Ghoul Walks in Broad Daylight

"Male Daji isn't impossible, as long as this talent isn't passive."

"This time I was lucky and didn't get drained dry; instead, I gained quite a bit. If I can't control it next time and inexplicably emit a fragrance that attracts a true great demon, what will I do if it eats me alive?"

Ge Xian muttered to himself as he began to silently feel his own body, wanting to completely adapt to this body while also discerning the changes within.

Perhaps it was good luck, or perhaps it was meant to be.

The original host's first talent, Supernatural Perception, was perfect for the current situation. With just a thought, the many acupoints and profound changes within his body, including some residual traces from last night's incident, all appeared.

Before long, Ge Xian's face showed a look of realization, and his heart was filled with both joy and sighs.

"So that's how it is. The original host's luck was truly terrible. His Charm talent, like his Perception, could be controlled at will. It was only during the first awakening that he couldn't control it, but the initial range was very small. If there weren't many demons or spirits around at that time, or if there were few, perhaps just one or two rare items, he could have passed safely. If there was only one, the supplementary power of Charm could have even helped him gain benefits."

"But he was lustful in his youth and accumulated five rare items specifically for absorbing Essence and Blood Qi – Female Fiends – thus losing his life."

"And I, my soul possessing this body and being reborn, seem to have amplified everything in this body's talents by a lot...?"

Although his last thought still held some doubt, Ge Xian was already quite certain. He just didn't know how many times it had been amplified.

At least the range of perception and the power of absorption were definitely far beyond the original owner's.

And all the benefits gained last night also appeared in detail at this moment. Besides being full of essence and spirit, and gaining a year of lifespan, he also sensed several strange powers lingering within his body.

They were Call Wind Summon Rain, Skinning, and Bewitch.

"The first can summon a refreshing rain, which should be a joint gift from Bamboo Lady and Green Umbrella Woman."

"The second can draw a human skin of a woman to wear on oneself, which must have come from that Lady Painting."

"The third can bewitch some beings with weak wills, likely from the Ancient Mirror Demon."

"Unfortunately, they are all temporary abilities and will dissipate within twelve hours."

Ge Xian thought it a pity, but in reality, he wasn't too disappointed.

In fact, when he initially perceived that his Charm and Cultivate talent could even temporarily seize the talents of spirits and rare items, Ge Xian was very surprised.

Even though he wasn't a cultivator yet, he could vaguely guess that this was probably heaven-defying. He was even more certain that this must be the result of his talent being greatly amplified after taking over the body. The original host's absorption probably only really involved absorbing some vital energy.

As these thoughts settled, Ge Xian suddenly looked at the Broom Spirit again, as if remembering something, and suddenly asked, "Right, since they all couldn't control themselves and came to absorb me, Sister Bai, how did you manage to resist?"

Upon hearing the question, two blushes instantly flew onto the Broom Spirit's snow-white face. She stomped her foot, both shy and annoyed, saying, "I... I don't know how, I simply couldn't resist the strange fragrance from your body. It's just that those four demonesses were fierce and tore your body apart. I couldn't compete with them and couldn't get onto this bed."

"..."

Ge Xian had originally thought that the Broom Spirit had some miraculous ability to resist his Charm. He never expected that this was the reason, and for a moment, he was speechless.

Seeing the Broom Spirit about to flee back, seemingly too shy and annoyed, Ge Xian quickly called out to stop her. Then, he began to ask about some matters related to cultivation. Although he had obtained all the memories of the original host, the original host was still a complete novice in this regard, otherwise, he wouldn't have died such an unjust death.

He actually hoped that the "Spy" matter would succeed, allowing him to step onto the path of cultivation. Unfortunately, he died from pleasure before he could even begin.

It was a pity, though, that asking would be futile.

The Broom Spirit looked at him strangely and replied, "I... I'm just a broom. How would I know about Immortal Gods? I thought Master would know, so every time you summoned me, you only talked about love and never about cultivation."

"However, the Female Slave in the ancient mirror did let slip last night that if she could devour a mortal like Master, who possesses two talents, perhaps she too could [enter the Way] and become a cultivator."

"She should know some things about cultivation. It's just that in the past, Master only praised her beauty when summoning her, asking her to dance provocatively with the Lady Demon for you..."

"Cough, cough, someone's coming. Sister Bai, you should return to your room and rest."

Ge Xian's expression changed halfway through. Although it was all the original body's dark history, now that his soul and body were one, he felt embarrassed hearing it. What a young man, he really knew how to play.

After telling the delicate young woman in white to return to the broom, Ge Xian got up and off the bed. He then unbolted the door, revealing a small courtyard with a water vat, a table, stools, and a half-dead old locust tree. The humble courtyard and simple room were naturally left by the original body's parents.

This place was Locust Flower Old Lane, in the East Left Second Ward of Qiantang County, a not-so-wealthy commoner district.

Ge Xian hadn't lied about sending the Broom Spirit back. His Supernatural Perception range was quite large, and he had indeed sensed someone approaching.

Before they even truly appeared, the noisy and harsh gong sound had already echoed, startling the entire old lane into commotion. People from the left and right, from every house and courtyard, rushed out.

Numerous discussions then drifted into Ge Xian's ears:

"Are we that unlucky? Didn't they just cut last yesterday? Why are those damned Ghouls here again? Could it be that our Locust Flower Lane was drawn again?"

