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Chapter Text

Unwillingly he’d played the role of the villain. Revenge hadn’t been sweet or satisfying, and as he stared at the so-called righteous men glaring at him with abhorrence, he could only laugh.

He tilted his head back and laughed as they stood there. Facing off the demon, the hated chief of Ghost Valley, there was nothing but excitement and righteous anger in their eyes. He knew what taking this demon’s life meant and he refused to grant them the pleasure of his death. He’d been forced into this world, this hell, and he refused to leave unwillingly. 

He took a few steps back until he could feel the ground crumbling behind his feet. On the edge of a cliff, facing the Martial Arts World, he smiled. “When I was alive, I wandered in the streets of the Capital: Now that I am dead, I am left to lie in the fields.” (Bearer’s song by Miu Hsi) 

They scoffed, and someone in the crowd yelled,” Kill the Evil Ghost!” The martial artists nodded and stepped forward. People rushed forward, eager to get a chance to kill or even capture the Chief of Ghost Valley.  Zhen Yan didn’t stop smiling, his bloody smile was eerie enough to send shivers down a few weaker practitioners. He kept smiling as he took the last step back and fell. 

His smile never faded, as he sunk into the darkness. In his last moments, Zhen Yan didn’t swear revenge or curse the world, he died wishing for a dream that would never come true. The righteous cultivators promised peace, and it came at the expense of Zhen Yan and his family. The last Chief of Ghost Valley died that day. His body was found at the bottom of the valley, battered and torn apart by wild animals. Last Excerpt from “Faraway Wanderers. Novel 3”

When the world came to a stop, after spinning white and red, the last and first thing Zhen Yan thought was,” Mother has the most beautiful shoulder blades in the world.” 

Zhen Yan, or the child that looked like him, looked down at his mother’s masked face and then at her back where red bloomed, staining her white robes. The source of the stain was hidden under her clothes but he could see the metal stick that was struck into her back. 

Before he knew what he was doing he wrapped his chubby, childish fingers around the cold stick and pulled with all his strength to no avail. Laughter surrounded him. Letting go of the cold metal he fell to the ground. His knees hit the floor and Zhen Yan looked through tears at the blurry figures surrounding him. Horrible men dressed in black with creepy masks clutched at their stomachs laughing at him.  

He didn't remember screaming at them or begging for his parents to wake up. Shaking their prone cold bodies, not noticing how the red from his mother stained his clothes. He stayed in the circle of ghosts, pleading for his parents to wake up, too caught up in a nightmare to notice he was caught. 

A woman, the only one in the group, came forward. There was a cold look on her face and she commanded respect from these treacherous ghosts. There was no doubt that she was valued and powerful. But as she approached him the icy look thawed. 

Through her eyes, Zhen Yan could tell she was like him. So when she held out her hand and promised revenge, he took it ignoring the crackling laughter and dreadful ghosts. He took her hand even though his choice wasn't a choice he would have still made it without the system. 

[Congratulations host for completion of your first mission: Join the Ghost Valley. 60 points have been added. Keep up the good work.]

[Your next mission is: Remember Zhen Yan’s grudges after drinking Meng-Po soup. Failure results in a 200-point deduction.]

Under the watch of 20 ghosts, Zhen Yan gritted his teeth and glared at the words in front of him. Congratulations? A child’s parents were killed in front of him. Honestly. And he didn't even get a break after all that. What does the mission even mean?

Side-eyeing the people around him, Zhen Yan’s eyes went to the Ghost Valley chief who was leaning against a tree, sleeping. Honestly, he could kill him now. They would never suspect a traumatized child to be capable of murder. 

He could kill the guy now and still join. Maybe he could make the lady the chief, she seemed to like him. Sneakily grabbing a knife laying he tucked it into his wide sleeves, appreciating their usefulness. Then he looked around, checking to make sure that no one was paying attention to him as he took a step toward the tree. 

