Believe in Science, There Are No Ghosts in This World

Information regarding Qi Yuan was quickly uncovered. The expressions of everyone present were far from pleasant. "Even if he manages to be reborn, he will only have one year's worth of memories," a tall woman said. Her face was adorned with elaborate, dramatic makeup, as though she had just left a ball and had not yet found the time to wash it off. Following Gongyi Jing's words, the people gathered fell somewhat silent. If that voice spoke the truth, the world would reset. Only Resetters could return with their memories. None among them were fortunate enough to be Resetters. Even if they returned to ten years ago, they would not retain any memories of these past ten years. Fortunately, Qi Yuan—the man in the grave before them—was a Resetter. He was also the Resetter assigned to the Gongyi family of the Seven Martial Stars. "Hmph, if the Su family hadn't interfered behind the scenes, we wouldn't have been stuck with this guy!" said a man whose body appeared hollowed out by wine and lust. The Su family was also one of the families of the Seven Martial Stars. They were on poor terms with the Gongyi family and had consistently held the upper hand over them. In this sudden crisis, the Su family had allied with other families to suppress the Gongyi family, foisting a dead man upon them. Had there not been another living person shared among the other families, the Gongyi family certainly would not have stood idly by. "Eldest Uncle has already met with the other Resetter. As for this one... we just need to finish what must be done," Gongyi Qing said. His voice was cultured and refined, yet it carried an air of high authority that naturally made others feel inferior. Gongyi Cai nodded, his eyes somewhat clouded. "Pass down the order: dig up the grave and pry open the coffin!" Regardless of anything else, they had to inspect the corpse. At once, under Li Shenkong's command, numerous soldiers stepped forward and began digging up the grave. Night fell. Beneath powerful floodlights, the graveyard was illuminated as bright as day. Nearby, several custom padded leather chairs were brought out, and members of the Gongyi family took their seats. From time to time, various dishes were served, and the twenty-odd people slowly began to eat. After all, with the sudden turn of events today, they had been busy all day and had not found the time for a meal. The middle-aged man hollowed out by wine and lust held his phone, looking over its contents with a contemptuous smirk. "This Resetter was mentally ill and had a terminal disease. Even if he lives again, he probably won't be far from death anyway. He won't be of much use." He had scanned the QR code on Qi Yuan's tombstone and read quite a bit of information about him. "Grade A-3 Psychiatric Disorder, accompanied by severe delusions, difficult to communicate with." The rest of the Gongyi family agreed with the man's assessment. The Qi Yuan before them was truly unfortunate. And yet, he was also fortunate. After all, he had received the chance to live once more. Even if it was only for a single year. "He probably won't be able to witness the grand spectacle of the hundred clans blooming together. "And we will have to wait another ten years," the refined man from before spoke up, his voice firm and strong. Hearing this, the expressions of those present shifted slightly, touched with anticipation. "That is why these opportunities must be held entirely in our hands!" Gongyi Cai's eyes gleamed sharply. Over the past ten years, many opportunities had emerged, but most were seized by the other families of the Seven Martial Stars. If they wanted to reshape the landscape in the future, they had to make good use of this Resetter affair. "Too bad he's a dead man. Otherwise, he could have made a deal with us!" Gongyi Jing could not help saying. As for the deal, it was simply transmitting encrypted text to Qi Yuan so that once he returned to the past, he could seek out the Gongyi family and pass the information along to them. In exchange for this cooperation, the Gongyi family would hand over immense benefits to the Resetter. Of course, such cooperation carried uncertainty. After all, the Resetter held the initiative. What if they refused to reveal the encrypted text to the great families? Thus, when dealing with those Resetters, the great families of the Seven Martial Stars spared no expense. Women, wealth, power, and everything in between. Unfortunately, Qi Yuan was a dead man. A dead man could neither communicate nor cooperate. The Gongyi family's main force had gone to find the other person; only their group had been dispatched here. What they were doing today was destined to be a futile effort. With the concerted effort of several soldiers, the grave was soon dug open, and the coffin appeared before everyone. Looking at the coffin, the people present felt a knot in their chests. Gongyi Jing stepped forward to take a look, furrowing her brows. "Only bones are left." The rest of the Gongyi family looked at Qi Yuan's skeletal remains, exchanging glances. At this moment, Gongyi Cai spoke up: "Proceed according to the original plan." Even though Qi Yuan was dead, they still decided to convey the plan to the bones in the coffin. Although bones could not hear, what if? Qi Yuan was dead, but what if his soul was still drifting about? After all, even something as preposterous as a world reset was happening. If something even more absurd occurred... wouldn't that be only normal? "Who will speak to him?" Gongyi Cai asked, his voice