Chapter 538
Chapter 538
“Are you Wang Da?”
Shen Lang asked him. The first person whose bloodline he would alter was Wang Da, the man Shen Lang had saved from the brink of death. He was clearly autistic and hadn't spoken a word in a year. He only spoke to dogs, not people. It wasn't that he didn't want to talk to people; he simply couldn't. Wang Da nodded, and Shen Lang comforted him.
“Trust me. Nothing will go wrong. I… will never harm any of you, so don't be afraid.”
Wang Da then spoke his second words of the year.
“I know. I'm not scared!”
He truly knew Shen Lang wouldn't harm them, and he wasn't afraid. Shen Lang instantly realized that these people possessed an intuition more sensitive than anyone else's. They were frail, autistic, or had mental disabilities, and they couldn't speak properly. But in their hearts, they could see at a glance who meant them well. Just as young children, despite their simple minds, can instantly recognize who truly cares for them and refuse to leave their side. The truth always lay beyond words. Shen Lang smiled at him, his heart warming. Then, he injected about 0.5 milliliters of the lowest-grade golden bloodline energy worms into Wang Da's veins. This time, Shen Lang was going to create an even greater miracle.
‘I will give you a new life. I will make you shine brilliantly!’
At that moment, everyone's eyes were on Wang Da. Shen Lang had only injected 0.5 milliliters of the lowest-grade golden bloodline worms, but that was enough. Previously, the worms sealed in the test tubes had been in a dormant state. Without sufficient energy, they could neither consume nor release any more. But the moment they entered Wang Da's body, the golden bloodline worms awoke from their hibernation and, as if by instinct, began to swim rapidly through his blood vessels toward his heart. Countless worms occupied Wang Da's veins and heart, devouring his life force. In an instant, Wang Da's body completely collapsed, his life force seeming to wither away rapidly.
Even the lowest-grade golden bloodline worms possessed such an incredibly terrifying power. Wang Da was naturally frail, with a pitifully small amount of life force, not nearly enough for the worms to consume. His heart beat faster and faster, his breathing growing more and more frantic. Finally, his heart stopped, and after a final exhale, his breathing ceased. Almost instantly, the worms had devoured all of Wang Da's life force, making him appear dead. But Shen Lang had witnessed this scene many times and wasn't particularly tense. Wang Da had not truly entered the gates of death. Once these worms sensed the host's heart had stopped, they would instinctively stop consuming energy and begin to release it, and the host's heart would soon start beating again.
The process that followed was the most dangerous part. In Shen Lang's countless previous experiments, all of them had ended with the body exploding and dying. This was because when the power released by the golden bloodline worms violently clashed with the body's innate bloodline power, they would fight fiercely to overcome each other, ultimately causing the body to be torn apart and explode.
However, Wang Da possessed a blank bloodline, so there was no rejection at all. The power released by the golden bloodline worms was continuously injected into his meridians. And a moment later, Wang Da's heart started beating again, and he began to breathe once more.
Thump, thump, thump.
His heartbeat was surprisingly loud, like the beating of a drum. Not only that, but the meridians all over Wang Da's body swelled, making his frame thicker, and his skin turned bright red. Steam rose from his entire body, as if he were about to explode at any moment.
“Pfft!”
A stream of dead blood, three to four meters high, shot out from his mouth like an arrow. Then, Wang Da abruptly sat up before collapsing back down, lying on the bed completely unconscious. At the same time, strange protrusions rose on the surface of his body, as if countless small snakes were moving around inside him, creating a truly bizarre sight.
Despite this, Wang Da remained unconscious. The golden bloodline worms were continuously remodeling his entire body from within, a process that would take about three days. Some parts of the process would be so excruciatingly painful that death might seem preferable, but Wang Da never once screamed. Just as he had never made a sound no matter how much he was beaten, cursed, or abused in the past, he remained silent until the end. Once, when Wang Yi's wife had poured boiling water on his body, he hadn't flinched or made a sound.
* * *
Shen Lang approached the second person and asked.
“Li Gouzi, are you afraid?”
The moment anyone approached, Li Gouzi would instantly tense up, every hair on his body standing on end with vigilance. He suffered from severe autism and social anxiety, so not only could he not speak, but he would have a seizure if anyone got too close. If someone were to touch him, he would have an immediate, intense vomiting reaction. Hearing Shen Lang's words, Li Gouzi shook his head, then nodded again. Shen Lang knew he was afraid of being touched, so he didn't pat him on the shoulder.
