Chapter One: Possessing the Little Girl

My name is Xia Yu, I’m 23 years old, with no assets, no house, and no car. Today was payday, so I hurried to the bank to withdraw my salary. And then...

Staring into the dark barrel of the gun, Xia Yu’s legs wouldn’t stop shaking. If anyone so much as shouted, he’d collapse on the spot. Wait—there was no smell of gun oil from this gun, and the robber in front of him didn’t seem concerned about it jamming.

“Hey, big brother, please don’t shake your hand,” Xia Yu said weakly, terrified that the fierce-looking robber’s trembling would cause the gun to go off.

“Shut the hell up. Crouch down, unless you want to taste a bullet,” the robber barked, pressing the gun against Xia Yu’s head.

Xia Yu instantly crouched and hugged his head, not daring to look at the robber. Damn it, I should have checked my horoscope before leaving the house today. And what kind of robber is this? He’s got a gun and instead of hitting a real bank, he’s robbing a branch. How much could he possibly get?

The robber sneered and turned to the bank counter. With a bang, he threw a travel bag at the window and shouted at the teller inside, “Fill it up! Or I’ll shoot you!” He brandished the gun menacingly.

The teller, clutching her head, cowered in terror under the counter and, paralyzed by fear, didn’t respond to the demand.

Seeing her unresponsive, the robber lost his patience and slammed the gun butt against the window.

Bang.

“Damn it, I’ll start shooting! Quickly, put the money in!” he threatened, aiming the gun at her.

Still, the teller, either unaware that death was near or just frozen with terror, remained crouched beneath the counter, sobbing and shaking.

Xia Yu couldn’t help but admire her—anyone else probably would’ve opened the door and let the robber in by now. When the robber entered, Xia Yu immediately sensed something was off. The guy looked dangerous, dressed in jeans and with something bulky hidden at his waist. Having watched countless action movies, Xia Yu immediately recognized it as a gun.

While the man was distracted, Xia Yu slipped over to the ATM, took out his phone, and dialed 110, ready to call the police the moment anything happened.

Sure enough, the man pulled down the shutter as soon as he entered, then drew a long, black metal object from his waist—yes, it was metal, gleaming dully. Xia Yu called the police and tossed his phone aside to avoid being discovered and shot out of humiliation.

In the end, the robber noticed him, dragged him out, and the scene unfolded as it did.

It’s been five minutes since the alarm was raised. Why aren’t the police here yet? No, I can’t just stand by—I have to save her. If she dies, I’ll never forgive myself.

Summoning all his courage, Xia Yu rushed forward, grabbed the gun barrel, and smiled, “Brother, don’t get worked up. You’ll only get a few years for robbery, but murder will get you life. Think carefully.”

The robber was dumbfounded. In this situation, someone dared grab his gun? Was this kid tired of living?

“Let go, or I’ll shoot you,” the robber threatened.

Let go and I’m dead for sure, Xia Yu thought, clinging to the gun barrel with all his might, not letting the robber break free.

An elderly man in the crowd shouted, “That young man has the robber’s weapon! Everyone, get him!” Hearing the old man’s shout, Xia Yu broke out in a cold sweat. Now the robber would really panic—thanks a lot, old man, you’re going to get me killed.

The people who’d been cowering peeked up and saw it was true. Two young men, egged on by their girlfriends, ran toward the robber.

The robber panicked, yanking frantically at the gun, but Xia Yu’s grip was too strong. In his desperation, the robber snarled, “You’re forcing me!” He released the gun, pulled a 20-centimeter-long fruit knife from his pocket, and stabbed at Xia Yu.

Xia Yu nearly fell, steadied himself, but felt a sharp pain in his stomach—a 20-centimeter fruit knife plunged into his abdomen. Blood spurted from the wound, soaking his clothes.

Coughing, Xia Yu clutched his wound, staring in disbelief at the robber.

It hurt—God, it hurt so much. So this is what it feels like to be stabbed.

