Chapter 10
A month passed quickly. Autumn arrived, bringing a chill to the air. The leaves in the courtyard turned yellow and fell, scattering across the ground.
After countless days and nights of research, Song Ling and Li Xinjun confirmed that glutinous rice could indeed neutralize the corpse poison. Brother Wu’s wound had healed completely, and he showed no signs of any adverse effects after a period of observation.
To their relief, Shitou also gradually returned to normal. He no longer went berserk upon waking and no longer needed to be sedated. The scratch on his arm had also healed.
As a precaution, Song Ling had both Brother Wu and Shitou remain at the residence for further observation. However, there was no progress with Uncle Wang. Despite their attempts with glutinous rice, black dog blood, and even garlic, they could only repel him, not restore him to his former self.
The ever-resourceful Li Xinjun had exhausted every imaginable ingredient: rice, flour, oil, salt, soy sauce, vinegar, tea, cooked rice, cold dishes, fruits, honey, flowers, herbs, and more. Anything she could find, she tried on Uncle Wang. He was practically at his wit’s end, but nothing worked.
Sometimes, Song Ling couldn’t bear to watch Li Xinjun’s relentless experiments on Uncle Wang. She believed that if Uncle Wang still had any semblance of consciousness, he would beg Li Xinjun for a swift end. Sadly, he was now like a wild beast, only responding to the scent of blood, oblivious to everything else.
They realized that perhaps once someone had fully transformed into a jiangshi, there was no turning back. If that were the case, they had to find a more effective way to eliminate them. After all, they had barely managed to destroy the jiangshi in the cave.
If there were only one or two, it wouldn’t be a problem. But if there were more, they would be overwhelmed. Realizing this, Song Ling focused her efforts on researching talismans and spells, hoping to find a better method to combat jiangshi.
Li Xinjun didn’t slack off either. She continued to experiment on Uncle Wang with various objects, but instead of food and everyday items, she now resorted to weapons. One day a knife, the next day an arrow, the day after a broadsword. Uncle Wang’s body was accumulating an alarming number of wounds.
“Uncle Wang, come out! Why are you hiding in the corner? Look what I brought for you to play with today!” Li Xinjun stood before the cage, brandishing an axe.
“Roar! Roar!” Uncle Wang growled angrily.
“What’s wrong? Are you angry? Angry that I chopped off your finger yesterday? But you don’t feel pain! Don’t be so stingy! I didn’t do it on purpose. I’m just experimenting on you for the good of everyone.”
“Roar! Roar! Roar!”
“Stingy! No, stingy jiangshi!”
“Roar!”
“Come out here! Don’t think you can hide from me! Come out!”
“Roar! Roar! Roar!”
“Fine, if you won’t come out, that’s okay. I won’t play with the axe today. I’ll play with my bow and arrow. Let’s see how you dodge that!”
“Roar! Roar! Roar!”
Everyone watched in astonishment as the girl and the jiangshi seemingly engaged in a conversation. Their jaws dropped. They had grown accustomed to Li Xinjun’s habit of talking to the jiangshi, but strangely, Uncle Wang had started responding to her words. Their back-and-forth banter, one speaking and the other growling, was both bizarre and hilarious.
Although Song Ling found Li Xinjun’s antics absurd, she didn’t stop her, allowing her to experiment freely. Her only condition was that Li Xinjun couldn’t kill Uncle Wang before they found the most effective way to deal with jiangshi. Otherwise, where would they find another one for their research? Li Xinjun agreed.
Brother Wu, observing Li Xinjun’s treatment of Uncle Wang, felt a chill run down his spine. He was grateful that he hadn’t become a jiangshi. Otherwise, he might be the one enduring this torture. It was a fate worse than death. He felt a pang of sympathy for Uncle Wang and thanked his lucky stars that he wasn’t the unfortunate jiangshi.
Li Xinjun, completely focused, was oblivious to Brother Wu’s thoughts. She continued to provoke Uncle Wang, determined to find the most effective weapon against his hardened body.
The cage was quite spacious, and Uncle Wang often retreated to the corner upon seeing her. This frustrated Li Xinjun because Song Ling had forbidden her from opening the cage door, fearing that Uncle Wang might injure her. Therefore, Li Xinjun had to find ways to experiment from outside the cage.
The cage, originally built by Minister Chen to protect the people inside the residence, had ironically become Uncle Wang’s safe haven, shielding him from Li Xinjun’s attacks.
Li Xinjun, looking at Uncle Wang cowering in the corner, felt annoyed. She racked her brains, trying to figure out how to make him cooperate with her experiments. Finally, she decided to lure him with blood, just like one would use treats to train a dog.
Acting on her idea, she went to the kitchen and asked Sister Sang for a bowl of fresh chicken blood. She returned to the cage and showed it to Uncle Wang, who immediately rushed forward, his eyes fixated on the bowl.
Li Xinjun smiled faintly and waved the bowl of blood in front of him. Uncle Wang’s gaze followed the bowl as if hypnotized.
“Uncle Wang, do you want this bowl of fresh chicken blood? It’s delicious! I just had Sister Sang slaughter a hen for it. It’s very fresh.”
“Roar!”
“Well, if you want it, you have to let me hit you with my axe. Then I’ll let you drink your fill, alright?”
“Roar! Roar! Roar!”
“I’ll take that as a yes. Now, stand still and don’t move. I’ll leave the blood here for you to smell while I fetch the axe. Be good.”
Li Xinjun set the bowl down and dashed off to get the axe. Uncle Wang reached out his hands from inside the cage, trying to grab the bowl of blood, but it was too far away. He strained, desperately trying to reach it.
Seizing the opportunity while his hands were extended, Li Xinjun raised the axe and swung it down hard on Uncle Wang’s arm. Uncle Wang quickly retracted his hands and stumbled back in fear.
“Roar! Roar! Roar!”
“Ugh, it still didn’t pierce through. This is so frustrating… What weapon can I use to penetrate a jiangshi’s body? Hmm…”
“Roar! Roar! Roar!”
“Alright, alright, stop yelling. I know I promised to let you drink your fill. Here you go, okay? You’re so noisy.”
Li Xinjun picked up the bowl of blood and pushed it through the bars of the cage. Uncle Wang immediately grabbed the bowl and gulped down the blood, his mouth smeared with crimson. The sight was gruesome, but Li Xinjun was unfazed. She had grown accustomed to such scenes.
Except for Song Ling and Li Xinjun, no one else was allowed near Uncle Wang for fear of getting hurt. Since Song Ling was busy treating patients, Li Xinjun was responsible for feeding him.
“Happy now? I kept my promise. I said I’d give it to you after one hit, and I did. Is it good?”
“Roar~”
“Heh, you seem to be enjoying it.”
“Roar! Roar~”
“Uncle Wang, why don’t you just tell me what weapon works best on you? Then I won’t have to rack my brains anymore.”
“Roar! Roar! Roar!”
“Hmph! Fine, don’t tell me. Why are you so fierce? Even if you don’t tell me, I’ll figure it out myself. I’ll find even more weapons to try on you tomorrow!”
“Roar! Roar! Roar!”
“Hmph, I’m ignoring you now. I’m going to find Sister Ling. You can reflect on your behavior!”
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