Chapter 8: The Night Road Ghost and the Ghost League
At dusk, after his trip to the northern suburbs, Jiang Xiao walked home alone.
His home was located by the Jialing River in an old residential complex built in 2006. Though the buildings were somewhat aged, the greenery and property management were still decent.
On the way, Jiang Xiao kept his right hand in his pocket, continuously playing with the blue-rank soul bead. Its smooth, warm texture made it hard for him to put down. He quickened his pace, eager to get home and absorb the soul bead as soon as possible.
As he approached the residential area, he noticed that the street was sparsely populated, with only a few pedestrians and occasional passing vehicles.
To be honest, in his previous life, Jiang Xiao had also lived in Yucheng, so he knew very well how unusual this world was.
It was only eight o'clock in the evening. Normally, the streets should be bustling with elderly people walking their dogs and couples strolling around.
Yet at this moment, the atmosphere felt eerily quiet, as if he were walking a deserted countryside road at night.
---
"Hey, young man, do you know where Sanling Furniture City is?"
Suddenly, an old, frail voice sounded from behind.
Jiang Xiao turned around and saw an elderly man, at least eighty years old, leaning on a cane.
"Grandpa, why are you asking about Sanling Furniture City? It should be closed by now, right?"
Noticing the elderly man's feeble appearance, Jiang Xiao asked curiously.
The old man's voice trembled as he replied, "My... my son is the manager there... But he's supposed to be off work by now, and he hasn't come home yet. I can't reach him on the phone... I'm worried something might have happened..."
Upon hearing this, Jiang Xiao said, "Grandpa, you should go home and wait for the night. If you still can't reach him tomorrow, then..."
Halfway through his sentence, Jiang Xiao suddenly froze.
His face turned pale, his lips pressed tightly together. Without another word, he turned around and walked away briskly, ignoring the old man's persistent calls behind him.
Only after stepping through the gates of his residential complex did Jiang Xiao finally let out a long breath.
"Sanling Furniture City burned down a year ago. All the employees inside were burned to death, and it has never reopened since!!!"
Recalling his conversation with the elderly man just moments ago, Jiang Xiao's heart pounded violently.
"That was terrifying! Damn it! No wonder no one's out so late. You can't even tell if you're talking to a person or a ghost!"
A Night Road Ghost!
There was no doubt—the old man was most likely a Night Road Ghost!
Jiang Xiao stood at the entrance of the residential complex and looked back at the road.
The street stretched out in a long, straight line. The dim yellow streetlights on either side flickered like the guiding lanterns of the underworld.
Not daring to linger, Jiang Xiao rushed upstairs and into his home.
---
He opened the door to his apartment, where the old-fashioned furniture remained unchanged. Letting out a deep sigh, he collapsed onto the sofa.
What had just happened was truly terrifying—more so than his experience in the ghostly realm of the northern suburbs.
At least in the ghostly realm, the wandering spirits were clearly identifiable as ghostly entities. But in the city?
Who would have thought that an elderly man casually chatting with him could be a malevolent Night Road Ghost?
This world was far too twisted—bizarre and absurd.
---
BANG!
Suddenly, the bathroom door swung open on its own.
Jiang Xiao's heart skipped a beat.
"Could that Night Road Ghost have followed me home?"
Swallowing hard, he summoned his spirit-infused dagger and cautiously turned to look toward the bathroom.
To his surprise, stepping out from the steamy room was a black-haired girl dressed in a beige bear-patterned pajama set.
---
"What's with that scaredy-cat look? I heard the Spirit Masters from Tianji Palace came to your school today. Don't tell me they spooked you?"
As she spoke, the girl casually dried her long hair with a towel, her tone laced with ridicule.
Jiang Xiao was momentarily stunned before realizing—this was the younger sister of his body's original owner.
Here, it was necessary to briefly explain Jiang Xiao's family situation.
Jiang Xiao was an orphan. He had been adopted from an orphanage and was raised by foster parents. This gave him a set of parents and a younger sister—who was not related to him by blood.
Wait!
Why emphasize the no blood relation part?
Ahem—
Anyway, Jiang Xiao's fate hadn't been particularly kind to him.
For reasons unknown, his foster parents had disappeared years ago, leaving him and his younger sister to fend for themselves.
---
"Oh? You actually managed to awaken your innate spirit weapon?"
The girl glanced at him with her bright eyes and asked, "So? How many skill slots?"
"Three," Jiang Xiao replied.
"Three?" The girl blinked in surprise before scoffing. "Tsk, tsk, that's pretty pathetic~"
Jiang Xiao pursed his lips.
In his memories, his sister was always a sharp-tongued, sarcastic little devil.
Since childhood, she had been a prodigy—a dazzling, intelligent, and diligent girl who excelled in everything.
Compared to her, he was like the earth while she was the sky.
---
She walked over, wearing fluffy white slippers, and sat across from Jiang Xiao. Crossing her fair, slender legs, she started scrolling through her phone.
Jiang Xiao took the opportunity to examine his not-blood-related sister carefully.
Hmm. Very pretty. Extremely pretty.
Her skin was porcelain white and smooth. She was petite yet charming, her jet-black hair cascading like a waterfall. Having just finished a bath, a faint mist surrounded her, with crystalline droplets sliding down her bangs.
Her delicate eyebrows arched gracefully, and her small cherry lips looked temptingly soft. With her pointed chin, she was the very definition of a beauty in the making.
