Beginning with the Ubume Bird

The fat man turned his head to look at Li Yan with an obscure expression.

“There are some unexpected events I must deal with right away. If you have any questions, ask now. You might not have the chance to see me again in the future.”

“Can you explain in detail about the ways of strengthening, inheritance, specialization, and skills in the world of Yan Fu?”

Li Yan cut right to the chase.

“Let’s start with inheritance. In Yan Fu, aside from a very few exotic types, inheritances are divided into ten classes, namely, Heaven, Earth, Human, Divine, Ghost, Luo, Scale, Feather, Fur, and Jie.”

“The first five sound much higher-class than the latter five.”

“Not necessarily.”

Mo shook his head. Looking at Li Yan, he said, “Inheritances in Yan Fu do have different levels of advancement, but there are no ranks of nobility between the categories.

For example, the Vermilion Bird belongs to the Feather Class, while Mo belongs to the Ghost Class, but the Vermilion Bird is higher than Mo.”

“What about the Gu Huo Bird?”

Li Yan asked.

Mo smiled without answering, only saying, “But right now, this Vermilion Bird cannot beat me, so you don’t have to worry too much about the hierarchy and categories of inheritance.”

After pausing, he continued, “As the degree of awakening of an inheritance increases, the physical quality of the bearer, and even their lifespan, will also improve. However, the ten classes each have different focuses. Typically, the Enlightened Beast belongs to the Fur Class, and its recovery ability and resistance to hits will be more notable.”

With a flick of his finger, the fight onstage between Li Yan and Zhang Mingyuan sprung to life before their eyes, showing the image of the young man facing setbacks but standing firm.

“The Serpent belongs to the Scale Class, its own improvement is slow, but it can suppress creatures under its command with ease.”

He flicked again but, unexpectedly, it didn’t work this time.

“Strange, the struggle between you and Li Jiangyu was clearly recorded, oh well, these things happen often.”

Mo didn’t take it to heart, “And your Gu Huo Bird, it belongs to the Feather Class, so your speed improvement is quite noticeable.”

“The Jie Class advancements are more balanced, while the Luo Class excels at handling objects.”

“Of course, these are the usual cases. In Yan Fu, all sorts of anomalies exist. If one day you encounter a Feather Class inheritance that is surprisingly resistant to blows, don’t be too shocked.”

“What about the main focuses of the first five inheritances?”

“We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it.”

Mo chuckled.

“From this, you can infer that if you possess both Feather and Fur inheritances, both your speed and strength will see notable improvement. And if you have several Jie Class inheritances, you can become a superhuman. Of course, the more inheritances you have, the more you need to invest.”

“How do you increase the Awakening Degree?”

“Devour Yan Fu Talismans that contain the power of inheritance. This is also the rich fruit that Yan Fu bestows upon us beetles.”

Mo had the look of a soothsayer.

“However, you can have several inheritances, but ultimately you can only become the Proxy Traveler of one. When I first entered Yan Fu, the inheritance I acquired was Fight, the exotic beast recorded in the Classic of Mountains and Seas, which wields the power of flame. But in the end, I felt Mo suited me better.”

A flame emerged from the tip of his finger, then he quickly snuffed it out.

“How did you get the title of Mo?”

“Six Yan Fu incidents, or the inheritance restoration reaching 100 percent. Then you have the right to compete for the title of all your inheritances. The rarer the inheritance, the more competitors there are.”

“So you’re saying, if I want to call myself Gu Huo Bird, it sounds pretty bad.”

“If I remember correctly, the woman who once obtained this title called herself Xia Huo. However, clearly Tao Wu or Taotie would be more fitting for you, provided you can get it.”

“Moving on to skills. There are two sources for skills: one is by increasing the Awakening Degree of the inheritances you have, and the other is purchasing them through authority. However, there’s something to pay attention to: conflicts can occur between skills and even between skills and inheritances. Yan Fu will warn you about this; just pay attention.”

“Lastly, specialization. Let’s just say, the level of a person’s specialization represents how much of their own strength they can bring into play. If both fall off a cliff and gain a lifetime of internal strength, one is the World Sanda Champion, and the other is the head of Nanshan Elderly Care Home, who do you think would win?”

“Inheritance is like your job in the game, specialization is the operation.”

Li Yan summarized.

“That’s the general idea.”

“What’s a Renegade?”

“A pest.” Mo’s expression was indifferent. “Anything else?”

Li Yan thought for a moment.

“If you have no other advice for me, that’s all.”

