Chapter 2: Human, Ghost, or Spirit?

“Who is it? Who’s speaking?”
Even stranger, after that voice sounded, several tendrils of the silent green vine on the half-wall suddenly reached out and beckoned toward Ji Yao.
A cold chill drilled up from her tailbone, surging straight to the crown of her head—she could feel every hair on her back standing on end. Just now, she had even tried to tug at those vines.
Serves you right for being reckless! Remembering how she had just escaped disaster, Ji Yao’s voice was hoarse, barely more than a guttural rasp from her throat. At this moment, she could even sense a hint of excitement from the green vine.
Damn it! What kind of excitement is this?
Could the vine have become sentient? Plants turning into spirits—was this really a martial arts world? Or had she stumbled into some bizarre magical realm?
With suspicion growing in her heart, Ji Yao pressed her back against the cave wall, watching the green vine warily, afraid it might drag her over at any moment.
‘Heh, so you’re a timid one. But what if I told you—I am you?’
The tone was drawn out with a mocking lilt, carrying a strange undertone.
“You—you’re not dead?” Of course, the voice was sounding directly in her mind.
‘Are you so eager for me to die?’
Ji Yao’s words had just left her lips when that indifferent voice responded.
If you’re alive, why didn’t you speak up sooner? Did you enjoy watching me flounder? Ji Yao was a little indignant.
“So, what do you want now? I’ll say it plainly—I have no idea how I ended up in your body. But I can’t go back, either. We might as well sit down and discuss this.”
After all, it was someone else’s body she had taken over, so Ji Yao spoke without much confidence.
‘Little one, are you saying I should be polite to a body-snatcher like you? Just hand over my body?’
Ji Yao, already feeling guilty, wilted under the rebuke.
Her life was precious, but wasn’t another’s life just as valuable? Now, was she to live at the cost of someone else’s existence? She truly couldn’t bring herself to do it. In her mind, she wouldn’t mind sharing a body with someone else—but what if the other party refused?
“I’m sorry! I was being presumptuous. If you know how to make me leave this body, then do it!”
A brief silence fell.
‘Are you sure? Even if it means you’ll be utterly annihilated—no regrets?’

“Heh, when a person dies, it’s like a lamp going out. What does it matter what comes after? Since I’ve made my choice, there’s no room for regret.”
What a noble thing to say! She was almost moved by her own words. Couldn’t the other party just have mercy and reconsider—let them coexist peacefully for a while?
‘How naive you are. This is the world of cultivation, you know. There are plenty of ways to imprison a person’s soul. Then you’d be neither truly alive nor able to die.’
A shudder ran through Ji Yao. Only now did she realize something was off.
This was the world of cultivation! What if, as in the novels of her previous life, the other person was some eccentric demon cultivator? Then she would be…
‘So, you’ve figured it out? Not too dim, after all,’ the voice said again.
“I…” Ji Yao didn’t even know what to say.
Should she say she regretted it? Or admit her earlier words were thoughtless? But the body truly wasn’t hers!
Ji Yao’s only consolation was that, despite everything the other had said, she hadn’t detected any real malice.
‘Little one, you have a lot on your mind, but you’re still too green!’
After a pause, the voice continued, now laced with a hint of laughter.
‘I have news for you—whether it’s good or bad, I can’t say. I’m not the original owner of this body! But…’
Can she not be so dramatic? Ji Yao’s temples throbbed with a growing sense of dread.
‘I am, however, inside your body!’
And so the problem returned to its origin. Ji Yao heard her own dry voice, oddly calm.
“Then who are you? What do you want?”
A point of light flashed from Ji Yao’s brow, expanding before her into a palm-sized, moon-white disc—like jade, yet not.
The disc projected a human-shaped silhouette, the outline that of an adult woman, standing gracefully before Ji Yao. This time, the voice did not echo in her mind but came from the woman herself.
“You’ve adjusted your mindset well.”
“Are you a human or… a spirit of some artifact?” Ji Yao ventured respectfully, recalling the novels of her previous life; though fictional, they provided a basis for her guess.
“You know about artifact spirits? Now I’m rather curious about your origins. Are you perhaps a core disciple of some great sect?” The woman sounded surprised.

“I guessed. I’m not from here.” With no idea of the other’s intentions, Ji Yao kept her answer brief.
Fortunately, the woman didn’t press her further, instead speaking to herself.
“I was human, but now I’m only a soul. So, shall we strike a bargain?”
“What could I possibly have to trade with you?” Ji Yao glanced down at her borrowed body, forcing a bitter smile.
“I don’t even have a body of my own right now!”
“Your appearance here is your own fate. Rest assured, her soul has long since entered the cycle of reincarnation. I’ve watched over her body, waiting only for you.”
Ji Yao’s eyes widened. The implications were staggering; she felt as if she’d tumbled into a fathomless pit.
“Surely you’re joking, Senior?”
“I see you’re getting bolder—daring to question me?”
“No!” She denied it immediately, cursing herself for letting her guard down. Judging by the aura the woman had let slip earlier, that was no idle threat.
Perhaps it was because she sensed no malice at first that Ji Yao had relaxed. She also noticed that the woman took no offense at her response.
“I saw your soul enter, and hers disperse. Don’t ask why I didn’t save her—everything in this world has its cause and effect.”
What more could she say? Ji Yao was never the meddlesome sort, nor would she demand anything from others. Especially since she was now involved, it would be unwise to take a strong stance—who knew if events would take another sharp turn?
“So, Senior, what sort of bargain do you propose? But in my current state, I fear I could die at any moment.”
Since the other seemed powerful, Ji Yao thought she might as well ask for some benefits. At the very least, she had to preserve the life she’d just acquired; otherwise, with her feeble condition, she might perish before even glimpsing this world.
“A bit clever, aren’t you! Well, that’s exactly our bargain: I’ll help you recover and aid your cultivation. In return, you must complete the task I give you—until the day I depart.” The woman’s tone was certain, as if Ji Yao’s agreement was inevitable.
And indeed, suddenly finding herself here, with no knowledge and no leverage, Ji Yao had no real choice. The offer was one she could not refuse.
And so…