Chapter 66: Treatment

The reason Zhou You came to this conclusion was simple.

Although the theme of this scenario was “hunger,” there was actually an abundance of edible things in this place.

Up to now, he had encountered only five types of food in this scenario.

Human flesh, Grand Duke Jupiter flesh, livestock transformed through Grand Duke Jupiter’s accelerated Animal Transformation, demon flesh, and ordinary grain.

The first three existed in complete surplus.

To say nothing else, the human corpses in the pig demon’s lair alone would have been enough to carry him through this stretch of the journey.

If he added the Grand Duke Jupiter flesh from the caravan and looted villages like Xue Family Village, he could probably walk right out of Cangzhou.

In contrast, demon meat without side effects and ordinary grain fit for human consumption were pitifully scarce.

From the beginning until now, Zhou You had hardly seen either of them.

After spending so much time with the System, Zhou You had gradually come to understand something.

This black book might be sinister, cunning, shameless, despicable, and hypocritical, but at the very least, it did not waste effort.

Since it had established such restrictions, there was a strong possibility that refraining from eating human flesh and Grand Duke Jupiter flesh was required to reach the ending.

But while Zhou You was still carefully considering this, activity suddenly broke out over there.

The man covered in black fur seemed finally unable to endure the agony of his flesh and bones being reshaped.

His struggles grew increasingly violent.

With one final twist, he actually threw off all the people restraining him!

Zhou You frowned and stepped forward.

Without saying a word, and without using the One-Word Truth, he simply kicked out with both feet and struck the man’s knees.

The charging figure immediately collapsed to the ground.

Over the past few days, Zhou You had discovered that this body’s original owner was probably a trained martial artist.

As for how skilled he had been, Zhou You could not tell.

But certain things had long since been etched into the body’s muscle memory.

The man still tried to struggle.

Zhou You cleanly stepped on him, pinned him down, borrowed a hemp rope from someone nearby, and swiftly tied him up.

Only then did he send all the spectators several dozen meters away, under the pretext of preventing accidental injury.

Afterward, he quietly asked the old Daoist,

“Master, what do we do now?”

“Very simple. This kid only ate a little of the meat. Just make him vomit up what’s in his stomach. He’ll definitely suffer a severe loss of vitality afterward, but at least he’ll survive.”

“...Then should I punch him in the stomach?”

The old Daoist immediately spat in disdain.

“You think this is some fool who ate spoiled food? Monsters can eat this bestial-transformation flesh just fine. It passes through their digestive system and comes out normally.”

“But once a human swallows it, it clings to the internal organs.”

“Unless you pour yin ghost blood down his throat, he’ll never vomit it out.”

“Then what about using White Dew Spitting Silk’s heart blood?”

The old Daoist instantly rejected the idea.

“My dear disciple, if you want this entire village to become a ghost domain, just say so.”

“Ordinary people would be in danger of turning into ghosts from merely touching that stuff, let alone drinking it.”

“When the resulting aberrations start killing people, do you think this bunch of elderly, weak, sick, and disabled villagers can survive it?”

Zhou You sighed helplessly.

“That won’t work, and this won’t work. Master, do you actually have a solution or not?”

Hearing the obvious provocation, the old Daoist immediately became irritated.

“What kind of way is that to talk? How could I not have a solution?” the old Daoist snapped.

“This is actually very simple. White Dew Spitting Silk’s heart blood is too powerful to use. Just find a weaker yin ghost instead.”

Zhou You frowned.

“The problem is, where am I supposed to find a weaker yin ghost around here?”

Yet at this critical moment, the old Daoist suddenly fell silent.

After receiving no response for quite some time, Zhou You’s expression shifted from confusion to dissatisfaction, then from dissatisfaction to puzzlement, before finally settling into understanding.

After hesitating briefly, he pointed at himself.

“Master... you don’t mean me, do you?”

The old Daoist suddenly laughed.

“As expected of my disciple. So clever. I didn’t even have to say it and you figured it out yourself.”

Zhou You’s expression instantly became extremely colorful.

“No, Master. I’m a human being. A perfectly legitimate human being...”

Before he could finish, the old Daoist let out a sinister chuckle.

“You drank the Corpse-Worm Blood Bait Soup, cultivated the Yin Ghost Feeding Chant, drank White Dew Spitting Silk’s heart blood for several days, and possess that bizarre physique of yours.”

“Disciple, are you sure you’re still truly human?”

Zhou You froze.

But contrary to the old Daoist’s expectations, he did not argue.

Nor did he show the slightest fear or anxiety.

He merely thought about it for a moment and then actually nodded in agreement.

“...Fair point.”

The old Daoist was the one left stunned.

“...That’s your reaction?”

“What else am I supposed to do?”

The old Daoist immediately found himself speechless.

Of course, even if he racked his brains, he could never know Zhou You’s greatest source of confidence.

Zhou You had no time to concern himself with the old Daoist’s inner thoughts.

He walked over to the victim, drew his knife, compared several spots on his arm, found the right place, and sliced with the blade.

But no blood emerged.

The cut revealed only a patch of corpse-like pallid flesh.

Without question, this was the zombification effect brought by the Yin Ghost Feeding Chant.

Helpless, Zhou You squeezed harder.

Only then did he manage to force out a little blood, which dripped into the man’s mouth.

After that came a long wait.

Roughly ten minutes later, just as unrest was beginning to spread among the spectators, the victim’s movements suddenly intensified.

Struggling upright, his black-furred face twisted in pain.

Then his stomach began swelling frantically, like an enormous toad.

At last, something churned in his throat and he vomited.

A foul stench accompanied the object that rolled onto the ground.

But it was not ordinary donkey meat.

Judging from its slightly charred exterior, it had apparently been roasted.

Yet beneath the outer layer, the inside remained pink and raw-looking.

Dozens of tentacles protruded from its surface, writhing through the air as though still trying to latch onto something.

Zhou You frowned.

Then he casually brought his foot down.

Splat!

The sound resembled an overripe fruit bursting.

As the thing shattered, the man lying on the ground ceased deteriorating.

The black fur still covered his body, but his bones and physique were no longer continuing their transformation into those of a donkey.

Seeing this, the village chief, who had been watching from afar, finally relaxed.

He instructed the others to carry the victim back inside, then limped over toward Zhou You.

“Thank you, Daoist Priest. Thank you, Daoist Priest!”

“If not for your help, that little bastard would’ve...”

He sighed.

“Forget it. Great kindness needs no words.”

“I won’t say any more.”

“Rest here for today.”

“Tomorrow I’ll personally take you to the Splendid Glory Inn.”

Looking at the old man’s tragic, determined expression, Zhou You felt baffled instead.

“Uh... Elder, I just want the location of the place so I can buy some grain.”

“I’m not heading into some dragon’s den or tiger’s lair.”

“There’s really no need to act like this...”

Yet for some reason, upon hearing those words, the village chief’s gaze suddenly became strange.

“Daoist Priest, you don’t know about the Splendid Glory Inn?”

What kind of question is that? If I knew, would I be asking you?

Zhou You swallowed the complaint and shook his head.

“My apologies, Elder. I’ve genuinely never heard of it.”

The village chief fell silent for several seconds.

Then he revealed an expression that was difficult to describe.

“Daoist Priest, I mentioned earlier that I encountered a woman practicing Animal Transformation in that warehouse, didn’t I?”

“Yes. What about it?”

“That Splendid Glory Inn...”

“It belongs...”

“To that woman.”