Chapter 1: Rebirth in Another World
In the quiet of the night, a fierce storm raged over Wan'an County in the Great Han Dynasty.
*Boom!*
A deafening thunderclap shook the earth, its echoes reverberating through the air.
Lightning tore through the darkness, illuminating the county as if it were daytime.
At the center of the county, facing south, a mansion stood with white lanterns hanging at its entrance. The word "Mourning" was written in bold characters, making it clear that a funeral was being held.
*Whoosh—*
The howling wind caused the two white lanterns to sway violently, their frames clattering against each other.
From a distance, the lanterns flickered with faint, bean-sized flames, their eerie glow dancing in the darkness.
Under the pale light, it was evident that the mansion had long fallen into disrepair. Yet, the lanterns were brand new, their delicate pink paper glowing softly, resembling the smooth, fine skin of a young girl.
In such a fierce storm, the paper covering the lanterns should have been torn apart, and the flames inside should have been extinguished long ago.
But for some reason, no matter how fiercely the wind blew, the flames inside the lanterns flickered wildly but never went out. The lanterns themselves remained intact, their bamboo frames clattering but undamaged.
In the darkness, the lanterns became the only source of light for the dilapidated mansion. The light illuminated the porch, revealing a worn-out plaque covered in a layer of black grime. Through the grime, three faint characters could barely be made out.
Inside the mansion, two figures stood furtively in the courtyard, hunched over with their hands clasped, pacing back and forth uneasily.
They occasionally glanced toward the entrance, then turned their fearful gazes toward the main hall.
The doors of the main hall had been dismantled, and the panels were laid out in the center of the room, each supporting a corpse.
The bodies were covered with white cloths, now stained with blood and emitting a foul stench.
*Boom!*
The thunder continued to roar, and the lanterns at the entrance clattered loudly. Finally, the taller of the two figures couldn't hold back any longer and asked,
"Brother, do you think... do you think something will go wrong?"
From his voice, it was clear that the speaker was quite young, his tone trembling with anxiety.
The other man remained silent for a long time, his hands clasped tightly, his lips pressed together.
Seeing that his brother hadn't responded, the younger man grew impatient and was about to speak again when the older man finally said in a low voice,
"No."
His voice was also young but steadier than his brother's.
"Our plan to divert the disaster was obtained at a high price from 'Master Zhang' at the paper figurine shop." Though he appeared calm, his brother could clearly hear the sound of him swallowing hard, a sign that he, too, was terrified, despite his outward composure.
"Master Zhang said that to completely resolve the curse plaguing the Demon-Suppression Bureau, we must find a leader to take responsibility and draw the attention of the 'thing.' Once it possesses the leader, the disaster will be diverted. After that, whether the leader lives or dies has nothing to do with the rest of the bureau."
The man was clearly trying to reassure himself, using his incessant talking to vent his fear:
"Thanks to Master Zhang's guidance, we've figured out the 'thing's' killing pattern."
*Gulp.* He swallowed again.
"'It' feeds on the life force of its host. Once the life force is drained, the host dies a tragic death."
The younger man was equally terrified and nodded in agreement.
"That's right. With Master Zhang's help, we checked the county records and found a suitable candidate. We brought her into the Demon-Suppression Bureau to take on this disaster."
The older man continued,
"Exactly. Zhao Fusheng's birth date and destiny were perfect. We've already dripped her blood onto the Demon-Suppression Token, and her name has appeared on the bureau's roster. She's now the bureau's leader, and there's no turning back."
"With her taking on the disaster, the 'thing' was drawn to her, and Zhao Fusheng met a tragic end. Her parents also died, and the entire family perished." The younger man added,
"Logically, the disaster should be resolved. But brother, I feel uneasy. It feels like this isn't over."
"Impossible!" The older man immediately refuted,
"You know Master Zhang's reputation. It's said he keeps a minor deity, and his methods are highly effective. If he said the disaster would be diverted, then it will be."
Despite his words, the eerie atmosphere of the night left the man unsettled. As he spoke, he took a few steps toward the main hall, summoning his courage to peek inside.
