Chapter 2: Murder! Evil Spirits

"Of course, it had to be exactly what I feared."

Seeing Li Hu and his two companions closing in from the front, left, and right, Zhang Lingshan’s heart sank. He gripped the stone axe hidden in his left sleeve tightly.

He had secretly fashioned this stone axe from scraps while hauling stones and timber at Red Leaf Temple, specifically to prepare for a situation like this.

As an honest man who had transmigrated from the modern world, he had never seen such chaotic times. For the past six months, he had lived in constant terror, feeling that danger lurked everywhere and that his life hung by a thread.

Living in such a state of mind, he never slept soundly; his dreams were always filled with either being hacked to death or killing others in self-defense.

Because of this, he had to arm himself to find some peace of mind.

A stone axe in his left sleeve, a small knife in his right—he was always ready to face danger.

And today, those preparations finally came in handy.

"Father!"

Zhang Lingshan suddenly froze, looking past Li Hu’s shoulder with a look of surprise, then took two or three quick strides forward.

Li Hu couldn't help but turn his head in astonishment.

At that very moment, Zhang Lingshan felt a fierce wind pass over his head. He hurriedly turned, only to see the stone axe slamming squarely into his forehead.

*Bang!*

The stone axe struck home with a solid thud.

But then, a *crack* echoed out—the stone axe snapped in two.

Whether it was because Zhang Lingshan had used too much force or the wooden handle was simply garbage, he couldn't tell.

This turn of events was unexpected. He had intended to kill him with one blow and turn to the next, but now he had no choice but to thrust the small knife from his right hand, stabbing it deep into Li Hu’s neck and twisting it viciously.

*Squelch!*

He pulled the knife out.

*Pfft, pfft, pfft.*

Blood gushed out like it was free.

Li Hu clutched his throat, stumbling back several steps. A look of terror and disbelief crossed his pale face before he collapsed to the ground with a heavy thud.

"Murder! Help!"

A piercing scream came from a passerby in the distance, jolting Wang Datou, Li Xiaole, and the other two thugs out of their shock.

The cowardly thug on the left turned deathly pale, his feet rooted to the spot. They were the ones who had come to rob someone—how had they been killed before they even made a move?

Who was the real villain here?

This short guy who had always followed behind his father like a shadow seemed harmless and honest; why had he suddenly become so ferocious?

*Thump, thump, thump.*

Before the cowardly thug could process this, he saw Zhang Lingshan charging toward him with a small knife, his face twisted into a grimace as savage as a demon’s.

"Ah!"

The cowardly thug let out a terrified shriek and turned to run, but in his haste, he tripped over his own feet and fell. Zhang Lingshan caught up and plunged the knife into his back.

*Pfft, pfft, pfft!*

The sound of the blade entering flesh rang out repeatedly.

Zhang Lingshan, terrified that the man wouldn't die, pinned him down and stabbed him frantically until the thug stopped moving entirely.

"One more left."

Zhang Lingshan climbed to his feet, gasping for air. He glared at the final thug, then shouted to Wang Datou and Li Xiaole, "Don't just stand there! Grab him!"

"Ah, y-yes!"

The two didn't dare disobey and hurriedly moved to the left and right, blocking the thug's path.

Having watched his two companions being brutally killed, the thug had no courage left to resist. His legs went weak, and he collapsed to the ground.

Seeing Zhang Lingshan’s cold, condescending gaze, he cried out, "Big Brother, spare me! I’m not with them, I was just passing by..."

"Take off your clothes."

Zhang Lingshan commanded.

The thug hesitated, but seeing that the other man wasn't joking, he hurriedly complied.

Once the clothes were off, Zhang Lingshan gathered them up, then stepped forward and drove the knife deep into the man’s throat.

With the previous two as practice, and his nerves steadied by his dominant position, Zhang Lingshan was more careful. Even so, the strike didn't kill him instantly, and the man clutched his throat, howling for a long time before finally dying.

This made Zhang Lingshan reflect.

His first real combat experience felt completely different from his simulations at home. Once the adrenaline surged, his limbs felt beyond his control.

Even though the bad guys were dead and the crisis was over, his hands wouldn't stop shaking, his heart was pounding, and his entire body was trembling.

He was still too green; he needed more practice.

Still, it was his first time killing, so it was understandable.

The reason he had succeeded today was thanks to the experience he’d gained from his nightly nightmares of fighting back, which taught him the lesson: "No matter how perfect a counterattack is, it’s better to strike first."