aged. The twenty-odd Gongyi family members looked at each other, all somewhat reluctant. After all, talking nonsense to a skeleton in the middle of the night was something none of them wanted to do. The man hollowed out by wine and lust said, "Uncle, I haven't slept all night." It was an obvious refusal. Gongyi Jing hesitated, preparing to say something, when she saw Gongyi Qing speak up: "I'll do it." Only then did Gongyi Cai nod. Though Gongyi Qing hailed from a collateral branch, his capabilities were remarkable, so he had been entrusted with heavy responsibilities by the Gongyi family. Gongyi Qing walked forward, holding some documents in hand as he drew near the skeletal remains. "Qi Yuan, I am Gongyi Qing of the Gongyi family. "Please forgive us for disturbing your rest by opening your tomb uninvited. "I do not know whether you can hear my words. "I come here with utmost sincerity... "Nine years ago, you died of a cerebral hemorrhage; even emergency resuscitation at the hospital failed to save you. "Our Gongyi family possesses the finest medical facilities, and even miraculous medicines. As long as you choose to cooperate with us and deliver the ciphertext I am about to tell you back to us, our Gongyi family will not only treat your illness free of charge, "opportunities, power, status, wealth... we can give you all of it... "The ciphertext is as follows..." The Gongyi family's ciphertext was something they had established ten years ago. As long as Qi Yuan delivered the ciphertext to them, they could decipher it and obtain the answers. The contents of the ciphertext were divided into three categories: the first recorded the world reset, its cause, and how the Gongyi family could understand this cause; the second listed the locations of opportunities; the third was a chronicle of major events. Gongyi Qing spoke with solemn care; the contents of the ciphertext were rather intricate. "I do not know if you can hear me, or if you can remember even if you do. Allow me to repeat the ciphertext a few more times." Within Lost Path Mountain, Gongyi Qing continued speaking to the skeleton. The scene looked exceptionally eerie. The man hollowed out by wine and lust yawned, took another sip of wine, and looked at Gongyi Qing, a trace of arrogance hidden deep within his eyes. In the Gongyi family, his father was in power, whereas Gongyi Qing was more distantly related. "He's been repeating it over and over for two whole hours now. Doesn't he get tired? "If I were him, I'd just play a broadcast recording," the middle-aged man said. Gongyi Jing's pretty face took on a helpless look. "We're trying to cooperate with Qi Yuan. Using a recorded broadcast would be rude and wouldn't show sincerity." "Sincerity toward a skeleton?" The middle-aged man chuckled, teasing mockery in his eyes. Showing respect to a corpse was the funniest joke he had heard all day. Gongyi Cai glared at the middle-aged man, prompting him to hold his tongue. Time passed quickly. Across the somewhat eerie graveyard echoed Gongyi Qing's clear voice. The rest of the Gongyi family rested in their seats. After all, they had been on their feet all day as well. Time flew by, and less than a quarter of an hour remained until the reset. Gongyi Qing leaned against the coffin board, continuing his recitation. The middle-aged man hollowed out by wine and lust yawned again, eyes bleary with sleep. "Still muttering away?" Gongyi Cai glared at this worthless scion once more, then walked over to Gongyi Qing and said gently, "Why not take a rest? News came from the other side—that Resetter has already agreed to cooperate with us." The great families naturally would not rely on cooperating with only a single Resetter. Moreover, the ciphertexts given to the Resetters overlapped, precisely to avoid any mishaps. "I'm fine, Second Uncle. There are only a dozen minutes left. I'll recite it a bit longer; it won't hurt," Gongyi Qing answered. Gongyi Jing brought over a cup of water and handed it to Gongyi Qing. "Thank you." Gongyi Qing took the cup, preparing to drink. Suddenly, the earth shook. The ground beneath their feet churned, trees swayed violently, and distant skyscrapers trembled. The cup in Gongyi Qing's hand jolted and fell straight into the coffin. The shaking resembled an earthquake; it lasted only three breaths before subsiding. Those present showed expressions of either astonishment or shock. Gongyi Cai's eyes turned deep. "Before the reset, anomalies would appear in the world. It seems that was true." Gongyi Jing's eyes also held a conflicted look. "After the world resets... will I still be me?" When it came to the reset of the world, Gongyi Jing was actually averse to it; she did not want it. Just then, however, a lazy voice spoke out. "Hey, your water spilled on my bones." The moment the voice rang out, every gaze shot straight toward the coffin. There in the coffin, a skeleton rose into view. Terror welled up in everyone's hearts, alongside looks of utter disbelief! "A ghost!" The middle-aged man hollowed out by wine and lust recoiled in horror, nearly tumbling to the ground. The others were equally shaken. The corpse had revived! A walking skeleton had actually appeared! "Are you... Qi Yuan?" Gongyi Qing stared at the skeleton before him, his eyes filled with astonishment. Had the world reset not been imminent, encountering such a terrifying phenomenon would have prompted him to cart Qi Yuan's bones away to a laboratory for research. "Um... did you folks come to rave over my grave?" At this moment, Qi Yuan's bones were scattered and