When Wang Qiuyue’s words fell, those who didn’t know the inside story were still confused.
But after a brief pause, all the ghosts’ expressions changed drastically.
If they remembered correctly—
Wasn’t Wang Qiuyue killed in the deep pool?!
The Eyeless Ghost panicked first. Without even trying to bargain, he turned and fled.
Seeing this, the other ghosts also scattered in retreat. Even as they ran, they didn’t forget to drag Ji Chunsheng along—he was their only leverage.
However, very quickly, they discovered that they couldn’t move.
A pale blue glow rose from the depths of the pool. The water surface bubbled and gurgled, like a pot of boiling water.
From the center of the pool, a corpse slowly floated up and drifted toward the shore.
The moment the corpse appeared, a terrifying force spread outward, blotting out the sky. The atmosphere froze. The air seemed to be dyed with ink, pitch-black, filling everyone with an ominous sense that a storm was about to descend.
The closer the corpse drifted, the more overwhelming that pressure became.
The newcomers among the players were the first to collapse—legs giving out as they fell to the ground. Then came Wu Letong. After that, the ghosts of the villagers. Then the Eyeless Ghost…
Only the Ji family of three remained standing.
When even Da Huang finally collapsed, tail tucked between his legs as he whimpered anxiously, the corpse had reached the shore.
Wang Qiuyue’s ghost form turned hazy. She drifted forward, lay down atop the corpse, and merged into it.
In the next instant, the corpse opened its eyes.
With that single motion, all the terrifying pressure vanished, completely drawn back into her body.
She raised her head and looked at the Eyeless Ghost. Bang. The Eyeless Ghost exploded into fragments, which floated briefly in the air before disappearing entirely.
She looked at the other villagers. Bang, bang, bang. The sounds were endless.
In just a few breaths, the sea of ghosts was reduced by more than half. The remaining ghosts wanted to flee, but under Wang Qiuyue’s suppression, they couldn’t even move—let alone escape.
Ji Chunsheng broke free from their grasp and regained his freedom.
His small face was livid as he swept his gaze over the trembling ghosts, cruelty flashing in his eyes. Without hesitation, he pounced, baring sharp little fangs and biting back viciously.
After more than a dozen bites, his form gradually solidified.
Wu Letong and the others were just about to climb up from the ground when they saw this scene. Their hearts jolted, and their fear and reverence for this family deepened even further.
Even the youngest, Ji Chunsheng, was this terrifying when enraged.
Thank goodness.
Thank goodness he’d had the foresight back then to form a good relationship with Ji Xiu.
Firmly believing that it was he who had brought Ji Xiu back to the village—and thus earned their protection—Wu Letong felt a surge of pride. Even the horrifying scene before him no longer seemed that scary.
He jumped up and jogged over to Ji Xiu and Wang Qiuyue, cupping his hands respectfully.
“Congratulations, Boss. Congratulations, Boss’s wife, on safely rescuing little Chunsheng.”
Ji Chunsheng finished devouring the last ghost, wiped his mouth, and walked back to Ji Xiu. A bit embarrassed, he said, “Dad, Mom… sorry to make you worry.”
Ji Xiu rubbed his head. “Not your fault. It was my negligence.”
He had only referenced what happened when Wu Letong arrived in the previous life and forgot that this damned game liked to launch surprise attacks. He hadn’t prepared in advance or adapted in time.
If there was anyone to blame, it was him.
And thinking about it—today was only the sixth day, yet things had already become this troublesome. Tomorrow was the final day. It would definitely be even harder to deal with.
Who knew what other nonsense the damned game would pull to torment his family?
Ji Xiu looked around at the soul fragments drifting in the air. After a moment’s thought, he told Ji Chunsheng to absorb those as well, so the villagers wouldn’t revive tomorrow and give the game another chance to stir trouble.
If there was going to be a final battle, he didn’t want to see those villagers wandering around again.
Ji Chunsheng obediently absorbed them. Feeling his strength grow even greater, he excitedly showed off to Ji Xiu and Wang Qiuyue.
