Late at night, a light rain drizzled from the sky.
Outside Liang City, on the road leading out of the city, an old horse pulling a carriage was trudging along.
Moonlight filtered through the leaves, casting a flickering light on the face of the old man driving the carriage, revealing a hint of anxiety.
Inside the carriage, a candlelight flickered through the curtains, occasionally swaying with the jolts of the carriage, faintly revealing a figure reading by candlelight.
The sound of insects chirping filled the air on both sides of the road.
Only the sound of the carriage wheels rolling over the mud broke the harmony of the forest.
The old man driving the carriage swallowed his saliva, cautiously peeking out towards the back of the carriage. After just a quick glance, he quickly averted his gaze in fear.
"He's still there." The old man subconsciously wiped the sweat from his forehead, which was already covered in fine beads of sweat.
The old man was referring to the young man dressed as a scholar following behind the carriage.
The young man, about twenty years old, was wearing a slightly faded dark blue robe and holding a folded fan in his hand.
Although the fan was not opened, the young man was pretending to wave it around, occasionally looking around.
This demeanor was not that of a scholar traveling at night, but more like that of a literary man out for a stroll.
He carried a bundle on his back and a plain long sword at his waist. The red tassel on the sword swayed as he walked, giving off a sense of agility.
The old man dared not think of the appearance of the young man anymore. He turned his head to look at the carriage behind him and asked in a low voice, "Miss, that person has been following us all the way."
After a moment, a calm female voice came from inside the carriage.
"Perhaps we are just fellow travelers."
"Miss, that person has been following us since you and I entered the city during the day," the old man's voice was low, but there was a hint of urgency in his tone. "We have been on the road for a whole day! In these desolate mountains and wilds, with no villages or inns in sight, if that person has ill intentions..."
"Then we shall stop and wait for a moment. If he is just a fellow traveler, there's no harm in giving him a ride," the young lady replied.
"And if he's not?"
The young lady did not respond further, seeming either indifferent to the coachman's inquiries or unsure of what to do.
The carriage came to a stop.
In just a few breaths, the young man from behind had arrived next to the carriage.
He paused, first glancing at the tense coachman, then shifting his gaze to the small window of the carriage.
The young man's eyes reflected the candlelight through the window, shining brightly.
With a faint smile on his lips, he asked, "Why have you stopped?"
"May I ask, sir..."
"I am Lin Ji from Qingyang County."
"Master Lin."
Another moment of silence.
The young lady in the carriage said, "Master Lin, you have been following us all the way. Where are you headed? If we are traveling the same path, why not accompany us? The road can be lonely, and it's good to have someone to talk to."
"We are not headed the same way," Lin Ji shook his head.
"Then why have you been following us? Do you have ill intentions?" The young lady's tone became stern. "The laws of the Great Qin Dynasty are strict, and with your dignified appearance, you should not act so recklessly."
Upon hearing the young lady's words, Lin Ji seemed somewhat surprised. The smile on his face deepened for a moment but quickly faded.
"May I know the lady's surname?"
"Lu."
"Miss Lu is heading to the capital, right? As the daughter of the Lu family, a high-ranking official in the Ministry of Personnel, Lu Xuan, am I correct?"
Lin Ji naturally couldn't discern so much from just one character, Lu, but the sedan chair in the carriage was adorned with three cloud patterns, a privilege reserved for officials.
Three cloud patterns represented the third rank, and with the surname Lu heading to the capital, the deduction seemed logical.
Lin Ji chuckled, "Miss Lu, rest assured, I am not a villain. I just happen to be heading to the capital as well."
Inside the carriage, Miss Lu furrowed her brows slightly and set down the book in her hand.
"Earlier, when I asked if you were traveling the same path, why did you deny it?"
Lin Ji did not answer but instead extended his hand, saying, "Do you have any personal token to take back to the capital?"
"A token?" Miss Lu was puzzled, finding Lin Ji's request somewhat strange.
However, without fully understanding, she instinctively untied a small sachet from her waist and handed it out through the window.
"This is a sachet my mother made for me. I have never been without it since I was young."
After handing over the sachet, Miss Lu suddenly came to her senses, wondering why she had given her personal item to a stranger.
After receiving the sachet, Lin Ji unfolded the fan in his hand, swaying it absentmindedly. He paid no further attention to Miss Lu but instead bypassed the carriage and continued along the road.
The coachman, who had been frightened to the core, finally spoke up, "Miss, that man's fan..."
"What about the fan?" Miss Lu was puzzled.
"A white fan with the character 'behead' in the middle!"
