C1 Medicinal Second Generation

"Score the deal of the year at Ganoderma Hall—just three Spirit Stones to become our esteemed VIP member. Say goodbye to consultation fees and hello to half-price on all medicinal herbs!"

"Three Spirit Stones—no regrets, no tricks, just three Spirit Stones!"

"Last chance! Today marks the final day of our member-exclusive event. Don't let it slip away!"

...

The streets were teeming with life as Lin Yu, clad in simple homespun, clutched a bundle of flyers, his voice booming as he hawked the promotion.

Under the relentless sun, he was met with indifference. His voice hoarse, sweat pooling on the parched ground.

Ganoderma Hall, once a bustling three-story pharmacy complete with a clinic and a serene courtyard, now hung a gilded sign that bore testimony to its former glory.

Alas...

Yesterday's triumphs were just that—yesterday's. Ganoderma Hall teetered on the brink of closure, its doors unvisited and its herbs gathering dust for the last six months.

"Sigh."

With a heavy heart, Lin Yu mopped the sweat from his brow and settled on the entrance steps, his gaze following the passersby, a deep melancholy taking hold.

If he couldn't scrape together his sister's tuition soon, she would be cast out of Heavenly Cloud Academy. In a land like the Heavenly Sun Continent, where martial prowess and magical mastery were held in the highest esteem, his sister's opportunity to train as a Magic Arts Master at the academy was the Lin family's most cherished fortune.

Truth be told, Lin Yu wasn't native to this world. He had journeyed here from a place known as Earth Village, where in his past life, he was a humble internet café manager.

His work was thankless, his earnings meager, and his love life had taken a turn for the worse when his girlfriend left him for a rich man's BMW on his birthday night.

Heartbroken and enraged, he was working the graveyard shift when an unknown culprit downloaded illicit material, bringing the café's network—and his former life—to a grinding halt.

To avoid a scolding from his boss, he tirelessly worked through the night, running antivirus scans on a succession of computers. As dawn approached and he was on the verge of completion, the final computer malfunctioned. Each time he attempted a virus scan, it would freeze at 99%. Pressing the restart button was futile; his only option was to yank the power cord. Unfortunately, the knockoff power strip was faulty, and then...

Suddenly, he found himself transmigrated!

The body he now inhabited also bore the name Lin Yu, a second-generation medicine heir in Heavenly Cloud City. His father, a revered third-grade Spirit Medicine Master, was held in high esteem.

Lin Yu's sister possessed an innate talent for cultivation, studying the esteemed profession of Magic Arts Master at Heavenly Cloud Academy from a young age.

Lin Yu, however, was born with atypical meridians and channels. He couldn't even practice as a Body Tempering Master, the most basic of cultivators on the Heavenly Sun Continent, let alone become a Magic Arts Master. Despite learning medicine under his father's guidance since childhood, his limited aptitude meant he had barely scratched the surface after more than a decade.

Roughly a year prior, his father ventured alone into the mountains outside Heavenly Cloud City, seeking a spirit medicine to cure Lin Yu's congenital meridian blockage. He has been missing ever since.

With subpar medical skills and insufficient experience, compounded by a medical mishap six months ago, the three-century-old reputation of Ganoderma Hall was in ruins, teetering on the brink of closure.

As a transmigrator, Lin Yu had devoured countless web novels back on Earth, where protagonists would invariably rise from mediocrity to greatness, wielding miraculous powers to conquer continents and reach life's zenith. Yet, here he was, half a year into his transmigration.

Confirmed as a bona fide underachiever.

But where was his miraculous power?

Not even a hint of it. Was he destined to continue his previous life's lackluster existence in this new world?

"Hey, Little Yu, running a discount sale, are we? Looks like you're not drawing much of a crowd!" A woman's voice, laced with schadenfreude and mockery, called out to him.

Lee Chaohua is Lin Yu's paternal second aunt.

Lin Yu's father, Lin Wen, had one brother. A decade ago, upon the death of their father, Lin Wen ousted his brother, Lin Dong, for his unethical medical practices, and inherited the family's Ganoderma Hall.

Since then, Lin Dong and his wife have run a modest apothecary on the city's western edge, all the while eyeing the Ganoderma Hall, the Lin family's legacy. They never dared to make a move while Lin Wen was alive. But with the eldest brother missing for over a year, his fate unknown, they've become emboldened.

Indeed, the medical mishap that befell Lin Yu six months prior was deeply connected to Lin Dong and his wife. Overwhelmed by the ordeal, the original Lin Yu's soul had been displaced.

Recognizing Lee Chaohua's voice, Lin Yu didn't even lift his head. Having assimilated the host body's memories, he harbored no fondness for his scheming second aunt.

Undeterred by Lin Yu's indifference, Lee Chaohua approached with a beaming smile. Nearing forty, with a prominent mole at the corner of her mouth and a full figure, she cooed, "The term at Heavenly Cloud Academy is drawing to a close. I imagine Linger's tuition for next year hasn't been fully gathered, has it? On the Heavenly Sun Continent, the mastery of magic arts is paramount. Linger has the chance to train as a Magic Arts Master—a blessing our Lin family has cultivated for generations. Should she succeed, Linger's future will be one of distinction."

Then, with a calculated shift in tone, she adopted a look of sympathy, "If Linger were to be expelled over unpaid tuition, it would be a lifelong regret. Moreover, with her tenacious spirit, becoming a Magic Arts Master is her dream. Should that dream be shattered prematurely, who knows what might happen..."

"It's none of your concern!" Lin Yu snapped, finally looking up with a frosty glare fixed on Lee Chaohua.

"Heh..."

Lee Chaohua remained unfazed, her smile unwavering as she spoke, "Little Yu, one must adapt to the times. With your father gone, you're now the head of the household. You need to consider Linger's future.

Furthermore, Ganoderma Hall won't survive under your care. Your second uncle and I can't stand by and watch the Lin family's legacy crumble. The initial offer we made was admittedly low. I'll discuss it with your second uncle again once I'm back. We're family, after all, so I'm prepared to raise the offer."

A month prior, Lee Chaohua had attempted to buy Ganoderma Hall at a price well below its market value. The establishment's reputation had taken a severe hit following a medical mishap six months earlier. Even if Lin Yu had been inclined to sell, fetching the market price would have been out of the question.

But the price Lee Chaohua proposed was downright offensive, prompting Lin Yu to send her packing.

"Not for sale!"

Lin Yu's voice was firm. Setting aside his issues with his scheming second aunt, as someone who had journeyed across worlds, he wasn't about to sell off his ancestral property at the drop of a hat.

Even without a so-called 'golden finger,' he was still a transmigrator, and he refused to let go of that transmigrator's pride!

Ding...

A sound echoed in his mind, reminiscent of a gentle piano key being struck, its delicate, melodious tone followed by a soft, lingering echo.

Then, the dark expanse of his consciousness suddenly brightened. Initially dim, the light flickered twice before revealing a computer to Lin Yu.

The monitor was frozen at 99% on an antivirus scan, just shy of completion, yet hopelessly stuck.

This...

A jolt of energy surged through Lin Yu. Was this his 'golden finger'? The very computer responsible for his soul's journey to another world?

Damn it!

As he came to his senses, Lin Yu felt a surge of frustration. In his past life, he had read countless web novels where the 'golden finger' was a mark of greatness. What was this, the worst computer out of over a hundred in an internet cafe?

Back on Earth, he was a computer repairman. Surely, he wasn't destined to continue fixing computers here on the Heavenly Sun Continent...