A World That Feeds on Ghosts

The faint morning light illuminated the vast rivers stretching for a thousand miles.

A few lonely boats drifted on the water, and the faint sound of fishermen singing their songs could be heard as they headed towards Jialiang Water Town's Peibai City, their catches full.

Peibai City, a town at the crossroads of the water town, had a permanent population of over 100,000, and today was the first early market of spring.

Frost covered the old city, with shops clustered around the market.

People bustled through the streets and alleys, and goods were continuously being delivered by boat to the docks, with a few constables standing by to observe.

An old man and a young man led a mule, buying fresh seasonal vegetables along the street.

"A He."

"Dad, what is it?"

The old man called down, and the seventeen or eighteen-year-old youth responded.

"A He, you haven't been in Peibai long, so be sharp, watch the mule, and don't let the neighborhood kids pick your pockets."

"Got it, Dad."

"Good."

The old man greeted the vendors at each stall one by one.

Song, the fish vendor, teased, "Yang San, you've brought your son to Peibai, looks like you made quite a bit of silver last year."

"Not at all. My wife died early, and he's a late child. If I don't bring him, my elder brother might find it bothersome." Old Man Yang patted the mule's hindquarters, raising his head with a slight air of pride.

"Let's go, we still have some work to do."

He knew all the vendors in the market and skillfully inquired about the prices of seasonal vegetables, occasionally buying a few bundles without haggling.

Yang He led the mule, following closely, taking in the sights of the ancient Jiangnan town.

Two months ago, Yang He had been living in a technologically advanced metropolis.

After waking up from a sleep, he had replaced the original owner who had fallen off a cliff and died. During his recovery, he only managed to understand that the world he was in was incredibly unfamiliar.

It seemed the dynasty was the Great Si, which had already lasted for over two thousand years.

"A He, come here and take a look. There's a knack to choosing seasonal vegetables."

Yang He came back to his senses, and Old Man Yang gestured to the vegetable stall, passing on his experience. "For the freshness of early spring's March greens, first look at the vibrant green color, second, the plump leaves, and third is..."

He then handed over copper coins and bought a few pounds of greens, which were then wrapped.

Old Man Yang worked as a vegetable merchant, responsible for delivering seasonal vegetables to restaurants and residences. Naturally, he hoped Yang He would inherit his father's business.

Yang He suddenly remembered the purpose of their trip.

"Dad, aren't we going to deliver goods to the Blackwater Martial Arts Hall later?"

Old Man Yang nodded. "A He, you're getting older. Otherwise, I would have sent you to a martial arts hall to build a foundation. Alas, we only recently started having some surplus."

Yang He was very interested in martial arts and had come to Peibai with the intention of experiencing martial arts.

He had heard that martial artists could leap over walls and walk on rooftops, shatter giant stones with a single palm, and take enemy generals' heads amidst thousands of soldiers with their weapons, cultivating both internal and external strength and even extending their lifespan.

As a transmigrator, how could he miss out on the mysterious martial arts?

Suddenly, a commotion arose.

Yang He looked towards the entrance of the market, his expression becoming somewhat strange.

A thousand people were surging towards the market entrance, and people from other districts were also rushing over.

Old Man Yang immediately noticed that a merchant caravan's carts were transporting seven large vats, containing live creatures, and they were being successively placed on the open ground.

"Dad, what is this..."

"A He, you're new here and haven't seen a marvel before, have you? Come on, let's broaden your horizons!"

The father and son squeezed into the crowd, and their mule saved them considerable effort.

"A marvel?"

Yang He's tone was complex, and his gaze was lost as he stared ahead.

"Once plants, beasts, and birds absorb the essence of the sun and moon, they transform into marvels. Martial artists consume marvels to strengthen their essence and produce blood, while ordinary people cannot tolerate the nourishment."

Old Man Yang rambled on, emphasizing that marvels were all valuable.

Yang He's breathing quickened, not out of excitement for seeing the marvels, but mainly because the golden finger he had in both his lives had suddenly stirred.

A line of text surged before his eyes, and a panel began to reveal itself.

[Spiritual Vision: 0.2 points]

[Your eyesight is slightly better than average, and you are no longer troubled by eye-related illnesses.]

For twenty-four years, in both his past and present lives, his Spiritual Vision had always been 0.1 points, mainly manifesting as excellent eyesight, which was somewhat of a chicken rib.

Until the appearance of the marvels, his Spiritual Vision had actually begun to increase.

[Spiritual Vision: 0.3 points]

Yang He had not taken many steps before his Spiritual Vision increased again inexplicably. Whether it was an illusion or not, the noise of the market was gradually fading into silence.

"A He, it's a Treasure Fish!" Old Man Yang said, leaning closer.

The merchant caravan's martial artists smashed seven large vats, and the water, carrying living creatures, spilled onto the open ground.

The crowd erupted in a commotion. Inside the vats were plump, meter-long koi.

The koi were covered in overgrown flesh tumors, their eyes unnaturally facing the sky, their bellies like balloons, about to burst.

[Spiritual Vision: 0.5 points]

A chill ran down Yang He's spine. Looking at the Treasure Fish, he felt an inexplicable dread.

Old Man Yang explained, "Marvels like Treasure Fish often appear around Jialiang Water Town. Their stomachs are excellent material for making leather armor, and their meat is also a rare delicacy for martial artists."

Yang He heard the surrounding discussions, and the sudden shock in his heart intensified.

