Possessed

Chapter 1: Possessed

"Hee-hee-hee—"

Wu Tao jolted awake from a nightmare. He braced his hands against the hard wooden bed, mouth agape, gasping for air like a drowning man who had just been pulled to the surface. Cold sweat dripped in large beads from his forehead, landing on the wooden planks with low, dull thuds in the dark, cramped shack.

In that nightmare, he felt as if he were submerged in an endless abyss, drowned by panic and terror. Suddenly, an indescribable horror had surged from the darkness... devouring everything, including him.

"Cough, cough..."

As he gradually calmed down, he began to cough violently. His entire body trembled, as if he were trying to cough his heart and lungs right out of his chest.

Before long, Wu Tao quieted down.

Outside, the voices of miners began to drift in.

"It's the Yin Hour."

Wu Tao thought to himself as he pushed back the quilt and climbed out of bed. He hissed, drawing in a sharp breath as he realized his thin undergarment was soaked through with cold sweat. Leaving the warmth of the quilt, the bone-chilling air felt like a bucket of ice water poured over his entire body.

He hurriedly wrapped the quilt back around his shoulders and tremblingly reached for the oil lamp and flint. He blew on the flint, and the small flame brought him a sliver of comfort.

The lamp flickered like a bean, pushing back the darkness of the miner's single room.

He pulled the quilt tighter, hunching over on the bed, and reached for a bronze mirror on the table. In the reflection, a gaunt face appeared, the black mark on his forehead seemingly more spread out than it had been yesterday. Setting the mirror down, Wu Tao stared blankly at the dancing flame. Before he knew it, he felt two lines of warmth sliding down his cheeks.

"Damn it, why did I have to transmigrate?"

Wu Tao wiped his tears away frantically, his heart filled with despair.

A day ago, he had been just another one of the millions of 996 corporate slaves on Blue Star. Born in the countryside, he had come to the big city alone, working diligently. At thirty-two, he had finally managed to reach a monthly salary of thirteen thousand, bought a house in his hometown county with full payment, and saved up the one hundred eighty-eight thousand in bride price—just enough to qualify to marry his "well-matched" older girlfriend who worked at a convenience store for three thousand a month.

Life's victory was in sight, the game was about to be cleared, and he was just one kick away from scoring the goal. Why, then, did he have to transmigrate?

"Fuck, you thieving heavens! What did I do to deserve this punishment?"

Wu Tao felt a fierce sense of unwillingness.

After absorbing the original owner's memories, Wu Tao knew the situation of this body, which shared his name. It could be described in eight words: "Abysmal, hanging by a thread." Although he was a cultivator, he was a loose cultivator at the very bottom of the cultivation world, with only the Second Level of Qi Refining.

As a loose cultivator with no background and low cultivation, in a cultivation world filled with demons and evil spirits, he could barely control his own life.

Let alone resources for cultivation.

Any territory with spiritual energy and resources was occupied by the major cultivation sects.

Therefore, loose cultivators like him mostly worked for the major sects, earning meager spirit stones to survive and cultivate.

The original owner had been mining in a spirit stone mine under the Azure Spirit Sect. He would get up at the Yin Hour to go down into the mine and finish work at the Hai Hour. After doing this for a month and completing the monthly quota, he would receive only three low-grade spirit stones. If the quota wasn't met, his spirit stones would be deducted.

One part went to rent, another to food and clothing, leaving only a single Spirit Stone for cultivation.

As for buying a Magic Tool, purchasing a good Cultivation Technique, or finding a Dao Companion... don't even think about it; it's better to just go to bed early every night.

The original owner was twenty-five years old this year. He had been working in the mines for ten years, only reaching the Second Level of Qi Refining. At this rate, he might never reach the Late-Stage Qi Refining before he died.

Poverty breeds the desire for change. Many years ago, in order to escape this predicament, the original owner decided to learn a trade.

Because of this, he had scrimped and saved for over a year, absorbing only the meager, free-floating spiritual energy between heaven and earth to cultivate. He finally saved up twelve Low-Grade Spirit Stones and, gritting his teeth, bought a basic book on artifact refining, hoping to become an Artifact Refiner patronized by a cultivation sect.

Even in the worst-case scenario, learning a few basics would be enough to make a living, so he wouldn't have to spend his entire life on this Mine Mountain.

Dreams are sexy, but reality is skeletal.

For many years, the original owner couldn't even engrave a First-Rank First-Level Restriction. It was clear he had no talent for artifact refining. The dream of becoming an Artifact Refiner seemed even more distant than immortality.

But a more immediate accident occurred.

Three days ago, while the original owner was down in the mine, he was afflicted by an evil spirit. The yin-evil energy was spreading through his body every moment. At this rate of spread, if he didn't receive treatment, he would surely kick the bucket in about three months.

As for why the original owner died early, allowing Wu Tao to transmigrate into his body, that remains unknown.

Actually, this level of demonic affliction could be cleared with just one First-Rank Intermediate Evil-Breaking Talisman. However, because the original owner was trying to learn artifact refining, he was usually short on Spirit Stones and couldn't afford to buy one.

A single First-Rank Intermediate Evil-Breaking Talisman cost twenty Low-Grade Spirit Stones.

He was still short by fifteen.

In this situation, how can I turn things around? Wu Tao sighed inwardly. It was even worse than his previous life; at least back then, his life wasn't in immediate danger.

Suddenly, his eyes lit up.

"According to the Miner Regulations signed with the mine, being afflicted by evil while working in the mine counts as a work-related injury. If I report it, I can definitely receive the Spirit Stones to buy an Evil-Breaking Talisman." Wu Tao recalled from his memories that the original owner had already filed a report with the mine manager. Three days had passed, so the approval process should be complete.

