Chapter 28: The Swarming Vermin

Fan Xing, as she had done previously, peeled off the human skin and painted each one with an exquisite, lifelike face—two men and two women. As for the skinless corpses, she naturally left them to Yedo to be disposed of.

Once finished, Fan Xing carefully tucked the four skins away and walked out of the room to call out to Xinzhu and Yaoshi, "Let's go. We're heading out." Now that she had new spirit seeds, she naturally needed to take them out to get them acclimated.

"Meow, meow, meow~" Am I not coming?

Yedo carried Xinzhu on its back and ran over to Fan Xing, looking up at her with a pitiful expression.

Fan Xing patted its head and said, "You and Princess stay here and watch the house."

"Meow, meow~" Yedo looked aggrieved; it didn't want to be left alone with that vain creature.

Princess didn't even glance at Yedo. It had no objections to Fan Xing's decision and continued to admire its freshly painted makeup. It had brushed its blue eyelashes a vibrant, eye-catching red and had even found one of Fan Xing’s gemstone necklaces to wear around its neck.

"Let's go." Fan Xing took the lead and walked out the door. Seeing this, Xinzhu quickly jumped off Yedo’s back, and Yaoshi stumbled along in pursuit.

Once outside, Fan Xing casually pulled out her cards, tucked Xinzhu and Yaoshi inside, and then vanished into the night.

By midnight, Fan Xing had wandered the streets and alleys of Hongguang City for quite a while, but she hadn't found a single spirit seed worth hunting. Had the recent activity been too intense, leaving the nearby area picked clean? Perhaps she should travel further afield?

While passing through a park, Fan Xing spotted a cute little wood sprite fast asleep on a broad leaf. She glanced at the little creature but continued on her way with Yaoshi and Xinzhu. Although she wanted to consume spirit seeds, she didn't eat just any kind. Compared to pure, clean spirits, those driven by stronger desires were much more to her taste.

Greed, bloodlust, romantic obsession, hatred, resentment, jealousy, anger—Fan Xing favored them all.

As she walked, a thought occurred to her: weren't medicine rats usually the leaders of mole rats? Could a medicine rat summon them? Her teacher, Mr. Hu, had said that even in the Surface World, mole rats were common spirits; they were just good at hiding, which made them hard to spot.

With this thought, Fan Xing cast a sharp gaze at Yaoshi, who was scurrying at her feet. Yaoshi shuddered under her cold, sinister stare. *M-Master... what are you planning?*

Fan Xing narrowed her eyes and asked, "Can you summon the mole rats nearby?"

The medicine rat was terrified, tears swirling in its eyes, but it eventually gave a small nod.

"Good." Fan Xing nodded with satisfaction. She found a secluded corner and said to the medicine rat, "You may begin."

The medicine rat nodded, and a strange, rhythmic chattering began to emanate from its throat.

"Squeak! Squeak-squeak! Squeak-squeak-squeak!"

As the sound rippled outward, rustling noises began to emerge from the surrounding grass. Moments later, a gray-furred rat the size of a palm peeked its head out. It had oversized ears—nearly half the size of its body—exceptionally sharp claws and teeth, and a long, thin, pointed tail. This was a mole rat.

After the first appeared, a second, third, and fourth followed. Soon, Fan Xing was surrounded by a swarm of mole rats—at a rough estimate, at least thirty or forty of them.

Mole rats were naturally timid and lived deep underground, so even without the purification abilities of wood or flower sprites, they could live in the Surface World without being affected by corruption.

"Squeak, squeak!" The medicine rat continued its call, and the gathered mole rats moved toward Fan Xing step by step, as if spellbound. Mole rats had very low intelligence and acted entirely on instinct; obeying the call of a medicine rat was one of those instincts.

When they were within two meters of her, Fan Xing’s legs suddenly vanished, replaced by several sky-blue tentacles. They looked much like the slime from an anime—manifestations of her true form as a Taisui.

With lightning speed, the tentacles engulfed dozens of mole rats, dissolving them instantly.

*Ah, marvelous! Simply marvelous!* The sensation of absorbing spiritual energy was exquisite. Mole rats were gluttonous; though they lacked intelligence, their drive to feed was intense, making them perfectly suited to her palate.

