Gate of Space

Yan Chixia's expression shifted. "Not good—he's trying to suck out our souls. Quick, chant the Prajnaparamita with me. A calm heart brings the Buddha within!"

With that, he began to recite.

"Prajnapara..."

An Yang ignored him, casually flipping open the Diamond Sutra. Yellowed pages flew on the wind toward the Black Mountain Old Demon, each covered in incomprehensible Sanskrit.

The Black Mountain Old Demon was still trying to pull in An Yang and Yan Chixia's souls, but instead, he sucked in sheets of paper. They stuck to his body, searing with fiery pain!

"What is this... the Diamond Sutra!"

An Yang suddenly broke free of Yan Chixia, using the immense suction to fly forward. He yanked out the Xuanyuan Divine Sword and drove it with all his strength into the Black Mountain Old Demon's skull.

Shiiick!

The Black Mountain Old Demon's gray robe burst open, revealing countless human heads inside. But before he could unleash his power, he exploded with a thunderous blast, turning into a blazing fireball.

"BOOM!"

The surrounding Underworld Soldiers, seeing this, scattered in terror.

An Yang breathed a sigh of relief and plopped down on the ground. He spotted a black bead lying there, picked it up, and felt an icy chill in his hand. Frowning, he muttered, "This bead wasn't in the original story!"

Yan Chixia stared blankly at An Yang until he walked over, then said with deep emotion, "Brother An Yang, I never expected you to be not only loyal and righteous but also extraordinary in courage and wit. Dealing with the Thousand-Year Tree Demon and the Black Mountain Old Demon—it was all thanks to you. I, Yan Chixia, truly chose the right friend!"

An Yang waved his hand. "It's nothing, Brother Yan. First, take a look at what this bead is!"

"A bead?"

Yan Chixia looked at the black bead in his hand. When he picked it up, a shiver ran through him. After examining it for a long time, he said, "Such heavy demonic aura. This must be the Black Mountain Old Demon's Demon Core. Only demons with a thousand years of Taoist practice have such a thing. It's useless to humans, but to demons and ghosts, it's invaluable!"

An Yang finally understood. So that's why this item never appeared in the original plot—only demons and ghosts could use it. His eyes lit up. "Can Xiaoqian use it?"

Yan Chixia gave Nie Xiaoqian a deep look. "Of course she can. With this bead, she can shed the shackles of the Golden Pagoda and use the bead as her vessel. She can also absorb the Black Mountain Old Demon's power, cultivating at a thousand miles a day until she becomes a thousand-year female ghost!"

An Yang understood his meaning. "Rest assured, Brother Yan. Xiaoqian is kind by nature, and with me around, she won't harm anyone!"

Meeting Yan Chixia's gaze, Nie Xiaoqian flustered, covering her pale face with her hand. "Venerable Taoist, I won't harm anyone anymore."

Yan Chixia withdrew his gaze and looked back at An Yang. "Very well. I trust Brother An Yang can keep her in check."

Nie Xiaoqian glanced at An Yang, a strange shyness rising in her, and quickly hid her face behind a lotus-fingered hand.

An Yang held the Demon Core. "How should I use this?"

Yan Chixia said, "If you want to use the Demon Core as Nie Xiaoqian's vessel, just give it to her. You can discard the Golden Pagoda, or keep it as a memento if you like. As for the Black Mountain Old Demon's Taoist practice and power, Nie Xiaoqian will know how to absorb it herself. Once she refines the Demon Core into a Ghost Core, she can be called a thousand-year female ghost and move about in daylight."

An Yang's eyes brightened. He naturally hoped Nie Xiaoqian wouldn't fear sunlight. "How long will it take to digest this Demon Core?"

"At least a year, at most three to five, or even seven to eight."

"That long?"

Yan Chixia shot him a glare, his thick beard and downturned brows making him look quite fierce. "Someone else cultivated for a thousand years to gain this power, and you get it in a few years—yet you still complain about the time!"

An Yang gave an awkward laugh, handed the Demon Core to Nie Xiaoqian, and draped his arm over Yan Chixia's shoulder, pulling him toward the main hall. "Now that everything's settled, let's go drink!"

"Ow... you're pressing on my wound!"

Nie Xiaoqian picked up the Demon Core, then hugged the urn from the ground, following meekly behind An Yang.

An Yang took out a sniper rifle, shot a wild boar in the woods, grabbed Yan Chixia's Xuanyuan Divine Sword, pried off a door panel from the side hall, and chopped it into firewood. He lit a fire, cut off the boar's two hind legs, and started roasting them.

And indeed, a sword that could cut through iron was something else—its wood-chopping efficiency was unmatched.

He pulled out two bottles of high-proof Maotai, originally meant to be used as Molotov cocktails, but now for drinking.

After a few swigs, Yan Chixia's mind grew hazy, his old face flushed red. "If... if the Patriarch knew you used my Xuanyuan Divine Sword to chop firewood, he'd crawl out of the underworld and skin you alive!"

"Bullshit. If he were still in the underworld and could see this, would he have let the Black Mountain Old Demon run rampant and nearly swallow you whole?"

