Chương 30: Curses (Final)

Bai Xiaomeng scrambled to her feet in terror, attempting to put distance between herself and Lucian. Wang Chen seemed a bit confused, forcing himself to limp and stand between Lucian and Bai Xiaomeng. Seeing their widened eyes and cautious, fearful behavior, Lucian was puzzled for a second before it dawned on him. My appearance isn't befitting a living person. As of now, he was covered in blood, most of his clothes were torn, and his tendons and bones could be seen with the naked eye.

Adding to that, a crimson energy filled his open wounds as Blood Essence held his body in place with difficulty. Besides, he had only one arm, and his face wasn't the same as that Wang Chen and Bai Xiaomeng had seen when they met. After the Curse of Gluttony, Lucian had made no effort to show his new appearance to the duo, always covering his body with black robes to avoid the sunlight. However, even if they had seen his new facial feature, it wouldn't have mattered.

His face was bleeding from the torn muscles, a residual effect of not being able to deal with the Curse of Wrath. He honestly looked like a monster. Nonetheless, Lucian had no time to waste erasing their doubts. Using the rest of his Blood Essence reserves, he conjured a rune on the surface of his brain. On it, there was a crimson image of a four-fingered hand holding a neck. Devilish Arts: Boon of Lust – Out of Touch"Guard my body," he said, his devilish voice invading the duo's mind.

"Throw every body piece with a drop of blood around me." He would rather hypnotize and control them to abide by his orders, but he lacked the Blood Essence and strength to do so. While Wang Chen and Bai Xiaomeng flinched and held their foreheads in pain, Lucian bent over and clawed the ground, digging a hole like a beast. The bleeding Wang Chen and the shaken Bai Xiaomeng didn't talk or move. Even after the headache dissipated, they remained still.

Inwardly, they instinctively wanted the predator in front of them to forget about their existence. Especially for Wang Chen, this feeling was getting worse by the second. As soon as Lucian had spoken, he became aware of his identity, and because of their connection, he could feel Lucian's growth. This alone made him want to grovel on the ground and ask for forgiveness for his past behaviour. Under their widened gaze, Lucian finished digging and let his body drop to the ground.

Hi s face hit the earth, bringing a wave of dizziness and tiredness instead of pain. The earth seemed to hug him, as his breath slowed and his body grew numb. In Lucian's left eye, a black rune of a half-closed eye formed by three lines appeared. Curse of Sloth Without means to resist, he closed his eyes, his heartbeat stilling. He had fallen into true slumber.

Above the ground, outside the hole, as soon as Lucian closed his eyes and the Curse of Sloth activated, Wang Chen and Bai Xiaomeng took a deep breath, both feeling a weight lifted from their backs.

"That was—""Young Master," Bai Xiaomeng interrupted Wang Chen, rushing to him. Her face filled with tears as she ripped the hem of her dress to stanch the wound on his belly.

"Are you in pain? Where did you leave our supply bag? There's medicine inside!" Wang Chen avoided Bai Xiaomeng's gaze and blushed, stealing a glance at the patch of clear skin she revealed when tearing her dress. Smelling the aroma of her breath and sensing her warm hands took all the pain away, leaving him stunned for a second. Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

"I'm okay," he said, blinking and suddenly sensing how dangerous the situation was.

"We need to flee, Little Meng!"

"No!" she said resolutely.

"What?" He sounded perplexed. Bai Xiaomeng was concerned about him, and given how hellish the previous hour had been, leaving this place was an obvious choice in his view. So, he couldn't understand why she wanted to stay. They were in the middle of a village overtaken by what he thought were possessed bodies! Besides, he guessed that Lucian was a Demonic Cultivator, and a chance to escape wouldn't appear twice.

"Why not?" Wang Chen asked, grabbing her by the shoulders.

"This place is full of evil ghosts eager to drag us to the underworld! I can't let you die here!" Bai Xiaomeng stared at him for a moment, then refocused on treating his wounds.

"The whims of a cultivator destroyed the Wang Clan," she whispered, apparently changing the subject.

"The Bai Clan had to flee because cultivators took our business, and we lost almost everyone to rogue cultivators. They are a plague to us." Wang Chen listened to her. Instead of getting whatever point she was trying to make, he ended up becoming angry and confused.

"I don't understand, Little Meng," he said, his eyes shaking.

"Talking about the past won't help us!"

"This village," she said in a sad tone.

"I'm sure it was filled with life. Children playing and nice aunts bothering their sons to marry." Biting her lip, she raised her head. Tears streamed down her face as she stared at Wang Chen.

"One of those possessed wooden corpses outside," she hiccupped, pausing slightly.

"It was from a child! A little child!" Wang Chen lowered his eyes, coldness spreading through his heart.

"They too died because of cultivators," Bai Xiaomeng cried.

"No matter where we go, no matter what we do, we will always be slaves to our fate as mortals."

"That's not true—""We were supposed to die twice already," she shouted.

"You were brought from the underworld's gate, as far as I can tell! We could end up dead as soon as we reach the next village!"

"Little Meng—""Why should we flee? Why can't we stay with that Demonic Cultivator? Because he's bad?" Hearing Bai Xiaomeng's shouts, Wang Chen's eyes bulged, and he hugged her.

"Don't say that, Little Meng," he said, trembling." He could kill us. You know how evil Demonic Cultivators are. And you saw what he did with those bandits' bodies in the forest."

"Young Master Wang," Bai Xiaomeng cried, hugging him.

"Cultivators are a danger to us since we were born! Cultivators desecrate bodies, turning them into these wooden monsters! I beg you, let's stay with him. I want us to live! That man, whoever he is, can protect us!" Letting her feelings run wild, Bai Xiaomeng cried her heart out. All the death, blood, battles, and trauma were crushing her. And t he more she cried, the more her sadness diminished, and an unknown feeling took place. Meanwhile, Wang Chen caressed her while hugging her back.

He didn't care about how close their bodies were or how much pain he felt. A t that moment, he cared more about how powerless he felt. They had to depend on another man, a ruthless one, because he had no strength to protect them. Wang Chen ignored his own wounds, hugging Bai Xiaomeng in silence. He wanted to stay like that for as long as it was necessary. However, the blood leaking from his belly and arm began to stain her clothes, and with a jolt, Bai Xiaomeng took two steps back.

"Oh my heavens," she shook her head, blanching.

"Young Master, I'm sorry! Please, let us go find medicine. We can discuss other things after you are treated!"

"We will stay," Wang Chen said, smiling softly and grabbing her hand.

"We will stay as long as you want to stay, and go if you want to go. I won't lie to you, Little Meng. You are smarter than me, and see things that I don't. So, say what we should do, and we will!" Blushing under his touch, Bai Xiaomeng half-shouted in distress, putting on a playful tone to disguise her feelings.

"What are you talking about? Losing too much blood is making you stupid! Let's treat your wounds, Young Master!" Wang Chen nodded and then asked with a frown, "What about the evil ghosts outside?" Bai Xiaomeng shook her head and glanced at the hole in the ground where Lucian was.

"I believe they were handled," she said meekly. Glancing at one another, Bai Xiaomeng took the initiative and pulled Wang Chen.

"Now, come!"

"Little Meng, you aren't even concerned anymore," Wang Chen laughed.

"You can't pull me like that! I'm in pain!"

"How old are you? A man of your size making this little lady drag you..."

"Ouch." Continuing their bickering, they left the cellar, knowing full well they would follow Lucian's previous order about gathering the corpses. They had made their decision, for better or worse.