Harvest! Refinement

Clang clang clang!

The moment he entered the room, Zhang Lingshan immediately shut the doors and windows, then asked, "Where are your clothes?"

Li Fu cautiously pointed to a spot.

Zhang Lingshan hurriedly changed into them. They were clean and fresh, far more comfortable than being covered in sticky blood.

Only then did his whole body finally relax.

Next, he found the candles in Li Fu's home and lit them, then inspected the things he had just taken from Fang Qiuyue by candlelight.

There was a booklet, two small porcelain bottles, two One Hundred Tael Silver Notes, and a money pouch filled with loose silver.

Two Hundred Taels in one go—I've struck it rich!

Zhang Lingshan was overjoyed.

That woman had just made him spend 10 Energy Points to save his life, and now she had paid him back with Two Hundred Taels in Silver Notes.

If he exchanged it for Medicinal Ingredients, wouldn't those 10 Energy Points be replenished in no time?

But hadn't that woman seemed quite formidable? Why did she have only Two Hundred Taels? A donkey-dropping on the outside, glossy as could be—strong in appearance, weak within.

After putting away the Silver Notes and loose silver, Zhang Lingshan set the money pouch aside and picked up the two small porcelain bottles for a careful look.

There were no markings on either bottle. The only difference was that one was plain white porcelain, while the other was Blue and White Porcelain.

He carefully opened the white porcelain bottle.

A faint medicinal fragrance drifted out. Zhang Lingshan's spirits immediately lifted a little, his exhaustion swept away. He suddenly felt excited, even wanting to burst into song.

What is this? So Weird—some kind of stimulant?

Zhang Lingshan hastily shoved the wooden stopper back in. He feared that if he inhaled it any longer, he would start dancing with joy.

Fortunately, when he checked the Panel, he found no flickering Energy Points. It clearly was not poison, so he put it away to study slowly later.

Then he opened the small Blue and White Porcelain bottle.

This time, no medicinal scent wafted out. Instead, there was a faint fishy smell. Pouring it out and examining it closely, he found more than ten pills, each smaller than a little fingernail.

And what is this?

Zhang Lingshan did not dare eat them recklessly. He put them away as well, intending to study them later.

Finally, he opened the booklet.

Hmm...

He could not recognize a single character and could only sigh at the words.

The writing in this world somewhat resembled the traditional characters from his previous life, but it was even more complicated, with strokes twisting and turning in every direction. He had never studied it, so he simply could not read it.

Looks like I need to find a chance to learn how to read.

Zhang Lingshan thought to himself.

After all, he had obtained these things through murder and robbery. If he took them out and asked someone to translate them, who knew what was written inside? First, he might be deceived. Second, word could leak and bring trouble to his door.

So he absolutely had to learn to read. How could he possibly have a bright future if he was illiterate?

I can't read the words, I don't dare eat the pills in the porcelain bottles, and for now, my greatest gain is those Two Hundred Taels in Silver Notes. But I can't casually cash those notes either, lest they draw the attention of people with ulterior motives. Sigh...

Zhang Lingshan sighed inwardly. I'm still too weak. Everything I do leaves me tied hand and foot.

At that thought, he looked toward Li Fu's family of three.

If he could refine this family of three just as he had burned the Greedy Ghost to death, he could both stockpile Energy and save a sum of money. Wouldn't that be satisfying?

"Y-you, don't come any closer! What are you trying to do? I was wrong! I shouldn't have cursed you! Please spare us!"

Seeing something wrong in Zhang Lingshan's eyes, Li Fu's face changed in horror. He hurriedly knelt and begged for mercy.

Unfortunately, as a spirit body—and a cowardly one at that—his abilities were pitiful. He could not even kneel steadily on the ground while begging. Instead, he slowly floated upward.

Zhang Lingshan ignored his pleas and reached out to grab him.

Whoosh!

His right hand passed directly through Li Fu's phantom body. His arm felt chilled, but he had not caught Li Fu at all.

Zhang Lingshan withdrew his arm and saw patches of red marks on it, quite similar to the wounds the Greedy Ghost had inflicted on his back and abdomen before.

So this is the method of Evil Spirits. They don't need to deliberately attack—just their yin energy can damage a person's body.

Zhang Lingshan analyzed it silently.

"Ha ha."

Seeing that Zhang Lingshan could not catch him, Li Fu immediately jumped up and laughed loudly. "He's strong on the outside but weak within. He can't hurt us at all. Don't be afraid of him! As long as we pass through his body, we can wear him to death..."

Just as he laughed, Zhang Lingshan suddenly stepped forward and assumed a posture with both hands holding up the sky.

"Have you gone mad..."

Li Fu did not understand what he was doing and was about to mock him when he felt a wave of heat rush over. Invisible Flame lashed out with tongues of fire that struck his body. Pain made him bare his fangs and grimace, and his entire phantom body began to warp.

