Chapter 032: Boiling the Mother Worm

A large piece of konjac tofu, the side pressed against Zhou Beitang's body, had now completely changed color. It had become a bizarre shade of red, so strange it defied description.

Zhou Beitang was completely out of danger; the queen parasite inside him was now trapped within the konjac tofu I held.

I placed the tofu back on the plate and said to Shang Wuyong and the others, "Help him into his bathrobe, then carry him to his room so he can rest. He's fine now! I need to deal with this queen parasite immediately!"

Shang Wuyong looked reluctant, but nodded and began dressing Zhou Beitang.

I hurried out of the bathroom with the plate of konjac tofu.

"Quick! Find me a large basin! Not a plastic one, I need porcelain or aluminum! Hurry!" I called to Zhou Beitang's wife as I rushed out.

During dinner earlier, Zhou Beitang had introduced his family to me, so I knew everyone present.

"Alright!" Zhou Beitang's wife, though plain in appearance, was extremely capable. She dashed upstairs and soon returned with an aluminum basin.

"Put it on the table!" I instructed.

She complied, placing the basin as I asked. I quickly dumped the plate and tofu into it.

"Do you have a pot lid? Preferably a transparent glass one! If not, find a piece of glass!" I shouted again.

"Yes! There's one in the kitchen!" she replied, immediately heading off to fetch it.

She returned with a lid slightly smaller than the basin, but it fit well enough.

Exhaling in relief, I watched the covered konjac tofu.

"Good, now bring me an electric stove!" I said.

"Okay!" She went off to fetch it.

"And... could you please bring me some clean water?" I asked another woman.

This was the female assistant we'd met earlier in Zhou Beitang's office building. After helping the police handle the driver's body, she had come here to assist.

I had to admit, Zhou Beitang's assistant was truly competent.

"Of course!" she replied, setting off to fetch water.

Soon, everything was ready: electric stove, clean water.

I poured water into the aluminum basin until it half-filled, submerging the tofu. Placing the basin on the stove, I covered it with the glass lid.

As the electric stove glowed red, I kept my eyes fixed on the tofu.

I set the temperature low, wanting the water to heat slowly.

Minute by minute, the water grew warmer. Suddenly, the tofu twitched.

"Now you know it's hot? Too late!" I thought smugly.

This method had been recommended to me by the Master—a perfect technique for dealing with such creatures.

Boiling a frog in warm water: if you use hot water, it jumps out. With warm water, it doesn’t notice until it’s cooked.

I was applying the same principle to deal with the queen of the Thousand Shadows Blood Worm.

By the time it sensed danger, escape was impossible—the water was already scalding.

As the water neared boiling, I turned up the heat.

The stove blazed, the water bubbled.

Exhaling slowly, I knew it was done.

"Alright! Just keep boiling it until the water nearly dries out," I told the assistant and others.

Then I turned and headed for Zhou Beitang’s bedroom.

Inside, he had recovered.

"Mr. Yu..." Zhou Beitang greeted me, trying to sit up.

"Enough, Boss Zhou. Lie down, don’t get up," I told him.

"Thank you, Mr. Yu! I feel so much lighter now," Zhou Beitang said.

"Don’t mention it! You’re lucky—the queen hadn’t transformed yet. If we’d delayed any longer, the consequences would have been dire," I replied.

He hesitated, then said, "I... I just want to ask, are all my issues really solved?"

"Of course," I nodded.

"Um... I won’t have any of those worms left inside me, right?" he asked, still uneasy.

It was understandable. He’d seen me extract a worm from the driver’s ear, and knew that’s what killed him. His fear was only natural.

"So... is everything settled for my family, too?" he asked.

"Almost done! Nothing to worry about," I reassured him.

"Mr. Yu, please don’t say 'almost'—you must resolve everything for my family!" Zhou Beitang sounded anxious.

"Relax! If I’m taking your money, I’ll finish the job," I promised.

"Great! Thank you, Mr. Yu! I’ll arrange your reward tomorrow," he said.

Hearing this, I felt a surge of excitement.

Three hundred thousand!

A fortune.

With this sum, I could finally address my own problems. It was urgent I find a suitable geomantic site; if the Six Divine Heaven Killing Curse in my body erupted, it would be too late.

After chatting with Zhou Beitang, I checked on the boiling tofu.

By now, it was completely black, like thoroughly cooked pig’s blood.

Even the water had turned black, a layer of foam floating on the surface.

"No problem," I nodded, switching off the stove.

The queen Thousand Shadows Blood Worm was thoroughly destroyed, no longer a threat to anyone.

I asked the Zhou family to bring a clay jar, and dumped the tofu and water into it.

Then I instructed them to take the jar to the wilderness tomorrow morning and bury it deep.

By the time I finished everything, it was eleven o’clock at night.

Under the female assistant’s arrangements, the driver who had brought us earlier drove Shang Wuyong and me to a hotel.

After such a busy day, I was exhausted. I showered, then went straight to bed.

Zhou’s reward hadn’t yet been paid—a sum so large, I was eager for it. Tomorrow, I had to stay close to Zhou Beitang to collect my payment.

This reward was offered by Zhou Beitang himself, agreed in advance; whatever happened, he owed me.

Of course, if he tried to renege, it wouldn’t matter. I had countless ways to make him regret it.

Feng Shui can nurture, and it can kill.

Once I received the money, I wouldn’t keep it all for myself. I’d share a portion with Shang Wuyong—without him, I wouldn’t have gotten involved.

Knock, knock, knock!

It was past midnight when I got into bed, but I hadn’t slept long before someone knocked at my door.

"Who could be knocking at this hour?" I wondered, puzzled.

Knock, knock, knock...

The knocking persisted, forcing me reluctantly from bed.

"Who is it?" I asked through the door.

"It’s me!" a woman’s voice answered from outside.

Sweet and coquettish, the sound made my heart flutter.

But why would such a woman come to me at this hour?

"Who are you looking for? Maybe you’ve got the wrong door," I said.

"Oh, you’re so annoying—it’s me! Open up!" Her voice grew even more alluring, enough to make one’s bones melt.