Ning Caichen was remarkably big-hearted. Then again, anyone bold enough to flirt with ghosts could hardly be faint-hearted.
What Yuzhou had not expected was that he would arrive in this kind of world.
A Chinese Ghost Story.
Strictly speaking, this was Yuzhou's first time entering an ancient-era plane—one that openly contained ghosts and monsters.
The core storyline of this world revolved around the scholar Ning Caichen entering the haunted Lanruo Temple, where he became entangled in a tragic romance between human and ghost with Nie Xiaoqian.
There were also two major antagonists in this tale.
One was a tree demon, and the other was the infamous Black Mountain Old Demon from the City of Unjust Death in the underworld.
Judging by Ning Caichen's current situation, he was still on his way to collect a debt. He had not yet entered Lanruo Temple, nor had he met Nie Xiaoqian.
"I wonder whether a Giant of Light like me can contend with ghostly powers."
Yuzhou grew curious. This was a confrontation between entirely different power systems—something he had never truly considered before.
"This umbrella came from here."
Yuzhou casually waved the spatial ring on his finger in front of Ning Caichen.
"This ring can store objects?!"
Ning Caichen exclaimed in shock.
"Well… how should I put it?" Yuzhou replied calmly. "As a scholar, you've heard of the Daoist concept of 'a mustard seed containing Mount Sumeru,' haven't you?"
"I understand now!" Ning Caichen's face lit up with realization. "So, Mr. Yuzhou, you are actually a member of the Daoist sect!"
"More or less," Yuzhou said without much interest in correcting him. "The techniques I learned abroad differ somewhat from orthodox Daoist arts, but it's close enough."
Explaining further would be troublesome, so he simply went along with the assumption.
The rain grew heavier and heavier. What was already a torrential downpour now resembled a dragon king pouring water from the heavens. Even the umbrella Yuzhou had taken out was struggling to keep the rain at bay.
Still, the two continued walking and chatting along the muddy road.
Yuzhou asked about the basic background and common knowledge of this world.
Ning Caichen, in turn, listened with fascination as Yuzhou spoke of "foreign lands" and unfamiliar "techniques."
Flying steel birds in the sky, trains racing across the land, metal boxes that could move on their own—
With each tale, Ning Caichen felt that his years of studying books had been entirely wasted.
Calling Yuzhou "sir" was no courtesy—he truly regarded him as a teacher.
"Mr. Yuzhou, there's a grass shelter ahead. Why don't we take cover from the rain there?"
As they spoke, they reached a barren stretch of yellow earth. In the open wilderness stood a crude little thatched shelter.
Ning Caichen suggested stopping there to wait out the rain.
After chatting for so long, he genuinely felt intellectually overwhelmed.
The knowledge Yuzhou casually revealed was immense—strange wonders and unheard-of things that Ning Caichen had never encountered in his life.
"Sure," Yuzhou nodded. "Let's rest there for a while and move on once the rain eases."
They entered the shelter and sat side by side on the rough wooden bench inside.
Though crude, it was just enough to keep the rain off.
"This rain is really something," Ning Caichen sighed as he stared at the white curtain of rain outside.
At that moment, his stomach betrayed him with a loud growl.
He had originally carried a steamed bun in his bamboo basket, but it had hardened like a stone and been thrown away.
Now, he had nothing left to eat.
"Hungry?" Yuzhou asked with a smile.
"A little…" Ning Caichen admitted awkwardly.
With a casual wave of his hand, a full box of egg yolk pies (t/s: basically a mooncake) appeared on the ground.
"Have this for now. It'll at least keep the hunger away."
Yuzhou tore open a packet and handed it to Ning Caichen.
He had originally thought about producing something better, but the space was too small to bother.
Ning Caichen looked at the snack in his hand with confusion. He sniffed it—and instantly, a rich, sweet aroma he had never experienced before filled his nose.
"What is this? It smells incredibly sweet!"
Tentatively, he took a bite.
The moment the sweet egg-yolk filling entered his mouth, Ning Caichen cried out in shock, as if he had tasted a legendary delicacy.
"There's preserved sweetness inside!"
In an age of chaos and hardship, even a mouthful of sweet preserved fruit was a luxury beyond reach.
Ning Caichen could not even remember how many years it had been since he last tasted sweetness.
And this flavor—this was something he had never tasted before.
He was convinced that even nobles and princes had never eaten anything this sweet.
"This is called an egg yolk pie," Yuzhou explained, tearing one open for himself. "You can think of it as a foreign kind of bun. Eat as much as you like—there's plenty."
"Then I won't hold back!"
At this point, Ning Caichen no longer resembled a refined scholar. He devoured one pie after another.
Of course, the pastries were dry. Seeing this, Yuzhou handed him a bottle of pure milk.
"This is… milk?!"
After taking a sip, Ning Caichen nearly burst into tears.
In all his years of living, nothing he had eaten before could compare to today's food.
With milk to wash it down, the tearful Ning Caichen began eating in earnest.
Meanwhile, Yuzhou turned his gaze toward the rain-shrouded distance.
From there came hurried footsteps, accompanied by the sharp clang of blades colliding.
"Run! Run!"
"Spare us, sir!"
"We won't dare again!"
"I'll return the money—just spare my life!"
The sounds grew closer.
Several people were fighting—though in truth, it was a single man in cloth armor chasing and slaughtering a group of thieves.
Soon, the fight reached the shelter.
"You dare steal from me? Die!"
The armored man swung his sword down. The last thief collapsed to the ground.
Blood sprayed outward—but just before it could reach Yuzhou, it struck an invisible barrier and fell harmlessly to the ground.
Ning Caichen, still holding an egg yolk pie, finally reacted. Seeing the corpses scattered outside, his appetite vanished instantly.
Yuzhou, however, remained indifferent. He had seen far too many dead bodies—and these petty thieves hardly deserved sympathy.
After finishing off the bandits, the armored man glanced at Yuzhou and Ning Caichen inside the shelter. Saying nothing, he walked in to take cover from the rain.
When he noticed the full box of egg yolk pies on the ground, surprise flickered across his face.
Still, he asked no questions. Instead, he took out a soft white steamed bun from his robes and began eating.
"Mr. Yuzhou… should we leave?"
Ning Caichen whispered nervously.
"Don't panic," Yuzhou replied calmly, then shifted his gaze to the armored man.
This man was no ordinary passerby—he was a minor supporting character from the original storyline.
Xiahou the Swordsman.
A man searching for one of the story's protagonists, Yan Chixia, seeking a duel.
(End of Chapter)