FCRCG Chapter 2

The sky was beginning to brighten.

Just as Nan Deng finished speaking, the little girl suddenly lunged forward, gripping his wrist tightly.

Her body was also covered in burn marks, her clothes tattered, and her arm bore a strange-shaped mark.

Nan Deng had no idea what she was trying to do. Uneasy and flustered, he tried to shake her off. But the little girl’s grip was surprisingly strong, and he couldn’t break free.

She gave him a grin, revealing bluish-black teeth, while the mark on her arm emitted a faint glow.

In the next moment, Nan Deng’s vision spun. Before he could react, he and the little girl disappeared from where they were.

The night ended completely as daylight broke through the clouds.

The faint trace of energy that had been detected earlier was now nowhere to be found.

The team leader held a compass in his hand, watching as the needle quivered slightly.

Lian Yi retracted his gaze and said, “Don’t follow me.”

He walked away alone, his silhouette vanishing beyond the amusement park gates.

The team leader returned to his team and began tending to his companions’ injuries.

“We’ll pause the mission for tonight and focus on recovering,” the team leader instructed. “I’ll report the situation to the Inner Court and request reinforcements.”

With the death of the area’s guardian spirit, the resentful spirits here were far stronger than they had anticipated.

One of his teammates spoke timidly: “But… isn’t Chief Lian here?”

The team leader lowered his head, dodging the question: “Let’s go.”

…

Somewhere underground, Nan Deng leaned against a stone wall, cautiously scanning his surroundings.

Just moments ago, he and the little girl had almost been discovered. Then, out of nowhere, they had been transported to this place.

Ahead of him, in a slightly more open space, were at least a dozen ghosts.

These ghosts came in various forms, packed closely together. Every so often, they muttered indistinct phrases, their presence even more unnerving in the dim light.

Faced with this scene, Nan Deng almost felt as if he had been thrown back into the Karmic Tower.

He crouched down slowly and whispered, “Where is this?”

This place looked like a dwelling for ghosts, but Nan Deng knew that most ghosts disliked being around their own kind. During his two days at the amusement park, he had only crossed paths with two or three other ghosts.

“What kind of reaction is that?” the little girl asked, standing next to him. Her voice was childlike, but her tone carried the maturity of an adult. “I saved you.”

She stared at Nan Deng, studying him with a look of curiosity and puzzlement.

Nan Deng’s appearance didn’t resemble that of a ghost.

He appeared to have just reached adulthood, his fair face clean and unmarred, without the slightest trace of death.

Ghosts didn’t care about aesthetics, but from a human perspective, he was exceptionally good-looking.

Such ghosts were rare. The little girl touched the burned side of her face, her dark eyes gleaming with a trace of excitement. “You’re new here, aren’t you? Escaped from the tower?”

She pressed further: “I heard a ghost king escaped as well. Did you see them?”

Nan Deng opened his mouth, his expression bewildered.

Seeing this, the little girl immediately lost interest. “Oh… never mind. I must have been mistaken.”

Back in the amusement park, most of the ghosts had been captured, leaving only her and Nan Deng. In hindsight, it seemed that Nan Deng didn’t know how to hide; he was simply so weak that his presence was almost undetectable.

Nan Deng felt uneasy but acknowledged that the little girl had indeed saved him.

Hugging his knees, he murmured, “Thank you.”

The little girl stared at him with a peculiar expression, then noticed something moving in his arms.

Nan Deng wore an oversized shirt, its collar and sleeves frayed, with a pouch at the hem.

The pouch was bulging. Something inside moved again, poking out a pair of white ears, followed by a pair of eyes.

The little girl tilted her head. “What’s that?”

It looked like… a plush rabbit head without a body? White, and about the size of an adult’s palm.

As she spoke, the rabbit head turned its gaze toward her.

…It was alive?

Nan Deng grew nervous and held the rabbit head tightly. “Its name is Xiao Tu… it’s my pet.”

“A pet?” The little girl almost laughed aloud.

A ghost keeping a pet? This was a first for her.

