Moreover, he knew in his heart that even Master might not be able to give a satisfactory answer.

From then on, Brian Carter devoted tremendous energy to his cultivation.

Day after day of meditation—he never missed a practice session, even when hungry—learning how to draw talismans, and studying everything about the art of the fangshi. Even his usually indifferent and easygoing Master was greatly shocked by his performance, remarking that while there were countless talented geniuses in the world, a child with such perseverance and insight was truly one in a million.

Only Brian Carter knew that he had nothing to do with being a genius; his insight came from systematic education, and his perseverance was merely a byproduct of accumulated years.

That’s right—he had once lived in a completely different world, and every memory of that place was vivid in his mind.

The only thing he couldn’t recall, no matter how hard he tried, was how he had come to this era.

There seemed to be no clear boundary between the two; it was as if it happened in the blink of an eye, or perhaps after a long time. When he opened his eyes again, he had become an orphan rolling in the mud.

Even the name Brian Carter was one he gave himself, carried over from his past memories.

Fortunately, his easygoing Master didn’t look too deeply into this.

Perhaps he thought it wasn’t so strange for a three-year-old child to remember the name given by his parents.

With his advanced learning ability, Brian Carter quickly gained an overall understanding of this world.

Because all living beings are born from qi, it means that consciousness precedes the body. Likewise, after the body perishes, consciousness does not necessarily return to a state of qi. In certain special circumstances, consciousness can exist independently, or evolve into something else—such as spirits and monsters. If left unchecked, they would continue to grow stronger within the qi, eventually bringing disaster to the human world.

Although Brian Carter had yet to encounter a true demon capable of wreaking havoc, he had helped Master deal with some minor evil spirits, confirming that they were not just folk tales.

Besides that, ever since he began practicing qi cultivation, he could clearly feel the changes in his body—his strength, reflexes, eyesight, and hearing were all far superior to ordinary people. In fact, if not for these changes, he might not have survived wandering with Master in an era with poor medical care, where a single rainstorm could be fatal, and managed to live stubbornly to this age.

This visible improvement only further fueled his motivation to cultivate.

If losing weight, where every bit of effort yields results, is the most rewarding investment in the world, then training that pushes the limits of the body is even more worth focusing on.

Once he entered the cultivation state, Brian Carter felt those tiny stars merging with him. Through them, his consciousness seemed to have infinite space to expand; every breath felt both like it came from within himself and from the world at large.

He would sit like this for hours on end.

After eating the dinner delivered by the shopkeeper, he returned to his qi-cultivating state, continuing late into the night.

Unfortunately, sensing qi required intense concentration; it couldn’t replace rest, nor could he train while sleeping. So when it was time to sleep, he still had to obediently close his eyes.

In a half-awake, half-dreaming state, Brian Carter suddenly sensed something unusual.

He snapped his eyes open, only to find that the window high above his head had somehow been opened, and a streak of blood-red light was shining in from outside.

What… exactly was happening?

He gripped his wooden sword, carefully stepped onto the table, and tiptoed to look out the window—

He saw a blood-red moon hanging high in the sky, dyeing the earth below a vivid crimson!

At the same time, strange things were happening in the town—a multitude of mounds appeared on the ground, slowly being pushed open as skeletons crawled out from underground, letting out terrifying shrieks.

Brian Carter was momentarily stunned.

This scene felt strangely familiar.

And those skeleton monsters—even looked a little cute.

Wait, cute?

One of the skeletons seemed to notice him, turned, and leapt straight toward the window!

The next moment, Brian Carter jolted awake, realizing he was still lying in bed.

Was that… a dream?

If it was a dream, it was far too realistic; the clarity, the sounds, the sensations—all far surpassed any dream he’d had before. Even after waking, he could remember every detail.

Unconsciously, he looked up at the window, and his heart tightened slightly.

The window was indeed open, and there was something at the window—after a few seconds for his eyes to adjust to the darkness, he could make out the outline of a shadowy figure.

It was a person sitting by the window, and their gaze was fixed on him. The reason he could tell was because, in the pitch darkness, the most striking thing was the pair of golden eyes reflecting a faint light.

In an instant, Brian Carter realized that the strange dream was connected to the person before him.

“Could it be… you’re a fan of outdoor cooking too?”

“Outdoor cooking? What’s that—wait, why aren’t you afraid?” To his surprise, the other party responded quickly, and the voice was… female, though her tone was icy cold.

Why should I be afraid of a bunch of chibi skeletons?

Brian Carter didn’t quite know how to answer.