Chapter 249: Contact

"I've bought what you asked for, and I brought you a few clothes—don't know if they fit."

The next day, Zheng Yaoyao left early. She first took a few days off from work, then immediately went to buy things for Li Yi: two cell phones, a new bank card, and several new outfits. Though she didn't know why she was being so generous to this Li Yi.

But Zheng Yaoyao found the whole thing thrilling—she was interacting with someone from another world.

Just imagining it made her feel her life hadn't been wasted; she'd become, however slightly, a legend.

At this moment, Li Yi held a divine seal and practiced the White Bone Contemplation technique. Cosmic energy gathered around him—far denser than in the Four Seas and Eight Provinces, and unpolluted. His cultivation speed here was not slow, but unfortunately, this world harbored terrifying ghosts that cultivators could not kill, coexisting with peace and danger.

This was an extreme place.

If peace were ever shattered, this world would instantly become a hell ruled by vengeful spirits.

It could not serve as a preferred cross-realm location.

After speaking, Zheng Yaoyao's eyes gleamed with wonder as she stared at Li Yi—she saw light radiating from his body, a luminous glow like a galaxy, brilliant and divine. He looked like a Buddha in a temple, serene and calm, drawing others to him instinctively.

Only now did she truly examine the man named Li Yi.

Young, tall, with a strong, handsome face, upright posture, and most importantly, flawless skin—perfect, like a rendered image, unlike any normal person.

Li Yi was jolted awake by her voice and slowly opened his eyes.

The half-night cultivation ended, yielding considerable results.

If things continued like this, before returning across realms, he would surely break through to the Spiritual Perception realm. Though even after reaching Spiritual Perception, he couldn't fight ghosts, he could at least awaken his spiritual sense, sense danger, improve reaction speed and physical condition, and slightly increase his chances of survival.

"Thanks for your trouble, but I didn't bring much money—I can't compensate you," Li Yi said.

"These things cost next to nothing. I still haven't used up the ten thousand yuan you gave me last night."

Zheng Yaoyao said: "Hey, Li Yi, how did you get to this world? Did you get struck by lightning and wake up here? Or did you accidentally fall into a spatial rift and end up on Earth?"

"Some things are better left unknown, especially for someone like you—a normal person. The risks are beyond your grasp," Li Yi glanced at her.

Zheng Yaoyao immediately added: "Fine, I won't ask. But can you tell me what your original world was like? That shouldn't be a secret, and I promise I won't tell anyone—I swear. Oh, wait—I forgot. Earth Prisoners are born evil; their oaths are as worthless as flatulence."

She burst out laughing at the end.

Li Yi stood up, took off the dragon-skin flying-fish robe, and picked up the clothes Zheng Yaoyao had bought for him: a leather trench coat, a cotton padded jacket, several pairs of athletic pants, and a pair of sneakers.

"I come from the Four Seas and Eight Provinces. I'm a martial artist who trains fists," he gave a vague excuse, then began changing clothes.

"A martial artist who trains fists?"

Zheng Yaoyao's eyes sparkled with curiosity: "What's a martial artist who trains fists? Like in wuxia novels? Last night I saw you running along rooftops—was that because of that?"

"Something like that."

After changing, Li Yi looked in the mirror. He felt his current appearance was low-key enough to avoid attention.

Zheng Yaoyao excitedly added: "Can you teach me to train fists too? I want to run along rooftops like you. Oh, I'll pay tuition—I'll give you all my savings."

"From your expression, you just want to run along rooftops—you don't truly want to train fists. And with your talent, you'd need to stand the Shaking Mountain Stance for at least three years, then spend another three years cultivating blood and qi, constantly taking tonics, spending tens of millions at least. Then you'd spend another three years hardening your tendons, bones, and skin just to enter the basics."

"Even after entering the basics, you'd need daily, relentless practice. To run along rooftops like me, to climb a building in a few steps, you'd need at least thirty years. But you're too old now—after thirty, blood and qi decline, and martial cultivation regresses."

Li Yi spoke bluntly.

"What? Three years, again three years, again three years? Nine years just to enter the basics? And you need tens of millions? Forget it—I'm a recent graduate; even if I broke myself apart and sold every part, I couldn't earn tens of millions." Zheng Yaoyao's face fell. Clearly, she'd never run along rooftops in her life.

