Paper Man Zhou's Family

Closing the door, Xiao Ran sat in the courtyard and thought. He felt a sense of unease about his grandfather asking him to find the Zhou family.

After much thought, he recalled the reward he received from the Mystery City this time.

So, he reached out and retrieved the F-grade Curse Mark contract, [Trainee], from the Mystery City's space.

Frankly speaking, with just the [Corpse Stitcher] and the [Calamity Suppressing Token], given enough time, he could become stronger and stronger, accumulating power like Xu Fu in the TV drama "Feng Yun."

But the limitations of [Corpse Stitcher] were too great. He could probably handle ordinary people, but if he encountered another Emissary wielding a [Cursed Object], he would likely not be their match.

Since different Curse Marks and Cursed Objects had vastly different abilities, why not give it a try?

"Rip."

As the yellowish contract was torn apart, it was as if some seal had been broken. Crimson liquid surged from the contract, then coiled around Xiao Ran's palm like earthworms.

"Hiss!!"

Even though he had prior experience, the piercing burning sensation was still extremely intense when this power burrowed beneath his skin.

He wasn't sure if it was because the grade of [Trainee] was lower than [Corpse Stitcher], but this pain didn't last long. Before Xiao Ran could even adapt, it had completely merged into his palm, and a second Curse Mark appeared in his mind.

The triangular flame pattern was far less complex than that of the Corpse Stitcher. At the same time, information about the Trainee flooded Xiao Ran's vision.

[Curse Mark: Trainee]

F-grade (Can devour other sequence Curse Marks for enhancement, or combine with other sequences for promotion.)

Attributes: Constitution +3

Exclusive Talent: Eidetic Memory

When the holder uses a Cursed Object, the Curse Mark's traits will combine with the Cursed Object, deriving unique abilities exclusive to you.

(Note: The same Cursed Object will produce entirely different abilities when in contact with different Curse Marks.)

"Huh!!"

After experiencing the effects of the Trainee, Xiao Ran's face immediately showed a look of disdain.

He knew there was a grade difference between the two Curse Marks, but he hadn't expected the gap to be so large.

Eidetic Memory?

"Hmm, this is indeed a good ability. A powerful memory will make one's judgment sharper and easier to capture details that others overlook."

Immediately, a sharp glint flashed in his eyes. He took out the [Black Swan Brooch] and placed it in his hand, attempting to activate it with the new Curse Mark.

F-grade Cursed Object: [Black Swan Brooch · Trainee]

A black swan on the field, no one can say what surprises it will bring.

Privilege 1: Tempering

When you suffer an attack, there is a 30% chance to gain Tempering Points. Tempering Points can be used to temporarily boost your Constitution, Strength, Agility, or Spirit according to your needs.

Duration: 20 seconds.

(Note: Once the enemy stops attacking for more than three minutes, all accumulated Tempering Points will be cleared.)

Privilege 2: Omen Detection

When you are subjected to hostility, investigation, or mental attack, the Black Swan Brooch will alert you in time.

Duration: N/A

Feeling the feedback from the Black Swan Brooch, Xiao Ran pondered carefully. [Trainee] was an F-grade Curse Mark, but when combined with the Black Swan, its effects were, to some extent, better than the E-grade Corpse Stitcher.

The two privileges of the Black Swan · Corpse Stitcher were controlling corpses and defending against curses, respectively.

Neither could be said to be weak, but both had prerequisites.

Compared to the Trainee, it was more suitable for constant wear, and both its privileges offered good defensive capabilities.

After careful comparison, Xiao Ran made a basic judgment.

"The abilities of Cursed Objects are not fixed, but there is a general tendency. However, even if the Cursed Object's inherent ability leans towards defense, its nature might change under the influence of the Curse Mark."

"But if the Cursed Object and the Curse Mark themselves have extremely compatible abilities, their strength will be greatly enhanced. For example, the Corpse Stitcher and the Calamity Suppressing Token are a match made in heaven."

Even Emissaries of the Mystery City who possessed the Corpse Stitcher, without the Calamity Suppressing Token, likely wouldn't have the ability to seize the powers of the deceased.

To verify his hypothesis, Xiao Ran took out the Calamity Suppressing Token and combined it with the Trainee.

The answer he received was exactly as he had predicted.

There were still two privileges.

When you are stitching corpses, you can enjoy the following two privileges.

Privilege 1: Fault Tolerance.

When stitching corpses, you can have three fault tolerance opportunities to avoid suffering harm from evil spirits yourself.

Privilege 2: Borrowing.

