World of Gods and Anomalies, the True Disciple of a False Daoist

"Disciple... your master doesn't have much time left, and there are some things you should know. Your master isn't actually a Taoist priest, nor does he know any Taoist magic. Those abilities were just parlor tricks."

"You heard me right, your master is a con artist."

"Back then, when I first arrived in Prison Dragon County, I planned to impersonate a ghost-exorcising priest, scam some money, and leave. But through a series of coincidences, everyone in the county thought I had real skills. Those wealthy landlords paid a hefty price to ask me to stay."

"It's also my fault for being greedy. Seeing that I could make a fortune... I couldn't bear to leave. And I stayed for over twenty years."

"Fortunately, I was lucky and never encountered any real demons or supernatural entities."

"Don't blame me for deceiving you for twenty years. Your master was afraid that you were too young and would speak carelessly. If this secret got out, the opportunity to get rich would be gone. We might even be finished!"

"Your master is dying. The more than four thousand taels of silver I saved are hidden inside the statue of the True Martial Great Emperor in the Taoist temple."

"You were born with great strength and are tall; you can definitely carry more than four thousand taels. Take the silver and leave Prison Dragon County immediately!"

"When your master dies, those people in Prison Dragon County will definitely seek you out to help them solve any supernatural incidents they encounter. If it's just a false alarm, that's fine, but I fear they might encounter something real! You can't walk by the river without getting your shoes wet; I worry about your life!"

"Oh, right. Your master isn't alone. Besides you, whom I adopted, I also have a daughter."

"Speaking of which, she's your sworn sister. Don't get any funny ideas, kid. My daughter is already in her forties, and her husband is a big shot!"

"Although you are just my disciple, I have always raised you like my own son. Your master has deceived people his whole life, but these words are true."

"It's a shame my relationship with her isn't good, and I can't bring myself to live in the prefectural city. If you're willing, help your master deliver this letter to the Southern Commandery of our Great Zhou Dynasty. My daughter is the wife of the Prefect!"

"The more than four thousand taels of silver your master saved can also be considered your travel expenses and reward for this trip!"

"When you find your sworn sister and reveal your identity, you might even gain great fortune."

"Cough, cough, cough..."

"..."

Holding a letter in his hand, Fan Wu recalled the words his con artist master confessed before dying.

Who would have thought that the Old Heavenly Master, renowned throughout Prison Dragon County for exorcising ghosts, was actually a con artist!

And he himself was this con artist's disciple!

It was truly dramatic.

Three years ago, when Fan Wu first arrived in this world, he discovered he had become a Taoist acolyte.

After accepting the memories of this body, he quickly learned that this world was unusual.

This was a World of Gods and Anomalies where demons ran rampant!

In his first year of transmigration, he was quite fortunate, feeling he had good luck because as a Taoist acolyte, he could learn Taoist magic! As long as he learned the methods to exorcise ghosts and demons, he would have the confidence to establish himself.

In his second year, Fan Wu began to sense something was wrong. But perhaps due to a sense of distance and reverence for the unfamiliar world and people, he didn't ask further questions.

In his third year, he outlived his master. The few words his master spoke before dying made Fan Wu realize his premonition was not mistaken.

"But you spoke too late!"

Fan Wu put away the letter.

It wasn't that he didn't want to take the silver and run.

But whether it was due to his extreme bad luck or some other reason, not long after his con artist master died, a supernatural incident occurred in Prison Dragon County.

As the only disciple of the "Ghost-Exorcising Old Heavenly Master," Fan Wu, who had "inherited the true teachings of ghost exorcism"...

Was summoned by the county magistrate of Prison Dragon County.

At that time, he hadn't even had time to smash the statue of the True Martial Great Emperor and retrieve the silver inside!

Summoned to exorcise ghosts, Fan Wu knew very well he couldn't tell the truth.

Telling the truth would mean jail at best; being beaten to death on the spot wouldn't be surprising.

He could only go through the motions and perform a few rituals.

Afterward, the supernatural incident seemed to subside. Whether it was a coincidence or a false alarm, he didn't know.

Fan Wu swept away the distracting thoughts in his mind.

He took a deep breath.