Mo looked somewhat surprised.

“That’s all? Don’t you want to ask what the purpose of experiencing Yan Fu events over and over again really is? Or who set these things up?”

“I’m only concerned with what it can bring me. Of course, if you’re willing to tell me, I’m very willing to listen.”

Li Yan’s words were half true, half false.

Mo looked at him meaningfully, then stood up and stamped his foot decisively.

“I’ve recruited many newcomers, but there are very few who can get an Upper Auspicious evaluation on their first time; my luck has been good lately. I hope this luck can last a little longer.”

He looked at Li Yan: “Let me explain the rules to you.

First, all grudges between Travelers must be settled during a Yan Fu Event. You are not allowed to interfere in the lives of other Travelers in the real world by any means.

Second, do not divulge any information about the Yan Fu Event.

Third, try not to use the inherited powers and artifacts that clearly do not belong to this world. Self-defense is permitted when necessary, and someone will cover for you, but at the same time, you will be subject to scrutiny.

Fourth, a Yan Fu Event starts every two months. Find a place where there are no people around, so as not to scare the children. If you want to return to that room, just meditate in a secluded place, that’s it.”

“So the second half of my life is to be spent in the throes of death six times a year?”

Mo gave him a glance.

“No matter how negative your response is, Yan Fu won’t erase anyone’s life. However, if you want to break free from the shackles of your destiny and take charge, you’ll have to fight for it, right?”

“Well then, I hope to see you again in the future.”

“Me too.”

The two exchanged smiles.

…

“Clang!”

Li Yan, bare-chested, his muscular arms glistening with sweat, stopped the ringing of the Ring Dragon Han Sword.

In front of his chest lay a strange beast resembling both wolf and bear, lying prostrate and bleeding from all seven orifices, while its fur eerily trembled!

Li Yan exhaled softly and placed the Han Sword on a rack, wiping the sweat from his neck with a warm, damp towel.

When waving the Ring Dragon, Li Yan even felt that he could cut through bullets.

A fast runner doesn’t necessarily have a lot of strength, but someone with quick explosive power definitely does.

The Hook Star had given Li Yan a delightfully potent force. Just now, when waving the Ring Dragon, he had executed five sword slashes within the span of one breath. The ringing of the sword continued even after he stopped moving.

This was probably the most confident that Li Yan had felt about his skills in twenty-five years, but also the most anxious he had felt about the future in the same period.

The audio-visual store was now closed, and at the moment, Li Yan had returned to his family home in Cangzhou, practicing in the martial arts room of the ancestral house. The vast Cangzhou Li Clan had already divided among this generation; he had a good relationship with a few cousins who each had their own careers, none of them remained in the ancestral home, and the doors had been locked for a long time.

Li Yan’s return to his ancestral home, along with the procurement and setting up of equipment in the martial arts room, had taken quite some time.

In front of him was a Colt pistol and 10 magazines, as well as 20 hand grenades.

After tonight, it would be two months.

A ringtone sounded from the mobile phone, and Li Yan glanced at it before answering directly.

“Hello?”

“…” On the other end, there was a long exhale, “Heh, hearing how strong your voice is, looks like you’ll still be around.”

The voice belonged to a young man.

“I found an old Chinese medicine doctor, and my illness is improving.”

Li Yan responded with a laugh.

“I went to your store and didn’t see anyone; where are you now? I’ll come to find you.”

Li Yan glanced at the clock.

Four more hours…

“I’ve still got life in me; I won’t wait around for your mourning.”

“Is your illness really improving?”

“Mm.”

“How much money will it take?”

“Don’t worry about it.”

Li Yan sat on the couch, “Right, how’s Zhang Daojing doing? I haven’t seen her for many years.”

Li Yan’s mouth curled up slightly, reminding her of Zhang Mingyuan, who bore some resemblance to her sister.

“Daojing, I don’t know either, I heard she’s been in Shandong for many years.”

“What’s she doing in Shandong?”

“What else? Got married, isn’t that obvious?”

“Oh~”

Li Yan responded, her expression distant.

“Hey, seriously, can traditional Chinese medicine cure your disease?”

The voice on the other end was filled with surprise but still carried a hint of doubt.

“Give me the address, I’ll check it out tomorrow.”

“You think you can just go see a master like that?”

“Yan Zi, don’t play dumb with me. Are you really…”

“I’ll come see you in a little while,” Li Yan suddenly said.

“Alright, it’s settled then. I’ll have your sister-in-law cook up a feast for you.”

