Chapter 00157: A Happy Ending for All
# A Happy Ending for All
Chapter 157
Novel: Above Destiny
Chapter 157: A Happy Ending for All
As soon as the words were spoken, Ji Jue's hand plunged into the meat mountain's gaping maw.
And then... he began to regret it.
The slimy texture, the unsettling squirming, and the stench emanating from the basin-sized mouth vividly illustrated an unshakable truth of this world—money is hard to earn, and some things are as unpleasant as eating excrement.
Why is earning a bit of your lousy money so damn difficult?
Crack!
With a crisp sound, the meat mountain, whose eyes had been gleaming with ferocity, suddenly lost all sensation in its jaw.
Ji Jue's other hand had dislocated its entire lower jaw, rendering it completely useless.
Then, with nimble fingers, Ji Jue's right hand reached deep into the esophagus, rummaging freely through the distorted, compressed internal organs.
He seized the grotesquely oversized heart.
And then—the intricate patterns of *Fei Gong* (Non-Aggression) appeared between his fingers.
The alchemy began!
Without mercy, extraction commenced!
From the contracting fingers, sizzling oil instantly oozed out, while the abundant spiritual essence within surged violently, rapidly condensing under the ruthless extraction.
"Ah! Ahhh—AAAAHHH!!!"
From within the gaping mouth, a muffled, agonized scream erupted once more.
The meat mountain convulsed violently, and beneath its paper-thin, taut skin, spiritual circuits spread like living creatures through its veins.
Fluid Alchemy, manifesting.
At this moment, the blood flowing from the heart became the medium for Fluid Alchemy, transmitting the power of *Fei Gong* throughout the bloated body, now on the verge of bursting, encompassing everything.
"Quiet—"
Ji Jue raised a finger to his lips, looking down at the meat mountain.
Instantly, the screams ceased, as the vocal cords had been removed.
Then, the entire meat mountain convulsed fiercely, writhing uncontrollably, waves of spasms rippling through its form.
On its broad, fleshy face, the eyes rolled back, emitting faint, eerie glimmers of light.
Beneath the thin skin, one could see streams of glowing light converging through the blood vessels.
With a muffled sound, like a pump starting up, all the souls the meat mountain had devoured were forcibly extracted by the power of *Fei Gong*.
Even its own soul!
Countless silver threads of light converged through the blood vessels toward the heart.
All large remnants of souls were instantly shattered by disintegration techniques, then purified through Fluid Alchemy, extracting the purest, most pristine spiritual essence, which coiled around Ji Jue's fingers, glowing with increasing brilliance.
In less than a few seconds, the meat mountain's body oozed layers of greasy sweat, its terrifying bulk visibly shrinking and withering.
In the end, all that remained was an exaggerated, cumbersome membrane of skin wrapped around a skeleton.
The faint light in its eyes flickered intermittently, like a candle in the wind.
When Ji Jue finally withdrew his sticky arm from its mouth, it could no longer hold back.
Instinctively, it vomited, emptying its stomach, which had expanded to its limit, like a sewer erupting.
A nauseating waterfall surged forth, spewing thick gastric juices, half-digested meat paste, and bones.
Finally, in the pool of foul-smelling acid and vomit, only a disfigured monster remained, its chest weakly rising and falling.
Ji Jue, having anticipated this, had already pulled over the stunned, emaciated family member, using them as a shield to block the vomit from himself and Tong Hua, like an umbrella catching the spray.
Then, he turned back and handed something to Tong Hua.
"Hold this."
"Ew, so gross."
Tong Hua picked up a basin from the ground and took the large, solidified lump of greasy substance, frowning and instinctively leaning back.
"What is this?"
"Glycerin."
The concise answer made her small hands tremble again.
"Since we're here, might as well make use of all this fat. No point wasting it," Ji Jue reassured her.
"Don't worry, it's quite stable before reacting with nitric acid and concentrated sulfuric acid."
With that, he finally set down the family member, who was now drenched in vomit, and examined his handiwork with a nod of approval.
"See? Her complexion looks much better now!"
Only then did the disheveled family member snap out of their daze, trembling as they turned stiffly.
"Y-you... didn't you say you were going to use an imported treatment?"
"Didn't I just do that?"
Ji Jue spread his hands.
"Isn't this a case of the medicine curing the illness... Her condition was malnutrition. Now that she's no longer over-nourished, doesn't that mean she's cured?!"
The emaciated monster's face twitched as they looked at their wife, now barely alive on the bed, growing more furious.
"Th-this isn't according to regulations."
They turned sharply, glaring at Ji Jue with a menacing light in their eyes.
But without their greatest asset, they hesitated, not daring to lunge forward, only managing to hiss through clenched teeth, "I'm going to report you, re-report..."
But then, their face was overshadowed by a looming darkness.
