Jill Jing was rarely willing to share her beloved cola. She held up the cap with her small hand, looking up at the boy in front of her.
Evan Lin reached out, patted her head, took a tiny sip from the little cap she handed him, shook his head slightly, drank it, and then returned the cap to her.
Jill Jing tightened the cola cap, walked beside Evan, backpack on her shoulders. A gentle breeze swept by, sunlight streamed down, and a few fallen leaves drifted with the wind.
"That person just now..." Nina Pei caught a glimpse of the scene out of the corner of her eye, froze for a moment, then quickly turned her head. All she saw was the back of a boy with a backpack and baseball cap, and Jill Jing gradually walking away.
"What's wrong?" Claire Sheng walked a couple of steps, noticed Nina hadn't caught up, stopped and looked at her with curiosity.
Following Nina's gaze, Claire happened to see Evan and Jill Jing's figures disappear around the street corner.
The street was bustling with cars. Looking around, there was no one else in sight.
"It's nothing, really. Let's go! Hotpot tonight, my treat. Suddenly, I just really want to eat something." Nina snapped back to herself, flashed Claire a smile, grabbed her hand, and quickly melted into the crowd.
"That... probably wasn't him, right?"
Nina wondered to herself, but she couldn't get the image of that boy's back out of her mind.
Now, after Gavin Duan's body had been transformed by the Evil Zombie Gu, his strength had skyrocketed.
"Looks like the spirit spring inside you is a bit fuller now."
When Evan Lin patted Jill Jing's head just now, he checked her body with inner sight. The little spring inside her had a few more drops of spirit water—still thin, but noticeably richer than before.
Jill Jing bounced along, saying nothing, hopping a few steps until she reached the corner.
Gavin Duan, face hidden by his oversized trench coat, stepped out from the shadows behind her.
He glanced at Evan Lin, a mix of fear and gratitude flickering in his eyes.
If Evan Lin hadn’t shown up before, Gavin would’ve been dead for good—he’d never have a chance to stick by Jill Jing’s side again.
"Drink this."
Evan Lin pulled a bottle of blood water from his bag and tossed it to Gavin Duan.
He’d scooped this bottle from the Four Spirits Blood Pool before leaving Thornridge Mountain.
Now that Gavin Duan's body had been remodeled by the Evil Zombie Gu, he was way tougher than before.
The Evil Zombie Gu—a nasty parasite from the Miao tribe—had a wicked power. It was different from the yin-fiend blood qi in the Four Spirits Blood Pool, but there were some similarities.
Gavin Duan took the bottle, gave it a quick look, then twisted off the cap without hesitation. The thick stench of blood hit him; after a brief pause, he tipped his head back and chugged it all.
As soon as the blood water went down, Gavin’s face flushed bright red. He grabbed his throat, eyes bulging, face twisted in agony.
He collapsed onto the ground, curling up into a ball, totally overwhelmed by the pain.
Jill Jing froze at the sight, then rushed forward to help him up—but Evan Lin grabbed her little backpack with one hand, stopping her in her tracks.
They were in a narrow alley between two apartment buildings.
Even though it was rush hour after school and work, luckily no one was paying attention to this side.
Gavin Duan's muscles twitched all over, his skin swelling and shrinking right before their eyes. He was shrouded in a haze of dark red mist.
"Let me go!"
Jill Jing dangled in midair, held up by Evan Lin gripping her backpack. She kicked her little legs, trying to move forward, but couldn't budge.
She turned her head and glared at Evan, her big round eyes full of worry.
"He's fine—it's just temporary pain. This is a must-pass stage if you want to get stronger. If his power isn't enough to protect you, I can erase him from this world without him feeling a thing."
Evan Lin spoke calmly, his face expressionless.
Hearing Evan's words, Jill Jing's pretty face grew complicated. She puffed up her cheeks, raised her foot, and kicked Evan twice. "You're such a bad guy!"
Evan Lin ignored Jill's tantrum and calmly watched Gavin Duan writhing on the ground, his body twisting and changing shape.
The blood water and mist from the Four Spirits Blood Pool held immense power.
The reason the Three Maiden Spirits could roam freely and drink their fill was because they didn’t have bodies—only soul forms, pure energy.
For them, absorbing the yin-fiend blood qi was pretty simple and pure.
But Gavin Duan was different.
That yin-fiend blood qi constantly hammered his veins and muscles. The rage built up over thousands of years was especially sensitive to living flesh.
The pain Gavin Duan was going through now was way worse than when the Evil Zombie Gu first took over his body.
One minute, two minutes, ten minutes...
An hour later.
Gavin Duan lay on the ground, barely moving—only his stomach rising and falling as his breathing slowly calmed.
He stared up at the sky above, the sunset blood-red.
Right now, he felt like all his bones had shattered, his muscles torn apart and remade—but the power inside him was stronger than ever.
He even thought that if a car barreled toward him at 200 km an hour, he’d dare to take it head-on.
That feeling of power sinking into his flesh made Gavin Duan want to shout for joy.
"Get up."
Evan Lin glanced over, then spoke slowly.
Gavin Duan didn’t dare hesitate. He got up from the ground, now standing two meters tall—built like a mountain.
His face, once hideous, now had skin again—no longer so grotesque it made people sick.
"You got taller!" Jill Jing turned to Gavin Duan, eyes wide, mouth agape in amazement.
Evan Lin let Jill Jing down. She hugged her cola, dashed over to Gavin, and nervously poked his new skin—it was super springy.
Gavin Duan stared at his hands in disbelief. The new skin made him feel like he was dreaming.
"Looks like that bottle of blood water got absorbed perfectly." Evan Lin sized Gavin up, then held out his palm: "Come on, throw a punch."
"Hit me here."
"You..." Gavin Duan hesitated, his whole body brimming with explosive power. Seeing Evan's posture, he paused, uncertain: "But I'm afraid..."
"Hit me here with everything you've got—let me see just how strong you are now."