Chapter One: Is It Exciting Enough?

"Brother, don't do this. Mom and Dad will hear us."
Under the dim night lamp, Jiang Zhiyue scanned the tightly closed door not far away with a wary expression, placing her hand firmly on the man's solid chest and pushing him back.

A trace of indifference flickered across Jiang Chen's face. "Shh, don't speak. Come with me. Tonight, let's try something exciting outside."

"Enough, Jiang Zhiyue. Stop pretending in front of me. It's not your first time anyway. Didn't you enjoy yourself last time?"

"Besides..."
He took another step closer, lowering his voice. "You wouldn't want Mom and Dad to find out what kind of person you really are, would you? If you can play with others, why not with your brother?"

Jiang Zhiyue looked up at the determination in Jiang Chen's eyes, a hint of helplessness flickering in her own.

After a moment of hesitation, she relented. "Alright then, but can I at least change my clothes first?"

Jiang Chen scrutinized her, recalling what was about to happen, the corners of his mouth curving with interest. "No need. I think what you're wearing is just right. It gives off the right feeling."

"Fine," she replied.

Under the hazy glow of the night lamp, Jiang Zhiyue wore a white long dress, her delicate features all the more alluring in the darkness. Seeing the heat in Jiang Chen's gaze, she couldn't help but press her crimson lips together.

Two hours later.

Jiang Zhiyue struggled to keep her trembling legs from buckling, her voice quivering. "Jiang Chen, you're too fast. Slow down, I can't keep up."

Jiang Chen was equally breathless, his forehead covered in fine sweat. "Zhiyue, just endure a bit longer."

Watching the man who had no intention of stopping, she fought back the urge to bite him.

Fortunately, ten minutes later, Jiang Chen finally let out a long breath and stopped.

"How was that? Exciting enough?"

Jiang Zhiyue gulped for air, glaring at him. "This is the last time!"

Annoyed, she shot Jiang Chen a look, her cheeks still flushed from the strenuous activity.

She never expected her scoundrel of a brother to get bolder every time. This time, he had her running for over two hours late at night.

It had exhausted her!

The proud young master of the Jiang family couldn't even be bothered to call a car—how stingy!

Tomorrow's breakfast, she thought, must have an extra egg added for her, or else this trip would truly be a loss!

---

Jiang Chen raised an eyebrow. "Well? How do you like the place I chose? Was it thrilling enough?"

Jiang Zhiyue steadied her breath, looking around.

Beside Jiang Chen stood a stone monument two or three meters tall, with the words "Fog Mountain Cemetery" clearly engraved upon it.
Next to it, only a crude street lamp cast a cold, eerie light.

Jiang Zhiyue carefully observed her surroundings. Normally, after death, a spirit would be led by special guides to the underworld for reincarnation.
So, even in a cemetery, such an extremely Yin place, there shouldn't necessarily be ghosts.

Yet, after a scan, she sensed something was off.

This cemetery was not only rife with Yin energy—it carried a violent aura.

She hadn't brought any ritual tools tonight. If she really encountered a blood-tainted vengeful ghost, it would be troublesome. She tried to persuade him:

"Brother, maybe we shouldn't play here. It's not just Yin energy; there's also a violent aura. If we barge in recklessly, we might run into a vengeful ghost. It's dangerous!"

Seeing her worried look, Jiang Chen burst out laughing, mischief in his voice. "Ha! Zhiyue, are you scared? Weren't you brave last time? So, you do get scared, huh?"

Just last month, to vent his anger for their adopted sister, Jiang Qingyan, Jiang Chen had dragged Jiang Zhiyue to a haunted house rumored to be filled with ghosts.

He’d intended to scare her, then record her crying in terror for a laugh.

But unexpectedly, Jiang Zhiyue wasn't afraid at all. Once there, she was even more absorbed in the adventure than they were.

Reciting mantras, drawing talismans, she left them dumbfounded.

He almost felt drawn to her for sharing his interests. Lucky for him, Yan Yan tipped him off that she was secretly inquiring about his hobbies. Otherwise, he might have been fooled.

Since she wanted to win his favor through shared interests, he'd play along.

So he specifically searched online for this notorious haunted cemetery, wanting to see how long she could keep up the act.

This half-way found biological sister was adept at attracting their attention with little tricks—quite cunning.

Jiang Zhiyue frowned, pointing at the stacked tombstones in the distance.

"Brother, this place is different. The haunted house we went to last time had only a newly formed vengeful ghost, easy to deal with.

But here, the ghosts might have turned violent. When a vengeful ghost appears, blood will flow. And now it's near midnight, their power grows stronger—not so easy to handle."

Following her finger, Jiang Chen sneered, "So what? You're scared now? Zhiyue, if you want to please me by matching my interests, you can't be such a coward."

Zhiyue shot him a look in the darkness. "Do you even understand what a vengeful ghost is?"

---

A gust of chill wind blew, making Jiang Chen shiver, though he still kept his bravado.

"So what if it's a vengeful ghost? Aren't we here to find ghosts?"

No longer willing to argue, Jiang Zhiyue turned to leave. "I'm not playing anymore. I'm going home!"

In her previous life, she was the most gifted heir of the mystical arts. Of the Five Deficiencies and Three Shortcomings, she lacked fate, resulting in an early death.

After finally awakening in this life's cycle, she now lacked wealth.

Any money earned never stayed with her!

Meaning that a three-thousand-yuan monthly salary was, for her, at most three yuan a month!

And in this life, she awakened as an orphan so poor she couldn't afford three meals a day. So she rolled up her sleeves and started fortune-telling to survive.

But in these times, business was tough—too many people, too few opportunities.

Everyone preferred the blind old men for fortune-telling; few came to her. After a month of hard work, she barely earned a couple of yuan.

Desperate for food, when the Jiang family found her, claiming she was their real daughter kidnapped as a child, her eyes lit up and she immediately acknowledged them.

As long as she obeyed and treated the Jiang family as her patrons, she could eat her fill every day—far better than running her own stall.

Jiang Chen was, in this world, her nominal fifth brother. A freshman in college, a passionate youth with a flair for the dramatic.

He loved adventure, spent his days dreaming of stumbling upon a legendary inheritance in some obscure corner, setting off on a path of justice, slaying demons and monsters—a true hot-blooded hero.

He was also one of her current patron group.

But she had no intention of risking her life just to please them!

Just then, a car horn sounded in the distance, and bright headlights cut through the thick night.

A flashy yellow luxury car stopped smoothly in front of Jiang Zhiyue, blocking her path home.

The door opened, and a man with bright yellow hair stepped out, grinning. When he spotted Zhiyue, his eyes lit up, and he hurried over, grabbing her arm and shaking it. "Sister Jiang, it's so good to see you!"

Jiang Zhiyue slapped his hand away. "Lu Che, let go!"