CG - Chapter 1

Chapter 1

In the dead of night, the moon shone bright and the evening breeze was cool. On the back hill of North City University lay a small forest. The tree trunks were only about as thick as an instant noodle bowl, their age no more than twenty years. But the soil here was rich in nutrients, and the branches and leaves grew dense and lush. No matter how silver the moonlight, it could not penetrate the depths of this flourishing wood.

Few students ever came to this forest, let alone at one in the morning. It was pitch-black, so dark you couldn't see your hand in front of your face. Yet, strangely, a crisp female voice could be heard, speaking to herself in an impatient tone.

"That's about enough from you. What more do you want?"

"Another unfulfilled wish? Just how many wishes do you have? You said you wanted to see your parents one last time, and I took you. Then you said you wanted to see your first love one last time, and after you saw him, you found out his kid is already old enough for college. You said you wanted to see the peach blossoms at school one last time before you left, and I gave you plenty of time for that. What more could you possibly want?"

"Do you really think I can't send you on your way by force?"

Wu Gu looked at Song Yang, a female ghost about her own age who had been dead for nearly thirty years. After scolding her, she began to persuade her earnestly. "You've been dead for so long. Lingering in the mortal realm will do you no good. Wouldn't it be better to reincarnate sooner and come back with a new identity?"

Song Yang shook her head. "No, it wouldn't. I like it this way. I can go wherever I want."

"That's because you've only ever met a kind Celestial Master like me. If you met one who'd obliterate your soul without a second thought, you'd regret not listening to me sooner."

The ghost feigned indifference. "I've been floating around for over a decade and I'm still fine." Then, she put on a sycophantic smile. "Little Tianshi, don't be so serious. I'm not harming anyone. I just want to have a little more fun in the mortal world."

"Is this a place for you to just 'have fun'?" Wu Gu leaned against a tree with her arms crossed. "You've already died once, yet you're still trusting to luck."

"I know, I know. The school has good feng shui and spiritual energy, and since I died here, I was accepted and nourished by the school's formations. Vengeful ghosts and Daoist priests from the outside can't just enter the school, which is why I've been able to wander around for so long and stay safe. I know you're doing this for my own good, but I just thought of another unfulfilled wish."

Song Yang had died of sudden cardiac arrest. As a ghost, she was too weak and had spent most of the next decade in a deep slumber. When she awoke, she took up residence in this newly grown forest. Before her soul could solidify enough to venture out and enjoy herself, a new student—a young Celestial Master—had enrolled last year and insisted on summoning her for salvation. That new student was Wu Gu, who was leaning against the tree at this very moment.

Back then, Song Yang had seen that this Little Tianshi was young, looked plain, foolish, and easy to trick. So she played the victim, pretending to be weak and claiming she lingered in the mortal world because of unfulfilled wishes. Who would have thought the Little Tianshi was just too kind-hearted? As soon as the school holidays started, she worked tirelessly to help fulfill her wishes, determined to let her pass on without any regrets. Although Song Yang had been deceiving her, as a ghost, she felt not a shred of guilt.

Wu Gu feigned a fierce expression and, extending a hand, made a chopping motion. "Don't think I don't know what you're up to. If my master hadn't said that it's the duty of a Celestial Master to capture ghosts, exorcise demons, and deliver lost souls, I wouldn't waste my breath on you. I'd just scatter your soul and be done with it."

Song Yang knew she wouldn't. She had occasionally floated outside and heard from her friends that most Celestial Masters, upon seeing them, would just obliterate them without asking any questions. The only souls who received salvation were those whose families still remembered them and had paid a great deal of money to hire a Celestial Master to perform the rites. Forgotten, lonely ghosts like them almost never escaped the fate of having their souls scattered. The memory made her own soul tremble, and she had immediately fled back to the school.

"Little junior," Song Yang began to cozy up to her. "In any case, I'm still your senior sister. Just let your senior sister play for one more year."

Song Yang squinted, watching Wu Gu's expression. Wu Gu rolled her eyes, clearly not wanting to deal with her. She had no choice but to plead softly, "Until the end of this semester. Please, be kind and let me stay for a few more months. I promise I'll listen to you then."