Most of the ghosts, including the lady, were invested in a bloody fight between two skilled heroes. Not bothering to pay attention to a small brat. This was a perfect time. He took another step toward the tree, his nerves buzzing with the anticipation of a kill. He had taken only three steps forward when he felt the cold aura around him making him freeze in place. 

As if he could sense the killing intent, which he probably could, the Ghost Chief opened one eye and looked at him with delight. Thrown off Zhen Yan stayed still, playing innocent and pretending to be looking for grass or flowers or whatever kids looked for these days. Eventually, the chief closed his eye and the chilling aura dissipated and Zhen Yan nearly collapsed in a heap. That was a warning, as real as it could be. The threat of nearly being killed again hung over him. 

[20+ points. The Ghost Valley Chief had noticed you. He is interested in you.]

Fuck. What? Interest? What type of interest? Sudden flashes of what interest could have meant flashed in his mind. Horrified Zhen Yan tried to contain his disgust, begging the system that it didn't mean what he thought it meant. 

[...] System 456 stayed silent, internally laminating about its vulgar host. (T-T*)

Shitty system. Answer the question! Zhen Yan, the transmigrator, yelled in his head.

Finally, the system replied, feeling the host’s anxiety and worried that the host might die and the system might have to find another host in such a short time.

 [” Faraway Wanderers” is a Wuxia novel and does not contain such material.]

Okay so no xxxxx, xxx, xxxx, or xxxxx? 

This host was too vulgar! The unreliable system stayed silent for a few seconds before responding.

[No. Host will not have to worry. It is not required or part of the plot.]

Letting out a relieved breath, he sighed. Black edged around the corner of his vision, occasionally overtaking his vision completely. His body ached and as soon as he heard the answer to his question he nearly collapsed in relief. Wait, maybe he did. 

Long white hair fell on his face as he felt someone shaking him. Before he fell unconscious his last thought was,” Fuck what a terrible day to die. “

4 hours ago

The web novel, “Faraway Wanderers”’s final chapter was updated in the middle of Tuesday night. Wen Kexing, who was waiting anxiously the entire day, immediately clicked the update and started to read. 

Minutes ticked away, as Wen Kexing stared down at the bright computer screen. When he finally stopped scrolling, the room was eerily quiet, then bang.

“MOTHERFUCKER!!” If it wasn’t for the raging winds outside, his scream would have been heard by the people occupying the few blocks next to his own house. 

“What the fuck.” Wen Kexing would ordinarily be extremely talented at insulting anything , but his anger had exceeded to a level where all rational thought had left his mind.

“Faraway Wanderers" was part of a web novel series made in XXXX during his college years. He’d started the series out of curiosity and gotten attached. The first novel began with the protagonist, Zhen Yan’s parents, death and his forced induction into Ghost Valley. The novel focused on the hardships and obstacles he had to overcome. It ended with Zhen Yan murdering and skinning the previous Chief of Ghost valley and becoming the next chief. 

The novel’s dark, graphic scenes dropped its popularity and readers. But the brutality, and darkness hooked him in. Within a few weeks, the number of readers dropped from the millions to less than a hundred. Despite the lack of readers the author, swansong, kept writing and updating. 

The second book consisted of Wen Kexing traveling through the martial arts world. His travels consisted of making trouble, solving them, and recruiting beauties into his harem. His revenge plan had finally been implemented and was flowing smoothly. The novel ended with Gao Chong’s death. 

The last novel started with politics, and suddenly a ghost manual was released into the world. Zhen Yan’s carefree life came to an end. Ghosts were being hunted down and the martial arts world, fractured before, came together with one purpose: Destroy ghost valley. The plot twist led to the end of ghost valley and of Zhen Yan. 

While in normal novels the protagonist would gain a golden finger or rely on their people,  Zhen Yan was betrayed by everyone. Ghosts shouldn’t be trusted and it was proven true. In the last chapter, Zhen Yan, trapped by martial artists, jumped off a cliff and died. 

Wen Kexing wanted to kill someone. This wasn’t how he’d expected the end. Never would he have thought that the protagonist would end up dead. 

