Chapter 001 Ascension Failure
At midnight, it was drizzling and a strange noise was heard in the cemetery.
"Damn, an orphan's coffin is nailed so tightly that it can't be pried open." The tomb robber used a homemade coffin rake to pry the edge of the coffin with great effort.
"Keep your voice down, or you'll attract the police," another tomb robber warned him. "The buyer said that he must have a female corpse born at this time, so that her horoscope matches that of his son. There's only one like this in the whole county. If you put in a little more effort, look, isn't there a crack?"
The coffin lid was a little loose, and a faint gap appeared on the edge. The two tomb robbers smiled at each other.
"Hey, 70,000 yuan, right in front of you!"
"We agreed in advance that this time it's your turn to carry the corpse. Last time you asked me to carry the one with green water coming out of it. It made me so sick that I couldn't eat for three days!"
"I'll carry her on my back. Anyway, this woman just died not long ago, and her body is still fresh. Hey, damn, why is the rain getting heavier?"
"It seems, it seems... I heard from the older generation that the coffin should not be opened on a rainy day, as it is easy for the corpse to rise!"
"Fuck you, if you believe that, why are you doing this? Hurry up and pry it open!"
The two tomb robbers worked together, and the coffin lid made a creaking sound, and a finger-wide gap was pried open on the edge of the coffin.
Heavy rain poured down, dark clouds covered the pitch-black night, and several rumbling thunders were hidden in the clouds, ready to explode at any time.
The leading tomb robber looked up at the sky anxiously, then looked at the coffin that was about to be pried open, and made up his mind. He called out to his companions: "Don't be a coward. I'll count to one, two, three, and we'll smash it together!"
The two tomb robbers replaced the tools in their hands with big hammers and swung them together. Just as the hammers hit the coffin, thunder rumbled and a huge lightning bolt struck down from the sky, hitting the coffin directly.
The leading tomb robber was struck by lightning and died on the spot. The other tomb robber was so scared that he let go of the hammer in his hand, and the hammer hit his foot, making him scream.
Suddenly, a silver bell-like laughter came from the charred coffin, scaring the surviving tomb robber out of his wits. Then, a white light flashed between heaven and earth, and a thin white hand stretched out from the crack in the coffin and grabbed the edge of the coffin lid.
The surviving tomb robber was so scared that he wet his pants. He turned around and ran out of the cemetery, running faster than a rabbit, regardless of his injured feet.
The coffin lid creaked twice again, and the hand in the coffin easily lifted the coffin lid that had been broken into pieces long ago, and a pale woman in shroud sat up from the coffin.
The thunder gradually faded away, and the woman rubbed her forehead in distress. She felt that she did not belong to this world, but she could not think of anything.
[Host, you failed in this ascension and have been banished to the mortal world! 】
A clear voice rang in her ears.
[I am your system, you can call me Lingdi, I will accompany you to complete this earthly experience]
Ascension... System...
These words flashed through the woman's mind in confusion. She couldn't remember anything, but she was not panicked at all. She asked calmly:
"What is my situation now?"
[Report to the host, after the failure of ascension, your immortal body was sealed in the heaven, and only a remnant of your soul remained. Currently, your soul is staying in a female corpse that has just been buried in the human world. It happens that this female corpse is a virgin, and can perfectly accommodate your soul. 】
"Why can't I remember anything?"
[Host, the failure of this ascension has caused your soul to be damaged and your internal energy to be lost. You have forgotten all your past events and lost all your cultivation. Except for the special skills reserved for you by the heaven, you are now no different from an ordinary mortal. 】
"What special skill is reserved for me by the heavens?"
[Pulse Diagnosis - You only need to use two fingers to feel a person's pulse to see their fate]
"What is my goal in coming to the human world to practice?"
[Accumulate good karma. The reason you failed to ascend this time is because you don’t have enough good karma. The heavens used thunder to banish you to the mortal world so that you can make more good karma in the world. By diagnosing your pulse, you can help those who are destined to be with you avoid disasters and seek blessings.]
[Every time you successfully establish a connection, the system will increase the corresponding good karma value. As the good karma value increases, your lost spells will return one by one, and your memory will be restored. Only when you have accumulated enough good karma can you repair your soul, unlock your immortal body, and ascend again.]
"knew."
The woman stepped out of the coffin and onto the muddy ground of the cemetery. The paper shoes on her feet immediately rotted when they came into contact with the mud and water, but she didn't notice it at all.
