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"Uh—so it really is Charles Morin! What happened to his original body?" Felix Eagleclaw was having a hard time wrapping his head around the fact that Charles Morin had turned into a female dog.
"Oh, his old body only has a sliver of life left, and I’ve sealed up all his seven apertures. As long as that last breath doesn’t fade, I can summon Charles Morin’s soul back! But it’ll take some time! The Yan Twins of Terror should be tracking us soon, so I need to mask the aura on this reincarnated female dog!" Shawn Young explained.
Felix Eagleclaw was stunned, pointing at the black-haired female dog: "Shawn, are you saying we need to hide the dog Charles Morin’s soul is living in?"
"Yep, that’s exactly it. But the Soulhook Arrow is about to activate, and the Yan Twins of Terror will track down Charles Morin’s real body and use their magic. We have to dunk him in boiling water right now!" Shawn Young said.
"Uh—why boiling water?" Felix Eagleclaw asked.
"Oh, the Corpse Demon God has a really twisted way of killing people. The evil energy attacks when the victim’s spirit is foggy, making it deadly. The Corpse Spirits burst out from inside, wrecking the organs from the inside out, and the spirit gets eaten away. When the Corpse Demon God finally escapes, that’s when the person dies. Even if their soul is still around, all that’s left is a wrecked body—if you bring the soul back, they’re basically a vegetable! Boiling Charles Morin’s body and keeping him in pain is the only way to stop him from totally losing his spirit!" Shawn Young explained seriously.
"Oh, I get it! Let’s do it, then. Charles is just going to have to suffer a bit—" Felix Eagleclaw said.
"Yeah, there’s no other way. Also, Felix, you’ll need to get some sharp needles ready. You’ll have to jab Charles Morin in his most sensitive acupuncture points—hurts more, works better!" Shawn Young said.
"Got it, I’ll go grab some needles right now—" Felix Eagleclaw replied, then hurried out of the bathroom to borrow needles from Minnie Wang.
"Woof—woof—woof—" The black-haired female dog barked in terror when she heard Shawn Young's words.
Shawn Young shrugged helplessly, giving the black-haired female dog an apologetic look. "Sorry, Charles Morin, if you want to stay alive, you’ll have to put up with this for a while! If you still want to be human, you’d better cooperate with me!"
The black-haired female dog whimpered sadly, then lay quietly in the small iron cage, not making another sound.
Shawn Young picked up the small iron cage and walked outside, heading straight for the lower deck. He placed the cage next to the big iron cage full of male dogs. As soon as they caught a whiff of the female dog, the males got excited, crowding around the cage and barking like crazy.
"Sorry, Charles Morin, but you’ll have to blend in with these male dogs for now. Their scent will mask your human smell, so the Yan Twins of Terror won’t find you. Once I deal with them, I’ll bring you back to your human self. For now, just play along!" Shawn Young said, opening the small cage and lifting the black-haired female dog out by the neck. He then opened the big cage and gently put her inside.
The moment the female dog was put in the big cage, the pack of male dogs rushed over, all fired up and eager. Their "magic whips" were on full display, and they couldn’t wait to get closer. The black-haired female dog panicked and barked frantically at Shawn Young, "Woof—woof—woof—whimper—whimper—"
Shawn Young pretended not to notice, shaking his head and sighing. He muttered, "Well, hope you enjoy the joys of being a female dog for a while—"
Muttering to himself, Shawn Young checked the time. The critical moment was coming, so he hurried back upstairs. Felix Eagleclaw had already fetched several long, thin needles. As soon as Shawn entered the bathroom, he instructed, "Felix, the Witching Hour is almost here. The Corpse Demon God will soon strike. Now I’m going to pour hot water over Charles Morin’s body. When his reaction isn’t so strong, you’ll jab those needles into his most painful acupuncture points! Keep going until we get through the Witching Hour!"
"Alright!" Felix Eagleclaw replied, waiting by the bathtub with the needles.
Shawn Young set his phone aside and waited a few minutes. At 7 a.m.—the Witching Hour—strange changes began in Charles Morin’s body. Black mist seeped from his pores, a clear sign that the Corpse Demon God’s curse was taking effect!
"Here we go, it’s time—" Shawn Young said, quickly grabbing a huge pot of boiling water from the stove. He lifted the lid and poured the scalding water straight over Charles Morin’s naked body in the bathtub. Steam billowed up, and though Charles was unconscious, his mouth opened wide in silent agony, his body trembling nonstop, and his pale skin instantly turned bright red!
"Uh, Shawn, is that boiling water really safe for Charles Morin?" Felix Eagleclaw asked, worried.
"This is exactly what we need! Right now is when the Corpse Demon God is at its wildest. We have to get through this hour, or else Charles Morin’s soul and the seals on his seven apertures could be broken at any moment! No mercy now!" Shawn Young said, pouring another pot of hot water over him.
Charles Morin’s vital breath was still sealed inside, so he could feel some of the pain. The water wasn’t fully boiling, but it was hot enough to scald skin—pretty much like boiling someone alive. And right now, Charles Morin was getting the full treatment!
Shawn Young ignored Charles Morin’s agony, just kept dumping pot after pot of hot water over him. Soon, Charles’s whole body was red and swollen, and even his ‘little monster bird’ lost a bunch of feathers. After the initial pain, his trembling slowed, but the Corpse Demon God started rampaging inside, trying to break out through the seven apertures.
"Quick! Felix, jab the needles into his acupuncture points!" Shawn Young shouted.
"Got it!" Felix Eagleclaw replied, his hands moving fast as he expertly jabbed the long needles into Charles Morin’s Baihui, Quchi, and Ghost Palace points. Felix was a master—he knew exactly where to pierce, and these were the most painful spots on the human body! Especially the Ghost Palace point above the mouth, famous for its agony; stabbing it could rival the worst tortures in history!
As soon as the needles hit those pain points, Charles Morin’s body convulsed again, his mouth gaping wide enough to swallow an egg, his facial muscles twisting and trembling. He was clearly enduring unbelievable pain!