Chapter 5

"Damn it all — why is today such a terrible day? First I get dumped, and now a ghost is chasing me!" Ye Chen cursed under his breath as he sprinted through the dark grass.

After running several hundred meters, his pace finally slowed. He glanced back over his shoulder — the floating figure was nowhere to be seen. He exhaled in relief and leaned against a tree, chest heaving, trying to catch his breath.

"Hey, kid. Why are you running?"

A voice sounded right beside him. Every hair on Ye Chen's body stood on end.

He turned his head — and there was the old man, hovering calmly in the air.

"Please — Grandpa Ghost, Ancestor Ghost — don't eat me! I swear my flesh tastes terrible!"

"Hahaha! Young man, I'm not a ghost. I'm a human being, just like you," said the old man, stroking his long white beard with an amused smile.

"Liar! Humans can't fly. Do all ghosts try to trick people like this?"

"I truly am human. But I am also a cultivator who has reached the divine realm. I happened to be passing through this world when something interesting caught my attention." The old man smiled warmly.

"You're not from this planet?"

"Of course not. Space is vast — there are countless worlds and countless peoples beyond what you know."

"Really?" Ye Chen stared at him with wide eyes, still skeptical.

"Why would I lie to you?" the old man replied calmly.

"Then… why were you chasing me just now?"

"I needed to verify something." Without further warning, the old man reached out and grasped Ye Chen's right wrist.

Ye Chen struggled instinctively, but no matter how hard he pulled, he couldn't break free.

"Excellent. I didn't expect to find a treasure like this on such a remote planet." The old man chuckled and released his grip.