C1 The Young Man Who Climbed out of the Grave.

"Ah!"

Chen Xiaozhi's startled cry pierced the silence as his eyes snapped open, his fingers trembling with shock. The vague face haunting his thoughts refused to fade away, yet the harder he tried to focus on the person's features, the more elusive they became.

Where am I?

Enveloped in darkness, Chen Xiaozhi struggled to breathe, his head throbbing with pain.

"Pah, the royal family sure holds this little mongrel in high regard, sending a prince to pay respects," one voice sneered.

"What choice do they have? He's of the royal bloodline, after all..."

"In my opinion, leaving his body for the wild leopards in the wilderness would've been too kind for him!"

"Come on, Song Bai, that's a bit harsh. Xiaozhi was a prince, and he's lived with us for so long. We've built a bond. Out of both sentiment and decency, we shouldn't be gossiping. Besides, he's already gone..."

"You speak wisely, Prince Dong."

Trapped in the cramped space, Chen Xiaozhi found even turning his body to be a struggle. His mind was a whirlwind of chaos, his limbs ached, and his stomach screamed with hunger. He could hear muffled voices outside, seemingly discussing him. Squinting, he took in his surroundings and realized he was lying in a lacquered red coffin. A faint light seeped through the lid's cracks. With a jolt of panic, he began to pound on the coffin lid, desperate to cry out for help, but when he parted his lips, no sound emerged.

What's happening?

He was utterly baffled. If his memory served him right, he had been with friends in a game, celebrating his rise to the top of the server rankings. They had been toasting to their success, and then, in the hazy night, his consciousness had slipped away after being struck by a speeding van... How did he wake up buried?

A sudden, excruciating pain tore through his mind, eliciting a low, guttural groan from him.

After a moment, Chen Xiaozhi, still in a daze, blurted out a curse, "Can this be real?"

Meanwhile, in the cemetery.

A group of elegantly dressed young men and women stood before a gravestone engraved with bold characters: Chen Xiaozhi's Tomb. Their eyes lingered on the stone, flickering with open scorn and indifference. Among them, several distinguished-looking youths stood out, adorned with white jade and square caps. The most striking was a handsome, scholarly young man at the forefront, holding a black fan, a playful smile on his lips, and a jade ring on his thumb. He let out a soft sigh, his eyes briefly meeting those of a silent, green-robed man fixated on the tombstone.

He approached with a graceful bow, his voice laden with gravity, "Royal Uncle, try not to grieve too much. Xiaozhi's unfortunate fate... perhaps this is a release for him."

The man known as Royal Uncle gave Dong Qing'an a fleeting, indifferent look. He remained silent, yet his icy stare sent a shiver down the other's spine.

"It's all your fault! You're the one who killed my brother..." The man in green was holding the hand of a frail little girl, her face smeared with dirt, her clothes patched and tattered, her toes peeking out from her worn shoes.

Tears brimmed in the girl's eyes, her face etched with despair. At Dung Qing'an's words, she cried out and reached to grasp at him.

The man in the green robe remained stoic as he firmly restrained the emotionally charged child.

Dung Qing'an, a picture of scholarly composure, simply nodded at the man in green. He bowed gracefully and stepped back. As he lowered his gaze to the girl, a wildness that belied his refined demeanor flickered in his eyes.

"Royal Uncle, they're the ones who killed my brother. They did..." The girl looked up, her eyes red and swollen, clutching the hem of the man's robe with her bony fingers, pleading with a mix of anger and sorrow.

Hearing her, the man in green lifted his eyes to the overcast sky and slowly shut them.

After a moment, he bent down to gently stroke the girl's hair, speaking softly, "He's gone... Come back to the capital with me. No one will bully you with me around..."

"I won't go!"

The girl wrenched herself from his grasp, her voice raw with defiance.

Meanwhile, Dung Qing'an returned to his friends, a smile plastered on his face. They watched the girl's confrontation with the Royal Uncle, their faces twisted in mockery.

"Your Highness, the Royal Uncle didn't give you any trouble, did he?" inquired a dark-skinned, square-faced youth quietly.

"Why would he trouble me? Xiaozhi wasn't killed by me... And the Royal Uncle wouldn't believe the words of a child," Dung Qing'an replied, toying with his folding fan, his eyes narrowed.

"Of course, of course..."

The square-faced youth nodded vigorously in agreement.

The youths exchanged knowing glances and fell silent.

Soon, a light rain began to fall from the gloomy sky. The man in green led the way out, and the rest followed, leaving the graveyard behind.

Once alone, Dung Qing'an approached Chen Xiaozhi's grave. His genteel facade vanished, replaced by a look of chilling malevolence. "You died too quickly. I wanted to torment you slowly, to make you wish for death. You were supposed to live in my shadow, lower than a dog! But you have a sister at the Hidden Dragon Institute. Rest assured, I'll take good care of her... Haha..." His laughter echoed eerily, sending shivers down one's spine.