The remaining mole rats, seeing their kin devoured, let out terrified, shrill shrieks. They tried to flee, but with the medicine rat still present, they couldn't bring themselves to move. In truth, the medicine rat was even more terrified than they were. *Cruel! This is too cruel! These are its own kind! How could anyone be this vicious?*

Fan Xing felt she was on the verge of leveling up. Although each mole rat provided very little spiritual energy, their sheer numbers meant that quantity could eventually lead to a qualitative change.

"Keep going!" Fan Xing urged Yaoshi.

Yaoshi dared not resist; it had to keep summoning its kin. Compared to the lives of its kind, its own survival was paramount. Besides, it had come from the Underworld; it had no real connection to these Surface World mole rats.

As time passed, more and more mole rats were summoned, and soon there were over a hundred.

Though their intelligence was low, watching one kin after another be consumed eventually allowed one or two to break through their instincts and fight back. Several of them suddenly lunged at Fan Xing. The others, seemingly emboldened, swarmed toward her.

Yet, the moment they leaped, the tentacles beneath Fan Xing spread wide, transforming from cylinders into a transparent, curtain-like shape that instantly caught the pouncing rats. Once trapped, the mole rats dissolved at a visible rate, turning into spiritual energy that Fan Xing absorbed.

Finally, upon consuming the 150th rat, her aura began to surge. She closed her eyes, indulging in the pleasure of leveling up—the sensation of being filled with spiritual energy.

After some time, Fan Xing opened her eyes, a dark glint flashing in them. The tentacles beneath her opened like a blooming flower, and several "scripted stones" dropped from them.

The drop rate for scripted stones when consuming F-rank spirits was 5%. That was the average, but it fluctuated in practice. She used her tentacles to scoop up the stones into her palm and counted them—only four. Her luck was truly abysmal.

Mole rats could learn three skills: "Gnaw," "Burrow," and "Tail Drill." (Note: A mole rat can only naturally learn one skill, though it varies by individual. Also, like wood and flower sprites, mole rats have a low innate life hierarchy; even if they evolve once, they remain at the lowest F-rank.)

Gnaw and Tail Drill were offensive skills, one using teeth and the other a flexible tail. Burrow was a support skill that allowed them to dig quickly to help the colony hide. The reason Fan Xing couldn't normally find mole rats was that they lived exclusively underground.

Of the four stones she had just obtained, two were Burrow, one was Gnaw, and one was Tail Drill. None were particularly powerful, but they were better than nothing. She would sell them at the Ghost Market for cash later.

Storing the stones, she retracted her tentacles, and her legs reappeared. She turned to Yaoshi and said, "That's enough. Let the rest go."

There were still some left, but she didn't want to overfish. Besides, she had leveled up, and these rats wouldn't provide much more "experience."

Hearing this, Yaoshi felt a wave of relief and let out a series of squeaks. The remaining mole rats vanished into the grass as if their lives depended on it. Afterward, Yaoshi bowed to Fan Xing, wearing a face of servile, sycophantic smiles, tears still hanging in its eyes—a truly comical sight.

Fan Xing patted it with satisfaction. "Keep up the good work."

"Squeak, squeak!" Yaoshi nodded repeatedly.

Turning away from Yaoshi, Fan Xing checked her own status using her black bracelet:

Race: Painted Skin (Mutated)
Classification: Undead
Attribute: Yin
Trait: Reality [Under the gaze of truth, all illusions become real]
Skills: Skinning [Sharp nails to peel skin and scrape bone; includes armor-piercing effect], Flying Blade [Condenses metal energy to launch blades], Grudge Shadow [Transforms into a shadow, boosting attack and speed]
Rating: C
Role: Speed/Attack

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Race: Taisui
Classification: Divine
Attribute: Evil
Trait: Immortal [Neither dies nor fades]
Skills: Plunder [Steal a skill from a consumed spirit seed for personal use (2)], Life Scales [Place the life force of oneself and a teammate on a scale to equalize; cooldown of half an hour]
Rating: Unknown
Role: Support

Fan Xing smiled with satisfaction. Her Painted Skin had leveled up and gained a strengthening skill that boosted both attack and speed—perfect for her role as an agile attacker. Taisui had also gained a new skill, a healing ability that could save lives.

