"Master Lin, thank you!" Wu Xue said gratefully.
"You're welcome." Lin Chen smiled calmly, then turned to Wu Xue. "Can you tell me exactly what happened? I saw traces of ghostly energy on you last night, but I can say for certain that you weren't possessed."
If the ghost had been inside Wu Xue last night, he would have simply killed it. But he was certain there hadn't been a ghost inside her then.
"It happened like this..." Wu Xue didn't hide anything. She told them what had happened.
Xu Huan, Wu Xue's roommate and best friend, was jealous of Wu Xue's beauty and wealthy background, and of how she often attracted handsome men. By comparison, Xu Huan felt like an ugly duckling beside her.
The Sallow Man had approached Xu Huan and told her she could take Wu Xue's place by raising a little ghost. Xu Huan had secretly raised one, while also surreptitiously mixing her blood into Wu Xue's food, allowing the ghost to gradually erode Wu Xue's body.
Wu Xue had learned the details from Xu Huan only after her soul entered her own body last night.
"What happened to Xu Huan?" Wu Xue asked Lin Chen.
"Ghosts aren't so easily raised." Master Yi Jie shook his head, his tone detached. "The thing that entered your body last night was no longer Xu Huan. It was a ghost that had devoured her soul and possessed her memories."
Wu Xue drew a sharp breath, but she also felt relieved. At least she no longer had to worry about Xu Huan harming her again.
"Now that the matter's settled, I'll take my leave." Lin Chen glanced at the father and daughter from the Wu Family, then turned to Master Yi Jie beside him. "Monk, don't forget what you promised me."
"This humble monk wouldn't dare!" Master Yi Jie nodded quickly.
"Master Lin, let me see you off."
Seeing that Lin Chen was about to leave, Wu Hongbin immediately rose to escort him. He not only arranged a car for Lin Chen, but also gave him a bank card as payment for saving Wu Xue.
Origin:
Can be strengthened: Phoenix Undying Body, First Stage (1/9)
Lin Chen chose to strengthen it without hesitation. The Blood Qi True Flame inside him swelled once more, growing even hotter, its burning power greater than before.
"Awesome!"
A smile appeared on Lin Chen's face. If he could keep acquiring Origin at this rate, he'd soon finish strengthening the first stage of the Phoenix Undying Body.
He checked the bank card on his phone. The long string of zeroes nearly blinded him.
"Fifty million. Now that's generous!"
In both his past and present lives, Lin Chen had never seen so much money. But now, money wasn't all that important to him.
What Lin Chen didn't know was that Wu Hongbin had originally prepared only ten million. After seeing what Lin Chen could do, he'd changed his mind at the last minute and raised it to fifty million, hoping to win Lin Chen's favor.
Lin Chen logged into the Cultivator Forum and began looking for a suitable mission. Just then, a red pop-up suddenly appeared on the forum, urgently recruiting cultivators of the Third Order or higher.
Without hesitation, Lin Chen clicked on it. It was a recruitment notice from the Demon Suppression Division.
The Demon Suppression Division had run into trouble in a place called Tumen Village. Short on manpower, they were temporarily recruiting cultivators of the Third Order or higher to provide support. The reward was one million.
"The Demon Suppression Division is short on manpower? This is a big one!"
Lin Chen's expression turned eager. When something like this happened, either there were too many Mutated Creatures, or they were too powerful. Either way, it meant a wealth of Origin!
Lin Chen immediately accepted the mission and told the bodyguard in the front seat, "Change course. We're going to Tumen Village. Hurry!"
"Yes, Master Lin!" The bodyguard nodded and immediately changed course, speeding toward Tumen Village.
It's time to get a car. Otherwise, if I'm late, I'll have to worry about someone else beating me to it. As they headed for Tumen Village, the thought crossed Lin Chen's mind.
He hadn't needed a car before, but now that he had to travel around looking for Mutated Creatures, not having one was certainly inconvenient.
The bodyguard was a good driver, and soon they reached the outskirts of Tumen Village. But the road into the village had been blocked off with warning tape.
"Master Lin, the road ahead is sealed. Is it one of those things again?" the bodyguard asked curiously.
"Yes. This is far enough. You can head back."
Lin Chen nodded slightly, got out, stepped over the tape, and headed into the village.
After walking for a while, Lin Chen's brow furrowed. It was nearly noon, yet the village was still shrouded in mist. It was far too abnormal.
"There's ghostly energy—and something else, too." Lin Chen's gaze settled on the mist, and a hint of excitement crept onto his face.
Just as he'd suspected, there were plenty of Mutated Creatures here. Besides ghosts, there were other Mutated Creatures as well. That was great news for Lin Chen.
"Come on, my little darlings! Grandpa's here!" Lin Chen pushed off with one foot and charged straight into the mist.
"Holy crap, who's that? What a maniac!"
"He just charged straight in?"
As Lin Chen rushed into the mist, two figures in the distance stared in disbelief. The mist was obviously dangerous. Wasn't he worried something would happen to him?
Even the people from the Demon Suppression Division had run into trouble and needed to recruit reinforcements at the last minute!
"What do we do?" the man in the short-sleeved shirt asked his companion.
The other man's expression turned grave. "Go in. There must be some priceless treasure inside, or that guy wouldn't be risking his neck like this!"
A million wasn't much to cultivators. They were willing to come because areas affected by large-scale mutations often contained special treasures. That was what cultivators wanted most.
Once inside the mist, they could see only two or three meters ahead. The silence was so oppressive it made their skin crawl. Even with Lin Chen's exceptional senses, he couldn't hear so much as an insect chirp or a bird call, let alone a human voice.
"Anyone home?"
"If you don't say anything, I'll take that as a yes. Don't worry, I'm not a bad guy."
Lin Chen reached the nearest house, speaking as he went inside to investigate.
Seeing the slightly spoiled food on the dining table, Lin Chen raised an eyebrow. "Interesting. They were in the middle of a meal, then suddenly put down their bowls and chopsticks and left."
Finding no clues, Lin Chen stepped out of the room and continued deeper into the mist.
Hmm?
Suddenly, Lin Chen's expression changed. Blood Qi True Flame instantly covered both his hands, and he threw a punch straight ahead. A dark shadow slammed into his fist.
It looked as if the shadow had run into him, but that was only because Lin Chen had predicted its direction, creating that illusion.
"Killed a Second-order Ghost. Origin +1,000."
At the system's notification, a smile spread across Lin Chen's face. He'd only just entered Tumen Village, and he was already getting something out of it?
With that thought, Lin Chen grew even more excited about Tumen Village. Maybe this haul would be enough for him to strengthen himself again.
After walking a while, a sudden burst of rushing sounds tore through the air around him. Lin Chen's expression changed. "Evil Cultivators!"
Mutated Creatures might launch surprise attacks, but they wouldn't attack from all 360 degrees using hidden weapons!
Using the mist to obscure their sight and launch a fatal ambush, they clearly meant to leave Lin Chen nowhere to dodge and kill him on the spot.
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