What the fuck is wrong with the author? He cursed, gritting his teeth. Thunderstruck outside and lightning struck a nearby tree. Occupied by the spiral of angry thoughts, Wen Kexing didn’t pay attention. Another clap of thunder and a bolt of lightning hit the cell tower nearby, just as an update by the swansong was posted. 

Wen Kexing clicked on the update and bang. 

“Okay, so one more time so I can understand this.”

[Okay.]

“So I got an update, that wasn’t an actual update, because the author, swansong is dead.”

[Yes.]

“So when I clicked on the not update, update, I was electrocuted, and I died. But I wasn’t supposed to die because it wasn’t supposed to update. ”

[Correct. Is there anything else?]

“Wait, how is the series being updated if the author is dead?”

[Author, swansong, requested a last update before their death, but there was an error and 2 updates were posted a few minutes apart.]

“So I died because of someone’s mistake.”

[Regretfully, yes. But not to worry host, your next life will be enjoyable.]

“My life as Zhen Yan, the protagonist from ‘Faraway Wanderers?’”

[Yes.]

“Yeah, no.”

[Host, don't you want to live as your favorite character?]

“Nope.” He said without hesitation. 

[Please reconsider.]

“Fuck no. Zhen Yan’s life sucks. No way I want his life, I'd rather die.”

[Don’t worry, host. System 456, will be by your side for any assistance. Besides your only options are: to die or live as Zhen Yan.]

“If this is your guy’s fault can't you just bring me back to life?”

[Unfortunately, no. There are ṛ̴̡̡͚͓̰̫̠̲͈̩́̃̂͑̏̂͘ǜ̵̻͇̫̥͎̮̻̱̳̐͂̌̋̌͛̄͋̓̕͜͜͠l̴̨̡̪̥̻̠̙̠̼̊͌͊̋̓́͛̑̒̋̉͋͘e̵̛̪̲̫͇̫̮̲͈̓̓̈́̌̐͘͝s̷̰͙͛̐͌́͐̅̇͗̆́̚͝. ]

“...”

[What is the host's decision? Please know we’ll accept what you choose.]

“I’ll do it.”

[Excellent. We hope you enjoy your new life.] 

“Drink this,” Luo Fumeng said, handing him a bowl of weird soup. Normally when offered a weird drink he'd pretend to drink it and then throw it up later but the glaring bright white mission text stared at him unflinchingly. The system was no doubt watching him to see if he would fulfill the mission condition. 

However, the mission and system had provided him with the barest amount of information about what the Meng-Po soup was. “What is it?” He nearly flinched after talking, surprised by the childishness and innocence in his voice. 

Unlike other ghosts, who'd probably kill him for questioning them, Luo Fumeng smiled and patiently explained.”It's Meng-po soup so you can forget what others don't want you to remember.” Oh, the mission made more sense now. Silently he glared in a random direction knowing that the system could feel it anyway. 

[Host didn't ask for more information.] 

Could he beat up this unreliable system? 

System 456 shivered even without a real body. This host was too scary QAQ[...]

Taking the porcelain bowl in his hand. He hesitantly brought it close to his lips. Before the liquid could touch his lips he shot a question to the system. 

Will I truly forget everything if I drink this? Stuck in a novel world with no memory to help him along the way seemed like a nightmare. 

[No the host will remember their past life but the current life will have to be remembered by the host’s ability.]

It was nice to know this system wasn't completely useless. He thought as he drained the bowl in seconds, focusing on retaining his memories of Zhen Yan’s grudges. 

System 456: Host is so mean to me. （πーπ）

It didn’t taste bad and nothing was happening. He waited for a few minutes before questioning the system. 

[Host’s mental fortitude is very high and will be unaffected by most mental illusions and drugs.]

Fuck yeah. Finally, something that is going right. 

[However, there is a part of the grudge missing. Host will receive punishment for forgetting a vital part of Zhen Yan’s grudge. ]

What the fuck. 

