When Feng Rui opened his eyes again, he was lying in a pool of blood—or rather, his body was.
He sighed audibly.
It was normal. He had devoured three souls and who knew how much malevolent energy.
His living body couldn't withstand it.
At this moment, it would be foolish not to accept that he was no longer "human."
After all, what human could do what he had done? Even if it was due to his special physique, he had crossed the limits.
Being an elder in a well-known demonic sect no longer seemed so bad…
"..."
Yeah, he was screwed, wasn't he?
Feng Rui tried to leave his body to investigate his surroundings and, hopefully, attract attention to ask for help. However, he couldn't leave the ancestral hall. He even felt a strange apprehension.
"One of the souls trapped in the ancestral hall..." he recalled.
Now, as a ghost, fear took hold of him. What if the sanctuary trapped him forever? What if he became like his supposed ancestors?
As if the system had heard him, a notification appeared.
[Warning: It is recommended that the user return to their body...]
[Warning...]
[Soul sealing countdown: 120... 119...]
"What?!"
Feng Rui panicked. He tried to use the malevolent energy, but as a soul, he had no power or influence. He screamed and struggled until the countdown reached 70 seconds… and then, a miracle happened.
Lin Xian arrived.
"Yes! Lin Xian! Hurry, get me out of here and—wait, what are you doing?"
The servant, still weak and battered, pulled out a dagger and approached his body.
"As expected, Young Master, this is what happens when you meddle where you shouldn't. What did you make me drink? That purple smoke was your doing, wasn't it? And what was that about helping me save my life? Do I look like someone who needs saving? Or is it the other way around now?"
Feng Rui's mind raced, searching for a way out of this situation.
"Wait, Lin Xian, don't be impulsive. Listen."
"You came because of what I told you, right? I went through many difficulties, but I finally managed to come find you. And with this, my theory is almost confirmed. Young Master, who exactly are you?"
"I don't know what you mean…"
Feng Rui hadn't finished speaking when Lin Xian raised his dagger and aimed at his heart.
"Then don't blame me for being ruthless…"
"Wait!"
He stopped.
Why were all these players so obsessed with using cliché phrases and creating dramatic scenes like this? Was it some kind of fetish?
"I'll tell you! I will, so put that down, okay?"
What Lin Xian was holding was a specially designed stake to prevent the dead from coming back to life—something dangerous and terrifying.
"Lin Xian, I don't know how much you know about this mansion, but my physique is special."
Lin Xian nodded. He was somewhat aware of the story about how Feng Rui's Eternal Wind Physique had led to his adoption into the General's household.
[Warning: Less than 30 seconds remaining before sealing.]
[Soul sealing countdown: 30… 29…]
"Lin Xian, I'll tell you everything, but first, get me out of here! I swear on my name, my ancestors, and the entire Han Clan! Really! I swear! Get me out of here, or I'll truly die!"
"Young Master, this is an oath before the heavens and—"
"Yes, yes, yes, just hurry up, Lin Xian!"
The servant smiled to himself. It hadn't been too difficult to roughly predict these events after escaping the cell with a master key given by the game and discovering that Feng Rui had never gone to his father's office.
"Today, I've saved your life, Young Master, so I expect your sincerity in the future and—"
"Yes, yes, we'll be brothers from now on, so hurry, hurry!"
Now, with this, the loyalty of that so-called useless young master would always be his—or at the very least, they would be accomplices.
Lin Xian pulled Feng Rui's body with effort, dragging it out of the ancestral hall, leaving behind a trail of blood. He was sweating—how could a body weigh so much? It wasn't the first time he had dragged a corpse, but it was the first time one felt like a ton.
"Is this enough?"
"Yes."
Feng Rui sighed in relief. The system's warning had disappeared, and he could move freely again.
"Ah, that was dangerous."
"Now, please tell me the truth."
"Lin Xian, what I'm about to tell you is a secret. Do you understand?"
He nodded.
"Listen, the Eternal Wind Physique has a hidden talent—it can sense ghostly wind."
Feng Rui explained it seriously, and Lin Xian frowned in confusion.
"Ghostly wind?"
"It's normal that you don't know. It's something the living could never touch, see, or smell. It's something that belongs only to ghosts. In simple terms, I'm like a medium for them."
Lin Xian's eyes widened. Now everything made sense! Why he lived in that haunted courtyard, his strange ghostly encounters, and even why an NPC had been able to participate in a "game event."
Feng Rui smiled inwardly. His ability to lie and act hadn't disappeared, even after all those illusions of living several decades in vain.
He definitely had talent.
"But Young Master, even if you are a medium, what is your family trying to do with you?"
Of course, Lin Xian tried to extract more information, but he was still decades away from being on the same level as the "useless young master."
Feng Rui sighed, his expression darkened by pain and sadness.
"I don't know, Lin Xian. You've seen how they treat me. My younger brother beat me until I lost my cultivation. My stepmother treats me worse than a dog, and the servants aren't much better. My father's favors, which now mean nothing, have hidden intentions, and even my grandfather, the only one who ever loved me, is now a demon. I… I also just want to know the truth."
Feng Rui stepped closer to Lin Xian, his eyes shining.
"But Lin Xian, now I have a real brother. You're a servant, and your life won't be much better than mine. That's why we can come up with a plan to rise together. Even if I'm just a young master in name, I'm still part of the Han Clan. My life and death are now closely tied to you. My success will be yours as well."
Lin Xian took a step back. He hadn't expected such a serious commitment—he had only wanted a powerful lackey.
"Uh… Young Master… I…"
A sharp scream sounded behind Feng Rui's ghost.
"The Young Master… The Young Master has been murdered!"
Lin Xian turned pale.
After dying so many times, Feng Rui had formed a hypothesis. He had calculated the time, and after his death, he would be discovered exactly three minutes later. His theory had just been confirmed.
Naturally, he had occupied all of Lin Xian's attention, waiting for this moment.
The guards surrounded them, and the servants rushed to call the General and a doctor.
"No, it's not like that! Young Master!"
Lin Xian searched for him but only met Feng Rui's cold gaze.
"We promised to be brothers, so naturally, I will come back to save your life—if I wake up in time. But Lin Xian, you raised a weapon against your master. Did you really think there would be no consequences? I told you before, and I'll say it again: my success will be yours, and my failure will be yours as well."