Republic of China Era, Zhang Family Gathering Place

Today is the Zhang family's annual coming-of-age ceremony, where all the Zhang family members who have turned eighteen will showcase their abilities. The Zhang family carries a special bloodline, with a heavy mission to pass down from ancient times to the present. Thus, the coming-of-age ceremony is also a test for selecting talent.

Tomorrow, these young members of the Zhang family will depart from the gathering place to participate in "Fang Ye" (literally "release the wild"), which is another term for the coming-of-age ritual. They must venture into ancient tombs to search for rare and precious weapons to bring back to the Zhang family. The more powerful and rare the weapon, the stronger the individual's strength is proven to be, and their status within the family will rise accordingly.

Zhang Qiming stands among the crowd, feeling a bit nervous. Although he is a direct descendant, his abilities are inferior to those of the branch family members. He knows his skills are not outstanding among the many young members, and he could even be considered weak. However, he still hopes to gain the family's recognition through this coming-of-age ceremony.

Fang Ye is very dangerous. The elders in the crowd repeatedly emphasize the dangers, warning these young men that they must team up, or it could lead to death. This makes Zhang Qiming anxious, feeling a bit isolated in the crowd, as no one approaches him to form a team.

Despite being a direct descendant, he has a thin bloodline and a naturally weak constitution. Worse still, his parents died during a mission, leaving Zhang Qiming feeling somewhat inferior and even self-destructive since childhood.

He looks around, seeing the siblings Haike and Haixing searching for teammates. He wants to approach them but hesitates, knowing that they are among the strongest and do not need a burden.

Fortunately, he notices he is not the only one standing alone. Not far off, in a corner, stands a boy dressed entirely in black, also alone. If someone were to pay attention to these two, they would find that the black-clad boy and Zhang Qiming are two extremes. While Zhang Qiming is anxious and uneasy, the black-clad boy cradles a knife in his arms, his face seemingly devoid of any emotion, so calm it feels cold.

Zhang Qiming doesn’t know his name; he is also an orphan, known as "Little Ghost" by others. Little Ghost has had a much harder life than Zhang Qiming. At least Zhang Qiming has a name and knows who his parents were, while Little Ghost's past seems like a blank. Perhaps due to their shared suffering, Zhang Qiming hesitates to approach Little Ghost. Taking a chance, he decides to try, reasoning that two people have a better chance of survival than one. "Um... can you team up with me? I heard the elders say that Fang Ye is dangerous and we need to help each other, or it could lead to death."

But Little Ghost remains still, not saying a word.

Zhang Qiming scratches his head. This person is like a rock; he has no idea what Little Ghost's silence means. However, Zhang Qiming, with his thick skin, decides, "Since you’re not speaking, I’ll take that as a yes!"

He quickly approaches the elders to explain that he has found a companion and can set off. The elders give the two children a peculiar look—one seems silly, the other mute. What a combination! "Let me remind you both that Fang Ye is no child's play; don’t take it lightly. Even if you can’t bring back any weapons, just make sure you return alive," one elder says. Zhang Qiming awkwardly nods; this elder wasn't so lenient with others.

His actions draw some derisive laughs and disdainful glances from others. Feeling downcast, Zhang Qiming steps back into the crowd. Just then, he catches the attention of a boy from the branch family: Zhang Haike, a young talent, stands tall beside a spirited girl—his sister, Zhang Haixing.

Zhang Haike calls out, "Is anyone else looking for a team? My sister and I promise to bring everyone back safely. We’re all family, so we should help each other!"

The crowd buzzes with excitement, many responding enthusiastically.

Zhang Qiming, who was feeling low, suddenly feels hope rekindled by Zhang Haike's words. After some hesitation, he musters his courage to approach Zhang Haike, saying, "Can we join you?"

Zhang Haike looks at him and smiles, "Of course! Welcome aboard!"

Zhang Qiming is overjoyed. He gestures for Little Ghost to hurry along, and thus, the six of them set off on the journey of Fang Ye.

In a daze, Zhang Qiming feels someone nudging him.

"Quit messing around, I just want to sleep a bit more."

Zhang Nian scoffs, looking at Zhang Qiming's useless appearance, and kicks him hard.

"Ouch!"

Zhang Qiming wakes up with a start, feeling the sting from the kick.

"A waste is just a waste; a little sleeping potion can knock you out for seven or eight hours. If it weren't for us, you'd have been dead at the hands of bandits by now! Do you know how much time you've wasted because of you?" Zhang Nian snaps.

"Alright, Zhang Nian, cut it out," Zhang Haike interrupts. "Now that Zhang Qiming is awake, let’s get moving."

It turns out that Zhang Qiming, being so weak, had fallen victim to bandits. What should have been an easy fight had turned into a dangerous situation because Zhang Qiming got knocked out by a sleeping drug. To save him, the team had to stop, which significantly hindered their progress.

"Where... am I?" Zhang Qiming mumbles, feeling wronged.

At the same time, an unsettling memory floods into his mind, making him uncomfortable.

"Are you okay? Is there poison in the sleeping drug?" Zhang Haixing asks, noticing Zhang Qiming's odd behavior.

"Pfft, and they call you a direct descendant? A little sleeping potion makes you like this? What a disappointment," Zhang Jiuri sneers. Besides martial arts, he is also proficient in the creation of sleeping potions and has examined the bandits' drugs; they have nothing special about them, proving Zhang Qiming is indeed very weak.

Among them, only Little Ghost continues to watch Zhang Qiming calmly.

"I'm fine; I just lay down for too long and feel a bit dizzy."

Zhang Qiming assures Zhang Haixing he’s alright and greets the other teammates that he’s okay. The group resumes their journey for Fang Ye. Zhang Qiming looks strangely at the others in front of him, feeling turmoil in his heart. Am I dreaming?

These people are... Zhang Haike and his sister, Zhang Jiuri, and Zhang Nian. And that black-clad boy is! ...Zhang Qiling? Little Brother?

As the two memories merge completely, Zhang Qiming understands his current situation: he has crossed over! Listening to Zhang Nian's incessant complaints, Zhang Qiming rapidly digests the information from before. A bitter smile spreads across his face. This original owner of the body had such a miserable life, right?

[Reverse System Starting!]

Just then, lines of text slowly appear before Zhang Qiming's eyes—