Chapter 1: The Poison Immortal Reborn

Jiangning City, Dongjiang Province.

In the mortuary of the First Hospital of Dongjiang Province, a ghostly butterfly fluttered inside and came to rest atop a mortuary cabinet.

“Liang Wende, your people didn’t do a thorough job. They only managed to turn him into a vegetable, brain-dead at best, still hanging on by a thread,” said Jiang Ping’an, his expression grave, dressed in a white coat as he gazed calmly at the young man, Zhuang Zhou, lying inside the cabinet.

“Doctor Jiang, there was nothing more we could do, but at least the task is done. He’s lying right here, isn’t he?” Liang Wende, rotund and obsequious, forced a fawning smile.

Jiang Ping’an shot him a cold glare. “This kind of work demands precision. From a medical perspective, a brain-dead vegetable is still alive, not yet dead. Because your people were careless, I had to step in myself and clean up your mess.”

“But Doctor Jiang, your goal’s achieved, hasn’t it? He’s truly dead now, isn’t he?” Liang Wende watched Jiang Ping’an’s face, cautious and eager for affirmation.

Jiang Ping’an’s face remained impassive. “So it seems.”

Liang Wende’s eyes lit up. Rubbing his hands with anticipation, he ventured, “Then, about what you promised me? The little nurse?”

“She’s yours. Remember, keep quiet about it. Don’t go too far—no one must die,” Jiang Ping’an replied, his gaze never leaving Zhuang Zhou’s face.

“Thank you, Doctor Jiang! Thank you!” Liang Wende said, overjoyed, and hurriedly left.

Jiang Ping’an pulled out his phone from his white coat, looked at Zhuang Zhou’s lifeless body, and dialed a number. “It’s done. The target is dead.”

There was only silence from the other end. Jiang Ping’an ended the call and walked out of the mortuary.

The mortuary, now silent, was disturbed only by the flutter of the ghost butterfly as it descended, alighting on Zhuang Zhou’s delicate, lifeless face. The black wings bore a pair of sinister, blood-red serpent eyes, and in a sudden moment, the ghost butterfly vanished into the center of Zhuang Zhou’s brow.

The young man, lifeless just moments before, suddenly opened his eyes. His irises now burned with the same crimson serpent pupils as the butterfly’s wings—strange and otherworldly.

A bizarre car accident had left Zhuang Zhou comatose, and after scarcely a day in the ICU, he’d been declared brain-dead. Without the usual autopsy procedures, he was sent directly to the mortuary—clearly, someone wanted him dead.

“Zhuang Zhou, what powerful enemy have you angered, to be silenced like this?” he murmured to himself.

By now, his soul was fusing fully with his body. In another world, he’d been the unrivaled Poison Immortal. In this world, he was a struggling medical student at Dongjiang Medical University.

This young man had been cowardly and bullied, the butt of every joke—a hopeless case if ever there was one.

Suddenly, his blood-red pupils narrowed, and he mused aloud, “No wonder my Ghost Nine Needles ended up in your hands. It’s no surprise you were silenced. Whoever possesses that thing is doomed.”

His soul now wholly merged with the body, yet the mastermind behind his death remained a mystery.

Zhuang Zhou rolled his stiff neck, turned his pallid face to glance at the death certificate attached to his body bag, and noted the signature of the attending physician: Jiang Ping’an.

He snorted coldly. Jiang Ping’an was clearly a clue.

Zhuang Zhou left the mortuary, relying on the original Zhuang Zhou’s memories, and made his way to the ICU. There, at the entrance to the ward, his mother lay asleep in the chilly corridor. Anger surged within him, and his fists clenched tight.

His mother had fainted from grief after his accident, but now, in the bleak winter, she’d been left alone in the frigid hospital hall, uncared for.

Assigned to watch over his mother was Nurse Lin Wen, the gentle, beautiful neighbor who lived in the same apartment building.

Suddenly, a lewd voice drifted from inside the ward, “Nurse Lin, I’ve admired you for a long time.”

Zhuang Zhou frowned. The voice was all too familiar—it was Manager Liang from the mortuary. Zhuang Zhou tried the door, but it was locked from the inside. At that moment, Lin Wen’s cry of distress rang out.

There was no time to think. Zhuang Zhou stepped back and kicked the door hard, leaving a deep dent in the security door.

A searing pain shot up his foot, and he grimaced. This body was still too weak.

