Bizarre Cultivation: Starting from Being Beaten Up by Reality

Chapter 12 Exploring the Haunted House

In the morning mist, Er Gou's face was blurred.

Lin Fan swallowed hard, and Lin Yue'er's youthful face suddenly appeared in his mind.

"That month...when did that happen? Were you attacked by bandits or by officials?"

Seeing that Lin Fan was interested, Lin Ergou was overjoyed and seized the opportunity to explain.

"Hey, no wonder you don't know. What happened yesterday wasn't a bandit or an official, it was a ghost!"

What the hell? This is ridiculous. Lin Fan didn't believe it and said irritably, "If you don't want to say, you don't have to. I'll ask someone else."

"No, Brother Fan, it really is a ghost! The news from the government is absolutely true!" Er Gou stamped his foot and said anxiously.

"And you know what? The government only sealed off Master Ma's manor; they didn't even dare to move the body out. I heard that things were terrible inside that house. Let me tell you the details."

"Stop talking nonsense," Lin Fan interrupted. "What does all this have to do with me? I'm not going to work for the government to move corpses."

Lin Fan was already thinking about being careful and cautious, so he didn't dare to get into trouble again.

"Of course not, how much money can you make moving a corpse? Let's think about it from another angle. Since the government doesn't even dare to move the corpse, it proves that everything in the Ma family mansion is still inside."

Er Gou swallowed hard and said, "That's Master Ma's mansion. How much gold, silver, and jewels is inside? How much jade and emeralds?"

"Coincidentally, there's a small path from our Bailin Village that can bypass the government's blockade and get into the Ma residence. We can just go in and take whatever we want, and we won't have to worry about food and clothing for the rest of our lives."

Lin Fan frowned. He knew Er Gou wouldn't think that much about it, and there must be someone else behind him giving him advice. He said, "Do you think I don't know you? If there really was a chance to make money for free, you would have gone off on your own long ago. Why would you come to me?"

"Hey, how could we brothers forget you? Just like Uncle San said, 'Dog Fugui, we can't forget you.'"

Seeing Lin Fan's disbelief and suspicious look, Lin Ergou could only force a smile, revealing his yellowed teeth.

"If I tell you the truth, you promise you won't get angry?"

Lin Fan nodded, signaling him to continue.

"Tiedan said it, plague... Brother Fan, you brought death to your own father and your maternal grandfather, Lin Si Gong and his wife. Your family was doing well, but the moment you were born, it fell into ruin like this."

"You yourself were possessed by something unclean. After that, you were attacked by bandits as soon as you went out, but you miraculously survived the ordeal."

Lin Fan frowned more and more, but still refrained from punching the kid in the face and listened patiently.

"They say you're destined to be a plague, that unclean things might be afraid of you, keeping you around as an extra layer of insurance. But honestly, it's not that bad. If you changed your name..."

After clearing up his doubts, Lin Fan didn't want to talk to this person anymore and quickly interrupted him.

"I understand everything. Go back and wait for further instructions."

"Huh?" Lin Ergou didn't understand what 'copper' meant at first.

"So, if you guys want to go on some damn haunted house adventure, go ahead, I'm not going."

If it were back when he first transmigrated, Lin Fan might have been tempted. Whether it was the unknown mysterious events or the opportunity to get rich overnight, both were very tempting for Lin Fan, who was eager to get rid of his impoverished life.

But now Lin Fan has learned his lesson. This world is full of dangers, and the only right thing to do is to stay home and farm.

"Brother Fan, please reconsider."

Lin Ergou tried to persuade Lin Fan for a long time, but seeing that the other party was really determined not to go, he gave up.

"Brother Fan, Er Gou has another favor to ask. Could you lend me your hoe? Although it's definitely useless against evil spirits, I just want to have a long-handled one for peace of mind."

"What do you need this for? Can't you use your own hoe?"

Lin Ergou pulled out his hoe from behind him, and with a loose grip, the wood broke in two.

"I was hoeing the ground too hard the other day. Brother Fan, I won't take yours for nothing. When I get back, Er Gou will give you a new one, no, ten! I'll give you this one too!"

Er Gou pestered him for ages, and Lin Fan, finally annoyed, hesitated for a moment before agreeing. He said, "But I have a condition."

Lin Ergou chuckled, "Got it, got it. I'll check if Sister Yue'er is inside. So, Brother Fan, are you really not going yourself? After all, you and Sister Yue'er are..."

"No!" If there was a chance to save her life, Lin Fan might consider it, but it was definitely not worth risking his life just to confirm whether Lin Yue'er was there or not.

"Yeah, it's kind of unsettling to actually see that thing. Don't worry about leaving it to me, I'll make sure everyone takes a look."