Frozen in place.
Under the gaze of those eyes.
"This is very much in accordance with regulations."
Ji Jue leaned down, telling them, "Perfectly in line with the rules—you made a request, I diagnosed and explained the method. You exercised your right to informed consent, accepted the plan, made the decision, and the treatment achieved perfect results."
"And now that the illness is cured, you're telling me you want to report me?"
Ji Jue leaned closer, staring into their face, enunciating each word clearly, "Could it be... you don't want to pay?"
The emaciated monster's face twitched once, then again.
As if baring its teeth and hissing.
All ferocity and rage gradually froze and dissipated under Ji Jue's gaze... until they could no longer hide their fear and unease.
"I-I'll pay... I'll pay..."
They racked their brains, trying to muster what little intelligence they had left, struggling to think.
"But you didn't say how much! This is fraud! I want to see the director, I..."
But before them, Ji Jue's smile was gradually covered by shadow, growing more and more eerie. "'No matter how expensive,' those were your exact words, right?"
"I... I..."
"Don't worry, it's not like you can't afford it. I'm not a greedy person," Ji Jue raised a finger, smiling as he promised, "Just a little bit will do. Relax, it won't hurt."
For a moment, their eyes seemed to light up with unexpected hope.
"R-really?"
"Shh, don't speak—"
Ji Jue raised his left hand, fingers spread, and gently, tenderly, pressed it against the emaciated monster's face.
And grasped.
Amidst the terrified screams, like plucking a ripe fruit from a branch, he gave a light twist!
Crack—
The fruit fell.
The screams ceased abruptly.
A shriveled corpse toppled backward, convulsing, its hands clawing at the air in futile struggle.
On the severed head, the monster's eyes saw, for the last time, a gentle smile.
And from the cracks of that smile, flames began to surge forth.
Endless flames of despair rose, devouring everything.
The effects of *Fei Gong* unfolded once more.
With masterful precision, the spiritual essence was manipulated, and in an instant, the flesh and blood on the skull withered away, turning to dust.
Only the jade-white skull remained, with spiritual circuits etched into it, forming a cage-like structure.
In less than a few seconds, using the original soul's container as a base, a simple spiritual cage was completed.
Then, the large amount of corrupted spiritual essence Ji Jue had extracted was poured into it.
A green spiritual light ignited within the hollow eye sockets of the skull, indicating that there was still plenty of space inside.
"Looks pretty good."
Ji Jue nodded, wiping his hands on the headless, writhing body before picking up a necklace from beside it...
Since the neck was pretty much gone, it couldn't be worn anymore, so why not take it for himself?
He clasped his hands together, and when he opened them again, the silver necklace had transformed into a chain hook.
One end was attached to the top of the skull, the other to his belt beneath his white coat.
"Hmm, looks quite presentable."
Ji Jue nodded in approval, turning to ask, "How does it look?"
Tong Hua, who had witnessed the entire process, was holding the basin of glycerin, her hands trembling uncontrollably.
Several times, she opened her mouth to speak but couldn't find the words.
Overwhelmed by the chilling wind and eerie atmosphere, she could only feel tears welling up...
Is this what an Ember's Chosen is like?
So terrifying!
"Well, since the treatment is over, I won't keep everyone waiting."
Ji Jue placed his hands on his hips, grinning at the other trembling patients in the ward.
"I'll be back tomorrow to take care of the rest of you. Those who haven't received treatment today, don't worry, everyone will get their turn. If you need anything, be sure to call the nurses and doctors."
With these comforting words, Ji Jue, having completed his rounds, left the ward with Tong Hua.
As the door closed, the previously silent ward erupted with suppressed wails and screams, so loud they were almost deafening.
Mixed in were faint chewing sounds and sobs.
As the lights went out, everything was swallowed by darkness.
No longer visible.
Amidst the cries and wails from the ward, the corridor outside fell into dead silence.
Seeing Ji Jue's smile and the "payment" hanging from his waist, the patients in the hallway vanished in an instant, fleeing as far as they could.
Afraid that this guy might offer a free consultation next, "helping" them with their pain.
Ji Jue, meanwhile, took the basin from Tong Hua, reshaping it into a thick bucket.
He gazed at the glycerin slowly melting inside, full of anticipation.
But before they could return to the office, the sound of heavy, ominous footsteps echoed from the end of the corridor.
In a moment of panic, a doctor stitched together from corpse parts appeared before them.
Like a nightmare, right in front of them.
Ji Jue looked up at the now-familiar face.
"We meet again, Director Qian. What can I do for you?"
"I've received a complaint from a patient. Someone has violated hospital regulations—"
The director's grin was as exaggerated as ever, a trickle of blood winding down from his smile, seeping between his sharp, hungry teeth.
A foul stench filled the air.
He asked, "Was it you?"
(End of Chapter)