disjointed, barely holding together in one piece. He was somewhat dazed right now. He had actually turned into a corpse. Did that mean in this life he had to be a puppet? Excitement broke across Gongyi Qing's face. "You actually... have consciousness? Could it be that ghosts really exist?" Since the world reset was real, the existence of ghosts was easy enough to accept. At that moment, the hollow skull shook, looking quite stiff and loose. "Young people shouldn't be superstitious. Believe in science—there are no ghosts in this world!" On this subject, Qi Yuan had considerable authority. Even if a Purple Mansion cultivator perished, they simply perished; no ghosts remained. Only Yin God-level powerhouses could perhaps preserve a strand of their Origin Spirit and survive in an alternate form. Calling that a ghost was barely permissible at best. Therefore, ghosts did not exist in this world. The skull looked upon everyone present with utter seriousness, his tone equally solemn. Yet to these people, what Qi Yuan said seemed extraordinarily comical. Guys, can anyone make sense of this? A skull on a graveyard hill telling people to believe in science and that there are no ghosts in this world. That was the thought in the mind of everyone present. The corner of Gongyi Cai's mouth twitched. "Little brother, you might not have realized it yet, but you are already dead." "Yeah, this game alt of mine is indeed dead," Qi Yuan pondered. Did that mean he had to walk the path of a ghost cultivator? Qi Yuan's words baffled the crowd once more. A game alt? Then again, remembering that Qi Yuan had been mentally ill in life, it all made sense. "Brother Qi Yuan, did you hear what Brother Qing said earlier?" Gongyi Jing plucked up the courage to ask. Truth be told, if not for the imminent world reset giving her confidence, she would not have dared to call a skull "brother." "Said what?" Qi Yuan asked in surprise. "Are you guys sick in the head? Talking to a corpse that's already turned to bone—are you mentally ill or something?" Qi Yuan's words choked everyone up once again. Nevertheless, Gongyi Qing hurried to say, "The world is about to reset, and our Gongyi family wishes to cooperate with you..." Gongyi Qing laid out the whole story from start to finish. After hearing it, Qi Yuan was immensely astonished. "The world is actually about to reset?" This was something he had never imagined. After all, resetting a world—what kind of power was that? He could not even begin to imagine. Even when wielding the Heavenly Dao of the Wangyue Continent, he could not reset the Wangyue Continent and turn back time. To think he would encounter something like this upon arriving in this world. "Fascinating. Looks like this game is quite hard," Qi Yuan murmured. "Do you guys know who the final boss of the game is?" Gongyi Qing knitted his brows; communicating with a psychiatric patient was truly troublesome. "This isn't a game, it's reality!" Gongyi Jing stated firmly. Beside her, Gongyi Qing spoke up again: "The reset is almost here. Our Gongyi family wishes to cooperate with you. What do you say...?" This was what mattered most. Although Qi Yuan lacked memories of the past ten years, the ciphertext alone would suffice for the Gongyi family. "I have my own game quests to do." Qi Yuan was very inclined to refuse. "Let's leave it to fate. If I run into you guys someday, consider that our cooperation." He spoke breezily, not taking cooperation with the Gongyi family to heart at all. Seeing this, the man hollowed out by wine and lust showed displeasure on his face. "It seems you haven't the faintest idea what the Gongyi family represents! "If you cling to our Gongyi family's coattails, you'll have all the power, wealth, and women you could ever want!" Had it been another Resetter carrying ten years of memories, he might have been wary. Qi Yuan, however, was different. Qi Yuan was a mental patient with only one year's worth of memories. So offending him did not matter in the least. Qi Yuan cast a glance at the man. "Assets in a game... aren't they just numbers? "Wealth... I have it. "Power... I don't lack that either. "As for women... I have a wife; I never mess around." Qi Yuan's reply left everyone present completely dumbfounded. The man who had provoked him was rendered speechless as well. What was he doing arguing with a lunatic? Gongyi Qing quickly chimed in, "The ciphertext goes like this..." He recited the ciphertext quickly once more. After all, less than ten minutes remained, and he feared Qi Yuan would not remember. Qi Yuan shrugged his shoulders. "I'll reluctantly accept your quest. If I have time or it's convenient, I'll do it. But if it interferes with my main quest, then tough luck." After all, he had a main quest to complete. The remaining time was spent with the Gongyi family painting pie-in-the-sky promises for Qi Yuan. Qi Yuan listened casually while quietly awaiting the reset of the world. Meanwhile, the rumbling vibrations of the earth grew louder and louder. Qi Yuan's empty eye sockets seemed to hold a glimmer of spirit as he stared darkly toward the firmament. Is the world about to reset? He wanted to see just how this reset worked. His vision gradually blurred at this moment. The entire world seemed like layers of intersecting lines. The figures of the Gongyi family before him broke into disjointed segments. All of a sudden, a shrill bird cry rang out. He seemed to see a massive red bird, dripping with blood and unimaginably tragic, spreading its wings and soaring high. His bones abruptly shattered at that very instant.