Chapter 3

"Hey!!"

While lost in thought, suddenly, Wumu noticed that the ancient bronze lamp, after landing on his left shoulder, had mysteriously merged with his divine body, as if it had become a part of him. In the blink of an eye, the originally substantial ancient lamp had become ethereal, visible to the naked eye. However, he could clearly sense that the ancient lamp had not truly become ethereal; it had only become more ethereal in appearance. Under the naked eye, the ancient lamp seemed to have disappeared, but he could distinctly feel that the bronze ancient lamp was still standing on his shoulder, just hidden from view.

It seemed that the bronze light emitted by the ancient lamp had enveloped his entire body. Under this light, he could see in the darkness as clearly as in broad daylight.

"This ancient bronze lamp is definitely no ordinary object. My rebirth must be closely related to the bronze leaf, the family treasure of the Wu family. The bronze leaf is indeed a wondrous treasure; it can merge with the ancient lamp and transform into the wick. This ancient bronze lamp must also be an extraordinary treasure. It must have special abilities."

Wumu's mind raced as he thought about the ancient bronze lamp that had taken root on his shoulder. With the experience of his past life, he knew this ancient lamp must have extraordinary powers. However, since it had already merged with his body, he was not in a hurry to explore its secrets.

He glanced outside.

"The sky is about to brighten."

Through the cracks on the tomb's ceiling, he could faintly see that the moonlight had faded, replaced by the first rays of dawn.

"I can't stay here any longer. I need to leave the tomb as soon as possible. Although these cracks allow air and light to pass through, if it rains, they could be filled with mud, cutting off the air supply. I would suffocate here. Besides, I have a mother and a sister outside!!"

A strange feeling flashed through Wumu's mind.

On Earth, his parents had died early, and he had been alone, never experiencing much family affection. But in this life, his predecessor's mother was still alive, and he had a younger sister.

"Since I have taken over your body, your mother is my mother, and your sister is my sister. Rest assured, I will take care of them. As long as I have a breath left, I will not let anyone bully them."

Taking a deep breath, he made a firm resolve in his heart. Without any hesitation, he scanned the surroundings and quickly moved toward the tomb's exit.

He plunged his hands directly into the cold earth.

One word—dig!!

Morning!!

The fiery sun rose from the horizon, casting colorful rays across the sky.

At the foot of the mountain where the cold cemetery was located, figures began to climb up, each carrying a basket filled with paper money and incense.

As they climbed, they chatted with each other.

They were all local residents, familiar with one another.

"Old Li, did you see that golden lightning yesterday? I saw it with my own eyes. It struck the cemetery, and the thunder was so loud that the ground in Longmen Town shook."

"Indeed, I hope it didn't strike my family's graves. If it disturbed the ancestors' rest, it would be a sign of our disrespect."

"Let's go! Let's go! Let's go!! We should check to make sure it didn't hit the graves."

A group of people, dressed in various clothes, quickly climbed the mountain. Once they reached the top, they hurriedly searched for their ancestors' graves. They saw the terrifying cracks in the ground and their faces changed.

Without a word, they went to their loved ones' graves, cleaned the area, lit incense, and burned paper money. Many of them also took tools to repair the graves, quickly filling in the cracks.

However, no one came to pay respects at Wumu's grave.

Next to his grave was another, not particularly luxurious, with a simple tombstone inscribed in ancient script: "Father: Tomb of Zheng Qing, erected by his son Zheng Hai."

The inscription was simple.

In front of the tombstone, a young man, about fourteen or fifteen years old, with a clean but old-fashioned outfit, knelt and lit incense and burned paper money. He was not particularly handsome but was not unattractive either. He had a slender build and a determined look on his face, indicating a maturity beyond his years. His name was Zheng Hai.

He knelt in front of the tombstone, lit the incense, and burned the paper money.

As he burned it, he spoke.