There was a bright puddle on the side of the road. The woman stopped and looked into the puddle. She saw her reflection in the water was bright white, with thin eyebrows and lips, a pair of cold and narrow eyes, and a temperament that was unacceptable to the world.
"What a nice appearance," the woman murmured, touching her face.
The heart in the chest that had stopped beating started beating again because of the arrival of the new soul.
At midnight, the rain stopped, the dark clouds parted, revealing a ray of moonlight. In the cemetery, a thin woman walked barefoot down the mountain, step by step, in the mud and covered with the moonlight.
————
An asphalt road appeared at the foot of the mountain. The lights in the shops on both sides of the road were off. This was the edge of the county town. As the weather was bad tonight, the businesses had closed early.
Only one shabby white shop had its lights on. The warm yellow light shone through the window onto the street. The woman was attracted by the light and walked to the window involuntarily. Through the window, she saw many small casseroles heating on the fire, emitting white steam and making gurgling sounds.
After all, she was staying in a mortal's body. The woman who hadn't eaten for a long time felt very hungry. She rubbed her abdomen gently and leaned closer to the window.
In the white shop, the old Chinese medicine practitioner Weng Xuhua was sorting out the day's prescriptions, while his wife Gao Jin was sewing an old coat. After a few stitches, she remembered that there was still Chinese medicine stewing on the stove for the patient, so she put down the needle and thread in her hands and went to the pharmacy to check the fire.
As soon as she pushed open the door of the pharmacy, Gao Jin screamed. Weng Xuhua immediately rushed over and asked her what happened. Gao Jin pointed out the window tremblingly and couldn't even utter a complete sentence.
"She, she——"
Weng Xuhua looked in the direction his wife pointed and saw a girl standing outside the window, soaked all over. She had a pale face, disheveled hair, slender fingers, and was wearing shrouds for the dead. Anyone who saw her would think she was a female ghost.
After all, Weng Xuhua had been practicing medicine for many years and had some experience. He looked at the girl's face carefully, then opened the door of the pharmacy and asked the girl to come in.
Gao Jin grabbed his wife's hand anxiously: "Is this okay? What if it's a..."
Weng Xuhua held Gao Jin's hand and said, "Don't be afraid. When our Yinyin got into trouble, she was about this age. Now that this child is in trouble, how can we not save her?"
This sentence convinced Gao Jin.
The girl stepped onto the steps carefully. Before entering the shop, she looked up at the sign hanging above. On the sign were three large characters written in an antique style - Ci Xin Tang.
It's a Chinese medicine clinic.
Weng Xuhua led the girl to the pulse diagnosis table, placed two fingers on her left pulse, and diagnosed her pulse.
"The pulse is steady and strong, and the vital energy is full. There is nothing abnormal." Weng Xuhua raised his head in surprise. "Child, are you here to see a doctor?"
The girl said nothing and just shook her head quietly.
Gao Jin also noticed that something was wrong with the girl, so he stepped forward and asked with concern, "What's your name?"
"Bai Mian." The name immediately popped up in the girl's mind. It was her last memory before her failed ascension.
"Where do you live? Do you know your family's contact information?" Gao Jin asked again.
Bai Mian shook her head again. The original owner of her current body was an orphan and had no one to rely on in this world.
Weng Xuhua and Gao Jin looked at each other in surprise. Gao Jin whispered in Weng Xuhua's ear, "Whose lost child is this, or... is there something wrong here?"
As she spoke, Gao Jin pointed to her head. She knew that some brain diseases could cause people to lose their memory.
Weng Xuhua thought about it and sighed helplessly: "Who knows, it's raining so hard, maybe the road is slippery and the child fell and hit her head. Anyway, it's so late now, we definitely can't chase her away. Let's take her in for one night and send her to the police station tomorrow morning."
After the old couple made their decision, Gao Jin stepped forward and eagerly took Bai Mian's hand: "Child, come on, follow grandma. Go take a bath first, and then change your clothes. These tattered clothes are so unlucky!"
Bai Mian instinctively felt that the old man in front of her could be trusted. She followed Gao Jin upstairs. When she came down, she had already taken a shower and changed her clothes.
She walked down the stairs slowly, wearing an ivory-white short-sleeved cheongsam with a pipa collar. Her long hair, which had just been blown dry, was scattered behind her, hanging down like a waterfall.
The moment he saw her back, Weng Xuhua was stunned. He shouted excitedly, "Yin Yin!"
Bai Mian didn't look back, and Weng Xuhua realized something was wrong. He smiled bitterly, lowered his eyes, and changed the topic: "It's you, Bai Mian, I'm sorry, I think I missed Yin Yin too much."