"Don't! Spare me!"

Screaming miserably, Li Fu shot away to flee for his life.

Zhang Lingshan did not pursue him. Instead, he stopped and checked the Panel. Seeing no increase in Energy Points, he stepped forward again and performed the Primal Chaos Righteous Yang Posture.

Whoosh whoosh whoosh.

Invisible tongues of fire pounced toward Li Fu along with his fists.

Li Fu hurriedly dodged, shoving his son Li Dong, who had been hiding behind him, forward.

Li Dong seemed rather dull-witted. He did not even know how to dodge, charging foolishly toward Zhang Lingshan and being burned into nothingness by a few bursts of Fire Momentum.

Puff.

There was no scream. It was as though someone had merely farted; he drifted away lightly and vanished.

That weak?

Zhang Lingshan was speechless.

Looking again at the Energy Points on the Panel, there was still no change.

Was it because he was too weak to provide Energy Points, or because I burned him to death outside?

Zhang Lingshan pondered silently.

Deciding to conduct another experiment, he soothed him, "Uncle Fu, don't be afraid. I won't hurt you. We don't have some deep blood feud between us, so why make things so ugly?"

"You really won't hurt me?"

Li Fu looked timid and cowardly, hiding behind his wife and refusing to come out no matter what.

Instead, his wife seemed to have been startled. She suddenly let out a shrill cry and lunged at Zhang Lingshan.

Zhang Lingshan immediately inhaled sharply through his nose.

Whoosh.

The yin wind from Li Fu's wife's phantom body swept through him, making Zhang Lingshan shiver.

Perhaps because her attack had worked, Li Fu's wife grew even more excited and charged at Zhang Lingshan again.

This time, Zhang Lingshan tried inhaling through his mouth.

Yet it was the same as before. He still could not suck her into his body.

Having no other choice, he used the Primal Chaos Righteous Yang Posture and burned her into nothingness as well.

"Spare me, spare me."

Li Fu grew ever more terrified.

Zhang Lingshan said, "Uncle Fu, I'll give you one last chance. Take the initiative and enter my stomach. Perhaps, if you're lucky, you can occupy my fleshly body."

"I won't, I won't! You definitely... Ha ha ha!"

Li Fu initially shook his head, but when he saw Zhang Lingshan standing still with his mouth wide open, he immediately burst into excited laughter and shot into Zhang Lingshan's throat.

"You actually threw open your gates and let me enter your body. I'll make your intestines rot and your belly burst, grind your five viscera and six bowels to pieces..."

Li Fu shouted triumphantly.

Suddenly, a wave of heat rushed toward him. Like a vortex, the scorching heat instantly tore him apart, his phantom fragments roasted over Flame.

In the end, with a puff, he too turned into nothingness alongside his wife and son.

It worked, just as expected!

Zhang Lingshan was delighted.

Just as he had guessed, he had to draw these Evil Spirits into his body before he could refine them. Killing them outside was purely a waste.

Unfortunately, not every Evil Spirit had Li Fu's level of intelligence. If they were unwilling to come in, there was nothing he could do.

Li Fu's wife and son, for example, had merely charged straight ahead to offer up their heads.

I remember Li Dong was addicted to gambling, but he wasn't an idiot. Why did he become a fool the moment he turned into a yin ghost?

Li Fu's wife was the same. It seemed as though only her obsession with killing me remained.

Only Li Fu retained a little intelligence, but it wasn't much. And although he had doted on his son so much when alive, he had actually pushed his son in front of me just now to take the blow for him...

Zhang Lingshan found it rather unbelievable.

Clearly, Li Fu had undergone a complete change in temperament after becoming a yin ghost. He was utterly different from when he had been alive.

It seemed that during the process of this family of three becoming yin ghosts, some unknown transformation had definitely taken place.

Whatever the change was, any change that can provide me with Energy is a good change.

Zhang Lingshan did not dwell too much on the intricacies of it. With his current strength and knowledge, he would not be able to figure it out anyway.

So he immediately sat cross-legged and checked the Panel.

Name: Zhang Lingshan

Martial Arts: Wind Stabilizing Posture (Entry Level), Mountain Splitting Axe Technique (Not Entry Level+), Red Thread Fist (Minor Accomplishment), Primal Chaos Righteous Yang Posture (Perfection)

Energy: 49.7

Little Li Fu actually provided 40 Energy Points, ten more than the Greedy Ghost did before. But he felt easier to refine than the Greedy Ghost. Is it because I've grown stronger and my qi and blood have become more vigorous?

Zhang Lingshan was overjoyed.

The blow Fang Qiuyue had dealt him earlier was offset here, and he regained his confidence.

He admitted that he was temporarily no match for powerful people like Li Ziming, but as long as he kept improving, sooner or later he would reunite Li Ziming and Fang Qiuyue!