"Sir, are you telling the truth?"
Inside a room, the chieftain whose legs had been broken multiple times by Su Min asked anxiously. He knew that as long as he didn't provoke Su Min, they could coexist peacefully. But this matter was different—it could truly cost him his life.
"Why would I lie? It takes over a decade for a corpse to turn into a zombie. Who knows what the world will be like by then?"
Su Min rolled her eyes. She had no reason to deceive him. This wasn't information from the game, but rather something she could discern now that her cultivation had reached a certain level—some things were just obvious at a glance.
"You—send people immediately to burn all those corpses."
If there was anyone here who obeyed Su Min unconditionally, it was this crippled chieftain. The repeated beatings had left him with a case of Stockholm syndrome, and after witnessing today's events, he had no choice but to believe her.
"Isn't this a bit... inappropriate?"
Hearing the chief's command, his deputy hesitated, looking uncertain.
"Did you see the corpses today?" Su Min asked coldly. "You want your children to end up like that?"
"N-no, sir!"
That single sentence shut him up immediately. No more questions. He went off to carry out the order without another word. The bloody truth was right there in front of them. No one could afford to doubt it anymore.
"Listen carefully, boy. Tonight, that changgui (a ghost enslaved by a demon) will definitely come for you. Dealing with the ghost itself isn't hard, but the real problem is the tiger demon behind it. If we can't locate the tiger demon, you'd better never leave this village again—because it's already marked your scent. From now on, it'll be watching you closely."
"Please, sir, save me!"
The man, already terrified out of his mind, collapsed at Su Min's feet, sobbing and kowtowing so hard the sound echoed through the room.
Good.
Seeing that her intimidation had worked, Su Min smirked inwardly, though her expression remained indifferent.
"If you want to be completely safe, you'll have to follow my instructions. This is for your own good."
"Tell me what to do. I'll cooperate fully."
Just a little psychological manipulation, and he was completely under her control.
"That changgui feeds on essence and blood, but its capacity is limited. After all, it was just an ordinary person in life. So when it tries to drain you, you just need to take this pill."
As she spoke, Su Min subtly retrieved a small gourd from her ring. When she opened it, a perfectly round pill rolled out.
[Blood Essence Pill (Grade 2)] – Replenishes blood essence.
This was a second-grade pill. Since Su Min needed to refine Qi-Inducing Pills, she first had to reach the level of a second-grade alchemist. However, the materials available here were limited, and this was one of the few pills she could make in abundance.
As the name suggested, the Blood Essence Pill restored blood essence. While it seemed useful, demand for it was low—most cultivators rarely expended blood essence in battle.
"When it starts draining you, take this pill, and you'll be fine. But don't take it beforehand—otherwise, your body will explode from the excess energy."
Medicine was all about dosage. Even arsenic could be used medicinally if administered correctly. The same logic applied here. Once the changgui began absorbing his blood essence, the pill would act as a substitute.
~Edit and rewritten by Rikhi, Reiya_Alberich, ReiNyam~
Since blood essence was deeply embedded in the body, the ghost would naturally prioritize the readily available essence from the pill.
"Once the changgui leaves, I'll follow it and wipe them all out in one go."
A simple and brutal plan, but Su Min knew that the more intricate a scheme was, the more likely it was to fail during execution.
"Good. We'll do as you say. What do we need to do?"
Hearing Su Min's words, the three chieftains answered in unison on behalf of the terrified man. They greatly preferred this kind of thorough, root-cutting solution.
"Same arrangements as last night. Also, assign someone to stay with him. I'm worried he'll be too scared to act—your man can force the pill down his throat if necessary."
Since the three chieftains had agreed, the man had no right to refuse. In a place like this, defying a chieftain's orders was unthinkable—unless, of course, you were Su Min. Besides, Su Min wasn't planning to let him die. Under these circumstances, he had no choice but to comply.
"I won't show myself tonight, and don't ask where I'm hiding. Just wait calmly."
With the plan set—and their lives at stake—no one dared take risks. Who knew if that cunning beast would target them next? Even as chieftains, they were nothing more than pieces of meat in the eyes of demons.
Once Su Min finished her instructions, she vanished without a trace. She had already concealed herself nearby, quietly meditating. In a society with little entertainment, cultivation was pretty much her only pastime.
Meanwhile, the three chieftains mobilized their men, keeping the unlucky target confined to his room to prevent him from fleeing in panic and ruining the plan.
Soon, night fell.
Su Min, who had been circulating her energy, slowly opened her eyes and frowned as she looked down at the village. In her perception, a filthy, corrupted presence was approaching.
"It's here—the changgui."
Muttering to herself, Su Min stood up, retracting her aura and spiritual senses. Unless a Qi Refining cultivator was present, no one would be able to detect her now. The changgui certainly wasn't capable of that.
As the sinister presence entered the village, chaos erupted. Shouts, cries, and screams echoed under the bright moonlight—so loud that even Su Min, perched on a distant hill, could hear them clearly. But soon, after a period of commotion, the village quieted down again.
The changgui seemed to have absorbed enough blood essence and left. Su Min, who had been waiting, immediately gave chase.
"If you're going to cut weeds, you must pull out the roots."
Since she had decided to act, she would eliminate the problem at its source. Following the changgui, Su Min leaped across several mountain ridges, deep into the wilderness. For an ordinary person, traversing these mountains would take at least a day or two. But for her, it was just a few jumps.
True, true flight required a Golden Core stage cultivation, but moving like the wind? That, she could do easily enough.