Chapter 920: So I’m—!

Ye Wenxin again checked with her divine sense and confirmed that Ghost Mother showed signs of breaking through.

“W-Why is this happening?” Ye Wenxin had no clue how Ghost Mother was cultivating to advance so quickly.

“I don’t know either. After I drank your blood, I suddenly felt hot, like an indescribable power was rising within me.” Ghost Mother’s face showed confusion but more so excitement.

The biggest difference between her and Liuli was that Liuli was a fusion of eight furballs. Although each furball wasn’t as powerful as Ghost Mother or Sword Ghost, they could fuse into Liuli and perform magical feats.

Ghost Mother and Sword Ghost’s merged form was called Ghost Mother. But they weren’t weak even as separate entities, especially in the current world. However, Ghost Mother, on her own, was somewhat weaker than Liuli.

Thus, she often quarreled with Liuli, which never led to anything.

But things were different now. Ghost Mother’s cultivation speed had increased after her evolution, which elated her. Her gaze turned toward Ye Wenxin, thinking she might be able to kill Ye Wenxin even without merging with Sword Ghost.

“I don’t like that look. Are you scheming something again?” Ye Wenxin noticed Ghost Mother’s odd expression.

She had a lip-biting habit when plotting something. And once Ye Wenxin saw through her, Ghost Mother’s hands would become restless. It was easy to read her intentions.

As suspected, Ghost Mother waved her hands and hurriedly said, “Master, what kind of person do you take me for?!”

“I take you for a ghost.” Ye Wenxin spoke without emotion and pulled out the umbrella sword. “Since you’re about to break through, stay quietly inside the umbrella sword.”

Ghost Mother quickly protested, “Master, I’m so close. Don’t lock me in there, please?”

Having tasted the pleasures of the human world, Ghost Mother was even more unwilling to return to the lonely space inside the umbrella sword. She leaned closer to Ye Wenxin and, in her most seductive posture, said, “At worst, I’ll let you play with me tonight.”

“Quit your nonsense. Do I look like an indecent person?”

Ye Wenxin sternly refused. She was trying to be a good person. Yet, reality seemed determined to tempt her, leaving her struggling between reason and desire.

“It’s not nonsense. I’m willing tonight.”

Ghost Mother’s voice grew much softer, her gaze evasive, lips tightly bitten. Ye Wenxin had a hunch that Ghost Mother’s opinion would worsen if she went through with it. After a moment, she changed the subject. “Let’s not waste time. How do you plan to break through? You’re still a little short from what I can see.”

Ghost Mother smiled, pointing to Ye Wenxin’s arm. “I think I’ll be able to break through if I have a few more sips.”

Ye Wenxin felt reluctant, especially because she had inherited Celestial Master Zhong’s memories. Ghost Mother was a dark entity. Her strength would rapidly grow if she drank Ye Wenxin’s blood. But she would also lose more of her rationality, eventually becoming a puppet devoid of emotion.

Despite her cruel and sinister nature, Ghost Mother had been with her for a long time.

“I feel like my power surged only after drinking your blood. Please? Just a few sips. It’s not like I’m asking for your blood essence.” Ghost Mother shook Ye Wenxin’s arm, using her charm to distract her.

Ye Wenxin pulled her hand away, “Only a few drops.”

She recalled the intense sense of rejection, like her subconscious warning her that her blood was precious. Even among ghosts, feeding on flesh and blood wouldn’t cause such a dramatic boost in power. Could her blood be hiding a secret?

Seeing Ghost Mother’s longing gaze, Ye Wenxin decided to experiment. Even if Ghost Mother went berserk, she could use the umbrella sword to restrain her.

Instead of uncovering the wound she’d treated, Ye Wenxin took out a dagger and made a light cut on her wrist.

As bright red blood welled up, Ghost Mother’s eyes immediately lit up. She stared intently, drawn to the scent. But she retained some rationality, knowing Ye Wenxin would punish her for lunging forward.

Ye Wenxin didn’t rush to feed her. She observed the blood to see if something was unusual about it. As more came out, she shook her wrist to keep it from dripping onto the ground. Then, she noticed something strange.

“Why doesn’t it smell like blood?” Ye Wenxin paused, then collected a drop of blood with her fingertip and brought it to her tongue. It tasted off.

The blood was sweet and fragrant, nothing like what she remembered blood should taste like. It smelled like osmanthus but more refined and not cloying. Overall, it was closer to a drink than blood.

“Master, can I drink now?” Ghost Mother swallowed her saliva, her eyes impatient. The scent was far too alluring for her. She never would have discovered this hidden benefit Ye Wenxin possessed if not for her impulse earlier.

“Come on, then.” Ye Wenxin watched as Ghost Mother clung to her arm and carefully licked the blood clean as though it were sweet honey.

Meanwhile, she wondered what had caused this change in her blood. Where had things gone awry? Did it become like this after her cheat had run off with the peach blossom demon?

Was it the effect of Flower Burial? After all, her cultivation method was based on blood absorption. Maybe it had mutated, gaining the ability to purge impurities while turning all that refined cultivation energy into nourishment for her.

In other words, whenever Flower Burial absorbed someone’s cultivation, it enhanced the power of her blood-based attacks. And her blood might be a potent tonic for the other races.

Ye Wenxin mentally analyzed the situation. For some reason, she suddenly thought of the surname Tang. Had her flesh and blood evolved as well, into something like “Tan X Meat¹”?

Ye Wenxin shifted her gaze. Ghost Mother had already cleaned up every drop of blood, yet her eyes still brimmed with greed. She bared her sharp fangs, beginning to lose control of herself.

Ye Wenxin felt exasperated. Gathering her qi at her fingertip, she lightly flicked Ghost Mother’s forehead.

“That’s enough. Stop drinking.”

The flick knocked Ghost Mother back a short distance. She clutched her forehead and looked at Ye Wenxin, deeply aggrieved. She seemed to have regained her clarity.

Ye Wenxin applied medicine to the new wound and wrapped it up tightly. Ghost Mother reluctantly averted her gaze and glanced at the surroundings.

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Footnotes:

1. 1. I think this refers to Tan Lung, a Chinese brand specializing in luncheon meat. ↩︎