TRWSB – Chapter 162 The Nightwalker’s Parasite

Shen Yuan and Qi Shaofu settled into the city lord’s manor. Since Qi Shaofu and his companions were transferred under the pretense of providing assistance, Qi Shaorong had them all assigned to work under Qi Heng. Understanding that Qi Shaorong’s men were all experts, Qi Shaofu didn’t object and readily complied.

Though Qi Shaofu took it well, the other Qi family juniors who had come with him were displeased at being sent to work under a mere servant. Qi Shaorong ignored their complaints entirely and left the matter for Qi Heng to handle.

Shen Yuan, upon arrival, was promptly intimidated by both Qi Shaorong and Zhuang Hao and has behaved himself ever since.

“Master Zhuang, someone’s broken in,” said Black Shark as he approached Zhuang Hao.

“You didn’t stop them?” Zhuang Hao asked.

“How could I? The Nightwalker is the pride of our Sea Clan! How could I dare to stop him?” Black Shark replied.

Zhuang Hao frowned. The Nightwalker? For Black Shark to call someone “lord,” the visitor must be quite extraordinary.

In the hall, Zhuang Hao saw a pale man, brow furrowed, calmly sipping tea in a chair.

Zhuang Hao smiled at the guest. “Ah, so it’s you, senior! You’re as elusive as ever. I sought you out before, but you’d already left. I didn’t expect to see you again so soon.” This was the very person who had previously sold him a semi-holy stone for thirty million.

The black-robed cultivator looked at Zhuang Hao and said, “You’ve had some good fortune. That rainbow crystal helped you a lot, didn’t it?”

Zhuang Hao chuckled. “All thanks to you, senior.”

A semi-holy stone like that, if auctioned, could easily fetch several hundred million gold if the buyer knew its value.

“Have you touched that barrier yet?” the black-robed man asked.

Zhuang Hao froze—he knew the senior was referring to the barrier to the saint level. He shook his head and replied with some disappointment, “Not yet.”

“No rush. You’re still young. You have time,” the man said with gravity.

“So… what brings you here today, senior?” Zhuang Hao shifted the topic.

“I’m here to see the Lord,” the black-robed man said.

“No need to call me—I’m here.” Qi Shaorong walked in, eyeing the visitor. “So, Nightwalker, are you here for cosmetic surgery? A little liposuction? Face-lift? Maybe double eyelids?”

The black-robed man didn’t laugh. Internally, he mused: if not for cosmetic work, then it must be a medical issue. Sea clans and humans don’t mix well, so if he’s come to me, it likely means the Sea Clan’s doctors couldn’t help. That makes it serious.

“What symptoms are you experiencing, senior?” Qi Shaorong asked.

The black-robed man looked back and replied, “Shouldn’t a skilled physician be able to tell without asking?”

Qi Shaorong internally rolled his eyes. You come to me for help and act all high and mighty?

Realizing the man was testing him, Qi Shaorong took out his custom-made scanning crystal and ran it over the visitor.

Zhuang Hao whispered, “See anything?”

Qi Shaorong scanned the man’s body and replied, “Nothing unusual…”

“Try scanning his head,” Zhuang Hao suggested.

Qi Shaorong adjusted the device and focused on the head. After a moment, his eyes widened.

“What is it?” Zhuang Hao asked.

“There’s… something like a worm in his brain.”

Zhuang Hao looked at the holographic projection in shock. Though he had seen Qi Shaorong use the scanner before, the ability to see inside the human body was always astonishing.

The black-robed man visibly trembled.

Seeing this, Zhuang Hao suspected the man already had a clue about his condition.

“It might be… a Soul-Eater Worm,” Zhuang Hao guessed.

The man’s hand twitched.

Zhuang Hao confirmed it silently: He knows.

The Soul-Eater Worm had a small appetite, so the host wouldn’t die quickly. But each time it fed on the brain, it caused excruciating pain—and robbed the host of any chance of further cultivation.

