If it were in the past, Henry Sutton would have definitely denounced it as feudal superstition. But now, after being struck by a gourd and even experiencing transmigration and reincarnation by possession... the words "feudal superstition" had already been erased from his heart.

"Thunder God?"

Henry Sutton let out a breath.

The mythological systems of the two worlds were so similar that even those gods and monsters he had always thought were fabricated now seemed somewhat believable.

After pondering for a while, his mind suddenly went blank.

These days, bedridden with illness, he inevitably slept a lot... and the longer he slept, the more he felt it was never enough, making him even more lethargic.

"In my previous life’s terms, this would be called neurasthenia, right?"

He closed his eyes, drowsiness washing over him, and soon fell into a deep sleep.

……

"Xiaoting, wake up..."

A gentle voice reached his ears.

Henry Sutton's eyelids twitched. He opened his eyes and saw a delicate face.

His gaze met a pair of clear, black-and-white eyes.

The woman before him had exquisite features and beautiful looks, though her skin was a bit pale.

She had a cascade of black hair, casually pinned up with a wooden hairpin, revealing a fair and smooth neck, giving her a simple and clean appearance.

Henry Sutton knew that pinning up her hair with a wooden hairpin wasn’t for looks, but simply for convenience while working.

She was originally a refined and quiet woman, but now... she appeared even more crisp and capable.

"Have some water first."

His cousin brought over a bowl of clear water, seemingly wanting to feed him.

Henry Sutton hurriedly reached out to take it, saying, "I’ll do it myself."

As he took the porcelain bowl, he also touched his cousin’s hand, and was momentarily stunned.

Because that pair of hands was not as soft and smooth as he had imagined, but rather a bit rough.

Henry Sutton looked down and saw a pair of rough hands, covered with many tiny scars.

Some were new, some old, some already healed, but all had left these fine and mottled marks on what should have been slender, flawless hands.

How could such a beautiful woman have such rough hands?

His cousin also noticed Henry Sutton's gaze, quickly withdrew her hands, quietly hid them behind her back, and chided softly, "What are you daydreaming about? Hurry up and drink the water..."

Henry Sutton responded, feeling a pang of pity, but kept his expression normal as he took a sip of water.

After putting down the bowl, he glanced over and saw two more buckets of water in the corner, knowing that his cousin had fetched them while he was unconscious.

A lady of a noble family should never have to do such chores, but she had worn her once beautiful, flawless hands into rough, callused palms.

It truly made one’s heart ache, Henry Sutton sighed inwardly.

Just then, he saw another flash of firelight from his cousin’s direction.

When Henry Sutton turned his head, his cousin was already carrying another bowl of water over, speaking softly, "Drink this."

Henry Sutton glanced at it. There were many black things in the water, some floating, some sinking, and he asked in surprise, "What is this?"

His cousin replied softly, "This is talisman water."

Henry Sutton suddenly shut his mouth. He knew that talisman water was made by burning talisman paper into water, which meant that the black stuff in the bowl was actually paper ash, and the paper had probably been all sorts of colors—red, orange, yellow, green, blue, who knows what—and must have been scribbled on with cinnabar or ink by some Daoist priest.

Thinking of drinking paper ash with water, Henry Sutton felt a strong aversion, clamped his mouth shut, and shook his head quickly.

His cousin wasn’t angry or annoyed, her expression calm as she quietly watched him and said softly, "It took me a lot of effort to get this talisman paper. It can ward off evil and cure illness. Don’t be afraid of the taste or the dirt—just treat it like medicine."

Looking into her clear, black-and-white eyes, Henry Sutton inexplicably felt guilty. His heart softened, and he wanted to agree.

But then he suddenly remembered something, and a look of terror flashed in his eyes as he shook his head repeatedly.

His cousin said she got talisman water to ward off evil and cure illness?

Although he felt he had merged with the original Henry Sutton, becoming one and inseparable,

In reality, the previous Henry Sutton had already died, and he himself had come from Earth, possessing and being reborn in this body. Didn’t that mean he was the evil spirit attached to it?

Wouldn’t this talisman to ward off evil drive his own soul away?

"Wait..."

Henry Sutton swallowed hard. He had already died once, but he didn’t want to die again, nor did he want his soul to be completely annihilated.

So he took a deep breath, looked straight into his cousin’s eyes, and shook his head firmly.

However, as soon as he shook his head, a wave of dizziness hit him.

"Damn!"

He then remembered that this sickly body could suffer unpredictable consequences even from just shaking his head.

Henry Sutton didn’t have time for more thoughts and immediately fainted.

He only heard a startled cry in his ear.

……

He didn’t know how much time had passed.

His vision was shrouded in mist.

Everything was white; he couldn’t see his surroundings.

"Where is this place?"

Henry Sutton, in a daze, felt as if he were floating in midair, drifting among the clouds, insubstantial and unsteady.

Boom!

Suddenly, there was a loud explosion.