Chapter 27: Life in All Its Forms
Zhang Yuanqing silently pondered the situation for a long time, and finally decided not to reveal the Red Dancing Shoes for the moment.
First, Ou Xiangrong had only just begun to flee, and the Five Elements Alliance had yet to make their next moves. As an official organization, they might have other methods to track that Enchanting Demon.
There was no need for a rookie like him to get involved.
Second, he was only a Level 1 Nocturnal Specter, a newcomer among Spirit Realm Walkers. If he let slip that he was in possession of a Rule-type item, it would likely attract unwanted attention.
It was better to wait and see what moves the organization made, then make a decision later on based on the situation.
Zhang Yuanqing stopped overthinking, gazing at the night scenery outside the car window as he waited to reach his destination.
At the moment, increasing his strength was the most urgent priority.
Five minutes later, the taxi stopped in front of the Songhai Lung Disease Hospital. After paying the fare, Zhang Yuanqing entered the hospital with purposeful strides, heading straight for the emergency department building.
At this time of night, the outpatient department had closed, and the hospital's activity was concentrated in the emergency department.
The emergency department bustled with activity. Patients seeking treatment either sat in public chairs or moved between payment windows and the various departments.
Zhang Yuanqing passed through the payment hall and the bustling crowd, finding a seat near the restrooms.
After sitting down, he stretched out his legs and waited for his prey to come to him.
To spirits, the aura of a Nocturnal Specter was like a firefly in the darkness, dazzling and distinct.
He did not need to actively search for them. They would come to him on their own.
Ordinary people's spirits only remained in the world for seven days. Unless someone had just died nearby, there was no point waiting around in any random spot for spirits to show up. That made hospitals the perfect place for leveling.
About five minutes later, Zhang Yuanqing saw an old man with vacant eyes and wearing a hospital gown walking toward him with stiff, unsteady steps.
The old man's body existed somewhere between illusion and reality, and patients that were walking about passed right through him as if he were air.
He had a gaunt and withered appearance. His white pupils were unsettling, and he radiated an aura of pain and regret.
This was a vengeful spirit.
Generally speaking, people became vengeful spirits after death. There were no spirits with peaceful auras because no one was willing to accept death. In the end, though, their attachment to life and their fear of death would ultimately be transformed into helpless resentment.
Seeing the old man approach, Zhang Yuanqing opened his mouth and sucked in a gentle breath.
The old man's spirit transformed into wisps of smoke that drifted gracefully into his mouth.
He absorbed the old man's fragmented memories from life, and his forehead throbbed with pain as his consciousness suddenly expanded.
The old man had died of late-stage lung cancer. His last years of life were spent suffering under the dual torment of chemotherapy and cancer, wracked with pain, coughing up blood, losing hair, and struggling to breathe. His passing had been far from peaceful.
His final lingering thought was regret over why he had ever started smoking.
"I'll never smoke again," Zhang Yuanqing blurted out loud as he opened his eyes, his face full of regret.
People around him looked over in surprise.
Zhang Yuanqing kept his expression blank, pretending nothing had happened to mask his inner embarrassment.
Only after the passersby looked away and the surging emotions within him calmed down did he open his status panel. The fluorescent blue screen appeared before his eyes.
【Experience: 44.5%】
Zhao Yingjun's spirit was worth two percent of experience, while this ordinary person only increased my experience by half a percentage point. Is this like the difference between regular mobs versus elite mobs? The experience required per level probably increases as I level up, so eventually regular spirits would give me even less than half a percentage point. Looks like I'll have to accumulate experience bit by bit, Zhang Yuanqing mused thoughtfully.
Regardless, this direct and visible improvement was gratifying.
He returned to his seat, pretending nothing had happened. A few minutes later, a middle-aged man in a business suit who looked like a typical office worker walked toward him, his movements wooden.
The people in the waiting room ignored the man or walked right through him.
Zhang Yuanqing used the same method to absorb the man's spirit. As the spirit was transformed into nourishing power for a Nocturnal Specter, partial memories flooded in like ocean waves.
The middle-aged man had died from overwork—sudden cardiac arrest, a blessing granted to him by the widely-embraced 996 culture.
The man passed peacefully enough, since his death happened in an instant. He probably hadn't even felt the pain.
After reliving the man's memories, Zhang Yuanqing learned the man's wife had just given birth to their second child, still an infant in swaddling clothes. It was precisely to earn enough money for milk formula that he had worked so desperately, throwing himself into the arms of the blessed 996 culture for the sake of his family.
What made it worse was that the man had been born in the 80s. People from that era rarely had siblings, so his parents would have no one to rely on after his passing.
He had traded his life for money, only for everything to lose all meaning in the end.
Zhang Yuanqing's consciousness returned, and he felt a piercing, bone-deep sadness accompanied by a strong feeling of bewilderment. What meaning did such a life have?
He sat in confusion for a long time, his face devoid of any expression.
At this point, a third spirit approached.
She was a woman with beautiful features, with Korean style semi-permanent eyebrows, dressed in clothes that exuded luxury and refinement.
This was what he would consider a high quality woman.
It's such a shame for someone so young and beautiful to pass away, thought Zhang Yuanqing.
When she drew closer, Zhang Yuanqing noticed that her chest had been caved in, and her black fitted top was soaked with phantom blood. She also seemed to have suffered some unimaginable trauma to her head, blood matting her hair into clumps.
