Chapter Three: Abstaining from Grain

In an instant, Shen Chang'an felt as if even his breath had frozen. At last, he realized something was wrong—he wasn't hungry, yet he had been lured by this enticing aroma. It was clearly a trick, the same seductive method these demons always used. He had knocked on the door several times, but it never opened; most likely, the demon inside was devouring corpses, too busy to bother with him. Then, after gaining control over a wandering soul to open the door, it had drawn him in, intending to consume him as well.

Cold sweat drenched Shen Chang'an from head to toe. His legs trembled, his face tense and anxious, unsure what to do. The book had instructed him to slay the evil spirit, but had not warned him how terrifying these monsters truly were.

Suddenly—whoosh!—a thin thread shot out, tearing through the half-covered door and darting straight for Shen Chang'an's throat, aiming to pin him to the spot.

For that brief moment, Shen Chang'an seemed to see through the trajectory of the thread. He sprang forward, lowering his body, and managed to dodge the deadly soul-snaring line.

Having narrowly avoided death, Shen Chang'an snapped back to his senses. Now was not the time to talk about exorcising demons—he needed to save his own skin first.

He ran with all his might, like the wind. The spider demon, of course, was not about to let him go. It swallowed the puppet-like soul of a nearby maid, smashed through the wall with a crash, and charged straight at Shen Chang'an.

Shen Chang'an now wished his parents had given him two extra legs—or no, six more legs! The giant spider moved its eight legs astonishingly fast; if not for its size and the obstacles posed by the buildings, Shen Chang'an would already have become prey to its fangs.

He ran desperately, and just as exhaustion threatened to overwhelm him, two mysterious currents of energy surged into his legs. Instantly, the aching fatigue vanished. Shen Chang'an felt his strength renewed, his body light, and believed he could easily run another ten kilometers.

"What… is this?"

Shen Chang'an was quietly astonished. There was a mysterious energy circulating within him, constantly supporting his body.

"It's the ability to subsist without food!"

A flash of insight struck him. This was a supernatural skill recorded among the seventy-two transformations of Earthly Fiends; it couldn't merely mean not eating. Its true marvel lay in living by absorbing energy!

Even at the first stage, Shen Chang'an was exhibiting many extraordinary abilities.

He had walked for half an hour in the cold night wind without harm, his energy undiminished, and had swiftly shaken off the spider demon's intoxicating fragrance. His reflexes in the moment of life and death had all come from this miraculous ability to subsist on energy.

At that moment, as he ran at full speed, the accumulated energy coursed through his limbs, elevating his physical strength to a terrifying degree.

He dashed at breakneck speed, his feet pounding the ground, and even the thick stone slabs showed obvious footprints where he landed.

With his speed greatly increased, the spider demon—hampered by the surrounding buildings—could not keep up with him.

Shen Chang'an sprinted without pause, almost reaching the main gate of the villa.

Suddenly, the spider raised its abdomen; several threads shot out, anchoring to the wall near the gate. With a powerful pull, the entire wall collapsed.

Shen Chang'an's scalp went numb watching it. The spider, using the threads, dragged its own massive body directly toward him.

He dared not run forward any longer—if the giant spider struck him, his organs would surely be ruined.

He rolled quickly aside, narrowly avoiding the spider's charge, and a thought flashed in his mind.

"With my enhanced abilities, why am I stupidly heading for the gate? I could just scale any wall!"

He had only just gained his supernatural power, his thinking still stuck in ordinary patterns. Now, facing danger, his mind cleared; he changed direction and charged toward the nearest wall.

The spider demon, though faster thanks to its threads, had lost its agility. It crashed into the ruins, unable to stop.

By then, Shen Chang'an had already reached the wall and was poised to climb over.

The spider demon, enraged, readied to spit threads and pull him back.

At that precise moment, a sliver of white light broke over the horizon, slanting down. A loud crowing rang out—

"Cluck, cluck, cluck—!"

When the rooster crows, the world grows bright!

The giant spider shrank back at the sound of the rooster, halting the threads it was about to launch, stunned and motionless.

Moments later, with Shen Chang'an out of sight, it seemed to awaken from a dream, raging and crashing into several walls before finally coming to a stop.

...

"Phew, this creature may have gained intelligence, but its instincts remain unchanged—it still fears the rooster's crow."

Shen Chang'an ran far from the villa, and only when he was sure not a shadow lingered behind him did he finally relax.

"Heh, truth be told, monsters born from insects fear the crowing of roosters most. In Journey to the West, the scorpion spirit and centipede spirit were beyond even Monkey King's ability, but were handled by the Star Lord of the Rooster. Once I awaken the Rooster among the twenty-eight constellations, I'll fry that spider myself."

Though he joked, survival was still uncertain. Should slaying the evil spirit allow him to escape, Shen Chang'an would never again touch that wicked book.

He left the villa, wandering aimlessly. In these wilds, he couldn't even recognize the roads. If not for his supernatural power, he would have starved on the way.

He walked for about three days.

In those three days, his body had become utterly foul, reeking with sweat, mud, insect corpses—a nauseating stench.

Shen Chang'an was nearly numb. Though not a pampered child of wealth, he had always loved cleanliness, and never imagined such hardship.

Who could say what strange place this was? There were no villages, no shops, not a soul in sight.

As he pondered in confusion, a faint aroma reached his nose.

It was the fragrance of scallion oil.

Shen Chang'an couldn't help but swallow.

He wasn't hungry; his supernatural power allowed him to subsist on energy. Besides, he had no money—if someone sold food, he couldn't buy it.

But the scent of scallion oil meant people were near. If there were people, he could learn about this world, at least discover what sort of place Qingzhou was, and who that Yaksha demon truly was.

He looked up; not far away, wisps of smoke rose, and beneath them there appeared to be a small marketplace.