Professional Assassin C35

Chapter 35: Supernatural World (4)

Lin Tongzhao was still a Celestial Master and had even gained some fame. In any era, there would always be people who firmly believed in ghosts and gods, convinced that there were things in this world beyond rational perception—things that required concepts like karma, heaven, hell, and reincarnation to comprehend. In a world where supernatural beings truly existed, this belief was even more prevalent.

When Lin Yuetian arrived at the address given by the village chief, Lin Tongzhao was in the middle of evaluating the feng shui of a property for a businessman. He was eloquently talking about “backing onto a mountain, facing water,” “unobstructed energy flow,” “a land of fortune,” and “an auspicious sign for wealth”—sweet-talking the businessman into beaming with joy and willingly

pulling out his money.

Lin Tongzhao was a middle-aged man dressed in an immaculate white Zhongshan suit, sporting a goatee that gave him a somewhat immortal-like appearance. Every word out of his mouth began with “Boundless Heavenly Venerable,” making him quite the convincing figure. When he first saw Lin Yuetian, he assumed he was just another client and treated him politely. But as soon as Lin Yuetian stated his purpose, Lin Tongzhao’s expression immediately changed, and he repeatedly urged him to leave.

Lin Yuetian was persistent and sought him out several more times, but each time, he was turned away.

This obstruction, which seriously affected his task efficiency, greatly displeased Lin Yuetian. To express his dissatisfaction, he once again played to his personal strengths—after confirming Lin Tongzhao’s residence, he broke in at midnight, picked the lock, and sat beside Lin Tongzhao’s bed holding a kitchen knife. He said nothing, simply gazing tenderly at Lin Tongzhao’s sleeping face.

When Lin Tongzhao finally woke up naturally, stretching lazily and preparing to get out of bed, he opened his eyes to see the gleaming blade of a kitchen knife. At that moment, he finally understood—Lin Yuetian was not here to ask for his help, nor to discuss a plan. Lin Yuetian’s stance was clear: Help me. There is no room for negotiation.

The barefooted fear nothing, and those who fear death cannot win against those who don’t. Lin Tongzhao gave in. He quickly and politely invited Lin Yuetian into his living room, addressed him as “dear nephew,” and even served him his finest private collection of tea.

The system clicked its tongue in amazement, as if it hadn’t been the one frantically chanting scriptures while Lin Yuetian picked the lock. “Looks like your method actually works.”

Lin Yuetian didn’t respond immediately—he was busy getting into character.

Imitating his original self’s personality, he put on a sorrowful expression and began recounting his misfortune with heartbreaking grief, detailing his tragic experience of being tormented by the Jade Ghost. He described everything vividly, making it seem as if he were about to be scared to death at any moment (which wasn’t exactly a lie, since his original self had been scared to death). His tale was so compelling that it evoked genuine sympathy and even moved Lin Tongzhao to sigh repeatedly. Seizing the opportunity, Lin Yuetian asked if he had any way to deal with the Jade Ghost.

“My dear nephew, it’s not that I don’t want to help you…” Lin Tongzhao, having dropped his usual pretense of profound wisdom, now spoke awkwardly. “How do I put this? I know your branch of the lineage has lost its inheritance, but even though ours hasn’t, we’re not much better off. Over the years, our family has splintered countless times, and several branches fought each other into extinction. Because of our dwindling Daoist arts, I initially thought of reconnecting with your branch, but who would’ve guessed that your situation was even worse than ours…? Now, to be honest, I’m ashamed. All I can do now is read feng shui, analyze faces, and practice the most basic ghost-refining techniques… As for dealing with already refined ghosts? I truly don’t know how. I wish I could help, but I just can’t.”

“I knew it…” The system sighed in disappointment. “The Jade Ghost openly wrote in blood that even Lin Jiayang’s descendants couldn’t deal with him. It was unlikely to be an empty threat. If Lin Tongzhao alone could solve the problem, the ghost’s reaction wouldn’t have been so calm—he would have fought to the death to stop you.”

“Yeah, I thought of that too,” Lin Yuetian told the system. “I had already prepared for this outcome. In fact, the mere fact that Lin Tongzhao still knows how to refine ghosts is better than I expected.”

The system became wary. “Wait… what are you planning?”

This time, Lin Yuetian didn’t answer. Instead, he turned to Lin Tongzhao. “I have a question.”

