece of rotten flesh in Zhao Hu's chest cavity seemed like a sharp blade, stabbing viciously into Xie An's heart.

Palpitations, suffocation, collapse...

Zhao Hu also knew that his appearance was far too frightening. He immediately closed his clothes. "Young Master, please do not tell my wife about this. I'm afraid she won't be able to accept it all at once..."

Only then did Xie An recover. "Of course. Tell me what happened afterward."

Zhao Hu said, "At the time, I knew I was dead. My body was rotting away bit by bit, yet my consciousness remained clear. I was helpless and terrified, with no idea what to do... In the end, when I looked at the child in Ah Fu's belly, I found the will to live. I wanted to see my child come into this world with my own eyes. I wanted to hear him call me Father!"

"I also kept thinking of repaying Young Master's kindness, so I continued accompanying you in your training. Later, I discovered that my body was growing stiffer and stiffer, while Young Master's martial arts improved by the day. I knew I could not keep going, so I requested leave and returned home to recuperate."

"I wanted to see my child be born, then find a deserted place and bury myself."

Xie An felt miserable after hearing this. "Did you keep having nightmares afterward?"

Zhao Hu shook his head. "I haven't eaten or slept for nearly a month. My body has rotted beyond recognition now. I need to apply a great deal of Storax Pill to conceal the stench of a corpse..."

As he spoke, Zhao Hu glanced outside the door, as though he had made up his mind. "The child will be born in the next couple of days. Once the child is born... once I've seen, kissed, and held him, I'll find a deserted place and be on my way. It's just that Ah Fu will be left a widow with a child..."

Xie An sighed. "We have been master and servant for some time. I'll have someone send them silver each month, so mother and child need never worry about food or clothing. In the future, your child may attend the private school at Xie Residence to learn reading and writing. I'll also have someone teach him martial arts."

Tears had long streamed down Zhao Hu's face. "Thank you, Eldest Young Master! The luckiest thing in my life was meeting a master like you. If there is another life, I, Zhao Hu, will still serve at your side."

Xie An said, "When Uncle Shui arrives later, have him examine the Vital Breath of the child in your wife's womb."

Zhao Hu nodded heavily.

Xie An also let out a breath of relief. Pushing open the doors and windows, he saw Chen Mo standing in the courtyard with a longsword slung across her back, while Liu Fu was busy washing vegetables beside the old well. She was likely planning to keep Xie An for lunch.

That peaceful scene formed a stark contrast with Zhao Hu's hollowed-out chest cavity.

Even Xie An felt dazed. He glanced at Zhao Hu's rotting body and said, "Your time is short. Go out and spend time with your wife."

With that, Xie An pushed open the door, walked into the courtyard, and took deep breaths of fresh air.

Chen Mo leaned over curiously. "I heard Zhao Hu sobbing inside just now. Is Young Master Mingxi all right?"

Xie An shook his head. "He's fine. Has Liu Fu shown anything unusual?"

Chen Mo pointed toward the old well. "There is nothing unusual about Liu Fu. She is kind-hearted and hospitable, though. She even killed a chicken and wants Young Master Mingxi to stay for lunch."

"Young Master, please wait a moment. I'll prepare lunch right away. There isn't much decent food in the house, so I hope you won't mind." Liu Fu called out from afar after killing the chicken, then went to busy herself in the kitchen.

Xie An nodded and looked up at the sky, where lightning rolled through the heavens, waiting for Uncle Shui's arrival.

Rumble!

With a muffled clap of thunder, the winter rain that had been building for so long came crashing down.

Xie An went beneath the eaves to shelter from the rain. From time to time, he saw Zhao Hu and Liu Fu working in the kitchen, deeply devoted to one another, their laughter occasionally drifting out.

Near noon, a set of footsteps sounded outside the gate.

Li Dao had arrived with Uncle Shui.

Uncle Shui still wore a gray long robe.

This robe was not the sort of long robe from the Qing Dynasty in Xie An's previous life. Long robes had existed since ancient times; only their styles differed.

