People Are Born of Human Mothers, Demons of Demon Mothers

People were born of human mothers, demons of demon mothers. Tan Shuchang was naturally not born of heaven and earth—he was human... probably born of a human.

Before the age of five, Tan Shuchang had been an utterly ordinary illegitimate child.

He did not know who his father was, nor did he know his mother's name. He only knew that she probably was not as simple as a peasant woman appeared to be. That was the conclusion Tan Shuchang had drawn from observation.

After he turned five, Tan Shuchang's conclusion was confirmed. It was just that his birth mother's manner was somewhat... off.

"I passed through nine lives, bore nine sons, and killed nine sons, all to cultivate the Nine-Sons Mother Heavenly Ghost. I never expected retribution to force an extra reincarnation upon me, making me bear one more. Then I'll keep you..."

That was what his birth mother had said.

Tan Shuchang still remembered how his birth mother had cast aside her usual tranquil, waterlike manner. She had looked incomparably noble, yet cold beyond measure, her gaze seeming capable of slaughtering every living being.

Then, when those bandits arrived, his birth mother had put on a show and rolled off the cliff...

Because afterward, Tan Shuchang saw that his birth mother had actually already risen into the air. Yet strangely, at the time, Tan Shuchang had been the only one who could see her.

Those bandits captured the five-year-old Tan Shuchang, but did not kill him. Instead, they took him with them. Then the government soldiers arrived, drove off the bandits, rescued Tan Shuchang, and respectfully escorted him to Capital Prefecture.

Only then did Tan Shuchang learn who he was.

The son of Chancellor Tan, imperial tutor to two dynasties, beneath the Son of Heaven's feet in Capital Prefecture!

Though he was only an illegitimate son, Chancellor Tan had only four sons in total, including Tan Shuchang. Of the first three, aside from the eldest, who had inherited Chancellor Tan's true teachings, the other two were nothing but pigs.

It would not be an exaggeration to say that even pigs were smarter than those two.

That was why Chancellor Tan had set his sights on Tan Shuchang, his illegitimate son. Such a great family could not have only one person holding down the fort.

Since ancient times, relying on one's father had always been the mainstream.

And with a father like that, it was difficult for Tan Shuchang not to earn a place on the golden roll. Back then, Tan Shuchang remembered several people whose essays had been better than his. Although he had studied diligently, this sort of thing truly depended on talent, and Tan Shuchang's talent for study was merely ordinary.

Yet in the end, the top place in the imperial examinations had been his, and he had even been personally recognized by the Emperor as first.

Then, at the celebratory banquet, Tan Shuchang had been plied drunk.

Only after sobering up did he learn that, because the Emperor's three sons had looked too much like his "second brother and third brother," he had beaten all three of them.

Tan Shuchang remembered that he should not have made a move. It seemed he had only been beaten at the time, but everyone said otherwise, and even the Emperor said so. Thus, the charge was established.

But because of his father, Tan Shuchang had merely been stripped of his scholarly honors and punished with facing the wall at home.

Not long after that, a cup of poisoned wine was delivered to Tan Residence.

When he learned that so long as he was willing to end his own life, his most valued son would not be harmed, the imperial tutor to two dynasties drank that cup of poisoned wine without hesitation, ending his brilliant life.

However, the imperial tutor to two dynasties had not expected that the Emperor would play a word game with him.

The Emperor spared only Tan Shuchang.

Every other member of the Tan family within three degrees of kinship, without exception, was beheaded.

Tan Shuchang's eldest brother had long held high office and commanded an enormous network of influence. As he was skilled in both letters and arms and had cultivated for a time, he could invite not only powerful figures from the military, but also quite a few cultivators.

As for Tan Shuchang's second and third brothers, though each was more of a bastard than the last, standard playboys through and through, their mother's natal family was immensely powerful!

Their influence in court was even greater!

Though Tan Shuchang had performed far better than his second and third brothers, when all was said and done, he was merely mediocre. Just an ordinary person displaying what an ordinary person could display after gaining an impressive family background.

What was more, he was an illegitimate son. His birth mother had even been murdered by people sent under the guise of bandits, due to the displeasure of the Tan family's first madam.

As for how Tan Shuchang had learned the true identities of those bandits, one of the chief eunuchs among those who came to confiscate Tan Residence had sought him out and told him in person. Then, after giving him a small sum of silver, he drove him out of Capital Prefecture.

And the moment Tan Shuchang left Capital Prefecture, the reigning Emperor's reputation for benevolence spread throughout all twenty-five provinces.

It could only be said that no Emperor lacked a deep and scheming mind.

As for what was special about Tan Shuchang...

It had actually been there since he was very young. Having lived two lives, he had always concealed it, never exposing it even before the age of five.

He had been afraid that his birth mother would regard him as a monster and burn him alive.

But after turning five, Tan Shuchang understood that he had most likely become this way because of his birth mother's influence. He had likely inherited some of her abilities.

Blackheart Mountain.

Blackheart Elder's death had not made this place bright and sunny.

Its gloom was caused by its peculiar geography.

It was said that a vast amount of baleful aura lay buried beneath this mountain. Affected by that baleful aura, Blackheart Mountain had become such a vicious place.

At this moment, Tan Shuchang was refining his second fierce ghost.

As Tan Shuchang sat cross-legged in robes white as snow, blood kept flowing around him, seeming both illusory and real. Near Tan Shuchang, the darkness had also visibly weakened.

It was as though some of the baleful aura here had been absorbed.

Within the continuously trickling blood were two figures. One was a girl with disheveled hair and an excessively pale face. She was the one Tan Shuchang had captured from that girls' dormitory building.

This fierce ghost was steeped in malevolent hostility, with nothing but chaotic malice in her eyes. Clearly, she was an indiscriminately slaughtering evil ghost. In the Weird Game, when encountering such fierce ghosts, one could only find a way to awaken the last shred of their humanity. Otherwise, death was certain.

But this fierce ghost had already been refined by Tan Shuchang, so she appeared very calm now.

Beside this indiscriminately slaughtering evil ghost was the female ghost with long, shapely legs and a graceful figure—the one who, if her head were removed, could be considered a breathtaking beauty.

This female ghost's killings had been constrained by rules.

But now, as Tan Shuchang refined her, the rules binding her were steadily falling apart.

Suddenly, the female ghost let out a shrill howl. Her entire body turned into a pool of blood as she tried to seize the chance to flee. But blood trickled everywhere here, so she failed to escape.

About the time it took an incense stick to burn, the female ghost also calmed down.

This meant that Tan Shuchang had refined her.

Then Tan Shuchang's expression became somewhat strange. "So this female ghost can be used like this..."