Otherwise, even with his hidden weapons, he wouldn't have stood a chance against three men without the element of surprise.

Not to mention the two lackeys, Li Hu was a truly fierce character with a notorious reputation.

Even the grown men at Red Leaf Temple, who were all stronger than him, didn't dare stand up to Li Hu when he came to collect debts, fearing retaliation.

That he had managed to rid the people of this scourge today was due, first, to the surprise attack on an enemy who underestimated him, and second, to the fact that he was truly willing to kill.

"A-Shan... Brother Shan, the blood on your face..."

Wang Datou started to say, but Li Xiaole pulled him aside, interrupting, "Brother Shan, I just remembered we have an urgent matter at home, so we’ll be going now."

With that, he grabbed Wang Datou and ran, not wanting to stay for another second.

Wang Datou wanted to say something else, but seeing the three corpses, he didn't dare speak and followed him away, leaving only a warning behind: "Brother Shan, the smell of blood will attract dirty things... it’s almost dark..."

Zhang Lingshan’s heart tightened.

Wang Datou was right; he had to get out of here.

He hurriedly searched the bodies, found a few pieces of silver, took off his blood-stained clothes, wiped his face clean, put on the clean clothes from the thug, and bolted toward Jin City.

Finally, he entered the city before dark.

Jin City was a large city, divided into an inner and outer city.

Zhang Lingshan’s home was, of course, in the outer city. Although it wasn't in the slums, he still had to navigate several main roads after entering, turning onto Qinghe Road and then into Changning Street before he was close to home.

"Huh?"

Reaching Qinghe Road, Zhang Lingshan suddenly froze. He saw Wang Datou and Li Xiaole.

He noticed something strange about them.

Logically, they had run off so fast earlier that they should have been home by now. Why were they not only still out, but walking with their heads down toward the west end of Qinghe Road?

Wasn't that a dead end?

Though puzzled, Zhang Lingshan couldn't be bothered with them and followed his usual route, preparing to turn onto Changning Street to get home.

But to his horror, the intersection he usually reached in a few steps was nowhere to be found, no matter how he walked. Instead, he found himself getting closer and closer to Wang Datou and Li Xiaole.

It was as if they were walking in place, and he was being drawn right behind them!

'What is going on?'

Zhang Lingshan felt a surge of terror.

They said this world had ghosts and evil spirits, but he had never encountered one. Had he really been unlucky enough to hit the jackpot today?

But he had finally saved enough money to learn martial arts at the academy tomorrow. His father had gone to Golden Light Temple alone for that very reason, and he had risked everything to kill three men.

He had done so much; he was on the verge of changing his fate.

And he had to run into this now!?

"A-Shan, you're here too. Come with us, we're almost home."

Li Xiaole’s voice suddenly rang in his ear.

But his voice wasn't right. It sounded as if a hand were squeezing his throat, producing a sharp, hoarse tone, like fingernails scraping against a wall. It made Zhang Lingshan’s back crawl with horror.

*Slap.*

A hand suddenly rested on Zhang Lingshan’s shoulder.

It was Wang Datou’s hand.

But the hand was terrifyingly cold, making Zhang Lingshan shiver uncontrollably.

His heart tightened, as if a giant hand were gripping it firmly.

*Thump, thump!*

The sound of his heartbeat seemed to ring in his ears, deafening him, making his head buzz.

'Ghosts are just energy bodies that cloud one's perception. As long as I don't look or pay attention...'

Zhang Lingshan chanted to himself.

But suddenly, Wang Datou’s head dropped right in front of him, as if suspended by an invisible string, swaying back and forth before his eyes.

*Bang.*

Li Xiaole’s head followed suit.

The two heads swayed and collided in the air, making a crisp sound, performing a fixed, rhythmic motion, occasionally letting out joyful laughter: "A-Shan, come on, join us."

"AHHH!!"

Zhang Lingshan’s face changed drastically. His expression turned savage, and he let out a wild roar, swinging the broken stone axe at Li Xiaole’s head.

Damn it, ghosts fear the wicked!

I’ve spent half a year hauling bricks, and I finally have the money to learn martial arts and change my fate—how could I die here?

I don't care what kind of evil spirit you are, go to hell!

*Clang! Clang! Clang!*

The air echoed with Zhang Lingshan’s roars of defiance and the sound of him frantically smashing at the heads.

He didn't know how much time had passed...

*Tap, tap, tap.*

Crisp footsteps suddenly rang out from far away, like stones being dropped into an empty valley.

In an instant, Zhang Lingshan snapped awake and looked up.