Ji Xiu smiled faintly, saying nothing.
Wang Qiuyue also smiled faintly—then casually released less than one-tenth of her aura.
Ji Chunsheng: “……”
Fine. He shouldn’t have compared himself to his parents. They were monsters.
His mom, at least, made sense—her resentment was heavy, she was a woman, and when she was pushed into the water, she’d been wearing light red clothing. Her death granted her immense power. He could understand that.
But his dad was clearly just an ordinary human—and yet he was also terrifyingly strong. That part, he truly didn’t understand.
Ji Chunsheng retreated into silent self-isolation, shut his mouth, took Da Huang by the collar, and went home with his parents.
Wu Letong and the others hurried to follow.
As they walked, the dark clouds dispersed, and the moon quietly revealed itself. The atmosphere became unexpectedly peaceful and beautiful.
A voice suddenly sounded. 【Emergency Notice! Emergency Notice!!】 【An anomaly has occurred mid-mission in the task world “Human Hearts.” The world has been renamed “Family Reunion” and upgraded to an A-rank world. Reward points increased to 5000.】 【Congratulations to players Wu Letong, Lu Zhizhen, Huang Wenli, Gu Xinhan, and Hou Yimin for clearing the task world “Family Reunion” ahead of schedule. You have each received 5000 points. Please prepare for return. Countdown begins: Ten, nine, eight, seven…】 Wu Letong froze, disbelief written all over his face.
Had he heard that right?
The mission was complete?!
And he’d gotten five thousand points?!
His heart pounded wildly as boiling joy surged through him.
The newcomers might not fully understand what the announcement meant—but he did.
An A-rank world.
A real, living A-rank world.
And five thousand points!
Across three worlds, fighting tooth and nail and nearly dying countless times, he had only managed to save up six hundred points.
What could six hundred points even do?
One talisman to restrain the Dismembered Female Ghost cost two hundred points. Other miscellaneous items all required points too. He was constantly running a deficit—forget about saving enough points to leave the game.
And now?
He’d lain low for a few days and gotten five thousand points for free.
This was insane.
The newcomers were initially confused by the announcement, but seeing Wu Letong barely able to suppress his joy, they quickly realized it was a good thing and grew happy as well.
The countdown continued.
Six, five, four, three…
Ji Xiu heard it too. His brows knit tightly—he hadn’t expected this turn of events. He turned and spoke rapidly to Wu Letong.
“Help me find something called a ‘Native Binding Contract.’ Give it to a player named Du Sheng and have him bring it to me. I won’t shortchange you on the rewards later.”
Wu Letong blinked. “Huh?”
The boss knew they were players?
And what was that item? Who was Du Sheng? Was he someone the boss knew?
Before Wu Letong could process it, the world spun violently. Darkness overtook his vision.
He lost consciousness.
The five players vanished abruptly.
The road in Ji Family Village became empty, leaving only the Ji family standing there, their long shadows stretching under the moonlight.
Wang Qiuyue looked up at Ji Xiu.
Ji Xiu’s expression wasn’t very good. He was deeply irritated with the damned game—never flexible when it should be, and meddling recklessly when it shouldn’t.
He’d thought Wu Letong and the others would stay one more day, planning to explain then. Instead, the game struck suddenly and whisked them away early.
He didn’t even know if Wu Letong remembered his words.
Seeing Wang Qiuyue’s gaze, he sighed and pulled her into his arms, explaining softly, “This is the only chance for our family to escape the cycle of reincarnation.”
What did that mean?
Wang Qiuyue didn’t understand. She frowned slightly, confused.
…
The game cycle ended. A new cycle began.
Early in the morning, Wang Qiuyue woke up in bed and instinctively looked to the other side. Something felt missing—something important.
She pressed a hand to her chest, feeling uneasy, but no matter how she tried, she couldn’t remember what was missing. After sitting there dazed for a long while, she got up and went to make breakfast for her son.
Ji Chunsheng ran a lap around the yard with Da Huang, then came inside to eat. As he shoveled food into his mouth, he frowned in confusion.
