Forge a path to success.

Chapter 79 The Resolve to Associate with the Devil
"Haha, haha, hahahaha!" Brother Bernfar burst into laughter. "This is truly something! To meet such an unexpected fate in such an unexpected situation is beyond words!"

Chu Hengkong lay sprawled on the ground like a stranded squid, only occasionally twitching weakly to indicate he was still breathing. Qi Su covered his face with his hands, his voice devoid of any life: "Could you... perhaps find some food for this squid...?"

"According to our principles, I shouldn't do anything to a dying person," the monk said, laughing. "But... haha! It's hard to say he deserves to die... I'll just try fishing! Hopefully, he can hold on until a fish bites, hahaha!"

The monk, fishing rod in hand, strode out the door, his cheerful laughter echoing in the distance. Qi Su sat in a chair, poking the nearly lifeless squid with his short staff: "So what exactly happened? That big fish was enough to feed you for at least three days, why are you still hungry?"

Beside Chu Hengkong lay several fish bones resembling tree branches, the last traces left by the large eel. He had devoured all the remaining fish meat with astonishing speed before the cultivator laughed and left, yet he still couldn't get up from the ground, only managing a little more strength to struggle.

Vande stood on his head, his eyes filled with an indescribable emptiness: "Little girl, have you ever heard of Qi-based bone forging techniques?"

Qi Su was puzzled: "In my memory, it's a basic skill for the 'walkers' of Longquan Township..."

“Yes, yes, the very foundation. A secret method for strengthening the entire skeletal system with intention and energy, emphasizing circulation and balance. This method hasn't changed much since it was created by the Misty Fate Master, because martial arts practitioners are very self-aware, knowing they aren't any smarter than their ancestors.” Fan De's voice was flat. “However, here, there's a peerless genius who's been tinkering with and practicing this bone-forging method. With his groundbreaking thinking, he's come up with a brilliant idea: forging bones one by one without focusing on overall circulation. The result is—”

Qi Su stared at the silent squid on the ground as if it were an idiot.

“His body balance has been completely disrupted, and his energy consumption has increased dramatically in order to maintain activity within his existing deformed structure,” Van der said. “Simply put, he is now starving to death from his own body.”

Qi Su let out a childish wail: "Idiot! There's an idiot here!!"

"Eat something..." Chu Hengkong squeezed out the words through gritted teeth, "Even soil... will do..."

"Eating dirt won't fill your stomach!!" Qi Su covered his face. "Oh no... Brother Bern is incredibly slow; he might not be back for a whole day..."

Xiang Fuzi, who was watching the commotion, also started to panic: "Is something really going to happen?"

Chu Heng had no words to express his suffering, for he was truly exhausted. The naive and simple townspeople hadn't yet realized that this was a literal life-or-death situation. Hunger and weakness are always the words closest to death, and in the perilous wilderness, starving to death was never a fantasy.

In this desolate, godforsaken place, hunger was a crisis more terrifying than any beast. Chu Hengkong had been carefully managing his calorie intake and stockpiling food, but the side effects came on suddenly and unexpectedly. Right now, he felt his consciousness fading, just like when he was severely injured, and even the sounds around him were becoming fragmented…

Are there any mushrooms left?

"Everyone, quickly find something to eat! Even if it's dirty, it'll do!"

"Fish skin rope is edible!"

"Okay, first stuff the rope into his mouth!"

"Ugh! What is this filthy thing...?" Xiang Fuzi's voice was full of disgust.

“Scholar, let go! That’s a precious thing, pulled from a demon… Ah, I’ve got it… Girl, come here…”

"Get a hat ready?"

Whispers and murmurs filled the air; the content of their discussion was incomprehensible. Chu Hengkong forced himself to bite into the fish skin rope, the leathery contraption disappearing as if burned after entering his stomach. He finally had a little strength left to move. He forced himself to blink and noticed that Fan De was furtively fiddling with a hat. It seemed he was stuffing something into the hat.

"Chu Hengkong, at this critical moment of life and death, there's no time to hold back," Fan De said seriously. "I'll ask you a question, and if you answer, roll your eyes."

Hurry up and tell me, or I'll starve to death.

"...Do you have the courage to side with demons?" Chu Hengkong rolled his eyes frantically.

“Fine!” Van der’s tone became impassioned. “Then wear it! For your life!”

Chu Hengkong forced his eyes open and vaguely saw a strange, elongated outline. It was a constantly writhing, yellowish-brown substance, resembling a baguette that was having an epileptic fit, yet it also possessed a living, breathing quality…

When Chu Hengkong saw the truth of this thing, even his face turned extremely pale and terrible, ten times, or even a hundred times, worse than the most miserable starving ghost!

"..."

Their eyes met in silent contemplation, one filled with sorrow, the other with compassion. Qi Su, lurking in the corner, emitted soft, intermittent laughter, adding a profound sense of tragedy to this fateful scene. Meanwhile, the rumbling of hunger in his stomach tolled like a death knell, forcing Chu Hengkong to make that decision… that decision he could not defy…

Five minutes later, Xiangfuzi ran into the church carrying a small basket.

"I've gathered some mushrooms and plant roots; you might find them useful in an emergency... Brother?"

Xiang Fuzi rubbed his eyes, but for a moment he couldn't find any trace of the starving ghost. At the same time, he noticed another strange thing: not only was the church empty, but three pews were also missing.

Xiang Fuzi felt a chill run down his spine. He heard a clicking sound coming from the backyard, like some rodent gnawing on the tables and chairs. He tiptoed to the backyard and saw a familiar figure sitting among a pile of broken wood. The green coat and silver tentacles—that figure was undoubtedly Chu Hengkong. But his head was strangely "swollen," and he was groping among the wood, seemingly doing something...

Xiang Fuzi rubbed his eyes. He noticed that Chu Hengkong was holding a whole piece of wood splinter with his tentacles. The splinter was close to his chin, just like…

"...Brother, brother?"

Xiang Fuzi took a step back, and Chu Hengkong immediately stood up. His bloated head grew longer and longer as he rose, reaching a full meter in height. The head was a striking yellow, its skin incredibly moist, and it swayed left and right with Chu Hengkong's movements, displaying astonishing elasticity. Xiang Fuzi suddenly felt the head looked very familiar, and he immediately realized its true form.

It was a wriggling, lifelike creature with two big, sticky eyes...

eel!

Chu Hengkong, sporting a long, eel-like head, turned around, his large eyes gleaming with an eerie light. He gave a thumbs-up and issued a resolute shout to Xiang Fuzi:
"eel!"

·
【Hungry Eel Headgear】

Rating: 1

【Origin: Mysterious Realm of the Underworld - Netherworld Divine Kingdom】

[Effect: A headgear that gathers the thoughts of a gluttonous demon; it can devour matter and convert it into energy.]

[Curse:]
1. This relic is a product of the Void and Heretical Path, and cannot be used by pure humans.

2. This relic is contaminated by heretics; possessing it will cause a constant feeling of hunger and loss of normal speech ability.

[Longing: So hungry I'd eat dirt]

　(Note: I only had time to write this much today, sorry.)
　　
　
(End of this chapter)