Chapter 15: The Divine Power of Merit

The autumn wind was bleak, and the streets were sparsely populated. By the time Fang Yue returned to the inn, night had already fallen. After a day of rushing about, his stomach growled with hunger; for once, he decided to be generous to himself and ordered a meal in the ground floor hall of the inn.

There were still a few people dining in the hall, but their minds were elsewhere, discussing the ghostly deaths at the Wang family manor that day. Many had been present at the scene, and the details had spread far and wide. Within just a short time, countless versions of the tale were circulating, each more terrifying than the last, causing unease among the people. Some traveling merchants, fearful, spoke of packing their belongings tonight and leaving for their hometowns at dawn, unwilling to linger in Ping'an County any longer.

Others suggested that the county magistrate would surely invite a master from Guangyuan Temple to exorcise the ghosts at the Wang family manor, as the monks of Guangyuan Temple were renowned for their spiritual prowess, capable of dealing with female ghosts without difficulty.

But there were dissenting voices: Guangyuan Temple’s monks might not be equal to the task; after all, the female ghost had wiped out the entire Wang household, displaying terrifying power. The last time Wang invited them for a ritual, even hosting a banquet, disaster still struck in the end.

“If they knew that Guangyuan Temple has problems now too, that even the senior and junior monks have been devoured by monsters, I wonder how they’d react.”

Fang Yue sighed inwardly. Guangyuan Temple was a flourishing place, and he had originally hoped to visit it on his way back to the countryside.

“Waiter, the bill please.”

“Right away, sir. That’s two dishes and a bowl of rice, twenty-seven copper coins.”

After finishing his meal and paying, Fang Yue stood up, no longer paying heed to the guests’ discussions in the hall, and went upstairs to his own room.

The room was enveloped in darkness. Fang Yue lit a red candle, its dim glow illuminating the surroundings. The room was simple, containing only a bed, a wooden table, and a chair.

He placed the candleholder on the table and sat down. There was also a bronze mirror on the table, which Fang Yue had found in a corner of the room that morning. It had been covered in dust, but after a quick wipe, it reflected his image.

“What exactly is the purpose of this jade pendant?” Fang Yue wondered, turning over the pendant he had reclaimed from the pawnshop under the candlelight. It was milky white, adorned with ancient, simple patterns along its edges, and in the center, two intertwined yin-yang fishes were carved.

In his nightmare, this pendant was the item that saved his life, but its actual function remained a mystery to him.

He glanced at the candle flame, gritted his teeth, and held the jade pendant over the fire to warm it. The cool jade gradually heated up, growing hotter and hotter, yet nothing else happened.

Afraid of damaging it, Fang Yue quickly withdrew his hand after a short while.

“If heat doesn’t work, perhaps water will.”

He stood up, took the candleholder, went downstairs, and asked the waiter for a bowl of cold water, which he brought back to his room. He placed the jade pendant in the bowl, submerging it.

He waited for about a quarter of an hour, but still, there was no reaction.

“Could it really be used only to ward off evil?” Fang Yue was reluctant to accept this. The world was far too dangerous; could an ordinary person like himself survive relying solely on a jade pendant for protection?

Moreover, even the pendant’s supposed power to ward off evil was uncertain—it was only his own speculation.

He looked up, his gaze inadvertently passing over the bronze mirror on the table. The yellowed surface reflected his handsome face—delicate features, star-like eyes, a few strands of long hair falling across his brow, lips pressed together, exuding a scholarly air.

“What a fine appearance,” Fang Yue shook his head with a bitter smile, though it would do little for his current predicament.

As Fang Yue shook his head and smiled bitterly, the Fang Yue in the mirror did the same.

Then something strange happened. The Fang Yue in the mirror suddenly raised his left hand, put his little finger into his mouth, bit down hard, and smeared the blood from the wound onto the jade pendant in his right hand.

Fang Yue stared blankly at the mirror, horrified, and leapt to his feet.

“This—what is—”

He was terrified; his first thought was that the room was haunted. But upon closer inspection, the Fang Yue in the mirror also stood up, his expression equally panicked.

Fang Yue frowned, and the Fang Yue in the mirror frowned as well. He stretched out his hand, and the mirror image did the same.

“Was it an illusion?” Fang Yue wondered if he had misseen the events, a hallucination brought on by his strange experiences during the day.

“No, it can’t be an illusion. Just now, the me in the mirror acted differently from the me before the mirror.”

He drew in a sharp breath. What did the actions of the mirror image mean?

He looked down at the jade pendant in his hand.

“Blood, then?”

He had already considered the idea of using blood to recognize ownership. In this world, rampant with ghosts and monsters, using blood as a medium was dangerous, so he had tried every other method first, leaving blood as a last resort.

Now, with the bizarre scene in the mirror, Fang Yue hesitated, unsure if it was a trap.

“What choice do I have now?” he thought, and suddenly raised his right hand. He pressed his little finger to his mouth and bit down hard.

The pain was sharp, blood beading at his fingertip, glowing bright red in the candlelight.

Fang Yue looked up at the bronze mirror; in the mirror, Fang Yue also looked up, their gazes meeting.

He lowered his head, no longer hesitating, and smeared the blood from his finger onto the jade pendant in his left palm.

As the fresh blood touched the jade, it gradually melted into the milky stone. The pendant grew hotter and hotter, soon scalding as if boiling.

“It works!”

Fang Yue was thrilled, gritting his teeth as he held the burning pendant tightly.

As it reached its peak temperature, the jade began to melt, turning into a white liquid. Strangely, this liquid was icy cold and slowly seeped into the flesh of his palm.

This uncanny transformation left Fang Yue both excited and uneasy, but he remained still.

Suddenly, the world spun, and an awareness emerged in his mind—

Fang Yue—

Merit: 475 points

Divine Ability: Deduction

“What is this—”

Fang Yue was stunned by the change in his consciousness, then was overwhelmed with joy.

“This is my golden finger!”

He had only been in this world for two days, but had already encountered several bizarre events. The mental strain of facing such dangers as an ordinary person was unimaginable.

Especially since he knew that nightmares were looming, with even more terrifying, bloody horrors yet to come. The torment was almost unbearable.

But now, at last, he had the means to protect himself, though he didn’t yet know the specifics of his newfound power.

Fang Yue focused his mind inward, and information flooded into him.

“Reporting the impending attack by the Eastern Sea pirates to Magistrate Hu: gained 670 merit points. Saving Magistrate Hu at the Wang family manor: gained 5 merit points. Fusing the jade pendant: gained Deduction ability, cost 200 points.”

“So, merit must be earned by punishing evil and promoting good—punishing wrongdoers, stopping crimes, helping others, and spreading virtue.”

From these messages, Fang Yue roughly understood the origin of merit points.

“My warning about the pirates was given casually, partly for my own safety. If the pirates truly sacked the city, not only would the people suffer, but I would hardly escape unscathed. The 670 merit points are a pleasant surprise.”

“But saving Magistrate Hu yielded only five merit points. He is, after all, a county magistrate overseeing tens of thousands in Ping'an. His actions greatly affect the people, yet he’s worth so little.”

“This can only mean that Magistrate Hu is not much of a good official, of little benefit to the people. Still, saving him at least earned merit and wasn’t penalized—which means he’s not utterly irredeemable.”

These thoughts flashed through Fang Yue’s mind, but he quickly focused on his divine ability, the main event.

“A divine ability should possess great power. Let it not disappoint me,” Fang Yue thought silently.