Tick-tock, tick-tock...
Beneath the thick black fog, Shang Lin clearly heard the sound of dripping water, then felt a chilling aura, followed by a woman's soft moan:
The night is still, the lamps are dim, the clear sky and cold moon shine brightly on the river.
Still waters ripple gently, their surface shimmering like stars.
Fish and dragons on shallow leaves, their shadows drifting across the bridge like wisps of smoke.
The wind rustles the trees, and the clouds swirl around the flowers.
Shang Lin continued in his heart, "Laughing drunkenly in the wind, shedding tears like flowing streams, how can sorrow ever end?"
But the next second he shouted, "Your repeated visits to my dreams won't solve anything. Why don't we just let each other go?"
A woman who had never shown herself to Shang Lin suddenly appeared in the thick fog. She was dressed in an ancient, bright red wedding gown. The gown was elaborate and beautiful, and from a distance, one could tell that she came from a high-ranking family. Unfortunately, it was soaking wet and dripping water.
The next second, a pale, swollen, and deformed face suddenly appeared face to face with Shang Lin. Caught off guard, he trembled and then opened his eyes. The morning light was already shining in through the window, carrying the cool temperature of spring.
Shang Lin rubbed his hair in annoyance, genuinely wondering how he had gotten entangled with this. Was it because the original owner's body was about to give out? However, he was going to the county market with Li Hongjin from the same village today, so he didn't have time to think about it too much.
This was the first time Shang Lin had ever gone to the market. His father, Old Man Chai, who was his only family, would never have allowed him to go out and earn money. However, Old Man Chai had developed cataracts and could barely see anything, so he had no choice but to let him go.
Fortunately, Li Hongjin from the same village had always taken good care of Shang Lin, and Old Man Chai felt more at ease going to the county with him. The things that his family could sell all came from the mountains, such as wild vegetables, wood ear fungus, and nuts.
At the end of the day, Shang Lin looked at the scattered banknotes in his hand. While carefully sorting them, he felt a little sad. He thought about how he was once a genius in the cultivation world. What good things hadn't he seen? When had he ever bowed down for five pecks of rice?
But now...
My back has been bent ever since I straightened it.
Well, the main thing is that I'm currently a sickly 15-year-old boy. When I first took over this body, it really took me a long time to recover. Only recently have I been able to live like a normal person.
As for starting cultivation again, haha, the spiritual energy in the human realm is so thin. I've been here for three years and haven't even managed to draw qi into my body, let alone use the Dragon Spirit Tower. It's really...
"Tiedan, Tiedan." A voice suddenly interrupted Shang Lin's thoughts. He looked up and saw Li Hongjin running up to him. "How's it going? How are the sales?"
Shang Lin waved the neatly arranged banknotes in front of Li Hongjin and casually asked, "What about you?"
"Look." Li Hongjin took out several hundred-yuan bills from his faded canvas waist bag. "I met a connoisseur today who said that the things from our place are all-natural and pollution-free green foods, and he bought them all. Quick, give me some of your change."
Shang Lin looked at the hundred-yuan bill in his hand and suddenly felt like laughing. This was the first time he had seen one in the three years he had been in the human world. However, this money actually had spiritual power! Perhaps it could help him open the Dragon Spirit Tower.
Suddenly, his arm was touched, followed by Li Hongjin's puzzled voice, "Hey, what are you staring at the money for? Let's hurry back to the village, or the road will be difficult to travel in the dark."
Shang Lin immediately snapped out of his daze, glanced at the sky, and hurriedly loaded the remaining goods from the market onto the three-wheeled tractor with Li Hongjin before rushing back to the village.
Actually, it's called a village, but it only has fifty or sixty households. Every household does pretty much the same thing: farming, raising poultry, gathering mountain products, and going to the market. That's about it.
Although the government has introduced various preferential policies over the years, the area is too remote and the road conditions are very bad, so the living standards of most families are just enough to make ends meet.
Li Hongjin's three-wheeled tractor was a second-hand one that his family scraped together. At least it has many uses, such as plowing the fields and going to the market.
But today, the tractor suddenly stalled halfway through the journey. Li Hongjin hurriedly jumped down to check, muttering, "What happened again? I checked it this morning."
Shang Lin also jumped off the tractor. As soon as his feet touched the ground, he stopped abruptly. If he wasn't mistaken, there was a dark shadow on the rear wheel of the tractor!
He glanced subconsciously at the setting sun, realizing that the timing was quite precise! The next second, Shang Lin's face suddenly darkened, and his body and soul seemed to twist, the pain causing him to lose consciousness instantly.
Shang Lin was awakened by the pain, which was comparable to the pain he felt when he failed his tribulation. He just wanted to faint again, but fortunately, the pain did not last long and quickly disappeared.
Suddenly, a pale and swollen face appeared before him. The next second, a bone grabbed his neck and lifted him up and shook him like a chick.
Shang Lin almost fainted again as his vision went black, but he was not as careless as before when his life was hanging by a thread. He quickly formed hand seals with his ten fingers and directly repelled the ugly thing in front of him.
With his neck released, Shang Lin managed to steady himself, but the sudden influx of air still made him cough uncontrollably.
That ugly thing didn't give Shang Lin any time to recover. After being thrown back, it only paused for a moment before roaring and lunging at him again, this time with a biting wind and a nauseating stench.
"Damn it," Shang Lin cursed under his breath as he changed his finger seals again, but without the support of his cultivation, the power of the seals was greatly reduced.
"What unfulfilled wish do you have that I can help you with?" Shang Lin shouted, trying to communicate with the ugly thing. Otherwise, he wouldn't be able to hold on for long if the fight continued; he would be finished once he was exhausted. "If I die, who else can you ask for help?"
The ugly thing seemed not to hear anything and continued to attack Shang Lin. It probably had little sense left, or it couldn't understand a few words, so it was ineffective.
While defending himself, Shang Lin continued, "Did you capture me just to kill me? You might as well have done it when we met. I was completely off guard then, what were your chances of success? Stop hitting me, let's talk. I'll agree to anything I can do. Otherwise, where will you find someone like me again who isn't afraid of you and can even help you? Besides, I know a lot more. Don't let my poor health fool you, it doesn't affect my abilities at all. You see how violent you are, you must have suffered some injustice in your life. I can help you seek justice and fulfill your long-cherished wish..."
Shang Lin rattled off a string of words, and somehow one of them worked. The ugly thing actually stopped, and the next second, the dimly lit surroundings transformed into an antique-style mansion.
Suddenly, Shang Lin felt something was off about his body. He instinctively reached for the spot where he felt the strange sensation. What?! He immediately looked down. How had he turned into a woman?!
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