Chapter Twenty: Help Me Find Peace

Li Hu’s feelings were extremely complicated.

At the beginning, Chen Yushu had been assigned to work alongside him. Although the other man was learning martial arts and hadn’t been around these past two days, Li Hu still felt a subtle sense of superiority. After all, whatever Chen Yushu did, he had to listen to Li Hu. It wasn’t out of malice; it was simply an instinctive psychological advantage, a weighing in his heart that placed himself above the other. Chen Yushu was like his “little brother.”

So, he often took care of this “little brother,” answering any questions Chen Yushu had patiently. Yet, after only two days, he heard the news that his so-called “little brother” had surpassed him in the practice of stake exercises. Chen Yushu had entered the basics, while Li Hu himself was still stuck outside, despite practicing for over a month. Chen Yushu had only just begun two days ago. The imbalance in his heart made it difficult for him to muster a genuine smile.

Now, the others were starting to ask questions, some even trying to curry favor, and even Xu Hao—who used to look down on apprentices who entered after him—spoke a few kind words. Chen Yushu responded to everyone, never showing a hint of pride.

As night fell completely, everyone, exhausted from a day’s work and the energy-draining stake exercises, quickly fell asleep on the large shared bed. Chen Yushu included.

He was too tired. He hadn’t slept a wink the previous night, and after a full day of relentless practice, he simply couldn’t keep going. The moment he closed his eyes, he was gone.

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Through the night, the wind stirred. October’s golden autumn still brought heat during the day, but at night it grew chilly, and the weaker among them needed thick quilts. Since Chen Yushu had entered the basics of stake exercises, every time he practiced, warmth surged through his body, and his constitution was far stronger than before. Yet, when the cool wind brushed against him, he still felt cold.

He reached out drowsily for his quilt, but couldn’t find it, so he irritably opened his eyes.

“I actually fell asleep.”

As Chen Yushu regained clarity, he felt a twinge of regret. Before sleeping, he had warned himself not to drift off, but the moment he lay on the bed, sleep claimed him.

Instinctively, his gaze shifted.

Tonight’s moonlight was bright, and since he slept at the innermost part of the shared bed, he could easily see the others.

One to six.

He knew each face by heart, all deep in slumber.

No seventh.

The ghost hadn’t come?

Or was it still too early?

He breathed a quiet sigh of relief, but something still felt off.

His mind puzzled over it, then, suddenly, a flash of insight struck.

The room was too quiet!

These men never slept peacefully—grinding their teeth, snoring, tossing, sleeping curled up or sprawled, some even shadowboxing in their dreams, rolling from one end of the bed to the other, sometimes tumbling to the floor without waking.

The smell was the most telling sign.

That pungent odor, brewed by countless sweats, was gone.

At last, he heard a sound.

It came from beneath his bed.

Very faint—like a mouse crawling—but the movement was louder.

He guessed what it was, yet curiosity compelled him to sit up.

Then he saw the back of a head, then a body—a figure crawling out from under the bed.

It was the ghost.

Chen Yushu’s heart leapt into his throat, yet strangely, he felt no heartbeat. In this moment, he was unnaturally calm, and forgot the rule that one mustn’t meet a ghost’s gaze.

He watched as the ghost emerged, stood, turned, and looked straight at him.

Before him stood a boy, twelve or thirteen years old.

Unlike the previous blurry image, the boy was now clear, almost lifelike. Except for a pallor tinged with blue, there was little difference.

“My power is still weak,”

The boy spoke, his voice crisp. “I can only meet you this way.”

Chen Yushu stayed wary and silent.

When he’d noticed something wrong earlier, he realized he hadn’t “woken up.” He must be in a dream now.

If his guess was right, this was a “dream invasion” of some kind.

He had heard of such tricks from Zhong Bo during idle chats—common methods of ghosts, most often feeding on a person’s “vital energy.” Besides that, there was “dream invasion,” “ghost walls,” “transformation,” “possession”…

Clearly, this ghost was invading his dream, entering it to speak with him.

“You needn’t be nervous.

I only wish to ask a favor.”

The boy spoke.

“A favor?”

Chen Yushu pondered, finally responding, his hand groping the bed until he felt two round, smooth objects. He relaxed a bit.

The yang items were still there.

Though he didn’t know if throwing them in a dream would have any effect, having them was better than not. At the very least, such things should break the ghost’s “dream invasion.”

“Yes, a favor!”

The boy nodded. “I want you to help me pass on.”

“What? Help you pass on?”

Chen Yushu’s composure faltered.

It was a strange request.

“Yes. Pass on.”

He nodded again and continued, “I noticed before that you could see me.

I really envy you.

I used to long desperately for such an ability.”

As he spoke, genuine envy appeared on his face. Seeing Chen Yushu confused, he explained, “Let me introduce myself. My name is Li Pei. In life, I was your senior apprentice, also a trainee at the Liu Family Pharmacy.

But unlike most apprentices, my family practiced ‘walking in the shadow.’

You must have heard of shadow walkers—they’re people who deal with all sorts of spirits and ghosts.

My grandfather was a shadow walker.

My father, too.

But I was not.

Because I lacked ‘spirit.’

Without spirit, I couldn’t see ghosts. Without seeing them, how could I deal with them? It was my fate never to become a shadow walker.

So, I always longed to be like you—born with strong spirit.”

He recounted his origins and experiences.

Some details Chen Yushu had already heard, others he learned now.

As for the envy Li Pei expressed—Chen Yushu felt helpless himself.

He, too, was not born with strong spirit.

Only after awakening memories from his past life did his spirit become powerful.

But from Li Pei’s words, he was now certain he possessed the talent needed to become a shadow walker.

His spirit was strong.

At the very least, he’d earned the recognition of Li Pei, descendant of a family of shadow walkers.