In just a few seconds, the monster called the Corpse Ghost charged right up to him. Lu Li felt no panic—or rather, the feeling had become so faint that it could no longer interfere with him. Just as the Corpse Ghost was about to pounce and knock him to the ground, Lu Li leaned back and pushed open the ruined temple's door. He planted his right hand on the ground at an odd angle, releasing the restrictions on his muscles. His right hand swelled abruptly, the muscles bulging and the veins standing out. With a powerful push, Lu Li rolled to the side.
The Corpse Ghost was fast, but its speed made it slow to react. It charged straight into the ruined temple, where two pig-like screams rang out—one from the Old Man, and the other, naturally, from the Corpse Ghost.
Lu Li got to his feet and saw the Corpse Ghost melting all over like a candle in the firelight. He understood. While fleeing, he had been thinking. Judging by the commotion behind him, he wouldn't last ten seconds against the Corpse Ghost, even if he released the restrictions on every muscle in his body. So he had concluded that he would be safe if he ran into the ruined temple and into the firelight. Combined with the hints from the game's instance, it wasn't hard to figure out that the Corpse Ghost's weakness was fire. Otherwise, even three Lu Lis probably couldn't take down one Corpse Ghost, and the Old Man would surely die. That would make the game completely pointless.
Then Lu Li had thought of making the Corpse Ghost face the flames, to test how much fire it could withstand. Now he had his answer. The Corpse Ghost kept screaming. Its sharp claws painfully raked gashes into its body, but it no longer had the strength to get up and flee. In the end, it melted into a greasy puddle, leaving behind its tattered hemp clothes and the strange stench of a corpse.
After looking at the Corpse Ghost reduced to liquid, Lu Li stood up and panted heavily. He picked up the firewood that had fallen outside and shut the ruined temple's door. The Old Man was still slumped on the ground, his face full of shock, but even so, he clutched the Puppet tightly in his arms, as if afraid she might come to harm.
"Are you all right, Old Man? That monster's dead. There's nothing to be afraid of." Lu Li comforted the Old Man as he shook the snow off the firewood and set it beside the fire. Seeing moisture rise from the wood, he breathed a sigh of relief. Once it dried, the firewood would keep the fire going until at least midnight.
"That was... terrifying." The Old Man finally let out a sigh after holding it in for a while. He rubbed his chest and glanced nervously at the puddle before slowly returning to his spot. Then he smiled wryly at Lu Li. "Young master, you've got some nerve. You faced that evil ghost without fear. Unlike me—I nearly died of fright."
"You're too kind, Old Man. I've only got a little courage." As Lu Li arranged the firewood, the sky outside grew completely dark. The fire on the ground seemed to be the only light in the world, and its dancing flames made one's heart beat along with them.
Lu Li's gaze shifted to the Corpse Ghost's tattered hemp clothes. Something like a transparent crystal seemed to be inside. He picked up a strip of cloth made from one sleeve of his school uniform and used it to lift the hemp clothes and the crystal.
The Old Man said, puzzled, "Young master, those clothes are covered in filth. The weather's cold, but you can bear it by the fire. There's no need to put on that hemp garment."
"It's fine. Once it's dry, it'll be just as good." Lu Li draped the hemp clothes over the firewood to dry off the filth, while quietly taking the crystal in his hand. As he touched it, a prompt appeared in the corner of his eye:
[Obtained special item: Rule Module: Fixed] [Rule Module: Rules are the principles of heaven and earth. Rule Modules are the crystallized embodiment of rules...] [Property of this module: Fixed]
"Special item?" Lu Li turned over the Rule Module called Fixed in his hand and couldn't help thinking of the Corpse Ghost's special ability: State Lock. On closer inspection, it was an absurdly powerful ability, equivalent to locking itself at a certain point in time. Whenever it took damage, it would return to its original state. If the Corpse Ghost didn't have so many weaknesses, it would absolutely be a BUG-level creature.
"Ah, I'm old. I'm old. I can't compare to you young people." The Old Man sighed, unconsciously stroking the Puppet's arm as she rested in his embrace. In a wistful tone, he said, "Back in my day, I feared nothing. Once, my parents told me to take my tuition money and visit the local teacher. But halfway there, I heard the sound of a handbell and ran off to watch a puppet show, completely forgetting about studying and becoming an apprentice. My parents gave me a good beating afterward, but whenever I heard that bell, I still couldn't help stopping!"
"You must have been quite a character, Old Man," Lu Li said with a smile, looking at the Old Man's wistful expression.
"What character? I was just a scamp. Watching the puppets move across the red stage was enough to steal my soul. No matter how much my parents tried to drag me away, I insisted on my own way and took the man who performed the puppet show as my master." The Old Man's voice brimmed with memories. "That's how I got into the trade. I performed puppet shows my whole life, drifting around for all these years without ever finding a place to settle. I spent all the savings I'd managed to scrape together over the years on her."
Looking at the young Puppet in the Old Man's arms, Lu Li sighed with him. "Being able to do something your whole life is an achievement in itself. You've made this Puppet so beautiful she could put the loveliest women to shame—like a goddess. I can't help but envy you."
"Ah, I'm afraid I've bored you with all these old stories, young master." The Old Man sighed. He took a parcel wrapped in oiled paper from the little wooden chest and opened it, revealing two flatbreads. Tearing the paper, he handed one to Lu Li. "You've spent all this time dealing with the firewood. You must be hungry. Have some, if you don't mind."
Lu Li glanced at the little wooden chest, accepted the flatbread, and smiled. "Why would I mind? Just don't blame me for eating your food."
"Why would I blame you? I wouldn't!" The Old Man smiled wryly, shook his head, and said nothing more. He lowered his head and began eating. Lu Li didn't hold back either. The flatbread tasted pretty good, and he finished it in a few bites. After chatting with the Old Man for a while, the two fell silent. Bathed in the firelight, the Old Man seemed tired. He didn't mind the dirty floor, using the little wooden chest as a pillow as he lay down to sleep. The instant the Old Man closed his eyes, Lu Li's alarm bells went off. A surge of intense malice poured out, and his sixth sense warned him desperately: immense danger was coming!
The flames before him also began to sway, casting shifting shadows across the ground. Outside the ruined temple came a series of terrifying howls. Lu Li's head drooped, and he grew groggy, on the verge of passing out. Just as his eyelids were about to fall shut, he saw the young Puppet across from him, seemingly lit by the fire, wink at him...
Thanks for supporting the new book! If you have any recommendation tickets, don't forget to vote, and don't forget to add it to your collection, either. Xu Ming bows in gratitude with a 360-degree spin! As for updates, since Xu Ming has a job, a second update is only possible when there's no overtime. Tomorrow, there'll probably only be one update in the evening. I'm truly sorry—please understand!
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