Ignoring the pain, Zhuang Zhou kicked again.

Bang!

The door flew open. Inside, Liang Wende was roughly tearing at the girl’s clothes. Her nurse’s uniform and the blouse beneath were already ripped, exposing a pale pink bra. She struggled desperately, her mouth smothered by the fat man’s hand, tears welling in her eyes.

The girl was Lin Wen.

Fury blazed in Zhuang Zhou’s heart. He barked coldly, “Stop!”

“What the hell? Who dares ruin my fun? I’ll—” Liang Wende began, but as he looked up and saw Zhuang Zhou, it was as if he’d seen a ghost. Terrified, he froze—was this a corpse come to life?

Taking advantage of his shock, Lin Wen broke free from Liang Wende’s clutches, rushed to Zhuang Zhou, and, tears streaming, began to straighten her disheveled clothes. “Xiao Zhuang! He took your hospital bed and tried to assault me!”

“Sister Lin, don’t worry. I’m here. You’re safe now.”

“Get out!” Zhuang Zhou snapped at Liang Wende.

Liang Wende, startled at first, quickly tried to regain his composure. He didn’t know where things had gone wrong—this guy should be dead. But surely Zhuang Zhou didn’t know it was him who’d orchestrated the attack. Relieved at the thought, Liang Wende redirected his anger toward the one who had ruined his plans.

“We’ll settle our score another time, Manager Liang. For now, it’s you who should leave,” Zhuang Zhou said.

Liang Wende’s heart skipped a beat at Zhuang Zhou’s words.

Forcing a smile and trying to appear calm, Liang Wende slumped onto the hospital bed and said, “You want me to leave? Let me tell you, I paid for this bed. Money talks, and I like staying right here. The bed is comfortable, the company beautiful, and I might just renew my stay for another year or two. What can you do about it?”

“Zhuang Zhou, don’t bother with this scoundrel, let’s just go,” Lin Wen urged from behind.

“Go? Where to? Nurse Lin, I’m the patient; you’re the nurse. You should be here to serve me, understand? And you can’t hide from me forever,” Liang Wende said, confidence returning. After all, if he’d managed to kill Zhuang Zhou once, what was there to fear if he had to do it again? Lin Wen, too, had no background, no money, no boyfriend—given enough cash, she would eventually surrender to him.

As for Zhuang Zhou, Liang Wende was only surprised that he wasn’t dead. Any threat from him was laughable; both of them, in his eyes, were soft targets to be crushed at will.

“So, you really want to keep this hospital bed?”

“Yes, I do! This is my bed, and nobody—not even the king of heaven—can kick me out of it!” Liang Wende declared, arrogant as ever.

“Is that so?” Zhuang Zhou struggled to suppress the fury boiling within. Did they really take him for a pushover? Did they think Zhuang Zhou was still the coward he once was?

“What if you left of your own accord?”

“Have you lost your mind? With a lovely nurse like this to look after me, only a fool would leave,” Liang Wende sneered.

Zhuang Zhou’s anger cooled, a chilling calm settling over him. He still needed this fat man to answer his questions. “Very well, since you won’t leave, don’t blame me for what happens next.”

“What, you want to use force? This is a law-abiding society. If you so much as touch me, I’ll call the police!” Liang Wende said, feigning composure.

“Hitting you would only dirty my hands,” Zhuang Zhou said, disdainful.

“Zhuang Zhou, there are cameras in the ICU. Don’t get physical!” Lin Wen warned him kindly.

“Don’t worry, Sister Lin. I won’t lay a finger on him,” Zhuang Zhou replied, turning to her with a sudden, radiant smile. “Let me play a tune for you. I think you’ll like it.”

With that, Zhuang Zhou began to whistle. The melody was strange—at its peaks, like the wailing of ghosts; at its lows, like the wriggling of worms. Though it seemed ordinary, it grated on the ear, and its dissonance stirred a growing irritation in the mind. Lin Wen found it unpleasant, even unbearable.

Soon, shrill cries echoed from the distant hallway, and the clatter of objects being knocked to the ground grew nearer, adding to the din. Behind him, Lin Wen let out a startled cry. As she glanced toward the door, she instinctively pressed closer to Zhuang Zhou, and he instantly felt the softness of her body against his back.

Forcing himself to focus, Zhuang Zhou continued to whistle. In that moment, two snakes slithered into the ward.

One was a banded krait, the other a silver-banded viper.