Chapter 279.2: Trust Science, There Are No Ghosts in This World
Suddenly, someone said lazily, "Hey. You spilled water all over my bones."
The moment those words fell, every head snapped toward the coffin.
Inside, a skeleton sat there. Fear surged through the crowd, mixed with disbelief.
"G-ghost!"
The drunk middle-aged man paled, nearly collapsing. The others were no less shaken. The corpse had risen!
Gongyi Qing stared at the skeleton, shock flashing across his face. "Y-you... are you Qi Yuan?"
Under normal circumstances, he'd have hauled those bones straight to a lab for study.
Qi Yuan's bones were loosely scattered, barely holding together. "Mhm... What, are you all throwing a party at my grave?"
He himself was a bit dazed. I have really turned into a corpse? Am I supposed to cultivate as some kind of ghost now?
Gongyi Qing's face lit up with excitement. "A-are you conscious? Does that mean ghosts really exist?"
If a world reset was real, then ghosts didn't sound so far-fetched.
The hollow skull gave a stiff, wobbly shake as he replied with utter confidence, "Don't be superstitious. Believe in science, there are no ghosts in this world."
Even if a Violet Palace cultivator died, they were gone for good. At most, Yin Spirits could preserve a fragment of their soul in another form. Perhaps it could be called a ghost, though that would be a bit of a stretch. Strictly speaking, ghosts didn't exist.
The skeleton gazed at everyone with complete seriousness, his tone just as earnest, which only made it more ridiculous. In that instant, the same thought crossed everyone’s mind: a skeleton... telling them to trust science?
Gongyi Cai's lips twitched. "Young man, you might not realize it, but you're already dead."
"Yeah, this game avatar of mine really did die," Qi Yuan murmured thoughtfully. Am I going down the ghost cultivation route after all?
That only confused everyone further. Game avatar?
Still, remembering that Qi Yuan had been mentally ill in life, it all seemed to make sense.
Gongyi Jing mustered her courage to ask, "Brother Qi, did you hear what Brother Qing said earlier?"
Honestly, if not for the impending reset, she wouldn't have dared call a skeleton "brother."
Qi Yuan appeared puzzled. "What did he say? Are you all sick? Why would you talk to a pile of bones?"
Everyone was rendered speechless once again.
Still, Gongyi Qing quickly stepped in. "The world is about to reset. Our Gongyi family hopes to cooperate with you..."
He explained everything from beginning to end.
Qi Yuan was genuinely shocked. "The world is about to reset?"
He had never imagined such a thing. What kind of power could rewind an entire world? Even he, who had devoured another world’s Heavenly Dao, couldn’t achieve such a feat.
"And here I am, running into it in this world..." he muttered. "Interesting. This game just got a lot harder. So, who's the final boss?"
Gongyi Qing frowned. Communicating with someone like this was exhausting.
"This isn't a game. This is reality," he said firmly.
Gongyi Qing also pressed. "The reset is imminent. Our family hopes to cooperate with you, what do you think?"
That was what truly mattered. Even if Qi Yuan lacked ten years of memories, the encrypted message alone was already invaluable.
Qi Yuan was clearly reluctant. "I've got my own quests to handle. Let's leave it to fate. If I run into you, I'll consider it."
He sounded casual, unconcerned.
The drunk man frowned. "Seems like you have no idea what the Gongyi family represents! Stick with us, and you'll have power, wealth, women... everything!"
Other rebooters, with ten years of memories, would have made him wary. However, Qi Yuan was a mental patient with only a year of memory.
Qi Yuan glanced at him. "Aren't assets in a game just numbers? I have got wealth, and I don't lack power. As for women, I'm married. I don't mess around."
Everyone was at a loss. Even the man who had spoken fell silent. Why argue with a madman?
With only less than ten minutes left, Gongyi Qing recited it again, afraid Qi Yuan wouldn’t remember. "Let me repeat the encrypted message..."
Qi Yuan shrugged. "Fine, I'll take the quest. I'll do it when it’s convenient, but if it interferes with my main quest, then forget it."
He still had his main storyline to follow. What followed was the Gongyi family trying their best to tempt him with promises. Qi Yuan listened half-heartedly, quietly waiting for the reset.
Meanwhile, the tremors grew stronger. Within his hollow sockets, a faint glimmer flickered as he gazed at the sky. So, the world is really going to reset?
He wanted to see how it worked. Following that, his vision began to blur, and the world fractured into overlapping lines. The Gongyi family broke apart into segments.
Then, a piercing, sorrowful cry of a bird rang out. In that instant, Qi Yuan seemed to see a bloodstained crimson bird soaring through the sky in misery. His bones shattered apart in the next moment.
