After dinner, Chu Miaomiao was seen off.
Lin Mo didn’t return to his rented apartment immediately. Instead, he followed the trail of the spiritual mark he had planted earlier.
The distance was neither too far nor too close.
Soon, Lin Mo arrived at the entrance of the city police station.
Invisible to the naked eye, he slipped inside. The lobby was bustling with officers, yet not a single one noticed his presence.
Lin Mo didn’t cause any disturbance either. He simply followed the spiritual mark deeper into the station.
The further he went, the more convinced he became that his suspicions were correct.
Arriving at a noticeably colder area, he saw a wall of metal cabinets. Lin Mo’s suspicions were confirmed.
Casually, he pulled open one of the drawers.
A white cloth covered the body beneath.
Taking a deep breath, Lin Mo lifted the cloth.
Even though he had reached the Foundation Establishment stage and had dealt with his fair share of lives, corpses weren’t something anyone would willingly look at.
Beneath the cloth was the face of the old woman he had seen after school.
"So it really is you," Lin Mo murmured.
He sensed the other spiritual mark moving elsewhere.
After covering the body again, he heard footsteps approaching from a distance.
Lin Mo pushed the drawer shut and waited for the newcomers.
"So you’re saying the kid killed his father because his grandmother died?"
"Exactly. There were strangulation marks on the old woman’s neck—likely from being choked by hand."
Kang Qizhong chimed in, "But that’s not something a child could’ve done."
"We compared the evidence. It was definitely the father’s doing. His blood alcohol level was extremely high, so technically, he committed the crime in a drunken state. As for the child..."
The forensic examiner in the white coat fell silent.
"I see. But without finding the kid, we can’t close the case. No idea where he could’ve gone."
Listening in, Lin Mo pieced together the story in his mind.
A drunken father, an elderly grandmother, a missing mother, and a broken child.
The drunk father strangled the grandmother, and the child killed the father in revenge before fleeing.
A tragedy, plain and simple.
But why had he been able to see her?
Leaving the police station, Lin Mo headed straight for the other spiritual mark.
A dilapidated house, its entrance already sealed off with police tape.
But Lin Mo phased through effortlessly.
Inside, the air was thick with a complex, pungent odor.
One corner was piled high with liquor bottles, while the other was stacked with cardboard and recyclables.
A figure sat beside the cardboard, murmuring incessantly.
Yet, as Lin Mo approached, he couldn’t hear a single word.
It was like watching a recording.
If Lin Mo used soul-searching, he could uncover everything. But soul-searching directly affected the soul, which might cause it to dissipate entirely.
For souls still tethered to a physical body, the body nourished and protected the soul.
That was why Lin Mo rarely encountered souls without a vessel.
Without the body’s protection, a soul couldn’t last long.
Unless it was bound by lingering resentment.
And this old woman had plenty of that.
That was why she could manifest, even appearing before sunset.
But souls had one defining trait—ordinary people couldn’t see them.
The man who killed the old woman was already dead. Even with her resentment, her soul would soon reincarnate.
So Lin Mo turned and left.
This was just an ordinary incident, unrelated to him. He had only investigated out of curiosity.
---
Day three of the school sports festival. The sun blazed overhead.
The morning schedule consisted of fun games and the basketball finals.
First up was the championship match.
Class 8 versus Class 3.
Since the sports students weren’t all concentrated in one class, there was no overwhelmingly dominant team.
Class 3 only had two members from the school basketball team.
The finals were held in the gymnasium.
Both sides of the bleachers were packed—not just with students from the competing classes, but also curious onlookers.
Lin Mo sat on the bench, watching the five players on the court.
Jiang Yunlu wasn’t in the stands but sat nearby.
"How’s your foot?" Lin Mo asked casually.
"Much better. I applied medicine yesterday."
Lin Mo nodded. If that was the case, he didn’t need to use his healing techniques on her. She’d recover naturally in time.
Jiang Yunlu, meanwhile, recalled how her father had arranged for a family doctor the moment she got home yesterday. After confirming she wasn’t seriously injured, her father finally relaxed.
He had almost forced her to stay home and rest.
It took a lot of convincing before he let her return to school.
Otherwise, she wouldn’t have been able to participate in today’s events.
At that thought, Lin Mo pulled out a yellow talisman from his pocket and handed it to her.
"Keep this with you."
Jiang Yunlu took the folded paper triangle.
"What is it?"
"A protective charm. Very effective."
She didn’t really believe in such things, but since it was a gift from Lin Mo, she accepted it gladly, tucking it into her pocket.
"Thank you!"
He hadn’t planned on giving it to her so soon, but recalling the events of his past life and the butterfly effects his presence might trigger, Lin Mo decided it was better to be safe.
"Consider it a friend tax," he said seriously.
"Got it!"
Hearing it was a "friend tax," Jiang Yunlu smiled.