After some thought, he said, “Mom… I feel like I forgot something.”
Wang Qiuyue froze.
So it wasn’t just her.
She sat at the table, looking at the seat of honor. She felt as if a bowl and chopsticks should be placed there—as if someone would soon walk out of the kitchen, smiling and talking with her before sitting down to eat…
Ji Chunsheng sighed like a little adult and muttered, “Maybe I hit my head when I died, so my memory’s messed up.”
“Mom, I’m going to school.”
He grabbed his backpack and headed out.
When he reached the courtyard, he noticed a man standing there—someone unfamiliar.
“Who are you?” Ji Chunsheng asked, puzzled.
The man shook his head and smiled helplessly. “Chunsheng, Dad’s back again.”
Again?
Why “again”?
The thought flashed through Ji Chunsheng’s mind. He stared at the man, then suddenly his heart raced wildly.
“You’re… Dad?”
The man nodded.
Ji Chunsheng stood stunned for a long time, then suddenly turned and ran into the house, shouting at the top of his lungs.
“Mom! Mom! Mom!”
“What is it?” Wang Qiuyue’s voice came from inside.
“Come look! Dad’s back!” Crash! Something shattered inside the house as Wang Qiuyue’s slender figure rushed out.
Mother and son stood on the steps, staring at the man together.
Ji Chunsheng scratched his head. “I think… I remember what I forgot.”
“I remember too,” Wang Qiuyue said, smiling as she rushed forward to hug Ji Xiu. “Why did you go out again?”
Ji Xiu smiled. “This is reincarnation.”
Wang Qiuyue froze. She vaguely understood something—yet wasn’t entirely sure.
But soon enough, as she watched the villagers who had scattered into nothingness revive once more, as she saw another wave of tourists appear at the village entrance and come to her home looking for lodging—
She finally understood.
So this was reincarnation.
Fortunately, no matter how the cycle turned, as long as Ji Xiu and her son were by her side, it was enough.
…
According to the game’s rules, every seven days marked one cycle. Wang Qiuyue and Ji Chunsheng were supposed to lose their memories of those seven days.
But now, that rule had clearly lost its effect.
Because as long as Ji Xiu appeared, the mother and son would regain their memories.
The damned game was furious. Its program malfunctioned. It once tried to destroy Ji Xiu outright.
But the fortune and merit bound to Ji Xiu were not something a mere game could contend with.
When the game realized that destroying Ji Xiu would result in its own annihilation by the world consciousness, it reluctantly behaved itself.
Thus, seven days passed. And another seven. And another.
No one knew how many cycles went by.
One night, another group of players appeared at the entrance of Ji Family Village.
Ji Xiu emerged from the bushes and looked at the young man surrounded by the players. He curled his lips into a smile.
The male lead had finally appeared.
…
Du Sheng was a newly rising big shot in the game.
Many wondered why, despite entering the game not long ago, he already possessed so many items and could advance so quickly.
This was a secret he had never told anyone.
Years ago, when he was still a newcomer, several veteran players who had experienced A-rank worlds approached him.
Not just one.
Three of them.
All three had survived A-rank worlds and offered him a large sum, asking him to deliver an item to a game world called “Family Reunion.”
At first, he didn’t dare agree. Before entering the game, no one knew which world they would be sent to. He couldn’t guarantee he’d be able to help.
But all three veteran players insisted—he would be able to do it. They believed in him.
After some hesitation, Du Sheng half-distrustfully agreed.
Relying on what they gave him, he survived the awkward early phase of the game, grew stronger, and gained a notable reputation.
This was his twenty-seventh world.
The moment he landed, the game introduction appeared in his mind.
He froze.
**【Task World: “Family Reunion”】【 Task Type: Supernatural, A-rank】 【Player Identity: Backpackers traveling together into the mountains】 【Task Requirement: Reach Ji Family Village before dawn, stay at Aunt Wang’s house, act according to your assigned identity, and survive for seven days】 【Task Reward: 5000 points】
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