Chapter 36: Newcomers Again? (Late Night, Please Keep Reading)

Lin Bei was aware of the Tai'e Sword, but he had never imagined that he would obtain this legendary sword of majesty so easily.

Most importantly, this sword was once the personal weapon of Qin Shi Huang. The curse of the Ma family, which forbids them from shedding tears for men, also originated from Ma Ling'er, who had worked for the First Emperor. Beyond being a romantic fool, that woman was a ruthless figure. Because of her own experiences, she had effectively cut off any possibility for her descendants to pursue love. If she had truly been heartbroken, that would be one thing, but in reality, it was all based on a misunderstanding. In the second installment of *My Date with a Vampire*, this misunderstanding was resolved, and the Ma family curse lost its effect. As a beneficiary, Ma Xiao-ling might not have harbored much resentment, but for the women of the Ma family before her, knowing that they had been forced to live as spinsters for a lifetime because of an ancestor's mistake would likely be enough to overturn the eighteen layers of hell.

There was one more crucial point: Ma Ling'er had no descendants of her own. This meant that those she had doomed were mostly the descendants of her siblings. Thinking of this, Lin Bei’s gaze toward Ma Xiao-ling became strange; he hesitated over whether to tell her the truth. Given her personality, if she knew the facts, she might just smash the ancestral tablets to pieces. After a moment of hesitation, Lin Bei decided to wait for a suitable opportunity to tell her.

Now that he possessed the Bell of Zhong Kui and the Tai'e Sword, he figured he wouldn't need to worry about weapons for a long time. If he ever truly needed another, he would find a way to get Yue Yinping’s Cold Electric Silver Spear. While the breathing techniques from the *Demon Slayer* world could strengthen the body, they ultimately had their limits. When a version of himself from a cultivation world eventually appeared in the mysterious space, Lin Bei would definitely switch to a more advanced cultivation method. However, he never expected that the chance to enter the mysterious space again would come so soon.

After dealing with the Qin Corpse, Lin Bei left Shiluozhou with Ma Xiao-ling and the others, taking the treasures from the cave with him. The subsequent affairs had little to do with him, and as for the collaborative projects, the company had people to take over. Upon returning home and washing up, Lin Bei had barely lain down before he entered the mysterious space once again.

***

Opening his eyes, the Lin Bei from the Hong Kong film world saw the other versions of himself huddled together, whispering about something. He counted the number of people and discovered there was indeed a newcomer. He had previously guessed that every time a new version of himself appeared, he would be pulled into this space, and it turned out he was right.

The Hong Kong Lin Bei stepped forward and placed a hand on the newcomer, and memories flooded into his mind. This new Lin Bei came from the world of *Mysterious Recovery*—a world where malevolent ghosts were everywhere and gods were nowhere to be seen. In that world, ghosts could not be killed; only ghosts could deal with ghosts. Ordinary people meeting a ghost could only survive by finding its patterns and flaws. Besides ordinary people and ghosts, there existed "Ghost Masters," individuals who used their own bodies as vessels to contain ghosts. However, each time they used a ghost's power, the entity within them would recover a bit more; once the ghost fully awakened, it meant the death of the Ghost Master.

This method of using ghosts to control ghosts was more like drinking poison to quench thirst. To deal with a ghost, one had to use a ghost, but once the entity within recovered, it would become a disaster, eventually creating a vicious cycle. The Lin Bei from the *Mysterious Recovery* world was quite unlucky; he had transmigrated as one of the main character Yang Jian’s classmates. In the original plot, very few people survived the "Ghost Knocking on the Door" incident. It was only by entering the mysterious space that he had any chance of survival at all. Even becoming a Ghost Master required a certain amount of luck, and clearly, the one thing a man named Lin Bei lacked was luck.

The Hong Kong Lin Bei had always felt he had it rough, having to deal with a bunch of punk-styled psychos, but compared to the Lin Bei of the *Mysterious Recovery* world and the one from the *Grudge* world, his situation was clearly much better. Facing the schadenfreude of his other self, the *Mysterious Recovery* Lin Bei didn’t get angry. After sharing powers from so many worlds, he finally had some ability to protect himself. Yet, given his current strength, facing the "Ghost Knocking on the Door"—an entity classified as A-level but far exceeding standard A-level threats—was still a life-threatening ordeal. His only choice was to temporarily hitch a ride with Yang Jian, survive the incident, and then make other plans.

This was exactly what the other versions of Lin Bei had been discussing. The Lin Bei from the *Grudge* world, after using the breathing techniques and the martial arts from the comprehensive martial arts world, had managed to escape the Saeki house and was temporarily out of danger. As for Tomie, he hadn't been able to shake her off. Besides her being particularly clingy, there was another important reason: she was just too skilled! The Tomie he encountered had already been killed once, so in his world, there were now two identical Tomies. Tomie was clearly very interested in someone who could resist her influence.

When the two identical Tomies appeared before him, the *Grudge* Lin Bei had been a bit panicked at first. However, once a certain strange switch was flipped, he realized that Tomie's bizarre reproductive ability wasn't entirely a disadvantage. Especially when it came time to sleep at night—she was just too good at it—the *Grudge* Lin Bei immediately abandoned all thoughts of running away. He had reached enlightenment: if I don't go to hell, who will? Facing a wicked woman like Tomie with such special abilities, he naturally had to keep her firmly by his side to prevent her from causing chaos elsewhere.

Upon learning of his thoughts, the other Lin Bei versions looked at him with disdain. Only he knew himself; the other Lin Bei versions knew that this guy hadn't been captured by Tomie's ability or developed a twisted obsession—it was purely his inner lecherous nature acting up. Because the interval between this gathering and the last was so short, the Lin Bei versions simply checked on each other’s situations and then dispersed.

***

Inside the world.

The Lin Bei living in Gunma Prefecture had just opened his eyes when a pleasant female voice reached his ears.

"Bei-chan, I’ve prepared breakfast. Remember to eat it after you get up. I have to head out now, or I’ll be late."

With that, the classmate Tachibana, dressed in her JK uniform, planted a kiss on Lin Bei’s face and skipped away. Before leaving, she didn't forget to tidy up the shoes in the entryway, her movements exceptionally practiced, clearly not her first time doing so. Lin Bei mumbled something and lay back down.

He was already accustomed to this life of being waited on hand and foot. It looked like he was just rotting away in idleness, and in truth, that was exactly what he was doing. Though his life wasn't as colorful as those of his other selves, he didn't envy them at all! He woke up naturally every day, had his meals prepared for him morning, noon, and night, and after breakfast, he would write a few hundred words under the urging of his editor, earning a fee by the end of the month that a typical salaryman couldn't save in a year of working without eating or drinking. After lunch, young ladies or older women would come by to invite him out for activities, and it was never the same person twice. When night fell, he would write a diary entry as per his habit, followed by the bedtime activities that made the other Lin Bei versions green with envy and gnashing their teeth.