Where is My Golden Finger

Wu Ming's expression was indifferent as he watched Steward Wu interrogate the burly guard, his mind still sorting through the memories of his predecessor.

Though this wastrel was ignorant and unlearned, he possessed basic common sense, allowing Wu Ming to know that the country he was in was called 'Great Zhou'!

This Great Zhou clearly had little to do with the Eastern Zhou or Western Zhou of his previous life's history, yet it held the existence of mystical forces!

Here, there were terrifying martial artists whose bodies rivaled Vajra, like ancient ferocious beasts!

There were also Confucian Qi Refiners who cultivated through reading, nurtured their qi, brought peace to the world, and could forge a body of righteous, soaring spirit!

Even Daoist Immortals who could summon beans as soldiers and command wind and rain!

What's more, there were Shaman Witches specializing in sorcery, borrowing the power of natural spirits, as well as sinister and mysterious Gu Masters who raised insects and cursed from a thousand miles away...

Wu Ming naturally wanted to know more, but unfortunately, his predecessor—an unlearned country wastrel—only knew these things because he had an elder sister who had entered a Daoist academy.

"Ghost Hand Lao Liu is truly useless!"

Steward Wu swung his arm, his muscles and bones cracking in succession, like a firecracker exploding in midair.

Strength penetrating muscles and bones!

This Steward Wu's hand skills seemed not the slightest bit weak.

"Young Master! I'll go capture that Lin Qi and bring him here for you to deal with as you please, how about it?"

But after turning around, the fierce aura on Steward Wu's body vanished completely, replaced by a fawning expression. The contrast was stark, almost like two different people.

"Wait a moment!"

If it had been the previous Wu Ming, he would have already been shouting to have Lin Qi chopped into pieces.

But this Wu Ming was not that Wu Ming. The woman wasn't taken by him, nor did he send people to kill Lin Qi, so naturally, he didn't want to take the blame.

Moreover, as someone who had just transmigrated, the thoughts and concepts of his previous life were still deeply ingrained, making it hard for him to directly order a killing—especially of someone unrelated to him—on a mental level.

The most important point, however, was that the current situation was too strange!

"That Lin Qi... just who is he?"

Wu Ming decided to first get a clear picture of the situation.

"Lin Qi?"

Steward Wu, true to his role as a seasoned lackey, was skilled enough to roll his eyes and immediately answer: "Reporting to Young Master Ming, this man lives in White Water Village, neighbors with Young Lady Yun. Orphaned since childhood, he lived off a few thin acres of land... He was once sent to the Village Martial Hall for testing, but turned out to be a waste with no talent or foundation at all. Three days later, he was kicked out..."

Wu Ming's expression grew even stranger.

In this world, the Village Martial Hall was like an elementary school in later times, even more widespread. Basically, every peasant child would be sent there for a few months of training to learn martial arts for self-defense.

The entry requirements were naturally very low, and someone even the Village Martial Hall deemed unworthy of teaching could certainly be called an utter waste!

"Talent?!"

Wu Ming tapped his own head with his finger. Humans were the most spiritual of all beings! In theory, as long as one was human, they could practice martial arts, cultivate the Dao, refine qi, raise Gu, and even achieve immortality!

But while everyone had talent, the quality of that talent mattered greatly.

Some people could train in martial arts for ten or a hundred years and still achieve less than someone else in a year, or even ten days or half a month! That was where the gap came from.

If everyone had talent, but it was very poor, it was essentially the same as having no talent.

This body of his seemed to have a few layers of martial arts cultivation in the Body Refinement Realm, but it was only barely achieved through constant heavy supplements, top-tier techniques, and his sister's urging.

According to the fortress's martial arts instructor, Wu Ming's talent was average, just barely passing the line, but the resources poured into him could have trained ten, or even fifteen, equivalent martial artists.

This showed just how poor this person's perseverance was!

"From the looks of it... that Lin Qi is probably an even worse waste than my predecessor... I need to be careful!"

Wu Ming's heart suddenly tightened.

Unusual events indicate a problem! An originally useless kid whose martial arts suddenly skyrocketed, even becoming decisive in killing, must have had some kind of encounter!

Whether it was meeting an old grandpa, awakening past-life wisdom, or simply being transmigrated himself remained to be seen, but Wu Ming found himself in a very awkward position.

This body of his seemed to have become the other party's irreconcilable enemy?

"I hope he's just a clever, patient kid!"

Wu Ming knew all too well the terror of encountering a 'true protagonist'!

Not only was their growth speed monstrous, but they also had an unkillable cockroach-like fate! No matter how much they were beaten, they wouldn't die, and they were petty, repaying every grievance, no matter how long it took, even dragging in family and teachers.

"If this follows the development of novels from my past life, I should now be sending wave after wave of minor villains for the protagonist to level up on, gaining experience, until I lose everything myself... Then my sister steps in, the other party suffers a small loss, quickly levels up again, and slaps my face once more... Round and round, until even my sister's Daoist sect is dragged in, becoming fodder for the protagonist's growth..."

Wu Ming muttered silently in his heart, feeling a chill, then shook his head: "Forget it... maybe I'm just scaring myself!"

