Great Qian Dynasty, Thousand Chimes Commandery City.
Whoosh~~
A bitter wind swept through a sprawling jumble of shacks.
Drafts leaked through these shacks everywhere; they offered no protection against the cold.
Inside one dilapidated shack, an ordinary-looking boy with filthy, disheveled hair instinctively pulled his ragged padded coat tighter around himself as the wind struck him.
Lu Mian looked around.
A brazier glowed red in the middle of the shack, its light falling across numb, suffering faces.
Everyone huddled as close to the brazier as possible, hoping to feel a trace of warmth.
"Another group arrived yesterday. Their county town was swallowed by a strange black mist. So many people went mad and started eating others that they had no choice but to flee here."
"We had it even worse. After nightfall, ghost lanterns burning with white light appeared out of nowhere above our town, setting fires everywhere. Who knows how many people burned to death..."
"Our town was terrifying too. Paper effigies wandered the streets, laughing strangely and killing anyone they saw. I don't even know how I escaped..."
The people gathered around the brazier recounted the horrors they had experienced.
Lu Mian listened to their terrifying stories, his emotions calm.
This was already his third day since transmigrating here.
The original owner of his body had lived in Southern Sky County. His father ran a small business, and the family had been reasonably well-off.
Three months ago, strange and horrifying events had begun occurring in Southern Sky County. Every night, people mysteriously died in their homes, smiles on their faces, their bodies covered in strange, cryptic writing and all their internal organs hollowed out.
Everyone in the county town soon feared for their lives, and people began fleeing in droves.
The original owner's family had hurriedly packed their belongings and joined the refugees.
On the road, they encountered another supernatural incident that threw everyone into chaos. The original owner became separated from his family and eventually reached Thousand Chimes Commandery City with a scattered group of refugees.
The commandery city supposedly housed a branch sanctuary of the ancient Sunflame Sect. Powerful experts protected it, making it quite safe.
For now, however, they were not allowed into Thousand Chimes Commandery City. They could only wait for arrangements in this quarantine settlement of shacks.
"When will it finally be our turn to enter the refugee district...? We've already waited half a month..."
A woman with tangled hair spoke weakly.
"Soon... As long as we haven't been corrupted or infested by evil entities, we can live in the refugee district once we pass the Guard Hall's screening. The conditions won't be this awful then."
A middle-aged man with sunken cheeks and dark circles beneath his eyes tried to reassure her.
"Yes, evil entities are ravaging the whole world now... I heard even refugees from the neighboring commandery are heading for Thousand Chimes Commandery City... This seems to be the only safe haven left."
Someone else sighed.
"Why has the world become like this?" The woman sighed again and again.
"Last night, I overheard the patrol talking... They said Heaven died six months ago."
"Once He died... those evil entities and supernatural horrors naturally emerged."
The middle-aged man with dark circles spoke.
Everyone fell silent again.
Heaven... was He really dead?
Lu Mian's eyes flickered.
"Food's here."
Just then, a broad, stout man entered carrying a wooden basin.
He counted the people, gave everyone in the shack a rock-hard steamed bun, then turned and left for the next shack.
No one dared snatch anything throughout the process. Everyone behaved.
Though the quarantine area was crowded, the Guard Hall's patrols kept anyone from causing trouble.
Lu Mian took his ice-cold bun and began gnawing on it.
Though he had only been here three days, Lu Mian already knew how dark and terrifying this world was. Ghosts eating people, people eating people-such things had appeared many times in the original owner's memories. Having a bun to eat was already a blessing.
The others also began eating in silence.
In the quarantine area, they received only one bun a day. They had long since grown dizzy with hunger.
After finishing his own bun, a large-framed man, yellow-faced and emaciated from starvation, looked toward an old man lying in a corner, wasted down to skin and bones.
"Dad, let me feed you."
As he spoke, the man turned his back to everyone and took the bun from the old man's hand.
He pretended to feed the old man, but actually stuffed the bun into his own mouth.
The old man was so weak from hunger that he could barely raise a hand, let alone speak.
After finishing the bun, the man stood up without a change in expression and sat down beside the old man. No one noticed his little trick.
Elsewhere, Lu Mian still felt hungry after finishing his own bun, but there was no other source of food in the quarantine area. He could only endure it.
Night soon fell.
To stave off their hunger, everyone had gone to sleep. Snores rose and fell around the shack.
Only Lu Mian remained awake.
Three days have passed...
I should be able to see it clearly tonight.
Lu Mian curled up against the wall, which was plastered with mud, and spoke silently to himself.
An illusory, blurry rectangle floated before his eyes.
Only he could see this rectangle; no one else could. It had appeared the moment he transmigrated here.
It had simply been even blurrier then.
After three days, the rectangle had gradually become clearer.
Lu Mian stared fixedly at the transparent rectangle, trying to bring it into focus.
Just as he was about to make it out, several ethereal voices sounded in his mind.
[System starting...] [System collecting world information...] [System generating personal talent...] [Congratulations, host. Talent acquired: ten thousand ghost furnace.] [Ten thousand ghost furnace: make your body the furnace and your life the flame. Refine ten thousand ghosts!]
While Lu Mian was still reeling in shock, he realized that he could finally see the blurry, transparent rectangle clearly.
Name: Lu Mian Remaining lifespan: 60 Talent: ten thousand ghost furnace Supernatural abilities: none
So this is my cheat...
Ten thousand ghost furnace... Does that mean I can devour evil entities and supernatural horrors to gain their powers?
But with this frail body, how am I supposed to kill those things...?
Lu Mian scratched his head helplessly.
If he had the ability to deal with supernatural horrors, he would not be in such a wretched state.
I heard you can learn some martial arts for self-defense after entering the refugee district.
I'll see when I get there.
Lu Mian took a deep breath.
When he first transmigrated into this world, he had been miserable. He felt unbearably unlucky. How had he ended up in such a dark, terrifying world?
But Lu Mian had always refused to give in. Since he was already here, he would make something of his life!
Besides, he now had a cheat.
Just as he was planning his next steps, he suddenly felt terribly hungry.
Lu Mian had been hungry all these days, but now that hunger was swelling at an unnatural, frenzied pace.
Hungry!
So hungry!!!
I need food!!!
The hunger tormented Lu Mian until his reason teetered on the brink of collapse.
The only edible things left in this shack were people.
Just as Lu Mian was about to give in and lunge at someone-
Smack!
He slapped himself hard across the face!
The sharp pain actually restored a little of his reason.
"Hungry!"
"So hungry!!!"
The people who had been asleep suddenly woke. Their eyes gleamed green as they lunged at those beside them like beasts, frantically tearing into one another's flesh.
"So tasty!"
"So delicious!"
No cries of pain or anguished wails rang out.
What unfolded before Lu Mian's eyes was a scene of indescribable horror.
These people gnawed at one another's flesh, blood smeared all over their faces, their expressions full of pleasure.
A supernatural horror!
A supernatural horror is doing this!
A chill ran down Lu Mian's spine, and he dashed straight for the door.
"So hungry..."
A hoarse voice suddenly rang out.
Lu Mian glanced over and saw an old man rise in the corner, his hair sparse, his skin deathly pale, his body nothing but skin and bones.
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