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"Shun’er, who is this gentleman..." The elder woman glanced at her son.

"He..." Ma Shun was at a loss for words. He had no idea how to introduce the other man. An immortal? He didn’t seem like it, and as for a demon? Remembering the warning, he didn’t dare say it even if it meant breaking his teeth. What’s more, the other had already said, he was neither an immortal nor a demon, but a taboo...

However, as he held back his words, Ma Shun suddenly recalled his own injury. Could it be... this was also part of the other’s plan?

"Lord Xuan..."

While he hesitated, several tendrils had already flown out from behind Chen Xuan, swooping toward the three others besides Ma Shun.

As they neared their targets, the ends snapped open like a giant blood-red mouth, instantly engulfing the three completely. The process was so quick, they had no time to dodge, let alone scream.

Ma Shun watched as his own parents and elder sister turned into cocoons wrapped in a membranous shell.

"Watch closely, this is the process of receiving the gift," Chen Xuan casually picked up a cup of water and took a sip.

He knew that Baihe Village must have had many problems, but he didn’t expect it to be such a coincidence that Ma Shun’s own father’s leg was struck by a log. If he waited until the other side pleaded with him, Ma Shun would inevitably think that it was a premeditated arrangement, and he did not need such unnecessary complications.

Chen Xuan thought it through clearly.

It’s not that they have to believe in him before he could transform them.

Traditional religions need to follow this procedure because gods do not exist.

However, a taboo truly does exist.

Demonstrating divine power directly far exceeds wasting words.

His initial plan was to start with Ma Shun’s family, using this household as a base point to gradually transform the entire village.

Fragments of memories from Ma Shun’s parents and elder sister flooded into Chen Xuan’s mind.

Sure enough, most of the images were about separations and injuries.

He also learned the names of the three: Ma Dashu, Luo Xinghua, and Ma Qiuniang.

"Lord Xuan... they’re... not dead, right?" Ma Shun’s voice trembled. He stood helplessly before the cocoons, not daring to tear open the membrane, nor provoke Chen Xuan.

"Do you think you’re dead?" Chen Xuan asked indifferently.

This question restored a bit of color to Ma Shun’s face.

He retreated to one side, anxiously eyeing the cocoons, doubting more than believing, yet unable to change anything.

Chen Xuan did not need to first "swallow" people into his belly and then "release" them from his mouth.

Any flesh extending from his body could achieve this.

So it appeared as though the three cocoons were motionless, yet the entire process of containment and reunification had already completed. In less than a half a quarter, the fleshy creations peeled away, revealing the human bodies inside.

The only downside was that this process produced a sticky waste liquid, and Luo Xinghua and Ma Qiuniang were lucky to be standing on the ground, while Ma Dashu was lying on a mattress, which meant one less sleeping item for their already few belongings.

"Eh? Just now... what happened?" Ma Qiuniang blinked, discovering a small blank in her memory.

"Ahhhhh——!" Luo Xinghua let out a terrifying scream.

Pointing at Chen Xuan, her legs shook like a sieve, "There’s a demon, demon... demon——"

Before she finished speaking, Ma Shun had already pounced over, covering his mother’s mouth.

Don’t ah, mother, Lord Xuan detests being called a demon!

Now that he was sure the other wasn’t the kind of Great Demon who consumed people without mercy, at least a Great Demon wouldn’t play this game of feigned retreats.

"No, do not be disrespectful to Lord Xuan!"

Otherwise, provoke him and our entire family will be doomed!

Chen Xuan could simultaneously hear his admonition and inner thoughts, prompting a wry smile.

"Lord Xuan?" his mother hadn’t reacted yet.

"Ah——!" Another scream rang out, but this time it was from Ma Shun’s elder sister, Ma Qiuniang.

The other two turned back together, only to see that Ma Dashu, bedridden for days, was standing steadily!

"Dad, what about your leg injury?" Ma Qiuniang asked in disbelief.

"I don’t know either... suddenly, it just doesn’t hurt," replied the perplexed man as he untied the linen, rolling up his trousers, then stared in shock, mouth agape—the leg that was swollen as a club had shrunk back, the festering, rotten wound vanished without a trace.

He dreamily touched the leg, now whole again, murmuring, "Am I dreaming?"

This time Luo Xinghua finally processed everything and knelt before Chen Xuan, "Thank you, Great Immortal, for saving us——"

She was half through her thanks when her son covered her mouth again.

"Don’t speak nonsense, Lord Xuan is not an immortal either!"

"Then who is this gentleman..." Ma Qiuniang asked instinctively.

Ma Shun mustered his courage to reply, "He’s a taboo!"

Though their level of education wasn’t high, they could understand the implication of a "taboo."

A taboo is an unspeakable and unknowable matter.

Now the three did not know how to continue the conversation anymore.

Chen Xuan did not need their verbal gratitude, their chaotic heart’s voices persisted with fear, confusion, worry, and awe... gratitude was but a negligible splash among these raging waves.

He had indeed saved Ma Dashu’s life, but at the same time exposed his innermost form to their eyes—despite this not being his intention.

This ensured he couldn’t take the path of a breeze and sunshine.

"You have already received the gift. From now on, from your lives to your destinies, all belong to me," Chen Xuan proclaimed in a deep voice, "from now on, what you must do is act according to my will, help more people receive the gift, until the ultimate fusion is achieved."

"Ultimate... fusion?"

The Ma family exchanged confused glances, their hearts full of bewilderment.

"So let me put it plainly: those who serve me can avoid aging, sickness, death, thirst, and hunger. Any physical pain will no longer be your concern." Chen Xuan paused, "Besides, you might receive extra benefits, perhaps even tread the path of cultivation like an immortal... It depends on your performance—the more people join the fusion, the more power you will receive."

Yet what attracted their attention was not cultivation in the least.

Ma Qiuniang couldn’t help licking her lips, "We won’t be hungry?"

Yet in her heart, she wondered, why do I still feel hungry?

Chen Xuan fell silent.

He raised his hand, and half a deer emerged from his arm.

This was food snatched from a bear demon.

Indeed, he could absorb not only living flesh but dead flesh as well, which couldn’t provide him any benefits, merely stored during practice.

Even after a long half-day, this half deer showed no signs of rot, with fresh blood still dripping from the severed end, organs retaining a hint of warmth.

Because the bacteria causing decay are also forms of life, which when contained, separate from the deer meat for storage.

This action, unsurprisingly, elicited another round of screams from the three... yet their expressions slightly differed, Ma Dashu and Luo Xinghua huddled together, shivering, while Ma Qiuniang screamed while intensely focusing on Chen Xuan’s arm, seemingly wanting to discern some secret.

This detail did not escape Chen Xuan’s eyes either.

As for Ma Shun, he had become numb to such strange scenes.

"Since you’re hungry, make a fire then, tonight we’ll eat this deer," Chen Xuan broke the silence.

Ma Qiuniang suddenly spoke, "Lord... Lord Xuan, you mean we can also conjure food from our bodies in the future?"

Stupid girl, shut up, is this something you should ask?

Her parents’ thoughts came through in unison.

"No." Chen Xuan smiled, "What I mean is, in the future, no one will dare starve you... Whoever stops you from eating, then you take theirs to eat."