Thinking of this, Wu Tao put on his clothes and opened the door. There were no miners in sight outside; they had all gone down into the mine. He tightened his collar and walked toward the manager's residence, guided by the flickering tongues of flame in the braziers lining the mountain path.

Before long, he arrived at the manager's residence.

Manager Wang's house was shrouded in the faint moonlight. Looking into the courtyard, there were no lights on in the house. It was then that he realized Manager Wang was different from them, the miners; he wouldn't wake up until the Chen Hour.

Sure enough, people, no matter which world they are in, are divided into levels.

Wu Tao stood outside Manager Wang's courtyard and waited.

Time passed slowly. At first, there was only a sliver of daylight, but then that line gradually widened, like the eyelids of a sleeping person opening, and it was dawn.

The sun poured down, shining on Wu Tao's face. The black mark on his forehead seemed to twist under the sunlight. At this moment, his ears twitched, and he quickly stood at attention, listening intently to the faint sounds of conversation coming from the courtyard.

The male voice was Manager Wang's, accompanied by two female voices, cooing and whining, seemingly scolding Manager Wang for not letting them rest even in the daylight.

It is common knowledge that Manager Wang keeps two sixteen-year-old mortal girls at the mine specifically to tend to his daily needs.

Wu Tao couldn't help but be moved by the sight, his mood instantly plummeting. He thought back to his past life, where he had struggled to save for a down payment and a bride price, yet never even made it past the threshold. Meanwhile, her various ex-boyfriends could come and go as they pleased with nothing more than a few cheap, sweet words.

The original owner was twenty-five and still a virgin.

Tragic in both lives!

Who else could compare?

From today on, Master Ji's diary will be my life motto, Wu Tao swore to himself. In this life, he would absolutely never do the work himself.

After waiting for about forty-five minutes, the door opened. Manager Wang stepped out, and upon seeing Wu Tao, he paused, then barked, "Which sector are you from? Why aren't you down in the mines at this hour? If you don't finish your quota, you'll be docked Spirit Stones."

"Manager, I am Wu Tao, a miner from Sector Three. I encountered an evil spirit in the mine three days ago and reported it to you then. I've come today to ask if the results of that report have come back yet," Wu Tao said, nodding and bowing while forcing a fawning smile to explain in detail.

Manager Wang, dressed in fine silk robes and sporting a rotund figure, softened his stern expression upon hearing the explanation. He glanced at Wu Tao and said, "Oh, it's you. Follow me."

Wu Tao immediately followed Manager Wang to his office. Manager Wang handed him a piece of paper. Wu Tao took it, and upon reading it, his heart flared with rage—it was a voluntary contract to leave the mine.

Wu Tao suppressed his anger, looking at Manager Wang with a subservient smile as he forced himself to say, "Manager, did you take the wrong form? I reported a work-related injury due to an evil spirit..."

Manager Wang interrupted him with a blank expression: "Wu Tao, I didn't make a mistake. You've been afflicted by an evil spirit and can no longer work in the mines. Leaving the mine is your best option. Sign this voluntary contract, and you can still receive your Spirit Stones for the last half-month."

"As for your work injury report, the General Affairs Hall of the Azure Spirit Sect did not approve it. This is the best choice I could make for you, given your position."

"Impossible!" With his life on the line, Wu Tao tried to fight for it: "According to the Miner Regulations, the General Affairs Hall of the Azure Spirit Sect cannot possibly have rejected it."

Manager Wang let out a cold snort: "What? Are you planning to go to the General Affairs Hall to appeal?"

That cold snort made Wu Tao completely calm down. He stared blankly at Manager Wang, and from the threat contained in the man's face, he understood.

Manager Wang had swallowed his injury compensation for himself.

He dared to do this because he was surely in league with the General Affairs Hall and wasn't afraid of an appeal. Even if an appeal were successful, the General Affairs Hall wouldn't exert any real effort for a mere miner; they would drag it out indefinitely. When it finally came time to enforce it, Manager Wang would just claim he had no Spirit Stones, and the General Affairs Hall would then demand that Wu Tao provide evidence of Manager Wang's wealth.

Manager Wang was a manager of the mine; as a lowly miner, how could he possibly have the means to provide evidence of the manager's Spirit Stones?

Wu Tao had experienced this exact routine several times in his past life.

Seeing Wu Tao fall silent, Manager Wang chuckled and said slowly, "Wu Tao, just sign it."

Wu Tao knew that he had no choice but to sign. Facing Manager Wang, who was at the Late-Stage Qi Refining realm, he had no power to resist.

No matter how unwilling he was, what could he do?

Thinking this, he picked up the brush, signed his name, and pressed his thumbprint.

"Manager, I've signed it. Can you give me the Spirit Stones for the half-month now?" In his current situation, even half a Spirit Stone was better than nothing.

Manager Wang looked at the name and handprint on the voluntary contract with satisfaction. Upon hearing Wu Tao's words, he let out a cold snort. "Wu Tao, you haven't gone down into the mine for three days, causing the Mine significant losses. It is already an act of kindness on my part not to hold you accountable for those losses, and yet you still want spirit stones?"

"You?" Wu Tao clenched his fists, wishing he could smash his fist into that disgusting, pig-like face, but the maturity and reason he had gained through experience kept him from acting.

"Get lost!"

Manager Wang flicked his sleeve.

Wu Tao gritted his teeth, his face devoid of sorrow or joy. He took one last look at Manager Wang, said nothing, and turned to leave.

"A Loose Cultivator, nothing more than a dog." Watching Wu Tao's bedraggled back, Manager Wang sneered.