His body was indeed already dead, but his soul had taken over another body. James Thompson had just obtained some fragmented memories from this body and learned that this person was also called James Thompson, just over eighteen years old, a constable who had just died today. As for the cause of death, James Thompson couldn't recall it for the time being.

This place was called Da Zhou, but whether it was the Zhou dynasty, Northern Zhou, Later Zhou, or Wu Zhou, James Thompson had no idea.

Based on the clothing of those two people and himself, the chances of him being in the modern era were slim.

These things would probably need to be confirmed by someone else. James Thompson looked around and found that he was in a mass grave, surrounded by mounds of graves. Even in broad daylight, it sent chills down his spine. He oriented himself and started walking down the mountain.

His steps were slow and heavy, as he had been bedridden for a long time and couldn't immediately walk like a normal person.

But soon, his steps became lighter.

His mood gradually calmed. Having experienced life and death, what other unimaginable things could he not face?

Standing on the mountain path, James Thompson took a deep breath of fresh air, feeling the surge of strength within his body, and sighed, "It's good to be alive..."

"Ying ying..."

Just as he was about to go down the mountain, a faint sound suddenly reached his ears.

The sound was like a dog's bark, but also different, with pain hidden in it. James Thompson looked around and finally pinpointed the source.

He left the path, walked a dozen steps to the left, parted a dense patch of grass, and saw a white mass.

Looking closely, he realized it was a fox in the grass. The fox was pure white, with jet-black, bright eyes. The look it gave James Thompson was filled with extreme fear.

The white fox's hind leg was caught in a trap, blood staining its fur a glaring red.

Seeing James Thompson approach, its body began to struggle, but it still couldn't break free. The wound tore further, and more blood flowed out.

Perhaps it was an illusion, but James Thompson actually saw human-like emotion in the fox's gem-like eyes—a look of utter despair. This reminded James Thompson of his own days lying helplessly in bed as his illness worsened, watching himself approach death.

Looking into the fox's desperate eyes, James Thompson felt a surge of compassion and shook his head, saying, "Don't worry, I won't hurt you."

The white fox's body trembled, as if it understood his words, and it actually stopped struggling.

James Thompson was amazed. This fox was so intelligent. He reached out, pried open the trap with effort, and rescued the white fox.

The white fox lay on the grass, its wound still oozing blood, letting out faint animal cries.

James Thompson tore a strip of cloth from his sleeve and simply bandaged its wound. The bleeding stopped, and the white fox rubbed its head against his hand, making "ying ying" sounds.

"Go on, and be more careful in the future..." James Thompson patted its head and was about to leave when suddenly a sweet, melodious girl's voice sounded in his ear.

"Thank you, young master, for saving my life..."

"You're welcome."

James Thompson waved his hand and replied indifferently. The next moment, his hand froze, and the smile on his face gradually disappeared...

Chapter 002: Offering Herself in Gratitude

On the winding mountain path, a fleeing figure stirred up a trail of dust.

No one knew how long he had run. Up ahead, a village was faintly visible. James Thompson stopped, leaned against a tree by the roadside, and bent over, gasping for breath.

After a long while, he looked back and realized he had already run to the foot of the mountain.

Then he fell into deep self-doubt.

Did he just have an auditory hallucination? How could a fox possibly speak?

Could someone have been playing a prank?

Although he still found it unbelievable, even if he were given ten times the courage, James Thompson wouldn't dare go back to check.

He still hadn't figured out why he, who had already died, appeared here. Compared to that, a talking fox wasn't all that strange.

After resting for a while, James Thompson sat under the tree and began to organize the memories in his mind.

Having been startled by the fox and running wildly, more scattered memories surfaced in his mind.

Zuzhou, Zhou Kingdom, Northern Prefecture, Yangqiu County...

James Thompson looked puzzled. The information in his memories didn't match any dynasty he knew.

As he continued to sort through his memories, James Thompson's expression gradually became blank.

Ten Continents and Three Islands, the Netherworld Ghost Domain, the Kingdom of Ten Thousand Demons, the Four Seas Aquatic Tribes...

Daoist arts, divine powers, demons and ghosts, spirits and monsters...

What were all these things?

Before James Thompson could recover from his shock, several figures were already rushing toward him on the official road ahead. Before the people arrived, their voices did.

"Audacious demon! How dare you possess the corpse of a county yamen officer! Leave at once!"

The speaker was the fat man James Thompson had just seen—the one who wanted to bury him alive. He stood at a distance, watching James Thompson warily, but did not come closer.

James Thompson was about to speak when a flash of white light shot out from the crowd and struck him.