Ah, I brought this on myself. I knew playing the hero was a quick road to an early grave, and yet I still charged forward. Maybe it's for the best.

If only I could be heartless, then I wouldn't feel any guilt or remorse afterward. Maybe I’d live longer.

He vomited a huge mouthful of blood, collapsed to the ground, blood pooling around him.

His eyelids felt so heavy. He just wanted to sleep. Was he dying? He didn’t want to die—not yet. He wanted to stand up, to see his mother one last time, tell her not to be sad, apologize for being an unfilial son. He’d promised to make her a feast tonight. But now, that would have to wait until the next life.

Perhaps Xia Yu’s filial piety moved the heavens, for sensation slowly returned to his body.

He managed to stand, trembling, and staggered upright.

The robber, seeing Xia Yu rise, blood-soaked and ghastly, was terrified.

Xia Yu approached, wanting only to borrow a phone to call his mother.

To the robber, he seemed like a ghost crawling out of hell, come to drag him down with him.

Xia Yu reached out his bloodied hand and mumbled, “Let me... let me...”

“I don’t want to go to hell!” the robber shrieked, grabbing the discarded gun and aiming it at Xia Yu, hands shaking violently. He’d robbed before, but never killed anyone. The horror-movie scene before him was enough to shatter his nerves.

The two young men, seeing the robber with the gun again, froze in place, too afraid to move.

Bang.

A rubber bullet shot out of the barrel.

Smack.

It hit Xia Yu in the face, leaving a red mark.

The robber was stunned. The crowd, too, was bewildered. A fake gun? Are you kidding me?

The two young men were furious. They’d been scared out of their wits by a toy gun—and now their girlfriends would never let them live this down.

They vented their anger on the robber, beating him mercilessly.

The robber, defeated, covered his head, muttering, “Impossible, this is impossible. How could he give me a fake?”

Meanwhile, Xia Yu was utterly crushed. He just wanted to borrow a phone, and instead got shot in the face with a toy gun. What kind of world was this? And why were people still worrying about the robber? He was dying! Couldn’t someone call an ambulance? He had saved them, after all. Human nature—so disappointing. This world, it’s beyond hope.

Mother, your son is leaving. I’ll watch over you from heaven, wishing you health and happiness.

He could no longer hold on. Xia Yu slid down to the corner, blood draining away, his mind fading as he awaited death. Dying felt awful; he really wished he could live just once more.

Did the heavens mean to show him the true face of the world, or were they mocking his foolish, heroic act?

The old man who had shouted earlier forced his way through the crowd, yelling, “Stop! Call an ambulance! That young man’s not going to make it!”

The next day, the city news reported a brave young man who fought a criminal and, in the end, died heroically. The authorities posthumously honored him as a “martyr.”

Xia Yu awoke to darkness, endless and unfathomable.

Was this hell? So the good truly go unrewarded—even in death, they go to hell.

Suddenly, a glimmer of light appeared from nowhere. Xia Yu wanted to reach for it but had no strength, so he crawled toward it with all his remaining will.

At last, he grasped the light. Instantly, it dispelled the darkness.

The brilliance overwhelmed him, and he lost consciousness.

In a small town on the Tianyuan Continent, in the world of cultivation...

“Mmm...”

Xia Yu slowly regained consciousness and opened his eyes to see scattered goods strewn around him.

It looked like a warehouse—but where was he?

Suddenly, a sharp pain twisted his stomach. He looked down at his new body.

A petite frame, arms like lotus roots, a still-developing chest, and a cascade of black hair down to her waist.

Uh...

Xia Yu was stunned. This wasn’t his body. Had he taken over someone else after death?

He smiled wryly. Perhaps the heavens had given him another chance at life.

But, heavens, couldn’t you have given me a man’s body? This one was a little girl!

After more than twenty years as a man, turning into a girl felt incredibly strange.

Still, Xia Yu was content. He had no complaints. After all, being alive was already a blessing.