First Life, Vision

"Grandpa... Grandpa must still be there!"

Hu Tao stubbornly went to Wuwang Hill alone.

She remembered her grandfather telling her that if she set out from Wuwang Hill, the path would lead all the way to the "Border." This was a secret passed down through generations of the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor.

She was going to find her grandfather!

The longer she walked, the stranger her surroundings became.

There was no moss, no little fish or shrimp in the crystal-clear stream. The white mist grew thicker and thicker, and her surroundings were eerily quiet, without a single sound.

Trees filled her field of vision.

She had already walked here for a full day and night, yet she still had not seen anything.

But Hu Tao knew her grandfather would never lie to her.

"As long as I keep going, I'll find Grandpa!"

She rested briefly, ate some food, and drank some water before continuing on.

Not until the afternoon of the second day did she finally see something like a cloud floating in midair.

"Grandpa... Grandpa!" Hu Tao ran over excitedly.

"Who's your grandpa? Don't go mistaking people for him! Hey! Wait, you're alive?!"

The cloud looked at Hu Tao in astonishment, asking in disbelief.

"Sorry, sorry, I mistook you for someone else..."

Hu Tao hurriedly apologized, then immediately ran farther in.

She had finally seen a soul!

Her grandfather really had not lied to her!

"Hey! Wait! The living shouldn't go to the Border!"

The cloud called out a friendly warning.

"I know! Thank you!" Hu Tao said, but she ran faster and faster, showing no intention of stopping.

"That little girl... She's from the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor, isn't she? Which generation?" The cloud watched Hu Tao run off, utterly puzzled.

After all, the only living people who knew about the Border were those from the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor.

"Hello, have you seen my grandfather? His name is Hu Xiu Yuan, and he's the 75th Funeral Parlor Director of the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor. He speaks very gently, and his smile is gentle too."

"No, no. Everyone here is a wandering ghost. We don't know who speaks gently, and we can't see what anyone's smile looks like."

"Oh... Thank you. Sorry for bothering you."

"Wait, you're alive, aren't you? The living shouldn't go to the Border."

Ignoring the warnings, she continued deeper into the Border.

She was determined to see her grandfather, and quickened her pace even further.

"Hello, have you seen my grandfather?"

"Hello, my grandfather's name is Hu Xiu Yuan. He's the 75th Funeral Parlor Director of the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor. Have you seen him?"

"Hello, I'm looking for a new soul who arrived recently. Have any of you seen him?"

After asking again and again, the exhausted Hu Tao finally collapsed.

She had reached her limit. After two days and nights of running around, she was utterly spent. She had asked countless souls, yet still had not seen that familiar figure.

After an unknown amount of time, Hu Tao slowly opened her eyes.

What greeted her was the eternally unchanging night sky, the white mist around her, and the damp dew.

"Silly girl, why would Old Hu be here? Stop wasting your strength."

"That's right. Go back. This isn't a place for the living."

But Hu Tao was as stubborn as an ox. No matter how they tried to dissuade her, her resolve never wavered in the slightest.

She did not know how long she waited there. Even after she had used up every bit of food and water she had brought, her grandfather still had not appeared.

Finally, an elderly woman appeared before Hu Tao.

Hu Tao could sense something of her grandfather in the woman, and hurriedly stood up.

Seeing Hu Tao's exhausted state and sorrowful face, the woman spoke with sympathy:

"Look at you, as stubborn as a rock, just like Old Hu. Unfortunately, no director of the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor has ever lingered at this border between life and death. Your family has always been straightforward, saying whatever is on your minds, so I won't speak in riddles either. Go back, little girl."

With that, the elderly woman bade Hu Tao farewell, crossed the Border, and walked into the distance.

Watching her figure gradually disappear, Hu Tao suddenly remembered something her grandfather had once said.

"So we should live well while we're alive. Then we won't have anything to fear when we die. Remember to follow your heart and do what you want to do. That way, you won't be left with any lingering attachments."

At that moment, Hu Tao finally found peace.

Grandpa lived an upright life. He was open-minded and cheerful, and he left without any lingering attachments.

At that thought, everything became clear to Hu Tao. A genuine smile finally appeared on her face, and she set off on her return journey.

At noon the following day, Hu Tao climbed over the back courtyard wall and returned to the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor. Once she reached her room, she opened her backpack.

"This is... Grandpa...?"

In the backpack she had thought was empty, a Vision had somehow appeared.

The moment she picked it up, the Vision resonated with Hu Tao, radiating a soft, warm red light.

Standing in the distance, Zhongli's lips curved into a faint smile.

"Old Hu, she succeeded. You can finally rest in peace..."

A week earlier.

Xiu Yuan dragged his gravely ill body over to see Zhongli.

"Ah... You should have tried coming to me back then."

Seeing Xiu Yuan in such a state, Zhongli looked saddened.

"This is heaven's will. It cannot be defied. Even if I don't die this time, I won't escape the next."

"Why would such a thing happen?"

"It's a contract I made with something."

"Is there no way to break it?"

"No. But let's not discuss that. I came to ask a favor of you today."

Xiu Yuan certainly could not tell him that the system was brazenly flouting the rules.

After all, his task was to make Hu Tao capable of serving as the director of the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor. Once that requirement was met, he would enter his second cycle of reincarnation.

"Ah... Tell me. If it's within my power, I certainly won't refuse."

Zhongli could hardly press him any further, so he brought the conversation back to the matter at hand.

Xiu Yuan took out a Vision and placed it in Zhongli's hand.

"This is the only thing I can leave her. I hope you'll help me give it to her."

"This is... a Vision?"

"Yes. After I die, the Vision will become an empty shell without a master."

"But do you know how slim the chances are of inheriting a dead person's Vision?"

"I believe Little Tao can resonate with this Vision. She'll succeed, just as she'll prove herself capable of serving as the director of the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor."

"This..."

"Please." Xiu Yuan bowed to him with his hunched body.

"Don't do that. I'll agree to your request." Zhongli hurriedly stopped him.

First Life, end.

P.S. Everyone, please keep nudging me for updates and leave more comments! That will give me the motivation to keep working hard on new chapters.