Wu Gu's eyes rolled back down. She put on a serious expression. "You'd better keep your word." Seeing Song Yang nod through gritted teeth, she finally relented. She looked up through the gaps in the branches at the moon and said, "I'm going back to sleep. Don't go wandering around for no reason."

Song Yang politely escorted Wu Gu out of the forest and watched respectfully until her figure disappeared from sight. Only then did she float back into the woods, her face etched with worry, sighing from time to time for effect.

Wu Gu followed a small path back to the outside of the women's dormitory. A few meters away, she suddenly accelerated, leaped up, and grabbed the windowsill of the stairwell between the first and second floors. With a push of her arms and a lift of her leg, she lightly stepped onto the window frame and deftly flipped inside. After landing steadily, she dusted off her non-existent dirt from her hands and headed up the stairs.

She opened the dorm room door as quietly as she could. Just as she entered, she ran into Liu Ningyu, who was up for a midnight trip to the bathroom. Both of them jumped in fright. As Wu Gu patted her chest to calm herself, she heard Liu Ningyu say, unfazed, "Just got off work?"

Wu Gu's family was not well-off. Although she had applied for financial aid, she still had to work part-time. Most of her dorm mates were very considerate of her, especially Liu Ningyu. Seeing her nod, Liu Ningyu added, "Hurry up and get some sleep. I'll bring you breakfast tomorrow morning so you can sleep in for an extra half hour."

Wu Gu grinned and leaned in, whispering, "Love you." For the past few years, she had relied on climbing walls and windows to get in and out at night. Aside from being caught by her roommates a few times, she had thankfully never been caught by the school. Lying in bed, she couldn't fall asleep right away, so she took out her phone to schedule her part-time jobs for the week.

Wu Gu was just a sophomore. All her time outside of class was spent on part-time jobs to support herself. Her favorite gig was running errands and buying things for people. With a senior brother vouching for her, this job was quite stable.

That morning, she had already completed seven or eight orders. Around noon, when the sun was at its hottest, her clothes were soaked with sweat. She planned to finish this last delivery and then go eat and take a lunch break. Head down, she checked the order pickup code with one hand while pulling open the coffee shop door with the other. The moment the door opened, a wave of cold air washed over her, sending a chill through her bones.

"Such heavy Yin Qi." This chill was not from the shop's air conditioning. She muttered to herself and looked up to find the source of the Yin Qi. It was a woman. She could only see a small part of her face; her features were delicate, but her complexion was deathly pale. Wu Gu frowned, her curiosity piqued, and she subconsciously walked toward the woman with a probing gaze.

Wei Jinzhi was sitting in the coffee shop waiting for a delivery. For the past few days, she had been feeling unusually unwell, spending nearly the entire day in a daze, feeling dizzy and lightheaded. She closed her eyes, rubbing her temples with the knuckle of her index finger. Suddenly, her body jolted, tensing up for no reason, as if danger was approaching.

She opened her eyes and saw a girl with rosy cheeks and a ponytail, carrying a faded backpack, walking past her. The girl was also looking at her. Her eyes were pitch-black, clear, and bright. The way she pursed her lips gave her a serious look, but her youthful face made it seem more like she was pretending to be profound. Wei Jinzhi's tension inexplicably eased.

Wu Gu's gaze met Wei Jinzhi's, and her brow furrowed even more tightly than before. Having frequented major office buildings for the past six months, she could tell the woman was dressed exceptionally well. Up close, she was very beautiful. But the way she was shrouded in Yin Qi, looking so lifeless, was also quite pitiful. If Wu Gu had encountered her at night, she might have mistaken her for a vengeful ghost of considerable power.

She was so focused on Wei Jinzhi that she didn't notice the man sitting beside her. Her gaze was not only direct and sharp, but she had been staring at them since she entered the shop. Wu Yong, who was beside Wei Jinzhi, had noticed her the moment her eyes swept over them and had been observing her for some time. As she drew near, he suddenly stood up, blocking her path.

"Ah!" Wu Gu cried out, thinking she had run into a wall. She took two steps back and stared at the man blocking her way. Judging by his clothes and demeanor, he seemed to be a bodyguard. Not only did he look fierce, but the killing intent emanating from him was also intense. He was clearly the type that both humans and ghosts feared. It made sense. Someone with a constitution like his employer's, which attracted ghosts, would probably be strangled by one in broad daylight if she didn't have a bodyguard that even ghosts would run from.