She reached out, intending to grab the rabbit head’s soft ears.

Nan Deng turned his body to shield it, holding the rabbit head protectively. He didn’t notice its pupils faintly turning red.

Before the little girl’s hand could touch the rabbit’s ears, a loud rumble echoed from the center of the underground space.

The little girl’s expression shifted, and she withdrew her hand.

Bang—

Nan Deng also turned to look. The ghosts in the center scattered in panic as a figure enveloped in thick, viscous fog appeared out of nowhere.

The figure’s face was obscured by the fog, making it impossible to discern their features. A low voice murmured, “Hand it over.”

As the figure raised both hands, several beams of light illuminated the narrow underground space.

The mark on the little girl’s arm also began to glow faintly.

Her body floated upward as if an invisible force had seized her, and a look of pain spread across her face.

The other ghosts were no different. The cave was soon filled with their wails and anguished cries.

Nan Deng was overcome with fear, watching helplessly as the little girl hung suspended in mid-air.

The foggy figure raised their hands again. All the ghosts, including the little girl, were forced to open their mouths, expelling clusters of black mist that coalesced at the center.

Afterward, the little girl fell to the ground with a thud, her state noticeably weaker than before.

The fog-shrouded specter absorbed all the black mist and seemed satisfied. “Good children.”

The mist around him swirled, and suddenly, countless black paper fragments shot out, striking the ghosts in the underground cavern.

The little girl, still struggling to get up, had one of the paper fragments stuck to her arm. It immediately burrowed into her skin, leaving a familiar black mark behind.

The mark that had been on her arm before was now gone.

A paper fragment also flew toward Nan Deng, but the rabbit head reacted first. It leaped upward and caught the fragment in its mouth, swallowing it whole.

Nan Deng quickly checked the rabbit head. Sure enough, the same mark appeared on its left ear.

He touched the rabbit head’s ear and asked worriedly, “What is this?”

The fog-shrouded specter disappeared without a trace after releasing the paper fragments. A few of the ghosts in the cavern began phasing through the stone walls to leave.

Nan Deng couldn’t shake the feeling that these black paper fragments resembled talismans used by celestial masters, though their appearance was slightly different.

The little girl, still sitting on the ground, grinned at him. “I don’t know, but your pet better watch out.”

After becoming a ghost, much of one’s cognition and reasoning changed compared to when alive. The little girl explained many things, and Nan Deng barely managed to piece it all together.

The black paper fragments were tools that had transported them to the cavern and were also capable of extracting whatever ghosts had consumed as “food”.

Ghost food consisted of things like human souls and life essence. Only by consuming and digesting it could ghosts grow stronger.

The fog-shrouded specter used the paper fragments to turn the ghosts into its slaves.

“Next time he comes back, if your belly’s empty…” The little girl smiled sinisterly. “He’ll get angry and devour anyone who disobeys.”

The paper fragments activated periodically, though the exact interval—days, maybe?—she couldn’t quite recall.

Ghosts devouring each other could stave off hunger, but the taste was atrocious.

It was the first time Nan Deng had heard of ghosts eating ghosts. Clearly shaken, he hugged the rabbit head tightly and said nothing.

So, it turned out the little girl had brought him here using the paper fragment’s power.

“I’m off to hunt for prey,” the little girl said, passing through the stone wall. Before disappearing, she left him with a parting remark. “You’d better hurry up too, little ghost.”

Before long, most of the ghosts in the cavern were gone.

Nan Deng stroked the rabbit head’s ear and asked softly, “Are you hungry?”

The rabbit head couldn’t speak, but it looked listless. It wasn’t affected by the paper fragment; it had just been starving. Nan Deng hadn’t fed it once during their two days in the amusement park.

But it was still daylight and they would have to wait until nightfall.

Fortunately, after the fog-shrouded specter left, the cavern felt safe. Nan Deng curled up in a corner and managed to sleep for a while. When he woke, it was already dark.

The mark on the rabbit head’s ear was still there, but it showed no other abnormalities.

