I gasped for breath, worried about Rachel Lan. That Taoist priest just said Rachel wouldn't last much longer.
The Taoist priest and Mr. Howell stared at me in shock.
"Kid, with someone like you who has no cultivation at all, shouldn't you be dead already?"
I touched my own body. It seemed like nothing was wrong.
"Let her go."
I shouted, but the Taoist priest just laughed.
"I've never seen this before—a living person, infected by Corpse Venom, and yet nothing happens. Heh, I'll catch you later and take a good look at what your body is made of."
As he spoke, the Taoist priest waved a golden Eight Trigram Mirror at the revenant. With a snap, the revenant released Rachel Lan and leapt at me.
In an instant, the revenant grabbed me by the neck with both hands and lifted me off the ground.
I struggled, gripping the revenant's hands and trying to break free.
"Shit..." I yelled, clenching my fists.
I punched the revenant's body, but screamed in pain—the blow felt like hitting solid rock.
The Taoist priest and Mr. Howell started laughing.
"Kid, if you're useless, don't act tough. That woman—her heart's about to stop. Serves you right for meddling."
I kept punching the revenant, but with it grabbing me, I was helpless. My fists burned with pain—my knuckles were already split open.
The Taoist priest kept laughing and shook his head.
"Master, that fat ghost boss sent people last night—he wants trouble with the kid."
"Oh? Heh, fine, we'll see later. If this kid's useless, just hand him over to the fat guy."
I stopped punching. From what they said, they must mean that night when I saw a pile of Humanhide Pouches and ran into that ruined-face ghost—they want to give me to it.
In the end, my arms dropped weakly to my sides. I was completely spent.
"Brother, are you going to turn a blind eye again?"
A voice echoed in my mind. I looked around in surprise—this was clearly John Chou's voice. Was he nearby?
Meanwhile, Rachel Lan lay on the ground, her skin turning black. Compared to before, her life was fading away bit by bit.
"Let me go..."
I stared blankly at the Taoist priest. He laughed. I clenched my fists, and threads of Deathbane Aura seeped out. John Chou once said Deathbane Aura could hurt ghosts—even though I wasn't sure what this revenant was, it definitely wasn't human.
"Let go!" I shouted and punched the revenant in the face.
With a muffled thud, Deathbane Aura scattered. The revenant didn't budge. Just as I thought it was useless, I saw its eyes move—clearly.
"Condense it into a sword." I silently recited, trying to gather Deathbane Aura. John Chou told me that, given my current state, it was extremely difficult to manifest anything physical outside.
From the corner of my eye, I kept checking the Deathbane Aura forming in my hand. Sure enough, though the aura grew and clumped together, it threatened to disperse at any moment.
I tensed up, picturing a sword in my mind. The Deathbane Aura in my hand was on the verge of collapsing, barely under control. The Taoist priest and Mr. Howell squatted beside Rachel Lan, doing something to her.
The Taoist priest took out a brush and a small dish of vermilion, writing something on Rachel Lan's face.
Suddenly, my hand felt loose. The Deathbane Aura I'd gathered scattered, and a chill ran through me.
"Brother, why won't you wake up? That day, didn't you already awaken?" John Chou's voice echoed in my mind.
I tried hard to recall what happened that day. Suddenly, I realized that outside, my Deathbane Aura wasn't enough to form a sword—it was simply insufficient.
I clenched my fists again, and Deathbane Aura began to seep out and gather.
I closed my eyes, imagining all sorts of weapons. Suddenly, I remembered Damian Chen of the Nether Syndicate and the tiny Ghost-Piercing Awl he pulled out that day—only three or four inches long.
As I thought about it, I felt something forming in my hand. When I opened my eyes, I saw Deathbane Aura slowly condensing into the shape of a Ghost-Piercing Awl.
"Ah..." I shouted, gripping the Deathbane Aura-forged Ghost-Piercing Awl and stabbing at the revenant's eye. With a hiss, the awl pierced its eye, spraying green, filthy blood. The revenant screamed and let go.
The Taoist priest and Mr. Howell spun around in shock, but I'd already broken free. Awl in hand, I charged at them.
"You..."
"Son of a bitch!" I cursed, lifting my foot and kicking the Taoist priest right in the face. He went down hard.
Behind me, there was a series of loud bangs—the revenant had gone berserk, leaping wildly. Without thinking, I stabbed Mr. Howell with the awl.
The Deathbane Aura-forged awl pierced straight through Mr. Howell's mouth, exploding with a crack—half his cheek was instantly mangled and bloody.
I stared in shock and cried out. I hadn't thought about anything—just acted on instinct. Didn't John Chou say Deathbane Aura couldn't harm humans?
The Taoist priest looked at me in terror. I didn't hesitate, clenched my fists, Deathbane Aura swirling as I charged at him.
"Tell me—the antidote! There has to be an antidote. Give it to me!"
"No... no... This is a special Corpse Venom. Once you're infected, there's no cure..."
"Damn it..." I swung my fist at the Taoist priest's face.
"Water of the second rank is no ordinary water—a drop in the inkstone..."
Just as I was about to hit the Taoist priest, he grabbed his brush, chanting and drawing in the air. Suddenly, it felt like my fist was punching water.
Ignoring the Taoist priest, I ran to Mr. Howell, who was screaming on the ground, snatched the keyring from his belt, went to Rachel Lan, hoisted her up, and stepped over the corpse, heading upstairs.
The revenant behind me had gone completely berserk, grabbing corpses off the floor and tearing them apart.
Rachel Lan's body felt like ice—cold and stiff. But all I could think about was getting her to Mrs. Blake and the others. They might know what to do.
After opening the door, I carried Rachel Lan out in a frenzy, got into the car, and fished the keys from her pocket. I didn't have a license, but my cousin forced me to learn one summer in college. I never found time to take the test.
Once the car started, I floored the gas and sped off.
I had no idea how many red lights I ran, but I finally reached Fortune-Teller Street, carrying Rachel Lan as I ran down the street.
"Qingyuan, hurry!" Mrs. Blake seemed to know I was coming and was already waiting outside the shop.
I entered the couple's shop. The old man looked at Rachel Lan with deep worry.
"Kid, put the girl down first."
After I put Rachel Lan down, I grabbed the teapot from the table and gulped it down.
Mrs. Blake and the old man began examining Rachel Lan.
"This is unusual, sigh." Mrs. Blake sighed and stood up.
"Granny, is there a way?"
"Kid, go take a shower. You stink."
"Qingyuan, this girl might not make it. If the Brahma Order has a powerful enough monk, maybe there's hope."
I stood up, staring blankly at the two of them.
"Don't the Nether Syndicate people have a way?"
"Corpse Venom has reached her heart—and this isn't ordinary Corpse Venom. Unless you can get Corpse Jade, there's no hope."
"Where can I get it, Granny? Just tell me—I'll go right now!" I cried anxiously.
The old man shook his head and came closer.
"Foolish kid, that thing only comes from revenants over a hundred years old. We know where to find one, but it's at least a thousand kilometers away. This girl doesn't have that long."
I stared blankly at Rachel Lan lying on the mat, her skin dark and blue—a wave of sorrow washed over me.
"Qingyuan, maybe this is just her fate." Mrs. Blake seemed to sense my pain and held my hand.
"She's saved me more than once." I choked out.
"Brother, if you'll agree to one thing, I'll tell you how to save her." Suddenly, John Chou stepped out of the wall.
I turned to look at him.
"Filthy thing, you just barge in without being invited." The old man muttered.
"Fine, whatever it is, I'll do it."
John Chou nodded and smiled.
"Go find that bitch Yuna Ji. She has a way."