Life Hanging by a Thread

Approaching the End

New Calendar Year 126 of the Great Xia Kingdom, Ping County in Jin Prefecture.

Outside the county in Panshan Village, within a blue-bricked tile house, Lu Shaolin stared through the window at the osmanthus tree in the courtyard, his desperate gaze harboring a trace of unwillingness!

He was originally an undercover police officer from another world who could not escape after his identity was exposed, ultimately perishing together with criminals.

Upon waking, he found himself transmigrating into this realm called Great Xia, a dynasty resembling the ancient era of his previous life.

Yet the extreme tragedy was that the youth he possessed had fallen terminally ill; upon the youth's death, he seized this body while also inheriting some of the youth's memories.

The youth shared his name, being sixteen years old and having lost his mother in childhood. Three days prior, while hunting in the mountains with his father Lu Zhong, they encountered a Zombie attack. Lu Zhong fought with his life on the line, using himself as bait to protect Lu Shaolin and secure his escape with his life.

Regrettably, Lu Shaolin was also scratched by the Zombie, and corpse Qi entered his body. After holding on for three days, he breathed his last the previous night, allowing his transmigrated soul to take possession.

Even with his transmigrated soul inhabiting this form, he still felt his body chilled to the bone and utterly weak, unable to get out of bed.

The fellow villagers were even more terrified of being entangled by evil spirits, not daring to step so much as an inch across his family's front gate.

What kind of damn ghost world is this, actually having monsters and demons running amok, and am I really going to starve to death right after reviving? Lu Shaolin muttered to himself.

Following that, his gaze turned fiercely resolute as his body surged upward. With a thud, he ultimately failed to lift himself and crashed heavily back down onto the bed.

Damn it!

This was simply a hellish starting hand!

Just as Lu Shaolin intended to resign himself to fate, a sound of voices drifted in from outside the front gate.

"Old sir, is this the place?" A resonant, deep, and steady voice rang out.

"Reporting to the lord, it is indeed here!" Village Chief Old Li answered respectfully.

"Go knock on the door!"

"My... my lord, this old man truly dares not step into the courtyard, genuinely fearing being cursed by evil qi!" Old Li stammered.

"Hm? Never mind, Zhang Long, you go!"

"Yes, Chief!"

Immediately, a series of knocks sounded at the door.

Lu Shaolin's gaze flashed fiercely. People had come! As long as someone came, there was at least a chance of being rescued.

"Please... please enter!" Lu Shaolin shouted with all his might, his voice hoarse and low, unsure if it could be heard outside.

"Lord?" Zhang Long's voice carried doubt.

"There is someone inside, just extremely weak. Enter directly!"

"Yes!"

As the words fell, with a bang, Lu Shaolin saw the front gate pushed open roughly. Three men dressed in dark-colored martial artist garments and girded with swords at their waists walked in.

The lead man strode with the vigor of a dragon and tiger, his eyes sharp and bright, featuring a square face and bristly whiskers beneath his jaw, cutting an extraordinary figure!

The only pity was that this man possessed a scar running from his left brow angle all the way to his right cheek, adding an air of ferocity out of nowhere.

The scar-faced man swept his gaze across the courtyard, instantly locking eyes through the window with Lu Shaolin inside the bedroom.

Lu Shaolin was likewise jolted by the sharp gleam in the big man's eyes.

"The person is in the bedroom!" The scar-faced man spoke in a deep voice, taking the lead as he walked toward the house.

Outside the front gate, Village Chief Old Li stood beneath the steps, craning his neck and peeking in stealthily.

The three arrived at the bedroom. Lu Shaolin suppressed his churning emotions and looked calmly at the scar-faced man, speaking hoarsely, "My lord, please save me. I will surely repay this heavy debt in the future!"

"Hm?" The scar-faced man furrowed his brows, walked to the edge of the bed, and reached out to lift the quilt. A faint, foul, fishy stench emanated outward.

Seeing the pitch-black scratch on Lu Shaolin's chest, he shook his head and said, "Corpse Qi has entered your body, reaching your lungs and viscera. Your time is short!"