She glared at him and said, "You scared me to death."

Wu Yong's face was expressionless, his eyes fixed on her. He didn't move an inch. Wu Gu's gaze darted between the woman and the bodyguard. She thought to herself that hiring such a bodyguard meant the woman was clearly aware of her problem with being haunted by Yin Qi. Wu Gu didn't dare to speak up or cause trouble, only muttering in her heart, "How tragic." She was full of sympathy for the beautiful woman.

Since Wu Yong wouldn't let her pass, she lifted her foot to walk around him toward the pickup counter. But Wu Yong raised a hand to block her way again. She frowned and was about to ask him what he was doing when Wei Jinzhi spoke first. "Xiao Wu, sit down." Wu Yong immediately complied, and the intense gaze he had fixed on her was withdrawn.

The woman's voice was pleasant but clearly weak. Wu Gu glanced sideways at her. The woman offered her an apologetic smile. Not wanting to cause any trouble, Wu Gu quickened her pace toward the pickup counter.

This coffee shop was well-known in the area, and the surrounding office buildings loved to order from here, so business was exceptionally brisk. As a result, the staff was relatively familiar with her, a delivery girl. Especially since Wu Gu was quite pretty, and the way her cheeks flushed when she was tired from running around was particularly cute, the staff always treated her well. As she approached, before she could even speak, the barista asked, "What's the number? How many cups?"

"1057, eight cups."

The staff member tapped the computer screen. "I'll go rush it for you. Just a moment." Concerned about her hard work, he added, "Want me to get you a glass of water?"

Wu Gu nodded and took the cup the barista handed her. She leaned against the counter, playing a game on her phone while sipping water. She wanted nothing to do with Wei Jinzhi, but Wei Jinzhi's presence was too strong. Her peripheral vision kept straying from her phone screen. After a while, she noticed another man had arrived and sat down with them.

From her current angle, she couldn't actually see Wei Jinzhi. What she could see was the dark, gloomy energy constantly gathering and swirling above Wei Jinzhi's head. How to describe it? If you looked at Wei Jinzhi head-on, it was like a dense black mass enveloping a slender, pale woman. The image was quite unsettling. What she couldn't understand was how a living person could have such heavy Yin Qi.

And judging by the bodyguard she specifically kept by her side, she was clearly aware of it. Although the Daoist arts had declined in modern times, it shouldn't be difficult to find a contemporary master to perform a ritual to dispel the Yin Qi. Besides, she didn't look like someone who lacked connections or money. How did she end up in this state?

If the woman continued like this, she'd be reporting to King Yama in a few years. Wu Gu thought of her master's lecture on a Celestial Master's duty and couldn't help but worry about this strange woman's safety. She put her game on auto-play and began to focus on studying the woman from the corner of her eye.

Across from Wei Jinzhi, Wei Feng was holding a brocade box with a fawning smile, presenting it to her. He boasted, "Sister, I had to ask many masters to find this Peace Jade." He opened it solemnly. "Take a look, see if you like it."

The jade was clearly of high quality. Out of consideration for Wei Feng's kind intentions, Wei Jinzhi didn't refuse. "I like it very much. Thank you for the trouble."

"Sister, you're not well. All I can do as your younger brother is find a few pieces of jade for you. I can't even help with anything important, so how could this be any trouble? Since you like it, let me put it on for you."

Wei Jinzhi took off the jade pendant she was wearing and nodded. Wei Feng took out the jade, moved behind Wei Jinzhi, and was about to put it on for her when his hands were suddenly stopped. He froze, turning to glare at the person. "What are you doing? Trying to rob someone in broad daylight?" he demanded.

Wei Jinzhi was sitting upright, waiting for Wei Feng to put on the jade, when she saw Wu Yong beside her shoot to his feet, followed immediately by the angry rebuke. She turned her head and saw the girl from the entrance again. The girl was gripping Wei Feng's wrist with both hands, frowning as she looked at her, while Wu Yong's large hand was clamped firmly around the girl's arm.

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