Then she crossed her arms, turned around, and gracefully walked back into the darkness from where she came.
Lin En listened as her footsteps gradually faded away.
Only then did Lin En let out a breath and relax.
"Young man," the scavenger beside him smiled and said, "You should head back, but be careful not to provoke any wraiths. Otherwise, they''ll haunt you forever."
Lin En quickly snapped back to reality and thanked him, "Anyway, I must thank the old woman. Without her, I would have been in real danger."
The scavenger chuckled, pulling his cart with a smile, "If it weren''t for you last night, Wandering Soul Alley would have been gone."
"But the old woman will only help you this once. What happens next is none of her business."
Creak—creak—
Lin En watched as the old woman disappeared into the black fog with her cart.
His expression turned serious.
He quickly returned to the apothecary.
He checked the time and raised an eyebrow, "I can only hope the teacher returns tonight. If not, it will be quite troublesome!"
...
Soon.
The soul lantern outside flickered and gradually dimmed.
Night was approaching.
Yet, there was still no sign of his teacher returning.
Lin En paced back and forth.
He knew.
His teacher was unlikely to return today.
That left him with only two choices.
Either go as a guest or stay and hold out until the next day.
But clearly, with his current strength, holding out until the next day was a challenging task.
He frowned.
Without hesitation, he spent 500 Skull Coins and quickly logged into the Field of Vision to gather intelligence.
As soon as he opened the regional channel, he immediately saw that familiar nickname.
[Regional Channel]This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.
[Burnt Ghost]: "Queen, did you take care of that human kid?"
[Evil Spirit Queen]: "The kid got lucky. A scavenger of unknown strength happened to pass by, and his relationship with that old woman seems unusual, so I didn''t make a move."
[Skull Demon]: "Are you talking about the old hag with the human skin? Be careful; she''s one of the earliest residents of Wandering Soul Alley, and many say she might be a remnant of a Root-Level Monster, incredibly powerful!"
[Evil Spirit Queen]: "Interesting, but if it comes to a fight, I''m not afraid of her!"
[Evil Spirit Queen]: "I''ve invited that kid to my place tonight. If he comes, there''ll be a good show waiting for him. If he doesn''t, hehe—I''ll find some fun."
[Burnt Ghost]: "Queen is invincible!"
The comments below were all compliments.
Clearly.
She hadn''t been here long, but she had already established enough authority in Wandering Soul Alley.
Indeed, it''s a world where strength reigns supreme!
[Skull Demon]: "Queen, could he also be in the Field of Vision, watching us chat?"
[Evil Spirit Queen]: "Impossible. That guy''s strength is too weak to enter the Field of Vision. Even if he is, so what? I''m already itching to deal with him! Tomorrow, you''ll hear my battle report!"
[Evil Spirit Queen]: @Human Dog Doctor, are you there? Are you there?
[Evil Spirit Queen]: @The Bastard Who Trained My Daughter, are you there? Come out if you dare!
Snap—
Lin En quickly closed the regional channel, eyes wide.
They''re blatantly plotting against him!
No way!
Lin En immediately logged off, his expression serious.
He squinted, carrying his revolver, heart, and boning knife—all his best defensive tools.
Then, he opened his panel.
[Skills]
[Infectious Aura]: Slightly increases the success rate of persuasion.
[Curse Diagnosis]: Can diagnose if the other party is cursed during diagnosis.
Lin En: "..."
A character with all points in physique and a few life skills, a total weakling...
"I can''t confront them head-on; I need to outsmart them."
Lin En''s expression was serious.
Watching the soul lantern gradually extinguish.
Lin En didn''t hesitate any longer, quickly closing the door, and for the first time, carrying the dimming soul lantern, he stepped out of the apothecary.
The light of the soul lantern dispelled the black fog.
In the darkness, silence reigned.
Soon.
Lin En stood before the door of No. 45 Wandering Soul Alley.
Looking up, an old and dilapidated house came into view, with a strong stench of blood and mold assaulting his senses.
This was the Pig Demon''s shop.
But yesterday, he was eaten.
Creak—
Lin En held the lantern and slowly pushed open the old wooden door.
"Madam! I''ve come to visit!"
Lin En shouted.
The interior was pitch black, with waves of moldy stench hitting him.
Lin En cautiously stepped inside.
In the darkness.
He faintly heard the rustling sound of something squirming.
Around him, something seemed to be hanging upside down, making a faint clinking sound of chains.
And then, in the next moment.
Whoosh—
The candlesticks on the surrounding walls lit up one by one, instantly illuminating the entire room.
And Lin En immediately saw.
Hanging upside down from the chains were one after another skinned and dried human bodies!
Lin En could even clearly see the twisted, frozen expressions on their faces.
Clearly.
Before the Pig Demon died, this place had always been a bloody and brutal slaughterhouse.
Lin En reached out and poked the face of one of the hanging corpses in front of him.
"Not as handsome as me."
Lin En shook his head, pushed aside the hanging body, and walked forward.
In the next moment.
Lin En saw a square table in the center of the room, covered with a blood-red tablecloth, with two candlesticks flickering with dim candlelight.
On the table was also a pair of high heels.
The atmosphere was indescribably eerie and out of place.
"Madam? Are you there?" Lin En shouted.
But there was no response.
Lin En widened his eyes, shrugged, and seeing the chair seemingly prepared for him in front of the table, he plopped down into it.
...
Meanwhile.
Somewhere on the second floor, countless sticky tentacles crawled along the walls.
The Blood-Clad Wraith squinted, staring at a mirror emitting a faint glow, showing the scene on the first floor, her eyes full of cold laughter.
"Everyone, the doctor has arrived. Since you''re all so eager for a public execution, today you can feast your eyes."
In the Field of Vision.
A real-time image in the regional channel showed the scene in the mirror.
And there were already 541 viewers!
[Blood Doll]: "I don''t think it''s a good idea. After all, he''s Blood Saw''s apprentice. If he''s killed now, it will be terrifying when Blood Saw returns!"
[Burnt Ghost]: "Is the Queen afraid of that? That Blood Saw is a psychotic killer, and his apprentice is a little psycho killer. Moreover, a human being so arrogant in our Wandering Soul Alley should pay the price!"
[Skull Demon]: "@Evil Spirit Queen, how do you plan to kill him?"
In front of the mirror.
The Blood-Clad Wraith sneered coldly, flicking her long hair, teasingly said, "I won''t kill him so easily. If it''s a human, the best execution should be to break his spirit first, right?"
"Don''t you want to see his terrified face? I think it will be very interesting!"
She turned her head, looking at the cute little girl sleeping soundly in the corner, her eyes instantly turning red.
If she hadn''t known it was that human''s doing.
She might have been fooled by that guy!
Poor daughter.
She could have become a powerful and twisted hunter, but now she can only be a cute and utterly useless little girl.
It''s all that guy''s fault!
She suddenly turned her head, staring at the mirror, and said:
"Everyone, this is my carefully arranged scene. Just wait and see how he dies!"
In an instant.
She pulled a tentacle hanging down from above.
Creak—
It seemed something was triggered.
...