Chapter Four: The Blood Spirit Technique

Time trickled by slowly. Estimating that more than two hours had passed, the thunderous snores of the young man beside him filled the air, and at last, Xiao Wenzi stirred.

He first flew to Wang Sheng’s wrist, carefully discerning and confirming what he believed to be the location of a blood vessel. Only then did he thrust his proboscis in with all his might.

Those two years spent at the medical university in his previous life had not been in vain. Though his proboscis was short and not particularly sharp, Xiao Wenzi managed to pierce through Wang Sheng’s blood vessel in a single attempt.

He drank greedily, warm blood gushing into his belly, and on the system interface, the blood drop icons began to light up.

The first, the second, the third blood drop icon rapidly turned crimson, followed in swift succession by the fourth, fifth, sixth, and seventh…

Owing to the effect of the alcohol anesthesia, even as the ninth blood drop icon turned blood-red and Xiao Wenzi’s belly began to swell, Wang Sheng remained completely unresponsive.

“It seems I need to convert these blood drops into system coins again, or I won’t be able to drink any more blood,” he mused.

As a mosquito, once the blood ceased to flow into the system, Xiao Wenzi immediately felt his expended strength replenish considerably. Yet, having just drunk so much, his distended abdomen now hindered his movements.

Pondering silently, he navigated to the page to exchange blood drops for system coins. With a light touch of his consciousness, the nine blood-red icons on the main page instantly faded to blank, while the system coin count in the status bar rose from one to two.

It required five ordinary system coins to exchange for the first layer of the Demonic Blood Arts at the Incipient Demonic Qi level. A single drop of Rock Spirit Elixir to aid cultivation cost twenty coins, and he would also need to replenish the red hearts he consumed. Xiao Wenzi had no intention of stopping his blood feast out of misplaced compassion.

Slurp, slurp, slurp—

With renewed vigor, Xiao Wenzi sucked, fresh blood gurgling into his body, and the blood drop icons lit up one after another.

To his delight, as he did so, the blood he’d stored in his belly was also absorbed by the system, making his body light again, but the energy he’d gained from the blood remained. In other words, he could recover his strength by this method without worrying about his swollen belly slowing his flight.

Refreshed, and emboldened by his previous experience, Xiao Wenzi, now able to divide his attention, stopped after all nine blood drop icons lit up, exchanging them directly for system coins.

In this way, he no longer had to worry about too much blood in his belly affecting his reaction speed.

Easily, he’d obtained three system coins. With just two more, he could redeem the cultivation technique. The young master Wang, still deep in drunken slumber, snored on, and Xiao Wenzi was in high spirits.

But after a while, as he prepared to exchange yet another batch of system coins, he noticed a large swelling had formed on Wang Sheng’s wrist, making it difficult for his short proboscis to drink as swiftly as before.

Attempting another sip proved laborious. Realizing he needed a new site, Xiao Wenzi withdrew his proboscis and flew to Wang Sheng’s other wrist.

Repeating his method, he found the blood vessel and drank, soon acquiring another three or four system coins.

However, both of the young master’s wrists now sported unbearably itchy lumps. Had he not been insensibly drunk, he would surely have awakened from the itching.

Though it was early autumn, the air was still somewhat warm. The maidservants had only removed the young master’s outer robe, leaving him uncovered, yet he still wore a thick brocade undergarment.

Unable to drink blood from elsewhere through the clothing, and having already visited both wrists, Xiao Wenzi was left with no choice but to fly toward the exposed skin on Wang Sheng’s face and neck.

Slurp, slurp, slurp—

In the silent night, his proboscis pierced skin and vessel again and again, and each drop of blood was promptly converted into system coins.

Xiao Wenzi relished the task, losing all sense of time. Only when the youth’s handsome face, smooth neck, and all the exposed skin on the backs of his hands and wrists became as bumpy as a toad’s did he finally cease his bloodsucking.

It was late; he had to figure out how to escape. Once the other awoke from his drunken stupor, he would surely go berserk seeking revenge—and this mosquito net was nothing short of a cage.

“Damn, I’m too weak to open it. I suppose I’ll have to exchange for a cultivation method and try practicing.”

The white mosquito net hung from the four corners of the rosewood bed, three sides tucked under the bedding, while the only opening was clipped shut by two little maidservants with bamboo pins.

Xiao Wenzi fluttered over, attempting repeatedly to open a gap, but it was futile. Destroying the woven silk was also impossible, and he could only sigh in frustration.

Of course, he already knew he couldn’t speak, only make the faint buzzing of a mosquito, so he dared not utter a sound—these thoughts remained locked in his mind.

While pondering, Xiao Wenzi found the redemption page for the Demonic Blood Arts. Seeing the system coin tally at a lofty 107, he felt comforted.

He knew nothing of the cultivation methods or levels of this unfamiliar world, but the Demonic Blood Arts clearly complemented the bloodsucking nature of a mosquito.

With this technique, his efforts would surely yield double the results.

Moreover, the first layer’s chant included instructions on manipulating demonic spirit power. Once mastered, he could infuse this power into his legs or wings to attack—opening the mosquito net would be much easier.

A cultivator’s blood and flesh brimmed with pure spirit power. Drinking their blood would boost his cultivation much faster than merely absorbing the world’s spiritual energy.

However, Wang Sheng had only just become an outer disciple of Green Mountain Sect and possessed no cultivation. Drinking his blood would yield little benefit for training.

Fortunately, with a hundred system coins in reserve, he could redeem a few drops of Rock Spirit Elixir to aid his cultivation—it shouldn’t be hard to reach the entry level.

First, though, he had to fully grasp the circulation path of the technique, or else the spirit power in the elixir could easily wreak havoc in his body.

Time slipped by. Relying on his medical school foundation and the soul-deep imprint of the new technique, Xiao Wenzi finally, after more than an hour, mapped out the circulation route of the Demonic Blood Arts and managed to sense faint traces of demonic spirit power.

“Come, Rock Spirit Elixir—redeem.”

It was now the latter half of the night; time was running short. Without hesitation, Xiao Wenzi clicked to redeem the Rock Spirit Elixir.

Twenty system coins vanished, and a drop of greenish-red liquid appeared from thin air, falling gently onto the brocade quilt below.