Realizing he stood no chance against Mo Lin, the old man quickly changed his tune.
"Young man, please… I beg you, spare the ghost girl," he cried, suddenly dropping to his knees in supplication.
"…Huh?"
Just moments ago, it had been a fight to the death. Now he was trying to tug at heartstrings?
What a joke.
Not even the weather could change as fast as this old man's attitude.
"I beg you… don't kill her…"
"Please, I'm begging you!" the man in black pleaded once more, his voice trembling with desperation.
Mo Lin glanced at the ghost girl, then back at the old man.
The resemblance between them was undeniable.
He understood now.
Perhaps… she was his daughter.
Maybe he had used forbidden techniques to raise her soul into a powerful spirit—just so she could remain by his side.
"Relax. I have no intention of killing her," Mo Lin said calmly. "I'm going to adopt her."
The moment he heard the word "adopt," the old man exhaled in relief and collapsed to the ground.
He was gone.
He had drained his life force beyond its limits—and paid the price.
Mo Lin's gaze fell upon the blue talisman in the old man's lifeless grip. He plucked it from his hand, intrigued.
Upon closer inspection, he realized it wasn't made of paper, but of fine thread woven into the likeness of a talisman.
In the old man's robe, Mo Lin found another sheet—this one yellowed with age.
He unfolded it and read the inscription. It was a detailed description of the thunder talisman—its functions, and step-by-step instructions.
A secret manual.
"Two Talismans, Three Swords—Legacy of the Celestial Master."
"Thunder Talisman, Fire Talisman.""Ghost-Slaying Sword, Peachwood Demon-Banishing Blade, and the Coin-Talisman Sword."
So the talisman in his hand was the famed Thunder Talisman.
And its counterpart—the Fire Talisman—was still out there.
This old man had not been some lowly rogue cultivator.
He came from a prestigious sect.
A true inheritor of the Celestial Master's mantle.
A thunder talisman master.
Once a revered figure, reduced to raising spirits through bloodshed. A tragic fall from grace.
He'd hidden his face out of shame—perhaps afraid someone would recognize the once-noble name he had sullied.
Mo Lin pocketed the thunder talisman.
He then turned to the ghost girl and subdued her with ease.
Congratulations, suppression successful.Name: Bing YuRank: Nightmare LevelGhost Ability: Infinite PotentialDaily Nether Coin Yield: 80
A highly profitable encounter.
This mission had paid in spades.
"Mo Lin, are you alright?" a gentle voice called out.
Mo Lin turned. It was Lin Xi—she had come running.
As she arrived, her gaze fell upon the lifeless corpse on the ground and then to Mo Lin, who stood calmly nearby.
"I'm fine," he said, waving a hand dismissively.
"What about the ghost?" Lin Xi asked anxiously.
"She's been dealt with," he replied.
"That was a nightmare-class spirit… how did you deal with it?" Her eyes widened with disbelief.
"I caught it," he said with a slight smile.
"Seriously?" Lin Xi still looked skeptical.
And who could blame her? Even Li Bingyan from the Ghost Control Society would have struggled with a nightmare-level ghost.
"It's fine now. Let's go," Mo Lin said, ending the discussion. He led her down the mountain without another word.
Yunchuan Villa.
Mo Lin lounged on the sofa, studying the thunder talisman in his hand.
He wanted to learn how to use it—another trump card wouldn't hurt.
He carefully examined the aged parchment containing the talisman's instructions.
Harness the energy of heaven and earth to activate the Thunder Talisman.
The document described the process in intricate detail.
This talisman was no ordinary tool.
Previously, the old man had overdrawn his life force by recklessly overusing it—that was what had killed him.
Alright, then.
Mo Lin... genuinely had no idea how to use it.
He didn't even know what "heaven and earth energy" meant.
He did, however, have ghost energy.
But clearly, that wasn't compatible with the thunder talisman.
Still, the talisman was a priceless treasure—no less valuable than an elite ghost artifact.
Mo Lin carefully stored it away.
As for the mysterious "heaven and earth energy," he decided to pay a visit to Jin Temple to investigate further.
Knock knock knock…
"Mo Lin, open up!"
A voice called out from outside.
Mo Lin opened the door to find Feng Mingyu standing there, beaming.
"You're still awake this late?" she asked cheerily.
"I was asleep. Who do you think opened the door?" he deadpanned.
Classic nonsense.
"So? What brings you here?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.
Feng Mingyu opened her satchel and pulled out a thick stack of nether coins.
"You said before that with ten thousand coins, you could help upgrade my contracted ghost's rank, right?"
She was here to take him up on that offer.
"Mhm," Mo Lin said as he accepted the stack of coins.
"What do I need to do? Do I have to undress or something?" she asked casually.
"…Are you insane?" Mo Lin retorted.
"No? Fine then."
She sighed dramatically, disappointment on her face.
"So where are we doing this? Where will you help me evolve my ghost?" she asked eagerly.
"Right here."
"Here?" Feng Mingyu blinked.
She thought Mo Lin would take her to some secret chamber, light incense, maybe chant incantations or draw sigils.
This just felt… cheap.
For the first time, she began to suspect Mo Lin might be a bit unreliable.
"So… how exactly are you going to do it?"
When Mo Lin said nothing, she continued, "You didn't scam me out of those coins, did you?"
"You wouldn't do something so heartless… right?"
"Enough. Zip it and just watch," Mo Lin said flatly.
"…Alright." Feng Mingyu went silent.
"Come out," Mo Lin said to the space beside her.
Feng Mingyu looked puzzled—he wasn't talking to her.
Then her eyes widened in shock.
Her contracted ghost had appeared… on its own.
It was terrifying.
Ghosts never acted this obedient—not even when she begged.
Yet Mo Lin had summoned it with a single command.
Incredible.
Without a word, Mo Lin took out three thousand nether coins.
The coins dissolved into mist, forming a thick cloud of ghostly energy.
He infused the energy into the contracted ghost's form.
Its aura surged. Its color darkened.
From Danger-Class, it ascended to Menace-Class.
The process looked simple—and it was.
But it was something Feng Mingyu could never replicate.
She could feel the difference. Her ghost had truly ascended.
Joy lit up her face.
"Thank you, thank you so much!"
Without Mo Lin, it might've taken her a lifetime to evolve her ghost to this level.
"How did you do that?" she asked, still reeling.
"This defies science!"
"The end of science is mysticism," Mo Lin said with a smirk. "This is mysticism—you wouldn't understand."
As for the remaining seven thousand coins—they quietly vanished into Mo Lin's pocket.
"Seven thousand profit from one job… that's outrageous," Feng Mingyu muttered bitterly.
All her savings barely added up to ten thousand.
Meanwhile, Mo Lin had made seven thousand in a single sitting.
Some people really are born lucky…
Jealousy, envy, and resentment boiled inside her.