Li Yi then picked up a new cell phone. He checked it—the SIM card was activated, and it had signal here, usable as a communication tool.

He put the new bank card away.

"I'll consider these things temporarily borrowed from you. I'll repay you later." He had no intention of taking advantage of Zheng Yaoyao.

"No, no, really no need to repay—it didn't cost much, and I used your money to buy them," Zheng Yaoyao hurriedly said.

"One thing at a time," Li Yi said, then added: "Did you find out what I asked about yesterday? About the Ghost Handlers?"

Zheng Yaoyao nodded quickly: "I asked my coworker and got some new info. Ghost Handlers are people who control vengeful spirits—they're terrifying and dangerous, capable of using supernatural powers."

"Control vengeful spirits? Use supernatural powers?" Li Yi's expression shifted slightly: "Can ordinary people in your world control such power?"

"There's risk. If Ghost Handlers use supernatural power too much, the spirits revive," Zheng Yaoyao added.

"Spirit revival." Li Yi paused, immediately recalling what Wang Qiao had said last night—that he had little time left.

That "little time" must be what Zheng Yaoyao called spirit revival.

Once a Ghost Handler's spirit revived, they'd almost certainly die. So do Ghost Handlers in this world trade their lives for brief access to terrifying supernatural power?

Then use that terrifying power to fight spirits and handle supernatural incidents, preserving peace in this world?

If so, Ghost Handling is truly a despairing path of cultivation.

"It seems this world's cultivation system is useless to me—not only can't I learn from it, I can't even touch it," Li Yi thought silently. He'd never become a Ghost Handler.

Ghost Handlers die young. As an Evolver, my lifespan starts at two hundred years minimum. Even if the supernatural power is terrifying, what good is it if you can't live long enough to use it?

"So now I must simply survive these three months. When the next cross-realm gate opens, I'll leave—and report this world's dangers to the Cross-Realm Organization." He understood what he must do next.

Simple.

Survive.

The ghosts here are too terrifying. I refuse to become a Ghost Handler, meaning I have no way to fight them. If I encounter something similar again, I'll likely die horribly. Better to leave quietly and cross realms to another world later.

"Hey, what are you thinking about?" Zheng Yaoyao, seeing Li Yi lost in thought, waved her hand in front of him.

Li Yi said: "I'll stay here for a few days, then leave. During that time, pretend I don't exist. Live and work as usual—I won't disturb you."

He then picked up his phone and backpack and went to the balcony.

From the backpack, he pulled out a tracker—it could locate him and communicate with teammates, but only via simple text messages, no voice calls.

Li Yi sent out his information and gave them his phone number.

About ten minutes later,

His phone rang—a text arrived.

"I'm Qin Bing. This is my phone." Qin Bing had also gotten a new phone.

"Li Yi, I'm Tao Yuan." Soon, Tao Yuan's message came.

After the three successfully connected, they immediately began communicating.

"How's your situation?" Li Yi asked.

"I've left Dazhuang City. Now I'm at a highway service station—safe for now," Qin Bing said.

"I got a car and took Zhang Jing to rest under a bridge outside Dazhuang City. Zhang Jing is injured but not seriously—just needs rest. Li Yi, how's Xu Qiumei?" Tao Yuan asked.

Li Yi replied immediately: "She was too badly injured. Couldn't save her. She died last night. I cremated her body and erased all traces to avoid detection by this world's people."

"Xu Qiumei died?" The other two fell silent.

Li Yi continued: "I've figured out this world's cultivation system. I'll tell you what I know." He then relayed the information about Ghost Handlers.

The others trembled upon hearing it.

"Undead ghosts? People who control vengeful spirits? How is a civilization like this even still alive? Shouldn't it have collapsed long ago?" Qin Bing was stunned—he couldn't imagine how such a cruel world had developed a peaceful society.

Tao Yuan's tone turned grave: "We can't stay here long. We must leave as soon as the time comes. I don't want to be targeted by ghosts or become one of those short-lived Ghost Handlers. But something else worries me—I met that Wang Qiao last night too. He told us to deliver a message in three days. From his attitude, this doesn't sound like a good job."

"Don't meet up these next few days. Wait three days and see. We still have two days. If nothing happens, fine. If something does, we won't all be caught at once—at least some will survive," Li Yi said.

"Naturally."

"Makes sense."

Both agreed.