"It must be. Lotteries are inherently mysterious. With six wards and fifty-two blocks in the county, areas are often drawn repeatedly. It's already lucky that our Locust Flower Lane was only drawn for the first time."

"It's fine, let them cut. I still have another leg. It won't take my life anyway, and I can get some Taisui Grains. My few little ones have had quite the appetite lately."

"Sigh, who told us all to have families? Unlike that Ge family kid, who eats alone and has no one to feed. He even has spare money to bribe the Ghouls so they don't cut his flesh. He's truly wasteful. Cutting flesh only hurts for a few moments, but the Taisui Grains you get in return are incredibly fragrant. He hasn't tasted a single bite."

"It's not just that kid. I heard those wealthy families in the city, and some of those of other ethnicities, also habitually bribe Ghouls to avoid being cut. They're all afraid of pain and don't cherish their blessings. If they were to take a cut, they'd get twice as many Taisui Grains as us given their status."

"Hush, you're courting death, speaking so carelessly."

As Ge Xian walked towards the courtyard gate, he listened to these discussions, his brow furrowed slightly. Memories related to this matter flooded his mind one by one.

He knew about the Magistrate's flesh-cutting when he woke up, and he knew about the distribution of medicine and grain. As for the so-called lottery, it was another bizarre move by the [Thigh-cutting Magistrate Lu Hualong]. This fellow, according to the layout of Qiantang County's six wards and fifty-two blocks, would harvest a quarter of the area each day, while the rest of the regions would be skipped.

In addition to this, the flesh-cutting had different levels. Those Ghouls, following their Master's orders, were harshest on the Southerners, cutting the most flesh but offering the least compensation. Ordinary Han people were treated better, and those of other ethnicities even better. As for the wealthy families in the city, they were simply exempted from this matter.

In the eyes of ordinary people, it was those two types of people who were afraid of pain.

Ge Xian's identity was that of an ordinary Han person. Every time, he used money to bribe the Ghouls to avoid the flesh-cutting and never asked for the Taisui Grains to steam and eat. It wasn't that he was afraid of pain, but rather that he had noticed something amiss.

As the thought crossed his mind, Ge Xian happened to open the courtyard gate. Suddenly, the lively scene that had been separated by a courtyard wall became tangible, crashing into his eyes.

The alley, not very wide to begin with, was already packed with people from end to end. Dozens of children ran around playing, and everyone, regardless of age or gender, looked towards the alley entrance, eagerly anticipating something.

At first glance, Ge Xian saw the same strange signs that the original owner of his body had seen:

The first was that all his neighbors, young and old, male and female, looked excited and full of energy. It was a time of war and disaster, and even though these people were not refugees or starving, they shouldn't have looked like this.

The second was the lively children. They were all plump and fair-skinned. As they ran, each of them carried a peculiar aroma of grain, pure and intense, making one's mouth water and wishing to hug these "Ginseng Babies" and take a few bites.

This scene became a reality in the next moment:

The sound of gongs grew closer at the entrance of the alley. Then, more than a dozen men and women, almost indistinguishable from the neighbors, entered Locust Flower Old Lane with gongs, knives, and carts.

They divided into two rows, with a bronze cauldron as tall as a person placed on each cart.

The women on the left moved first. For some unknown reason, they possessed such great strength that they easily lifted the cauldron lids, which looked to weigh dozens of pounds. Instantly, more than a dozen streams of grain aroma, enough to churn one's stomach and make one salivate, condensed and visibly filled the entire old alley in the blink of an eye.

The children, who were already restless, immediately cheered and swarmed forward, chattering:

"Time for yummy food!"

"So fragrant, I want to eat!"

"Sister, sister, please, let me have a bite first."

"Me too, I want a bite, just one bite."

The eerie women, who had been expressionless a moment before, broke into brilliant smiles as the children approached. Each of them picked up a child, gave them a few hearty kisses on their tender cheeks, and then, as if not afraid of the heat, reached into the cauldron, pinched out crystal-clear Rice Balls that shimmered with colorful light, and fed them to the children.

At the same time, the men on the right also opened the bronze cauldrons. This time, the stench of fresh flesh and blood surged out. Without needing any prompting, the neighbors who had been complaining earlier now also broke into brilliant smiles and eagerly stepped forward, their faces full of fawning expressions.

If one didn't look at the scene and only heard the laughter, anyone would have thought it was a beautiful scene of distributing food and benefits.

But Ge Xian, standing at the courtyard gate, frowned, his skin crawling, and a chill ran from the soles of his feet to the crown of his head, causing him to involuntarily shiver.

His Supernatural Perception saw it clearly:

The men and women who appeared to be "human" inadvertently had green light in their eyes, black mist swirling around their heads, and their smiles were like those of puppets. Upon closer inspection, the men were missing their little fingers on their left hands, and the women were missing their little fingers on their right hands. They were clearly demons like Ghoul.

And these Ghoul were now walking under the scorching sun, feeding the children strange Rice Balls on one hand, and sharpening their blades on the other, collecting interest and throwing it into the bronze cauldrons.

Having just arrived and digested the original owner's memories, Ge Xian thought he had adapted.

But seeing this scene now, he couldn't help but swallow, anger and fear erupting simultaneously. He couldn't help but murmur:

"What kind of world is this?"

"If there are cultivators, what kind of cultivators are they?"