Chapter 19

Chapter 19

Lady Golden Flower let out an ear-piercing shriek. The vertical pupils in her face narrowed to thin slits, her thick, rotting snake tail slammed against the ground, two arms braced against the coffin while the gaping mouth on her belly sped up its devouring, and her other four arms swung out, reaching for Wei Xilou—

Some of the pale arms reaching out of the void pinned Lady Golden Flower down, while the others pulled harder, inch by inch dragging the coffin—already half-swallowed—back out by sheer force.

A thick, sticky fluid came out with it, and the air filled with the reek of rotting flesh.

At the sight, Lady Golden Flower immediately forgot about Wei Xilou. Her six arms flailed out and seized one end of the coffin, trying to yank it back.

The golden nanmu coffin was originally extremely sturdy, but after being corroded by Lady Golden Flower's fluids and then yanked with great force, it couldn't take it anymore and snapped clean in half—the two broken pieces flew off in opposite directions, slamming into the pillars of the ancestral hall, and the young man, who had been lying there with a peaceful expression, fell from midair.

Lady Golden Flower let out a strange shriek and lunged to grab him, but countless pale arms held her down, pressed tight against the ground, fingers tipped with sharp hooks dug into her flesh, pinning her to the ground.

Wei Xilou used her massive head as a springboard to leap up, caught the falling young man, and cradled him in his arms.

Robbed of her child, Lady Golden Flower let out a bloodcurdling howl. Her snake tail pounded the ground, leaving cracks in its wake, and she actually managed to wrench herself free from the countless ghost hands pinning her down.

"Holy shit, is it an earthquake?"

Wei Yao, who had worked up the courage to follow, felt the ground under his feet shaking violently. He swayed like he was standing on water, unable to keep his balance, his face went pale with alarm.

Wen Dajiang's eyes went glassy, and his body started trembling: "Earthquake, my ass—they're duking it out over there!"

Wei Yao followed his line of sight. Sure enough, he saw countless ghastly ghost hands reaching out from the ground and the air, holding Lady Golden Flower down. But Lady Golden Flower clearly wasn't about to give in—pulling an alligator-roll move, slapping and thrashing with all six arms and her tail, she tore through many ghost hands and stubbornly clawed her way back up.

Wei Yao's courage deflated like a popped balloon, letting out a "pfft, pfft": "How about we just wait till they're done fighting before we head over..."

Wen Dajiang and He Jiaqi were thinking the exact same thing, but before they could back away, one of the main players in this fight suddenly turned his head toward them. Even from way off, Wei Yao could feel those eyes on him, as if he was once again feeling that choking sensation of having his neck squeezed.

Wei Yao's scalp prickled, and every hair on the back of his neck stood up.

Sure enough, the next second, that familiar choking feeling was back at his throat—a pale ghost hand that seemingly came out of nowhere clamped onto his throat and hauled him in front of Wei Xilou.

Wei Yao kicked his legs frantically in midair, like a duck with its neck caught, powerless to fight back, his face turning bright red as he glared at Wei Xilou.

Earlier, from a distance, he hadn't noticed the other man was holding someone. Now that he was up close, he could see clearly, and he managed to choke out in broken words: "Xu... Muchan?!"

Wei Xilou's eyelids flickered slightly. Without a second thought, he shoved Wei Yao into the arms of the onrushing Lady Golden Flower.

Lady Golden Flower's six flailing arms came to a halt. She stared blankly, confused, at the person shoved into her hands.

Wei Xilou, in his great mercy, told her: "This is your baby. Hold him tight and don't let him get away again."

The vertical pupils in Lady Golden Flower's face slowly opened and shut, like a human blinking, and her garbled voice was full of confusion: "Baby?"

"..." Wei Yao couldn't help but curse out his ancestors eighteen generations back with the filthiest language.

Fuck me, what a shitty ancestor!

But he quickly didn't have time to keep cursing, because Lady Golden Flower lowered her head, and that huge face with a single, bizarre vertical pupil loomed in close, staring dead at Wei Yao.

The instant his eyes locked with hers, Wei Yao felt like his soul was leaving his body, drifting up and floating away.

"Baby," "Baby"...

