Lin Feng stared at the masked woman, still gasping for breath. His limbs felt like jelly, and his dantian ached from the half-powered cultivation boost. If he'd thought his day couldn't get worse, it had just proven him wrong.
"Why do you keep showing up? Are you following me?" Lin Feng asked suspiciously, standing up slowly.
The woman tilted her head slightly. "Following? No. But you seem to attract chaos, and I enjoy watching it unfold."
System: "Told you, Host! She's into you."
"Shut it," Lin Feng muttered, glaring at the system window. He turned back to the woman. "So, what now? You saved me again. Am I supposed to thank you or something?"
The woman gave a soft chuckle. "No need for thanks. But you do owe me."
Lin Feng paled. "What? I thought we were even! I gave you half of the Nascent Soul Pill!"
She shook her head, her silver mask catching the moonlight. "That was one favor. Saving you from a bounty hunter? That's two."
Lin Feng groaned. "Can't I just write you an IOU?"
The masked woman crossed her arms, clearly amused. "I'm more of a 'collect in person' type."
System: "Host, I'm sensing a long-term relationship. Just think of the character development!"
Lin Feng resisted the urge to smack himself. "Alright, fine. What do you want from me?"
The woman paused for a moment, as if considering her answer. "For now? I'll just take your word. Stick around, and when I need something, I'll find you."
Lin Feng blinked. "That's it? No immediate demands? No impossible quests?"
She gave a small, mysterious smile. "I prefer keeping things… unpredictable."
System: "Host, translation: 'She's going to call you at the worst possible moment.'"
A New Problem
Lin Feng sighed, mentally filing this encounter away under Things to Regret Later. "Fine. Do whatever you want. Just tell me which way to go so I can stop running into people who want to kill me."
The woman pointed east, toward the faint outline of distant mountains. "Go that way. You'll find an abandoned sect estate hidden in the forest."
Lin Feng perked up. "Abandoned, you say? That sounds… relatively safe."
The woman gave him a knowing glance. "You'll still have to deal with the ghosts."
Lin Feng froze. "Ghosts?"
System: "Relax, Host. She's probably just messing with you. Probably."
Before Lin Feng could ask for more details, the masked woman turned on her heel and began walking away, her white robes trailing behind her.
"Wait!" Lin Feng called after her. "What's your name?"
She stopped briefly but didn't look back. "Names are troublesome. Just call me Yue."
Then, without another word, Yue vanished into the night, leaving Lin Feng alone once more.
A Haunted Destination
"Well, this can't be worse than the swamp," Lin Feng muttered to himself as he set off toward the mountains. The forest was eerily quiet, and every rustle of leaves made his skin crawl.
System: "Host, look at the bright side. At least this time, the lightning isn't chasing you."
"That's not exactly comforting," Lin Feng grumbled.
After an hour of walking, the forest thinned, and Lin Feng found himself standing before the ruins of a large estate. Ancient stone walls, cracked with age, loomed over him. Moss covered what remained of the gates, and the air felt heavy with spiritual residue—like the place remembered every tragedy that had occurred within its walls.
"Yep," Lin Feng whispered, his voice barely audible. "Definitely haunted."
System: "Told you this would be fun! Think of all the cursed treasures we could find!"
"Why do I get the feeling those treasures come with death traps?"
Ignoring his growing sense of dread, Lin Feng cautiously stepped inside the estate grounds. His spiritual senses were on high alert, and every creak of wood or groan of stone made him jump.
Then, he heard it—a soft whisper carried on the wind.
"Leave…"
Lin Feng froze. "Did… Did you hear that?"
System: "Yup. Just a friendly neighborhood ghost saying hello. Nothing to worry about!"
A chill ran down Lin Feng's spine as the air around him grew colder. The wind picked up, swirling fallen leaves into a vortex. Shadows danced along the walls, twisting into strange shapes.
System: "Uh, Host? Quick suggestion: Don't make eye contact with the shadow people."
Lin Feng was about to turn around and bolt when a soft, glowing figure appeared in front of him—a spirit clad in ancient robes, its translucent form flickering like candlelight.
"You shouldn't be here," the spirit whispered, its voice filled with sorrow. "This place… is cursed."
Lin Feng clenched his fists. "I didn't come here by choice, okay? I'm just trying to not die today."
The spirit drifted closer, its eyes glowing faintly. "Then leave… before the curse claims you too."
System: "Host, this seems like a great time to follow ghost etiquette and run."
But just as Lin Feng was about to take the system's advice and leave, a strange pull stopped him. Deep inside the ruins, he could feel something—an aura, faint but familiar.
It was the same kind of energy as the Nascent Soul Pill.
"There's something valuable in here," Lin Feng whispered to himself, his fear giving way to curiosity. "Something powerful."
System: "Oh no, you're getting that look again. Host, remember the last time you followed your curiosity? It got us chased by lightning!"
Ignoring the system, Lin Feng stepped deeper into the estate. Whatever was waiting for him inside, he knew one thing: If it was connected to the Nascent Soul Pill, it might be the key to gaining enough power to survive the chaos that seemed to follow him everywhere.
The spirit watched silently as Lin Feng disappeared into the shadows of the ruins.