Chapter 1: Awakening

Dark night, the surroundings were like ink.

A tiny orange flame, the size of a bean, quietly burned in the darkness.

It seemed to be the world’s only light.

The flame flickered and swayed, so fragile that a single breath could extinguish it.

In the weak light it cast, a young man with a pale face and bloodshot eyes sat quietly on one side.

The man was about fifteen or sixteen years old, with ordinary, unremarkable features. He was lightly biting his lower lip; the color of his lips was very faint, as if he had recently lost blood.

His hair was long and black, tied back into a simple high ponytail like a woman’s. He wore a long, cotton cloth coat with centipede buckles, which was a grayish-brown color and extended down to his knees, covering most of his equally plain trousers of the same color.

Dong, dong, dong.

Suddenly, a faint knocking sound came from not far away in the darkness.

It was the sound of knuckles tapping against thin wood, particularly clear in the quiet night.

Dong, dong, dong. The knocking sounded again.

The man by the flame trembled slightly, making no sound. He had clearly heard it, but showed no intention of answering.

“Is he asleep?” A sigh came from outside the door. It was the voice of an older, middle-aged woman. She hesitated for a moment, then turned and slowly left.

Only after the footsteps completely faded did the man by the flame let out a small sigh of relief.

He extended his hands, gently shielding the flame, and as he felt the subtle warmth in his palms, a relaxed expression appeared on his face.

“Xiao Hui, you shouldn’t light a lamp,” a low voice whispered gently from behind the man.

“Lighting a lamp will attract things that shouldn’t come. Night is different from day!” The voice slowly approached. Following that, on the other side of the flame, a tired woman’s face, about seventy percent similar to the man’s, slowly emerged.

She looked at the man with worry.

“What’s wrong? Can’t sleep again? You’ve been waking up in the middle of the night these past few days. Did something happen during the day?”

“Mother, why are you awake too? I deliberately kept the lamp small so as not to wake you up,” the man said apologetically. “I just… haven’t been sleeping well lately.”

Hearing this, the middle-aged woman sighed and lightly patted the man’s shoulder.

“Blame your mother for not being capable enough to move into the Inner City… Otherwise, why would it come to this…”

She did not continue, but the worry on her face deepened.

“It’s alright, Mother, you go back to sleep. I’ll just sit for a little while and then go back to sleep immediately.” The man forced a smile to show he was fine.

“Alright. Your father has to go supervise work at dawn, so I need to catch up on sleep, or I won’t be able to wake up then.” The middle-aged woman nodded, got up, and went to the room’s entrance to check if the doors and windows were properly shut. Then, in the darkness, she accurately fumbled for and squeezed a purplish-black stone block hanging on the wall beside the door.

Only after confirming the stone was alright did she turn and rustle into the inner room. Soon, the wooden creaking of the bed and the grumbling of the old man tossing and turning could be heard.

Quietness returned to the side of the flame.

The man continued to sit alone, but scenes flashed through his mind, like falling into a dream these past few days.

Every day he would dream—or perhaps they weren’t dreams at all, but another life he had once lived.

In the world of that life, there were tall buildings and great mansions, cars and airplanes. Humanity ruled the planet and was venturing into the cosmos. Common people did not worry about food or clothing, and most people passed the time with mobile phones and computers.

It was nowhere near as difficult as the present.

The man extended his index finger and lightly wrote two characters on the dimly lit floor—Lin Hui.

This was his name and the only mark of his current life.

Wiping away the mark, he let out a soft breath, stood up, and carefully left the flame to approach the room’s doors and windows.

Peering through the thin window, he found a few small holes and furtively looked outside.

The Lin family lived in a large compound, with dozens of people in the extended family, making them one of the most populous and prosperous clans in the area.

What appeared in his eyes now was a square, traditional Chinese siheyuan (quadrangle courtyard).

The courtyard had everything: rockeries, a pool, large trees, and a pavilion.

Yet, everything was enveloped in a thin, grayish-white mist.

This was called the Mist.

The environment Lin Hui was in during this life was extremely troublesome.

Or rather than troublesome, it should be described as dangerous.

