Chapter 1: The Female Ghost (1/2)

“Ugh, it hurts!”

Ye Qing struggled to open his eyes, feeling like his whole body was falling apart, every inch of him in pain.

“Ah, Xiao Ye, you’re awake?!”

Suddenly, an elderly man, with graying hair, came to the bedside, looking at Ye Qing with a slightly joyful expression. “Xiao Ye, how do you feel? Are you okay?”

Ye Qing propped himself up with one hand, slowly sitting up, rubbing his aching head. Weakly, he asked, “Who am I? Where am I? What happened?”

The classic three questions of life!

The old man’s face was full of concern and worry. “This is your home! Xiao Ye, what’s wrong with you? Don’t you remember what happened earlier?”

“My home?” Ye Qing rubbed his head, glancing around, only to realize that he was in a strange room.

The room was very simple, with shabby tables and chairs scattered about. The walls, made of dry grass and yellow mud, were cracked with spiderweb-like gaps. Cold wind seeped in through the cracks, giving off an eerie chill that even the thick quilt on his body couldn’t hide.

“This doesn’t look like my home? Where exactly am I?” Ye Qing frowned. When he saw the old man, his eyes filled with shock.

Because he noticed that the old man was dressed in a long robe and had a crown on his head, clearly dressed like someone from ancient times.

“This isn’t my original world?! Did I travel through time?” Ye Qing was totally confused and shook his head. “I just stayed up all night watching a World Cup match, did it really have to be like this?”

Having no memory of what happened before, Ye Qing was filled with doubts, but didn’t rush to ask. After thinking for a moment, he said, “I… my head hurts a bit. I don’t remember anything?”

The old man sighed, his eyes filled with sympathy. “You probably hurt your head. It’s fine, just rest for a few days and you’ll be alright.”

“Sigh, Xiao Ye, I watched you grow up, you’re like a grandson to me. I have to give you some advice, you can’t win against Chen Zheng. Your parents left you that two acres of land, but you can’t keep it; Chen Zheng is not someone you can offend. What’s wrong with selling it to him? Why are you so stubborn?”

As the old man spoke, fragments of memory began to resurface in Ye Qing’s mind. He remembered that this world was a dangerous one, filled with strange and deadly creatures. Only human cities and villages were relatively safe. His parents had been killed by these creatures about two months ago.

After his parents died, Ye Qing was left alone. Yes, this body’s original name was also Ye Qing, and they left him two acres of land, which was quite a large inheritance in this dangerous world.

In this world, where dangers lurked everywhere, farming land was of utmost importance, and the two acres were a valuable asset.

As the saying goes, “A man without guilt, but with precious assets, will face danger.” As soon as Ye Qing’s parents died, a local martial artist named Chen Zheng saw the opportunity and wanted to force him to sell the land. But the price offered was ridiculously low, so Ye Qing refused.

When the sale failed, Chen Zheng resorted to various threats and provocations. Ye Qing, still grieving his parents’ death, was young and impulsive, and when Chen Zheng provoked him again, he lost his temper and took action. However, as an ordinary person, he couldn’t possibly defeat a martial artist, so he was beaten badly and fell unconscious until today.

“Is this what happens when you try to act tough and end up getting beat up?” Ye Qing rubbed his forehead and bitterly smiled. He guessed that the original body had died from the injuries, and his soul had traveled into this body. “What a pathetic way to die!”

The old man saw Ye Qing looking down, saying nothing, and continued, “Xiao Ye, we can’t afford to offend Chen Zheng, you should just give up, okay? Besides, his price isn’t low. Maybe you should sell it after all?”

Ye Qing’s mood grew heavy. He wasn’t in the right state of mind to deal with this, so he casually responded, “Grandpa Cheng, I’ll think about it. I just woke up and my head’s still a bit dizzy.”

Grandpa Cheng was their neighbor, a lonely old man who had been very kind to Ye Qing’s parents. Their families had always gotten along well.

Grandpa Cheng nodded in understanding. His expression softened with concern. “I’m getting old and forgetful. Xiao Ye, you should rest. I’ve left some food in the kitchen. When you’re hungry, heat it up yourself. I’ll head back now.”

“Thank you, Grandpa Cheng!” Ye Qing nodded and thanked him.

Grandpa Cheng waved his hand, leaning on his cane, and slowly walked out of the room. The evening sunlight cast his figure, hunched and lonely.

After Grandpa Cheng left, Ye Qing felt a dull pain in his head again and fell into a drowsy sleep. He didn’t know how long he slept, but was eventually woken up by hunger.

“Is it midnight?”

When he woke up, Ye Qing found himself in complete darkness. A faint moonlight seeped through the narrow gaps of the door and window, but it couldn’t dispel the heavy darkness in the room. It felt like a wild beast was lurking in the shadows—chilling, eerie, and oppressive.

“Where’s the firestarter?”

Ye Qing sat up and, relying on his memory, groped around until he found the firestarter by the bedside. He blew on it with all his strength, and the orange flame flickered weakly in the dark. Suddenly, a cold, eerie air swept past him, and the flame immediately went out.

“Ugh…” The chilling sensation brushed against Ye Qing’s body, making him feel freezing and he couldn’t help but cough.

“Ha… ha…” Ye Qing blew on it again, and the flame flickered on and off, while the eerie cold air lingered around him, refusing to dissipate, making the whole room even more oppressive and terrifying.

Ye Qing shuddered, looking around cautiously. He had the unsettling feeling that something was watching him.

He swallowed nervously, steadied his breath, shielded the firestarter with his left hand, took a deep breath, and blew hard. With a “pop,” the firestarter burst into an orange flame, dispelling the darkness.