"Disciple... I don't have much time left. There are some things you ought to know. I'm not actually a Daoist, and I don't know any Daoist arts. Those tricks were nothing more than street magic."
"You heard me right. I'm a con artist."
"When I first came to Prison Dragon County, I planned to disguise myself as an exorcising Daoist, make a quick score, and leave. But through a twist of fate, the people here all thought I had real skills. Those landlords and fat cats paid through the nose to make me stay."
"I was greedy, too. Once I saw that I could rake in a fortune... I couldn't bear to leave. And so I stayed for more than twenty years."
"Luckily, I never encountered any real demons or monsters."
"Don't blame me for deceiving you for twenty years. I was afraid you were young and might let something slip. If word got out about this, our chance to strike it rich would be gone. The two of us might even be finished!"
"I'm on my last legs. The more than four thousand taels of silver I saved before are hidden inside the statue of the True Martial Great Emperor in the temple."
"You were born strong, and you're tall, too. You can definitely carry more than four thousand taels. Take the silver and leave Prison Dragon County at once!"
"After I die, whenever the people of Prison Dragon County encounter some strange or supernatural matter, they'll surely come looking for you to solve it. It'll be fine if it turns out to be a false alarm, but what if you run into the real thing? If you keep walking along the riverbank, how can your shoes never get wet? I'm worried you won't live to see old age!"
"Right, I wasn't alone. Besides you, whom I adopted, I also have a daughter."
"Speaking of which, she counts as your adoptive elder sister. Don't get any filthy ideas—my daughter is already over forty, and her husband is a very important man!"
"You may only be my disciple, but I've always raised you as my son. I've deceived people my whole life, but these few words are true."
"Unfortunately, my relationship with her is poor, and I couldn't bring myself to live in the prefecture. If you're willing, take this letter for me to the Southern Commandery Prefecture of our Great Zhou Dynasty. My daughter is the prefect's wife!"
"The more than four thousand taels of silver I saved can count as your travel expenses and payment for this journey!"
"Once you find your adoptive elder sister and reveal your identity, you might even come into great wealth."
"Cough, cough, cough..."
"..."
Clutching a letter in his hand, Fan Wu recalled the words his con-artist master had confessed before his death.
Who could have imagined that the famous exorcising Old Heavenly Master throughout Prison Dragon County was actually a con artist?
And he himself was that con artist's disciple!
Now that was dramatic.
Three years ago, when Fan Wu first arrived in this world, he discovered that he had become a temple boy.
After receiving the memories of this body, he quickly learned that this world was far from ordinary.
It was a world of gods and anomalies, overrun by demons and monsters!
During his first year after transmigrating, he had been quite pleased. He felt his luck was excellent because temple boys could learn Daoist arts! As long as he learned arts capable of exorcising ghosts and subduing demons, he would have the confidence to establish himself.
In his second year, Fan Wu sensed that something was wrong. But perhaps because he felt a certain distance and awe toward this unfamiliar world and its unfamiliar people, he didn't ask many questions.
In his third year, he outlasted his master. His master's final words let Fan Wu know that his premonition had not been mistaken.
"But you're telling me too late!"
Fan Wu put away the letter.
It wasn't that he didn't want to grab the silver and run.
But whether because he was extraordinarily unlucky or for some other reason, not long after his con-artist master died, a strange incident occurred in Prison Dragon County.
As the only disciple of the "exorcising Old Heavenly Master," and the one who had received the "true exorcist transmission," Fan Wu...
was summoned by the magistrate of Prison Dragon County.
At the time, he hadn't even had a chance to smash open the statue of the True Martial Great Emperor and take out the silver inside!
Summoned to exorcise the ghost, Fan Wu knew perfectly well that he couldn't tell the truth.
Telling the truth would mean prison at best. Being beaten to death on the spot wouldn't be strange either.
He could only put on an act and perform several rituals.
Afterward, the strange incident seemed to stop. Whether it was a coincidence or merely a false alarm, no one knew.
Fan Wu swept the distracting thoughts from his mind.
He slowly drew in a deep breath.
Naturally broad and sturdy, he had already rolled up his sleeves, revealing the firm muscles of his forearms. During these three years after transmigrating, he hadn't learned a single Daoist art. All he had done was train himself into a mass of muscle.
At first glance, he didn't look like a Daoist at all.
