A village of the second swimming level!

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After examining the interior of the house, Ghost Scholar had a clear understanding of the situation. He then approached the door and pulled it open from the outside, revealing a sudden expanse of dim, yellowish light. Following that came a wave of intense heat—unnaturally high temperature.

Instinctively, Ghost Scholar furrowed his brow and focused his gaze. He realized they were in an ancient village, extremely rudimentary, mostly consisting of huts with thatched roofs. The scene was dull and grimy; he even noticed the thatch on the roof opposite him was so dry that a slight breeze could snap it in half, causing pieces to fall to the ground.

The entire village emanated an unsettling aura of dim, yellowish gloom.

Ghost Scholar extended his hand outside the thatched roof and immediately felt an overwhelming, scorching heat. His frown deepened.

This world truly was as the Mirthbringer had described—deeply unsettling.

Dangerous.

Pausing briefly, Ghost Scholar stepped out of the house and tested the wide, flat ground in front of the door. The yellowish soil was dry and fragile, crumbling at the slightest pressure into dust.

His first thought was a lack of water.

Yet he wasn’t entirely sure.

Looking up, he took in everything at a glance. The village was nearly deserted and not very large. From where he stood, he could see the village entrance clearly. Outside the village, the yellow hue intensified, and further beyond lay vast stretches of yellow—likely crops.

Ghost Scholar confirmed their current location in his mind. His instincts, honed as a strategist for the trio, compelled him to gather every clue. He could not lead his brothers into a dead end.

“Hm?” Just as he was about to withdraw his gaze, his eyes landed on a noticeably taller building in the village center—a wooden structure coated in a sticky, dark red substance. There seemed to be some kind of carvings on its door. Ghost Scholar couldn’t help but voice his curiosity. Judging by its appearance, it was the village’s ancestral hall.

Moments ago, he had sensed a powerful, undeniable force emanating from this hall that permeated the entire village. It was somewhat dark yet brimming with vitality, as though guarding the village. Ghost Scholar could clearly discern a difference between inside and outside the village.

This ancestral hall was warding off some unclean presence.

Intriguing!

That was Ghost Scholar’s first reaction, followed immediately by the thought of calling the Taoist over to take a look. He had extensive experience with things teeming with life.

Before he could act, Ye Lu spoke from inside the house.

“Ghost, come in.”

A simple sentence. Ghost Scholar raised an eyebrow but turned without hesitation, closing the door behind him. The crude wooden door creaked under the strain.

Ye Lu remained seated on the bed, frowning, lost in thought.

“What’s wrong?” Ghost Scholar returned to his initial spot, sat down again, and asked.

“I have some memories from this world that don’t belong to me,” Ye Lu said.

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“First, this world really is as strange as we suspected,” Ye Lu said expressionlessly, slowly recounting the clues he’d compiled from his memories. “There are anomalies, ghosts, and strange plants. These strange plants are something we’ve never encountered before—unique to this world.”

“Specifically, they resemble the spiritual plants we once saw on StarNet.”

Ghost Scholar’s expression darkened at first, but as he heard this, his pupils slowly dilated in surprise. Did he hear that right? Spiritual plants—the precious spiritual flora on StarNet. They survived their early stages by trading leaves of the Taoist’s symbiotic plant, the Heavy Mountain Vine. That venomous plant was a real money tree, even when Heavy Mountain refused to bloom or bear fruit.

Ghost Scholar recalled all the wondrous uses of spiritual plants he had seen, along with their staggering prices that could bring one to their knees.

Ye Lu, sensing his astonishment was insufficient, added, “The village we’re in now is called He Village, a white-tier village. That’s because it harbors a yellow-tier strange plant—Qing Mizi!”

“Oh, right. The classification of strange plants in this world is also peculiar. From what I remember, there are five levels: White Roam, Yellow Fierce, Blue Shade, Blood Resentment, and Black Mystery. Sounds fitting for a bizarre world, doesn’t it?” Ye Lu joked lightly after speaking.

“More specifics?” Ghost Scholar quickly snapped out of his initial tension and realized how special this world truly was, especially concerning the strange plants. His curiosity grew, and a hint of anticipation flickered in his eyes.

Ye Lu shook his head, shattering Ghost Scholar’s expectations. “In this world, I’m still Ye Lu, and this is our original body. You can tell from the village name—He Village. It’s named after a family name, and most villagers bear the He surname.”

“My identity here is the child of a woman who married into the village from afar. She married a sorcerer from a distant western village called Xiao Ye Village. Sorcerers hold a high status here, similar to cultivators we’ve seen before. That’s why a girl from a white-tier village would marry so far away. Her family held considerable standing in He Village, while Xiao Ye Village was just an ordinary place.”