Usually, healing skills failed against fatal wounds, as they weren't omnipotent. But "Life Scales" could distribute a fatal wound between herself and Taisui, rendering the injury non-fatal. And was Taisui afraid of injury? Obviously not.

However, she doubted she would use this often, as her spirits could already be healed with her own flesh and blood. She would likely only use it on others. Furthermore, Taisui's "Plunder" skill now had an extra slot, meaning she could steal another skill from a spirit to grant to her Painted Skin. But without a suitable spirit to consume, that would have to wait.

Having fed well, she decided to call it a night. "A pity I couldn't test Xinzhu's skills," she remarked with a hint of regret. Xinzhu, following her closely, immediately steeled its expression, determined to perform well next time.

When Fan Xing returned home, she found Yedo and Princess fighting. Princess’s neck was wrapped in Yedo’s tail, and Yedo’s forehead was clamped in Princess’s jaws.

"What are you two doing?" Fan Xing asked.

Seeing their master, they immediately separated, pretending nothing had happened. Yedo trotted over, rubbing its head against her leg and making soft, purring sounds. If other spirit-masters saw this, their jaws would hit the floor. Was this really a Wicked Spirit? It was more affectionate than a house cat!

Princess, meanwhile, angrily smoothed its makeup; its meticulously crafted look had been ruined by Yedo’s claws.

"Fighting again?" Fan Xing asked, her face stern. These two had been at odds since the day they met.

"Meow, meow, meow~" Fearing punishment, Yedo shook its head. *No, dear Master, we were just playing.*

Princess glared at Yedo: *What a sycophant.*

"Fighting... is bad!" Xinzhu reached out and patted Yedo’s head. "We are... family."

Yedo nuzzled Xinzhu’s palm affectionately and crouched down, signaling for Xinzhu to climb on. Having become familiar with Yedo, Xinzhu didn't hesitate, climbing onto its back to be carried around the room.

Leaving the spirits to play, Fan Xing went inside to peel off the human skin and change clothes. She had considered taking a shower, but remembered the rose seedling she had bought hadn't been planted yet, so she headed to the courtyard and turned on the lights.

The seedling was small and easy to plant. She found a suitable spot in the corner and tucked it into the soil. Just then, she heard a rustle in the nearby flowerbed. "Come out."

The rustling grew louder. "I've known you were there for a while," she said. "No need to hide."

Finally, something flew out of the flowers—a Rose Sprite.

For days, a fresh bouquet of roses had appeared on her windowsill every morning. The flowerbeds in the yard had grown more lush, and every time she returned home, she found the house spotless, with all her forgotten chores completed. She couldn't have missed such obvious changes.

The sprite looked at the expressionless Fan Xing, her hands twisting nervously.

"You haven't left?" Fan Xing asked.

"Ah~" The sprite couldn't speak, only opening her mouth and nodding.

"Why not? Aren't you afraid of me?" Fan Xing asked. The Rose Sprite had, after all, seen her devouring other spirits.

The sprite was indeed afraid, but she shook her head, feigning strength. She wanted to stay; it was safer here than outside. Though the person before her looked terrifying, she had never harmed her.

Fan Xing realized her intent. "You want my protection?"

"Ah~ ah~" The sprite nodded vigorously.

Fan Xing considered it. She did need a gardener for her roses. Roses and rose-briers were kin, after all. "Fine, you can stay. But you must take good care of this brier."

The sprite patted her chest, promising there would be no issues. In fact, she had been drawn by the brier in the first place; she could sense it was a seedling cultivated by a "Flower Whisperer," possessing a special power.

The sprite flew over the plant, and specks of green light drifted from her wings. As they fell, the seedling immediately perked up, looking vibrant and healthy.

"Not bad, not bad," Fan Xing said with satisfaction.

Praised, the Rose Sprite flew happily in circles above Fan Xing’s head, her fear of her master diminishing significantly. Inside, the medicine rat peered through the window frame, watching the interaction with disbelief. *Does that little sprite know how truly vicious the person she's talking to is?*

*Squeak... so terrifying.*