[Punishment is: fevers and short comas whenever Zhen Yan’s past is brought up.]

Short comas? Are those even a thing? 

Zhen Yan’s expression scrunched up. Luo Fumeng pulled out a handkerchief gently wiping his face. Zhen Yan turned and looked up at her. Face with his bright onyx eyes, staring up at her in bewilderment, her expression couldn’t help but soften.

“There-“A sudden wave of dizziness hit him. Was he going into a coma now?

[Host is experiencing a delayed reaction to the Meng-po soup. Also as a new transmigrator the host gets a pack that replaces comas with time skips.]

Could have mentioned that earlier. What other benefits does Laozi get? He asked as he was laid down. His vision flickered with black spots, and even if his body felt absurdly weak, he felt completely calm. This was the second time in the past 24 hours he fainted, and yet there was no turmoil in his mind. 

Wen Kexing despised any type of pain, and in a modern world filled with advanced technology, he refused to not take advantage of it. Even for the slightest wound, he’d get checked up. Luckily one of his closest friends was a doctor. 

[This package includes: 90% pain reducer, emotional control, 100 bonus points and a one-time revival. Host is extraordinarily lucky! This is the best first-time package anyone could receive!]

Lucky isn't how he'd describe this entire situation. Was this really the best package?

[Of course! This system didn’t lie.] 

Sure.

System 456: (ノAヽ)

It was an understatement to call the Ghost valley as hell. It wasn’t hell. It wasn’t anything, but suffering. It was created out of necessity by the cruelest. Living there felt like death was a mercy.  Excerpt about Ghost Valley in “Faraway Wanderers, Novel 1”

Ghost valley was exactly how it was described, even worse if he didn’t know everything about it. The Valley had 3 levels: the outer plains, inner districts, and palace. The outer plains and inner districts were occupied by types of people, but the outer plains housed mass cemeteries courtesy of the numerous deaths. They were home grounds for criminals and others. People like Zhen Yan ended up there. Forced to adapt to a terrible environment or die. 

The palace was viewed as a better place. It had an order but as everything was in Ghost Valley, it was kill or be killed. Sabotage and assassinations were constantly a threat, hanging over everyone’s head, except the 10 devils and chiefs. The 10 devils were exactly as the name suggested, 10 of the worst of the worst. Talented and powerful, obeying only the Chief. Even then the assassination attempts didn't stop.

Disgusting, he thought walking down the sidewalk, hidden behind Aunt Lao. Bodies littered the street, blood, bile, and grime, combined creating a horrendous black chunky substance. 

The people were the worst though. They bowed their heads, while they passed but he could see how they watched him and the other captured civilians. The bare animalistic emotions in their eyes couldn’t be hidden. The people resembled animals more than humans. Ghost Valley was truly the perfect name.

The front of the line came to a stop and Wen Kexing nearly bumped into the man waking in front of him. The line of soldiers parted as the Chief walked through the crowd. He stopped in front of him and Luo Fumeng. 

“Leave him here.” The next mission, Survive 7 days in the Outer Plains, glared at him. The Chief just grinned his yellow teeth and bared them at him. “Good luck pup.” Yuck, he felt dirty just looking at his face.

 Zhen Yan’s thin body shivered, his hands clutched at red robes. Luo Fumeng took his trembling as nervousness. She wanted to help, but one look at the chief and she backed away, pulling her robes from the child. She didn’t say anything as she walked away. 

Abandoned in the middle of the busy town, no one approached him. He stood there watching them leave and took a minute to talk to the system. 

What is Laozi supposed to do?

System 456:[Survive.]

Zhen Yan’s childish expression dropped, and a few passers seeing the terrible look on the child’s face scurried away, frightened a demon may have possessed the child.

Was the system going to help him survive?

System 456:[Systems cannot interfere with a host’s task. We can provide help in exchange for points but if the host’s points drop below 0, the host will be removed from this life.]

How many points did he have now?

System 456:[ Not to worry. Host has 160 points.]

