The game comes true, starting with the wandering spirits and gods.

The candlelight in the entire room flickered simultaneously.

Zhang Wenhao walked in casually from outside the door.

[Ding! You have used bitter poison]

This time, he didn't rely on transforming into the incense-bearing person; he used it himself.

The effect is significantly better, even when used on three people at the same time.

Huo Changmao was the first to react.

[Ding! You have used bitter poison on Huo Changmao]

He slowly put down the wine glass in his hand.

The irritation and resentment on his face gradually faded, replaced by an almost innocent smile.

He and several close friends sat in a private room at the Xianglou Restaurant.

The table was laden with delicacies, and three jars of Shaoxing wine had been opened.

Someone stood up, raised their glass, and said, "Brother Huo, you truly have excellent writing skills. If it weren't for the chaos caused by demons and monsters, you would surely have made a smooth career in government."

He laughed heartily, tilted his head back, and downed the wine in one gulp—that strange man with the aroma of the wine.

[Ding! You have used bitter poison on Lu Guang]

Zhang Wenhao raised an eyebrow.

Lu Guang must be the real name of this little servant.

That was winter in my hometown in the north.

On New Year's Eve, it was snowing heavily outside, but inside the house, the kang (a heated brick bed) was warm, and he and his mother huddled together for warmth.

The dumplings were cooked, and Mom brought out a plate. He leaned over the edge of the table, poking at them with his chopsticks, picking out the ones with bulging bellies.

He bit into one, and the coin was hard on his teeth; he bit into another, and it was another coin... He shouted excitedly, "I ate one! I ate one!"

He didn't know that his mother had picked out each of the copper coins one by one and then secretly slipped them back into his hands.

My mother doesn't ask for herself to enjoy a life of luxury; she only wants him to have a sweet life in the future.

She buried him shallowly, but that was the sweetness of his entire life. Even in the bitterest days to come, the thought of that plate of dumplings would make him feel he could still endure.

Zhang Wenhao looked at the dazed and grinning servant and sighed softly in his heart.

Whether it's a time of chaos caused by demons or a time of peace and prosperity, it's always the same group of people who suffer.

The powerful still dance with demons...

But this time it was different; their means of survival—clinging to others—no longer worked.

He stared coldly at the empty wine glass, his vertical pupils suddenly widening.

Sure enough, Huo Changmao was also infected with the evil seed.

"They reaped what they sowed."

Zhang Wenhao coldly snorted.

In the end, it was this maid who made the difference.

[Ding! You have used bitter poison on Chixiang Nu]

Red Fragrance Woman?

This time, even his name was missing, which made him frown.

No memory fragments appeared; in the narrated scene, there were only some writhing red goo, frantically devouring the blood.

It seems endless, never-ending...

A crazy idea popped into Zhang Wenhao's mind and got out of control.

She has lost all her memories...

Wouldn't that make it part of this Red Fragrance Demon?

Thinking of this, he couldn't help but feel a chill.

This time, Chi Xiang's condition is much more serious than that of the medicine man...

Fortunately, my father Zhang Mingyuan returned from his business trip in time, otherwise... wouldn't he have become a walking corpse like this too?

He activated the Observation of the Twisted Eye.

The female believer's panel appeared.

The distorted eye opened, revealing the situation of the two individuals within its field of vision.

[Judgment: Red Fragrance Female Follower]

[Effect Assessment: Completely parasitized; soul and spirit fused with the Crimson Fragrance Mucus; no independent consciousness, no autonomous memories, only the instinct to feed. This body has become part of the Crimson Fragrance and cannot be separated.]

It seems she doesn't even have the chance to reincarnate.

He looked away and gazed at Huo Changmao.

His pollution level was still only slightly elevated.

Zhang Wenhao did not hesitate any longer. He raised his right hand, spread his fingers, and pointed his palm at the woman and Huo Changmao.

[Ding! You have used the "red fragrance female believer" conversion technique.]

[Ding! You have used the "Conversion" skill on "Huo Changmao"]

A wisp of green smoke emerged from their palms and wrapped around their foreheads.

The woman's reaction was the most intense.

Her body suddenly stiffened, as if someone had poured a pot of boiling water down her head.

Her lightly made-up face contorted in an instant, her mouth opened, but no sound came out.

But in the next instant, all the pain vanished.

Her contorted face relaxed, the hideous lines were smoothed out, and she paused completely.

[Ding! You have successfully converted the "evil spirit"]

[Incense offerings +50]

[This believer's soul has been completely merged with Chi Xiang's, and cannot be separated through salvation. It can only be burned along with the evil spirit. The body remains, but the soul is gone.]

Zhang Wenhao looked down at the empty shell on the ground.

Before her death, it was unknown which family she belonged to...

Even though it's just in a game, I can't help but be moved every time I see people infected with drugs or those parasitized by evil spirits.

It's hard to remain calm when there are living, breathing people right in front of you.

He paused for a moment, then looked at Huo Changmao.

The wisps of smoke were still curling around his forehead. He didn't have the same intense reaction as the woman, but he wasn't completely unmoved either.

His brow furrowed slightly, and the corner of his mouth twitched, as if he had some unpleasant dream.

Then he relaxed completely, leaned back on the soft couch, and began to snore.

This is similar to Zhang Mingyuan's case, except that the level of pollution has been reduced.

Zhang Wenhao didn't linger any longer, opened the door, and went out.

The candlelight in the corridor flickered in the wind stirred up by the door.

He walked along the corridor toward the stairwell. The sounds of stringed instruments, drinking games, and girls' giggles from the lobby downstairs mingled together and surged up from the stairwell, muffled and heavy, as if separated by a layer of water.

"Oh, sir!"

An elderly woman with heavy makeup came up from the stairwell. She wore a crimson silk gown, several velvet flowers in her hair, and her face was covered in so much powder that it looked like a wall.

She smiled and looked the customer up and down.

Because of the influence of the "life money," Zhang Wenhao's aura was unremarkable.

The old woman's eyes flickered, and seeing that he walked out expressionlessly, she began to guess what was going on.

Presumably, the waitresses in the private room thought he was mediocre and their service was poor, which made him lose interest.

"Why did you come out, sir? Was the service from the girls in the private room inadequate?"

She leaned closer, lowered her voice, and spoke as if she were speaking from the heart, "Tell me, and I'll go and scold her."

Zhang Wenhao didn't stop walking, casually tossing out a remark: "Truly an arrogant person."

The older woman received the answer she expected.

High-minded? Talking about high-mindedness in a brothel?

She reacted quickly; the smile on her face froze for only a moment before she plastered it on again, repeatedly apologizing:

"Please don't rush, sir. Please have a seat. I'll go and take a look right away. I'm sure you'll be satisfied."

She swayed her hips and hurried toward the private room on the third floor, her crimson silk gown swaying in the corridor.

Zhang Wenhao did not turn around.

He scanned her with his vertical pupils. The old woman seemed normal, only slightly contaminated. It was probably just from casual daily contact, and she hadn't become a full believer.

He went down the stairs, through the lobby, and out through the main entrance of the incense tower.

"What's wrong with you!"

The old woman roughly pushed the door open.

But then they saw a dancer sitting on the couch, brewing tea.

Clearly, she hadn't expected the older woman to come, and asked in confusion, "What brings you here?"