Corpse Ghost

Great Qian, Jiangzhou Prefecture.

Black Dragon City, Outer City.

Crack.

Lightning streaked across the sky like a silver serpent, and countless raindrops fell, striking the roof tiles with a crisp, rhythmic sound.

Thump, thump, thump!

"Nan'er, open the door quickly, it's Mother back home!"

A series of urgent knocks rang out from outside the door, sounding like a rapid, dense drumbeat.

Lin Nan watched the shaking wooden door with a grim expression, his hands pressed firmly against the crossbar on the inside.

"My son, why won't you open the door? It's raining so hard outside!"

"I beg you, please just open the door, won't you?"

"I know you're in there!"

Bang, bang, bang, bang, bang!

The knocking accelerated, the person outside seeming to grow increasingly impatient, their tone gradually turning sinister.

Lin Nan did not answer; instead, he skillfully reached into his robes and pulled out a jade-green Jade Talisman.

The Jade Talisman was covered in spiderweb-like cracks, currently emitting a soft, gentle halo of light.

As the halo rippled outward in circles, it acted like a soundproof wall, and the knocking outside began to fade, growing more and more distant until it could no longer be heard.

"Finally, I've survived another night."

Lin Nan let out a long breath.

He could still vaguely remember that not long ago, he was still pulling overtime in a state-owned enterprise office, hoping for a promotion and a raise.

Suddenly, everything went black, and he had inexplicably arrived in this world over ten days ago.

This was a world similar to ancient Blue Star, the only difference being that it contained demons, devils, and a type of creature known as an Evil Spirit.

The thing knocking on the door just now was an Evil Spirit known as a Corpse Ghost.

Corpse Ghosts were skilled at human speech, craved human blood, could disguise themselves as humans to speak, infiltrate residences, and then drain their victims dry; they were common Evil Spirits in the suburbs at night.

Once one was targeted by them, it was an endless entanglement.

The only things capable of resisting a Corpse Ghost were the Yanei, martial artists of the Blood-Qi Realm from the martial schools, or a Jade Talisman purchased from the Inner City for one hundred wen each month to drive them away.

But unfortunately, the original Lin Nan was neither a Blood-Qi Realm expert nor a martial artist; he was merely a lowly Martial Apprentice who did odd jobs at the White Snake Martial School in the Outer City.

Orphaned at a young age, he had fortunately been adopted by Uncle Lin, a martial artist at the school, but he had been unremarkable since childhood, showing no exceptional talent. After Uncle Lin passed away, he was gradually marginalized within the school.

Now twenty years old, he remained a lost, lowly Martial Apprentice doing chores for the school.

"Bitter, it's too bitter—even more bitter than that 996 dead-end job in my previous life."

Comparing it to his current environment, Lin Nan suddenly felt an intense longing for that modernized city of steel skyscrapers, airplanes, and cars.

Crack!

A new fissure suddenly appeared on the Jade Talisman in his hand.

Lin Nan felt a pang of heartache as he carefully tucked the talisman away.

A single Jade Talisman could be used about thirty times and was worth one hundred wen in copper coins.

The one in his hand would likely shatter completely after tomorrow night.

But the awkward part was that he was out of money.

According to his memories, the original Lin Nan was not only mediocre in his martial cultivation but also fond of women, frequently visiting the Drunken Spring Pavilion to listen to music.

His monthly allowance was one hundred and twenty wen; aside from the one hundred wen spent on the Jade Talisman, the original owner had long since squandered the rest at the Drunken Spring Pavilion in the city.

Not only did he have no savings, but he also owed the martial school a mountain of debt, leaving no possibility of borrowing against future allowances.

Once he could no longer afford a Jade Talisman, after tomorrow night, he would have nothing left to repel the Corpse Ghost, and he would certainly face a death with no hope of survival.

"Damn you, original owner, what kind of status did you think you had to go acting like a big shot at the Drunken Spring Pavilion?"

Lin Nan cursed inwardly.

Pulling his thoughts back to reality, he was fortunate that he was not entirely without a trump card.

In his mind, a crimson furnace hung suspended, its walls covered in ancient, obscure textures, engraved with four small seal characters: Creation Furnace!

This was a vintage-style furnace he had bought online from Yiwu before he transmigrated; he had no idea why it had appeared in his consciousness.

