Strongest Scammer: Scamming The World, One Death At A Time-Chapter 734: Blood Qi In Chitterfang

"How…" Han Yu whispered.

Chitterfang tilted its head, whiskerless snout twitching.

Squeak?

Han Yu stared at the rat with genuine confusion.

Blood Qi was not something one casually picked up. Even within the Blood Sect, disciples had to deliberately cultivate blood based techniques or live long enough near high density blood environments to absorb it.

He had seen what that did to beasts.

The creatures around the Blood Sect were often twisted, aggressive, and unstable. Their mutations were violent and ugly.

Chitterfang, on the other hand, looked… healthier. Stronger. Other than the lack of fur, it did not seem deranged or bloodthirsty.

"Do you feel strange?" Han Yu asked.

Chitterfang considered the question seriously, tiny paws resting on Han Yu's robe.

"Hungry," he replied.

Han Yu sighed in relief.

"Ah. That makes sense."

He reached into his spatial pouch and took out several sticks of dried meat, tossing them onto the ground beside him. Chitterfang's eyes lit up instantly.

In the next few moments, the rat turned into a blur.

Ten sticks of dried meat disappeared into its mouth with astonishing speed. It chewed, swallowed, squeaked happily, and immediately went for the next one until all ten were gone.

Only then did it sit back, patting its belly with a satisfied expression.

"Better," he declared.

Han Yu chuckled. "You're eating more than before."

Chitterfang puffed out its chest proudly.

Han Yu returned his focus inward, his curiosity far from satisfied.

"Do you understand what happened to you?" he asked.

Chitterfang tilted its head again, this time more exaggeratedly.

"No," he admitted after a moment. "Sleep. Hot. Then strong."

That aligned disturbingly well with Han Yu's own experience.

"Can you use the energy inside you?" Han Yu asked next.

Chitterfang hesitated.

It closed its eyes, tiny face scrunching up in concentration. Its body tensed, and the faint red veins pulsed brighter.

Then—

Puff.

A tiny fireball popped out of its mouth.

It was no larger than a candle flame and dissipated after traveling barely a foot through the air.

The campfire crackled louder than the attack.

Han Yu stared at it for a second before nodding.

"…That's still a lot better than before."

Previously, Chitterfang had been completely incapable of releasing any Qi externally. At most, it had relied on sharp teeth, speed, and cleverness.

Now it could at least spit fire enough to light a lamp.

Chitterfang looked up at Han Yu expectantly, as if waiting for praise.

"Good job," Han Yu said sincerely.

The rat squeaked happily and bounced in place.

Han Yu, however, was still troubled.

Fire Qi made sense.

Blood Qi did not.

He stared at the faintly swirling dark red energy in the beast's dantian.

"Can you sense this one?" Han Yu asked, pointing gently with his finger.

Chitterfang blinked.

It tried again to focus, squinting as if looking for something invisible.

After several seconds, it shook its head.

"Don't feel it," it said honestly.

Han Yu frowned.

"So it's there, but you can't access it."

That meant one of two things.

Either the amount was too small for the beast's instincts to grasp, or it was dormant, locked away behind some kind of internal barrier.

Han Yu leaned back slightly, thinking.

"Could it have absorbed it passively?" he wondered. "From the Blood Sect environment? From residual blood Qi on me? Or from the something else?"

None of the answers felt complete.

Still, this was not unprecedented.

Beasts living near blood rich environments often mutated over time. The difference was that Chitterfang's mutation seemed… stable.

Controlled.

Almost beneficial.

"And you reached peak Qi Refining realm without going mad," Han Yu muttered. "That alone is unusual."

He glanced at Chitterfang's small body.

"You're not even supposed to be this strong."

Chitterfang squeaked indignantly.

"Strong," he insisted.

Han Yu laughed softly.

"Alright, alright."

Before he could think further, the smell of cooked food reached him. The workers had finished preparing the meal.

Han Yu stood and brought Chitterfang along, placing a small bowl of meat and grains in front of the rat.

Chitterfang attacked it enthusiastically.

One bowl.

Then another.

Then a third.

Only after consuming the equivalent of one normal bowl did he finally slow down, licking its paws and settling down contentedly.

Han Yu watched with mild disbelief.

"That's your entire body weight," he muttered. "And you look exactly the same."

Chitterfang rolled onto its back, belly round, completely unbothered.

Han Yu's gaze lingered on the rat's bare skin.

"Will your fur grow back?" he wondered aloud.

The rat did not answer.

Han Yu sighed.

He could already imagine the problems.

A normal spirit rat could blend in.

A naked pink rat with glowing veins absolutely could not.

And yet…

Han Yu's lips curled slightly.

"I suppose I'll figure something out."

After all, he fully intended to use Chitterfang for gathering intelligence once he returned to the Slaughtered Moon Divine Blood Sect.

And while a hairy rat could go unnoticed…

A strange one could still be useful.

So long as it learned when to hide.

Han Yu reached down and gently scratched Chitterfang's head.

"Welcome to cultivation," he murmured.

Three more days passed quietly as the caravan continued its steady progress along the wide trade road.

Compared to the chaos and terror of the Harrow Mountains, this stretch of travel felt almost unreal to Han Yu. The road was well maintained, the terrain predictable, and the nights passed without the constant pressure of danger gnawing at his senses.

Even the beasts that occasionally appeared at a distance stayed far away, either frightened by the number of guards or simply uninterested in a caravan that radiated so much human presence.

Han Yu spent most of this time either cultivating, refining his grasp on the Sooty Sky Mystic Art, or speaking with Qing Luan whenever she had free moments.

The girl had grown far more capable than when he had last seen her, not just in cultivation, but in the way she handled matters, gave orders, and assessed risks. She was no longer merely reacting to events.

She was planning around them.