At home, Wang Xian barely made it through the door before his father patted him on the shoulder and leaned in with a knowing smile.
"Son, you can do it!"
Wang Xian looked heavenward, exasperated. "Dad, seriously? How many times do I have to explain this? They're just friends—ordinary friends."
His father gave him the same smug look he always did. "Sure, sure. Dad understands. Young people these days, all like being called 'uncle', huh?"
You understand a hammer! Wang Xian wanted to shout, but in front of his dad, all he could do was silently suffer.
He left the old man to his delusions and walked over to Nangong Wu, Feng Luoli, and Yue Rushuang. "Mind if I check your attributes?" he asked.
The three women nodded casually and opened their panels.
Names: Nangong Wu, Feng Luoli, Yue Rushuang.Age: 25Level: 11Class: MageTalents: Normal (Nangong Wu), Elite (Feng Luoli & Yue Rushuang)
On the surface, everything looked ordinary.
Too ordinary.
Wang Xian frowned subtly. This doesn't match what I remember at all.
In his past life, both Feng Luoli and Yue Rushuang had epic-level talents, not elite ones. There were even screenshots floating around to prove it.
And Nangong Wu? Her talent was never made public—but a woman who became the number one mage in the country and the leader of Fengwu Nine Heavens surely wasn't born with a normal talent.
So why were their stats so… basic?
Were those previous-life screenshots fake? Or had something changed?
"Uncle, you look disappointed in our attributes," Nangong Wu said with a teasing smile.
Wang Xian scratched his head, laughing awkwardly. "Haha, disappointed? No way!"
But deep down, yeah—he kind of was.
Not out of malice, but confusion. These women would go on to become legends. What had changed?
"Really?" Nangong Wu asked, arching an eyebrow.
"I'll, uh… check on the water. Gonna make tea!" Wang Xian retreated to the kitchen like he was being chased by debt collectors.
Being near Nangong Wu is exhausting! He always felt like she could see straight through him.
As soon as he left, Nangong Wu turned to Feng Luoli and asked in a whisper, "Well? What do you think?"
"There's a secret," Feng Luoli replied instantly.
"And your evaluation of him?"
Feng Luoli thought for a moment before answering, "A salted fish with dreams."
Nangong Wu blinked, then laughed. "Dreams and ambition, but lacking in passion and urgency… A 'salted fish with dreams.' I like that."
Later that night — 11:55 PM
"Uncle, you said we'd go level up, but why at night?" Cheng Yao pouted. "Why not just train during the day?"
"Right? Brother-in-law, are you a night owl or what?" Su Jin chimed in.
Since Cheng Yao and company showed up, Su Jin had taken to calling Wang Xian 'brother-in-law' again, reclaiming her sister's position with a vengeance.
Even Dad had something to say. "Son, why the sudden urge to go out training instead of sleeping? I need my rest, you know."
Wang Xian's reply was calm and collected.
"The Prophet told me. A flood of wild monsters will appear at midnight. Perfect time to grind levels."
Prophet?!
Everyone froze.
The Prophet—the Prophet—was a legend in the forums. Their posts had changed the game more than once. Everyone wanted to talk to them, but no one ever could.
Now Wang Xian was saying he got messaged?
"Son, how do you know the Prophet?" Dad asked, wide-eyed.
"I don't know him personally," Wang Xian said, maintaining his poker face. "He added me. Told me in a message."
The entire room fell silent.
The Prophet... added him?
Before they could dig further, the system chimed in:
Ding! System Announcement:The Ghost Gate has opened.The Zhongyuan Festival has begun.For full details, please click to view.
Ding! System Announcement:The Ghost Gate has opened.The Zhongyuan Festival has begun.For full details, please click to view.
Ding! System Announcement:The Ghost Gate has opened.The Zhongyuan Festival has begun.For full details, please click to view.
Everyone opened the event menu immediately. Wang Xian did too—but only to pretend. He already knew the whole thing by heart.
Instead, he smirked.
Because just then, he spotted something behind Su Jin.
A ghost.
No, a wild monster in ghost form. It crept up behind her, leaned in, and blew gently on her neck.
"Don't mess with me," Su Jin muttered, not looking up. "I'm reading."
The ghost blew again.
And again.
And again.
Su Jin whipped around. "I said don't—AHHHHHHH!"
Her scream shattered the quiet.
Everyone turned—and then they saw it.
"AHHHHH!"
"AHHHHHHH!"
Even Mom let out a banshee shriek.
Wang Xian winced. He was expecting a reaction—but not a horror film reenactment.
Raising his hand, he summoned a flash of lightning.
CRACK!
The ghost evaporated into a fine mist.
[Thunderbolt]Lv1Deals 200% magic damage to a single target.Chance to paralyze.Instant cast.100 MP.Cooldown: 15s
A basic spell, but one of the strongest for early-game mages—and one Wang Xian had scored from that young man in Jecheng who traded it for gear.
He turned back to the group with a sheepish grin.
"Welcome to the Zhongyuan Festival."