A whistle blew, and the game began.
Ma Li leaped up, tipping the ball to Su Mingzhao, who launched a fast break.
Layup—score.
Watching Su Mingzhao’s play, Jiang Yunlu couldn’t help but ask, "Why aren’t you playing?"
Lin Mo chuckled. "Me? I’m just a substitute."
"But you’re really good, aren’t you?" Jiang Yunlu knew Class 8 had only made it to the finals because of Lin Mo.
"Even if I’m good, others deserve their chance to shine. Besides, Ma Li’s foot is better, but it’ll start bothering him if he plays too long. I’ll step in when needed."
Lin Mo stayed on the bench, cheering whenever the team scored, perfectly content to watch.
By the end of the first quarter, Class 8 led by six points—a solid start.
Ma Li sat down, chugging a bottle of energy drink.
"How’s the foot?" Lin Mo asked.
"Fine. Jumping and landing haven’t been a problem… so far."
Lin Mo nodded. "Don’t push yourself. You’re a sports student—know your limits."
Ma Li appreciated the concern and agreed. With Lin Mo as backup, he only planned to play two quarters at most.
"Go, Class 8! Go, Class 8!"
The girls’ cheers acted like adrenaline for the players.
They played like their lives depended on it, widening the point gap even further.
Lin Mo figured his presence wasn’t needed anymore—it was practically garbage time now.
Then, Class 3 called a timeout and made a substitution.
A relatively short player stepped onto the court.
But the moment Ma Li and Su Mingzhao saw him, their expressions darkened.
Lin Mo raised an eyebrow.
Was this guy the basketball team’s secret weapon?
uld barely embark on the path to immortality. Just as he was on the verge of death, his golden finger awakened. No matter whether it was poison, drained blood and vital energy, diminished lifespan, or any other physical debuff caused by paying a price—once midnight passed, everything would be refreshed. From then on, whenever someone asked what kind of person Chu Ran was, the answer was simple: Forbidden arts that other cultivators dared not learn? Chu Ran would learn them. Prices that even demonic cultivators dared not pay? Chu Ran would pay them. Lifespan that even righteous cultivators dared not burn? Chu Ran would burn it. All the blood essence in his body? Take it. Want both his hands and feet? He would cut them off and send them to you. You say he’s finished? He wasn’t built to sit idle. You think he’s gone mad? No—he was simply waiting for midnight. From that day onward, Chu Ran would respect neither Heaven nor Earth, bow to neither gods nor ghosts. He had only one wish: For midnight to arrive a little sooner.
lity and could only live as an ordinary mortal. He only wished to live a peaceful life. Yet he didn't know— The dog he adopted, because it ate his food, became a legendary demon king. The kitchen knife he casually forged became a peerless divine weapon, causing numerous experts to fight desperately for it. The young disciple he took in became an immortal lord that led an era, due to cultivating the techniques Ye Feng taught him. Even the skeletons he looked down on the most were ominous demon kings that suppressed countless worlds. Many years later, looking at the void shattered with a punch, Ye Feng murmured to himself: It turns out the peerless kings were myself all along...
y came from. The chests contained supplies, currency, class-change scrolls, skills, talents… and even godhood! The laws of the world were completely rewritten. This became a world where everyone gambled with their fate! Some people, despite having nothing, opened a divine artifact and rose to the top, eventually ruling the world. Others went bankrupt, opened nothing but worthless junk, and leaped from skyscrapers in despair. Lin Ye arrived in this world from another reality, utterly bewildered. “What is going on? Why is everyone a gambling addict?!” “Opening chests? No way. I refuse to gamble. I’ll start with myself!” Until— On his first chest, he obtained a Mythic Talent: Void Incarnation! He could become completely intangible, pass through all things, and reduce everything to nothingness! … On his fiftieth chest, he obtained a Mythic Weapon: Blade of Karma! With a single slash, karma shattered, twisting the universe and overturning the myriad phenomena of creation! … On his ninety-ninth chest, he obtained a Mythic Divine Treasure: Primordial Purple Energy! It could split open the heavens and earth, create all things, and evolve countless worlds with a single thought! Lin Ye: “Now that I think about it… shouldn’t someone have told me that every chest is guaranteed to contain something Mythic?!”
ions, keeping it grounded and realistic】 After quitting his job, office worker Su Yang accidentally binds with the "Enjoy Life System." As the name suggests, simply by indulging in life's pleasures, he can earn random rewards from the system—no need to spend money on beautiful women or grovel before anyone. Just enjoy, and the money follows, making it all about effortless fun. The system comes with a scanning feature, allowing him to establish a favorability bond with women rated 85 points or above. Every 20-point increase in favorability unlocks additional rewards. After suffering through over twenty years of hardship, Su Yang trembles with excitement, his dull eyes suddenly gleaming with newfound hope. "Enjoy life? How hard could that be?"
