Chapter 149: A Player’s Mouth, A Deceitful Ghost
Chapter 149: A Player’s Mouth, A Deceitful Ghost
For seven days in Ling City, everyone was anxious and fearful.
The situation was becoming more and more serious. The merchant caravan that Chen Xiyi was with had already started negotiating with the Warlord of Ling City to leave early.
It was impossible not to run now. On the first day, only wealthy households in the city disappeared at night. Later, it was the soldiers on patrol who vanished. In the morning, torn clothes were found in the corners.
But since the third day, people started disappearing abruptly not only at night, but even during the day.
Everyone was on edge, terrified that they might vanish if they were not careful.
In just these seven days, nearly ten thousand people had disappeared. This was no small number—the entire population of Ling City was only around a hundred thousand.
What was more, most of those who vanished seemed to be the Warlord’s soldiers, wealthy households, and Noble Families of the city. Only later did the unfortunate ordinary people start disappearing.
With this happening, how could the people in the caravan sit still? Naturally, they had to flee.
Furthermore, Ling City had suffered heavy losses in military strength, which greatly reduced the threat posed by the local Warlord forces. That was why the caravan dared to insist on leaving the city.
If the military had been intact, the caravan would not have dared to act rashly, fearing they would arouse suspicion.
But suspicion no longer mattered, because Ling City’s military forces had likely dwindled to only the guards at the Marshal’s Mansion.
Besides, the unknown being that was causing trouble had been growing more voracious. At first, it was only a few hundred people, but later it was taking a thousand people a day.
“I never expected you to be staying here. I had to ask around quite a bit to find you.” Ji Lan sat opposite Chen Xiyi, smiling charmingly.
Behind her stood a maid and five guards, all eyeing Chen Xiyi with caution.
“Looking for me? What for?” Chen Xiyi looked at this big red name in front of him, somewhat puzzled. Surely she hadn’t come to kill him?
“It’s nothing. I just came to see you off, hoping we never meet again.” Ji Lan waved her hand, and the maid behind her handed her a wine pot and a cup. “Call it fate.”
Chen Xiyi could not figure out Ji Lan’s intentions at the moment, but he did not dwell on it. Instead, he casually pushed them away.
“No need. I don’t drink, and I don’t think you drink either, right?”
Nowadays, Ji Lan could eat normal food, but normal food was completely tasteless to her. Only the stimulation of blood could give her real sensation.
“What a pity,” Ji Lan said with a regretful expression.
The current Ji Lan was completely different from the one seven days ago, both in personality and strength.
She was not only filled with Resentment Qi but also surrounded by blood aura, Demonic Aura, and other Qi Mechanisms. To anyone outside, she was clearly a monster.
“It’s not a pity at all. I just want to advise you: don’t eat too much, or you might get too full, and that wouldn’t be good.” Chen Xiyi offered his well-intentioned advice.
In truth, Ji Lan had already reached her limit two days ago. What she was doing now was trying to break through that limit, which was why the number of disappearances had grown so massively.
But it was important to remember that breaking through a limit did not necessarily mean becoming stronger. There was a chance that one’s body could not withstand the consequences and fall apart.
Not everyone was destined to be a Protagonist, able to break through limits just like that.
For ordinary people, breaking through a limit usually led to death, not greater strength.
The body had its limits. Pouring in Power far beyond those limits would not grant one that corresponding Power—it would only cause them to burst.
Of course, if you were a Protagonist, that was another story. Or if you were like Chen Xiyi, a Player who could not die.
Ji Lan paused, her gaze burning as she stared at Chen Xiyi. “Then what should I do?”
Her purpose in coming was truly for this. She would not have sought out Chen Xiyi for no reason—that would be like looking for death. If she had not heard that Chen Xiyi was leaving, she would never have dared to come.
The memory of being skinned, having her tendons pulled out, and her bones and blood taken still frightened her to the core.
“Either stop eating—at least you won’t die from overeating—or eat it all and take the gamble,” Chen Xiyi said eerily.
Ji Lan’s heart sank, and she inwardly sighed in dismay.
She naturally understood what Chen Xiyi meant: either gamble with her life or stop now.
But she did not want to gamble with her life, nor did she want to stop, because she still wanted to become stronger. The feeling of holding life and death in her hands after gaining Power intoxicated her.
“There must be another way. You must have one. Tell me, I’ll pay any amount,” Ji Lan yelled hysterically.
But Chen Xiyi only smiled. “I’ve already told you. There are only these two possibilities. Whether you believe me or not is up to you. I’ll be leaving soon.”
Chen Xiyi looked at Ji Lan. He knew she was already beginning to collapse.
Not only mentally, but physically as well.
He had initially thought that Ji Lan’s feeding was for the sake of gaining Power, and that was not wrong, but it was not the only reason.
Another reason was that she had become too strong. The physical structure of a Ghost Creature had flaws. If she had stopped when she reached her limit, she would only need to feed enough each year to maintain daily activity. That way, she could live for at least three hundred years, remaining forever young and possessing the Power of a Ghost Creature’s limit.
But she had been too greedy. After reaching the Ghost Creature’s limit, she did not stop. Instead, she continued feeding, causing her body to far exceed its limits and begin to collapse.
Her feeding over the past two days was not for the sake of gaining Power, but to stabilize her body and prevent it from collapsing.
It was only after two days of frantic feeding proved completely useless that she came to Chen Xiyi before he left, hoping to take a chance.