As his thoughts stirred, lines of information surfaced before his eyes:

[Furnace Master: Lin Nan]

[Age: Twenty]

[Cultivation Method: White Snake Stance (Entry 55/100)]

[Available Yin Qi Points: None.]

[Creation Furnace, forge away all evil, temper the true self!]

"Forge away the evil, temper the true self."

Lin Nan had been exploring this for some time, and a faint suspicion had begun to stir in his heart.

Perhaps this [Creation Furnace] could hunt down the demons and Evil Spirits that everyone feared, forging them to strengthen his own body and elevate his martial path.

However, he was merely a destitute Martial Apprentice; he had yet to cultivate his Blood-Qi, nor could he afford to hire the inner-sect warriors of the White Snake Martial School to verify this ability.

After all, hunting Evil Spirits was a high-risk endeavor. Those warriors all lived in pampered luxury; unless offered a hefty price, who would be willing to risk their lives?

"In that case, I have no choice but to gamble."

A ruthless glint flashed in Lin Nan's eyes, and he made his decision on the spot.

He spent the night in a state of insomnia.

The next day, the rain gradually ceased, and the sky began to turn a faint, fish-belly white.

Lin Nan rose early, reached under his bed, and pulled out a palm-sized, aged wooden box.

He opened the box, and the medicinal scent of ginseng immediately wafted out, revealing powders of various colors stored within.

This was the ginseng powder he had secretly scraped off while brewing soup for the masters at the White Snake Martial School; this was all that remained.

Ignoring the pang of heartache, Lin Nan dumped all the powder into a bowl of freshly boiled brown rice porridge and downed it in one go.

As the porridge settled in his stomach, he felt a wave of warmth slowly circulating through his meridians, and his blood and qi began to stir and flow.

"Time to move."

Feeling his vitality restored, Lin Nan pushed open the creaking wooden door.

He quickly made his way out from the outskirts of the Outer City, crossed three long streets to the right, and soon arrived at a cramped alleyway.

Three tall, burly men stood at the entrance of the alley, where a makeshift stall was set up. On a strip of cloth, three characters were scrawled crookedly: "Welfare Money."

"Yo, isn't this little brother Lin from the White Snake Martial School? Not at the Drunken Spring Pavilion today? Here to pay back your debts?"

The leader was a man with a scar across his face, known as Scar Lord, one of the low-level gang leaders dispatched by the Blood Blade Sect.

He usually acted like a brother to the original owner of this body, but in truth, he was no good. The original owner had borrowed a significant amount of money from this man, falling deep into debt.

Lin Nan even suspected that the original owner's addiction to the Drunken Spring Pavilion had been orchestrated by this very man.

But what does the Drunken Spring Pavilion the original owner frequented have to do with me, Lin Nan?

Lin Nan forced a friendly smile onto his face.

"Ah, Scar Lord, don't mock me. I'm here to collect the welfare money."

Hearing the words "welfare money," Scar Lord's eyes rolled, and a playful expression appeared on his face.

"You finally came to your senses? Before, you were the one shouting that you'd never take welfare money from our Blood Blade Sect again, ranting about how 'the river flows east for thirty years and west for thirty years, never bully a young man for being poor.'"

"Scar Lord, look at you, saying such things! Who hasn't had their moments of youthful arrogance? I've realized now that those martial schools are all bullshit. They aren't like you, Scar Lord—you're a genuine man with a heart of gold. You're top-tier as a friend!"

"Sigh, you even noticed my heart of gold? I really can't do anything with you! Come, give me your thumbprint!"

With that, Scar Lord reached into his stall, pulled out a yellowed ledger and five hundred copper coins, and slapped them onto the table.

"Good."

Lin Nan did not hesitate for a second, quickly signing his name in the ledger and pressing his thumbprint onto the page.

Seeing him so compliant, Scar Lord was in high spirits. He briskly scooped the copper coins into a bag and placed it in front of Lin Nan.

"This money is yours."

"Scar Lord, if nothing else, I, Lin Nan, will remember this kindness for the rest of my life!"

"Why say such things? We're brothers, you're being too formal!"

"Scar Lord!"

"Brother Lin!"

Scar Lord saw Lin Nan out of the alley, and after a few more pleasantries, they parted ways with feigned reluctance.

The moment they both turned their backs, a cold sneer appeared on their faces simultaneously.

What a fool!

What a piece of trash!