During the day, all sorts of strange and bizarre creatures wandered outside the city. At night, the Mist descended, and various eerie and terrifying dangers drifted everywhere.

Here, people relied on the city’s high walls during the day to avoid the disasters of monsters and fierce beasts. At night, they relied on the Tuyue jade talisman received from the Inner City Yamen (government office) to protect their homes and dared not go out.

These were the facts Lin Hui had dug out and sorted from his memories since his awakening a few days ago.

But this was not the most bizarre thing that he felt.

Hiss.

Lin Hui carefully used his finger to poke the hole in front of him slightly larger so he could see more clearly.

At this moment, the situation in the courtyard outside he was looking at was completely different from the Lin family’s actual large courtyard during the day!

Yes, completely different!

Although the Lin family was a prominent clan, their courtyard was not so extravagant. The decorations and repairs were only what was necessary to ensure basic living. It was nothing like the luxurious style of a great wealthy family in the courtyard before his eyes.

Things like pools, rockeries, and pavilions were purely objects of enjoyment that required long-term maintenance by hired help to keep clean. The Lin family could never afford them.

Yet, in the thin Mist, what Lin Hui saw was so clear and real.

Gulp.

Lin Hui unconsciously swallowed a mouthful of saliva.

He was panicking.

If he had seen this scene, which he saw every day, before awakening his past life’s memory, he wouldn’t be this panicked.

But after awakening, he soberly realized what these things he saw truly represented.

This was a key point of the eerie nature of this place.

Every night, when the Mist spread, the scenery that appeared outside the residence was different.

Going out at night was forbidden, and besides the wandering mysterious threats, the biggest reason was this.

Every night, after the mist enveloped the outside of the window, it would first thicken, then slowly fade, and the scenery people could see afterward would all be different.

Up until now, Lin Hui had seen at least dozens of different styles of bizarre courtyards from inside his home.

Sometimes they would repeat, but most of the time they were changing.

All sorts of ancient Chinese-style courtyards swapped out, all of them having an old and ruined style, clearly not maintained for a long time.

Standing at the window, Lin Hui quietly watched the outside, motionless, like a statue.

Not until the mist outside slowly thickened again, and then faded once more after an hour, did the Lin family’s original courtyard arrangement reappear.

Only then did everything quietly return to normal.

At this time, the light of dawn slowly broke from the east, and the entire courtyard returned to normal as if nothing had happened.

Lin Hui let out a long breath, slowly retreated a few steps, and returned to the oil lamp.

Poof.

He blew out the lamp in one breath.

Watching the white daylight slowly brighten the room through the window, he faintly heard the sounds of his parents getting dressed behind him.

He knew a new day of hustle was about to begin.

The Lin family lived in the Outer City, the Outer City of Tu Yue City.

Tu Yue was the name of the city they were in. It was an extremely vast urban area, its main structure divided into two large parts: Inner and Outer.

The Inner City was the location of the prosperous core area, where living was safe and resources were abundant. It was said to be a ‘Mist-Free Zone,’ an absolutely safe area where mist would not appear even at night.

The Outer City was the region they lived in. It was not a single area, but a vast region formed by numerous miniature towns built around the Tu Yue Inner City.

Between these small towns were also large tracts of farmland, vegetable plots, orchards, and various processing workshops.

The town the Lin family lived in was called Xinyu Town. Externally, they were still considered Tu Yue people, but internally, they could only be counted as the suburbs of the suburbs.

“Why are you still standing here?” From the inner room behind him, his father, Lin Shunhe, came out, putting on a grayish-white jacket and fastening the centipede buckle on his chest with one hand, while the other held a dark-brown wild boar leather vest, which was for warmth outside.

“Couldn’t sleep, so I was just looking.” Lin Hui forced a smile as he looked back; he didn’t want his parents to worry.

“Alas…” Seeing this, his father seemed to recall something, opening his mouth to speak but then stopping.

He had a dull face, dark skin, a sturdy build, and graying hair. He worked as a supervisor in the town’s oil workshop. His wages were not considered high, but they were certainly not low, more than enough to support their family of three.

In a normal world, this kind of life would be considered good. But they couldn’t endure the fact that their environment was abnormal.