When stitching corpses, you can activate the Borrowing privilege to randomly extract strength, constitution, spirit, and agility from the corpse as special talismans (zhuan). You can tear up the talismans when needed to gain temporary buffs.

Talismans can be kept for up to 70 days.

The better the stitching effect, the stronger the power drawn.

(Note: Cannot draw power from corpses above Rank F)

The two privileges were nowhere near as good as the Corpse Stitcher's, but they had their advantages. He could obtain talismans to enhance himself, so he wouldn't have to worry about his abilities being useless when trouble arose.

It's just...

Where was he supposed to get so many corpses?

Even the official employees at the funeral home didn't encounter Cross Fish needing repair every day.

Not to mention, not every family was willing to pay a large sum of money for a dignified send-off in their final moments.

"Hmm..."

Xiao Ran squinted in thought for a moment before his heart suddenly leaped. "It doesn't say they have to be human corpses, does it?"

The moment the thought surfaced, Xiao Ran felt a surge of energy, and all his troubles seemed to vanish without a trace.

"That's right, I can't get human corpses, but animal corpses are everywhere, aren't they?"

Not to mention the stray cats and dogs by the roadside, there were even more corpses at the slaughterhouse. It would be simple for him to spend a little money and buy a few animal carcasses.

Thinking this, Xiao Ran's mood immediately improved significantly.

He reactivated the Black Swan and tucked the swan brooch under his clothes, keeping it in a constantly activated state.

With the Black Swan's warning and the curse on his stomach, even if he encountered someone else with a Cursed Object, he should be able to protect himself as long as he was careful.

Walking back to the front room, Xiao Ran skillfully packed the woman's purchases into an extra-large plastic bag.

He glanced back at the white cat, which was still lazily perched on the windowsill, licking its paws. Xiao Ran shook his head, no longer expecting the creature to guard the house.

He grabbed a shared bicycle from outside and rode straight to Panlong Mausoleum.

The wind was refreshing along the way. With the +3 Constitution bonus from [Trainee] and the +5 Constitution from [Corpse Stitcher], Xiao Ran felt his physical condition was better than ever.

Even though it was uphill the whole way, riding the bike didn't feel strenuous at all.

Upon arriving at the mausoleum, Xiao Ran registered at the security office at the entrance, then went to the Incineration Pool. He threw the items in, wrote "Guo Lingfei's Resting Place" on the ground with chalk, and lit a piece of spirit money.

Soon, black smoke rose from the burning Incineration Pool.

Xiao Ran took out his phone and recorded a short video. Only after everything inside had burned to ashes did Xiao Ran leave.

Luo City was, after all, an ancient capital with a thousand years of history.

After several wars, it had long lost its former glory and was now just a third-tier city.

However, in just the past two years, with the gradual recovery of tourism, a trend of ancient costumes had suddenly emerged.

Coincidentally, the ancient-style architectural complex that Luo City had been renovating in recent years created a chemical reaction with this ancient costume trend, resulting in young men and women dressed in ancient attire being seen everywhere on the streets of the old city.

Even local businesses joined in the fun, causing the usually deserted alleys to become lively.

Xiao Ran walked down the street towards the Drum Tower, where there was a cluster of old houses.

Gray bricks and black tiles, bluestone paths.

Occasionally, he could see photographers at the entrance taking pictures of tourists.

"This house is so big, I wonder what it's like inside."

A young couple stood before the vermilion gate, looking at the old house in front of them with envy.

Although it was an old house, the beams were high and the doors were wide, and the stone lions on either side of the entrance looked very old.

Unlike other residential houses, the outer wall alone was as tall as three or four households. Stepping back a few paces and standing on the steps, one could vaguely see the pine moss on the roof tiles.

Unfortunately, they could only see this far. A sign hung on the door, bearing the words "[Private Residence, Do Not Enter]," clearly indicating that outsiders were not welcome to visit.

Just as the young couple was lamenting that they couldn't go inside to visit and take some photos, Xiao Ran arrived at the door carrying a box of milk and fruit.

He put the items down and, instead of ringing the doorbell, pulled the door knocker.

"Bang! Bang bang!"

After one light and two heavy knocks, Xiao Ran stood by the door and waited.

About ten seconds later, the door opened a crack.

A man around forty years old peeked out, looking at Xiao Ran outside with confusion. His gaze swept over Xiao Ran and then landed on the items beside him, his expression softening. "Who are you looking for?"

"Is this the Zhou family? My grandfather asked me to come and visit the elders of the family." Xiao Ran didn't state his purpose directly, as he wasn't entirely sure, only hoping that the older generation of the family was still alive and would remember the favor his grandfather mentioned.