The hall was pitch black, with only the faint outlines of the three bodies under the white cloths visible.
The bodies showed no signs of movement, and the hall was eerily silent.
*Whoosh—* The wind howled through the hall, swirling around and emitting a low moan, as if someone were softly weeping. The sound sent shivers down the man's spine.
*Crack!*
Lightning streaked across the sky, illuminating the night and revealing the faces of the two brothers.
They were around eighteen or nineteen years old, with identical features. When they faced each other, it was like looking into a mirror.
"Wujiu, go take a look," the older brother said, unable to contain his anxiety.
"L-look at what?" the man named Wujiu stammered.
"You—" Before the older brother could finish, the wind picked up again, slamming the doors shut with a loud *bang*.
The courtyard, which had been dimly lit by the lanterns outside, was now plunged into complete darkness.
The hall, with its three corpses, lay directly ahead.
Most importantly, a ghostly presence was hidden near one of the bodies. As darkness fell, the brothers' hearts raced, pounding in their chests.
The older brother was so frightened he could barely breathe, raising his voice:
"Quick, open the doors and let the light in!"
As he spoke, both brothers recalled the same scene: sitting in Master Zhang's shop, the pale and eerie Master Zhang handed them two lanterns and instructed them,
"These lanterns are made of human skin, and the oil inside is rendered from human fat. As long as the lanterns are lit, the ghost will think you're already dead and won't notice you. It won't trigger its killing rules. Once dawn breaks and the ghost has fulfilled its purpose, it will leave on its own."
Now, with the doors closed and the light blocked, the brothers were thrown into complete darkness. Already on edge, they were terrified out of their wits.
Wujiu's legs gave way, and he nearly collapsed to his knees. The older brother, trying to maintain his composure, barked,
"Hurry up!"
"O-okay—" Wujiu stammered, scrambling toward the doors. Just as he was about to pull them open—
*Crack!* Thunder rumbled, and lightning gathered in the sky.
The lightning seemed to pause above the mansion, and the brothers could even smell the acrid scent of burning electricity. The lightning lingered for a moment before striking the roof with a deafening crash.
The roof tiles shattered, and debris scattered everywhere.
The residual lightning surged downward, aiming for one of the bodies in the center of the hall.
But as the lightning struck the corpse, a soul from another world entered the body.
Zhao Fusheng's memories were still stuck on her overtime work. On this stormy night, she had wanted to finish her tasks and go to bed early when she caught a faint, pungent smell—like a gas leak.
She lived in a subdivided rental apartment, where the landlord had partitioned the space to rent to different tenants. Her neighbors were a middle-aged couple who often fought, and she could sometimes hear the woman's screams late at night.
The walls were thin and offered little soundproofing, so the sounds of their arguments and the woman's cries often disturbed the neighbors.
But everyone was too busy with their own lives to intervene.
When Zhao Fusheng smelled the gas, she frowned and pressed her ear against the wall.
The woman next door wasn't crying tonight. Had something happened?
She hesitated, considering calling the property management to check, when she suddenly heard the woman's low laughter:
"Let's die together—"
Then, with a *click*, the sound of a lighter ignited, and flames erupted instantly.
The powerful blast tore through the wall, engulfing Zhao Fusheng's body in flames. Her consciousness floated upward, and before she blacked out, she thought she heard the sound of thunder and lightning.
A *buzz* of electricity surged through her body, and another voice echoed in her mind: *Restart the Divine Register of Hell.*
*The Divine Register has been activated!*
*The eighteen layers of hell are sealed. Divine positions remain unsealed.*
*Unsealing divine positions... requires merit...*
What did that mean?
What Divine Register? What eighteen layers of hell?
As she was still reeling from the shock, the lightning struck her body, sending jolts through her. She found herself in an unfamiliar mourning hall, with corpses on either side and an open door in the distance...
Zhao Fusheng wondered if she had been struck by lightning, causing her to hallucinate. Then, a flood of unfamiliar memories rushed into her mind like a whirlwind.
The onslaught of memories overwhelmed her, and her vision went dark.
