Shang Jingchen felt as though he had been sleeping for a long time. In his dreams, he seemed to have traveled to many places, drifting aimlessly like a wandering ghost. He had no idea where he was supposed to go or what he was supposed to do.
Yet just a moment ago, a tremendous force had pulled him back, and his body felt somewhat warmer.
Opening his eyes, he instinctively looked around. The environment was entirely unfamiliar.
Where is this place?
Before Shang Jingchen could dwell on it further, a cold, clear voice sounded: "You're awake. How do you feel?"
There was someone else in this room?
Shang Jingchen snapped his gaze toward the sound and saw a young girl standing by the bed, dressed in traditional red wedding attire. His pupils dilated in shock as he stared at her.
"Who are you? Are you human or a ghost?" Shang Jingchen quickly forced himself to calm down, asking in a deep voice. Perhaps due to having slept for so long, his voice was somewhat hoarse.
"I am the person marrying you," Ye Zhixing replied coolly.
"Marrying?"
Shang Jingchen pressed his temples as fragments of memory from before he lost consciousness flooded back into his mind.
An elderly voice echoed in his ears: *As long as you meet the benefactor destined for your life, you will be able to weather the storm and turn the tide.*
Without caring what was going on in his head, Ye Zhixing got straight to business: "Your current condition is terrible. If there is no way to resolve the problem plaguing you, you will die at any moment."
"Just now, I pulled you back from the Ghost Gate once. Next time, you might not be so lucky!"
Hearing this, Shang Jingchen felt a fresh wave of shock.
Could she be the very benefactor the old man had spoken of?
"You have a way to save me?"
"Of course."
"If you can resolve what's happening to me, name any demand you have, and I will satisfy it." Shang Jingchen possessed the imposing aura of a dominant leader.
His voice was hoarse yet resolute, radiating dignity and noble poise.
"Very well, it's a deal," Ye Zhixing agreed readily.
Both were decisive individuals, and the transaction was concluded with effortless ease.
"How is your condition? We must leave this place as quickly as possible." Since the agreement was made, Ye Zhixing intended to get down to business immediately.
It wasn't that she feared the wandering ghosts.
Rather, the environment itself was extremely detrimental to Shang Jingchen.
The villa possessed inherent flaws—it gathered negative energy and malevolent forces. Combined with his Extreme Yin Life Fate, it was practically a carnival for evil spirits.
Since she didn't fully understand the local situation yet, the best course of action was to leave first and then plan their next steps carefully.
Shang Jingchen rubbed his temples. Perhaps due to the medicine Ye Zhixing had given him, or perhaps because of the talisman she had provided, he felt his entire body lighten up significantly, and he felt much more comfortable.
He picked up the talisman, lowering his gaze to examine the protective talisman she had given him closely.
It seemed to still be radiating a faint warmth.
"I'm much better now. Walking is no problem."
"Where is this place?" he asked, looking up at Ye Zhixing.
The girl before him was about one meter sixty-five tall, with her hair styled in a traditional bridal bun. She looked quite young, with large, expressive, sparkling eyes, a high-bridged nose, red lips, and fair teeth.
Her skin possessed an extraordinary porcelain white hue, though whether it was the result of makeup or her natural complexion was hard to tell in the dim, yellowish lighting.
It was an exquisitely stunning face, yet her expression was cold, distant, and remarkably aloof. Coupled with their conversation—her voice had remained chilly the entire time—she did not seem like someone easy to approach.
Several of his old friends often told him he spoke coldly, but seeing this girl now, she was likely just as formidable.
"I don't know. I only arrived in your Capital today," Ye Zhixing said coldly, her voice devoid of inflection.
Shang Jingchen's brow furrowed slightly.
He reached out to find his mobile phone.
Only to discover it was completely missing.
A flash of murderous intent crossed his eyes, the chill in his gaze enough to strike fear into anyone's heart.
Those people truly spared no effort to ensure he died quickly!
Yet Ye Zhixing remained unfazed.
Shang Jingchen asked again, "Do you have a mobile phone?"
A phone?
Ye Zhixing fished one out from her small cloth pouch.
"Is this it?"
Her master had given it to her before passing away, saying it would come in handy later.
Shang Jingchen took it. It was a very ordinary, rather old-looking smartphone.
Still, beggars couldn't be choosers; as long as he could make a call, it would do.
Without delay, he dialed his special assistant directly.
"President Shang! Where are you? Your subordinate hasn't been able to reach you this whole time!" came the voice of his assistant, Zheng Ying, filled with agitation.
"I don't know. I'm inside a villa."
At that moment, Ye Zhixing spoke up coolly: "In the suburbs, a standalone villa. There should be an abandoned mountain nearby, and nobody has ever lived here."
She provided Shang Jingchen with several key clues.
Upon hearing this, Shang Jingchen immediately told Zheng Ying on the other end: "The Hongshan District villas."
"Your subordinate will head right over."
This area was a housing development previously undertaken by the Shang Group, which had existed even before he took over the conglomerate.
Back then, due to supposed Feng Shui problems, the project had stalled and been abandoned here—
The villa they were currently in was the only one that had ever been completed.
For some unknown reason, only this single building had been fully constructed back then.
After taking over the group, he had once come to inspect the site and discovered that the land indeed had issues, though he had never gotten around to dealing with it.
He never expected they would actually have him sent here!
Shang Jingchen subconsciously tightened his grip on the phone in his hand.
Seeing this, Ye Zhixing asked coolly, "Are you finished using it? Return it when you're done."
This was one of the few keepsakes her master had left her, so she naturally had to keep it safe.
Withdrawing his thoughts slightly, Shang Jingchen handed the phone back to her, thinking to himself that it was just a beat-up old phone—did she really think he would steal it and not return it?
"I've already called my assistant. At most, forty minutes, and he'll be here to pick us up. You don't need to worry or be afraid." Concluding his sentence, he even offered a few words of reassurance.
"I'm not afraid. However, your assistant might not make it here safely."
"Unless he has a Safety Talisman, a protective talisman, or possesses a remarkably resilient life fate."
Ye Zhixing spoke calmly, her pacing slightly slower than that of an ordinary person.
Shang Jingchen's expression shifted slightly: "You mean... there are ghosts nearby?"
In truth, he had never believed in such ghost stories and deities before, viewing them merely as cheap parlor tricks and mystifying illusions used by frauds.
That was until nine years ago, when a heaven-shaking upheaval occurred in his life. The experiences he went through after that forced him to believe in certain things.
"Yes, they are all outside, eyeing you like tigers watching their prey."
"However, there should be a formation inside this house, so they cannot get in."
Shang Jingchen pressed his lips together, nodding thoughtfully.
"Do you know your assistant's Eight Characters of Birth Date?" Ye Zhixing asked.
The corner of Shang Jingchen's mouth twitched. How on earth would he know that?
"I can call and ask. What do you need that for?" Shang Jingchen asked.
"To clear a path for him so he can arrive safely," Ye Zhixing answered truthfully.
A flash of surprise crossed Shang Jingchen's eyes, thinking to himself that this girl was actually capable of such extraordinary feats.
"Call." Ye Zhixing handed the phone back to him.
With no time to lose, Shang Jingchen took the phone and dialed again.
Just as the call went through, before he could speak, a sudden change occurred inside the villa—