Chapter Seven: Mutation

Prince's Mansion.

Liu Ji, Xiaoya, and the others arrived at the prince’s residence. Although Wang Mazi was merely a minor wealthy merchant in Southern King City, credit where it was due—the mansion was built with impressive formality. The two stone lions at the gate were particularly imposing.

Liu Ji spoke up, “Take me to see Wang Mazi.”

A young guard at the gate retorted, “Who are you? Do you know where you are? This is the Wang residence of Southern King City! How dare you address my master so rudely?”

Liu Ji was taken aback. He hadn’t expected that in Southern King City there would still be those who did not recognize the illustrious name of Young Lord Liu Ji.

“Insolence!” one of Liu Ji’s guards barked, “This is Liu Ji, the Young Lord of the Prince of Zhen’nan. Go call your master out, and tell him the Young Lord wishes to see him!”

The young guard’s expression changed instantly as he heard this. He quickly bowed and nodded, fawning, “Forgive me for not recognizing you, Young Lord Liu. Please wait a moment, I’ll fetch my master at once!”

With that, he hurriedly dashed inside.

“Oh dear! Had I known the Young Lord was gracing us with his presence, I would have come out to greet you myself. Please forgive any slight!” An elderly man, dressed in resplendent robes and a tall hat, bustled out from within the mansion, his face plastered with a sycophantic grin.

But Liu Ji noticed something odd—the old man’s gait was awkward, his legs pressed together as if he was in pain. Every hurried step contorted his face with a flash of agony. Clearly, what the shopkeeper had mentioned earlier was likely true.

“You worthless dog! How dare you keep the Young Lord waiting outside?” The old man kicked the young guard’s backside and cursed.

“Ow, ow, ow!” But that vigorous kick made the old man gasp in pain, clutching at his lower half. He hobbled over, still forcing a smile. “Young Lord, my servant did not recognize you. I hope you won’t take it to heart.”

He gestured invitingly, “Please, come inside, Young Lord!”

Liu Ji nodded and followed Wang Mazi into the residence.

In the courtyard, Wang Mazi asked nervously, “May I ask why the Young Lord has honored my humble abode today? If any of my household has offended you, I beg your pardon on their behalf. Please don’t take it to heart!”

The Young Lord’s reputation in Southern King City was notorious, almost on par with Wang Mazi’s own. Beyond frequenting brothels and indulging in every vice, Liu Ji was infamous for his violent temper—few dared cross him. Now, with Liu Ji arriving unannounced, Wang Mazi’s heart trembled in fear, anxious not to provoke any trouble within his mansion.

As they walked, Liu Ji asked casually, “I heard you lost a concubine a few days ago?”

“Yes… one of my concubines died,” Wang Mazi stammered, his heart skipping a beat. He wasn’t sure why Liu Ji was asking, but he answered honestly, “That woman went mad in the night for reasons unknown, lost all sense, and became terrifyingly strong—she injured several servants.”

He paused, bitterness etched on his face. “She even managed to hurt me. I barely escaped with my life. In a fit of rage, I… accidentally beat her to death.”

He stole a glance at Liu Ji, then asked tentatively, “Might I ask, Young Lord, why you inquire about this? Could it be that you knew her?”

“Where is the body?” Liu Ji asked.

“In the woodshed,” Wang Mazi replied truthfully.

“Take me there.”

“Of course, right this way, Young Lord.” And so, the group made their way to the backyard woodshed. Before long, they arrived at a dilapidated outbuilding.

Liu Ji said, “Xiaoya, you all wait outside.”

Xiaoya fretted, “Young Master, are you going in alone?”

The four guards were also concerned. The Young Lord was frail and unskilled in combat—if anything strange happened, he could be in grave danger.

Liu Ji waved them off. “No need to worry. Just wait outside. If anything happens, I’ll call for you.”

“Be careful, Young Master,” Xiaoya urged.

Liu Ji and Wang Mazi entered the woodshed. Immediately, a pungent stench of death assaulted Liu Ji’s nose, making him gag—he instinctively covered his face.

Wang Mazi forced a laugh, “Young Lord, the household has been busy lately, so the burial was delayed. But don’t worry, I’ll see to it she’s buried tonight.”

Liu Ji waved a dismissive hand and approached the body. After scrutinizing it, he reached to lift the white shroud, steeling himself for what he might see.

Suddenly, a hand gripped his wrist.

Surprised, he looked to Wang Mazi.

Wang Mazi withdrew his hand, laughing awkwardly. “Young Lord, are you sure you want to look? Let me warn you, the corpse is rather gruesome.”

Liu Ji shot him a glance, then turned his gaze back to the body. He reached out again, peeled back the shroud, and after a single glance, quickly covered it again—it was simply too horrifying.

“Leave me,” he said.

“…Yes, of course.” Though Wang Mazi didn’t know why, he obediently left and shut the door behind him.

Even with the shroud in place, Liu Ji felt queasy just looking at the corpse. The dreadful sight lingered in his mind.

“Let’s get this over with and get out of here,” he thought.

He placed his hand on the corpse’s belly. Even through the shroud, his palm tingled, goosebumps rising all over. He wanted nothing more than to pull away.

But nothing happened.

He frowned, keeping his hand in place.

Ten seconds passed. Still nothing.

His frown deepened, but he continued to wait, hand pressed to the corpse’s abdomen. After a full minute, still nothing occurred.

“That’s odd—why can’t I extract it?” he muttered. “Before, as soon as a living thing died, I could extract its attributes right away.”

He considered, puzzled, “Could it be because my hand hasn’t made direct contact, and the shroud is in the way?”

The thought of touching the mottled, stinking corpse with his bare hand made his skin crawl—but fortune favors the bold. For the sake of extracting attributes, and to test his theory…

He steeled himself.

He reached under the shroud, his fingers brushing the corpse’s icy hand. After several seconds, still nothing happened.

He frowned deeper and grasped the corpse’s hand.

Still nothing.

“Damn it!” Liu Ji impatiently flung aside the shroud and ran his hands directly over the corpse’s abdomen, his fingers trailing the cold, clammy flesh. The sensation made his hair stand on end and goosebumps break out all over.

“Young Master, what are you doing?” Xiaoya’s voice came from the doorway.

Liu Ji turned to see Xiaoya, Wang Mazi, and the four guards, all staring in with odd expressions—the scene was beyond awkward.

He coughed, struggling to explain, “When Wang Mazi said this woman went mad, I thought there might be something strange, so I wanted to use our family’s ancestral…”

He couldn’t bring himself to continue.

So he snapped, “What are you looking at? Keep staring and I’ll gouge your eyes out! Have you no manners? Is this how servants behave?”

Xiaoya and the others, startled, quickly closed the door.

Xiaoya muttered, “What’s gotten into the Young Master? To behave so indecently with a woman’s corpse—it’s desecration!”

Wang Mazi whispered, “I’ve heard that nobles and high officials often have peculiar tastes…”

Xiaoya glared at him. “Whatever you saw today, keep it to yourself! If you breathe a word, you’ll be risking your life.”

Wang Mazi broke out in a cold sweat. “Don’t worry! I saw nothing, heard nothing—today I am blind and deaf!”

Inside, Liu Ji groped the corpse for several minutes, but still not a single attribute appeared. Frustrated, he muttered, “Impossible… What did I do wrong?”

Suddenly, an icy hand seized his wrist.

Irritated, he said, “Wang Mazi, if you—”

He stopped short. Mechanical and stiff, his head turned upward along the corpse—only to meet a pair of wide, staring eyes, fixed unblinkingly on him.

Liu Ji: “…”

…

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