Niujia Village

"Hiss! This is downright uncanny."

Xiao Ran sucked in a sharp breath. On the way here, he had watched the other man for quite a while, but the feeling Li Ji gave him was completely different from that of an ordinary ghost.

How to put it...

Li Ji didn't have the Death Qi unique to ghosts.

This was the first time Xiao Ran had ever mistaken a ghost for something else.

Sometimes ghosts hid in the shadows and, at first glance, looked no different from ordinary people. But there was still a difference—a very significant one. In particular, that Death Qi clinging to them was impossible for any ghost to escape.

This Death Qi constantly devoured the thoughts of Yin Souls. Some ghosts who had been around for a long time couldn't even think clearly anymore. They were muddleheaded, acting on instinct.

But Li Ji, whom he had just encountered, was completely different from anyone Xiao Ran had met before.

Even now, he felt that either he had been mistaken, or Li Ji might not actually be dead. After all, it was an empty tomb, and the fact that it held no body didn't prove anything.

"Forget it. Whether he's human or ghost, he didn't hurt me." Xiao Ran shook his head and put the wooden puppet back in the coffin. "But that woman..."

Xiao Ran thought of the woman from earlier. Could she have been crazy?

He casually closed the coffin lid.

He used his backpack as a pillow and leaned against the side of the bed, half lying down. As he listened to the rain pattering outside, a wave of drowsiness came over him, and he drifted off.

Only when a rooster crowed in the distance and a hubbub of murmured voices reached his ears did Xiao Ran suddenly open his eyes.

He saw a blurry shadow moving by the window, and instinctively called out, "Who's there!"

At the sound of his voice, the shadow outside the window immediately withdrew.

But the voices outside grew even louder. He vaguely heard someone calling, "He's awake! He's awake! He really is alive!"

Xiao Ran hurried to his feet. He first glanced at his backpack, then stood up and peered through the window. Quite a few figures were gathered outside.

Once he could make them out, he saw that the people outside the door were both young and old. They didn't seem to mean any harm, so he went over, moved the stool aside, and opened the door.

"..."

As the door swung open, he looked out at a world that seemed veiled in white gauze. The gray mist was so thick that he could barely make out the outlines of the surrounding gray walls and tiled roofs.

Xiao Ran looked up, but there was no sun. It was only a little brighter here than it had been at night.

The villagers had already crowded outside. They were eyeing him with curiosity, but when he stepped out, the villagers who had just been whispering among themselves fell silent.

Being stared at by so many people made Xiao Ran feel uneasy. Just as he stood there, bewildered, a path opened up at the back of the crowd.

Two young children slowly helped an old woman out through the crowd.

Xiao Ran looked the old woman up and down. He couldn't tell how old she was. Beneath a sparse head of silver hair, wrinkles layered over one another across her face. Her clothes had faded, but were clean and neat. Most importantly, they weren't patched.

"Young man, where are you from? Why were you sleeping here?" The old woman's voice was somewhat hoarse, but her tone was very gentle.

"Uh... It suddenly started raining last night, and I got lost. Somehow I ended up here. I saw a house, so I went in to take shelter."

Xiao Ran didn't mention Li Ji. Explaining ghosts and monsters would be a hassle.

At his words, the villagers around them began whispering among themselves.

The old woman gave a cold snort. "Why are you all standing around here? Don't you have lives to get on with? Go do what you're supposed to."

At her words, no one dared to keep crowding around. They scattered in all directions, though Xiao Ran noticed that the villagers still looked at him strangely as they left.

They even seemed to be barely suppressing their delight.

Before Xiao Ran could think any further, the old woman stepped forward and took his hand warmly. "Child, you haven't eaten yet, have you? Come, let's get you something to eat first."

The old woman's hand was cold, but surprisingly strong. Xiao Ran didn't feel right pulling away forcefully, so he could only follow her.

On the way, the old woman was very talkative, holding his hand and asking him all sorts of questions. Xiao Ran merely gave a few casual replies.

There was something strange about the old woman. She was definitely alive, but not only was her hand unusually cold, she also gave off an indescribable smell.

The old woman led him into a courtyard, where a few small dishes had already been set out on the table.

A woman wearing a coarse cloth skirt limped over with steamed buns and hot porridge, then ducked into the kitchen nearby. She occasionally peeked out at Xiao Ran before going back to her work.

The old woman led Xiao Ran to a seat and said with a beaming smile, "Child, eat without worry. This is all proper food. The sun may never reach this place, but that doesn't stop us from growing grain."

As she spoke, the old woman deliberately picked up a bun and began eating it slowly.

As she ate, she gestured for Xiao Ran to hurry up and eat while the food was still hot.

Seeing this, Xiao Ran could only pretend to lift the bowl of porridge to his lips and take a small sip. Then he set down his bowl and chopsticks. "Granny, what kind of place is this? I've never heard of it."

"Ah!"

Seeing that he wasn't going to eat more, the old woman didn't press him. She merely sighed before saying, "This is a Ghost Village."

At the words "Ghost Village," Xiao Ran's expression remained unchanged. He only looked around in confusion.

The old woman thought he had been frightened, and hurried to explain:

"Don't be afraid. We're all alive. This village wasn't originally called Ghost Village. It was called Niujia Slope. It became this way because of an evil woman!"

At the mention of that evil woman, the old woman's eyes filled with hatred.

It turned out that this place had originally been called Niujia Slope, a village famous throughout the surrounding area.

There was a wealthy family in the village. Their son had studied since childhood and grown into a handsome young man. The family's master had asked someone to find him a match: a young lady from the provincial capital named Yang Xuan.

She was said to be learned and considerate, but who would have thought that the woman was promiscuous and cruel as a scorpion?

After marrying into the family, she had an affair with someone. Then, on a rainy night, she hacked her husband to death and poisoned the entire wealthy family.

But when her lover saw how badly things had gotten, he decided to finish the job, killing Yang Xuan and setting fire to the family's home.

"Yang Xuan died, but her Yin Soul wouldn't rest. She became an evil ghost and brought ruin to this village. It rains every night, and during the day, the village is shrouded in white mist. People can come in, but they can't get out. The villagers are trapped here. We neither grow old nor die, and we don't even know what year it is outside anymore."

The old woman's expression turned sorrowful as she finished speaking. Xiao Ran put on a sympathetic expression too, but as for her story...

"I almost believed it."

The Death Qi in this village was very thick. And since he had somehow ended up here, he couldn't afford to fall out with the villagers before he understood what was going on.

"So I can't leave either?"

Xiao Ran looked up at the old woman.

The old woman first nodded, then changed her tone. She grabbed Xiao Ran's hand and said, "Child, I won't hide it from you. Since you've come here, it means the village can still be saved. Help us get rid of this evil ghost, and Niujia Slope will never forget what you've done for us. You'll be able to leave this place too."

"Get rid of an evil ghost? Me?"

Xiao Ran's mouth twitched. He instinctively tried to pull his hand from the old woman's grasp, but she only tightened her grip.

Seeing this, Xiao Ran was about to refuse.

Even if the old woman's story weren't highly suspicious, he still couldn't agree.

The people of an entire village couldn't do anything about her. Did he not know his own limits?

But just as the words were about to leave his throat, a piercing notification suddenly sounded in his ears.

[Main Quest triggered: Help Niujia Village]

Quest conditions: Help Niujia Village escape the curse.

Quest reward: F