Chapter 21: The Strange Dream

In a dim and gloomy space, Li Si walked aimlessly. He did not know who he was, where he came from, or where he was going. Right now, there was only one thought in his mind, that was to keep walking forward, to keep walking until he felt tired.

But he did not know how much time had passed, yet Li Si showed no sign of fatigue at all. As he walked, he even began to feel somewhat annoyed.

At this moment, he began thinking about who he was, what his name was, and why he was walking like this.

After thinking for a very, very long time, a name surfaced in his heart.

“Li Si.”

Is this my name? Why am I called this?

“I think, therefore I am. From now on, I shall be called Li Si.” Suddenly, a childish voice rang out within the dim space, and the silhouette of a thin little boy faintly appeared ahead.

When Li Si saw the boy, he wanted to run over and greet him, but as soon as he got close to the little boy, the boy immediately disappeared.

“Who are you! Why am I here?” Li Si became somewhat irritable and shouted into the void.

“How can one contemplate the world, with hot blood illuminating the cold rivers.” A familiar voice came from another direction. The voice was sonorous and powerful, yet somehow unfamiliar to him.

Looking toward the source of the voice, he saw a thin figure seriously reading at a desk.

Li Si walked toward the thin figure, but just like the little boy before, this figure also disappeared.

“Who exactly are all of you!!! I want to get out!!!” Li Si was on the verge of collapse. This place made him feel extremely uncomfortable.

Creak, creak...

A harsh sound entered Li Si’s ears, interrupting his shouting. He looked toward where the sound came from and saw that, at some unknown time, a wooden bed had appeared not far away.

The grating creaking sound was coming from the bed.

Li Si angrily strode toward the wooden bed. What surprised him this time was that the bed did not disappear like the little boy and the thin figure had.

He circled around the bed once, yet the creaking sound still came from within it. Pressing his ear close to the bed, he discovered that the sound was not coming from the bed itself.

It was coming from underneath the bed. It seemed as though something was chewing on something beneath it.

A hesitant expression appeared on Li Si’s face, but he immediately crouched down, reached for the bedsheet, and slowly lifted it.

At that moment, the harsh creaking sound stopped, as though whatever was under the bed had discovered him.

When the sound ceased, Li Si’s heart tightened, and the hand lifting the bedsheet paused.

A trace of hesitation flashed across his face, but determination soon returned, and he continued lifting the sheet.

After lifting it, Li Si found that everything under the bed was pitch black, making it difficult to see clearly.

Suddenly, his eyes fixed on a corner.

In that corner, he discovered a figure.

That figure seemed to sense him as well and slowly raised its head. In the darkness, a refined and handsome face entered Li Si’s sight.

Looking at that face, Li Si felt as if he had seen a ghost.

Because that face was clearly his own.

And at that moment, Li Si also saw clearly what that person was gnawing on.

It was a slender humerus.

That humerus was definitely not the bone of any wild beast!!!

That person who looked exactly like him was eating a human?!

“Ah!!!”

Li Si abruptly sat upright in bed, breathing heavily as cold sweat streamed down his neck.

“Thank goodness it was a dream.”

He let out a long breath, wiped away the cold sweat with his clothes, and got out of bed.

Knock, knock, knock. A burst of knocking came from outside the room.

“Has Scholar Li gotten up yet?” a female voice called from outside.

“Mm, I’m up.” Li Si used the Dead Jade to put away the Decapitated Ghost, which was still standing in the corner, then walked to the door and opened it.

Standing outside was the maidservant who had brought him food yesterday. Her name was Xiaolan.

At this moment, Xiaolan stood outside smiling at Li Si, holding washing utensils in her hands.

“Scholar Li, please wash up. The Master and Madam are currently waiting for you in the main hall to have breakfast together.”

“Alright.” Li Si responded and accepted the washing utensils from Xiaolan.

After washing up, Li Si followed Xiaolan out of Little Bamboo Courtyard and headed toward the main hall.

Inside the hall, Squire Zhang and Madam Zhang Guo were eating breakfast together, looking deeply affectionate.

Only after Li Si approached and they noticed him did they return to proper appearances, as though nothing had happened.

“Nephew, how did you sleep last night? Was there anything you weren’t accustomed to?” Squire Zhang took a sip of clear tea and smiled as he asked Li Si.

“Nothing happened last night. Everything was fine. Thank you for your concern, Uncle,” Li Si replied with a smile as he sat down at the table.

“Oh?” Squire Zhang appeared somewhat surprised, then casually asked, “Nothing rather strange happened last night?”

Li Si sneered inwardly, but on the surface he looked puzzled. He frowned and thought for a moment before saying with certainty, “Indeed, nothing happened.”

Squire Zhang looked at Li Si meaningfully and chuckled.

“As long as nothing happened. Come, eat. Otherwise the food will get cold.”

Li Si acted as though he had not noticed the meaningful smile and began eating.

Although everyone here was dead, the dishes they made were actually quite delicious.

As for whether he might eat something unpleasant, Li Si had already broken the Ghost Covers the Eyes spell, so he could naturally tell that the food before him was perfectly normal.

Suddenly, Li Si’s body stiffened.

His eating paused briefly before he continued as though nothing had happened.

If someone had looked beneath the table at that moment, they would have seen Madam Zhang Guo’s snow-white jade foot rubbing against Li Si’s calf once again.

At that moment, Li Si’s thoughts stirred, and a piece of information appeared in his mind.

Dismemberment Ghost (Severely Injured)

Ghost Creature Rank: Low-Level Ghost Creature

Abilities: Ghost Covers the Eyes (an incompletely evolved Ghost Wall technique); Intangibility; Human Skin; Deception

Current Relationship: Uncontracted.

Current Soul Strength: 98

Only a low-level ghost creature.

Li Si let out a breath, but what troubled him was that this ghost creature’s soul strength had actually reached ninety-eight points.

It could be said to be the strongest low-level ghost creature he had encountered so far.

When he had first encountered the Decapitated Ghost, its strength had only been twenty points. Even after yesterday’s enhancement, it had only reached thirty.

Yet this Dismemberment Ghost’s soul strength had reached ninety-eight points, more than three times that of the Decapitated Ghost.

Fortunately, for some unknown reason, the Dismemberment Ghost was currently in a severely injured state.

Li Si wanted information about the Dismemberment Ghost’s abilities. Just as he focused his consciousness on the listed skills, Madam Zhang Guo’s jade foot withdrew from his calf.

Li Si immediately felt a sense of regret.

Not because he was reluctant to part with that soft little foot.

But because he had failed to obtain any information about the Dismemberment Ghost’s abilities.