Chapter 4: Chapter Four: A Dream?

On the third night after the funeral.

Funeral arrangements in the countryside are elaborate, especially when neighbors and villagers all come to lend a hand.

The daytime bustle of the funeral had faded by nightfall, and most guests had left.

The funeral tent and all other setups were built by villagers; the mourning choir and catering crew were arranged by the village head—how could a twenty-two-year-old like Chen Yan possibly know how to handle such things?

Over these three days, Chen Yan hadn’t cried much.

First, when grief reaches its peak, tears simply won’t come.

It’s just that emotions are blocked—only later, when the shock fades, will the tears finally flow.

Second… these three days, he spent all his time bowing. Every visitor came, and the filial son had to bow with them.

The Chen family had only Chen Yan left; the Old Grandma had no relatives at all.

In the vast funeral hall, Chen Yan was the only one dressed in mourning.

He didn’t know how many bows he’d made—hundreds, maybe—and his head felt numb.

Now, kneeling before the altar in the dead of night, Chen Yan still felt as if he were dreaming.

He stared at the coffin inside the hall—his grandmother lay within.

And the walls were lined with wreaths and memorial couplets.

The largest wreath by the door bore the inscription: “Immortal Legacy.”

Signed: West Lake Xiao Ma.

When Boss Ma came to pay his respects, he was quiet—yet he seemed regretful, holding Chen Yan’s hand and speaking at length, even handing him a business card, said to be his personal phone number.

But after asking around, he learned Chen Yan had never learned his grandmother’s skills—just a naive, fresh college graduate.

Chen Yan sensed Boss Ma had grown distant.

·

All the events of these days flashed before his eyes like a movie, leaving his mind weary.

In truth, he hadn’t slept in two days.

It was midnight, just past twelve. Chen Yan sat on the prayer mat before the altar, his body weak.

Over the past two days, he’d eaten almost nothing—only the dish of stir-fried pork and edamame his grandmother had left behind before she died.

Yes, he ate every single bean.

After that, he hadn’t eaten a thing.

His heart was too clogged to feel hunger.

Now, kneeling on the mat, his vision blurred.

At that moment, a sudden cold wind swept in, making Chen Yan shiver.

He looked up—the main door was closed.

Where had the wind come from?

The instant the thought crossed his mind, the main door silently swung open—both halves.

A rush of icy air howled into the room!

At midnight, the door opens on its own, cold winds swirling—

And this was in the funeral hall!

Tell me—isn’t that terrifying?

Chen Yan swallowed hard, forcing himself to stay calm, and tried to rise to check the door and shut it.

But the next second, his composure shattered before his eyes.

In the courtyard outside the main hall—

Two figures suddenly appeared, materializing from nowhere in the empty space.

Then, drifting slowly, they moved toward the door.

Yes—they truly floated in! He couldn’t see their legs at all.

Left: black hat, black robe, black face. Right: white hat, white robe, white face.

Chen Yan froze.

Black… white…

He hadn’t wet himself only because he hadn’t drunk much today!

His legs went limp—he couldn’t stand, collapsing against the wall behind him.

His mouth opened, but no sound came out.

Don’t laugh at him for being cowardly.

Midnight. The funeral hall. This scene. This atmosphere. Two such figures suddenly appearing before him.

Put you there—you’d wet yourself too.

·

The two figures drifted into the main hall; the air turned icy.

They lifted their heads, eyes fixed on the ancestral tablet before the coffin.

Chen Yan’s throat tightened, his heart pounding.

Then, suddenly, both figures bowed in unison toward the tablet.

A deep, full bow to the ground.

Chen Yan was stunned.

This…

Such a profound bow?

Suddenly, his throat loosened, his tense muscles relaxed.

“You two!”

Chen Yan finally forced out a voice: “Are you here to fetch my grandmother’s soul?”

The two figures turned sharply, fixing their gaze on Chen Yan.

“Filial son, what did you say?” asked the one in black.

Chen Yan swallowed again, gathering courage: “I said—are you here to fetch my grandmother’s soul?”

This time, they understood. But to his surprise, both figures shuddered violently.

As if they’d heard something horrifying.

The one in white waved his hands frantically: “Oh! No, no, no! How dare we even say the word ‘fetch’!”

The one in black, his face a deathly pallor, somehow forced a faint smile.

They exchanged glances, then turned back to Chen Yan, speaking with surprising courtesy:

“We have come to escort the elder back to her post.”

Chen Yan: “...?”

Escort?

Back?

To a post??

Chen Yan suddenly felt his brain couldn’t keep up.

·

The next instant, Chen Yan saw a translucent figure rise slowly from within the coffin—it was his grandmother!