Sighing, Lin Shunhe said nothing, put on his vest, unlocked the door, and pushed it open before leaving.

“A He, you haven’t eaten anything?” His mother, Yao Shan, called out as she followed him.

“I won’t eat now, I’ll grab some of the public meal at the workshop.” Lin Shunhe didn’t look back, waved his hand, crossed the courtyard, opened the main gate, and walked out, quickly disappearing outside the door.

The courtyard had now returned to the Lin family’s original appearance.

There was a white stone water well, two black, crooked-necked trees, a set of gray stone table and stools, with faint checkerboard lines and some black markings carved onto the tabletop.

The perimeter was enclosed by uneven earthen walls, and in the corners were piled dry firewood, old furniture, and farm tools.

Lin Hui watched his father leave, then took a jacket and slowly walked out as well.

His mother rushed after him and tucked a vegetable bun into his hand. It was steaming hot with a faint scent of cooking oil, and he devoured it in a few bites.

“If you have nothing to do, go out and get some sun. I also have to go to work soon and will be back in the afternoon.” His mother, Yao Shan, changed into a bright white cotton skirt, put on her sleeve covers, and picked up her small shoulder bag, preparing to leave.

Lin Hui remembered that she worked at a clothing workshop in town; she was a veteran employee who had been there for over ten years.

“The Master’s daughter is coming for an inspection today. I’ll find a chance to ask about your situation and see if there’s any hope. Don’t worry yet,” his mother carefully instructed.

“Hmm.” Lin Hui nodded.

Before the awakening of his memory, he had already reached the age where he should be out working and earning money.

But because he hadn’t learned any skills before and had been in a muddle for a while, it was only when he reached this age that he came to his senses due to the awakening. However, this timing was already a bit late.

His parents had recently been busy arranging a future job for him.

Seeing his expression, his mother glanced left and right, leaned closer, and lowered her voice mysteriously.

“My telling you not to worry isn’t just to comfort you. Your father took a private order a while ago—don’t tell anyone. The order was completed yesterday, and the other Master promised to guarantee you a top-notch future path…”

“A private order!?” Lin Hui’s face changed in alarm. If they were caught doing this, it would cause serious trouble.

“Just don’t tell anyone outside, and you’ll be fine. Don’t worry, a lot of the workshops around here have done it.” His mother was clearly used to it.

Lin Hui stopped speaking. The deed was done, and talking about it now was useless.

There were over a dozen workshops, big and small, in the town. If one were to investigate closely, many supervisors were likely guilty of the same; if they started arresting people, they’d find a large haul.

He was just worried about the risk… After all, the oil workshop his father worked at was town-owned. If they were discovered, the consequences would be more severe than a private order at a private oil workshop, possibly even resulting in them being exiled to undeveloped land as cannon fodder.

“Your father should be bringing word back today. You wait patiently. If you have nothing to do during the day, you can walk around and stretch your body. Just remember to hurry back as soon as you hear the bell,” his mother continued.

“Okay, I understand.” Lin Hui’s mind was a bit scattered, so he could only nod.

He had been subjected to a massive influx of memories these past two days, and he had no concrete plan for himself or his future. He could only take things one step at a time.

Watching his mother, Yao Shan, simply comb her hair and put on a jade bean-pod hairpin before quickly leaving the house.

Lin Hui followed into the courtyard, stood at the entrance, and looked out.

Outside was a wide, horizontal dirt road, sparsely dotted with green grass along the sides. The road surface was uneven, with some puddles, indicating it had recently rained.

Buildings were connected along the dirt road like sesame seeds on a curve, extending into the distance along his line of sight.

The houses varied in size—some were earthen houses, others stone compounds—but they all shared one characteristic: they had built high surrounding walls.

At this time, there were already many carriages, horses, and people coming and going on the road: pushcarts for transporting goods, ox-carts, horse-drawn carriages for people, children herding chickens and ducks for free-range feeding, and the largest group: people leaving their homes to go to the center of the town for work.

Lin Hui stepped out, smelling the faint stench of the yellow mud, and walked towards the town along the road.

On both sides of the road, between the houses, were large patches of fields and vegetable plots. Some people had already entered the fields to start working.

