Chapter 34: Ning Caichen, Do You Have Any Soap?
[Deceased]
[Cause of Death: Pushed off a cliff by a medium-sized dog]
[Death Reward: Constitution +1]
[Beginning Transmigration...]
At the foot of the cliff in Westwater Mountain, Xu Wang fell down for the third time.
Beside him lay the decomposing corpses of several shelter residents.
Lying there among the dead, Xu Wang felt an overwhelming sense of peace.
He had died three times already; it felt as safe and comforting as coming home.
This time’s death was another experiment to test the death rewards.
The final result was exactly as Xu Wang had suspected.
The rules for death rewards were not as strict as he had thought.
As long as it wasn’t an obvious suicide, he could basically gain death rewards.
From now on, by carefully arranging combinations, he could happily earn attribute points.
Having figured this out, Xu Wang was extremely pleased.
He now understood the death reward system very clearly.
Attribute points could only be gained by dying in the wasteland world.
In other worlds, death rewards came in the form of various enhancements.
That was quite interesting.
[Transmigration Successful]
[Current World: A Chinese Ghost Story]
The flickering text refreshed again.
The surroundings changed, and Xu Wang felt the muddy ground beneath his feet.
“Splash, splash, splash!”
At the moment of successful transmigration, a torrential downpour began seamlessly.
It drenched the unresponsive Xu Wang thoroughly!
“Wow! This world is so lively!”
Xu Wang raised his hand, feeling the raindrops pattering on his palm.
Looking around, he found himself in a wild countryside.
Beneath his feet was a narrow dirt road.
Soaked by the heavy rain, it had become soft and muddy.
Stepping on it left a clear footprint.
In front of him was an old stone tablet.
Three large characters were neatly carved on it:
[Guobei County]
“So it really is A Chinese Ghost Story. The style here is so different from the last two worlds I transmigrated to.”
Xu Wang grinned.
He had almost doubted the flickering text when it displayed “A Chinese Ghost Story.”
But now that he knew which world he was in, he had already planned his next move.
He walked along the muddy road, soaked by the rain, until he reached a broken wooden shed made of willow branches.
Xu Wang recognized this shelter.
It was the place where Ning Caichen, the protagonist of A Chinese Ghost Story, had taken shelter from the rain early in the story.
With the wooden shed and the stone tablet present, it meant Xu Wang was in the 1987 version of A Chinese Ghost Story—the classic fantasy film starring Leslie Cheung and Joey Wong.
After all, A Chinese Ghost Story was a well-known IP with many adaptations.
There was even an animated movie adaptation that was quite good.
Many elements of Spirited Away had drawn inspiration from that animation.
The plot of the Leslie Cheung version was quite simple.
Ning Caichen went to Guobei County to collect debts but got caught in heavy rain, soaking his ledger. Penniless, he could only stay overnight at Lanruo Temple.
There, he met the Taoist priest Yan Chixia and the female ghost Nie Xiaoqian.
After some interactions, Ning Caichen and Nie Xiaoqian developed feelings for each other.
Later, he learned that behind Nie Xiaoqian was a tree demoness forcing her to do evil.
The tree demoness was also planning to marry Nie Xiaoqian off to the underworld demon, the Black Mountain Old Demon.
To save Nie Xiaoqian, Ning Caichen and Yan Chixia journeyed to the underworld and eventually rescued her from the Black Mountain Old Demon.
They then helped Nie Xiaoqian reincarnate.
Two great demons appeared in the film: the tree demoness and the Black Mountain Old Demon who ruled part of the underworld.
Xu Wang didn’t care which one killed him; either way, he would profit.
It was just a matter of how much he would gain.
After several transmigrations, Xu Wang had come to a realization.
He was already immortal.
Instead of wasting energy resisting death, it was better to go mad and see who could kill him—fate permitting!
That would be far more entertaining.
Since he rarely transmigrated, he might as well enjoy it to the fullest.
Quickly recalling the film’s plot, Xu Wang looked out at the heavy rain and stripped off all his clothes, then walked naked outside the shed.
Humming a tune, he used the rain to wash himself.
It had been a while since he last bathed.
Even a wasteland traveler needed to stay clean.
Nobody could stand feeling sticky and grimy.
“Ah!”
At that moment, a startled shout came from behind Xu Wang.
Turning around, he saw a drenched, slender scholar carrying a suitcase, his delicate features filled with shock.
“Hey! Are you here to bathe too?”
Xu Wang turned back, hands on hips, wearing a bright, welcoming smile.
His demeanor was completely at ease and confident!
The nudity startled the scholar Ning Caichen so much he quickly covered his eyes.
Hesitating because of the heavy rain, Ning Caichen carefully veered away from Xu Wang and dashed toward the wooden shed.
Although Xu Wang was odd, shelter from the rain was still necessary.
“Really not coming to bathe? Don’t be shy.”
Xu Wang wasn’t embarrassed and even invited Ning Caichen again.
“No, no!”
Ning Caichen refused repeatedly.
“My name’s Xu Wang. You’re Ning Caichen, right? Did you bring soap? You need soap to bathe.”
Xu Wang stepped through the puddles and approached Ning Caichen.
The sudden approach of the sturdy man frightened Ning Caichen, causing him to retreat rapidly.
He began to regret taking shelter here from the rain!
What scared him even more was that this stranger knew his name!
“How do you know my name? Have we met before?”
Ning Caichen backed up until his back hit a wooden pillar, stopping him.
“Of course I know! I’ve known you for a long time. You just don’t know me. Many people in our circle like you and even call you ‘Brother.’”
Xu Wang scratched his head. “To be honest, since you left, a bunch of so-called ‘brothers’ have appeared in the entertainment industry. None of them have any real skills, and I have fewer good films to watch.”
“What?! What are you talking about? Stay away from me or I’ll report you to the authorities!”
Ning Caichen didn’t understand a word Xu Wang was saying but caught the phrase “I’ve known you for a long time.”
Paired with Xu Wang’s innocent, newborn-like appearance, Ning Caichen began to suspect Xu Wang might be attracted to men.
“Talking to you ancient people is so troublesome. Am I really that scary?”
Xu Wang ignored Ning Caichen and turned back into the rain.
At that moment, shouts and clashing weapons came from the side of the dirt road!
A burly man wearing a black headscarf and armor wielded a longsword, fighting fiercely against several attackers!
“Don’t run!”
The armored man was ferocious, beheading two foes in swift succession!
The remaining three tried to flee but were cut down from behind!
Swordlight flashed, and blood sprayed.
Two more bodies collapsed!
The last man attempted to resist but was disarmed in one move.
He quickly knelt, trembling and begging, “Master! Spare me! I’ll return the money!”
The burly man snorted coldly, snatched the cloth bag back, his face murderous: “You dare steal from me? Die!”
With that, he swung his sword again!
Another head fell!
The scene fell silent aside from the rain pattering on the ground.
Having slain all his enemies, the burly man turned around, still radiating deadly aura.
His eyes landed on a terrified scholar and a naked man standing in the rain, hands on hips, grinning foolishly at him.
The bizarre sight instantly dispelled the killing aura, leaving the burly man wide-eyed and bewildered.
“Hey! Xiahou, got any soap on you?”
Xu Wang waved cheerfully in greeting.