Chapter One: The Bewildering Mission Briefing

Where did I come from? Where am I going? This is one of life’s greatest philosophical questions, one that even many successful people are still pondering. Though I am not among the successful, I have been thinking about this for over four hundred years. I can’t remember anything from before. From the moment I became aware, I had no soul, no future, no hope. I didn’t even know what it meant to hope for the future. I was lost.

At the foot of Mount Yi in M City, a crowd was cheering. A remarkably calm and strikingly beautiful woman, whose elegance did nothing to diminish her charm, stepped out of the race car.

Just then, the host’s booming voice echoed across the scene: “Once again, the first place in this Legendary Club event goes to our very own racing goddess, Prince Xuan Wang! Let’s give her another round of applause!”

While the host continued his fervent commentary, Prince Xuan Wang had already gotten back in the car and was driving smoothly towards the city, the passionate music playing softly in the background. She hadn’t gone far before she found herself caught in a long, unmoving line of traffic. With a swift smack of the steering wheel and a rub of her nose bridge, she sighed, feeling exhausted as she did every day. Just as her patience was wearing thin, her phone rang. She pulled it out—a semi-transparent model that, with a flick, displayed three different screens.

Prince Xuan Wang answered, “Who is it? Can’t you see I’m already annoyed?”

A voice replied, “My dear Xuan, such a temper! Are you looking for trouble again? Should I come check on you, hmm?”

A cold sweat broke out down her spine, and she stammered, “N-no, please, have mercy. Big Sis, what do you need from me?”

The voice, belonging to the Queen of the Underworld, teased, “Oh my, Xuan, are you saying I’m old? Hm?”

She hurried to appease, “No, no, how could I dare? I was just so excited to get your call! You’ll always be eighteen. Please, no more teasing. Just tell me what you need. Please don’t scare me—I’m not sure my little heart can take it. This is too much excitement.”

The Underworld Queen laughed, “You, who fears nothing in heaven or on earth, can still be frightened by me? All right, enough teasing. There’s a bit of trouble in your area. Do you need your big sister to sort it out for you?”

Prince Xuan Wang pleaded, “Sis, don’t mess with me. Your little sister is timid—if a problem requires someone of your caliber, we’re probably looking at a boss-class threat. Not saying I’d be wiped out instantly, but I doubt I’d last a hundred moves. What exactly is this trouble that it’s gotten your attention?”

The Queen replied, “I’ve had someone send the file to you. Take your time reading it—I won’t explain, it’s too tiring, and I’d hate for you to die of fright halfway through. All right, sweetheart, I’m off to the beach to bask in the sun. Bye-bye, don’t miss me!”

After hanging up, Prince Xuan Wang slammed her fist onto the steering wheel in frustration. Always more trouble. After waiting over half an hour, traffic finally began to move, though it still crawled at a snail’s pace. She was in a foul mood. Once she was clear of the congestion, she floored the accelerator, speeding back in a burst of flames and lightning to Supermarket No. 444. Yes, that’s right—Supermarket No. 444. Does that ring any bells?

She parked, went inside, and downed a bottle of baijiu in one go. Yes, baijiu. Sitting there in a daze for a moment, she finally pulled out the mission briefing. She knew full well that any task meriting a personal call from the Queen of the Underworld was exceedingly rare. Despite the Queen’s playful manner, it was clear this was a formidable opponent.

Mission Brief: The Economic Development Zone of M City has reported the appearance of the vengeful spirit of Zhong Ling. Local authorities are to locate and detain the spirit for the Underworld’s judgment. Warning: This spirit is extremely dangerous; all ferrymen are advised to exercise extreme caution.