Resurrection

Lin Mo ran wildly through the mountains and forests, like a startled raccoon, nimbly weaving between trees and rocks.

The clamor of the mass grave behind him had long been swallowed up by the dense forest; only his own heavy breathing and the pounding of his heart echoed in his ears.

His bare feet pierced the cold, rough ground, but the pain only made him more alert, dispelling the confusion and discomfort he felt at the beginning of his rebirth.

He dared not stop until he was sure he had completely shaken off any potential pursuers and was far away from the nauseating stench of corpses before slowing down.

At this moment, the sky was beginning to lighten, and dawn was approaching.

Using the dim light, he found a secluded ravine. Pushing aside the dense vines, he found a narrow opening just large enough for one person to squeeze through. Though the opening was small, the interior seemed to be a hidden world, with a faint scent of earth and moss wafting out, much less musty than the outside.

Without hesitation, he squeezed inside. The entrance was narrow, but the interior was indeed slightly more spacious, a small cave barely large enough for a person to stand in. The depths were pitch black, and he had no idea where it led. At this moment, this was the ideal hiding place.

Leaning against the cold, damp rock wall, Lin Mo slowly slid down to the ground, finally able to catch his breath. As his tense nerves relaxed slightly, a strong sense of exhaustion followed, along with a throbbing pain in his mind caused by the collision of two torrents of memories becoming clearer.

He closed his eyes and began to actively sort out and integrate these chaotic fragments of memory.

The memories belonging to "Shadow Blade" are cold and dark, yet brimming with power and skill. Countless assassination missions, ambushes and battles in various environments, the ultimate mastery of various weapons, poisons, and human weaknesses, and... that final, unforgettable betrayal. The twisted face of his partner "Ghost," the chilling sensation of a poisoned dagger piercing his heart, are as clear as if they happened yesterday.

The memories belonging to "Lin Mo" are much simpler and paler, yet filled with injustice and humiliation. The Lin family of Jiangnan is a prestigious family in the martial arts world. He is the son of the patriarch Lin Xiaotian, born out of wedlock with a maid after a night of drinking, and his status is lowly. His mother died early, and he was practically invisible within the family, suffering bullying and exclusion from his stepmother and several of his elder brothers.

A few days ago, he overheard his eldest brother, Lin Hong, talking to a mysterious man in black robes about stealing the family's secret medicine, the "Crimson Sun Pill." Before he could react, Lin Hong discovered him. He was then framed for stealing the pill and severely beaten by the family's enforcement hall. The whipping, infused with internal force, nearly severed all his meridians. Finally, he was thrown into a mass grave like a dead dog, left to die.

"The Lin family... Lin Hong..." Lin Mo coldly repeated these two names in his heart.

Resentment, unwillingness, and despair.

He will personally go to collect this debt.

He then began to examine himself. This body looked to be fifteen or sixteen years old, somewhat thin due to long-term malnutrition, but with a well-proportioned frame. What surprised him most was that, just as he had sensed in the mass grave, the meridians within his body were broad and resilient, and the flow of qi and blood was far smoother than that of ordinary people, even surpassing the basic meridian unobstructedness of his body from his previous life, which had been honed by countless secret medicines and brutal training!

This is definitely not some kind of "mediocre talent"! Either the Lin family's testing was wrong, or... someone deliberately concealed this body's true talent. Considering Lin Hong's eagerness to silence them, the latter seems more likely.

"Is it because of these special meridians that the soul of 'Shadow Blade' was able to reside there?" he pondered to himself. Rebirth is a mysterious and enigmatic matter; perhaps this body itself is some kind of special vessel.

He began to try to regulate his internal energy. The Shadow Blade's top-tier internal energy cultivation technique, "The Annihilation Technique," quietly began to operate. This technique was domineering and sinister, emphasizing concealment and a single, fatal strike, perfectly suited to his identity as an assassin.

However, as soon as the technique was activated, a sudden change occurred!

The air in the once peaceful cave seemed to stagnate slightly. Then, faint, cold, and dark currents of air seeped out from the depths of the cave, from the cracks in the rock walls, and even from the bloodstains on his own body that had not yet dried. As if drawn by an invisible force, they slowly converged on him.

This is... corpse energy? Death energy?

Lin Mo's heart skipped a beat, and he immediately stopped the operation of the "Annihilation Technique". The gathering cold air currents lost their target, swirled slightly, and then slowly dissipated into the air.

He frowned deeply. This phenomenon was extremely unusual! Although the "Silent Extinction Technique" was of a yin and cold nature, it primarily absorbed and refined the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, not this corpse energy that represented death and decay! This body could not only naturally attract corpse energy, but could even actively draw upon and absorb it when he practiced certain techniques?

He recalled that when he was fleeing through the mass grave, the flow of his internal energy seemed to subtly influence the surrounding corpse energy, making him faster. At the time, the situation was too urgent to think about it in detail, but now it seemed that it was not an illusion.

Is this mysterious change in the meridians, and the ability to absorb corpse energy, a blessing or a curse? Is it a special constitution that this body was born with, or... what unknown changes occurred after it was abandoned in the mass grave?

Countless questions flooded his mind. He realized that relying solely on his past life memories and the scattered information he had was simply not enough to unravel these mysteries. He needed more clues, he needed to understand the martial arts system of this world, and he needed to uncover the truth hidden within this body.

In Lin Mo's memory, apart from the infighting within the Lin family's own little world, his knowledge of the outside martial arts world was pitifully limited. He only knew that in the present world, the Tang and Song dynasties coexisted, and that there were numerous powerful families and sects in the martial arts world, constantly fighting each other.

The most urgent task is to leave this mountain forest, find a populated area, obtain information, and solve the most basic survival problems.

He rummaged through his tattered coarse cloth clothes and found a few loose pieces of silver and a few copper coins.

This was taken from the soldiers who were killed; it wasn't much, but it was enough for an emergency.

"Let's go to the nearest town first," he decided.

Based on the original owner's vague memories and observations of the terrain during the escape last night, there should be a place called "Qinghe Town" not far from this mountainous area. It is quite prosperous due to its waterway dock.

The sky was already bright, and sunlight filtered through the gaps in the vines, casting dappled patterns of light inside the cave.

Lin Mo took a deep breath, suppressing the slight agitation in his internal energy caused by exploring his meridians, as well as the strange sensation that was attracting the surrounding cold energy. He tore off a slightly cleaner strip of cloth from his body and simply wrapped it around his feet, which were covered in blood from being cut by the rocks.

He pushed aside the vines at the entrance of the hole and crawled out.

The sunlight was a bit too bright. He squinted, adjusting his eyes to the light. He glanced back at the hidden cave, then looked in the general direction of Qinghe Town.

From today onward, he will live as "Lin Mo".

The dangers ahead are unknown, and the secrets of the body remain to be solved.

New names have been added to the list of enemies.

He was fearless.