There was only one path left to take.

When two rivals meet on a narrow road, the brave one wins!

Strike first to gain the upper hand; strike later and be overpowered!

With the simplest fighting spirit, Samuel used the most straightforward methods to deal with this ghostly thing.

He mustered his courage, clenched his fists, and charged forward—delivering a left front kick, a right roundhouse kick, and a left jab!

As his fists and feet landed, he realized that when he struck the old ghost, he could actually feel it. Each blow made the old ghost open its mouth and spew out wisps of gray, icy-cold yin energy!

Once the yin energy appeared, it rushed into his chest, just like those little demons he encountered in the nightclub in his dream.

Then, he felt a heaviness in his chest.

Something had appeared in his arms.

But he had no time to figure out what had changed.

A formidable enemy was before him.

While it was immobilized, he had to take its life!

The old ghost was frozen in midair in the main hall, and Samuel unleashed his full strength, pummeling it until it spewed out more and more yin energy.

His tactics were correct—the envelope’s seal on the old ghost wasn’t permanent. After taking a beating while immobilized, the old ghost gradually began to move again.

Seeing this, Samuel quickly rushed behind it, pressed its neck down to the ground, drove his knee into its back, gripped its neck tightly with his left hand, snuck out his right hand, and, gathering all his strength, just kept punching.

The old ghost wailed. Its body was pinned and couldn’t move, but its neck could suddenly stretch out.

Its neck elongated, and it twisted its head around 180 degrees, baring its teeth and snapping at Samuel.

Quick as lightning, Samuel slapped it hard, spinning its head another 180 degrees so it was facing the ground again.

The old ghost twisted its head again, baring its teeth.

Samuel gave it another hard slap...

And so, after being pinned down, the old ghost could only twist its head, only to be slapped back into place again.

Again and again, Samuel spun the old ghost’s head back like tightening a screw, causing more and more yin energy to leak out.

Finally, with one last slap, the old ghost dissipated like smoke, turning into a large mass of yin energy that burrowed into his chest.

Now his chest felt heavy.

Something was making his pectoral muscles ache.

At the doorway, David Carter was completely unaware of all this.

He only felt his whole body lighten as he stood up straight, the warm glow of the setting sun shining on him, dispelling the chill and breathlessness he’d suffered for days.

So he guessed what Samuel had done, and after getting up, he rushed into the main hall and bowed deeply to Samuel:

“Thank you, Master, for saving my life!”

He was about to kowtow again, but Samuel gestured for him to be quiet, then quickly turned around to stand with his back to David Carter, unmoving.

At that moment, his back was straight, his expression solemn, his gaze sharp.

Dignified and imposing!

He wasn’t putting on airs—he was quietly checking the new things in his arms.

The treasure silver coins he’d brought through the crossing were still there, but now there was also a handful of silvery-white coins and a black coin.

The silvery-white coins were pure white on both sides.

One side bore the usual four characters, ‘得宝银钱’ (Treasure Silver Coin), and the other side had seven characters, ‘通用银票拾圆’ (Universal Silver Note Ten Yuan).

The black coin was pitch black all over.

On the front was a ring of characters Samuel didn’t recognize, and on the back were the three characters ‘辘轳首’ (Lulu Shou) and a small illustration.

Though tiny, the illustration was exquisite: it showed a slender, elongated, snake-like humanoid figure, which, on closer inspection, looked about eighty percent like the old ghost he’d just defeated.

As he touched the treasure silver coins, information suddenly flooded his mind like a revelation.

This information explained the silver coins he’d obtained.

The treasure silver coins were a magical artifact. After absorbing the yin energy of ghosts and monsters, they could refine it into various things and seal them into split-off silver coins.

If the item was related to the world of the living, it would be sealed into a white coin.

If the item was related to the underworld, it would be sealed into a black coin.

For example, the white coin marked ‘Universal Silver Note Ten Yuan’ contained a ten-yuan silver note. As long as Samuel blew a breath onto it to unseal it, it would turn into real, spendable money.

The ‘Lulu Shou’ black coin, on the other hand, sealed a ghost called Lulu Shou, which had special abilities—its neck and body could stretch and contract, and it was extremely fast, coming and going like the wind.

All Samuel had to do was drip a bit of his own blood onto it, and he could transform into a Lulu Shou ghost, gaining its abilities.

Amazing!

Even more amazing, the process was reversible. If Samuel didn’t want to be a Lulu Shou anymore, he could simply will himself back to normal.

The wonders of the treasure silver coins left Samuel in awe. After learning about the artifact’s abilities, his curiosity was immediately piqued.

But with David Carter right behind him, he couldn’t experiment with the coins just yet.

So he wanted to quickly ask David Carter why he’d come to the temple, so he could send him away.

But as soon as he opened his mouth to say “You—”, his stomach rumbled loudly.

He’d already been half-starved, and after fighting the Lulu Shou, he was now ninety-eight percent dead from hunger.

So, as soon as he started to speak, he changed his tune: “You—do you have anything to eat here? My master took all the food from the temple when he went down the mountain...”

Before he could finish explaining, David Carter hurriedly took off his bundle and opened it: “Yes, yes, but please forgive me, little master. For convenience on the road, I only brought some flatbread as rations.”