Chapter 11: The Money-Hungry Ma Xiaoling

Uncle Feng asked Lin Bei in a deep voice, "Mr. Lin, what’s going on here?"

Lin Bei, wearing a look of helplessness, recounted the origins of the two ancient corpses.

Hearing that these two corpses had existed for over a thousand years sent a chill down the spines of both Uncle Feng and He Yingqiu.

In the modern era, zombies were exceedingly rare.

There were quite a few vampires drifting over from the West, but those were always handled by the Demon Exorcism Alliance. Moreover, these were mostly low-level minions who were eliminated before they could cause any chaos.

There was no need for experts like Uncle Feng or He Yingqiu to intervene.

It had been over a decade, nearly two decades, since anyone had encountered zombies—yet here they were, facing a major incident right from the start.

While Uncle Feng and He Yingqiu were both deeply troubled, Ma Xiaoling beside them appeared brimming with excitement.

The Ma family’s duty was to eliminate the Zombie King Jiang Chen. Since Jiang Chen hadn’t appeared yet, practicing on a thousand-year-old zombie wasn’t a bad idea.

Without hesitation, Ma Xiaoling drew her Exorcism Sword.

Lin Bei’s eyes lit up at the sight of the sword’s chilling gleam. He had been lacking a reliable weapon.

He had considered that if he couldn’t find a suitable one, he might have to make a trip to Shiluozhou.

He never expected to encounter Ma Xiaoling instead.

Just as Ma Xiaoling raised her sword to pierce the ancient corpse, Lin Bei moved.

After cultivating the Breathing Technique, his physical abilities improved constantly. Now, empowered further by the strength from two parallel worlds, every aspect of his body had reached the human limit.

With the Breathing Technique activated, Lin Bei’s speed became astonishing, even leaving faint afterimages.

Just as Ma Xiaoling’s sword was about to plunge into the silver-armored corpse’s chest, a large hand gripped her wrist.

The overwhelming force prevented the sword from advancing even an inch.

Ma Xiaoling stared at Lin Bei in surprise, puzzled by his intervention on one hand, and shocked to discover this seemingly ordinary man was actually a master on the other.

“Mr. Lin, are you trying to stop me from killing the zombies?”

Lin Bei shook his head. “I want to exterminate them too, but until we devise a foolproof plan, I advise against acting rashly. If we awaken them from their slumber prematurely, the consequences will affect more than just you and me.”

Ma Xiaoling frowned and glanced at Uncle Feng and Uncle Qiu. Seeing their furrowed brows, she realized she had been reckless.

In terms of experience dealing with zombies, even she couldn’t compare to Uncle Qiu.

If even he found this situation difficult, it was certainly not something a single stab from her sword could resolve.

Seeing Ma Xiaoling relax, Lin Bei released her wrist.

But upon noticing the Exorcism Sword, he couldn’t help but ask, “Miss Ma, may I borrow your sword to take a look?”

Ma Xiaoling was about to refuse but quickly changed her mind.

“Sure, but this Exorcism Sword is an heirloom. My elder spent a fortune forging it; it’s a sacred weapon. Any damage to it would severely diminish its exorcism power…”

Listening to Ma Xiaoling’s earnest description of the sword’s value, Lin Bei instantly understood her intentions.

He smiled and pulled a checkbook from his inner pocket, scribbling for a moment. “Here’s 100,000 yuan as a fee for borrowing your sword.”

Swallowing hard at the sight of the check, Ma Xiaoling was taken aback.

She was no stranger to money, but Lin Bei’s casual generosity with such a huge sum was astonishing.

Not only her, even Uncle Feng and Uncle Qiu’s breaths quickened involuntarily as they glimpsed the amount.

There’s an old saying: scholars are poor, warriors are rich. Training in martial arts is costly, but cultivating the Dao is even more expensive.

Moreover, this was the Age of the End of Law. The Ma family had divine dragons to borrow power from, but ordinary cultivators like Uncle Feng and Uncle Qiu had only themselves.

Compared to those unorthodox paths, their sole advantage with formal inheritance lay in their ancestral magical tools.

Usually, exorcising ghosts or dispelling demons mainly relied on money.

Otherwise, Ma Xiaoling wouldn’t often charge tens of thousands per job and still frequently max out her credit cards.

Though envious, the two men said nothing, only silently calculating how much reward Lin Bei might give them this time.

After her initial surprise, Ma Xiaoling quickly accepted the check and eagerly handed the Exorcism Sword to Lin Bei.

The sword was indeed forged at great expense and truly crafted by her elder.

Only her elder’s name was He Yingqiu, and the date of creation was—just last week.

Watching Lin Bei carefully examine the sword, Ma Xiaoling felt a pang of guilt and repeatedly shot desperate glances at Uncle Qiu, hoping he wouldn’t expose her.

Lin Bei’s attention was fully fixed on the sword.

In the Demon Slayer world, weapons made of “Orangutan Crimson Sand Iron” and “Orangutan Crimson Ore” were called Nichirin Blades, which changed color based on the user.

Lin Bei sensed the same material in this Exorcism Sword.

He instinctively tightened his grip and activated the Breath of the Sun.

At that moment, the sword began to transform.

While in Ma Xiaoling’s hand, the sword gleamed bright silver, inscribed with vermilion talismans.

But as Lin Bei employed the Breathing Technique, the blade instantly turned a vivid crimson, like fresh blood, exuding a seductive allure.

Witnessing this, Ma Xiaoling, Uncle Feng, and Uncle Qiu all widened their eyes in astonishment.

Though the Exorcism Sword had undergone continuous improvements, it remained an ordinary magical tool. For it to change so strangely in Lin Bei’s hands was unprecedented.

Lin Bei took note of their reactions but offered no explanation. He simply wanted to see if the sword’s blessing would elevate the power of the Breath of the Sun.

He let out a powerful shout and swung the crimson sword.

Boom—

Flames burst forth from the blade, the intense heat raising the temperature of the entire space noticeably.

Ordinary folk like Gao Jin and Wang Jianjun felt as if they stood inside a blazing furnace.

The sword’s unleashed force formed a fiery, crimson arc slashing diagonally forward.

When the flames dissipated, a charred, terrifying scar remained etched on the wall.

Uncle Feng muttered instinctively, “Huh, this feels a bit like true solar fire.”

Uncle Qiu immediately reacted, asking, “Master, are you sure this is true solar fire?”

Uncle Feng shook his head. “Not entirely. It only resembles it somewhat. Still, it’s quite rare.”

In earlier years, when the world’s spiritual energy was not so depleted, cultivators like them could borrow various true fires.

But as the spiritual energy waned, immortals, Buddhas, and demons disappeared, leaving only creatures that did not rely on spiritual energy for survival.

With the founder’s spirit no longer manifesting and limited magical power, employing those profound spells became a mere luxury.