Prologue
In the pitch-black darkness, a desolate road was enveloped by a chilling wind, with not a soul in sight, not even the sound of insects. The silence was as if the place were a city of the dead. On this foggy path where one couldn’t see their hand in front of their face, anyone who passed by would shiver uncontrollably, either rubbing their arms up and down or blowing into their hands to warm them up, as if doing so could bring a bit more warmth.
“Shuffle, huh—shuffle, huh—” Suddenly, a small sound broke the silence, growing louder as it approached. As the sound drew near, two figures could be seen—one tall, one short—walking effortlessly on this dark path. The tall figure emitted a ghostly green light, while the short one was enveloped in red light. Within a hundred miles around them, everything was as clear as day, and even sounds seemed unusually loud.
“Brother Niu Qi, are you sure this is the right way?” the short figure asked, puzzled.
Niu Qi, the tall figure, looked down at the short one with a cold, emotionless gaze and said icily, “I’ve walked this path for centuries; do you think I could be wrong?”
Hearing Niu Qi’s response, the short figure stuck out her tongue apologetically and smiled at Niu Qi. “Oh, Brother Niu Qi, don’t be like that. I didn’t mean it. You know I’ve never been this way before, so of course, I’m scared!”
“Scared? What’s there to be scared of? There’s no one else around, not even a single bug. What are you afraid of?” Niu Qi glanced around.
“It’s because there’s no one else that I’m scared!” The short figure’s eyes widened. “Granny and the little soldiers all say this is the road to reincarnation. We’ve walked for half a day without seeing any other ghosts. Could it be that I’m the only one going to be reincarnated?”
Niu Qi rolled his eyes, looking exasperated. He said nothing and continued forward briskly, knowing that missing the right time would be bad news for both of them.
“Brother Niu Qi, please, tell me why there are no other ghosts on this road?”
“Brother Niu Qi, tell me, I promise…”