Ignoring Lin Ergou carrying his hoe and leaving, Lin Fan turned around and went to Lin Yue'er's house.

……

Lin Fan returned to his yard and began whittling a piece of wood with a sickle.

Lin Ergou's hoe only had a broken wooden handle; it could be easily replaced, so it wasn't a big deal. Therefore, even if he didn't return the hoe, it wouldn't be a problem.

Lin Fan removed the rotten and broken old wood from the hoe, put the new wood in, and it became a good hoe again!

Lin Fan just went to Lin Yue'er's house, but Yue'er's family has not received any news from her.

Yue'er's parents were devastated upon hearing the news, their eyes filled with hatred as they looked at Lin Fan. It seemed Lin Fan had brought misfortune upon their daughter. After all, their daughter had only met this little scourge once before her wedding, and then disaster struck.

Ha, if I really had the ability to bring misfortune to others and even take over a large family, that would be amazing! Wouldn't that be considered a cheat code?

"At least it is true that the Ma family suddenly died. As for Yue'er's family, they will not hold a funeral for the time being. They will have to wait for the government to bring out the bodies."

Lin Fan calmly explained to his mother.

"Amitabha, Amitabha..." Lin Shuixiu took out a string of Buddhist prayer beads and kept chanting.

"Mom, where did you get this? Don't believe in this stuff." Lin Fan was now on edge. His mother had never believed in Buddhism, so her sudden appearance of this thing really startled him.

“This string of Buddhist beads and this scripture were given to me by Master Lin,” Lin Shuixiu replied to her son. “Master Lin said that he has so much money and lives a good life because he chants Buddhist scriptures every day.”

Upon hearing that it was a gift from Old Man Lin, Lin Fan's eyes showed disgust.

"Mom, don't believe in this stuff, it's useless," Lin Fan insisted.

"If he doesn't believe you, why would he believe you? There's a reason why other people are so rich!"

Lin Fan frowned. He didn't want to explain anything; even if he did, his mother wouldn't understand.

He took the prayer beads and Buddhist scriptures and examined them carefully, but found nothing wrong with them.

After the incident with the poisoned pastries, Lin Fan was on edge. He was worried that Lin Laocai might have designs on his family, but he couldn't figure out what use these ordinary Buddhist beads and books could be.

After repairing the hoe, Lin Fan went to bed early. He wasn't fully recovered and needed to rest.

The night passed in silence. At dawn, Lin Fan went to the fields to do farm work. Day and night passed slowly and leisurely in the countryside.

Lin Fan looked into the distance. The mountains and sky, draped in a hazy yellow robe, stood there eternally, silently watching him.

Lin Fan stretched his body and felt it was about time. He would go out tomorrow to help the family of three get a proper burial, and then stay in the village.

Whether you're afraid of the outside world or waiting for the right opportunity, the things you need to do are the same.

Lin Fan returned home with a calm mind. The turbulent days of the past few days felt like a dream, frightening him, and he quietly retreated into his shell.

My mother had already come back to cook dinner, and the house was filled with the faint aroma of porridge.

"Mom, where did this hoe come from?" Lin Fan asked in surprise, looking at the hoe that had appeared in his yard.

Lin Fan's yard contained only a sycamore tree and some miscellaneous items. Lin Fan kept an eye on these things every day, and he would know even if a single piece of firewood was missing.

Lin Shuixiu's voice came from inside the house: "What hoe? Didn't we leave you the hoe? Did you forget it in the field?"

Lin Fan touched Er Gou's hoe with its new wooden handle on his shoulder, staring blankly at the hoe standing quietly on the courtyard wall.

Lin Fan recognized it immediately – it was his hoe, the one Er Gou had taken. The original owner had touched this hoe countless times; how could he not recognize it?

Lin Fan simply couldn't believe it. He felt a chill run down his spine, and terrifying thoughts began to surface in his mind.

Lin Fan took a closer look and saw that there was some black, sticky stuff stuck to the tip of the hoe. Lin Fan subconsciously thought of long-rotten flesh and blood.

"Mom, has Er Gou come by?" Lin Fan asked, trembling.

"No, Er Gou's mom said that Er Gou has been missing since yesterday, and no one knows who he's been hanging out with this time."

Lin Shuixiu's voice came from inside the house, "Last time, Er Gou and his friends went to steal turtles from the pond in the next village, and they ended up getting tied to a tree..."

Lin Shuixiu immediately started talking, recounting all the trouble Er Gou had caused in the past, and also warned Lin Fan not to cause trouble like him.

Lin Fan had no interest in listening to what his mother was going to say next.

My hand reached for the hoe; the wood felt real.

Lin Fan suddenly grabbed a hoe and ran outside as if his life depended on it.