Before Lu Shaolin could reply, the big man drew a porcelain bottle from his chest and said, "This Yang Fire Pill can expel the corpse Qi within your body, but your internal organs are already damaged. At most, it will help you live for three months!"

"Chief, this pill..." Zhang Long spoke with a look of distress.

"I know what I'm doing!" The scar-faced man turned his head and cut off his words in a deep voice.

He then turned back to look at Lu Shaolin once more. "Naturally, the pill cannot be given for free. We are guards of the Demon Suppression Bureau, and you need to guide me to the place where you were attacked by the monster. Are you willing?"

"My lord, I am willing!" Lu Shaolin replied instantly. This was his sole chance at survival. Although he would only live for three months, as long as he could stay alive, he could figure out other methods later.

The scar-faced man nodded, pulled out the cork, poured out a fiery-red pill, and shoved it into Lu Shaolin's mouth.

Lu Shaolin worked hard to secrete saliva, wanting to swallow the pill down, yet the pill was exceedingly pungent and spicy, and his mouth was truly far too dry.

The scar-faced man raised a hand and fed half a bowl of water from the bedside into Lu Shaolin's mouth.

Lu Shaolin hastily swallowed it down together with the pill.

In a short while, he felt his whole body grow hot. His originally chilled body gradually sensed warmth, and his physical strength also recovered somewhat.

"Zhao Hu, go ask the village chief for some food, porridge will do," the scar-faced man turned and instructed.

"Yes, Chief!" Another big man cupped his fists in response, crisp and decisive, and turned to walk out of the courtyard.

After waiting a short while, Zhao Hu walked in with long strides, carrying a large coarse-porcelain bowl.

Along the journey, the white porridge inside the bowl had warmed up, making it just right for consumption!

Lu Shaolin exerted strength with both arms, propping himself up on the bed. He accepted the warm, large bowl, uttered a word of thanks, and began to gulp it down with loud slurps.

With a bowl of hot porridge in his belly, Lu Shaolin felt his strength recover by another fraction. He reached out to push back the covers, felt around to step down from the bed, and after a slight stagger, stood firmly.

"Thank you, sir, for saving my life. In the future, I will surely repay this with my life. May I be so bold as to ask your esteemed name?" Lu Shaolin looked at the scarred-face man and asked with cupped fists.

"Our boss is a Junior Banner Officer of the Demon Suppression Bureau: Zhou Yong!" Zhao Hu blurted out boisterously from the side.

"Big mouth!" Zhou Yong glared at Zhao Hu.

"What passed between you and me was merely a transaction. I gave you the medicinal pill, and you're leading me to the land of fiends and evil. We are even!" Zhou Yong waved a hand and said to Lu Shaolin.

"You may feel it was just a transaction, sir, but to me it is a grace that saved my life, and I will certainly never dare forget it!" Lu Shaolin cupped his fists once more.

In his past life he had always been clear-cut in his gratitude and grudges; it was simply his nature.

"Since you've already recovered, let's go then!" Zhou Yong did not wish to dwell on this topic and spoke directly.

"Very well, please allow me a moment to change my clothes, sir," Lu Shaolin said.

"Very well, we'll wait for you in the courtyard!" Zhou Yong nodded, turned, and walked out, with Zhang Long and Zhao Hu following behind him.

Once the three of them had gone out, Lu Shaolin took a new set of clothes from the wardrobe and changed out of the garments on his body.

He walked over to the bronze mirror and looked at his current appearance.

Sword-like brows and starry eyes, with a handsome face-shape, though his complexion was far too pale, making him appear slightly effeminate.

Pretty handsome! Lu Shaolin smiled faintly.

After tidying his appearance just a bit, he walked toward the courtyard.

Arriving in the courtyard, Zhou Yong cast a glance at Lu Shaolin, then lowered his voice and said, "Let's move out!"

Lu Shaolin nodded, taking the lead as he walked outside. Although his steps were still somewhat light and floaty, he walked steadily enough.

Old Li, the village head, was no longer outside his house.

The place where he and his father, Lu Zhong, had previously gone hunting was right within Panshan outside the village, and the distance was still rather far.

After walking fully for over half an hour, the four men finally reached their destination.