Chapter 18: The Invisible Self

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With Father Zhang watching, there was no opportunity to investigate the bus stops along the way back to the Zhang household. Ye Feifan refrained from saying anything but felt a secret satisfaction—misfortune awaited the Zhang family.

Last night, the aquatic plants had sensed Zhang Da’s aura. From now on, anyone from the Zhang family who came into contact with Zhang Da would be attacked by the aquatic weeds whenever passing by the Drowning River, causing them considerable trouble.

Upon arriving at the Zhang residence, Father Zhang arranged accommodations. Ye Feifan took a hot bath, ate the meal delivered by the servants, yawned, and went to bed early.

Sensing no one was watching him, Ye Feifan closed his eyes and slipped into a dream. He checked the system interface and noticed a new gray icon labeled “Dream Field.”

“[Dream Field]: Modified from the Penguin Farm; includes one spatial pond (unlocked) and several farmlands (one plot unlocked). Functions similarly to the farm by absorbing Dream Essence as fertilizer to cultivate plants. The ranch is permanently sealed due to overpowered livestock.”

A farm?

Ye Feifan was surprised. In games, such overpowered features were incredibly useful, especially in a cultivation world where managing difficult plants made them overwhelmingly strong.

“Secondary profession ‘Farm Owner’ unlocked task: Complete [Midnight Knock]. Unlocks the secondary profession and the Dream Field feature.”

He sighed, realizing he had missed the best opportunity; thunderstorms weren’t everyday occurrences. He would have to wait for the next storm to proceed.

The system interface changed. Countless icons drifted in the black space, identical to apps on a phone.

The “Dream Field” icon was gray, while others like “Dream Refining” and “Dream Realm” were colorful.

Opening the tasks, Ye Feifan saw one main quest, one secondary profession quest, one permanent side quest, and one regular side quest quietly displayed, giving him a sense of achievement akin to playing a game.

Fortunately, the “Deadly Bus” had become a permanent side quest, meaning the legendary disaster bus would now roam the cultivation realm, bringing calamity to any cultivators who boarded it.

According to the task description, he could ride the bus to certain locations—but only if he encountered the bus. Without meeting it, it was as if nothing had happened.

Closing the task menu, Ye Feifan opened “Space” to examine the quest reward items.

“[Item Synthesis Voucher x1]: Allows combining multiple items into one while retaining all abilities.”

“[Route 88 Bus Information Newspaper x1]: The truth behind the red-clothed driver’s demise; the culprit has been apprehended. Includes the driver’s life story.”

What a treasure!

Ye Feifan’s heart stirred. Unexpectedly, a mere ordinary side quest granted him a synthesizer and detailed info on a vengeful spirit. With this knowledge, he believed he could negotiate with those ominous entities.

Reading the synthesizer’s instructions, Ye Feifan felt a pang of disappointment—it was only a basic voucher, and the system had not been clear about it, leading to his premature excitement.

“Use synthesizer voucher! Retain sunglasses appearance, integrate hidden mask…”

But on reflection, his current mask was inconvenient when eating. An idea sparked in his mind, and he immediately experimented.

“Fusion successful! Acquired Basic DJ Disguise Dream Glasses. This item allows the host to disguise as a DJ face, usable both in dreams and reality.”

Awakening from the dream, Ye Feifan’s hidden mask vanished, revealing his handsome features.

Holding the Dream Glasses, he noticed a new “DJ” logo on them—very sleek, with no obvious flaws.

Putting on the glasses, a search bar appeared. Ye Feifan typed in “Martin Xiao,” and the glasses disappeared as his face transformed into Martin Xiao’s likeness.

Excellent!

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Compared to the previous random disguises, this Dream Glass was selectable, meaning he could do much more.

DJs on Blue Star were as numerous as the ocean—even small bars had plenty of ordinary DJs. A common face made it easier to blend in, and cross-dressing could even fool a crowd of cultivators.

Sitting on the bed, yawning, Ye Feifan took out the newspaper.

“XX Newspaper…”

“At around 4 a.m. yesterday, a major accident occurred on Construction Road. Bus driver Chen Biao went missing; all passengers perished…”

A color photo showed the Route 88 bus overturned, with a person crushed beneath it, seemingly dead.

“That driver is Chen Biao. Then the person under the bus must be the bloody figure Zhang Da saw last night?”