“Impossible, this can’t be, I…”
Water stains began to seep from Ji Lan’s body, and her hair wriggled like water snakes.
Her collapse had begun.
Fortunately, in the next moment, her damp hair strands wrapped around the maid and guards behind her, twisting into a giant serpent that swallowed them all in an instant.
The back of Ji Lan’s head split open like a snake’s mouth. With a gulp, the maid and guards were swallowed whole, and then scattered bits of clothing fell from her hair.
After feeding, Ji Lan’s collapse stabilized once again.
“Only one person could calm you for a minute. It seems the part of you that is human is the problem, needing to feed on your own kind to make up for it. Too bad I don’t understand genes and cells, or else there might really be a solution.”
“But, have you ever considered letting yourself go?”
Chen Xiyi’s tone carried a hint of mockery.
Ji Lan, now calm again, had a cold and elegant expression, completely unlike the terror of her Ghost Creature collapse.
“If I did that, I would become a monster,” Ji Lan said coldly.
“Is that so? Have you ever considered that this might be another path to gaining Power? And you only have six minutes left. You wouldn’t be thinking of making a move on me, would you?” Chen Xiyi said without fear.
Ji Lan did have that thought, but when she saw the faint, shadowy figures in the room, she quickly suppressed the idea.
She could not afford to provoke Chen Xiyi.
“Farewell,” Ji Lan said coldly, hurrying away as she left.
Her collapse was accelerating. Originally, she had estimated she had at least a quarter of an hour left, but she had not expected it to happen so quickly.
As she left, she also considered Chen Xiyi’s suggestion, but in her heart, she did not want to stop just like that.
Once she stopped, she would become a terrifying, monstrous creature.
She had a premonition that if her entire body collapsed into a monster, she would never be able to become human again.
Therefore, she had only one path: to gamble.
But she knew better than to act in this area first. She had to wait until Chen Xiyi left with the caravan before making her move. Otherwise, if she acted now, he might just kill her first.
After Ji Lan left, Chen Xiyi shook his head. “As expected, Ghost Creatures have major flaws. No wonder the Qi Refiners abandoned them.”
He had already seen the upper limit of Ghost Creatures and their drawbacks.
Chen Xiyi did not think it was due to the Water Ghost transformation, but rather the imbalance in Qi Mechanism between Ghost Creatures and humans.
“Brother Chen, I didn’t expect you to have a little lover here,” the manager joked as he entered.
“Manager, you’re joking. We only met once. She’s from a Noble Family—I’m not worthy of her,” Chen Xiyi replied.
“True enough. But I remember that young lady came in with a maid and five guards. Why didn’t they leave with her?” The manager’s tone was grave as he looked at the torn clothes on the floor.
“Just as you suspected, manager, they disappeared. Just like that—snap—they were gone, leaving only fragments on the floor. If you hadn’t come, I would have gone to find you,” Chen Xiyi said with a bitter tone.
The manager naturally pieced together the cause and effect in his mind. He did not think it was done by Chen Xiyi or that Ji Lan from earlier, because the monster acted randomly and did not necessarily make everyone present disappear.
“Don’t worry. I came to notify you. It’s time for us to set off. This is not a safe place to stay,” the manager said, his expression serious after getting confirmation.
Chen Xiyi picked up his bag. “I was already prepared just now. Let’s go quickly—I’ll come with you.”
The manager did not find Chen Xiyi’s behavior inappropriate. After all, someone had just disappeared right before his eyes—wasn’t it normal to be afraid?
The two left one after the other, and the caravan was busy loading the carts, ready to leave.
“Brother Chen, what are you planning to do heading east?” the manager asked casually along the way.
“Ah, it’s laughable, really. I’m going to seek refuge with relatives,” Chen Xiyi replied casually.
The manager recalled something: Chen Xiyi was not a local of Ling City.
“Brother, as I recall, you’re not from around here, right?”
“No, I’m a refugee from Gui City. Along the way, I got separated. There were no caravans heading east anywhere. If I hadn’t met our caravan, I would have had to keep following the crowd,” Chen Xiyi continued making up stories.
Hearing this, the manager did not press for details. In these turbulent times of war, it was already a miracle that he had survived and encountered them.
“Manager, it’s bad! Many people are disappearing in the Northern City District, and the numbers are growing. With a gust of wind, a whole street of people vanished.” A laborer in a short coat ran over, panting.
The manager’s face changed. “Everyone, get out of the city now! Leave the rest behind!”
The others in the caravan also paled at these words. They all boarded the carriages and rushed toward the East City Gate. If they did not leave now, they would never make it out.
…
In the Northern City District of Ling City, a horrifying entity like a pool of flesh and blood was expanding continuously. Countless black hair strands spread out, accurately targeting all life in sight.
A sound like a young girl weeping caused everyone who heard it to become dazed, missing their best chance to escape.
The flesh and blood pool writhed throughout the Northern City District, leaving only wreckage wherever it passed.
“You lied to me! You lied to me!!!”
A piercing wail spread out, heard by everyone in Ling City.
Of course, those who heard it also included the caravan that had just exited the East City Gate, and Chen Xiyi, who sat inside a carriage.
“Yes, and so what? From the very beginning, you wanted to die, didn’t you? Hanging yourself is such a waste. Why not do me a small favor? I get the benefits, and you fulfill your dream.”