"Can't you use your head for once?"
Wen Wen could not help but grind her teeth, itching to smack the back of his head again. "The total amount of dragon blood is fixed. Lawrence was completely vaporized, so he's out of the question. There wasn't any left at the scene, which means it definitely lingered on you!
"The Mouth of the Ancient is mainly meant for healing and restoration. When it comes to something like corruption—which directly rewrites your soul and genome—it isn't specialized at all. You need to keep a close eye on yourself. If you notice any changes or unusual conditions, call me immediately, understood?"
"Right, got it!"
Ji Jue nodded and checked in with his body. Truth be told, he still trusted his ever-diligent Cousin. If Cousin said it was completely extracted, then there was definitely nothing to worry about.
Besides, his appetite had been hearty lately, and he slept like a log the second his head hit the pillow. There wasn't a single issue.
"..."
After a brief silence, Wen Wen hesitated for a moment before letting out a soft sigh. "To be honest, I didn't handle this entirely by the book.
"If I'd reported the situation back then, you definitely would have received a share of the Security Bureau's reward. But with the way Yacheng leaks secrets like a sieve right now, your Celestial Draft would've been impossible to keep hidden.
"When that happened, who knows how many monsters and opportunists would come knocking on your door. Getting tangled with them this early wouldn't do you any good. The last unlucky bastard was..."
She paused, not continuing the thought. "I took the liberty of covering it up for you. If you think that was inappropriate, I can still report it right now."
"No way."
Ji Jue chuckled. He knew all too well what a mess the Federation was; how could he possibly trust them?
According to Wen Wen, during his Celestial Selection Rite, he had somehow summoned nine Virtues in a single breath, which seemed to be something utterly absurd. If he were an upper-class citizen born into a noble lineage with generations of honors, maybe he could consider throwing a grand banquet to flaunt his greatness before the world. But as an orphan student with no backing, carrying so many secrets that couldn't bear close scrutiny, why rush to dive into such deep waters?
These days, hot-blooded shonen protagonists were completely out of style. Survival was all about keeping one's head down and laying low for as long as possible. Wen Wen helping him conceal it was actually an enormous relief.
As expected of Big Sis—she truly had his back!
Without another word, he gave her a thumbs-up. Wen Wen smiled in return, looking visibly brighter.
"All right, that's enough for today. Get some proper rest."
She gave Ji Jue a final pat on the shoulder, flashing an enigmatic smile. "Once you're all healed up, I'll introduce you to a wonderful opportunity!"
"Are you serious, Godfather?"
Ji Jue was overjoyed. After a moment of hesitation, feeling somewhat guilty for having eaten, drank, and taken so much from her, he gritted his teeth and forced out a practiced, customer-service smile:
"Sister Wen, you see, I still retain some youthful charm myself..."
"Get lost!"
Without looking back, Wen Wen flipped him the bird and slammed the door behind her as she left.
Utterly carefree.
Just like a scumbag pulling up his pants and refusing to take responsibility.
* * *
And so, Ji Jue lounged in the hospital for more than two weeks. In truth, if not for that bastard Lawrence, he probably could have slapped on a medicinal plaster and gone straight home.
First came the erosion from the Vortex Planting, followed by the infusion of a massive amount of aberrant spiritus. Then, after slashing his own neck to force a life support protocol into motion, he had suffered another round of draconian corruption.
And to top it off, he took a punch from Minerva.
After a full-course treatment like that, even a body forged of iron would have shattered to pieces.
The only reason he was still alive, moving, and breathing was that Cousin extracted fast, held the line, and stood firm. As for Ji Jue himself, he had simply been running wild.
Even a Celestial Chosen had no business squandering their life like that.
Relying on the Mouth of the Ancient, he embarked on a path of relentless binge-eating. Seven nutritional buffet meals a day without fail, scarfing down food until the mice in the hospital cafeteria were nearly moved to tears, until he finally restored most of his completely depleted health bar.
After conducting his final examination, the entire department gave a thunderous round of applause, eagerly seeing off this walking disaster so he would finally leave.
Just like that, they booted him out the door.
Still not fully satisfied, Ji Jue swaggered over to the Lu household for a feast, putting on his classic performance of devouring a feast in three bites. He ate with such ferocity that Mother Lu wiped away tears while cooking, cursing the hospital staff as heartless monsters for starving such a good boy half to death.
In the end, under the shocked and terrified gazes of the third child and the youngest, Ji Jue left behind a crate full of extra practice exams, grabbed half a package of chopped boiled chicken, and strode off into the distance.
Life felt utterly complete.
"Now this is living."
Ji Jue lay in his doghouse of an apartment, legs crossed, soaking in the familiar comfort.
He had spent the better part of the day cleaning the place from top to bottom, installed a new refrigerator, hummed a tune, taken a bath, and now lay in bed reading a book. Free of chores, life was quiet and serene.
How damn wonderful was this? Wasn't it a million times better than fighting to the death against that bastard Lawrence?
There was no comparison at all!
The thought that his current blissful life was built atop that dog's corpse moved Ji Jue to tears. Pressing his palms together in prayer, he thought: *What a glorious death!*
Hopefully, if Lawrence knew in the underworld, he would continue to generate some leftover value, contributing more bricks and mortar to his peaceful life...
*BOOM!*
A sudden, deafening roar erupted in the dead of night. Ji Jue jerked violently, tumbling off the bed in fright. Instinctively scanning left and right, he realized the sound had actually come from downstairs in his own house.
No way?!
He carefully poked his head out, peering down the stairs, only to see... his freshly repaired front door had been smashed open again?!
Instantly, the heart he had just settled back into his chest leaped into his throat once more, and a string of curses rose to his lips.
Yet why did this scene feel so eerily familiar?!