"Young Master Ming?!" Steward Wu saw Wu Ming spacing out and stepped forward to ask.

"Nothing... Follow me..."

Wu Ming set aside his thoughts and led Steward Wu to the study as he remembered it.

The shelves of rosewood were filled with brand-new books, while two sprays of Ink Plum Blossom were inserted into a vase on one side, their fragrance wafting. The desk, however, was a mess of scattered items, faintly revealing several volumes of an erotic nature, seemingly spring palace manuals or the like.

"..."

Wu Ming's forehead was lined with black. He swept his right hand, brushing aside the various odds and ends, then felt the room's light was a bit dim. Frowning, he pulled a Fiery Red Thumb Ring from his embrace, its surface bearing purple cloud-script patterns, and gently rubbed it.

Crack! The rune lit up, a small flame appeared, and ignited the oil lamp.

The indoor light suddenly brightened considerably, yet a trace of envy appeared on Steward Wu's face.

Wu Ming put the thumb ring away expressionlessly, his heart actually complicated and hard to articulate.

In this world, supernatural power and daily life were intertwined so tightly.

Of course, although it was just a household trinket that didn't even count as entry-level, it was clearly quite valuable. If not for having a cheap sister, as a country bumpkin, getting his hands on it would probably have been somewhat difficult.

And this only further verified to Wu Ming the reality and mystery of this world.

"Go find Lin Qi... He might not be in White Water Village anymore, but he can't have gone far..."

"Rest assured, Young Master Ming, this servant will definitely torment that kid severely, and then..." Steward Wu grinned sinisterly, thinking he understood the intent.

"Who told you to go fight to the death?"

Wu Ming rolled his eyes: "When you catch up to him, just explain that everything was a misunderstanding. That Yun family girl, I can return her to him too. Both sides call it quits here..."

Steward Wu's eyes widened, as if seeing Wu Ming for the first time.

"One more thing!" Wu Ming's expression turned solemn: "Send someone to the County Daoist Academy, find my sister, and tell her I've run into trouble and need a true expert's help!"

Wu Ming deliberately emphasized the word 'true'.

"Young Master Ming... You want to disturb Eldest Miss?" Steward Wu sucked in a cold breath: "Isn't it just one kid? Is it worth it?"

Although this profligate young master often caused trouble, when had he ever not waited until the sky was falling before reluctantly going to beg his sister to clean things up? This time...

Steward Wu's brain was struggling to keep up.

"Just do as I say!"

Wu Ming dismissed the bewildered steward, closed the study door, and only then let out a long breath.

He wasn't taking the blame for his predecessor!

Therefore, first send someone to test the waters. If that Lin Qi was willing to reconcile, then all was well.

If not, these backup plans could come into play.

He wasn't some foolish big Devil King from a fairy tale, sending out his underlings one by one to feed the hero experience, only stepping in to die when the opponent had grown to their limit and he was left all alone.

Although meeting family immediately was a bit awkward, Wu Ming, having digested all of his predecessor's memories, was still confident he could bluff his way through.

Moreover, he was just asking his sister to send an expert out; she didn't necessarily have to come herself.

Thinking about this profligate's previous behavior, Wu Ming felt a bit embarrassed.

But now, under the threat of a suspected true protagonist, Wu Ming activated his ultimate trump card without hesitation—calling the parents!

Given Wu Ming's current strength, he could barely protect himself. Before improving his power and growing up, relying on others for protection wasn't the slightest bit shameful.

And now, after confirming no one was around and the door was tightly shut, Wu Ming immediately began to do something of life-and-death importance.

"System!"

...Dead silence.

"Golden Finger!"

...Still dead silence.

"Old Grandpa?"

...The empty study had no response. Wu Ming, refusing to believe it, searched himself inside and out again, then suddenly plopped back into his chair, frowning and sighing in lament: "Golden Finger? Where's the Golden Finger? Where the hell is my Golden Finger?"

In Wu Ming's past life, a myth had always circulated:

Are you unsatisfied with your job? Are you tired of the same old routine? Is your life a failure, and you want a fresh start?

Then transmigrate! As long as you transmigrate, even a lifelong loser can immediately turn things around, become a CEO, marry a rich beauty, and reach the peak of life!

As long as you transmigrate, no problem is a problem!

The ugly can become handsome, the handsome can become even more handsome, the cowardly can become brave, and even an idiot can instantly become a peerless genius!

And the most important part of this—is the Golden Finger!

After triple-checking, Wu Ming couldn't help covering his face and wailing: "Heavens... Without a Golden Finger, how am I supposed to survive in this world full of experts who destroy cities and nations at the drop of a hat? Time-space administrator, I want to file a complaint, I want to go home!"

It had to be said, compared to this world where supernatural power ran rampant and experts who ignored worldly rules emerged endlessly, his past life, though dull, was at least safe enough.

For ordinary people, life in his past life was clearly much happier than the lower class here.

After a long while, the study was still silent. Wu Ming could only shake his head and sigh: "Not even a Golden Finger... Am I really fated to be a villain?"