He looked more like a fierce military general who had spent years in the army.
Fan Wu picked up the large iron hammer he had prepared and looked up at the statue of the True Martial Great Emperor.
He still felt somewhat uneasy.
Was it really all right to smash a god's statue in the World of Gods and Anomalies? But if he didn't break it open, how was he supposed to grab the silver and run?
"It's already evening. I have to smash it open before night falls. Then, when it's deep into the night, I'll be able to leave Prison Dragon County with the silver. This body is naturally strong, too. Carrying the silver and running for dozens of miles... It'll be tiring, but it shouldn't be a problem!!"
"If Master didn't lie to me, I'll take this letter to the Southern Commandery Prefecture and give it to his daughter. Maybe I really can acknowledge my kin and avoid decades of taking the long way around."
Fan Wu had already raised the heavy hammer, ready to bring it crashing down, but at that very moment, his movement halted.
He stared blankly at the statue of the True Martial Great Emperor, his gaze fixed on the statue's head.
Because.
He saw two lines of text!
[Statue of the True Martial Great Emperor with a trace of Incense-Fire Power—Fate:?—Might:?—Skill:?]
Fan Wu: "?"
Huh?
The text, almost like a game's attributes, was hanging above the True Martial Great Emperor's massive head. Fan Wu couldn't process it for a moment.
He closed his eyes.
Then opened them again.
The text had not vanished. It still hung above the statue of the True Martial Great Emperor.
Afterward.
A stream of information suddenly surfaced in his mind, causing Fan Wu, who had been holding the large iron hammer, to lower his arms involuntarily. He planted the rust-covered hammerhead on the ground.
It took Fan Wu quite some time to recover.
He finally understood what had happened. He had actually awakened a Golden Finger!
Fan Wu lowered his head and looked at his hands.
A status panel belonging solely to him...
suddenly appeared!
[Name: Fan Wu] [Life: 89+] [Might: 4+] [Skill: None] [Free Attribute Points: 0]
This was the Golden Finger Fan Wu had just awakened. Its function was very simple.
Besides allowing him to see the [Life] and [Might] attributes of gods and anomalies... its only other function was to let him obtain attribute points by slaying ghosts, demons, and monsters, then use them to add points to himself.
In simple terms: slay monsters → obtain attribute points → add points and grow stronger!
The [Life] attribute referred to Fan Wu's lifespan. It meant that once he reached eighty-nine, he could lie down in his coffin.
It seemed he was quite long-lived.
The [Might] attribute referred to a combination of strength, speed, reflexes, and other aspects. It could basically be regarded as combat power. A healthy adult's [Might] was generally 1–2.
Fan Wu felt that, perhaps because he had been born with divine strength, and because he had found time to learn a martial art, his [Might] was higher than other people's. Although it was only an ordinary martial art, he at least knew a few moves.
The [Skill] attribute referred to Fan Wu's special abilities, such as Daoist arts or sword-flying techniques... things belonging to the more mystical side of the world.
The scriptures his con-artist master had given him were all fake, and all Fan Wu knew were ordinary fist-and-foot techniques.
So naturally, [Skill] was none.
But...
It seemed this Golden Finger couldn't immediately resolve his current predicament. If he wanted to use it to add points and grow stronger, he first needed the ability to slay demons and monsters.
Leaving aside whether a fake Daoist's true disciple like him possessed that ability, merely finding demons and monsters was no easy task.
His con-artist master had spent so long in Prison Dragon County without encountering a single genuine haunting.
Fan Wu calmed down. Stroking the hammer's handle, he let out a sigh. "Why would a bunch of gullible fools who'd been deceived for more than twenty years build a temple for a fake Daoist—and why would that temple contain a genuine god's statue?"
Under these circumstances, even though he knew that the more than four thousand taels of silver were hidden inside the True Martial Great Emperor's statue, there was no way to retrieve them.
Who knew whether he would suffer some kind of divine retribution if he brought the hammer down?
This was the True Martial Great Emperor, whose attributes were all question marks!
Bang, bang, bang!!!
Bang, bang, bang!!!
Suddenly.
The tightly locked temple gates were pounded on urgently. An anxious shout followed close behind: "Daoist Master Fan! Daoist Master Fan! Something terrible has happened! That... that filthy thing you suppressed with a ritual a few days ago has appeared again!!!"
Fan Wu: "..."
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