In the silence, crisp, scuttling noises seemed to echo. Ji Jue's hair stood on end. Groping around, he pulled out a length of rebar and crept downstairs step by step, until he spotted two winding tracks of muddy prints leading from the doorway straight into his kitchen.
Under the faint light of the refrigerator, half of the door, barely hanging from its hinges, swayed gently, concealing the intruder behind it. Only continuous chewing sounds echoed out.
Just like that, Ji Jue's hanging heart finally died completely!
"My new fridge!"
He let out a bloodcurdling wail, his eyes nearly splitting at the corners. The nearly mint-condition, second-hand royal purple fridge he had reluctantly shelled out over six hundred bucks for just this afternoon had been ruined once again.
"I'm gonna slaughter you bastards!"
Roaring in fury, he swung the iron rod and charged into the kitchen.
Only then did he get a full view of the intruder. When he saw the bizarre figure clinging to the edge of the refrigerator, squirming its body while gorging itself gluttonously, he could not help but suck in a sharp breath of cold air.
That pink shell covered in grime and dust, the fourth-hand handlebars scavenged from a junkyard, the front and rear wheels that weren't even the same model, and the exhaust pipe Ji Jue had personally modified from scrapped sports car parts...
It was the Little Sheep scooter that had gone completely missing from Mercy Hospital!
However, after days of absence, it was virtually unrecognizable. At the very least, the Little Sheep he knew couldn't cling to his refrigerator like a living creature, crack open its shell to reveal a massive, mouth-like mechanical apparatus, and chew on...
"My poached chicken!"
Ji Jue's tears finally threatened to spill over.
Hearing Ji Jue's furious roar, the Little Sheep's movements seemed to freeze. Then, it accelerated frantically, tossing its head back to swallow the chicken bones into its "mouth" before swiftly retreating from the fridge, reversing into a corner.
Its headlight flickered, as though cautiously gauging his expression.
Full of care and apprehension.
In the dead silence, it inched forward a little, then backed away, and then crept forward again. Finally, it lifted its handlebars, nudging against Ji Jue. The headlight flicked on and off, on and off, while the horn beeped continuously.
It began furiously wagging its mudguard.
Just like a dog wagging its tail.
"You... you..."
Remembering Wen Wen's solemn warning from two weeks ago, Ji Jue's vision went black. He felt as though fate were a boomerang that, after half a month, had finally struck him right in the face.
Now he finally understood where the dragon blood lingering at the scene had gone...
*Beep—!*
Misinterpreting something, the Little Sheep reared up on its rear wheel and pounced onto Ji Jue, squirming excitedly. The maw beneath its plastic shell split wide, and a large, rubbery tongue slick with engine oil licked across his face.
Expressionless, Ji Jue fell backward onto the floor.
He was done. Let the world burn.
* * *
"It's still a while away from burning down."
Beneath the same sky, in an open campsite on the wild plains, an elderly woman sat on a boulder, gazing toward the distant ruins. "Though not too far off. Once we weather this storm, we can at least buy another ten years or so."
The voice on the other end of the phone paused for a moment before continuing its report.
"Good, understood."
The old woman nodded. "For now, I can't leave Quancheng. I'll have to trouble everyone with the affairs in Yacheng. The Haizhou Warden won't waste manpower for too long either; there should be results soon."
After exchanging final courtesies, the call ended.
In the silence, only the desolate night wind howled.
From the ruined city in the distance came wails resembling the depths of hell. Strands of black mist rose into the sky, vanishing into the darkness.
She paid it no mind, merely casting her eyes downward in thought.
Bloodthirst Syndrome, the Quancheng Catacombs, the Westward Plan, those bastards from the Holy Land, the Lord of Spirits, the Restoration Society, and a bunch of never-dying Solomon zealots constantly stirring up trouble from the shadows... and even Nirvana, watching in secret!
Lawrence, the Vermin of Endless Transformations, had been confirmed dead.
At present, the Dragon Cult had made no specific moves, but they certainly wouldn't take this lying down.
As for the Wen Wen girl, she had risen to prominence faster than expected. Still, given her temperament, once she found her footing, she was hardly going to turn over a new leaf and act like an obedient child, was she?
One could already foresee the chaotic mess ahead.
A faint smile touched the corner of her lips.
A look of anticipation.
Yet, as she raised her head to gaze into the night, the smile gradually faded, leaving only solemn gravity.
"What on earth are you people thinking?"
Staring into the empty night sky, she whispered softly, "Is this world not chaotic enough for you?"
No one answered.
The night remained silent. The stars glittered like the eyes of gods—distant and cold, never once swayed by the laments and turmoil upon the earth.
She withdrew her gaze.
There was still a massive pile of unprocessed business in her inbox. Midtown had sent another inquiry, and not just Midtown—more than a dozen major cities across the Federation, and even those people from the Empire... practically everyone she knew was beating around the bush, prying for news, asking about what had transpired some time ago.
After all this time, things had yet to quiet down in the slightest.
Compared to that grand and magnificent Rite of Destiny, even the peril of the Quancheng Catacombs seemed to have been reduced to negligible nonsense.
A self-awakened Celestial Chosen had always been a coveted prize. What was more, this was a terrifying scale unprecedented in all of Yacheng—no, unprecedented across Haizhou and most of the Federation...
Of the Twelve Virtues, nine had descended!
A single one was enough to lay the foundation of a Celestial-Human. With nine descending at once, how astounding were the variables poured into that vessel?
"Seventeen years later, an authentic Draft of Destiny at last."
With a soft sigh, she turned and walked back toward the camp.
The summer night wind blew, steadily turning chilled. Before long, after two or three rainstorms, the cold would gradually creep in, turning leaves yellow to fall with the breeze.
Another eventful autumn had arrived.
Chapter 25