Chapter 146: Water Ghost Essence Refining Potion

Chen Xiyi looked at the broken branch with disappointment; the quality was truly poor—it snapped with just one struggle.

“It seems this small tree can’t handle your weight. How about choosing a different way to die? I have some poison here. One gulp and you’ll die without any pain, plus it’s sweet.” Chen Xiyi took out a small bottle from his Pixiu Pouch and handed it to Ji Lan, who was still dazed from the fall.

Ji Lan came to her senses and scrambled backward in panic, “Stay away from me!!!”

“Ah, this… If I don’t come closer, how can I give you the medicine? I can’t just throw it to you. What if you don’t catch it and it breaks on the ground? That would be such a waste,” Chen Xiyi said seriously.

“I don’t want to die anymore, I don’t want to die anymore. Please just leave,” Ji Lan shouted frantically, completely losing her composure.

Now it was Chen Xiyi’s turn to get worked up. How could she say she wanted to die and then change her mind? It would be a shame to waste his goodwill. No, he had to send her on her way.

“Young lady, you’re so young, yet you lack perseverance and determination. You went through all the trouble to come up here to hang yourself, and now that you’re so close to death, how can you give up? Here, let me help you.”

Chen Xiyi walked over with a stern expression, ready to send her off.

This time, she completely broke down. She never expected to run into a madman in this remote mountain forest.

Chen Xiyi grabbed her face and forced the contents of the bottle into her mouth.

“Gag—” Ji Lan kept retching from the overly sweet taste in her mouth. If it weren’t poison, it would have tasted quite good.

However, Chen Xiyi fell silent as he looked at the bottle in his hand. “I gave you the wrong thing. Oh no.”

“!!!”

Hearing this, a glimmer of hope appeared in Ji Lan’s eyes. “What did you give me? Syrup?”

“Ah, no. It was Water Ghost Essence Refining Potion. I freshly squeezed a Water Ghost into it.” Chen Xiyi took out another small bottle from his Pixiu Pouch and only then realized he had made a mistake.

“Water Ghost? What’s that? And why is it sweet?” Ji Lan grew anxious. Something must be wrong; otherwise, why would Chen Xiyi stay silent?

“Because I fully considered the human rights of my test subjects. In a previous vote, most people chose sweet flavors for potions, so I made all my potions sweet. By the way, pay attention to how you feel later. According to my experiments, the survival rate after taking the Water Ghost Essence Refining Potion is as high as ninety-three percent. It’s just that the fusion rate isn’t very high—at best, only fifty-one percent.”

“Soon, you might become half-Water Ghost. Your strength will increase, but you’ll feel thirsty. Your voice might become charming, but it will sound like crying.”

Chen Xiyi kindly explained.

“But you don’t need to worry too much. If you’re lucky enough to hit the seven percent mortality rate, you won’t have to worry about the fusion rate anymore.”

After thinking about it, he felt his words might be too pessimistic, so he tried to comfort Ji Lan, implying that if she died, she wouldn’t become half-Water Ghost.

Ji Lan only felt a cold, slippery sensation in her stomach, as if something were wriggling inside. As soon as she opened her mouth, a large amount of water gushed out, mixed with tiny chunks of flesh and blood.

Her vision turned black, as if thick dark mist was spreading everywhere.

“Is the fusion rate really that low? Only nineteen percent. But you should pull through.” Chen Xiyi watched as Ji Lan’s hair spread out and occasional hints of blood seeped through. At least she still looked somewhat human.

What? Because she’s female, the fusion rate should be higher?

How could that be? On the contrary, the fusion rate should be lower. Although the freshly squeezed Water Ghost has no gender, its appearance was male, meaning the Water Ghost was male when alive. So, logically, the fusion rate should be higher with males.

However, Chen Xiyi had initially expected a fusion rate of at least twenty percent, but it kept hitting new lows.

“What… what’s happening to me?” Ji Lan felt extremely thirsty, but power surged endlessly within her. She even felt she could control the water in the air.

“Congratulations. You now have nineteen percent Water Ghost bloodline and possess weakened Water Ghost abilities. But because you still have eighty-one percent human bloodline, it nicely cancels out the Water Ghost’s flaws. To be honest, the perfect ratio is fifty-fifty. Unfortunately, you’re just too weak.”

Chen Xiyi kindly replied.

Indeed, a higher fusion rate wasn’t necessarily better. Only when both sides were balanced could the advantages be maximized and the flaws compensated for.

In Ji Lan’s case, the only side effect was that she needed to drink more hot water.

As for the Water Ghost’s weakness of losing strength on land, it was reduced to thirst, essentially caused by the rapid loss of moisture when a Water Ghost leaves the water.

But Ji Lan’s fusion rate was only nineteen percent, and the remaining eighty-one percent human bloodline effectively suppressed the rapid moisture loss.

Ji Lan watched as the black mist before her eyes dispersed. The thirst was unbearable, but the changes in her body left her confused.

She felt she could punch her former self to death with one blow.

“So, what should I do now?” Ji Lan touched her damp hair; due to her half-Water Ghost state, she was naturally moist.

“Based on my estimation, with your current strength, you can totally go back home. If anyone gives you trouble, just deal with them. Start by confronting your husband’s family. You don’t need a three-year pact—you can take revenge for the broken engagement right now.”