Huh, okay. So he was on his own. No problem the lousy system would have been no help anyway. 

System 456:(╥_╥)

After the palace guards and officials left, the town returned to its natural state. It looked normal, with vendors, and stores on either side of the dirt road, but along with them were piles of dead, dismembered bodies, torn apart by wild animals or even people. Guts and blood spilled out, soaking the ground, and making it a dark red. 

Oh shit. Now to the important question. What would he eat for 7 days?

Chapter Text

He should have practiced harder, and done better when he had the time. He wouldn’t learn when could have and now when he wanted to learn there was no one to teach him. Time was fleeting, and had taken opportunities that he could never get back. Excerpt from“Faraway Wanderers, Novel 1”

“You! Where is he?” The man pointed to himself, confused. The child who spoke narrowed his eyes. “Who else? Where is he?” He barked out. The man trembled, sweat beaded his wrinkled face.

“I- I don’t know, my lord.” He said stuttering. The child was no older than 9 but with pale skin, baby fat, and big doe eyes he looked younger. The child was adorable, well cared for, and looked pampered. The man, however, didn’t think the child was cute, instead, he cowered at the sight of the child.

“Well then, someone should be punished shouldn’t they?” His voice was childish and sounded akin to a child throwing a tantrum, but his eyes held a special type of coldness. The words were taken by everyone in the villa as an order. The man’s body trembled, as the guards, approached him.  

Everyone in the outer plain knew how about the guards. It was said that, after being beaten black and blue, the leader of a vicious gang swore loyalty to him, with the rest of the gang. But that wasn’t the version the man had heard. As people spread the information, even with the core of the story remaining unchanged, the truth became distorted. 

The story he’d heard painted the guards as demons from hell, and the leader as the king of hell. But even with the terrible portrayal of the Amity Villa, he joined regardless. To his surprise, the ruler from hell was a child. The discovery had eased his worries. 

The only way the child could lead the gang was because of a powerful backing, or strength. But he knew for sure that no matter the reason, the child was inexperienced. 

His plan was simple: poison the ruler. He would join the Villa then work his way up and gain access to the leader’s bedroom, where he’d replace the incense stick with a pleasant-smelling poison. The incense stick would burn out and its ashes would be unsalvageable. But on that day, he got a bad feeling. If he’d learned anything in this business, he knew he should always trust his gut. So he’d sent another person. Unfortunately, he'd gotten caught. Luckily, the guy he’d sent, had never seen his face, and could only reveal that he had an employer.

“Please my, lord! I will find him! Please give me a chance!” He begged, dropping to the ground with a dull thud. This was all the other’s fault, if he just completed the task, he wouldn’t have been here. The man thought bitterly as he begged desperately.

The boy held up a hand and the guards stopped their advance. The man let out a breath of relief. “Thank you! Thank you! I will find him for his majesty!” He wouldn’t. He would leave this place immediately. The child smiled, got off the throne-like chair walking towards the man.

Footsteps echoed through the room. The child approached the bowing man.”Come closer.” The man hesitated for a moment as he moved closer. The child leaned forward until he was close to the man’s ears. 

“Why go find him, when he is right here?” He whispered softly, and the man froze. His expression scrunching up, eyes widening comically. 

The child took a step back and smiled. The man began trembling and genuine fear filled his expression. “Please! I’m sorry! Forgive me!” He started to beg, groveling on the floor. The child didn’t move his expression was unchanged.

The child walked away. The man noticing him leaving, rushed forward, in a last-ditch attempt to do something, but guards surrounded him. Their iron grip held him in place, as he trashed in place, all out sobbing.“Take him to the cliff.” The child said dismissingly, the guards bowed their heads and dragged the crying man out of the room.

There was a reason the child, had taken over the largest districts of Ghost Valley. It wasn’t because he was favored or loved. It was because he’d taken the seat of power, with brutal, cunning force. The child’s name wasn’t known, but his nickname instilled fear into the people of Ghost Valley. 

His cruelty, cunningness, and raw power gave him an appropriate nickname: Hundun.