The man nodded and pulled the door open wider. "Come in and talk."

Xiao Ran picked up his things and walked inside. The young couple behind him quickly craned their necks, peeking inside while the door was open.

Unfortunately, to the couple's disappointment, there was a screen wall behind the main door, and nothing could be seen.

Beyond the screen wall was a layout of three front rooms and two side rooms.

The front hall was spacious and bright, paved with bluestone slabs, with a square table and rosewood chairs. A landscape painting hung behind it.

The side rooms on either side were the kitchen and bedrooms.

Further back were likely two inner courtyards.

This house looked old, only one story, but it was so much more comfortable than the surrounding brick houses.

Xiao Ran couldn't help but envy, "As expected of a master who once controlled the funeral industry, his family's foundation is truly extraordinary."

After the man gestured for Xiao Ran to sit, he asked, "My mother is still resting inside and will be out shortly. May I ask who your elder is...?"

"Second Gate of Beijie Hutong, Sheng Guan Di."

Xiao Ran said the industry jargon with a smile, wanting to see if the person in front of him was still in the business.

If not, then he wouldn't mention his own business and would wait for the Old Woman to come out before speaking.

The man was stunned for a moment, then quickly reacted. His brows furrowed, and his tone immediately turned unfriendly, "So you're a young brother from the closed-off side. Unfortunately, my old basin has been replaced with a golden one. Our temple is too small to accommodate a great Buddha. Please bear with us and leave."

Although Xiao Ran had prepared himself for this possibility, he hadn't expected to be directly asked to leave after just one sentence. He felt a moment of awkwardness on his face.

But if he left dejectedly like this, not only would his business remain unfinished, but he wouldn't even get back the favor he was owed. He would be too ashamed to even tell the Old Master when he returned.

He immediately coughed lightly and said with a displeased expression, "It's only a few months into the year, the spring ice hasn't melted yet."

As the saying goes, when spring ice doesn't melt, favors are thin.

Xiao Ran's words were both a request for a favor and a jab at the man.

Upon hearing this, the man immediately sneered and reached out to grab Xiao Ran's shoulder, "What brat are you, to be talking about favors with me when you're still wet behind the ears!"

However, Xiao Ran was faster. He raised his hand and used the 'Grasping Hand' from Tiger Fist, blocking the man's hand with one arm. His four fingers hooked like claws, and he gripped the man's wrist. With a twist, even though the man was much larger than Xiao Ran, he was caught at his vital point. His body immediately lost balance and he nearly fell to his knees.

If Xiao Ran hadn't held back, he could have dislocated the man's arm.

With a push, the man stumbled and fell on his backside. He looked up at Xiao Ran in surprise, then stood up in a fit of rage, ready to fight the kid to the death.

"Stop!!"

Fortunately, at this moment, the door behind them was pushed open, and an Old Woman walked out, leaning on a cane. She glared at the man, "Useless thing, how can you lay hands on a guest? Get out of the way."

"Mom, this kid..."

The man, clutching his arm, glared at Xiao Ran with resentment, wanting to argue further. But the Old Woman just gave him a sidelong glance, and the man instantly deflated like a leaky balloon, lowering his head, "Oh."

"Old Woman, I was too abrupt. I was just joking with Big Brother earlier."

Seeing that the main person had arrived, Xiao Ran quickly stood up and bowed slightly to the Old Woman in front of him.

"Good, good, good, child, sit down."

The Old Woman waved her hand, signaling Xiao Ran to sit. "I heard what you said. I can't make the decision on this matter. I need to ask my husband."

"Okay."

Saying that, the Old Woman said to her son, "You take good care of this child."

The man reluctantly nodded.

The Old Woman turned and walked back into the inner chambers. She pushed open the door, and before entering, her face turned cold as she began to complain, "I knew it, you shouldn't have asked the Xiao family for help back then. Now look, they've come to collect their debt. I'm old, and they won't even let me live in peace."

As she spoke, as if in a fit of pique, she sat down in front of the dressing table and irritably kicked a paper effigy next to it.

"There was no other choice. Back then, only that old fellow from the Xiao family had that kind of skill."

The voice sounded hoarse, like a whetstone grinding. The Old Woman's face fell upon hearing this, "I'm afraid that since they've come, this favor won't be so easily repaid."

Saying that, she turned her head to look into the mirror on the dressing table and slowly spoke:

"What's there to fear? When soldiers come, we'll block them; when water comes, we'll cover it. Since it was owed long ago, we should have expected this day. Don't you think so, old woman?"

As she spoke, she took off the wig on her head and carefully placed it on the table