Shangguan Wenyan stood in front of the stove in the kitchen, fine beads of sweat already forming on his forehead.
Today he decided to cook a sumptuous lunch for Pear Blossom, even though he was feeling unwell.
He skillfully chopped the vegetables, the blade striking the cutting board with a crisp sound.
However, just as he was turning the vegetables in his hand, his body suddenly stiffened.
In that instant, it felt as if an electric current had rushed through his entire body, causing him to tremble involuntarily.
He subconsciously looked at his hands, and saw that the scales on the back of his hands were faintly visible.
The scales were an eerie, jet-black color, with faint golden lines along the edges, shimmering with a mysterious and unsettling light under the kitchen lamp.
A flicker of panic crossed Shangguan Wenyan's eyes, but he quickly regained his composure.
He knew he couldn't let the three members of the Ma family notice his unusual behavior.
I took a deep breath, trying to calm myself down, and continued what I was doing.
He gripped the kitchen knife tightly, his knuckles turning white from the force.
Every chopping motion seemed exceptionally difficult, as if he were fighting against an invisible force.
More and more beads of sweat appeared on his forehead, sliding down his cheeks and dripping onto the cutting board.
The oil in the pan was already hot, making a sizzling sound.
Despite his physical discomfort, Shangguan Wenyan poured the chopped vegetables into the pot.
Instantly, fumes rose up and filled the entire kitchen. He coughed from the fumes, but he persisted, stirring the food in the pan with a spatula.
His breathing became rapid, as if a heavy stone was pressing on his chest.
Every breath felt like torture, but his gaze remained fixed firmly on the food in the pot, making sure it didn't burn.
On the stove next to it, the water in the soup pot was boiling, and steam was rising continuously.
Shangguan Wenyan gritted his teeth and reached out to lift the pot lid.
A sharp pain shot through him as his fingers touched the scalding hot pot lid, but he only frowned slightly, quickly removed the lid, and added the seasonings.
Just then, Ma Lihua's voice came from the living room. Her voice seemed to be an invisible force, supporting him to continue.
He thought to himself that no matter what, he had to make sure Pear Blossom had a delicious lunch.
Finally, the food was ready, and Shangguan Wenyan wearily served it to the table one by one.
His face was pale, his body trembled slightly, but a smile that seemed to win him over was on his face.
"Come and eat!" he called to Ma Lihua and the others.
The three members of the Ma family sat around the dining table and began to enjoy their lunch.
They praised the food highly, but failed to notice anything unusual about Shangguan Wenyan.
Shangguan Wenyan sat quietly to the side, watching Lihua's happy expression, feeling extremely satisfied.
He knew that for this warmth and happiness, he was willing to endure all pain and suffering.
"Eat up, why aren't you eating?" Ma Hehua called to him.
"You guys eat, I'm not hungry," Shangguan Wenyan said calmly.
After they finished eating, he cleared away the dishes and quickly returned to his room. He then pressed a button and opened the basement door.
It was unusually cold at one o'clock in the afternoon.
The leaden-gray clouds pressed heavily overhead, as if they might collapse at any moment, burying the entire world in endless darkness.
The biting wind howled, like a sharp whistle cutting through the silent mountain village, swirling withered yellow leaves and fine, icy rain, mercilessly lashing the roof tiles.
Shangguan Wenyan wrapped his black cloak tighter around himself, making his figure appear exceptionally lonely and insignificant in the underground cave.
He walked hurriedly, as if driven by some invisible force, and quickly opened the door to the cave.
The door creaked as he pushed it, a dull sound like a wail from hell.
The basement was filled with a putrid and damp stench, and the darkness seemed to come alive, lunging at him menacingly.
Shangguan Wenyan snapped his fingers, and the faint light illuminated the narrow passage in front of him.
Water droplets dripped continuously from the wall, making a pitter-patter sound that was particularly clear in the deathly silent space.
He walked along the winding path, the ground beneath his feet wet and slippery, seemingly ready to slip and fall at any moment.
Finally, he arrived at the edge of the blood pool. The blood pool reeked of a nauseating, bloody stench, and the thick blood took on an eerie dark red hue in the darkness.
Without the slightest hesitation, Shangguan Wenyan took a deep breath and plunged his entire body into the blood pool.
The moment he entered, the blood pool erupted like a raging beast, boiling violently. Blood bubbles surged continuously from the bottom of the pool, bursting and splashing crimson spray, filling the air with a bloody mist.
Shangguan Wenyan's body trembled violently in the blood pool. His face was contorted, and his expression of pain looked particularly ferocious in the firelight.
A low growl escaped his throat, as if he were struggling against some unknown force.
The blood in the pool quickly enveloped his body, like countless greedy tentacles, desperately trying to devour him.
As his body sank deeper and deeper into the pool of blood, the surrounding scenery became increasingly terrifying.
Black lines began to spread from the edge of the blood pool, like blood vessels, climbing up the walls and ceiling of the basement.
Stones began to crumble from the wall, revealing bones and decaying organs hidden behind them.
Shangguan Wenyan's eyes were filled with the light of a wild beast, but his body was unable to move, as if bound by a powerful magic.
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