Since all these rules and superstitions are outdated, what's wrong with me indulging in some me

Lu Changsheng opened his eyes and found himself lying on the bed in the villa in the strange district.

Sunlight streamed in through the gaps in the curtains.

[System Notification: The copy "Silent Therapy" has been completed]

[Special Reward: Body Function Modification, Spiritual Energy Absorption Speed ​​+10%, Mysterious Fragment*1]

Lu Changsheng was startled.

Absorption rate increased by 10%?

In an era where spiritual energy is so scarce that cultivation is almost impossible, this is nothing short of a qualitative change. It means that he might actually be able to use some "tricks" without relying on external aids.

This reward was exactly what he wanted.

Lu Changsheng opened his backpack again and found an extra piece of debris inside.

"Why does the system keep giving me these weird things...?"

Lu Changsheng took out the fragment.

It is cool to the touch, with a heavy, aged feel.

It is about half the size of a palm and has an irregular fracture shape. The material resembles bronze, with a matte rust finish, but the fractured edges faintly reveal a dark golden metallic luster.

What's most striking is its texture.

The fragments are covered with extremely ancient and intricate relief patterns, with deep, sharp lines and a fierce style, as well as some symbols of unknown meaning. Just looking at them gives one a sense of oppression and chaos.

Lu Changsheng didn't dare to look at it too much, and didn't know the purpose of the fragment, so he put it away again.

He got up, pushed open the door, and looked down to see a small red-haired head.

Aokiji, dressed in that cool black pajamas, was looking up at him.

Lu Changsheng smiled and leaned forward slightly: "How was it, Junior Sister? Did your senior brother hold you back?"

Aokiji puffed out his cheeks: "You're so annoying. In the end, I'm the one who saved you."

"Yes, yes, yes—" Lu Changsheng readily agreed and reached out to rub the red hair, but she nimbly dodged him.

Aokiji flashed to the side, revealing a small black suitcase behind him, his tone unusually serious:

"You're in for a world of trouble, Lu Changsheng."

"I need to leave for a while. I hope your body will still be warm when I come back."

After saying that, she pulled out a pair of sunglasses from somewhere, put them on, grabbed her small suitcase, and walked away without looking back.

Lu Changsheng stood there, his forehead covered in black lines.

Just then, my phone vibrated in my pocket. The words "Yan Xiangming" appeared on the screen.

"Hello, Team Leader Yan."

"Congratulations on clearing the dungeon." Yan Xiangming's voice was as calm as ever. "The expert team is very interested in the talisman you used in the dungeon last time. They need to analyze and test some data. When would be a convenient time for you to come over? The results might be helpful to you."

"Okay, I'm available anytime."

"Then we'll send a car to pick you up in seven days. An Zhiyu will also meet you then."

The call has ended.

Just as Lu Changsheng was about to swipe to hang up, the instant his fingertip touched the screen—

"Sizzle!"

A slight electric current surged through me, followed by a faint tingling sensation in my fingertips.

Almost simultaneously, the screen went black.

No matter how many buttons he pressed, there was no response.

"...Did it crash?"

He tried pressing and holding the power button to force a restart. The screen flickered briefly, then went completely black, even the charging indicator light stopped lighting up.

"No way..."

Lu Changsheng's heart sank; he had a vague premonition that something was wrong. This phone was issued by the state; its quality shouldn't be like this.

He put his phone on the table, intending to find a charger to try. Just as he took a step, his left foot inexplicably tripped over the leg of the stool next to him.

"Why!"

He stumbled, but reacted quickly to grab the wall, preventing himself from falling. But on the wall hung a "postmodern" metal decorative painting, its edges sharp and angular, which Cheng Caijun had somehow acquired.

His elbow slammed into it.

"hiss--!"

A sharp pain shot through me. Looking down, I saw my elbow had quickly turned red and was about to bruise.

The bad luck wasn't over yet.

Charging my phone didn't work at all. This vital communication tool was completely rendered useless.

"..."

Lu Changsheng stood there for a moment, then finally came to terms with reality.

—The retribution for forbidden techniques has come.

He has to save himself. At the very least, he needs to find a device that can communicate.

He rushed back to his bedroom, rummaged through drawers and cupboards, and finally found his old cell phone, long since retired. The few dozen seconds he waited for it to boot up felt agonizingly long.

The screen lights up.

He was just about to call Sun Chen to request a new phone when a sudden message notification popped up without warning:

Lu Yin Jiuyuan, his emergence will surely herald the dawn.

Lu Changsheng's expression changed instantly.

He stared at the line of text, his finger hovering above the screen, pausing for several seconds before finally replying with only one message:

"?"

Almost the instant the message was sent, the reply arrived—it was incredibly fast.

[9 PM, Dasa Port.]

As evening fell and darkness descended, the sea breeze, carrying the salty, fishy smell and the stench of engine oil, swept over us.

Dasa Port is an old port in the east of the city. Now it is mostly used for cargo and warehousing. After nightfall, it becomes deserted, with only huge containers piled up in the shadows like silent steel tombs.

Nine o'clock sharp.

A tall, thin young man wearing a mask and a baseball cap pushed open the half-closed iron gate.

The rusted door hinges creaked and groaned, echoing through the empty warehouse.

Inside the warehouse were piles of discarded fishing gear and ropes, and a person stood with their back to the door.

The man was tall and thin, wearing an ordinary dark jacket. Hearing the voice, he slowly turned around.

It was a man, around thirty years old, with an ordinary face. His complexion appeared somewhat pale under the cold white flashlight beam, but his eyes were sharp as knives, quickly sweeping over Lu Changsheng with a scrutinizing gaze.

"Lu Yin Jiuyuan".

The man spoke, his voice low and hoarse, as if confirming something.

"When it emerges, dawn will break."

The young man calmly met his gaze, stopping three steps away from the doorway.

"I never expected that Lu Jiuchu, who has been famous in the underworld for so long, would be so young."

The young man didn't reply, but simply uttered three words:

"What kind of work?"

"Retrieving corpses."

The man uttered two words, his eyes fixed on the young man's reaction, "Find a... special corpse from 'that place'."

Lu Changsheng's thoughts stirred slightly. "That place" is slang, usually referring to locations that have become eerie due to unusual events and are tacitly marked as restricted or semi-restricted areas within the circle.

"What's so special about it?"

"The deceased was a 'messenger' in life."

The man said slowly.

"Something was passed on, and the person and the corpse sank together in 'Ghost Cry Bay'."

There is no place called "Onikaku Bay" within the existing world map.

The young man's eyes under the brim of his hat changed instantly.

Strangely, the young man remained silent for half a minute before nodding.

"This job is not easy, but you know my pay."

"Of course, this matter is indeed tricky, otherwise I wouldn't have gone to such lengths to trouble you. As for the reward..."

The man smiled and said:

"Lu Jiu Chu—nine departures and thirteen returns①. I understand the rules of the underworld."

He took out a thick, cloth-wrapped object from behind him and handed it to the young man.

"That's 90%."

[Notes]

① "Nine out, thirteen back": Originally a slang term for loan sharks, it has now evolved into underworld slang. It means: if you want him to do something, you have to pay 90% upfront, and after the job is done, he might still charge you 30% "interest." But the results are absolutely worth it.