"How rare! Usually, Treasure Fish only appear in large numbers when the water town floods. Tsk, tsk, tsk, why are they here three to four months early this year?"

"Who knows."

"Treasure Fish are the most gluttonous. They eat whatever they see, and in two to three years, they'll stuff themselves to death. Fuyang Merchant Association has quite the display."

"Treasure, treasure, I heard someone found gold in a fish's stomach. I don't know if it's true."

[Spiritual Vision: 0.7 points]

Yang He was in a daze. The street before his eyes seemed to be churning with mist. The smell emanating from the Treasure Fish grew more pungent, yet others seemed oblivious.

Old Man Yang noticed his son's unusual state and felt his forehead.

"Are you alright?"

"I'm fine, just feeling a bit suffocated."

Old Man Yang licked his lips and said, "Dealing with Treasure Fish is extremely troublesome. Their meat must be processed while they are still alive. If they die beforehand, most of the nutrients will be lost."

"It's not bad to learn a thing or two from the merchants."

Shopkeeper Chen cupped his hands, eliciting cheers from the crowd. "Fellow villagers! I am Chen Baosheng of the Fuyang Merchant Association."

"The Treasure Fish have already been pre-ordered by the major Martial Arts Halls. You can all try your luck for some good fortune."

"Whatever is found in the fish's stomach, regardless of its value, will be given to you all!"

The crowd bustled, and the entire market was drawn by the actions of the Fuyang merchant caravan.

"Open them up!!"

Guard Chen shouted loudly. Seven butchers took out long knives and slit open the bellies of the Treasure Fish, revealing flesh as white and smooth as mutton-fat jade.

Martial artists caught the fish blood in wooden basins and quickly helped the butchers with the dismemberment.

[Spiritual Vision: 0.9 points]

Yang He's head buzzed. His temples throbbed intensely. He could feel the source of the surge in his Spiritual Vision—something within the fish's stomach.

Plop.

Stones and aquatic plants surged from the fish's stomach, occasionally mixed with a few animal bones.

[Spiritual Vision: 1 point]

[You possess 1 point of Spiritual Vision, allowing you to see a part of the world's essence. Remember, do not be discovered by ghosts. Those who see ghosts are utterly annihilated.]

Yang He's pupils contracted. It felt as if a hole had opened in the crown of his head, a chilling sensation flooding him.

His legs felt weak, and everything in his vision underwent a dramatic change.

Peibai City was still Peibai City, but it now appeared eerie and terrifying.

Yang He noticed that the Treasure Fish being dismembered by the butchers were no longer koi.

Through his Spiritual Vision, he saw:

The Treasure Fish had transformed into grotesque, half-human, half-fish monsters. Their bodies were emaciated, their bellies swollen like drums, and they mumbled incoherently.

"Hungry, hungry..."

[Hungry Ghost]

[A Hungry Ghost who died drinking water. In life, they were starving but only had raw water to drink, and were stuffed to death. After death, their resentment did not dissipate, and they transformed into a ghost.]

The butchers skillfully cut open their bellies. The Hungry Ghost opened its mouth wide, offering no resistance.

In fact, it seemed... excited? Excited to welcome death?

Yang He looked around. All sorts of sharp whispers echoed in his ears.

He belatedly realized that he wasn't in the living world at all, but in hell!

In the corners of the alleys, more than a dozen Head Lantern Ghosts drifted about. On the rooftops, Qi-Eating Ghosts with elongated necks clung to the eaves. In the river, a Long-Haired Ghost drifted with the current. The most outrageous was the pharmacy.

The pharmacy's apprentices were drying white atractylodes that resembled eyeballs, dried fruits shaped like organs, ginseng with facial features, and astragalus that continuously bled...

All the medicinal herbs related to marvels were actually derived from ghosts!

"The martial artists in this world are using ghosts as potent medicine!!"

Yang He clutched his head. Perhaps all these abnormalities were caused by his Spiritual Vision? Were they all hallucinations?

No.

Better to believe it exists than to not believe it exists.

According to the Spiritual Vision prompt, "[Those who see ghosts die from being devoured]" indicates that directly seeing ghosts is absolutely not a good thing.

Humans and ghosts are separated by a thin veil; if that veil is pierced, there will likely be no bones left.

The only thing to do is to pretend not to see!

Yang He suppressed his distracting thoughts, realizing that the object causing his Spiritual Vision to grow was crucial. His golden finger was his sole reliance for survival.

"Huh?!"

A butcher made a mistake, and before he could even attempt to fix it, the Treasure Fish died.

From a normal perspective, the Treasure Fish shriveled up at a speed visible to the naked eye.

Shopkeeper Chen smiled helplessly, not blaming the butcher.

However, what Yang He saw was different. A crack split open on the Treasure Fish's back, as if a ghost was emerging from its corpse, and then it abruptly vanished.

"If the handling of a marvel fails, a new ghost is born? No wonder there are stray ghosts everywhere."

Yang He gritted his teeth and stooped to push his way into the crowd scrambling for the scattered items.

"Dad, I'm going to get a good luck charm."

"Don't be reckless!"

Old Man Yang waited anxiously. After a long while, he saw his younger son return in a sorry state.

Yang He gasped for air, clutching a lotus seed in his palm. The lotus seed looked unremarkable on the outside, and his Spiritual Vision had settled on 1.2 points.

[Mundane item: Lotus Born Lotus]

[Associated lore: Ghost Lotus, consume 1 point of Spiritual Vision to enter the lore world?]