pertwk Chapter 1 Lin Qing
Chapter 1 Lin Qing
The Great Yuan Dynasty, Sichuan, Jiangyin County.
In a small, not-so-spacious courtyard, more than thirty young men were working hard.
At this time, it was still dark, and wisps of cold mist drifted along the street. When the wind blew, people shivered from the cold.
Some of the boys were skinning animals, while others were grinding tools. They were wearing only thin linen clothes and shivering in the cold wind.
However, everyone gritted their teeth and remained silent, only focusing on their work.
Lin Qing was one of them. This was the Soul Suppression Division, which stood alongside the government office and was responsible for handling matters related to evil spirits. He was an assistant in the Crafts Division under the Soul Suppression Division.
"I woke up to find myself transported to this ancient world as a helper. Life is so hard," Lin Qing murmured.
Three months ago, he traveled from the blue planet to become a bone grinder.
The so-called "Craftsmanship Department" refers to the department specifically responsible for researching and manufacturing objects to ward off evil spirits.
Therefore, the laborers were mainly divided into two categories: one was bone grinding, and the other was skinning. Both types of laborers had a very hard life.
For example, Lin Qingtian had to get up before dawn to grind his bones, and he could not stop regardless of wind or rain.
He had been grinding for almost an hour, his arms were sore and numb, and he had chilblains on his fingers. He felt uncomfortable all over, but he could only endure it.
"It takes five years to become a constable after working as a laborer. I still have one year left to serve my full term. Sigh, one more year."
Lin Qing sighed inwardly and suddenly rolled up his sleeves. It was clear that there were twisted and strange blood lines on his arms, which spread from his wrists all the way up to the base of his arms and seemed to be converging towards his heart.
The local doctor said it was a bloodline disease, caused by an evil spirit in the body. He said that at most one year would pass before the bloodline attacked the heart and the patient would die.
To get medical treatment, he had to go to the prefectural city, but he was a poor boy with no money or travel permit. How could he leave the city? Even if he did get out, evil spirits were causing trouble in this world, and if he accidentally ran into one, he would die even faster.
"But it's not hopeless. As long as one can become a martial artist, one can use the vigorous blood and energy in their body to have a chance to dispel the evil spirits and survive from the brink of death."
"I must find a way to become a martial artist within a year."
As Lin Qing was pondering, a sudden exclamation came from the side; someone had fainted.
"Ding Tiezhu, wake up!"
A thin, frail boy collapsed to the ground and lost consciousness when he tried to get up due to exhaustion.
"He's useless; he faints even while doing some work. Carry him over here!"
Suddenly, a woman in her thirties, with a beautiful face and a plump figure, walked out of a large house on the north side of the courtyard. Her face was gloomy, and she was cursing.
This person, named Shen Lian, was the boss of these twenty-odd helpers.
The boy was immediately carried to Shen Lian, who then instructed people to pour several large mouthfuls of sticky, blackened medicinal soup into his mouth.
The boy woke up with a violent cough.
Shen Lian stared at him coldly: "Get out! Starting tomorrow, you don't need to come anymore! If you don't want to do this job, there are plenty of others who will!"
"My lord, I have an eighty-year-old grandmother at home, please spare me!" The boy was shocked and knelt down with a thud.
Shen Lian waved her hand: "Go away, go away! I'm annoyed by you. If you don't leave, I'll have someone break your legs!"
Under the sympathetic gazes of many teenagers, Ding Tiezhu was eventually carried away by two burly men.
Lin Qing watched this scene from the sidelines, his heart already numb.
The status of a helper is low, and one must work hard within five years to be promoted to a corporal.
If you perform poorly, you may be beaten or scolded at best, and expelled at worst.
In order to stay, they had to endure all kinds of hardship and fatigue, because outside the yamen, there were plenty of young men who wanted to squeeze in and compete for a helper position.
