Morning on Broken-Soul Peak felt like waking up inside a haunted teapot.
The fog clung to the courtyard as if it had sentimental attachment issues.
Lin Feng stretched lazily and walked toward the storage room.
The door was swollen, crooked, and clearly trying to avoid responsibility.
He pulled once.
It didn't move.
He pulled again.
The door creaked like it was reconsidering its life choices.
He pulled a third time—
The entire door fell forward with a dramatic thud.
Lin Feng nodded.
"Good. Saves time."
Inside the storage room was… disaster.
Rotting baskets, broken jars, torn talismans, three ghost mice sitting in a corner like old gamblers, and a pile of things that might have been food twenty years ago.
A soft chime rang in his mind.
[SYSTEM]
Storage Room Condition: Catastrophic
Food Reserves: 0
Dust Level: Excessive
Host's Chance of Survival: 37%
Lin Feng clapped his hands.
"Alright. Inventory check."
He stepped over a collapsed shelf and poked a jar.
Nothing.
Another jar.
More nothing.
This continued until he found a bowl containing something suspiciously fuzzy.
The system chimed immediately:
[SYSTEM]
Warning: Do not eat that.
Lin Feng put it down carefully.
"Understood."
He checked the final corner and found… empty air.
He stood still for a moment.
"So the sect has no food."
The mountain wind blew sadly, agreeing.
[SYSTEM]
New Mission Generated:
Acquire food.
Minimum requirement: Enough to not die.
Lin Feng rubbed his chin.
"A reasonable mission."
He stepped out of the storage room, brushing dust from his robe.
The Chained Woman stood near the cracked lantern, watching him quietly as always.
Her chains shifted slightly.
Lin Feng interpreted that as moral support.
"Thank you, Elder. I will acquire supplies."
The chains rattled once, like faint approval.
---
A thin ghost drifted across the courtyard, circling around Lin Feng's feet before floating toward the mountain path. It paused and looked back—almost as if urging him to follow.
Lin Feng raised an eyebrow.
"Guiding me? Or luring me to my doom?"
The ghost spun in a small impatient circle.
He shrugged. "Lead the way."
He followed the ghost down the stone steps.
Broken-Soul Peak groaned behind him as if it didn't like letting its new master leave.
Halfway down, the system chimed:
[SYSTEM]
Nearby settlement detected: Willow Town
Distance: short
Reputation: neutral
Danger Level: low for normal people, high for you
Lin Feng ignored the insult and continued.
---
Willow Town came into view: a small, quiet place with wooden stalls, dusty streets, and villagers who clearly preferred predictable, un-haunted lives.
As soon as Lin Feng stepped into the street, people sensed something was wrong.
Not because he looked dangerous.
But because he looked like he had just walked out of a graveyard wearing confidence.
A shopkeeper blinked at him.
Another quietly closed his shutters.
A dog howled for no reason.
Lin Feng smiled proudly.
"Ah. They recognize my charisma."
[SYSTEM]
Incorrect. They detect residual ghost aura from the Peak.
Lin Feng pretended not to hear.
He approached a vegetable stall.
"Good morning. I'd like to buy rice."
The vendor stared at him.
"You… smell like spirits."
Lin Feng nodded.
"Good nose."
The vendor threw a cabbage at him.
Lin Feng caught it calmly.
"I assume this is a discount?"
"No! That's fear!"
Lin Feng placed the cabbage back gently.
"Fair. I'll just browse."
---
He approached another stall—one selling miscellaneous tasks.
A sign read:
ODD JOBS — 3 COPPER EACH
• Carry goods
• Clean storage
• Remove pests
• Deliver messages
• Scare chickens (crossed out)
Lin Feng pointed.
"I'll take a job."
The man behind the stall hesitated.
"You're… new?"
"Yes. Local entrepreneur."
"From where?"
"Up the mountain."
The man's face instantly drained of color.
"BROKEN-SOUL PEAK?!?"
Village screams erupted quietly in the background.
Lin Feng nodded politely.
"Fresh business location. Lovely view."
"Sir… you're not supposed to go there…!"
"Too late."
The man stared at him as if watching a man choose his own coffin.
Then he sighed and checked the board.
"…Alright. One job. Light work. You clean my warehouse. Five copper."
Lin Feng accepted.
"Deal."
[SYSTEM]
Mission Updated:
Acquire food → Earn money → Buy food
The ghost that had followed him from the mountain circled behind him and gently nudged his back toward the warehouse.
Lin Feng walked in confidently.
Ten seconds later—
CRASH.
The system chimed.
[SYSTEM]
Host has accidentally broken three crates.
Debt incurred: 9 copper.
Lin Feng stood in the collapsed warehouse, surrounded by spilled grain, broken boxes, and one very offended chicken.
He exhaled calmly.
"…Negotiations required."
---