"Ha... haha, true enough. But you're something else, bagging a wild boar in the dead of night. The hunters I used to know couldn't do that."

An Yang glanced at Nie Xiaoqian beside him and said calmly, "I didn't shoot it. That was Xiaoqian's doing."

Yan Chixia suddenly understood. "I was wondering how a scholar like you had that skill. But... I don't recall seeing Nie Xiaoqian go out with you."

Nie Xiaoqian looked at An Yang in surprise, a flicker of doubt in her eyes, but she didn't ask.

She had already taken on the role of a wife—or rather, a concubine, given her status. A wife's duty was to mind her own business, and a concubine dared not question a man's affairs.

That was how ancient women were.

An Yang raised his cup with a smile. "Haha, you're drunk. Better drink more."

After three rounds of wine, the two bottles of Maotai were nearly empty. Both were drowsy, especially Yan Chixia, unaccustomed to distilled spirits. He'd drunk the most—probably one and a half bottles had gone down his throat.

Nie Xiaoqian helped An Yang upstairs, dutifully removing his clothes and shoes, wringing out a cloth to wipe him clean, then lying beside him, watching him as he fell asleep.

"Cock-a-doodle-doo..."

A rooster's crow rang out, and An Yang's eyes snapped open, his groggy mind clearing as he found the space beside him empty.

He rose and walked to the window, pushing it open to see the eastern sky tinged with a faint fish-belly white.

"Young Master An Yang, what are you doing?"

Hearing a soft voice behind him, An Yang let out a relieved breath. Turning, he saw Nie Xiaoqian in her white robes, standing close, and said, "I thought you'd disappeared."

She stepped forward, leaning into his embrace, and whispered, "I won't leave."

An Yang nodded. "It's almost dawn. You should hide, or you'll be hurt."

Nie Xiaoqian's expression was calm. She rose on her tiptoes, kissed him, and vanished on the spot.

Soon, a ray of sunlight pierced the horizon, slanting from beyond the mountains into the clouds, staining the sky blood-red. Before long, it would bathe the earth.

Today marked Nie Xiaoqian's cycle of reincarnation. If she didn't pass on now, she'd have to wait another sixty years.

An Yang stood by the window, waiting anxiously, until the sunlight finally struck. At the same time, his phone vibrated inside the Portable Space, characters flickering on the screen, and a cold voice echoed around him, audible only to him.

Mission successful. Mission rewards granted: Item Ability*1, Skill Points*1, Physical Attribute Points*1. The Chosen One may return to the real world at any time.

An Yang glanced around, pulled out his phone, and checked the data.

Chosen One: An Yang

Physical Attributes:

Physique: 2.2

Strength: 2.1

Speed: 2

Intellect: 1

Unallocated Attribute Points: 2

Mastered Skills:

Mastery of Combat (Intermediate)

Firearms Mastery (Intermediate)

English Mastery (Beginner)

Military Literacy Mastery (Beginner)

Instrument Mastery (Beginner)

Unallocated Skill Points: 2

Item Abilities:

Portable Space (1 cubic meter)

Skill Stealing (Unused)

Item Ability to Draw: 1

"Draw Item Ability!"

"Drawing... Drawing complete. The Chosen One has obtained the Item Ability—Gate of Space. This allows the establishment of an intangible spatial passage between a certain world and the real world. This passage can be opened or closed by the protagonist at any time."

An Yang sucked in a sharp breath. This ability seemed incredibly powerful, far surpassing Skill Stealing and Portable Space!

"Gate of Space... With this skill, doesn't that mean I could colonize a world?"

The phone lit up with a line of text, its cold voice sounding.

"The Chosen One may interpret it that way, but the premise is that the Gate of Space only provides a passage that can be opened at any time. You'd need the ability to colonize a world yourself."

"Uh... Is it really okay to crush my dreams like that?"

An Yang awkwardly wiped the sweat from his face, not taking it too hard. He might not have the power to colonize a world now, but that didn't mean he never would. As long as he chose the right world, endless wealth and glory awaited him!

But clearly, this world wasn't it.

The world of A Chinese Ghost Story was plagued by demons and monsters, corrupt court officials, and chaos across the land. Not only was development difficult, but its logic was inherently loose. The benefits it could bring him were limited—hardly a good choice.

Thinking it over, he began to worry about Nie Xiaoqian.

"System, can I bring other people back to the real world?"

"No. The system only transmits the Chosen One during teleportation."

"Then can I have Nie Xiaoqian reside inside a Demon Core and bring the bead back to the First Realm?"

The phone was silent for a moment.

"...Yes."

"Good!"

An Yang breathed a sigh of relief.

"Warning: The laws of the Portable Space are extremely incomplete and cannot accommodate all living or non-living conscious entities. It is best not to place story characters inside the Portable Space."

"I'll just carry the Demon Core on me, then."

"...Yes."

An Yang put away his phone and pushed open the door, heading downstairs. Yan Chixia's promised techniques still needed to be collected—this might be the greatest gain of his journey.

PS: Writing this, I want to thank the "Dragon Kiss" kid. Yeah, no need to say why—Dragon Kiss knows exactly what for. Oh, and this book will absolutely never be dropped!