Zhang Chen ’watched’ the silvery white light in his own blood, which had now turned into silver-white symbols. These symbols rushed and flowed through his veins, constantly shaking his meridians and invading his flesh and skin, transforming them.
"I wonder what abilities I will gain from this evolution?" Zhang Chen thought curiously.
On the side, Xiaodouding was diligently wiping a statue. Her small body wielding a huge rod looked extremely mismatched, but she maintained her balance with effort, cleaning the statue thoroughly.
However, she was very worried about Zhang Chen. After wiping for a while, she hurried back to check on Zhang Chen, her little hand reaching out to feel his forehead and check his temperature.
"Don’t worry about me, I’m fine! It’s just a condition I had when I was young, leaving some aftereffects. It will be fine in seven or eight days." Zhang Chen forced a smile to comfort Xiaodouding.
Xiaodouding’s eyes filled with tears upon hearing this, "Really? You’re not lying to me? Is it really a hereditary illness and not because of beatings?"
"Of course." Zhang Chen said with a smile.
Xiaodouding earnestly looked at Zhang Chen for a while, then turned her head to continue working.
"Kids are easily comforted." Zhang Chen thought to himself, amused as he looked at Xiaodouding.
Once the temple was cleaned, the two headed to the Incense Making Hall. However, Zhang Chen was in pain with every movement, so he certainly wasn’t working. Xiaodouding diligently prepared incense with a pestle and herbs, looking very committed.
As Xiaodouding worked, Zhang Chen lazily lay beside her. At this point, someone found it hard to watch and a disciple with a sullen face looked at Zhang Chen, "Is it really okay for you to have a child do your work, brother?"
"None of your damn business! Nosy guy, move aside quickly, or I’ll smack you dead."
Before Zhang Chen could speak, Xiaodouding immediately retorted, causing the disciple to flush with embarrassment and finally sit down in frustration.
At noon, Xiaodouding took a wooden bucket to get food, only bringing back two buns and a pot of porridge.
"I went too late, our Incense Making Hall is too far from the kitchen, looks like we’ll go hungry again." Xiaodouding grumbled as she walked in from outside with the food.
Looking at the food Xiaodouding brought, Zhang Chen had no appetite at all, "I don’t have any appetite, you eat the buns and porridge."
Chengyu’s eyes instantly turned red upon hearing that, with tears starting to swell.
"What’s wrong?" Zhang Chen asked, puzzled by the inexplicable crying from Xiaodouding.
"You must be in a serious condition if you can’t even eat. It’s all because you took a beating for me, causing your old illness to flare up. Zhang Chen, you won’t die, will you?" Chengyu said with a crying voice.
Zhang Chen shook his head, gently stroking Xiaodouding’s head, "Don’t cry, I’m fine! You’ll see in seven or eight days."
"Really? Are you really not lying to me?" Chengyu looked at Zhang Chen with tear-filled hopeful eyes.
"Of course!"
Zhang Chen nodded with a smile.
Chengyu stopped crying and started eating with a happy face.
As time passed, the disciples at the Incense Making Hall looked even less favorably upon Zhang Chen, for exploiting a child was truly a disgrace to manhood.
However, Chengyu mastered Huajin. Although her strength was a bit lacking for her age, she could definitely kill a person with a slap. She was an outstanding expert in the Daoist Temple, and while people disapproved, they were all blocked by Chengyu.
That night
Chengyu refused to go back to her room to sleep and insisted on sharing a bed with Zhang Chen, fearing he might pass away in the night.
Zhang Chen was helpless and had no choice but to let Chengyu stay by his side. But who knew, in the middle of the night, Chengyu slept like a little pig, directly curling around Zhang Chen, hugging his neck and climbing onto him, leaving Zhang Chen both helpless and amused.
In the middle of the night, Chengyu suddenly woke up, groggily reaching out to feel Zhang Chen’s breath. Only upon confirming that he was still alive did she breathe a sigh of relief, snuggle into his arms, and continue sleeping.
While Chengyu slept, Zhang Chen couldn’t sleep because the intense pain constantly stimulated his brain, preventing him from entering the Meditation Realm to cultivate the "Heaven Square Earth Circle Diagram".
Time flew by, and as Zhang Chen’s condition steadily improved, Chengyu gradually relaxed. However, Zhang Chen had not eaten or drunk for seven days, making her somewhat worried that he might starve to death.
In the early morning of the eighth day, as the moon hung high in the sky, Zhang Chen suddenly opened his eyes in the bedroom. A beam of moonlight shone through the window onto the floor, and at that moment, it seemed to come alive, twisting and winding towards Zhang Chen, entering his body.
The Blood Cocoon inside disappeared, replaced by a silver-white Crystal Core about the size of a grain of rice, moving within Zhang Chen’s body.
The Crystal Core glowed silver-white, emanating a cool moon-like light, adorned with numerous mysterious runes that flickered, appearing very mysterious.
The Blood Control Technique remained the same, with no level upgrade, but one ability of Zhang Chen’s was completed: transforming into a bat.
Regardless of day or night, as long as he thought about it, he could transform into a Vampire Bat and leave.
The earlier manipulation of moonlight was just a power he had naturally acquired. Now, his ability to absorb Moonlight extended up to ten meters.
Looking at Chengyu clinging to him like an octopus, Zhang Chen’s body flickered in the next moment and turned into thirty-six Vampire Bats, flying out through the window and soaring high into the sky.