….

[Mission: Join Ghost Valley’s palace.]

How much longer before they show up? It’s been two months.

System 456:[The plot will continue but the host’s actions can change the timeline.]

So, you don’t know. 

System 456:(╥_╥)

Wen Kexing: (¬_¬")

Wen Kexing sighed, turning back to his game. The game, WWH was bought using points by the system and worked well. He’d brought it a few weeks after he took after the Sliver Death pavilion. The group immediately surrendered and pledged alliance to him after he beat their boss.

He’d honestly been expecting more resistance and was ready to fight, but no one dared. He’d forgotten that in Ghost Valley, loyalties lied with the strongest and once the big boss was down, the sheep obediently flocked to him. The turn of events shocked him and he was less excited. 

Of course, the occasional assassin would try their luck, but he had a System that could detect any type of poison, concoction, and presence. It was the best cheat skill, no one could ambush or poison him without the system knowing. The result of the failed assassinations was growing respect and fear.

System 456:[Host there is a presence, within 100 meters.]

Wen Kexing perked up. Finally, he could get the plot going!

Hurriedly, he got up and called in the attendants.“Is everything ready for Poor Me*? ” 

The attendant nodded. Wen Kexing grinned,” Good. Let’s do it.” The attendant rushed away, without a sound.

System, pull out the body. 

A dead body appeared on the bed. It was a male with a rugged face and luxurious clothing. Wen Kexing quickly changed his clothes into the blood-spattered ones the System had provided. 

They were finally here. All his planning could finally be put into action.

…

The doors to the Palace swung open, and the guards marched inside. They walked straight into the throne room. Ghosts surrounded either side of the hall, nine out of the Ten Devils, were lined at the head of the room, and a few feet above them was the Chief. He sat on a red-dyed stone seat. His face was covered by shadows and his expression was unclear. 

“Long live the Chief!” The ghost yelled, bowing. The Chief nodded after a second and the Ghost soldiers rose. 

“Where is the Snake Skin Ghost? Didn’t I tell you to bring him?” The Chief questioned the soldiers, calmly. The soldiers looked at each other and the leader of the squad waved his hand. The soldiers parted as 4 ghosts walked through to the front. They were carrying a woven stretcher. They gently placed it on the ground and stood to the side. 

The anxiety throughout the palace heightened as the Chief remained silent. The ghost soldiers shuffled but did not dare to move. Five of the Ten Devils were watching the Chief's reaction. Happy Ghost, famed for his eerie smile and insane laugh, has his palm on his mouth, concealing his laughing. His wide, wary eyes darted between the Chief and the ghost soldiers. 

The Chief proceeded down the stairs, his footsteps echoing down the corridor. The ghosts were filled with both anticipation and horror. If the Chief was upset, there was no telling what would happen to them; if they were lucky, they could kill themselves before the Chief arrived.

The Chief approached the ghost soldier who had spoken. As he approached, his dark green robes rustled. The ghosts in the front row moved back. However, the man came to a halt in front of Snake Skin's dead body. 

The Chief's features were now clearly evident in the light. His face was normal, but his contorted expression gave him a menacing appearance. The ghosts around him shivered at his presence. Killing intent washed through them in waves. 

"Who was it that killed him?" His voice echoed throughout the room as he inquired. The ghosts shuffled to the side and parted to let someone pass. The ghost came to a halt a few steps away from the Chief, near the group's leader. He dumped a sack on the floor and walked away silently, never letting out a breath. 

The sack landed with a bang on the stone floor. After a few seconds of silence, the bag ruffled and began to wiggle. The sack made a muffled sound. The Chief arched his brow. He walked over to the sack and cut it with a sword he produced out of nowhere. 

The wiggling seized and tiny hands, pushed themselves out of the sack, furiously tearing the sack opening. A child's head poked its way out of the sack, panting for breath. The child's messy hair obscured the majority of their face, but their robes were stained with dried blood. 

