A bright full moon hung high in the sky, casting a pale glow over a dense, shadowy forest. Somewhere in the distance, rustling sounds echoed through the trees.
Beneath a small tree lay a swaddled infant, completely alone.
"Huh? What's wrong with my hands? And what is this strange feeling in my body?"
The baby stared at his tiny, chubby fingers. He tried to speak, but when he opened his mouth, only soft, incoherent babbling came out.
As confusion filled his mind, a faint rustling sound came from the nearby bushes. The infant immediately froze, his eyes straining to look toward the source. But his body was far too weak. He couldn't even lift his head and could only tilt it slightly, peeking out from the edge of the swaddle.
Suddenly, a rat darted out from the grass.
The baby let out a silent sigh of relief.
"So… I really did transmigrate. Just my luck. Not only did I end up in another world, I got abandoned the moment I arrived. And in a creepy forest like this? What kind of heartless parents would throw away such an adorable baby?"
In his previous life, he had been a model citizen of the 21st century. His name was Lucas Lu. He didn't smoke, didn't drink, exercised regularly, and worked hard, all so he could one day repay the orphanage that had raised him.
Even his name had been given by the old director, who hoped he would one day find meaning in his life.
But fate had other plans.
He had saved a child from a speeding truck, only to be struck himself and thrown into a rushing river, where he drowned.
And now, when he opened his eyes again, he had become a baby.
"With a start like this… am I about to die again and transmigrate a second time?"
Lucas could only complain in his mind. He couldn't even lift his head, let alone crawl away.
As his thoughts spiraled, he suddenly remembered the novels he had read in his previous life.
"Other people always get some kind of cheat ability when they transmigrate. I still have my memories, so it's only fair I get one too, right?"
"System! Hey, system! Are you there? Say something if you are!"
He shouted inwardly.
But no matter how much he called, there was no response.
"Don't tell me I'm really this unlucky. I died doing a good deed, got reborn, and now I'm stuck in a hell-level start with no cheat at all? Is this some kind of joke?"
He could only grumble silently.
Then suddenly, a chilling sense of danger crept over him.
It came out of nowhere, as if something unseen was about to descend upon him.
Lucas immediately grew alert, scanning his surroundings as best he could. But there was nothing. Just darkness, thick and suffocating.
A shiver ran through his tiny body.
"What… why did it suddenly get so cold?"
Before he could make sense of it, something began to take shape before his eyes.
A shadowy figure emerged, shrouded in black mist.
It had a humanoid form, but it floated above the ground… and it had no face.
"A… a ghost?!"
Panic exploded in Lucas's mind. He had prepared himself for the possibility of being abandoned, maybe even dying from hunger or wild animals.
But a ghost?
That was something he had never expected.
Just as the ghost drifted closer, a powerful shout rang out from behind it.
"Evil spirit, do not harm the innocent! Spirit Fire Talisman, burn away the corruption!"
A yellow talisman shot through the air, igniting into flames mid-flight before striking the ghost directly.
The spirit let out a piercing wail. Within moments, it disintegrated into ash.
Yet a strand of unseen energy slipped away, unnoticed by the man, and flew straight into Lucas's forehead, sinking into his consciousness.
The figure who had acted stepped forward quickly and picked up the infant.
When Lucas saw the man clearly, shock and excitement surged through him.
Sharp eyes. Thick eyebrows that nearly met in the middle. A presence both stern and righteous.
He recognized him instantly.
"Uncle Jiu? That's Uncle Jiu! Wait… does that mean I'm in the world of jiangshi?"
The iconic Taoist priest from the old zombie films of his previous life. If this was truly that world, then encountering ghosts suddenly didn't seem so strange anymore.
At this moment, Uncle Jiu looked young, no more than in his twenties, his hair still dark. He gazed at the baby in his arms with gentle concern.
"Such a small child… What kind of parents would abandon him near a mass grave?"
Lucas nearly broke down again upon hearing that.
Not only had he been abandoned, but he had been left next to a mass burial ground. Whoever did this clearly didn't expect him to survive.
"I've only just come down the mountain myself. For now, you can travel with me. When the time comes, I'll find you a good family."
As Uncle Jiu spoke, he walked steadily forward. His steps were firm, yet Lucas felt no jostling at all.
At the same time, Lucas was trying to understand the strange, cool sensation he had felt earlier.
In the next instant, his awareness shifted.
"This… is my sea of consciousness?"
It was his first time experiencing something like this, so he wasn't entirely sure.
"So I do have a cheat after all. Let's see where it is."
He looked around and soon noticed a cluster of formless energy. As soon as his attention focused on it, the energy began to change.
"Is this my cheat? What even is this? And how do I use it?"
As if responding to his thoughts, a portion of the energy separated and turned gray. It began to spin slowly, forming twelve faint gray orbs.
One of them solidified, transforming into an octagonal stone. On one side were ancient inscriptions, and on the other, a mysterious symbol.
The moment it fully formed, joy exploded within Lucas.
"Talisman! It's a talisman!"
"If I have this, dealing with demons and ghosts will be easy!"
"The Sheep Talisman… so this is the first one to awaken. Looks like the others will need more energy to activate."
Just as Lucas was reveling in his newfound power, Uncle Jiu noticed something unusual.
A faint white glow began to emanate from the baby, pure and sacred.
"This… a natural-born spiritual medium?"
Uncle Jiu quickly placed two fingers on Lucas's wrist, channeling his mana to examine him.
The result made his eyes widen even further.
"A congenital Dao body?"
Lucas snapped back to awareness upon hearing this. He immediately understood that the "natural-born spiritual medium" must be the effect of the Sheep Talisman.
But the "congenital Dao body"…
That was something else entirely.
"Haha… so I'm not ordinary after all. I get talismans upon rebirth, and even a top-tier physique like this. Reaching the peak of cultivation and breaking through worlds might not be impossible."
Thinking this, he couldn't help but grin.
Uncle Jiu, meanwhile, was equally shaken.
He had not expected that this trip would bring him face to face with someone possessing a congenital Dao body.
"Perhaps this is the blessing of the ancestors. Very well. I'll take you as my disciple and raise you myself."
As he finished speaking, Lucas happened to be smiling. Uncle Jiu laughed as well.
"Ha! Looks like you agree, little one. In that case, I should give you a name."
Lucas grew excited. He wondered what name he would have in this new life.
"I see the character 'Lu' embroidered on your swaddle. That must be your surname."
"Then I'll call you Lucas Lu. Seek the Dao, and one day become a leader of Maoshan."
Uncle Jiu had already begun to see the child as the future hope of Maoshan.
"So even the name didn't change… Honestly, that's fine. I've used it for over twenty years. Changing it now would feel strange."
And just like that, Lucas Lu became Uncle Jiu's disciple, traveling south with him into an uncertain yet extraordinary future.