Chapter 030: The Path Before the Gate

The gasoline that Zhou Beitang had sent arrived. Several large iron barrels, all filled to the brim. With this supply, the fire in the pond blazed even fiercer, leaving no escape for the frogs that tried to leap out.

"Be careful!" I reminded them.

The flames raged on, the heat so intense that it was impossible to approach.

"Come here!" At the peak of the fire, I beckoned Zhou Beitang over.

"Mr. Yu..." Zhou Beitang hurried to my side, calling out to me.

I nodded, then took out a talisman for warding off evil and handed it to him. "Here, keep this close to your body."

This talisman was one left by my mentor. With it, at least the mother parasite within him could be temporarily suppressed.

The evil in the pond was dealt with; now I had to find a way to handle the Thousand Shadows Bloodworm in her body.

The Thousand Shadows Bloodworm—this was my first encounter with such a thing. I had only heard my mentor mention it in passing, and found some descriptions in ancient texts.

At the beginning, it was merely a malignant energy.

In traditional medicine, there's a saying: "Evil wind enters the body." This so-called evil wind refers to such malignant energy. There are countless ways this energy can form, and poor feng shui in a house is one of them.

Take Zhou Beitang as an example: his situation arose because of the bow-shaped killing force in front of his house, which caused malignant energy to gather in the pond at his doorstep. Once this malignant energy accumulates, it takes on physical form, manifesting as those bizarre toads.

When malignant energy solidifies, things rarely end well.

Such a feng shui layout typically harms the owner. The gathered evil naturally entered Zhou Beitang's body. Thanks to this arrangement, the malignancy inside him transformed again, becoming the dreadful Thousand Shadows Bloodworm.

Then, from within the bloodworm, a powerful mother parasite was born. With the mother parasite, the problem became truly severe.

Under its control, the bloodworm converts to malignant energy and invades those with strong vital forces. The person invaded feels nothing at all. The bloodworm matures in just two days, and can claim a life without any warning.

If it manages to kill nine people, it evolves into the Thousand Shadows Blood Bat.

The Thousand Shadows Blood Bat—even my mentor, Master Miao, Master Xie, or those more formidable, could only flee if confronted with such a terror.

Zhou Beitang's luck wasn't too bad; seven had died so far, not the full nine. In this misfortune, that was a stroke of luck.

Of course, the bloodworm's evolution into the blood bat isn't strictly tied to nine deaths. Special circumstances might accelerate or delay it—there's no certainty.

So now, I just hope Zhou Beitang doesn't get unlucky and encounter something extraordinary.

The fire burned on, finally dying down as the sun began to set.

"Xiaowei, should we bring more gasoline? Burn it another night?" Shang Wuyong asked me.

Seeing his eagerness for drama, I sighed inwardly.

"No need for now. Go down and check things out," I told him.

"Huh? Me... I go down?" Shang Wuyong looked at me, a bit uneasy.

"What, scared?" I teased.

"Me... scared? Are you kidding? It's just a few toads—why would I be scared?" Shang Wuyong puffed his chest.

"Really? Then go check if those things are all burnt up," I said.

I'd already used my compass to inspect—the malignant energy in the pond had been thoroughly purged by the fierce fire.

I had Shang Wuyong go down mostly to mess with him. The pond mud was baked dry; even with shoes, it would scald his feet.

Still, it wasn't just mischief—I preferred to be thorough.

"Fine, I'll go!" Shang Wuyong pouted, then turned and jumped into the pond.

"Damn! It's hot!"

"Yu Wei, you're messing with me, aren't you? It's so hot—what am I supposed to look for? There's nothing left, not even an ant!"

Watching him bounce around in the pond, I felt a strange satisfaction.

"Hey, can you manage? Dig through those heaps and check inside!"

"If I’d known, I’d have had Wu Wei do it!"

I deliberately provoked him, hoping he'd stay a bit longer. Unwilling to lose, he gritted his teeth and poked through the heaps of smoldering ashes.

Once I confirmed no hidden malignancy remained, I told him to come up.

"Boss Zhou, tomorrow have someone fill in the pond and plant some evergreen shrubs like Lucky Bamboo," I said to Zhou Beitang.

Zhou Beitang waved his hand. "No need to wait for tomorrow—I can have it done tonight."

That’s true—money makes all things convenient.

"Great! The sooner it’s filled, the better," I replied.

"Alright!" Zhou Beitang answered, then went off to make calls.

His family had been out earlier, but now they returned. Seeing the house looking as though bandits had ransacked it, they were astonished.

Once they learned the details, they all expressed support and understanding, quickly preparing a meal to host us.

As always, money makes everything easier.

As night fell, several tables of food were ready.

After a day’s exhaustion, I was hungry and unhesitatingly took up a bowl to eat.

After dinner, three excavators arrived.

Three machines working at once soon leveled the pond. A short while later, rows of evergreens were planted.

The entrance couldn't be filled entirely with plants; a path had to remain.

To improve the feng shui, I used lime to mark out a winding path for Zhou Beitang, instructing him to later lay gravel along the lines.

The path I drew was gently curved and meandering—a design ideal for a house’s front entrance.

The road must never be perfectly straight, nor too sharply curved; a gentle winding arc is best.

With these tasks finished, I had Zhou Beitang find a quiet room to sit.

"Most issues are settled. Now, we need to deal with the mother parasite in you. That’s the greatest trouble." Sipping the tea offered by the Zhou family, I told Zhou Beitang.

"Yes... I’m relying on you, Mr. Yu. Don’t worry, you’ll get every penny of the reward as promised!" Zhou Beitang looked fearful.

Understandable—anyone with a parasite inside would be unsettled.

"Did you prepare the water I asked for?" I inquired.

"Yes! The water boiled with pomelo leaves is ready," Zhou Beitang replied.

I had him make arrangements in advance.

"Good. Go to the bathroom, pour the water into the tub, and soak yourself. When you feel a headache or itching, call for me," I instructed.

"Uh... so, should I... undress completely?" he asked, embarrassed.

"Isn’t that obvious? Do you normally bathe with your clothes on?" I smiled.

"Alright, I’ll go now!" Zhou Beitang rose awkwardly.

I understood his concern—he feared it would be awkward when I entered later.

But there was no way around it; dealing with the parasite required this.

Besides, he was an old man—I had no interest in him. And with his flabby body, even if he were a woman, I wouldn't be tempted.

"You two, come in with me later—you'll need to help me. I may not be able to handle it alone," I said to Shang Wuyong and the other.

"Sure, no problem!"

"Yeah, happy to help! Working with you is actually quite fun!"

They acted unconcerned, but I felt uneasy—not knowing how severe Zhou Beitang's mother parasite had grown.

Time ticked by.

After seventeen or eighteen minutes, I finally heard Zhou Beitang calling from the bathroom, "Mr. Yu... Mr. Yu..."

Hearing his call, I immediately stood up, grabbed my bag, and rushed into the bathroom...