Dignified and solemn… damn it!

No—her likeness, vivid…

Still not right.

Lifelike!

Yes, but she looked semi-transparent.

The grandmother floated to the floor, then—

The black and white figures suddenly dropped to their knees before her, bowing deeply—the two most famed ghostly officers prostrated themselves!

Whoa~~! (Gu…)

That was a massive bow!

Chen Yan was dumbfounded.

What the hell is going on here?!

Even if the King of Hell himself showed up, these two wouldn’t bow so deeply!

Was his grandmother really dead? How could death make her more powerful than life?

…Back to her post?

Why did that sound so damn cool?!

No!

What does that even mean?!

Tragedy turned into a power fantasy?!

·

The grandmother studied the two ghostly officers for a moment, then nodded, waved her hand, and floated slowly out the door.

Chen Yan stared at his grandmother, instinctively reaching out—as if to speak—but his mouth was dry, and no words came.

At that moment, the Old Grandma suddenly turned back and smiled gently at Chen Yan.

Then, Chen Yan heard the Old Grandma’s voice suddenly come into his ears.

The voice drifted faintly, now distant, now near… hmm, it sounded just like someone speaking in a horror movie.

“Good grandson, didn’t I already tell you not to be sad?”

“The old woman left you something. Go to the well in our courtyard, ten steps due south from the well’s mouth, and dig down—you’ll find it.”

That was the only sentence; no more followed.

Watching as the Old Grandma, accompanied by the two figures in black and white, floated away from the courtyard…

Then, nothing remained visible.

·

Chen Yan suddenly shuddered, then jolted awake!

He was leaning against the wall, the funeral hall empty, the door tightly shut.

He rose, pushed open the main room’s door—the night outside the courtyard was silent, the yard itself utterly empty; where were those figures?

He touched his back—his clothes were soaked in sweat!

A breeze blew, chilling his skin.

Chen Yan steadied himself: Was this… a dream?

Recalling the dream’s scenes, they felt too real, too clear!

He couldn’t even be sure himself whether it had truly been a dream—or whether it had actually happened.

Put simply, Chen Yan was an atheist.

Yes, that’s right.

But… in truth, he was no different from most young people in this world.

I’m an atheist, but that doesn’t stop me from being scared of ghosts~

·

A few seconds later, driven by a strange thought, Chen Yan suddenly stood up, walked to the corner, grabbed a shovel, and headed straight for the courtyard well!

Chen Yan recalled the Old Grandma’s words from the 【dream】: ten steps south of the well!

He spat into his palm.

Start digging!

An hour later, Chen Yan sat panting on the ground, the shovel stuck upright in the earth.

Beside him, the pit was empty.

The pit was deep—he had truly put in the effort.

If he dug any deeper, this hole could become a well itself!

“So I really was just dreaming?”

Chen Yan laughed bitterly.

What the hell was I thinking?

What was I even expecting?

Yet deep inside, a faint stirring remained—he couldn’t quite bring himself to give up.

The dream had been too strange, too vivid.

Most people’s dreams fade upon waking, barely remembered in outline. How could this one be so clear?

Unwilling to let go, Chen Yan pondered:

Maybe the Old Grandma, being old, had misremembered? Not south of the well—but north?

Gathering his strength, he took ten steps north of the well and began digging again!

Half an hour later…

Nothing at all!

Chen Yan steadied himself, caught his breath.

No… could it be west?

Or east?

An hour later…

Dawn was nearly breaking—the village gate rooster had already crowed!

Around the well, the courtyard was ringed by a circular trench!

Yet aside from a few earthworms, not a single thing was found!

“Hmm… was it really just a dream?” Chen Yan frowned at the main room.

Inside the main room, the Old Grandma’s large portrait smiled kindly.

After a moment, Chen Yan slapped his own head.

He thought he understood.

Yes, there must be something wrong!

The problem was…

The Old Grandma was short, with short legs!

She was barely over one meter fifty tall; Chen Yan himself stood one meter eighty.

The “ten steps” she meant and Chen Yan’s own ten steps—could they possibly be the same?!

This time, he recalculated the distance and dug again at seven steps south of the well.

Half an hour later—clang! The shovel struck something hard!

Chen Yan’s heart leapt!

There really was something!

So… it wasn’t a dream?!

His heart pounded wildly; he quickly put down the shovel, knelt, and dug with both hands, pulling a small box from the earth.

He carried the box back into the main room, placed it on the floor, then turned and locked the door.

Dry-mouthed and agitated, he opened the box.

At the top lay a letter.

·

【Two chapters done today. From now on, two chapters daily.】

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