The child glanced around, at the crowd of ghosts and started to back away. The Chief stepped forward and seized the child. He lifted the child up holding it by their neck. 

The child withered pitifully in his hold. It’s short legs kicked and trashed as it tried to peel off the Chief's fingers from its fragile throat. No one dared help the child. Some bowed their heads, anticipating the worst. 

Then the Chief laughed. His laugh echoed through the hall, it was loud, boisterous, and menacing. “This child, ” the word was coated with disgust and sounded more like a derogatory term. “Killed Snake Skin Ghost?” 

The silence was enough of a confirmation. No one dared to answer him. They bowed their heads, eyes firm on the floor. The chief shook the child who looked more disoriented from the shaking. 

“This weak child killed one of my ten devils?” He snarled. The ghosts flinched but stayed in place. One of the ghost soldiers hesitated and spoke up.

“He drugged him and killed him in sleep,” the ghost said. The Chief's eyes snapped towards the person. The soldier bowed low, sweating from the Chief’s gaze. “My lord.” He finished, not looking up. 

The man’s neck was snapped and he fell to the ground. No one moved. The child however froze, eyes locked onto the dead body. The Chief examined the child with a critical eye. 

“You,” his rugged, scarred face split into a grin. “I know you.” he said.

The child’s eyes left the body and went back to the chief’s. His eyes were clear and unafraid. He shook his head. 

The chief’s eyes filled with amusement. “Yes, you're that brat that tried to kill me.” The child’s eyes grew wide and he started to struggle more than before. 

The chief laughed and held the child up by its nape like an unruly kitten. The child froze and went limp like he was pretending to be dead.

The other ghosts watched the child with unease, clearly expecting the chief to snap the kid’s neck. The chief examined the kid. 

“From now on this kid is my ward.” he declared after a few seconds. There was no noise for a few minutes, the child twitched and came to life, looking at the chief if surprise. 

The chief grinned at him. “Treat the kid well.” he said as he tossed the kid to a nearby attendant. The ghost caught him and held him gently but firm enoughly he couldn't escape. The ghost attendant took him away. 

The chief grinned at the assembled ghosts and left. “Dismissed.” he disappeared behind the attendants. The ghosts cleared the room, dazed and confused. None of them dared to even talk. But one question lingered in their mind. 

…

“What the fuck is wrong with the Chief?” Wen Kexing cursed in his mind, as he sat in a wooden tub being cleaned. The ghost attendants were quick and cleaned him with a clinical practice. 

Does he have brain damage or something?

System 456: […]

Wen Kexing kept ranting in his mind. His Ward? Who wants to be his ward! I wanted to be his apprentice! Not be adopted by the psycho! How much of the plot did that psycho change!

System 456:[…]

Wen Kexing: ໒( ⇀ ‸ ↼ )७

System 456: (个_个)

Well at least the mission had changed. He’d earned 300 B points and the next plot mission was on cool down, for 16 years. Until then he had subquests to complete.

The attendants pulled him out the tub, patted him dry and dressed him. Then they put him on the luxurious bed and left.

Wen Kexing dropped onto the bed with a sigh. He rolled around, messing up his nicely done hair and clothes, as he tried to find the right position to sleep. 

His mind flickered back to what the chief had said before ditching him. 

“You're my ward now. I'll train you like hell and you better learn like you'll be killed any day.” he said with a cruel smile. 

“I know you know all the other shit about living here kid. I can see it in your eyes.” he said smiling. He stood up and went to leave. Before he left he paused at the door. 

“Oh and for your other question.” he chuckled. “You’ll know when you get older.” 

Wen Kexing buried his head in his pillow. “What a crazy old man.” he mumbled as he started to fall asleep. 

System 456: [Host…the chief is still outside.] 

Wen Kexing rolled his eyes. 

Are you sure he’s not a pervert?

System 456:[Yes. Faraway Wanderers is not that type of story.]

Then I'll be fine. He thought as he fell asleep. He dreamed of a ferocious guard dog guarding a room. It growled and bit at anyone who dared to approach.