Gifted with a naturally robust physique, he had already rolled up his sleeves, revealing the firm muscles of his forearms. In the three years since his transmigration, he hadn't learned any Taoist magic, only building up a body of muscle.

At first glance, he didn't look like a Taoist priest at all.

He looked more like a fierce general who had served in the army for many years.

Fan Wu picked up a large iron hammer he had prepared and looked up at the statue of the True Martial Great Emperor.

He still felt a bit apprehensive.

Was it really okay to smash a statue of a god in the World of Gods and Anomalies? But if he didn't smash it, how could he get the silver and run?

"It's already evening. I have to smash it before nightfall. I can leave Prison Dragon County with the silver late at night. This body is blessed with divine strength, so carrying this silver for dozens of miles... it'll be tiring, but it's not a problem!!"

"If my master didn't lie to me, then taking this letter to the Southern Commandery Prefectural City and giving it to his daughter. Perhaps, I can truly recognize a relative and avoid decades of detours."

Fan Wu had already raised the heavy hammer, about to bring it down, but at that moment, his movement stopped.

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 power -- Vitality:? -- Strength:? -- Skill:?]

Fan Wu: "?"

Huh?

The text, similar to game attributes, was hanging on the large head of the True Martial Great Emperor statue. Fan Wu couldn't react for a moment.

He closed his eyes.

Then opened them again.

The text hadn't disappeared; it was still hanging above the True Martial Great Emperor statue.

Afterward.

A piece of information suddenly popped into his mind, causing Fan Wu, who was holding a large iron hammer, to involuntarily lower his arms. The rusty hammerhead was propped against the ground.

It took Fan Wu a while to recover.

He finally understood what had happened. He had actually activated a Golden Finger!

Fan Wu looked down at his hands.

His very own attribute panel...

Suddenly appeared!

[Name: Fan Wu]
[Vitality: 89+]
[Strength: 4+]
[Skill: None]
[Free Attribute Points: 0]

This was the Golden Finger Fan Wu had just activated. The Golden Finger's function was simple.

Besides allowing him to see the [Vitality] and [Strength] attributes of supernatural entities... its other function was to allow him to gain attribute points by killing supernatural entities, monsters, and demons to strengthen himself.

Simply put: Kill monsters → Drop attribute points → Level up and become stronger!

The [Vitality] attribute referred to Fan Wu's lifespan. It meant that once he reached 89 years old, Fan Wu would be ready to die.

It seemed he could live quite a long time.

The [Strength] attribute referred to a combination of factors like strength, speed, and reaction time. It could basically be considered combat power. A healthy adult's [Strength] was generally 1-2.

Fan Wu felt it might be due to his innate divine strength, plus the fact that he had taken the time to learn a martial art. Although it was just an ordinary martial art, he still knew a few moves.

That's why his [Strength] attribute was higher than others.

[Skill] referred to the special abilities Fan Wu possessed, such as Taoist magic, sword control techniques... these more mystical things.

The scriptures his scammer master gave him were fake, and Fan Wu only knew ordinary fist and foot techniques.

So, [Skill] was naturally None.

However...

It seemed this Golden Finger couldn't immediately solve his current problem. To use the Golden Finger to gain points and become stronger, he first needed the ability to kill monsters and supernatural entities.

Putting aside whether he, the direct disciple of a fake Taoist priest, had that ability, just finding monsters and supernatural entities was not an easy task.

His scammer master hadn't encountered a single real haunting incident in Prison Dragon County for so long.

Fan Wu calmed down. He touched the handle of the iron hammer and let out a sigh, "Why would a statue of a true god be in a temple built by a fake Taoist priest for a group of people who have been swindled for over twenty years?"

In this situation, even if he knew that over four thousand taels of silver were hidden inside the True Martial Great Emperor statue, he couldn't get it.

Who knew if he would suffer some retribution if he smashed it with his hammer?

This was the True Martial Great Emperor whose attributes were all question marks!

Bang bang bang!!!

Bang bang bang!!!

Suddenly.

The tightly shut temple doors were urgently knocked upon, followed by anxious shouts: "Daoist Priest Fan! Daoist Priest Fan! Something big has happened! The unclean thing you performed a ritual to suppress a few days ago... it has appeared again!!!"

Fan Wu: "..."