Bai Ci felt as if her body was both present and absent, making her unsure of the situation and hesitant to move.
Just then, she heard a man's laugh.
It was a sharp, arrogant, and aggressive sound, but more peculiar than the emotions and meaning it conveyed was the very presence of the laugh itself.
It didn't sound like it came from outside.
External sounds, whether near or far, always allowed one to roughly pinpoint a direction.
But the man's voice Bai Ci heard was impossibly close, as if it was rooted within her own body, emanating from her throat.
Yet, she hadn't used her vocal cords, nor did she feel any vibration from them.
“The Heavenly Master Association sent a greenhorn like you? It won't be easy to establish a tribute with me.”
The man's voice was sharp, like a youth's, tinged with arrogance and mockery.
This voice was coming from the body she currently inhabited.
Compared to the brief laugh, the source of the man's voice became unmistakably clear the moment he spoke, and Bai Ci could now confirm her deduction.
Subconsciously, she tried to move a finger, attempting to assert control over the body, even if just a tiny movement.
The next instant, the owner of the male voice seemed to notice her stir, letting out a soft “tsk.”
A force of restraint immediately pressed down.
Not only could she not move a finger, but even her breathing was manually regulated, making it impossible to even shift her qi.
Yet, apart from that subtle sense of confinement, everything else felt normal; there were no other physical anomalies.
Just then, a responding voice came from below.
“I-I, junior, understand... the rules cannot be broken, the ritual must be followed.”
This was the location of the kowtow and the reverent invitation Bai Ci had first heard.
It was a gentle, even somewhat timid male voice, revealing the awkwardness and apprehension of someone new to society, a young person whose rough edges hadn't yet been smoothed by worldly rules.
Not long after the voice faded, a rich, fresh scent of blood permeated the previously pure and elegant sandalwood fragrance.
Bai Ci couldn't see the scene, but she could discern it by smell.
The blood was definitely fresh, and very likely drawn from the young man himself.
Though Bai Ci herself found it strange—her sense of smell should have been that of an ordinary person, so how could she detect the “freshness” of blood?
Was this even her body anymore?
Bai Ci was full of doubts, but now she couldn't move, and her vision was restricted. To obtain clues, only one option remained.
That was the Rain's Message panel, derived from her class.
Bai Ci wasn't without concerns.
The owner of the strange male voice within her was too bizarre; if he was using her body, could he peek at her panel through her vision?
If so, all her trump cards and player secrets would be completely exposed.
But there was no other choice right now.
She wasn't going to idly wait for clues to present themselves.
Waiting to die would only leave her at the mercy of others; rather than being passively controlled, she might as well gamble on the Anomalous Infection system's confidentiality.
Even if it were truly seen, it would be the Anomalous Infection system's problem, and she shouldn't have to bear all the consequences.
Having personally experienced several instances and witnessed the atmosphere fostered by places like the player forum, Bai Ci had a high degree of trust in the Anomalous Infection.
With a thought, the Rain's Message panel unfolded.
Fortunately, Bai Ci felt no strange sensation of being spied upon.
She could even vaguely sense that the entity within her was currently focused on the young man who had kowtowed below.
Rain's Message NPC: Ming Yici
Appearance: Refined and sharp, cool and poised with an underlying edge
Identity: Ghost Immortal “Lady Ming”
Relationship with Player: ... (click to expand)
Skill Levels: Physicality 20, Spirit 24, Agility 22
Special Skill: Immortal Transformation (Wash away a thousand worldly grievances, a body of cloud-bones becomes a flying immortal.)
Life Status: Ghost Immortal body (Normal)
Bai Ci quickly scanned, her eyes immediately falling on the skill levels.
Roughly double hers; truly worthy of a Ghost Immortal, these stats were formidable.
After checking the stats, next was a special skill called Immortal Transformation, which sounded like a powerful ability.
But the system never showed Bai Ci skill effects, so she could only guess based on the description.
Currently, she had no clue and couldn't guess at all.
After reviewing all the information, Bai Ci finally looked at the ellipses in the “Relationship with Player” section.
The last time she saw a folded “Relationship with Player” section was with Fu Liu.
She wondered how long it would be this time.
Click to expand.
Relationship with Player: Main Soul and Newly Born Benevolent Soul
《Ancient Records of Xiuxian County》 records: [The Ming clan was once a prominent family in the county. The clan had a virtuous daughter, inherently frail, who annually entered the mountains to pray for blessings to avert calamities and illnesses.
In autumn, as she was about to marry, bandits suddenly attacked and plundered, slaughtering the entire household. The daughter, unable to bear the humiliation, threw herself into a well and died.
The deceased girl's resentment festered, causing many beasts in the county to inexplicably die violent deaths.
A Daoist priest happened to pass through the county and informed the county magistrate: “This soul, long suppressed, will surely become a malevolent spirit, bringing disaster to the region. A shrine should be erected to worship her, to suppress her malevolence, prevent her from harming the populace, and also protect the entire area.”
The magistrate followed his words. The Daoist priest retrieved her remains from the dry well and enshrined them in the Lady Ming Shrine.
Thereafter, women and children throughout the county worshipped her, believing her to be their protector.]
Much of what the ancient records state is a popular misconception. The Ming family at that time had no daughter awaiting marriage, only one son, who was Ming Yici.
Because he was frail and sickly from a young age, and due to ancient customs fearing that male children were difficult to raise, his family dressed him as a girl year-round to pray for blessings and longevity. Thus, people mistakenly believed the Ming family had a daughter.
Bandits slaughtered the entire Ming family. A loyal servant desperately hid Ming Yici in a dry well in the backyard to save his life, but ultimately failed to protect him.
After discovering a living person in the well, the bandits threw all the bodies of the Ming family into the well, cruelly sealed the wellhead, cutting off all chances of survival.
Trapped in the narrow, dark dry well, the frail Ming Yici was in a desperate situation, without food or water, and eventually died tragically in the well. His resentment after death was monstrous, far exceeding that of ordinary people who died unjustly.
When the Daoist priest opened the well to retrieve the bones, Ming Yici, having been dressed as a girl for years and covered in red clothes, had remains that outwardly appeared no different from a woman's. The Daoist priest and villagers were all misled by appearances, thus solidifying the legend of the “Ming family's martyred daughter.”
Years after Ming Yici's death, he was nourished by incense offerings, shedding his malevolent ghost nature and cultivating a Ghost Immortal body.
By the time his consciousness became clear, the legend of “Lady Ming” was already deeply rooted in the outside world, and the Ghost Immortal's title was set.
He could only passively accept this mistaken identity, and for centuries, he received human incense offerings as “Lady Ming.”
The continuous incense offerings nurtured a newly born benevolent soul. Because people spread the legend that Lady Ming was a female immortal, the collective intention of the offerings leaned entirely towards a female form, and thus this benevolent soul was naturally female.
Ming Yici's main soul was male and refused to merge with the female benevolent soul, so he carefully preserved the benevolent soul.
Recently, this benevolent soul, dormant for decades, showed signs of awakening.
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