The man on the phone was incessant, and Li Yan listened intently, tilting her head and holding the phone to her ear, occasionally responding while she slowly pressed bullets into the gun chamber, fingers caressing the gun body.

…

1986, Hong Kong

“You’re punching like you’ve got no strength left. Did you go soft from messing with women?”

Red Ghost, with a cigarette in his mouth, shouted with a bit of scoundrelly air.

“Hit harder! Do you get it?” he complained. “Lately, the fighter pool in Kowloon City has been lacking, all kinds of trash stepping into the ring. Everyone be on your guard. It’s not like Fuyi vanishes and there’s nobody left to fight, you hear me?”

Liao Zhizong approached with a grim face, and a single sentence made Red Ghost’s expression turn savage.

“Ah Hong, something’s happened to Taishuai.”

…

That night, in Kowloon City, the rain poured down torrentially, flooding Longjin Road half a street deep, with some areas submerged waist-high.

Yu Shu stepped through the ankle-deep water, glancing at Mei ahead with a tense demeanor.

Speaking softly, “Where’s the person you mentioned?”

“Just ahead, that house there.”

“Alright, lead the way.”

She nodded.

Suddenly, several fire-red lotus flowers bloomed amidst the downpour, thousands of bullets spraying from the gun muzzles, unleashed in an instant! Like an unstoppable torrent of steel, they swept through the crowd.

…

Blood stained half the long street red, dozens of bodies stacked up, Yu Shu holding an umbrella, draped in a black jacket, her brow furrowed.

“Taishuai, I really don’t know what happened?”

Mei knelt in the rain, her eyes vacant, her face smeared with blood. Her slender legs shook uncontrollably.

Red Ghost’s face was stone-cold.

Yu Shu crouched down, pinching Mei’s chin.

“We’re all family here, I’ll of course believe whatever you say. I remember when you first came to Hong Kong to work in the horse parlor, when any man could have you for two hundred bucks. You tell me you’re with me, I’d believe you then. You’ve been with me for so many years, why wouldn’t I believe you now?”

“Taishuai…”

The woman stood up to speak but swallowed a mouthful of rain instead.

Yu Shu draped her coat over Mei and helped her to her feet.

“Drink some ginger soup, go home, and get a good night’s sleep. I know it’s been tough for you taking care of your brother by yourself. If you really run into trouble, just tell everyone, would I not care?”

Mei collapsed to the ground with a splash.

“Taishuai, I was forced to do it, they kidnapped my brother…”

“So, you admit it?”

Yu Shu’s tone remained unchanged.

Mei looked up bewilderedly, her pupils reflecting the gleam of a sharp blade.

The knife plunged into the woman’s temple, leaving only the hilt protruding. Her body thudded to the ground, and a trail of blood bubbles floated far away on the water surface.

“Ah Hong, toss her body further away, Uncle Liao, you take the others back first,”

Liao Zhizong looked at Red Ghost, then nodded.

Red Ghost picked up the body, then left.

The entire long street, aside from the storm, blood, and corpses, was left with only one living person, Yu Shu.

“Aren’t you coming out, or are you waiting for me to kill myself?”

One by one, footsteps approached from a distance.

Tall and short, fat and thin, they wore raincoats, yet if one observed carefully, not a single raindrop fell upon their heads.

One, two, three, four, five… eleven people.

A burly man emerged from the group.

He pulled off his hood, revealing a face marred by scars.

“Those who betray Yan Fu will ultimately be abandoned by Yan Fu…”

“A grown man talking like that; don’t you feel ashamed?”

Yu Shu spat out in contempt.

Her gaze suddenly turned to the middle of the crowd.

“Fatso, you’re quite capable; even Emperor Jiang couldn’t find me, yet you managed to stumble upon a loophole.”

Mo stepped out from the group with a complex expression.

“I was meant to cultivate new talents, didn’t expect to catch a big fish instead. So many Yan Fu fruits, I must be lucky. To think I’d find Taishuai…”

“Even if you’ve found me, what can eleven Proxy Travelers do to me?”

The woman tilted her head.

“We’ll find out if we try.”

Another person stepped forward, a woman’s voice speaking.

“Hahahaha~”

Taishuai burst into uproarious laughter.

A colossal black moon rose high into the sky amidst the raging storm and lightning snakes, the woman’s hair dancing with the wind.

“Taishuai…”

The tempest seemed to pause for a moment.

Yu Shu turned her head, glancing at Red Ghost, who stood frozen.

“Didn’t I tell you to throw her further away…”