Chen Xiyi offered a highly dramatic suggestion.

But upon hearing this, Ji Lan instinctively refused. “I can’t do that, I can’t. How could I possibly do such things? I…”

“Why can’t I?”

Ji Lan suddenly realized and remembered all the mistreatment she had endured, filling her with intense resentment.

Meanwhile, in Chen Xiyi’s eyes, apart from the conflicting Yang Qi and Yin Qi, the tangled Human Qi and Ghost Qi, and the faint Water Qi, Resentment Qi was gradually emerging within Ji Lan.

Water Ghosts inherently carried Resentment Qi.

But Resentment Qi was a peculiar type of Qi Mechanism, more like an energy born from extreme emotions.

Under the influence of her half-Water Ghost state, Ji Lan’s thoughts easily turned extreme.

This could serve as a wild control group—to see if Ji Lan would mutate further. For now, she had already mutated.

[Half-Human Ghost Ji Lan, Health Points: 100%, Status: Confused, Resentful, Thirsty]

[Ability 1: Needlework]

[Ability 2: Half-Ghost Transformation]

[Ability 3: Water Affinity Enhancement]

In an instant, Ji Lan gained two new abilities, leaping ahead in progress.

She went from a waste template directly to a protagonist template with a special physique.

As long as she took revenge for the broken engagement, she could advance to become a protagonist like Long Aotian.

Of course, that was provided she didn’t run into any Qi Refiners.

Chen Xiyi estimated that, under normal circumstances, anyone who wasn’t a Qi Refiner would likely lose to the half-ghost Ji Lan—though there were always exceptions.

“So, what do you want from me?” Ji Lan asked, her hair disheveled, her eyes glowing with a sinister red light.

Chen Xiyi, having seen much, felt nothing, but an ordinary person would surely be startled—this was the gaze of a Water Ghost, capable of frightening the timid into fainting.

“I originally wanted your corpse, but it seems I can’t have that now. Plus, I lost a Water Ghost. How do you plan to compensate me?” Chen Xiyi decided to let her make an offer.

“I have no money. But if you’re willing, you can come back with me and take whatever you want.” Ji Lan’s voice sounded like weeping, yet it carried a captivating, eerie allure.

“Oh, never mind then. Consider it a gift. I’ll be going now if there’s nothing else. You go do whatever you need to do. Don’t look at me with those devouring eyes. I know your low fusion rate might cause the Water Ghost bloodline to rebel, but you must restrain yourself. If you can’t, I have no idea what might happen.”

After saying this, Chen Xiyi turned and ran off.

When he mentioned “devouring eyes,” it wasn’t a metaphor—he meant it literally.

If the Water Ghost fusion rate fell below thirty percent, problems would arise, mainly the Water Ghost’s craving for humans.

As for why a higher fusion rate eliminated this side effect, Chen Xiyi guessed it was due to the suppression and balance between different Qi Mechanisms.

Only when a balance was achieved would they perfectly restrain each other and maximize advantages.

If the fusion rate reached one hundred percent, theoretically, one would completely lose their human identity and become a Water Ghost.

Watching Chen Xiyi leave, Ji Lan’s throat twitched. That overwhelming appetite—if Chen Xiyi had stayed any longer, she might not have been able to control herself.

“I’m so hungry and thirsty. I should go back and have a meal.” Ji Lan sniffed the air, identifying the scent of her way back.

As for Chen Xiyi, his speed made Ji Lan realize he wasn’t easy prey.

Ordinary people couldn’t run that fast, nor could they produce something like a freshly squeezed Water Ghost potion. He was clearly one of those mythical demons from legends.

She was hungry and thirsty, but that didn’t mean she was foolish.

Whoosh—

In an instant, she moved with incredible speed, grabbing a rabbit that had just poked its head out. Without a second thought, she stuffed it into her mouth.

This relieved her considerably. After wiping her mouth, she gained a clear understanding of her own speed and strength.

“Time to go home.” Ji Lan muttered to herself in a low voice, then headed back the way she had come.

…

Chen Xiyi watched Ji Lan leave, continuously recording her data in his System.

“Strengthening a second time? Indeed, staying isolated causes one to miss many things.” Chen Xiyi felt that having an experimental group required a control group.

The Water Ghost test subjects he had showed higher fusion rates than Ji Lan, but because they only ate what he provided, they completely lacked the inherent ferocity of Ghost Creatures.

But Ji Lan, with only a nineteen percent fusion rate, displayed strength beyond expectations.

Aside from consuming blood, there was no other explanation.

“It seems there’s a reason why demons and ghosts crave blood feasts. No wonder the ones I raised became increasingly useless.”

Perhaps the food Chen Xiyi provided couldn’t even be considered real food, given how differently it was produced compared to normal plants and animals. This was why the demons and ghosts he raised failed to exhibit more changes.

Now, Ji Lan, the half-human ghost, was helping Chen Xiyi update his experiments.

As for finding items with Historical Connotation? He needed to find a city first to ask for directions. He couldn’t just go on his own unless he wanted to traverse mountains, cross rivers, and trek through deep forests every day.

Otherwise, the best approach was to find a familiar Merchant Caravan to guide him or determine the direction of a main road to use alloy-series vehicles.