A muttering voice kept calling out right by Wei Yao's ear.

A pure, innocent smile, the kind only a small child would have, spread across Wei Yao's face. He opened his arms, hugged Lady Golden Flower's finger, and nuzzled against it.

Wei Xilou glanced over and thought that, given the massive size difference, the person clutched in Lady Golden Flower's hand looked even more like a rat.

He couldn't care less about the rat's fate. Holding Xu Muchan, he turned to leave.

But Old Master Wei stopped him again.

When he saw his grandson in that thing's grip, Old Master Wei nearly had a heart attack and passed out on the spot.

He'd arrived late and missed how it started, had no idea his precious grandson had been shoved over by Wei Xilou himself. He thought his grandson had been grabbed by Lady Golden Flower, so he grabbed hold of the ancestor who was about to leave him high and dry, begging him humbly once more to save his grandson.

"..." Wen Dajiang and He Jiaqi, who'd seen the whole thing, opened their mouths, then closed them, then opened them again.

But in the end, cowed by his overbearing authority, they didn't dare reveal the ugly truth to his face.

Wei Xilou frowned: "Out of my way."

Old Master Wei flinched, and his fingers instinctively loosened, but when he caught a glimpse of his grandson in the distance, he tightened his grip again, racking his brain for some bargaining chip that could sway this ancestor who couldn't be won over by soft words or hard tactics.

Then he suddenly noticed the young man in the ancestor's arms. He didn't know who he was, but seeing how carefully the ancestor was guarding him, a scheme suddenly took shape in his mind.

"Does the ancestor have some history with this young friend? I can see his face is pale and his breathing is shallow. He should be taken to the hospital right away, or if we wait too long... something bad might happen..."

"As it happens, Wei Corporation has a stake in a private hospital, staffed with the best doctors and equipped with the best facilities. How about I have Jianguo drive the ancestor there?"

Old Master Wei watched Wei Xilou's expression while viciously jabbing his son with his cane.

Wei Jianguo caught on and quickly snapped to attention, sneaking a glance at Wei Xilou as he spoke cautiously: "Ancestor, should I call the driver now?"

That did the trick—it kept Wei Xilou from leaving.

Though he'd lain in a coffin for a hundred-odd years and many of his memories were hazy, he still had basic common sense. Achan was still just a regular person, and the current situation really did call for a hospital visit.

So many years had passed, and the Wei family still seemed to be doing pretty well for itself. He could manage on his own, but there was still Achan to think about, and the Wei family would definitely come in handy down the road.

Wei Xilou gave a nod: "Get the car ready."

A glint flashed in Old Master Wei's murky eyes, and he gazed at Wei Xilou with even greater eagerness: "Ancestor, what about my grandson..."

Wei Xilou finally deigned to look at him properly: "The Wei bloodline should have died out long ago. That it's survived to this day is all thanks to Lady Golden Flower's protection. If you want to get technical, that little rat is actually the offspring of Lady Golden Flower and your daughter-in-law. It wouldn't be wrong for him to call Lady Golden Flower 'Mom.'"

Old Master Wei's jaw dropped in shock. His lips quivered a few times before he managed to stammer out: "B-But that Lady Golden Flower is no good-hearted being! How could Yaoyao possibly survive in her hands?!"

"Hold a ceremony to acknowledge the kinship, proclaiming it to heaven, earth, gods, and ghosts. Have the little rat formally take her as his godmother. Then worship her devoutly from now on. If you can keep her happy, then anything can be worked out—she might even watch over the house and protect the family."

Old Master Wei listened, clearly still wavering, but Wei Xilou's patience had already run dry. Holding the young man, he turned and strode out.

Old Master Wei, with his bad legs, couldn't keep up with his stride, so he could only whack his son hard with his cane and frantically signal with his eyes for him to follow.

Wei Jianguo glanced back at his son, still in Lady Golden Flower's grip, sighed to himself, but followed anyway, figuring it was worth a shot.

The driver, who'd gotten the heads-up, was already waiting outside the Wei family's old estate. Wei Jianguo opened the car door while sneaking glances at Wei Xilou's face, seizing the opening to ask: "Ancestor, Yaoyao is still in that monster's... Lady Golden Flower's hands. He's not in danger, is he?"

