Modules and Night Talk

In just a few seconds, the monster known as a Corpse Ghost lunged before him. Lu Li felt no panic; or rather, that emotion had become so faint it could no longer interfere with him. Just as the Corpse Ghost was about to pounce and pin him to the ground, Lu Li leaned backward, pushing open the doors of the dilapidated temple. He braced his right hand against the ground in an unnatural, reversed position and released his mental limiters on his muscles. His right arm swelled violently, muscles bulging and veins standing out, and with a powerful shove, he rolled to the side.

The Corpse Ghost was fast, but because its speed was so great, its reaction time was lacking. It charged directly into the temple, followed by two blood-curdling screams: one from the old man, and the other, naturally, from the Corpse Ghost.

Lu Li stood up and saw the Corpse Ghost melting like a candle under the glow of the fire. He understood immediately. While fleeing, Lu Li had been calculating; based on the movements behind him, he realized that if he truly faced the Corpse Ghost, he wouldn't last ten seconds even with his muscle limiters released. Therefore, Lu Li concluded that as long as he ran into the temple and entered the light of the fire, he would be safe. Combined with the hints from the game instance, it wasn't hard to deduce that the Corpse Ghost's weakness was fire. Otherwise, three Lu Lis likely couldn't defeat a single Corpse Ghost, and the old man would definitely be dead, rendering the game meaningless.

Lu Li had then decided to force the Corpse Ghost to face the fire to test its level of resistance. Now he had his answer: the Corpse Ghost let out continuous screams, its sharp claws tearing painful gashes into its own body, but it lacked the strength even to stand and flee. In the end, it dissolved into a pool of greasy liquid, leaving behind only a tattered hemp garment and a strange, putrid stench.

Glancing at the liquefied Corpse Ghost, Lu Li stood up, panting heavily. He picked up the firewood that had fallen outside the door and closed the temple gates. The old man was still sitting on the ground in a state of shock, but even so, he clutched the Puppet tightly to his chest, as if terrified she might come to harm.

"Are you alright, old man? That monster is dead; there's no need to be afraid." Lu Li comforted him while shaking the snow off the firewood and placing it near the fire. Seeing the moisture rising from the wood, Lu Li breathed a sigh of relief. As long as this batch of firewood dried, the fire would last at least until dawn.

"It really... scared the life out of me." After a long silence, the old man finally sighed, rubbed his chest, and glanced at the pool of liquid with lingering fear before slowly sitting back in his original spot. He gave Lu Li a wry smile and said, "Young master, you have great courage. To be so calm and fearless when encountering such a malevolent ghost—unlike this old man, who nearly lost half his life from fright."

"You flatter me, old man. I just have a bit of nerve, that's all." By the time Lu Li finished arranging the firewood, the sky outside had turned completely dark. The fire on the ground became the only source of light, making one's heart leap along with the flickering flames.

Lu Li's gaze shifted to the tattered hemp garment left behind by the Corpse Ghost. Inside it, there seemed to be a transparent, crystalline object. Lu Li picked up a strip of cloth from his short-sleeved school uniform and used it to pick up the garment and the crystal.

The old man asked curiously, "Young master, that garment is stained with filth. Although it is cold, you should just endure it by the fire; there is no need to wear that hemp cloth."

"It's fine, it will be the same once it dries." Lu Li draped the hemp garment over the firewood to dry out the filth, while quietly taking the crystal into his hand. As he touched it, a prompt box appeared in the corner of his vision:

[Obtained Special Item: Rule Module: Fixation]

[Rule Module: Rules are the principles of heaven and earth; Rule Modules are the crystallized manifestations of these rules...]

[The nature of this module is: Fixation]

"A special item?" Lu Li touched the Rule Module named Fixation and couldn't help but think of the Corpse Ghost's special ability: State Stasis. If one looked closely, they would see how broken this ability was—it was equivalent to locking oneself in a specific moment in time; any damage received would simply revert the body to its original state. If not for the many weaknesses that countered the Corpse Ghost, it would definitely be a bug-tier creature.

"Sigh, I'm old, truly old. I can't compare to you young people," the old man sighed, his hand unconsciously stroking the arm of the Puppet in his arms. He spoke with a nostalgic tone, "Back in the day, I was also fearless. My parents gave me the tuition money to visit the local teacher, but halfway there, I heard the sound of bells and ran off to watch a puppet show. I forgot all about studying and apprenticeship. Later, my parents gave me a sound beating, but whenever I heard those bells, I couldn't help but stop in my tracks!"

"You were quite the interesting person back then, old man," Lu Li said with a smile, looking at the old man's deeply sentimental expression.

"Interesting? I was just playful. Seeing the puppets moving on the red stage, my soul was hooked. No matter how my parents pulled at me, I was headstrong and insisted on apprenticing under the puppeteer." The old man was lost in memory. "That's how I entered the trade. I've performed puppet shows my whole life, drifting for so many years without a place to call home. All my hard-earned savings over the years have all gone into her."

Looking at the puppet girl in the old man's arms, Lu Li sighed in sympathy. "Being able to do one thing for a lifetime is a skill in itself. Your puppet is truly beautiful, as if she were a goddess; it makes me quite envious."

"Sigh, talking to you about these old, dusty stories must be a bother, young master." The old man sighed. He took an oil-paper parcel from his small wooden box and unfolded it to reveal two oil cakes. He tore the paper, split off one cake, and handed it to Lu Li. "You've been busy with the firewood for a long time; you must be hungry. If you don't mind, please eat."

Lu Li glanced at the small wooden box, took the oil cake, and said with a smile, "How could I mind? As long as you don't blame me for sharing your food."

"How could I blame you? I wouldn't!" The old man gave a bitter smile, shook his head, and said nothing more, lowering his head to eat his cake. Lu Li didn't stand on ceremony; he found the cake tasted quite good. After finishing it in a few bites and chatting with the old man for a while, the two fell into a mutual silence. Under the glow of the fire, perhaps exhausted, the old man didn't care about the dirty ground and fell asleep, pillowing his head on the small wooden box. But the moment the old man closed his eyes, alarm bells rang in Lu Li's heart. A thick, intense malice surged forth—a warning from his sixth sense, desperately telling Lu Li that a great danger was about to strike!

The fire in front of him flickered incessantly, casting dancing shadows on the ground, and terrifying roars echoed from outside the temple. Lu Li's head felt heavy, and he began to drift into unconsciousness. Just as his eyelids were about to close, he saw the puppet girl, seemingly illuminated by the firelight, blink at him...

New book, please support! If you have recommendation tickets, don't forget to vote. Also, don't forget to add it to your library. Xu Ming bows here with a 360-degree mid-air spin! Also, a note on updates: since I have to work, I can only manage two chapters if I'm not working overtime. Tomorrow there will likely only be one chapter in the evening. I am truly sorry, please forgive me!