Continuing to read, Ye Feifan found even stranger details.

“After police investigation, Chen Biao’s body was discovered a week later in a lake thirty kilometers from the scene… according to…”

Another photo appeared—a male corpse strikingly similar to the red-clothed driver, though swollen and wearing a white jacket. The swelling was likely from prolonged immersion.

Here, Ye Feifan gained deeper insight into the red-clothed driver. No wonder the bus ended up in the Drowning River—the driver clearly had water-affinity traits and wasn’t afraid of water. Otherwise, how could he become the red-clothed omen?

Something unknown must have happened within those seven days, causing the driver’s deep resentment.

Further reading revealed even more explosive content.

“Chen Biao’s daughter, Chen Nini, disappeared unintentionally. Police investigations and surveillance failed to locate her. Reporters continue follow-up coverage…”

The photo showed a little girl with adorable double buns, wearing a bright red robe, smiling sweetly like a doll. She looked well-behaved and intelligent.

The newspaper ended abruptly.

Only one page?

Ye Feifan took a deep breath, piecing the information together. He suspected the system’s bus info newspaper was just fragments, like excerpts from a serialized novel. He was indeed curious about what happened next.

The system’s new form of serialization was effective—if he wanted to know more, he had to take risks and uncover the truth, earning system rewards and side quest items along the way.

Completing each side quest guaranteed a lottery ticket and a piece of information. The system had subtly revealed the rewards, but he had no choice.

“Cunning system!”

Resigned yet enlightened by the information’s serialization method, Ye Feifan sensed the driver’s grudges were tied to the little girl. Something must have happened on the day of the accident.

The driver’s death was a mystery, but judging by the red cloak, he was likely murdered. The grudge probably involved the little girl.

Had those desperate criminals done something monstrous to the girl in front of the driver, causing his resentment to turn him into the red-clothed omen (which left two servants behind last night)?

Those two servants also seemed to enjoy committing heinous acts against the girl, explaining why Zhang Da and he managed to escape the bus safely.

Ye Feifan knew Zhang Da well; he had a reputation for womanizing but was uninterested in the girl. The red-clothed driver spared him largely because Zhang Da hadn’t crossed a critical line.

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Fortunately, Zhang Da hadn’t triggered the driver’s wrath; otherwise, he would have perished last night too. The red driver’s gaze then had a deep meaning, probably sensing something.

Yet, upon reflection, Ye Feifan felt something was off.

If the driver hated those two servants so much, he wouldn’t have let them die easily. Yet they died and were possessed by aquatic plants. His theory didn’t hold up against the evidence.

Or was there another red-clothed omen in the water? Maybe they were fighting over the servants?

Could the driver’s final glance mean that he and Zhang Da had escaped the entanglement with another red-clothed omen?

Was that red-clothed omen on the bus at the time?

A barrage of questions left Ye Feifan without solid evidence. The driver’s gaze was terrifying and complex.

With his years of acting experience, Ye Feifan couldn’t decipher the hidden meaning—it was either the driver was a master actor or there was something he couldn’t be told.

Wait…

Ye Feifan’s hair stood on end as a memory struck him. He stared intensely at the photo of the little girl.

Chen Nini!

Lying helplessly on his bed, Ye Feifan had a bold guess: No wonder this girl seemed so familiar—she was the same little girl he had saved before crossing over.

The red-clothed driver hadn’t harmed him last night out of gratitude for saving her. That was the only plausible explanation, otherwise, with his current strength, the driver wouldn’t have spared him.

If this guess was correct, then the bloody figure crushed under the bus was actually his past self!

He had been hit by a truck, thrown to the side of the bus, which then lost balance and pinned him beneath it as the truck fled.

With this bold hypothesis, Ye Feifan recalled Zhang Da’s fearful expression last night, sensing an instinctive terror toward him.

The bloody figure outside the window must really have been himself!

Sorting through the facts, Ye Feifan grew confused. If that figure was himself, why was there still blood flowing from outside the window?

He was fine now.

Moreover, he hadn’t seen himself—why had Zhang Da?

Blood flowed from the windows on both sides of the bus, but the bloodied figure was visible only on one side, where Zhang Da sat in line with him and the driver. Was there something strange about this alignment?

Could his past self still be alive?

[PS: Prosperity, democracy, civility, harmony; freedom, equality, justice, rule of law; patriotism, dedication, integrity, friendship.]

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