Qi Shaorong said, “Senior, your condition is complicated. I don’t have a clear solution yet. But if you’re willing, you could stay here for a few days while I work on it.”

The man nodded and was escorted to a guest room.

After seeing him off, Qi Shaorong breathed a sigh of relief.

“What exactly is a Soul-Eater Worm?” he asked.

Zhuang Hao gave a brief explanation. “It feeds on brain matter and causes unbearable pain. Most infected die from the pain—some even smash their own heads to end it. Though, I heard one creature did survive…”

“Really? How?” Qi Shaorong was curious.

“A two-headed serpent once got infected. It simply cut off the infected head.”

“…Right,” Qi Shaorong said, speechless.

Zhuang Hao continued, “But with your skill, you might be able to save him—if you can open his skull and extract the worm.”

“I could do the surgery,” Qi Shaorong said, “but I’m not sure he’d agree to having his head opened. Besides, there’s another issue: what if the worm escapes and attacks others?”

“No need to worry,” Zhuang Hao assured. “The Soul-Eater Worm can only survive in specific ocean environments. On land, it’s harmless.”

“That’s a relief,” Qi Shaorong nodded.

“So… are you taking the job?” Zhuang Hao asked.

“I don’t know. Let’s let the old guy stew a few days,” Qi Shaorong said. “If I offer too soon, he might think I have ulterior motives. And hey, it’s not my brain the worm’s in. No rush.”

Later, Qi Shaorong ran into Qi Shaofu.

“Third Brother, you’re back! How are you liking the Bihai Plains?” he asked casually.

“Not bad,” Qi Shaofu smiled.

He’d heard the area was dangerous, but once there, it wasn’t as bad—likely because of his talented younger brother.

“That guard of yours… he’s from the Sea Clan?” Qi Shaofu asked.

“Yep.”

“Why use one of them?” he asked, surprised.

“Cheap.”

“…Right.”

Black Shark entered. Seeing his expression, Qi Shaofu excused himself.

“Senior Black Shark, something wrong?”

“Qi Shao, the Nightwalker is the pride of our Sea Clan. If you can save him, I beg you—please do. I’ll even work for free…”

Qi Shaorong rolled his eyes inwardly. I wasn’t planning on paying you much anyway.

“As a physician, I’ll do my best,” he said solemnly. “However…”

“Yes?” Black Shark pressed.

“I’ll need a few rare herbs to treat him.”

“I’ll find them!” Black Shark replied immediately.

Qi Shaorong handed over a long list. “Here’s everything I need.”

Black Shark nodded. “I’ll send people to gather them right away.”

Zhuang Hao gave Qi Shaorong a look. “You really need that many herbs?”

“If I’m opening his head, he’ll need to recover. Some good supplements can’t hurt.” Not that he truly needed that many.

Zhuang Hao chuckled. “Fair.”

“Where’s the senior now?” Qi Shaorong asked.

“He’s in the back garden, listening to Bi Liuyun play the zither.”

Qi Shaorong’s eyes narrowed. Could he have figured out Bi Liuyun’s identity?

As Qi Shaorong turned to go find him, the Nightwalker appeared.

“Senior! Just about to look for you.”

“You have a solution?” the black-robed man asked.

Qi Shaorong nodded. “There is one… but it’s risky. I’d need to…”

“Open my skull, right?” the man finished.

“…Yes,” Qi Shaorong confirmed.

“If you’re unwilling, I won’t proceed,” he added cautiously.

“I’ve spent all my money on medicine. I have no coin left for a consultation fee,” the man interrupted.

Qi Shaorong’s mouth twitched. No money and you still come for treatment? What do you think I am, a saint? I have bills too, you know!

“You spent all of it?” he asked.

The man nodded. “Before I came to you, I saw many other doctors and bought a lot of useless medicine.”

So you saw a bunch of quacks, wasted all your money, and only then came to me. Fantastic, Qi Shaorong thought.