Before she lost consciousness, she heard a man's panicked voice:
"This is bad!"
It really was bad.
Zhao Fusheng thought to herself. She lived alone, and her neighbors were indifferent. If something had happened to her tonight, would anyone even notice and call an ambulance?
With that thought, her consciousness faded into darkness.
Meanwhile, inside the mansion, the twin brothers were in a state of panic.
The divine lightning had pierced through the roof of the main hall.
As they cried out in fear, the lightning struck the body in the center of the room. The corpse jerked violently under the force of the lightning, and the dead girl sat up.
Wujiu, who was about to open the door, froze at the sound and instinctively turned around, just in time to witness the scene.
In the light of the lightning, his eyes met the pale face of the girl.
The white cloth covering her body had been pushed aside, and Zhao Fusheng's corpse sat upright, her eyes wide open, staring directly at him.
"Ah!!!"
The man let out a blood-curdling scream, his legs giving way as he collapsed to the ground, shouting,
"Brother—brother—a ghost! She's turned into a ghost!"
Tonight was already fraught with danger. The Demon-Suppression Bureau had been plagued by a curse for the past two years, and most of its members had died. The situation was dire, and the mansion likely still harbored a ghostly presence.
The brothers were already on edge, and any sudden movement sent them into a panic.
Now, hearing his brother scream about a ghost, the older brother nearly collapsed in fear.
But he forced himself to stay calm and turned to look inside the hall—
At the moment he turned, the girl who had sat up slowly lay back down on the plank, falling back into a deep sleep.
The older brother didn't see Zhao Fusheng sitting up and breathed a sigh of relief. He glared at his hysterical brother and scolded,
"What ghost? Ghosts don't just appear out of nowhere. It was just a thunderclap. How could you be so scared?"
"But I really saw her sit up and stare at me..." Wujiu, who had been crying, looked up at the hall again.
The room was quiet, and the occasional flashes of lightning revealed the three corpses lying in the hall. The image of Zhao Fusheng sitting up seemed like a hallucination.
He rubbed his eyes, still uneasy, when his brother continued to berate him:
"She's already dead! After the incident, her eyes were wide open, and we were the ones who closed them. Don't you remember?"
Wujiu didn't dare argue. The older brother clenched his fists and said,
"Hurry up and open the door. Master Zhang said the light from the human-skin lanterns is special. Only within its glow are we safe. If we leave the 'death zone,' we might trigger the 'thing's' rules and die without knowing how."
Feeling increasingly agitated, the older brother gritted his teeth and said,
"I'll go inside and see if Zhao Fusheng is really dead—" Before he could finish, he mustered his courage and rushed into the hall.
The roof had a large hole, and the cold wind howled through the room. The three corpses lay quietly on the planks.
Perhaps because the three had died tragic deaths, the temperature inside was freezing. It was unclear whether the malevolent presence had left.
The man's heart pounded as he forced himself to look at Zhao Fusheng.
The girl lay motionless.
Perhaps because of the strong wind and the lightning strike that had shattered the roof tiles, the white cloth covering her body had been pushed aside, revealing her pale, lifeless face.
She had died a gruesome death, her life force drained, leaving her with a ghastly appearance. The man, feeling guilty, didn't dare look at her face for too long and quickly glanced at her eyes.
Her eyes were closed, and he sighed in relief, muttering to himself,
"Wujiu must have been scared out of his mind. Her eyes are clearly closed."
Since he didn't dare touch Zhao Fusheng's body or lift the cloth, he didn't notice that the deep wound from her throat to her chest was rapidly healing.
Her chest rose and fell slightly, and her hands and heart gradually warmed. Faint breaths escaped her nostrils.
The man gingerly lifted the cloth and draped it over the girl's face, then quickly retreated from the freezing hall as if fleeing from a plague.
Behind him, a shadowy figure lurking in the darkness hesitated for a moment before retreating back into the shadows.
"It's fine," the man said, relieved, as he stepped out.
He had entered and exited safely, which gave Wujiu the courage to pull the doors open.
But the moment the doors opened, something unexpected happened!
Thank you for reading! 💕
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