Wei Xilou said, "He's not gonna die."

Wei Jianguo let out a small sigh of relief at that, pushed down his worry, and got into the passenger seat. He texted his wife to fill her in, then went along himself to the hospital.

At the hospital, the medical staff and VIP ward were already prepped and ready. As soon as they arrived, he was whisked off for a battery of tests, after which a dedicated senior caregiver escorted him back to the room.

Wei Xilou stayed by his side the whole time, showing a level of cooperation and patience that was unheard of for him, until he saw the caregiver about to change Xu Muchan into a hospital gown. Only then did he frown and say, "Get out."

The nurse was startled by the sudden voice, turned around to see Wei Xilou's cold face, and didn't dare say a word—just mumbled a low acknowledgment and hurried out, head bowed.

Only after leaving the ward did she muster the courage to glance back. The man in the dark blue long robe bent over, unbuttoning the clothes of the youth on the hospital bed.

What a weird pair, the nurse thought to herself.

That man in odd attire, giving off a menacing vibe, was one thing, but the unconscious youth was equally peculiar.

She'd heard that when he was brought in, his heartbeat had nearly stopped, and he looked practically dead—yet after a full examination, nothing was wrong with him at all.

Moreover, the nurse had never seen anyone with nails as long as that youth's—a full three inches, tinged dark blue-black. Combined with his skin, which was completely lacking in color, he looked just like the zombies from the horror movies she watched as a kid.

What's more, the patient was reportedly brought in personally by the hospital's big boss, who'd strictly forbidden anyone from talking about it, let alone spreading it around!

The more she thought about it, the more creeped out she felt. She rubbed the goosebumps on her arms and hurried away.

Back in the ward, Wei Xilou, after shooing the nurse out, lifted the youth and set him down on his lap.

The unconscious youth leaned against his chest, cheek pressed to his front, long black hair draping over his neck, with pale skin peeking through the strands—making him look as delicate as a porcelain doll, and just as docile.

Wei Xilou casually swept the youth's hair aside, tucking it behind his ear.

After eating the Black Taisui, Xu Muchan's body had undergone considerable changes, the most obvious being that his hair and nails had grown at an incredible speed—his hair, which had only been shoulder-length, now reached his chest.

His jet-black, soft hair felt amazing to the touch. Wei Xilou grasped a lock, lowered his head to inhale its scent, then moved on to playing with the youth's hands.

Unconscious, the youth's body had gone completely limp, letting himself be handled without resistance. Those hands were like works of art—flawless, with long, well-proportioned fingers, smooth knuckles without a crease, and a faint flush of color.

But the long, dark blue-black nails at his fingertips harshly ruined that beauty.

Wei Xilou stroked each nail, sharp as animal claws, thinking he'd need to find some nail clippers later to trim them.

Just then, the youth in his arms let out a soft moan, as if about to wake.

"Achan?"

Wei Xilou looked down at him, only to see the youth's lips part slightly, two long, pointed teeth pushing out against them. As if they itched, the youth ground his teeth, producing a faint grinding sound.

Wei Xilou found it adorable and reached out to touch those little fangs.

The youth, who'd been handled so freely, suddenly opened his eyes, pitch-black eyes staring at him.

Wei Xilou met his gaze, sensing something was off, and called again: "Achan."

Xu Muchan looked at him, and his sharp fangs suddenly clamped down, the tips sinking into the finger pressed against his lips.

Wei Xilou hissed softly, frowning at him, but didn't pull his hand away, letting the youth bite him as his tongue greedily lapped up the blood dripping from the wound.

Blood that wasn't licked away in time trickled down the youth's chin into the hollow of his neck, the dark red liquid staining his unnaturally pale skin.

Wei Xilou watched with narrowed eyes, smearing the blood on the youth's chin, then casually wiping it across his delicate eyelids, while pushing the bitten hand in a little deeper: "Tastes good?"

The youth held his finger in his mouth, his pupils pitch-black, with no whites showing.

Only his throat kept moving, making a low gurgling sound.

Wei Xilou chuckled to himself and murmured, "Seems it does."