Two burly men wearing ragged black long robes were shaking Zhang Lu when he opened his unfocused eyes.
"Fang Chao, where is the money you owe us. You said after you returned we would get our silver taels, wake up..wake up.. are you drunk? Bastard!"
The other man was impatient and held a long sword at Zhang Lu's throat. Blood trickled down his neck as the man bellowed, "I want my money!"
Zhang Lu was wondering where he was, the last thing he remembered was receiving his bitcoin deposit and taking his girl out to the hotel to celebrate his birthday in style.
Am I dreaming?
He has a flash of memory. Oh, that's right, I was murdered in the hallway...is this heaven? He looked around as he pushed the sword pressing on his neck and was bitterly disappointed... must be hell...
He shakes his head... definitely Hell! He was surrounded by several men who smelled like a goat's butt and were dressed in sweaty torn clothes.
He rubbed his head to clear his mind and attempt to understand the situation.
"Just give me a minute" The original owner of the body's soul hasn't left and thinks that doesn't sound like my voice. Did the poison affect my vocal chords? I sound like a weak scholar!
"..." Zhang Lu hears an inner voice and wonders is this traansmigration? Just my luck the original owner was a swindler! Soon to die it appears!
At his moment the memories of the man whose body he entered are starting to invade his mind. Scenes of a sword battle, the original owner was hit with a poison dart thrown by the little girl behind a wall. Wait, was it a little girl or a very short man?
Fang Chao pushes Zhang Lu's soul aside wanting to figure out his present situation.
The fight was going my way, I was already was counting the reward on my mental abacus. mind, how did I end up like this?
Fang Chao was irritated wondering who the weak person inside him could be. I need to suppress the weakling and take care of this situation.
I am still alive thank the gods, I am a young man... it's too early to die! But, if I don't pay this gang I will certainly be killed. I can't even muster up a decent palm strike right now. My body was weakened by the poison, I need to have it expelled soon or that will kill me.
Damn! If that isn't enough to worry about now a wandering soul is clinging to my bones!
The new soul inside me is trying to surface, I need to reason with it, these men will have no mercy on a weak man.
He strikes up a conversation in his mind with the soul. "Who are you?"
"My name is Zhang Lu, who are you?"
"I am Fang Chao, the owner of this body and you can't have it", clear and concise, that's my way. I need to kick this soul out before he absorbs my essence.
"Well , I'm not picky, but I don't want to float around with no body. What can you do about that? Aslo, he must be good looking and young. I didn't come to this god awful place to enter the body of some greasy old man. I wouldn't mind entering the body of a woman, haha...but she also must be beautiful and young. If you try to throw me into one of these ugly bastards I won't leave. Absolutely will not! "
Fang Chao looks at the group surrounding them, not one of these slovenly men would he want his soul to enter. He has some compassion if not much, at least the soul is being cooperative.
"My senses tell me you have some time before that would happen, I will find you a suitable candidate.
Right now, I need to get out of here, I owe these men money and wasn't able to complete my job so I need to swiftly leave this place."
"Run away? Hmmm... you don't look like the cowardly type."
"I'm definitely not, I'm more the shameless sort."
He continues, "I face reality, I don't have their silver taels, they are an unreasonable bunch. My only option is to flee until I have their money. There are too many and I have been poisoned, I need to find my Master and have him remove the poison."
Fang Chao realizes the weakling that invaded him controls his body and says, "Pretend to be sleeping while the men group together to decide what to do with me."
Zhang Lu thinks this is a good strategy and tightly closes his eyes and snores loudly.
Fang Chao has downgraded Zhang Lu from weak scholar to bad actor.
Luckily, the two men weren't very bright and as expected one said, "While he is asleep lets see what the boss wants to do."
Fang Chao knew the two men who are hovering over his body. They can't make a decision without the boss' approval. He waits and as expected they approach their leader to discuss what to do.
He takes this opportunity to gather whats left of his internal energy and use qinggong to fly to the top of a nearby tree. These men are villagers with little martial arts so they can only stand at the bottom of the large oak tree and curse at him.
Shouts from below echoed in the deserted valley"You lying bastard!"
"Coward! Get down here now and take your punishment like a man!"
Fang Chao forces Zhang Yu aside so they don't hear his wimpish voice. In a loud and husky voice he responds, "I will be back in a fortnight with your silver, but I don't have time to discuss with you! I always pay my debts!" {maybe late but I always pay.}
Zhang Lu doesn't know what to think, nothing seems to go smoothly for him even death. Fang Chao flew from rooftop to rooftop until he left the town. He then headed up to the mountains where his Master and the other disciples reside. The poison was starting to flow more rapidly through his body, even Zhang Lu felt dizzy.
They reached the hidden compound in the depths of the forest and they were met by several men who just returned. The Old Master, Fu Wan rushed over to Fang Chao, his white robes in stark contrast to the black robes of the others.
"Damn you brat, how did you not escape with the rest? Only you and Sheng Lu were injured, I don't know if he will make it, the poison has reached close his heart."
Fang Chao took a heavy breath and said," When I was close to death a wandering soul entered my body and is not compatible with me. I used my internal energy to suppress the poison it is only in my lower body so death does not await me yet." He had an idea, "Save Sheng Lu... put this soul who is willing into his body."
Zhang Lu looked over at the scrawny body of the half dead boy and complained,"Who is willing?"
Fang Chao said "Shhh.. I will train you..and strengthen the body."
Zhang Lu felt this bastard was more shameless than any one he had ever met. But if nothing he is a man who will take the easy road.
He gazes at the boy laying on the ground with a scrutinizing look. The boy's face is turning blue but his facial features are good, like a teenage Dylan Wang. Well, better a willing body than an unwilling one who definitely would resist and destroy my soul if he gets a chance.
The Old Master looked at Sheng Lu and his serious expression revealed his thoughts. The boy won't survive the time it takes to burn an incense stick. He was hesitant, he looked at Fang Chao who has always been a troublemaker since he was young. Only that brat would cause him this anxiety. If he transfers the soul there is no guarantee it will be accepted by Sheng Lu's body, the gods sent it into Fang Chao.
Does he want to mess with the gods' decision? Well, he looked at Fang Chao's handsome face that at this moment had an unnatural pleading look plastered on it.
Staring at the flawless face that rivaled the gods he sighed. That boy is too handsome, even I get enthralled by him...
Fu Wan had tiptoed around the gods for his entire existence not wanting to anger them. Now for this boy he raised he was willing to test the gods' limits. His face was tense as he looked over at Sheng Lu.
Sheng Lu was listening and nodded his head in agreement, he knew his time is up. If even a remnant of himself can stay in this world he was willing to use his body as a shell for this traveling soul.
The Old Master summoned the power within his body that had been dormant for a century. He slowly waved his bony and withered hands over Fang Chao.
Zhang Lu felt pressure as he was being pulled out of Fang Chao's body. Well, at least this body and I share a name, maybe I will have an affinity with him.
Fu Wan condenses Zhang Lu's soul into a small glimmering ball and quickly inserts it into Sheng Lu's mouth as he takes his last breath.