She wasn't wearing a hospital gown, meaning she hadn't died after being hospitalized, but from an accident or murder. Zhang Yuanqing gently inhaled, devouring the high-quality woman's spirit.
His forehead swelled as foreign memories flooded his sea of consciousness.
Zhang Yuanqing's vision went black, then he saw a pair of slender, fair legs dangling off the edge of a bed. "He" was rolling black stockings up those long thighs.
Oh, so this is how women put on stockings, Zhang Yuanqing, single for twenty years since birth, realized. He had gained some new knowledge.
At that moment, a man's husky voice came from behind, warning, "Don't text me at night anymore. My wife almost saw it last night."
Zhang Yuanqing's heart immediately sank.
A man, a bed, and her putting on stockings… Anyone could guess what had just happened.
I should avoid absorbing female spirits in the future, it's inappropriate! He thought to himself, thankful that the memory had only started with the woman putting on her stockings. If it had been a few minutes earlier, he might have found himself lying down, or kneeling…
Mmm, there was no weird taste in his mouth either, thank goodness. Just as he thought that, he heard the woman he had "possessed" hum and reply, "Perfect then, divorce her and marry me."
The man behind rustled as he got dressed, scoffing, "I have a son and daughter, and I’m planning for a third child next year. Why would I divorce my wife for you? Besides, divorce means splitting half my assets.
"Didn't we agree from the start? You can be my mistress, and I’ll give you money. Once you've saved up enough, marry whoever you want, or find some honest guy if you like. Whenever you want to end this arrangement, just let me know. But don't get any ideas you shouldn't have."
The woman seemed angry, but said nothing more. After the man left, she drove her little BMW wildly through the streets, venting her emotions.
She eventually crashed and died despite emergency treatment.
The scene ended. Zhang Yuanqing opened his eyes, rubbing his throbbing forehead. Indignation rose in his heart.
Sister, why bother? High-end sugar babies can easily auction themselves off to anyone. After all, there's demand everywhere. Why get angry with one particular man? How many men are actually decent anyway?
Besides, finding an honest man to marry was absolutely impossible in this lifetime.
As these thoughts surfaced in his mind, he suddenly realized something was wrong.
Why do I have such strong empathy for women? I'm clearly a perpetually-single guy, he wondered.
A few seconds later, Zhang Yuanqing came to his senses. He had unconsciously been influenced by the high-quality woman, and his thoughts had become feminized, causing him to develop intense desires for money and material things deep down.
His earlier outburst about not smoking ever again had also been influenced by the old man's spirit.
After stabilizing his mental state, a fourth spirit approached. It was a thin, handsome young man whose appearance made him think of a little puppy.
He's no worse looking than me. Better stick to absorbing male spirits. It's safer and more secure. If something like that really happens, at least I'd be on top.
He opened his mouth and drew the little puppy spirit into his belly.
Immediately, harsh noises assaulted his eardrums as full color LED lights strobed around him in a dazzling and dizzying display.
He looked around and saw nothing but swaying figures and bobbing heads. There was a pungent smell of smoke in the air.
He was in a bar.
Zhang Yuanqing felt his body swaying uncontrollably as he grabbed drinks from the booth in front of him, partying hard with his friend beside him.
Lost in this cathartic emotional release, and in the hollow pleasure of alcohol and dice, the little puppy and his friend didn't leave until 2 AM.
They called a rideshare back to their rental apartment, where his friend, who had a sturdy build, helped him open the bedroom door.
Though Zhang Yuanqing couldn't control the body he was in, his own consciousness remained clear. He sensed the possessed person was dead drunk, the blood vessels in his brain throbbing painfully. He guessed this man had died from alcohol poisoning or some sudden acute cause.
While he was still speculating, the little puppy was thrown onto the bed. His friend helped remove his shoes and pants, covered him with a blanket, and used wet tissues to wipe sweat from his face.
This friend seems reliable, Zhang Yuanqing thought.
The moment that thought arose, he noticed the friend beginning to undress and pull back the covers, quickly stripping the little puppy naked.
Zhang Yuanqing was momentarily stunned. Something wasn't quite right.
Then he heard the little puppy mumble drowsily, "Honey~"
The "friend" pressed himself down on the little puppy's body, holding up a tube of Vaseline, his breath reeking of alcohol as he said, "Stick your butt up, let me oil you up!"
Zhang Yuanqing's mind exploded with a thunderous boom, as if struck by lightning.
What?!
No! No! No!
You can't do this! You can't do this!!
In extreme fear and panic, Zhang Yuanqing forcibly interrupted the memory.
Back in the emergency department building, sitting in the chair by the restrooms, his eyes snapped open as if awakening from a nightmare, gasping for air like someone who had been deprived of oxygen.
His face was pale, eyes filled with terror, sweat soaking through the back of his shirt.
"Young man, are you alright?" asked a concerned middle-aged woman in the seat next to him. "Did you register yourself? What's bothering you?"
Zhang Yuanqing waved his hands to indicate he was fine, then rushed into the restroom, turning on the faucet and splashing handful after handful of cold water on his face.
It's too terrifying. Men are too terrifying! he kept thinking, over and over.
He had suffered trauma his gender should never have had to endure.
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