When Chen Mo saw Uncle Shui approaching, she hurriedly cupped her hands. "Uncle Shui."

Uncle Shui nodded and quickly walked up to Xie An. "Mingxi, what urgent matter did you call me here for?"

Xie An raised his hand, dismissing Chen Mo and Li Dao, then said softly, "Uncle Shui, some time ago, I noticed something was wrong with Zhao Hu. Whenever he trained with me, his body was stiff and unable to take blows. He was also covered in Storax Pill. Last night, I had a nightmare..."

Xie An described the nightmare in detail, then pointed toward Zhao Hu and Liu Fu in the kitchen. "Uncle Shui, look."

At first, Uncle Shui did not think much of it. But when he turned and saw the husband and wife working in the kitchen, his face paled by several shades.

From Uncle Shui's expression, Xie An knew he had already seen the truth. He added, "I spoke with Zhao Hu earlier. There is nothing abnormal about him, and he knows he died long ago. He merely wants to see his child be born, and he also wants to repay my kindness. That is why he applies Storax Pill to conceal the corpse aura and comes here to train with me..."

After hearing Xie An's account, Uncle Shui nodded. "This lad has had it hard. When Zhao Hu first entered the residence, he was only sixteen, the same age Mingxi is today..."

Xie An sighed as well. "I promised Zhao Hu that if his child can be saved, I will lend a hand. If not... then we handle it as it should be handled. We cannot let an evil thing spread from here."

"Mingxi, you are kind-hearted. Come with me to the kitchen." Uncle Shui sighed and led Xie An inside.

When Zhao Hu and Liu Fu saw Uncle Shui arrive, they both put down what they were doing and bowed. "Uncle Shui."

Xie An gave Zhao Hu a look. Zhao Hu then took Liu Fu's hand and said, "Ah Fu, Uncle Shui is the most formidable martial instructor at Xie Residence. His Dark Force can stabilize a pregnancy. Since Uncle Shui has come today, let him examine the child in your womb."

Liu Fu smiled and bowed. "I'll trouble you, Uncle Shui."

Uncle Shui stepped forward and raised his right hand, pressing it against Liu Fu's heavily swollen belly. His withered right arm immediately swelled by a full circle as he slowly pressed Dark Force into Liu Fu's abdomen.

Liu Fu felt no pain. She merely smiled and asked, "Uncle Shui, is the child still well?"

Uncle Shui's swollen arm returned to normal. He withdrew his hand, his expression exceedingly complicated.

Zhao Hu seemed to understand something. He immediately lost all composure. "Uncle Shui, my child..."

Uncle Shui said, "Zhao Hu, bring your wife with me to Xie Clan White Shrine at once."

Zhao Hu had no idea what Xie Clan White Shrine was. He assumed it was the Xie Household's ancestral hall. "Why are we going to the Xie Household's ancestral hall?"

Uncle Shui's expression was grave. "Mingxi previously promised to care for your child. Your wife is about to give birth, so White Goddess Shrine is naturally the safest place to go. The best physicians are there. They can ensure the child is born safely."

Zhao Hu was instantly overjoyed. He hurriedly kowtowed in thanks, then pulled Liu Fu toward the bedroom to pack their things.

Xie An watched their retreating backs and asked softly, "Uncle Shui, are you certain?"

Uncle Shui nodded. "The child inside Liu Fu absorbed all of my Dark Force directly. It is a Monster Strain! And a very powerful Monster Strain. Only at Xie Clan White Shrine can we reliably kill it. Otherwise, once the Monster Strain is born... the consequences will be unthinkable."

Xie An did not know what Xie Clan White Shrine was either, and was just about to ask Uncle Shui what this White Shrine was.

Just then—

Rumble!

A bolt of lightning exploded across the sky.

Immediately afterward, Liu Fu's heart-rending scream came from the bedroom. "Husband, it hurts so much! The child is crawling out on its own!!"