Miss Lu's expression froze.
"The Bureau of Celestial Oversight?"
The reputation of the Bureau of Celestial Oversight surpassed even that of the government offices among the common folk.
With demons and monsters lurking about, dealing with them was far more terrifying than dealing with ordinary criminals.
Lin Ji's figure had already disappeared in the distance.
Just as Miss Lu was about to order the carriage to move on, a faint and elusive voice sounded near her and her servant.
"Although we are all heading to the capital, how can humans and ghosts be considered fellow travelers?"
Both Miss Lu and her servant stood frozen in place.
"Human and ghost... different paths?" Miss Lu muttered to herself, seeming to understand something.
When she turned back, the weary old horse and the coachman had vanished without a trace.
She picked up a bronze mirror from the carriage but could not see her own reflection in it.
"Am I dead?"
"A month ago, the young lady of the Lu family in the capital came to Liang City to visit relatives but encountered bandits on the way."
"The guards of the Lu family's convoy all died tragically trying to protect their mistress, but they managed to escort Miss Lu to a place less than two miles outside Liang City. Unfortunately, they couldn't spare anyone to go to Liang City for help, and in the end, they were caught by the bandits."
"According to the coroners of the government, Miss Lu, feeling trapped and unwilling to fall into the hands of the bandits, chose to end her own life."
Lin Ji walked alone on the forest path, opening his fan and holding it above his head to shield himself from the rain. However, the smile on his face had disappeared.
"The ghostly soul after death, thinking it's still alive, even wanting to return to the capital." Lin Ji shook his head in silence. "If no one exposes it, upon reaching the capital, these mere ghosts won't even be able to enter the city and will be shaken to the point of losing their chance for reincarnation."
In the current Great Qin Dynasty, with the new emperor just ascended, the dragon veins were surging.
The capital was the gathering place of the country's dragon energy, where even ordinary demons and monsters could not approach, let alone enter.
Lin Ji fiddled with the sachet in his hand.
"In the past, harmless ghosts like this one would be let go, but in today's world, a wandering ghost without any cultivation, even if taken by the monsters in the mountains to be a lackey ghost, would be considered lucky."
Lin Ji thought of the case files he had seen at the Bureau of Celestial Oversight in Liang City not long ago.
Evil practices involving killing for souls required burning the conscious souls with spiritual fire for forty-nine days to obtain a meager amount of soul essence.
Even the most resilient ascetic monks might not endure such pain.
In addition, there was the Ghost King City outside Liang City, where the minions of the Ghost King roamed at night, either capturing wandering ghosts or killing travelers to seize their souls.
As for what they did with them, Lin Ji didn't know and didn't want to know.
But it was definitely not a good thing.
"So, it's better to reincarnate. At least you won't suffer after death. Life is only a few decades long, but if you become a ghost and are caught by someone, that's true torment."
Lin Ji took out a small book from his pocket, with the words 'Karma Ledger' written on the cover.
Turning to a blank page, he casually made a few strokes with his fingertips.
A line of small characters immediately appeared.
'Lu family's young lady's sachet'
In that instant, Lin Ji felt something vaguely entwining around him.
He knew clearly that this was Miss Lu's karma. Only after returning the sachet could this karma be resolved.
After recording the resolution of the karma in the Karma Ledger, Lin Ji would receive some mysterious blessings.
Whether it was the favor of the heavens or something else, Lin Ji couldn't figure it out. Perhaps it was some kind of merit.
In any case, ever since he arrived in this world, the Karma Ledger had always been by his side.
And whenever he completed a karma for others, he would receive good luck the next day.
From enlightenment in cultivation to finding rare treasures, encountering delicious delicacies, or even picking up money on the road.
Although most of the time, the blessings from karma were only marginal for Lin Ji, they never failed to arrive.
"After reporting to the capital, I'll visit the Lu family before leaving and return this sachet."
Setting this matter aside for now, Lin Ji saw a mountain temple ahead.
As the rain in the forest grew heavier, it seemed like a good place to take shelter.
He quickened his pace and almost ran to the temple, where flickering firelight and voices could be heard.
"It seems we are all travelers rushing through the night to seek shelter from the rain here."
Thinking to himself, Lin Ji bowed at the temple gate.
"The rain is heavy in the forest. Please make room for me to stay for a while until it stops."
As he spoke, Lin Ji had already stepped into the mountain temple with one foot.
However, when he saw the scene inside the temple, his expression changed drastically.
"What a coincidence."
"Have I not been here before, everyone?"
A new book sets sail, seeking support!