Chapter One: Transcribing Inscriptions at Midnight

  My name is Tu Kuan, and I've been an abandoned orphan since childhood. But you know what? Being abandoned doesn't mean being abandoned, bro! I'm open-minded, and in today's society, if we can't rely on our parents, we can rely on everyone else! Living in the present, being a small beggar, I guess it's not too bad, and I won't starve to death. As long as I lie down in front of a bustling train station, put out a broken bowl next to me, and pretend to be pitiful, the money will come pouring in like rain. With just a little sympathy, I can eat my way through the world. That's how I've been living, and I'm used to it. But who would have thought that I, with my "turbulent fate," would meet an old man, and from then on, my life would change completely...

  I can't remember when it was, but one day this mysterious old man appeared in front of me. He stared at me with a strange expression for half an hour, then pretended to calculate something on his fingers for another half day before finally coming up to me and saying a bunch of things I couldn't understand at all. He told me that I'm a person born with extreme yin energy, with a fate of nine calamities, destined to live a life of desolation.

  Under the old man's nonsense, I, who was inexperienced and naive, followed him in a daze. After taking me away, the old man told me that his name was "Tú Bù Fán" and that he was a ghost-catching master of the Mào Shān external sect.

  What's a ghost catcher? In short, it's just a swindler!

  By deceiving those unsophisticated mountain villagers in Huyu Mountain, they swindle some money to barely make a living.

  At first I thought so, but later...

  I no longer thought so, because of one thing, it made me believe that there are really ghosts in this world...

  Since being taken away by the old man, I followed him to a thatched cottage in an unknown mountain. Following the old man for a long time, I found out that he was a very strange and mysterious person. Every time he helped someone with something or resolved a calamity, a brown poisonous mark would appear on his face. The old man mysteriously told me that this was because he had revealed too many heavenly secrets, and as a result, he was punished by heaven.

  What makes me feel strange is that whoever he helps must go to the hut where they live, light three incense sticks and kowtow to a stone statue on the spirit tablet. The stone statue is vividly carved, depicting a young boy holding a book made of what seems to be cowhide. On the cover of the book are written three big characters - "Yinbing Ce".

  It's normal to kneel down in front of stone statues. Most of these statues are of gods and powerful beings. But what I find hard to accept is that the person carved on this statue isn't someone else, it's actually me! Isn't this a clear sign that I'm being cursed to die early?

  In between, I repeatedly asked the old man to theorize, but unfortunately, the old man never explained it to me and only let me learn those ways of dispelling diseases and catching ghosts.

  Every time the old man goes out to help people with Buddhist affairs, I sneak into the stone statue in front of the mourning hall and try my best to destroy it. Even the book on the stone statue with the three characters "Yin Bing Ce" was pulled down and destroyed. However, no matter how hard I tried, the stone statue remained intact, but I ended up covered in bruises. Gradually, I came to realize that whenever I attempted to damage a part of the stone statue, the corresponding part of my own body would mysteriously suffer an injury. It's as if the stone statue is me, and I am the stone statue. Destroying it is equivalent to self-inflicted torture...

  One day, for some reason, the stone statue that was worshiped suddenly collapsed and became a pile of rubble, leaving only the mysterious book of Yinbing. It was this book of Yinbing that brought about an earth-shattering change in my life.

  That day, the old man said to me with a kind face: "Grandson! The stone statue has collapsed. In these years, Grandpa risked leaking heaven's secrets and damaging his lifespan to complete three thousand good deeds, making the stone statue break its cocoon and giving you new life. For many years, the stone statue gathered three thousand virtues and cultivated your innate treasure, the Yinbing Ce (Shadow Soldier Register). From now on, relying on this book, you will become a rare master of ghostly dwellings in the world, with countless yin demons at your command, and all kinds of ghosts and monsters listening to your orders!

  Looking at the old man with a serious face, I sneered and said: "Cut it out! I'm not interested in listening to your nonsense! I was born in the new world and grew up in Great China. I don't believe in those feudal superstitions without scientific basis. So, I say, Master Godly Stick, you'd better stop! I won't believe you."

  The old man, upon hearing my response, didn't show any signs of anger as he usually did. Instead, he stroked his terrifying face covered in brown spots and calmly said to me: "Forget it, I know you don't want to believe me. But if you agree to help me with something tonight, I can prove that ghosts do exist in this world."

  "Really?" I raised an eyebrow and looked at him strangely.

  "Of course it's true, as long as you're not afraid of seeing ghosts."

  I didn't like what I heard: "Master, stop trying to provoke me with such words. I'm not afraid of ghosts! After following you for so many years, I've often seen you perform rituals to ward off evil spirits, making a big show as if it's real. But where are the ghosts? I haven't even seen a single ghostly hair. You say I've never even seen what a ghost looks like, so what am I supposed to be afraid of?"

  Although I said I wasn't afraid, my heart felt a little scared, but more of it was an inexplicable excitement. All these years, I've followed this half-baked old man and heard many ghost stories, but I've never seen one before.

  People are always curious about strange things, especially those that are said to be supernatural or paranormal.

  Very scared! But also very curious. Naturally, I am afraid at the same time, and even more curious.

  "So, to prove that ghosts exist in this world, will you help me with something tonight?" The old man said, a faint, almost imperceptible sly smile playing on the corners of his mouth, giving people a chilling feeling.

  To be honest, I'm still a bit uneasy and don't understand what this old guy is getting at. His words are somewhat incomprehensible to me. However, I'm not afraid of him. After fighting with him for so many years, I've never backed down. So, I puffed out my chest, clenched my fists, and proudly said to him: "If you're going to help, then help! I don't believe you can come up with anything fancy."

  But I agreed to this old scoundrel, and now I'm regretting it. This wicked old man actually... actually told me that tonight at midnight, I have to take this book with the Yin Soldier Register written in it, go to the back of the mountain, to the last mound of the Seat Mountain Tomb, and copy down the names on the stone tablet in front of the tomb! He also said that the tomb is easy to find because there's only one tomb with a stone tablet...

  Translating...

  Midnight copying of inscriptions! Just thinking about it is freaking scary!

  Although I was nervous in my heart, at the critical moment I couldn't shrink back! Steeling myself, I pretended to be nonchalant. I took over the roster of the dead soldiers and asked the old man