Chapter 3

The "Ghost Realm" is a term from folklore, also known as the Underworld or the Netherworld. "Ghosts" refer to spirits, while the "Ghost Domain" is a portion of the Underworld that has overlapped with the human world due to an imbalance between Yin and Yang.

This explains why some people turn into ghosts upon death.

Because of this, a saying has become particularly popular in recent years:
[The Great Dao consists of fifty, with forty-nine evolving to govern the heavens, yet humanity escapes with one, leaving a glimmer of hope.]

Compared to these supernatural entities, humans are incredibly fragile. Ordinary physical methods cannot inflict lethal damage on them—even our only advantage proved useless. In the first two years of the "Ghost Descent," humanity fell into a state of desperate panic.

However, while the people despaired, the state did not; it continued to seek solutions.

In the third year of the descent, the authorities released a report stating that "Ghost Relics" could be found within the Ghost Domains—items capable of dealing lethal blows to ghosts. A Ghost Relic can take any form; even a sheet of paper might become one. They are formed when an object remains in a Ghost Domain long enough to be permeated by "Ghost Qi."

Initially, it was believed that humanity was doomed: the Ghost Domains were expanding at a visible rate, squeezing human living space, and some pessimistically speculated that the entire world would eventually be engulfed.

But the appearance of Ghost Relics proved that "Heaven never leaves a man without a way."

Shortly thereafter, all of humanity suddenly awakened a "Super Intuition": whenever one enters a Ghost Domain, their intuition guides them toward the exit. Although it provides only a general direction, it is far better than wandering aimlessly.

This, too, aligns with the idea of humanity escaping with that one sliver of hope.

Perhaps the higher-ups are beginning to question reality—wondering if our ancestors truly experienced or knew something about all of this.

This is why everyone has come to the market.

Unless one is a fool, anyone can tell the difference between a D-rank entity and a crowd of S, A, and B-ranks. Choosing the latter is only done out of necessity, under duress.

"While all the ghosts' attention is on the Great Ghost, let's find the exit quickly," the man in glasses whispered.

***

"Sister She, here are your chickens. Check if the count is right."
"Brother Yang, here are your custom clothes and half a wild boar."
"Dandan, here is your doll."
...

Goods were exchanged for what was needed.

After about twenty minutes, Xia Lingze had finished trading everything he brought, and he had gained quite a haul himself.

"Alright, I'm all out. See you all next time!" Xia Lingze said happily.

The ghosts who didn't manage to trade looked at their peers with envy and jealousy, bubbling with resentment. They wanted to snatch the goods, but challenging the Great Ghost was unrealistic, so they could only hope that Xia Lingze would bring more next time.

Every time they asked, Xia Lingze would reply that he was only one person and could only carry so much; there was nothing he could do.

The ghost driving the truck was once tempted to offer help with the cargo, but at the thought of where Xia Lingze lived, he shivered and buried that dangerous idea deep in his heart.

Humans have forbidden zones, and so do ghosts.

Xia Lingze came from a forbidden zone. His good temper was his own business, but that didn't mean the other ghosts there were as pleasant.

Xia Lingze was unaware of the ghosts' inner turmoil. He packed his things, not planning to linger as he usually did, and prepared to head straight back to the village. He was in a hurry to pick up Coalball.

He tied two burlap sacks to either end of his carrying pole and, just as he stood up, a shadow fell over him.

Xia Lingze instinctively looked up and saw a burly figure wearing a hyper-realistic pig mask. He had never seen this person before. Xia Lingze had a good memory and guessed this was their first visit, so he said politely:

"I'm sorry, you're late. I've already sold out..."

Before he could finish, the pig-masked man's thick, powerful hands conjured a sharp axe out of thin air, swinging it toward Xia Lingze.

The surrounding ghosts were stunned, then wore expressions of mockery, gloating, or anticipation of a good show.

The axe cut through the air with a shrill whistle, and just as it was about to strike, no one saw when Xia Lingze moved—the axe in the pig-mask's hand suddenly vanished into thin air. The ghost itself, caught by its own momentum, nearly flew off, freezing in place to maintain an awkward, ridiculous pose.

Xia Lingze weighed the rusted axe in his hand and assessed, "This won't do. If you want to sell it, at least clean it up; it’s too filthy. Hmm, how about this: trade it for two chickens, home-raised ones."

Sister She, who had just swallowed ten pheasants and was looking on with satisfaction, saw this and her pupils constricted. She shrieked, "What? Why! His piece-of-junk axe is worth two chickens, but my snake isn't even worth one?"

Xia Lingze blinked and smiled shyly, "Sister, it’s about demand. No one in our village needs snakes, but we do need axes."

Sister She paused, her mind racing. She smiled, "Little Xia, why don't you tell me what you need? I'll keep an eye out for you."

Xia Lingze thought for a moment, "Then please look for festive items, like white lanterns, incense, couplets, or bridal robes."

"Are you getting married?"

"No, it's for an older sister in the village."

"Alright, leave it to me. I'll get them all for you by next month."

"Thank you, Sister! My pig is about to be ready for slaughter. If you find everything, I'll trade you a whole pig."

Sister She was ecstatic, "Deal!"

The two of them ignoring him infuriated the pig-masked ghost. It shot a threatening look at the snake-woman, who was presumably of equal rank.

The snake-woman raised an eyebrow, her expression turning cold. Just as she was about to act, she thought of something, her expression relaxed, and she curled her red lips in a provocative smile.

The pig-masked ghost was trembling with rage, but it feared the woman. Realizing it was now weaponless and would be at a disadvantage in a fight, it stopped looking at her and turned its gloomy gaze toward the young man who smelled so faintly and weakly of humanity.

Although it didn't know how the boy had taken its weapon, it was a fact that humans were weak; in a head-on collision, humans would only be shattered.

Elsewhere, the young man in the short-sleeved shirt, who was searching for an exit, noticed the commotion near where the 3S-rank Great Ghost was supposedly located. Unable to suppress his curiosity, he looked over just in time to see the pig-masked ghost lunging at the Great Ghost, only to trip inexplicably and slide along the ground, stopping right in front of the Great Ghost as if kneeling before it.

The Great Ghost had a smile on his lips. Whether it was due to the "underworld filter" or reality, in the eyes of the young man in the short-sleeved shirt, that smile no longer looked warm or bright. Instead, it was tinged with a sense of nonchalance; his gentle gaze overflowed with a hint of coldness and cruelty. He looked down at the ghost kneeling before him as if contemplating something, and two seconds later, he performed an unthinkable action—

He reached out his hand toward the other, his mouth moving as if speaking.

The next second, without warning, the pig-masked ghost tore off its own head and placed it in the Great Ghost's hand. Blood gushed from the severed neck, spraying everywhere.

The young man stood frozen, his mind blank and his limbs rigid, terrified by the gruesome, horrific scene.

At that moment, the Great Ghost suddenly looked up and met his gaze.

The young man felt as if he had fallen into an icy cellar, realizing for the first time how ridiculous his initial thoughts had been.

—How could "it" ever be human?