prynovel Chapter 6: Concealment, Father and Son's Deep Talk; Devouring, Demon Core Fusion
Chapter 6: Concealment, Father and Son's Deep Talk; Devouring, Demon Core Fusion
The carriage bumped along the snow-covered official road.
Ji Lin leaned against Yun Cui's chest, his body still trembling slightly under the blanket.
Outside the carriage came suppressed conversations, the sound of horses' hooves clashing in the snow, the scraping of armor, and the intermittent groans of the wounded.
Ji Lin overheard his father speaking in a low voice to the county magistrate, his tone heavy, but he never uttered the word "demon".
"...It must have been a strange beast from the mountains, enormous in size like a black bear, with scales as hard as iron all over its body. It has already been killed."
"What Lord Ji said is absolutely right. This time, with the ferocious beasts causing trouble, this county will definitely submit a petition to the prefecture and request that the prefecture allocate grain and weapons, organize local militia, and wipe out the remaining beasts in the mountains and fields."
"Thank you for your help, Magistrate."
The conversation was brief, a tacit understanding that was being concealed.
Ji Lin's eyelashes fluttered.
It was his father protecting him. Too many people had seen his demonic state.
It was late at night when they returned to the Ji residence.
The mansion was brightly lit. Ji Lin was helped into his own courtyard, and then Yun Cui went to prepare hot soup and ginger tea.
Ji Chang'an immediately ordered someone to find a famous doctor in the city to examine Ji Lin's wounds, while he himself went to the pharmacy in the mansion to find some wound medicine to apply to Ji Lin.
"Lin'er, how is your injury? Let me apply some medicine for you. I've already sent someone to find a doctor." Ji Chang'an hurriedly opened Ji Lin's door and went in with the medicine.
Ji Lin was lying on the bed with a soft cotton mattress on his body. A stove was burning beside him. His face was pale, and he looked like he had been drained of most of his energy.
"Father, it should be nothing serious." Ji Lin opened his clothes, revealing several black wounds that looked strange no matter how you looked at them.
What's puzzling is that the wound has healed by more than half in just one or two hours compared to before.
Ji Chang'an finally witnessed his son's extraordinary side today. If he had arrived any later, the wound would probably have already healed completely.
"It's a pity we didn't find my sister's remains..." The two remained silent for two breaths.
Ji Lin pondered for a long time on the way back, and had already figured out how to tell his father about his transformation into a demon.
"Father, do you now believe in demons, disasters, and strange phenomena in the world?"
Ji Chang'an sighed, his eyes filled with complex emotions: "After what happened today, I realize that what you said is true."
"The reason I became like this is related to Guan Wencang. I obtained a trace of abnormal power from him." Ji Lin knew what his father wanted to know, but it was difficult to explain about the system, so he simply called it a serendipitous encounter.
"Is that so? Won't that have any negative effects on your health?" Ji Chang'an asked worriedly.
"Not at the moment, but I'm not sure if I can still be considered human now." Ji Lin then briefly told Ji Chang'an about the contents of "Tales of Strange Things in the Thirty Years of Yuan Jing".
"Yuan Jing is dead from demonic possession, and the anomaly is resurfacing..." Ji Chang'an murmured to himself, his heart tightening.
"Lin'er, it's best not to tell anyone about this yet, it might cause panic," he said earnestly.
"Well, we'll keep it a secret for now, but we need to make some preparations in secret to deal with the arrival of the abnormal resurgence. For example, we should keep an eye out for people who have had extraordinary encounters, or cultivate some talents. At that time, there is a high possibility that a large-scale outbreak of abnormal events may occur, and the situation may get out of control..." Ji Lin told his father about his concerns about the abnormal era.
After a long and in-depth discussion, the father and son reached a consensus.
"Lin'er, you should rest now." Ji Chang'an slowly left.
"Father, take care."
After Ji Chang'an left, Ji Lin began to ponder the problem of devouring the demon core. According to "Tales of Strange Things", killing a "demon" might yield a secret weapon of the demon form. He would try to fuse with it and see what unexpected skills might appear.
A thought flashed through his mind, and the system began to prompt:
[Should we begin absorbing the demon core?]
"Yes."
[Beginning to devour the demon core...]
Ji Lin felt the changes within his body. A warm current, even stronger than before, flowed through his body. His bones creaked, and his muscles bulged slightly. He was stronger than before, and his body felt much lighter. He even felt that his vision and hearing were much better than those of ordinary people.