“? What is it?” Lin Tongzhao asked, puzzled.

“Daoist techniques have been lost, so humans can’t kill ghosts,” Lin Yuetian said in a calm tone. “—But can ghosts kill ghosts?”

“? You’re not thinking—” Lin Tongzhao froze for a moment before his expression changed drastically.

Lin Yuetian’s tone remained completely steady, as if he were simply discussing what to have for lunch the next day.

He said, “I’d like to ask you to refine me into a ghost.”

System: “?!?!?!? WHAT THE—?!?!”

“?! Are you serious?” Lin Tongzhao seemed to be experiencing the same shock as the system, his entire being trembling with disbelief. “Leaving aside the question of your life and death, refining ghosts is an unnatural act that harms one’s karma! Our ancestor met a miserable end not long after splitting the family line. Several later generations also attempted ghost refinement, but all met tragic fates. I’ve already stopped doing such things!”

“Whether you want to or not, you have no choice,” Lin Yuetian pointed out. “The Jade Ghost was killed by your ancestor. He is bloodthirsty, ruthless, and vengeful to the extreme. Do you really think that after killing me, he will let you go? No—after me, he will continue his revenge. And the next target will definitely be you.”

Lin Tongzhao’s face was full of fear, his goatee trembling. “But…”

Lin Yuetian suddenly softened his voice, gentle as flowing water. “We have no other choice now. This is the only way to eliminate the Jade Ghost and end this threat once and for all. And if you’re worried about karmic retribution, don’t be. Refining ghosts damages karma because it involves forcibly killing the living. But here, I am willing—you are merely assisting me. How could there be any retribution for that?”

Lin Tongzhao hesitated, gripping his goatee as he fell into deep thought, caught in a fierce internal struggle.

Meanwhile, Lin Yuetian simply watched him—calmly, firmly, and with unwavering gentleness.

After a long silence, Lin Tongzhao let out a deep sigh. “Forget it… Things have already come to this, so there’s no other choice. It’s just a shame for you… But enough of that, let’s talk about practical matters. The reason our ancestor chose the Jade Ghost for ghost refinement was that a ghost’s strength after refinement depends on the resentment and baleful energy of the material. The Jade Ghost was a killer in life, steeped in murderous energy, and was slain by our ancestor, leaving behind deep resentment. That’s why he’s so powerful—his spirit hasn’t dissipated even after a hundred years, and he’s still causing havoc today.

“You, on the other hand, were betrayed by the one you loved, tormented by fear for so long, your yang energy has dwindled, and your birth chart is extremely yin. After becoming a ghost, you might just be able to fight the Jade Ghost… Let me test you first.”

Lin Tongzhao pulled several yellow talismans from his sleeve and began chanting. Suddenly, with a flick of his finger, one of the talismans leaped into the incense burner and instantly ignited. His voice boomed, “Focus your mind, place a drop of your fingertip blood into the fire, and recite the incantation with me!”

Lin Yuetian took the short dagger engraved with eight trigram patterns from the table, swiftly cut his finger, and let a drop of blood fall into the flames. Then he began chanting along with Lin Tongzhao.

The fire flickered violently despite the absence of wind. Lin Tongzhao closed his eyes to sense it, then suddenly gasped and opened them in shock. “Huh? That’s strange… Why don’t you have any resentment at all?”

“Then test for baleful energy instead,” Lin Yuetian suggested.

Lin Tongzhao followed suit, performing the test again. In an instant, the flames turned pitch black and shot up nearly eight inches high. He was completely dumbfounded.

He had never in his life seen such an exaggerated level of baleful energy! Even the murderers he had visited in prison didn’t come close to this.

The way he looked at Lin Yuetian completely changed—as if he were staring at a hidden, unfathomable psychopath, a reincarnation of Hannibal Lecter lurking within the steel jungle.

“…Will this work?” Lin Yuetian asked in confusion.

“It’ll work too well…” Lin Tongzhao’s voice trembled. “A birth chart of extreme yin, a Heaven-Slaying Lone Star fate, and an overwhelming aura of slaughter—it seems like the karmic result of several lifetimes of mass killings. With such prime material, even I have no idea what kind of ghost you’ll become…”

Lin Yuetian smiled.

“Then let’s begin,” he said.