"There were no suitable clothes at home, so I put the clothes that Yinyin wore when she was here on her," Gao Jin came down from upstairs and shouted to Weng Xuhua, then turned to explain to Bai Mian, "Yinyin is our daughter, and she has been dead for many years."
Bai Mian nodded to show her understanding. Gao Jin wiped the thing in his hand again and again and handed it to her: "This is a hairpin I wore when I was young. Anyway, I don't need it now, so I'll give it to you. Put your hair up so you can eat later. Ah, the fish is probably ready. I'll go get it!"
As she said this, she hurried towards the kitchen.
Bai Mian's gaze lingered on the hairpin for a moment. It was a crescent-shaped silver hairpin decorated with blue. It had become a little dull over time, but this dullness just added a charm to the hairpin that did not belong to this era.
Bai Mian casually held her long hair, twisted it around her head a few times, and pinned it with a hairpin, revealing her white and slender neck.
After putting on the hairpin, she lowered her brows, her eyes were deep, like a bodhisattva in the temple, and her whole body exuded an air of compassion for all living beings.
Weng Xuhua brought Bai Mian to the restaurant. The small restaurant was furnished with carved yellow wooden tables and chairs, which looked like they had not been replaced in more than ten years. After the two took their seats, Gao Jin came out of the kitchen holding a casserole.
"Fish head and tofu casserole, come on, eat it while it's hot!"
The casserole was placed on the table with a thick towel on top. As soon as the lid was opened, hot steam came out immediately. The fish soup had turned milky white, with fresh green onions floating on it. The tender tofu chopped into small pieces was trembling, and a big, plump fish head was lying at the bottom of the soup.
Weng Xuhua stood up and took out a plate of cold dishes from the refrigerator: "There are two of us living here, so we didn't cook too many dishes. These are the leftover cold wild vegetables from lunch. They're still fresh, so don't be disgusted."
Bai Mian picked up a piece with chopsticks. He didn't know what kind of wild vegetable it was. It was crispy and mixed with a little vinegar and sesame oil. It was sour and cool and tasted very good.
The rice was also cooked at this time. Weng Xuhua stood up and served Bai Mian a bowl of steamed rice. He also specially picked out the fish head from the soup and gave it to her. With the fish head tofu casserole and cold wild vegetables, Bai Mian ate her first meal in the world.
————
At midnight, at the Qingshui Town Police Station, Director Li Shoucheng was on duty in his office.
It rained tonight and the roads were slippery, resulting in a series of traffic accidents. He and his colleagues worked for most of the night to deal with them. As dawn was about to break, the short and fat man finally had time to sit down and drink some tea.
He had just opened the lid of the cup and hadn't even taken a sip of the tea when someone knocked on the office door. The knocking was very rapid, and it seemed that something had happened again.
Li Shoucheng's heart was hanging. He put down the teacup helplessly and said, "Come in!"
The door was pushed open, and the person who came in was his capable subordinate Xiao Chen. Xiao Chen went straight to the point as soon as he entered the door: "Director, there has been another tomb robbery in the cemetery on the West Mountain. Judging from the modus operandi, it should be the same group of habitual criminals who did it before!"
Li Shoucheng was excited. Recently a tomb-robbing gang had come to the town. They specialized in digging up female corpses from cemeteries and then selling them to families on the black market for ghost marriages. The police station had received several reports of stolen female corpses, but this gang of tomb robbers was too cunning and they had not been caught yet.
Originally, the station had arranged for people to stake out the cemetery for a long time, but an accident happened tonight and all the police station staff were dispatched. The people who were staked out also evacuated. It seems that this group of tomb robbers seized the opportunity to strike.
"How is it? Has the person been caught?" Li Shoucheng asked quickly.
"A male body was found at the scene. He was killed by lightning. He was holding grave-robbing tools in his hands. Preliminary judgment is that he is a member of the grave-robbing gang," Xiao Chen reported. "Another grave-robber was found not far away. He was crazy and talking nonsense. He seemed to be frightened by something. He has been sent to a mental hospital for treatment."
Li Shoucheng knocked on the table and said, "What a pity! We could have found out a lot from this investigation!"
"Also, Director, there is one more thing..." Xiao Chen hesitated.
"Don't hesitate, just say what you want to say!" Li Shoucheng urged impatiently.
"The female corpse in the coffin disappeared, but we did not find the female corpse around the scene. According to the traces at the scene, the female corpse walked away on her own..."
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