Chapitre 21: Not human
'Where has that old man gone?' Li Chen thought. He approached the door but paused when he heard the sound of the floorboards creaking right outside the door.
Someone was outside and must have been deliberating how to get the attention of the individual in the room.
Li Chen carefully examined the silhouette portrayed by the sunlight and knew it was a female.
He pushed the door open and lowered his face toward the innkeeper, who quickly took two steps back and held her chest.
'Did my mask frighten her? People in the city did not have this reaction. I guess these villagers haven't seen much.'
[You brought a towel?]
"What?... Oh, yes. The old man paid for your bath," the woman garbed in pale green Hanfu robe gave him the towel with a smile.
'I love their smile. It's sweet, better than the polite smiles of those receptionists.' He thought about it and followed the innkeeper.
It would be a great lie if Li Chen said he wasn't jealous of the treatment those pretty boys got from the ladies. A tiny part of him wanted recognition but he was also a bit scared of being the center of attention. But ever since he appeared here, there has been a sudden twist.
Probably because this was his world or because he had a better-looking body and had tasted the pleasures of power.
****
After taking his bath, Li Chen walked out with his damp hair stuck to his neck and back. "Have you seen Miao?" A young voice made him lower his gaze to the small, red-headed kid.
[You just wanted to start a conversation.]
The kid scratched the back of his head and chuckled awkwardly.
Quickly dressing up in the attire he drew, Li Chen ignored the curious brat and entered the restaurant.
This time around, it was scanty but the loud chewing of Old Li stirred enough reaction to keep the upper floor alive.
The old man grabbed his wine cup, gulped the contents, poured another, and downed it. [How haven't you gotten fat when you eat so much?]
Seeing those hovering words, Old Li chuckled, smacked his lips, and exhaled in satisfaction, "You'll never know."
[!!]
Having seen the exclamation marks, Old Li chuckled. "Did you see that small kid?" He suddenly asked.
[The boy?]
"He's not…"
[Human. I know that but he doesn't know what he is so we should leave it that way.]
"Are you sure he won't harm that family?"
[I don't know.]
Old Li sighed heavily as he got to his feet. Normally, celestial beasts cultivate to a certain level before gaining human form but this kid was pitifully weak yet in human form!
The abnormality made him wary.
On their way through the corridor, a shriek pierced their eardrums.
"Let me go, you monster!"
The screams and cries of a lady made them quicken their steps. However, a disturbing presence enveloped the village and Old Li turned his head back.
"I'll check. You go find out what's happening there," he said, flickering out of the building.
"AHH!!"
The scream made Li Chen utilize his movement technique to appear there in a blink of an eye.
Pushing the door open, he found a lady on the ground crawling away from what Li Chen could no longer consider a man.
A black aura billowed off him, and before Li Chen's eyes, it thickened, and the man grew claws in addition to the tail, which was frightening to the woman.
His eyes became similar to those of a big cat and the moment he opened his mouth, Li Chen saw canines grow out of his gums.
Gruttal growls filled the depths of his throat.
"He's been possessed by a daemon calamity!" The woman yelled, tears staining her cheeks.
'A calamity!' Li Chen's eyes trembled. The name of his novel was Calamity's Rise and the being before him was one.
This was just the lowest-grade calamity yet he felt chills from its negative energy. As an entity that fed on the negative desires of living beings, it was naturally blessed with a chilling aura.
SHING —!
Li Chen drew his sword halfway when the woman hit him as she ran toward the exit. The impact slowed him down and the possessed cultivator, who had been forcefully upgraded from 12-star immortal human to 15-star, lunged toward him.
Easily evading the short man, he stretched his hand and grabbed the short man's hair. [I overestimated you.]
BAM—!
He slammed the man on the ground and swung him towards the wall, resulting in another loud sound as the fragile wooden walls broke.
Growling, the man rushed toward him and swung his claws toward his chest.
Li Chen deflected the attack with his right hand, slammed the bottom of his sheathed sword against the man's chest and his feet connected with the man's face!
The magnitude of his strength, boosted by his body art, launched the man through several walls.
Just when the man was about to stand, Li Chen slammed the bottom of his sword against the ground and a wave of star energy blasted out, throwing the man backwards.
This time, he couldn't get up anymore.
'Ha! I absolutely forgot where we were. Well, I helped the owner of the restaurant, and I hope he'll be thankful.'
Basking in his thoughts, he walked downstairs only to hear the sound of battle outside. As Li Chen rushed outside, he saw chaos fifty meters ahead.
Cultivators fought their possessed comrades, whom they laughed with last night. Some were badly injured and a few were already dead.
The losses on the calamity's side were small compared to the dead cultivators who were ambushed and their energy drained.
SHING —!
Drawing his sword, Li Chen leaped onto a rooftop and soared to another. Landing, he slashed a mundane-possessed cultivator who fell on his knees.
A second later, his eyes went dim and he slumped.
'Where is that old man?'
Looking around, Li Chen kept defeating his enemies easily until the temperature increased.
Turning his head, he saw Old Li and at that moment, time went still.
Cadeaux
-- Cadeau
reçu État de l’alimentation hebdomadaire
-- Classement
Power Stone 
-- Power
stone