Chapter 42: Ghost on the Back

Su Heng borrowed the monster-tracking disk from his sister and set out once again in search of the creature.

Unfortunately, after all his hustle, he still returned without success. He did, however, take the chance to visit the small courtyard and brought back all the remaining beast meat from the basement.

"The fog beast can influence the judgment of the monster-tracking disk by changing the density of the fog. I feel like it’s leading me by the nose," Su Heng said expressionlessly.

"Ah... this."

Su Li reached out and pinched her brother’s arm, "You need to have patience, and don’t get angry, okay?"

"Since that demon doesn’t want to confront you head-on, it means it’s not as powerful as you," Su Li consoled, "What we lack is an opportunity."

"Now we can only wait," Su Heng sighed, looking up at the sky.

"Wait for what?"

"Wait for a rain," Su Heng replied.

Changqing County is located in the south, where the climate is rainy, especially in spring.

The talents brought by merging with the Water Ghost Poison Sack gave him a premonition that this rain wouldn’t keep them waiting too long.

However...

Before this matter ended, Su Heng still had another task to complete.

"Does the Demon Suppression Bureau have any pills that can help increase qi and blood to aid in cultivation?" Su Heng’s gaze shifted from the sky to Su Li as he suddenly inquired.

"Yes," Su Li took out a white porcelain bottle from her bosom, "This is a Qi Blood Pill, which can promote the body’s mutation and increase cultivation. It is made from the flesh and blood of demons and over a dozen precious medicinal herbs. Don’t consume too much at once; it’s easy to lose control..."

"How many do you have?"

Su Heng extended his hand to take it, opening the stopper.

The fragrance that wafted out made his mouth water, his stomach churn, and a thunderous rumble emanated from him.

"I have three bottles, each with ten Qi Blood Pills."

"I’ll take them all."

"Okay." Su Li passed the remaining two bottles of pills to Su Heng.

"I may need to go into closed-door cultivation for two or three days," said Su Heng, without offering thanks. Their relationship made such formalities seem estranged. Sёarch* The NôvelFire.nёt website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

"If there’s any unexpected situation, you can notify me anytime."

"I know," said Su Li gently.

Su Heng started his closed-door cultivation for a final sprint.

Meanwhile, Su Li took care of the trivial matters, maintained order, and also looked after their brother Su Shang, who was infected with the fungus.

The first day passed peacefully.

In the blink of an eye, it was the second day, and the atmosphere gradually became tense.

Thick clouds covered the sky. Looking far into the distance in all directions, everything was shrouded in a murky haze, and not a single sound could be heard, the silence maddening.

Then came the third day...

Strange noises came from beyond the courtyard walls, as if something was striking the gate.

But obscured by the fog, nothing was visible.

Everyone shuddered with fear.

The fourth day.

The blows grew more intense.

A cold breeze brushed past, dispersing some of the mist. Only then did the people discover, to their horror, that a large group of dried-out corpses, infected by fungus parasites, were outside the courtyard wall.

Zhao Hu led the Protectors in shooting crossbow arrows. The arrows pierced through chests without blood oozing from the wounds. These infected ones had completely desiccated organs, their bodies filled with white fungal filaments instead of blood. In the end, it was Su Li who took action and drove back the infected.

And so, the fifth day arrived.

Some people could no longer endure and began to inquire about Su Heng’s whereabouts.

Without a doubt, Su Heng was the linchpin for the Su Family members, but his absence during this time spurred widespread discussion and unease.

"Soon..."

"He is in closed-door cultivation," Su Li said, "Once he comes out, he should be able to resolve this crisis."

"Really?" Everyone breathed a sigh of relief but remained somewhat skeptical.

"We must get through this trouble together," Su Li said earnestly, and everyone nodded, slowly dispersing.



After everyone had left.

Su Li stretched out her hand to gently arrange a strand of hair that had fallen beside her ear.

She looked up, feeling something in her heart, toward the sky. In the grey, dim dome above, a cold raindrop fell like a blade, leaving a scratch in its path.

"It’s starting to rain..." A smile bloomed on Su Li’s face as she let out a sigh of relief.

...

...

...

The courtyard where Su Heng cultivated.

From within the chamber came a muffled boom, like the breathing of a fierce beast or the rushing of a river.

The closer Su Li got, the more she felt the temperature of the surroundings rise, causing a thin layer of sweat to form on her forehead.

"Thump, thump, thump!"

The sound of knocking echoed in the courtyard, and Su Li waited outside for a while.

There was no response from inside. Recalling what Su Heng had once said, Su Li grew increasingly worried.

She furrowed her brows tightly and finally gritted her teeth, pushing forward with her hand.

Hisss!

The door was not locked.

Just by opening a small gap, a large amount of fiery steam burst out from the room, expanding wildly and issuing a terrifying, shrill scream!

"This..."

Everything in front of her was a blinding white. Su Li opened her mouth but couldn’t make a sound.

The hot, scorching steam enveloped her, and her long, dark hair spread out behind her like dark clouds. Her clothes fluttered and snapped in the air.

The wooden door in front of her, covered in cracks, burst apart with a loud crash.

All that was left was a wooden door handle, still tightly held in Su Li’s hand.

After a long while.

The thick fog gradually dissipated, and Su Li could finally see the scene within the room.

In two corners stood huge wooden barrels, and inside them were steaming grey-white rocks.

They should have been filled with water, but the water had evaporated, thus accumulating a large amount of steam within the room.

Looking up and ahead.

She saw a huge, fierce, twisted ghost face faintly emerging within the white mist in the darkness.

"Ah—!" Su Li’s heart jumped violently, her chest ached, and she almost screamed out loud.

As she took a step back, her emotions gradually eased.

She then realized that what appeared amidst the swirling fog was not a real evil ghost but muscles that were strong and swollen to the extreme, each fiber twisted and separate!

The well-developed latissimus dorsi, the gluteus medius, and the spinal erectors formed the face of the ghost.

And the infraspinatus muscle, protruding high under the shoulder blades, conveniently shaped the fierce and terrifying eyes of the ghost.

"Huff!"

With Su Heng’s deep breath, his muscles relaxed.

The sound of muscles tensing painfully emerged from his body, and a large number of reddish veins surfaced in various places around his body. They looked like countless gigantic earthworms and centipedes crawling over his skin—so dense, with tendons standing out and bones protruding that a mere glance at that explosive sense of power was enough to make one’s scalp tingle.

"Open!"

A low command burst forth explosively.

Numerous huge veins writhed madly, twisting and entwining, forming two red-hot bulges on the infraspinatus muscle.

The ghost back, eyes opened!



Boom!

An overwhelming force that had been suppressed to its limit exploded outwards.

Waves of invisible energy swept in all directions, echoing back and forth within the semi-closed room. The wooden table shattered, the wardrobe collapsed. The firmly closed windows burst open, and irregular fragments flew outward, scattering more than ten meters away.

Su Li’s vision went dark as she was caught off guard, and she fell backwards toward the ground.