Nan Deng tucked it back into his pouch and began exploring the cavern. He eventually found an exit—a passage leading to a nearby square.

The cavern seemed to be the remnants of an abandoned underground structure connected to a tunnel.

When Nan Deng finally pushed open a manhole cover above his head, the area was deserted.

He quickly climbed out, darting into the darkest corner where the moonlight couldn’t reach. Hugging the shadows along the street, he moved cautiously.

Recently, ghosts had been wreaking havoc everywhere. Many residents had already moved away and those who remained didn’t dare step outside at night. The streets were eerily empty.

Nan Deng followed the direction where the light was the strongest and walked forward for a while, faintly hearing human voices.

He stopped in his tracks, hesitating for a moment.

As a ghost, it was natural for him to “eat humans”, especially since the rabbit head had been marked by the paper fragment and needed to be fed.

But he had never “eaten” a human before and had no experience.

Back in the tower, he had occasionally overheard other ghosts bragging about their “glorious feats”, so he had a vague idea of what to do.

Resolving himself, Nan Deng continued walking.

He approached the voices and saw a brightly lit standalone building in the distance.

However, when he reached the corner, he was startled to see five or six people in celestial master uniforms standing outside the building.

They were gathered together, carving white markings into the ground. Nan Deng quickly hid and prepared to leave unnoticed.

These celestial masters were unfamiliar faces, not the same four he had encountered the night before. Each wore a badge, and the intricate gold thread patterns on their collars made them look even more distinguished.

One of them held a compass. “The needle is moving!”

But the needle only trembled slightly, not pointing to any specific location, indicating no soul body was nearby.

Another celestial master glanced over at the comment. “It’s probably almost time. The person inside is nearing the end of their lifespan and part of their soul body will start to detach.”

The group worked with clear coordination, even bringing along an apprentice who was diligently taking notes on the side.

With increasing disturbances across various areas and too few celestial masters available for missions, lower-ranked celestial masters needed to gain experience as quickly as possible.

After finalizing their preparations, the group patiently waited.

“It’s been getting worse over the years,” the lead celestial master muttered as if speaking to himself. “The mountain god and chaos god have vanished, and even the underworld now needs assistance…”

The older celestial master beside him gave a sharp reminder. “Enough. Focus.”

At that moment, the compass needle spun rapidly, pointing directly inside the building.

Faint, strange noises echoed from within. The celestial master moved in perfect unison, channeling spiritual energy into the array carved on the ground.

Humm—

A low, resonant hum spread out, and everything around them seemed to blur and grow distant. At the edge of their vision, a massive door appeared.

The door was ancient in design, like a relic from millennia ago. The redwood panels were weathered and worn, the tiles above it on the verge of collapse. A plaque hung overhead with two characters inscribed: Underworld.

The moonlight and wind abruptly vanished, replaced by an indescribable emptiness that crept up Nan Deng’s spine, leaving him in a state of unease.

The apprentice, witnessing the underworld manifest for the first time, felt sweat trickling down his forehead. Overwhelmed by an involuntary sense of dread, he froze in place.

Creak—

The door slowly opened, and a third-level resentful spirit had just broken free from its vessel. It struggled with all its might to resist the pull of the underworld, attempting to flee.

But the array surrounding it had already been set up. The resentful spirit had no escape and, amidst its despairing screams, was sucked into the door.

Bang!

Perhaps it was just his imagination, but the apprentice thought he heard a swallowing sound as the soul disappeared.

Fortunately, the mission was a success. If this third-level resentful spirit, already so powerful at the time of its creation, had managed to escape, the underworld would never have been able to capture it again. The consequences would have been dire.

After devouring the soul body, the underworld vanished, and everything around them returned to normal.

The apprentice let out a sigh of relief, smoothing out the notebook that had been crumpled in his grip.

By then, Nan Deng had already taken a detour and left.

When he reached a more residential area, he realized that the nearby residents had all shut their doors tightly. Talismans were pasted on the houses and many celestial masters patrolled the streets.

Nan Deng carefully avoided them and finally found a somewhat safe place, only to discover it was already occupied by another ghost that ferociously drove him away.