Shen Lang smiled and said to him.
“Then I'll begin.”
Li Gouzi nodded. Other than being touched by others, he feared nothing. He wasn't afraid of pain or death. Shen Lang took the syringe and injected 0.5 milliliters of the golden bloodline worms into his body.
* * *
Inside Xuanwu City.
After returning from the capital, Mulan was lost in thought. She had one enemy she would resent until the day she died: her monthly period. For the few days leading up to it, she was so tense she would check ten times a day.
‘Please don't come. You absolutely cannot come.’
Its arrival would mean she had failed to conceive. To show her resolve, she burned all the comfortable menstrual pads Shen Lang had prepared for her. She was determined, as if she would give her life if she didn't succeed.
Three or four days passed after the expected date, and it truly didn't come. Mulan was overjoyed but began to have doubts. She had heard that being too happy, nervous, or tired could also delay one's cycle. She treated each day like she was facing a great enemy, never letting her guard down. About a month passed like this, and if she were pregnant, it would now be possible to tell by taking her pulse.
The days were truly unbearable. She felt she could count every passing hour, the waiting so difficult. When Physician An Zaishi finally returned to Xuanwu City, Mulan couldn't wait and went to find him, holding out her arm without a word. Physician An Zaishi was surprised by her action but quickly understood and took Mulan's pulse. He regarded Mulan as his own daughter and knew her heart all too well.
Mulan's heart felt tight with anticipation as she waited for the result. After a long moment, Physician An Zaishi nodded and said.
“My lady, congratulations. It seems you are with child.”
Hearing those words, Mulan was so overjoyed she didn't know what to do. She was finally pregnant. After more than a year of marriage to her husband, they finally had a fruit of their love. She was so happy she felt like she could fly. With steps like a fluttering butterfly, she went to find her mother, Suo Peipei.
“Mother, I'm pregnant. I'm going to have a baby.”
Suo Peipei quickly hid the object in her hands behind her back, then showed a joyful expression and said.
“This mother of yours knew all along. Since your period didn't come, I was sure you were with child. I'm going to have a grandchild. I'm going to have a precious grandchild.”
“Mother, what are you hiding?”
“It's nothing. Just something I'm playing with. You should hurry and go tell your mother-in-law.”
Soon, Mulan flew off again like a butterfly toward Shen Lang's parents' home. Only after she left did Suo Peipei take out the object she had hidden behind her back. It was a small shoe. However, her sewing was so poor and crooked that one could barely tell it was a shoe. It was a good thing Mulan hadn't seen it, or she would have died of embarrassment. Suo Peipei's sewing skills were truly... best left unmentioned. But was this little shoe her ugliest creation? No. She had filled half a drawer with ugly shoes. The one in her hand now was the best of the lot. People with clumsy hands existed everywhere in the world.
“No need to rush. There are still eight months left, right? I'll definitely be able to make a decent pair of shoes by then.”
Suo Peipei made a secret vow in her heart. When she had given birth to Mulan and Jin Mucong, she had been very young and loved to have fun. She felt she hadn't been a good mother who doted on her children, and had missed the chance to cherish the two fun-loving kids. So this time, she would absolutely not miss the opportunity. When Mulan had her child, she would definitely play with... no, she would raise the child herself. She was determined not to miss a single moment of that child's life.
* * *
Mulan quickly ran to Shen Lang's parents' house. But as she, in her excitement, arrived at her in-laws' home, she felt a little bashful for some reason. Perhaps because she was in front of her in-laws, contrary to her usually bold demeanor, she now seemed a bit shy.
“Mother, I… I'm pregnant.”
Mulan said, feeling endlessly embarrassed. Shen Lang's mother looked up, her gaze filled with unparalleled kindness, and said gently with a smile.
“I knew all along. Our Mulan is truly wonderful.”
Mulan looked at her mother-in-law and saw that she was sewing a small shoe, and next to her were several pairs she had already made. Mulan picked up the shoes to admire them.
‘What adorable little shoes.’
Some had tigers embroidered on them, some had fish, and others had phoenixes. Moreover, they came in various sizes, from small to large, and every shoe was exquisitely made.
Mulan said, as if worshiping her.
“Mother, you're amazing! C-can I take the ones with the tiger embroidery right now?”