Thud!

Startled by an unexpected noise, Dung Qing'an frowned and looked toward the source. The earth behind the tombstone had shifted. His heart skipped a beat as he saw a section of the soil collapse.

A shiver of cold dread crept up his spine.

Ghosts? Impossible.

Swallowing hard, Dung Qing'an steadied his nerves and inhaled deeply. Recalling Chen Xiaozhi's meekness in life, he steeled himself, "He's dead! Not even the Royal Uncle could save him. And a ghost won't scare me. You were nothing but a dog to me in life, and you're no different in death!" To affirm his bravery, he approached the grave, peering into the newly formed gap in the earth.

All was still, yet the air seemed to grow colder, whether by his imagination or not.

"Your Highness, if it starts pouring later, it'll be tough to get around..."

"Your Highness, where are you?"

The companions, realizing Dung Qing'an was nowhere to be seen, spun around to find her sprawled atop Chen Xiaozhi's grave, leaving them utterly bewildered as they gathered around.

One stepped forward, noticing Dung Qing'an's pallor, and inquired, "What's the matter?"

"I just... thought I heard something," Dung Qing'an managed, feigning composure, yet his voice quivered inexplicably.

"Haha, Your Highness, you're quite the joker. You don't seriously believe Chen Xiaozhi has come back to life, do you? That coward? Even if he did, he'd be no match for me!" A plump man scoffed, his face oozing contempt. Dung Qing'an shot him a look and gestured toward the small, freshly collapsed pit atop the grave. "Go take a look."

His grave tone sent a shiver through the youths; they had all tormented Chen Xiaozhi in life and now felt a collective guilt.

If there were truly something supernatural at play, they'd be too late to escape.

The fat man's face tensed, but his pride stopped him from showing fear. With a cough, he approached the grave, his legs wobbly. Peering into the pit, he found it dark and empty, which eased his anxiety. He chuckled, turning to his pale-faced peers with a smug drawl, "Look at you, all high and mighty, scared by such a trifle? Honestly, if the prince weren't here, I'd have no issue digging up this grave and whipping Chen Xiaozhi's corpse. Even as a ghost, he'd fear me..."

The fat man stood with hands on hips, spitting words like he was the toughest around.

The other young masters, relieved, paid no mind to the boasting braggart.

But as they were about to walk away, a ghastly pale hand shot out from the grave.

"Hiss!"

The youths froze, as if gripped by an unseen force, their faces draining of color, cheeks quivering in terror.

The more faint-hearted among them collapsed to the ground with a thud.

"Look at you, spineless lot..." The fat man, oblivious to the horror unfolding behind him, roared with laughter at the sight of his disheveled companions, swelling with pride.

But as the pale limb emerged further from the grave, followed by a wet, bloodied head with hollowed eye sockets like a skull, it was the spitting image of a demon clawing its way out of hell.

"You..." One youth pointed behind the fat man, his eyes bulging, teeth chattering uncontrollably.

Even Dung Qing'an stood petrified, as if turned to stone.

"What are you babbling about? Trying to spook me now? Claiming Chen Xiaozhi has risen from his grave?" The fat man snorted with a smirk, "I must say, you've got some decent acting chops. But you're nowhere near scaring me..." Mid-sentence, he felt a tap on his shoulder and instinctively turned.

Then... he came face-to-face with the ghastly pale visage, locking eyes with Chen Xiaozhi for a few heart-stopping seconds.

The air grew suddenly still.

"Bro, got any snacks? I'm starving..."

No sooner had the words left his mouth than the chubby man's chest seized up. He stiffened, frothing at the mouth, and collapsed to the ground.

"..."

Chen Xiaozhi.

"You guys..."

Chen Xiaozhi lifted his gaze to the others nearby, barely getting two words out.

"Ah! A ghost!"

Seven or eight people scattered like rats deserting a sinking ship, tripping over themselves in their frantic dash to escape. They might as well have wished for eight legs to speed their flight.

"..." Chen Xiaozhi.

Only Dong Qing'an remained, her face drained of color, staring fixedly at Chen Xiaozhi as if she were a statue. Chen Xiaozhi, covered in grime, crawled out of the dirt and staggered over to Dong Qing'an. They locked eyes for a few seconds before Chen Xiaozhi forcefully spat out a few mouthfuls of spit, flecked with dirt, right onto her face.

"Man, my bad. Got some sand in my mouth; it's wicked uncomfortable." Chen Xiaozhi flashed a sheepish grin, full of faux remorse. While speaking, he extended his filthy hand and casually wiped it across Dong Qing'an's pristine attire.

Then, he brushed past her, paying no mind to Dong Qing'an's quivering lips.