“Xiao Hui, have you not been resting well lately? Why is your face so pale?” A white-bearded old man, weeding on the side, looked up and asked.

His name was Li Quanzhong, and he lived to the right of the Lin family compound, a long-time neighbor. His only son worked as a barber in town.

“Yeah, I haven’t been sleeping well lately… I’ve been having some headaches,” Lin Hui offered a random excuse.

“Then you need to be careful. Go back and drink more hot water. If it’s really bad, go collect some Fortune Meat to eat; it’ll help you get better fast,” Li Quanzhong said with a chuckle.

Fortune Meat…

Lin Hui’s heart stirred slightly.

The population of Tu Yue City was extremely large, with the most people residing in the outer towns. Logically, maintaining such a massive city with the backward productivity of this era should be an extremely difficult task, but this was where the strangeness lay.

The city’s Yamen would regularly distribute something called Myriad Fortune Meat.

This was a type of meat that smelled and tasted very fragrant, cut from a creature unknown to them. Every person could receive a large piece, over ten jin (about 5-6 kg), each month.

The main point wasn’t just this, but that this Myriad Fortune Meat, besides satisfying hunger, could cure all diseases!

No matter the illness, as long as one ate a small piece, they would quickly be cured without needing to see a doctor.

Lin Hui came back to his senses, chatted casually with Elder Li for a few moments, and then continued along the dirt road.

He hadn’t walked far when he saw a crowd of townspeople gathered outside a small courtyard by the roadside.

Several of his younger cousins from other branches of the Lin family were also watching the commotion. Seeing him approach from afar, the boys scattered, making faces and pulling the corners of their eyes at him, and one bolder boy spat in his direction from far away.

Lin Hui feigned a rush toward them, scaring the boys into running far away.

His immediate branch was only ordinary within the larger Lin clan. The reason he was so disliked by these boys was that before his awakening, he had been a complete failure, with neither skill nor looks. Compared to his other peers, Lin Hui was essentially an idle layabout, lying at home all day and doing nothing.

In an era where both adults and children had to work to sustain their livelihood, sitting at home and living off one’s parents’ savings was something looked down upon.

Chasing away the boys, Lin Hui walked closer, stood outside the crowd, and peered inside on his tiptoes.

As he watched, he faintly heard a few people on the right whispering and discussing words like ‘mountain ghost,’ ‘peach tree spirit,’ and ‘revenge.’

A few older women on the left were gently moving their lips, uniformly chanting some kind of prayer.

Further inside, two constables, dressed in black official uniforms and wielding swords, stood tall and strong like two walls, blocking the curious townspeople outside.

The two were chatting quietly as if no one else was around, speaking a dialect from some town that was completely incomprehensible.

Lin Hui peered further inside and vaguely saw the courtyard gate open, with faint bloodstains on the ground.

A human leg, chewed to a bloody pulp with the white bone exposed, was clearly visible from the doorway.

“Stop looking!” A little, bare-bottomed boy peeking around was grabbed by his mother, who strongly pulled him away by the ear.

“See that? That’s what happens when the jade talisman isn’t replaced in time! I dare you to touch the jade talisman again!”

“Let go! Ouch! I won’t do it, I’ll never do it again!” the boy screamed as he was slowly dragged away.

Lin Hui watched the mother and son leave. Dressed in a gray long coat, he was inconspicuous in the similarly dressed crowd.

“That’s not about the jade talisman,” a lowered female voice suddenly said from the side.

Lin Hui turned to look, seeing a tall woman in a gray long coat and black leather pants who had walked up behind him without his notice.

The woman’s face bore some resemblance to his. Her hair was simply tied into two buns, and she held a soy sauce jar, clearly having just returned from the small shop after buying soy sauce.

“Come on, stop looking. This was hit by a door-crashing ghost during the day.” The woman was called Lin Hongzhen, the eldest daughter of the Lin family’s main branch, and Lin Hui’s older cousin. She was one year older than him.

“Door-crashing ghost…”

Lin Hui repeated the term, his face turning somewhat grim. This was a general term for all the strange beasts and monsters that attacked people during the day; it did not literally refer to a ghost.

(End of Chapter)