However, halfway through burning the paper money, his eyes turned to Wumu's tomb. After a brief pause, he picked up the remaining paper money and walked to Wumu's tombstone. He knelt and burned the rest of the paper money.

As he burned it, he said, "Wumu, although we weren't close, your family's tavern often let my father drink on credit, even when he couldn't pay. I, Zheng Hai, am grateful for your kindness. Today, I burn this paper money for you, as a token of gratitude. When I awaken my bloodline and have the ability, I will repay your family many times over. Those who bullied your mother and sister, I will avenge them."

His young face showed a determination that surpassed that of adults, giving people a sense of trust, as if he would definitely keep his word.

Swish!!

Just as he finished speaking, a hand suddenly emerged from the ground in front of the tombstone.

"This is...!"

The sudden sound startled Zheng Hai, who was still burning the paper money. Despite his maturity, the sight of a hand emerging from the ground in a cemetery was terrifying. He fell backward, his face pale, cold sweat pouring down his forehead, and his lips trembling as he pointed at the hand and shouted, "Zombie... transformation!!"

"Zombie transformation!! Where is it?"

"Are you sure? We've never heard of zombie transformations here."

Zheng Hai's scream immediately drew the attention of the other people paying respects. Some quickly gathered around. However, when they saw the hand emerging from the ground, they all froze, their faces pale, and their bodies trembling.

Swish!!

The hand did not stop. As soon as it appeared, it began digging, and the earth around it visibly sank. In a moment, a tunnel large enough for a person to pass through was exposed.

Thud!!

With a sound of footsteps, a green figure emerged from the tunnel, standing on the ground. He scanned the area and looked at Zheng Hai, who was sitting on the ground, his eyes flashing with a fierce light. He quickly walked up to Zheng Hai and demanded, "Zheng Hai, what did you just say? Who bullied my mother and sister? What happened?"

"It's Wumu, the stubborn kid from the Wu family."

"Didn't he die? He was killed by a broken lamp falling from a tree a month and a half ago. How could he... come out of the grave?"

"Wumu, are you a man or a ghost?"

The people from Longmen Town recognized Wumu, and although they were initially terrified, they quickly identified the person who had emerged from the grave as Wumu, who had been buried just a month and a half ago. This realization sent a chill down their spines.

"I am definitely a man."

Wumu scanned the area, his gaze fixed on Zheng Hai, and asked again, "Zheng Hai, what happened to my mother and sister?"

"You're alive?"

Hearing that Wumu was alive and seeing his shadow on the ground, Zheng Hai let out a sigh of relief and said, "Quick, go back. After you died, your mother fell ill. To pay for your funeral, your family's savings were used up. With no money, your sister, Wuxinlian, mortgaged the tavern to the Lin family pawnshop for a loan. The original mortgage period was three months, but the Lin family is already coming to claim the tavern today. With the Lin family's power, your sister probably can't stop them."

Realizing that Wumu was indeed alive, Zheng Hai quickly recounted what he knew.

In Longmen Town, the Lin family was one of the three major families, with influence extending to various aspects of town life. The Lin family pawnshop was one of their businesses. Besides the Lin family, there were the Zhou family and the Long family. The Long family was the most mysterious, never involving itself in town disputes. However, both the Lin and Zhou families were wary of the Long family and did not dare to provoke them.

All three families had bloodline awakeners. The Lin family inherited the snake bloodline, though the specific type of snake was unknown. It was known that the Lin family's snake bloodline was a seventh-grade bloodline.

The Zhou family inherited the eagle bloodline, and the specific type of eagle was also unknown, but its bloodline was also a seventh-grade bloodline. This was already quite remarkable, as most people, even if they awakened a bloodline, were usually ninth-grade. Those who surpassed ninth-grade were extraordinary.

Of course, not every descendant of the Lin or Zhou families could awaken a bloodline, as the bloodline had become diluted over generations. Only those with a strong bloodline could awaken it.

[New book needs support. Hope everyone can collect and give some recommendations.]