Why? Because times were tough, and working as a government official was considered a good job. It provided food and lodging, two days off a month, and forty copper coins. After five years, one could not only learn martial arts but also become a constable.
Once you become a government servant, even the lowest-ranking one, you'll still have a government job and your livelihood will be guaranteed.
Feeling miserable? Then go and see the refugees outside the East Gate; countless people are freezing and starving to death.
Lin Qing understood that times had changed and he couldn't compare it to his previous life. Here, being able to eat his fill and have room for advancement was already quite good.
Before long, the sun rose in the east, and a gong sounded in the courtyard, signaling that it was time for breakfast. Everyone finally got a short rest.
Lin Qing sat on a stone step under the eaves, holding a cornbread in his left hand and a bowl of warm water with oil floating on it in his right.
He took a bite of the cornbread; it was cold, hard, and coarse, making it difficult to swallow. Even pig feed in his previous life wasn't this bad. Without this bowl of warm water, he could have choked to death.
"Hey, what kind of life is this? I heard that once you become a constable, you can eat meat and white flour buns."
"Of course! Not only do we eat well, but we also get paid every month. I'd love to be a corpse collector in the Night Patrol."
"Nonsense, who wouldn't want to go? Being a corpse collector is the safest and easiest job. Chief Yang, who is in charge of the corpse collection team, is known for his impartiality. For those of us without connections, it's the best choice."
...
Several constables were sitting next to Lin Qing, chatting idly.
Lin Qing's heart skipped a beat; the Night Patrol Division was also the place he most wanted to go to.
The Soul Suppression Division has several departments, among which the Night Patrol Division is responsible for night watch, exorcising evil spirits, and collecting corpses.
The collection of corpses refers to a group of constables who are responsible for bringing corpses from inside and outside the city to the yamen (government office) and burning them to ashes to prevent the breeding of evil spirits.
"If I could become a corpse collector, I could use my cheat ability to quickly grow into a top-tier martial artist." Lin Qing's heart burned with excitement.
Like most transmigrators, he also had a cheat code: an ancient book located in the void space of his mind, called the Record of Rebirth.
Title: Record of Rebirth
[Host: Lin Qing]
[Realm: None]
[Technique: None]
Skill: None
[Equipment Slots: 1]
[Rank: 1 (0%)]
[Note 1: Performing rituals to help the souls of the deceased (such as cremating the body, reciting the Rebirth Mantra, etc.) can retrieve four of their martial arts skills or talents from their lifetime and copy one of them.]
[Note 2: Upgrading the Rebirth Record to level 2 unlocks a second equipment slot, allowing you to equip copied martial arts skills and talents.]
[Note 3: Performing rituals to release the souls of the dead can increase level progress; consuming gold, silver, and rare items can accelerate leveling.]
The Record of Rebirth—this is Lin Qing's cheat code. To unleash its effects, a corpse is required, and the Corpse Collector perfectly fits this requirement.
The county seat of Shanyin has a population of over 200,000, and there are dozens of villages of varying sizes in the surrounding area. Every day, countless people lose their lives, and their bodies are sent to the night patrol office as soon as possible.
Once he becomes a corpse collector, Lin Qing can't imagine how fast he will grow or how amazing his combat power will become.
"I must become a corpse collector; my future will be bright." Lin Qing's eyes burned with fervor.
He is not afraid of hardship, but in this era, people at the bottom of society live a precarious life. If they want to survive and live a stable life, they must become stronger.
To become stronger, one must practice martial arts. The Corpse Collector can not only help him make the most of his cheat ability, but also teach him martial arts.
Lin Qing took a deep breath, suppressed the turmoil in his heart, got up and continued to grind his bones, which lasted all morning.
By the time the sun was high in the sky and the sunlight was at its strongest, Lin Qing was already exhausted.
After a quick lunch and a short rest, everyone resumed their afternoon work.
An hour later, suddenly, a loud shout came from the courtyard gate.
"Yang Cha Tou has arrived!"