---
"There's food in the rice cooker."
Out of nowhere, she spoke.
"...Okay." Jiang Xiao responded dully.
She put down her phone, staring at him.
"Seriously? You look so downcast? Three skill slots for an innate spirit weapon is pretty trash, but can't you at least do something else? Like work in IT? Telemarketing? Factory assembly lines? Street sweeping?"
She paused, then added, "Oh, wait, I forgot—you suck at everything else too..."
Her first sentence sounded caring, but the next one stabbed straight into his heart.
Jiang Xiao smirked inwardly. He had just transmigrated into this world today and had encountered a Night Road Ghost. Of course, his emotions were a mess.
---
"Whatever. Since I'm naturally gifted and have a bright future, at least you won't starve. Don't overthink it."
She brushed off the topic smugly before changing the subject. "Come on, let's play Ghost League. I'm hitting Gold rank tonight, no matter what!"
"Not interested."
Jiang Xiao turned over on the sofa.
"Hmph! Who wants to talk to you, useless brother?"
The girl snorted, clearly displeased.
Before long, Jiang Xiao's ears were filled with the sounds of "First Blood!" and "You have been slain!"
"Ahhh! So annoying! Is this support player disabled or something? Saving the blessing skill for the enemy instead of using it on teammates?"
Before long, the girl started cursing, even turning on voice chat as she began idling at the fountain.
"Player Three, are you lost in the jungle looking for your mom? Let me tell you, the enemy's third-lane player already hid her away!"
"Player One, with just five skills, where do you get the nerve to take the carry role? Hogging farm from all three lanes just to go AFK in team fights?"
"And Player Five! Running for your life at the sight of a ghost? If you're that scared, why not let your grandma play instead?"
"...…"
Whether it was because the girl's insults were too sharp or because her voice was so pleasant to listen to—even when scolding people—no one fired back at her.
Jiang Xiao, listening from the side, couldn't help but twitch his lips. Eventually, he had enough and pulled out his phone.
"Alright, let me carry you."
"You?"
The girl shot him a disdainful look. "A pathetic Silver II player? If it weren't for carrying you, I'd have hit Diamond already."
"Aren't Diamond-rank players the most mediocre ones? Too bad to climb higher, too good to drop lower."
Jiang Xiao smirked as he logged into Ghost League and created a game room.
---
Game Preparation
Within seconds, a player with the ID "A Lone Yujiang Orchid" joined the queue.
Yujiang Orchid was a well-known Chinese flower, famous for its vibrant colors and elegant fragrance.
As for Jiang Xiao's own game ID—it was "A Single Overlord Flower."
"Ugh, so tacky!" The girl, Jiang Chan, stuck out her little pink tongue in disgust. She had mocked his choice of ID more than once.
Meanwhile, Jiang Xiao was busy adjusting his skill set.
---
Ghost League was similar to League of Legends and Honor of Kings from his past life.
However, the biggest difference was that this game was integrated with reality—players could build their own skill sets.
Jiang Xiao immediately searched the in-game shop for the Misty Form ability of the White Mist Ghost.
Seeing him hesitate to start matchmaking, Jiang Chan leaned in curiously.
"Why are you changing your skills? What's wrong with the Starving Ghost passive I bought for you?"
The Starving Ghost was a blue-rank ghost creature. In reality, its ability increased its strength the more it ate.
In Ghost League, this translated to a passive skill where the more jungle minions a player killed, the more max HP they gained.
Jiang Xiao's other two skills were also purely defensive, making him the perfect tank.
Jiang Chan had always assigned him to the third-lane role, forcing him to play as a meat shield.
---
Breaking the Mold
A tank?
Ridiculous! I, Jiang Xiao, am an assassin player through and through!
They call me "Little Faker" for a reason!
Now that he had the White Mist Ghost's ability in reality, why would he limit himself to being a mere punching bag?
Without hesitation, Jiang Xiao grabbed a dash skill and an execution skill from the in-game store.
---
Ghost League made obtaining skills relatively easy, but skill slots were a different story—they required a massive investment.
Perhaps this was a direct reflection of reality—some things, like innate talent, could never be changed.
---
"Shame I only have three skill slots…"
Jiang Xiao rubbed his chin, feeling a bit disappointed.
Jiang Chan, noticing that he was gearing up as a damage dealer, wrinkled her nose. "Looks like we're losing rank tonight…"
---
Match Found
Party queued.
Match found.
As soon as they entered the lobby, Jiang Xiao's fingers moved swiftly.
"Mid-lane carry. I don't feed, we win."
Immediately, someone noticed his pitiful three skill slots.
"Whoa, bro, did a Bewitching Ghost possess you?" — BigDongSama
"GTFO. I have five skill slots and I'm not even claiming the carry role, and you think you deserve it?" — IamYourStrongBro
"Uhh… this is awkward…" — LilPanda
---
The carry role was the most farm-intensive position—the backbone of the team.
Naturally, the other players refused to let a weakling with only three skill slots take such an important spot.
Jiang Xiao simply chuckled and locked in the role.
---
Jiang Chan held her forehead in frustration. "Brother! If you mess up, don't tell them we're duo-queuing!"
"Come on, sis, our IDs make it obvious." Jiang Xiao grinned.
At that moment, Jiang Chan felt like crying.
…