Left with no choice, Nan Deng continued searching for shelter. On the way, he plucked a few berries from a bush and fed them to the rabbit head.

These plants were tangible to him and the rabbit head wasn’t picky—it would eat anything.

After walking for nearly two hours, Nan Deng noticed the surroundings growing quieter.

There were no patrolling celestial masters, nor were there ghosts fighting over territory. The single-story buildings along the way were all pitch-black, except for one that still had its lights on.

Nan Deng cautiously approached. The rabbit head popped out of his pocket and leaped onto his head, occasionally swiveling around.

He made his way to the illuminated house without encountering any obstacles.

Where there were lights, there were likely people.

Nan Deng circled the house to confirm it was safe.

Even with a suitable target in sight, he couldn’t enter. A talisman was stuck on the doorframe and it looked brand new.

On the side, a window was slightly ajar. Nan Deng tried to push it open, but the talisman’s power caused a sharp pain as soon as he touched it.

The rabbit head, also a soul body, couldn’t get in either.

After a few failed attempts, Nan Deng sat down beneath a tree to rest.

Plucking a leaf from the tree, he fed it to the rabbit head, sighing with worry. “It looks like we won’t manage tonight… Don’t worry, next time, I’ll take you back to the cave with me.”

Whether the rabbit head understood or not was unclear, but it munched on the leaf with a soft “crunch, crunch”.

The night was quiet. Leaning against the tree trunk, Nan Deng ran his fingers through the rabbit head’s fur.

Suddenly, the rabbit head’s ears perked up, swiveling as it turned to stare into a dark corner.

“Meow…” A small black cat emerged, cautiously sniffing the air beneath the tree.

Many animals possess a natural sensitivity and can perceive the presence of soul bodies.

The black cat approached, trotting a few steps closer. It circled the tree once, then hesitantly crouched at Nan Deng’s feet.

Nan Deng had never seen such a creature before. Curious, he extended a hand.

Surprisingly, the black cat seemed to sense his presence. It sniffed at his translucent fingers, then flopped onto its back, exposing its soft belly to him.

Seeing the cat’s small body and agile movements, Nan Deng’s eyes lit up.

He couldn’t enter the house, but the black cat was alive, and the talismans wouldn’t affect living beings.

If he could possess the black cat, he could slip through the window and even bring the rabbit head along.

Nan Deng’s semi-transparent fingers passed through the black cat’s body as he asked, “Could you do me a favor?”

The black cat tilted its head up at him, flicked its tail, and didn’t run away.

Nan Deng closed his eyes and attempted to possess it. When he reopened them, he found himself inside the black cat’s body.

The black cat showed no resistance. Nan Deng flexed his new “limbs”, marveling at how it truly felt like he had become a cat.

The rabbit head appeared much larger to him now. Raising a paw, Nan Deng gave it a tap, marveling at the peculiar sensation.

Before long, a small black cat nimbly leaped onto the windowsill and squeezed through the gap into the house.

The interior was spacious. The lights were on in the living room and a bedroom deeper inside, while the rest of the house was dimly lit and eerily empty.

Suddenly, the bedroom door creaked open, and someone stepped out.

Click—

The man turned on the hallway light outside the bedroom, his gaze dropping to the source of the disturbance.

A small black cat stood before him, faintly emanating a weak aura of malice.

Its eyes were vacant and it held a semi-transparent rabbit head in its mouth.

Thud. The rabbit head slipped from its jaws and fell to the ground, producing a faint noise imperceptible to ordinary ears.

Nan Deng could feel the black cat’s heart pounding, likely mirroring his own nervousness.

He strained to recall the black cat’s earlier behavior before he possessed it—awkwardly flopping over onto its back and swishing its tail.

This human wasn’t dressed like a celestial master. Safe.

Once the human picked him up, he could “bite” him.

Moonlit: I’m sorry I won’t be able to upload the promised 10 chapters today. I had to quickly finish my thesis outline for submission. But I can assure you that all 20 chapters will be uploaded this week.