It seems like this improvement is significant; even without using the demonic body, he's no worse than a top-tier expert.
【Ding! 】
[Successfully absorbed the demon core...]
[Gained Skill: Demonic Appearance - Shadow Strike]
[Note: This skill's damage is boosted by agility, and gains a certain bonus in the dark.]
Excellent, this skill is practically tailor-made for me.
Moreover, they arrived just in time; their predicament during the battle against the Black Troll was precisely due to a lack of offensive means.
This time, they finally made up for their weakness in attack.
He opened the properties panel information:
【Season Arrival】
[Outliers: 3]
【Strength: 10/20】
Agility: 12/20
[Constitution: 10/20]
[Spirit: 10/20]
[Skill: Demonic Appearance - Shadow Strike]
Sure enough, after absorbing that magic core, his attributes were comprehensively improved. All four attributes broke through 10 points, and the upper limit was raised to 20, which has already broken through the limit of ordinary people.
Then add the remaining 3 abnormal points to Agility to increase the damage of the [Shadow Strike] skill.
The agility stat in the attribute bar changed from 12 to 15, and the anomalies were cleared again.
He felt his body becoming lighter and lighter. Although it wasn't as effective as absorbing the demon core, his speed was now two or three times faster than before. What would happen if he added the effect of fusing with demon blood?
With a thought, he fused with demonic blood.
Ji Lin transformed into his demonic form once again. This time, the demonic form underwent significant changes, with his entire body becoming taller and more robust than before, and the black patterns appearing even more intricate.
He then opened the template:
【Season Arrival】
[Outliers: 0]
【Strength: 10/20】
Agility: 28/20
[Constitution: 10/20]
[Spirit: 10/20]
[Skill: Demonic Appearance - Shadow Strike]
Agility increased to 28, resulting in a significant speed boost.
He was very satisfied with his gains and then transformed back into human form.
Looking at his wound again, he found it completely healed. Could it be true, as the black troll had said, that devouring other demons would bring healing?
If it had succeeded, none of us would have been enough to satisfy its teeth. Thank goodness!
He closed the information panel and decided to go for a walk around the city tomorrow to see if there was any other information about the anomaly.
The next day, Ji Lin, still with Yun Cui in his arms, rode around the city in a carriage.
The market was as noisy as ever, filled with vendors hawking their wares and people chatting about everything from everyday matters to national affairs. The only difference was that Ji Lin overheard some whispers he wouldn't normally hear; these gossips were often quite private.
"I heard that Master Wang is having an affair with the wife of the county magistrate and also has a foot fetish."
"I heard that couples having affairs near the Huai River were all swept into the river. What karma!"
"I heard that many people have recently gone missing near the pleasure boats at night, and they can't be found..."
"I heard that the Ji family members are not human, but demons in disguise. My cousin saw it with his own eyes."
Hmm? Ji Lin's expression turned serious. How did they hear his gossip? It seems that information can't be kept secret after all. Let it be; they'll have to face it sooner or later.
Ji Lin drove around the city several times until noon. Apart from receiving information about the missing pleasure boat, he found no other signs of anything unusual. So he ordered the driver to take him back to the Ji residence.
As soon as he stepped into his house, he saw the county magistrate carrying several colorful gift boxes as a guest at the Ji residence.
"Oh dear, Young Master Ji, are your injuries any better? Why aren't you taking better care of them?" The magistrate spoke very politely, showing concern for Ji Lin.
"Thank you for your concern, sir. My injury has been diagnosed and treated by a renowned doctor, who said it's nothing serious and just needs some medicine," Ji Lin replied, bowing respectfully.
Upon hearing this, Ji Chang'an hurriedly came out to greet him. "Lin'er, why didn't you invite the master in to sit down?"
The group chatted as they entered the living room.
"Does Young Master Ji know anything about the anomaly?" The magistrate suddenly changed the subject.
Ji Lin and Ji Chang'an both understood each other perfectly. The magistrate's purpose this time was to test them and also to find out how much information the father and son had about the anomaly. This matter was extraordinary, and whoever made the most thorough preparations would gain the upper hand, since anomaly resources were extremely scarce.
"As I said before, there are indeed demons in the world. I only had a chance encounter, and I don't know much else about them," Ji Lin replied calmly.
"Young master, please take good care of your injuries. I've troubled you. Farewell." Seeing that he couldn't get any more information from him, the magistrate hurriedly left.
"You're too kind, sir." Ji Chang'an politely saw him to the door.