“We came here because Xiao Ye Village suffered a strange attack. Despite intervention from passing patrol sorcerers, Xiao Ye Village was devastated, with heavy population losses, forcing it to merge with other villages. Due to blood ties, the village elders brought me back to He Village.”

“Though I always knew strange plants existed in the village, adults were cautious around children, so I only knew the basics and nothing more detailed.”

“You, on the other hand, were the wounded I found on the way to Qiang City,” Ye Lu explained Ghost Scholar’s origin.

After finishing, Ye Lu turned his gaze to the Mirthbringer and explained his background: “I know Ah Xi; he’s from Xiao Ye Village too, but he was a bit slow as a child. When I saw him near the city, barely clinging to life, I brought him back quietly. No one knows yet; he’s been recuperating indoors.”

Ghost Scholar fell silent for a moment, weighed down by his identity.

Well, he had long accepted his inherent bad luck.

After a while, he finally broke the silence. “Should I thank StarNet for at least giving us identities?”

Mainly because, aside from Ye Lu, the others had rather bizarre backgrounds. Ye Lu’s luck wasn’t great this time either—he was the son of a woman married out to a conservative, feudal, strange village. Ghost Scholar knew such villages well—they were mostly xenophobic. For a child of an outmarried daughter to survive was already fortunate.

Overall, the three held poor hands. His was the worst, the Mirthbringer at least had some background, and he had nothing.

This also explained Ye Lu’s frown—it was his first time encountering such a troublesome identity.

The three were quietly discussing, mainly Ghost Scholar and Ye Lu speaking while the Mirthbringer listened silently.

Suddenly, the Mirthbringer snapped his head toward the door, his gaze alert as if watching something.

The conversation halted abruptly as the two turned to look outside.

The wooden door was crude, made simply of several planks with large gaps. Through these gaps, they could clearly see a frail, slightly stooped figure.

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Before any of the three inside could speak, a slow, deliberate knocking sounded at the door.

“Who is it?” Ye Lu was the first to speak.

“It’s me, Lu!” came a familiar, aged voice. Ye Lu immediately recognized it as someone from his memories and instinctively asked, “Third Uncle?”

“It’s me,” the elderly voice replied, pausing in his usual measured manner.

This habit was typical of the Third Uncle. Ye Lu was certain of the man’s identity. Due to a strange attack years ago, his health had declined, causing habitual pauses when speaking. Ye Lu rose to open the door.

Outside stood a gaunt, white-haired old man. Years of hard work had darkened his skin and etched deep wrinkles across his face. Most striking, however, were his calm, gentle eyes. He held a cane and moved slowly. Ye Lu instinctively glanced behind Third Uncle—no one else was there.

“Where’s Seventh Uncle?” Ye Lu frowned, wondering why Third Uncle came alone.

Third Uncle shook his head. Noticing Ye Lu’s gesture, a faint smile appeared in his eyes before fading quickly. He said, “I sent him to check the fields.”

“The weather hasn’t been good this year.”

Ye Lu frowned as well. This was the first time Third Uncle had spoken so seriously about the weather. Though He Village had faced hardships before, adults never discussed them with him.

Third Uncle’s gaze naturally shifted to Ghost Scholar and the Mirthbringer inside. Both wore clothing representing their identities—Ghost Scholar’s scholar’s robe was tattered and soiled, the original blue color barely visible, while the Mirthbringer looked like a beggar.

“Are you the ones Lu brought back this time?” Third Uncle’s eyes calmly settled on the two.

Both Ghost Scholar and the Mirthbringer, seasoned veterans, immediately became alert under the scrutiny, especially Ghost Scholar, who reacted more strongly.

Though the old man’s aura was not strong—Ghost Scholar could tell his cultivation level was low—his serene gaze seemed to penetrate the soul, making Ghost Scholar instinctively wary.

Surprisingly, Ghost Scholar did not feel intense hostility toward the old man. In the past, such a gaze meant a dead end.

Perhaps it was the gentleness of the look—no judgment, no attack—just calm observation, which made it easy to relax.

Ghost Scholar understood the old man was assessing whether they posed a threat. After all, his kin had suddenly brought unknown strangers into the village, and as an elder, he naturally worried.

“We are,” Ghost Scholar replied calmly, meeting the old man’s gaze as best he could. Unsure of the village’s true nature, it was better to be honest.

“Are you a scholar?” Third Uncle suddenly asked.