He fell off a cliff but unexpectedly gained a cultivation inheritance.

Having made up his mind, Zhang Bufan started walking along the lakeside towards the wooden house on the opposite side. The lake water was crystal clear, and schools of silvery-white fish swam leisurely in it, occasionally flicking their tails to create tiny ripples, which shimmered faintly under the milky-white light.

The soil by the lake was moist and soft, covered with unknown wild grasses and wildflowers. Small purple, yellow, and pink flowers dotted the green grass, emitting a faint fragrance that mingled with the sweet scent of the peach orchard, making it even more intoxicating.

Zhang Bufan walked slowly, carefully observing his surroundings. His gaze swept over the lakeside meadows, the roots of the peach trees, and even the ripples on the water's surface, trying to find any trace of human or animal activity. However, apart from the rustling of leaves in the wind, the babbling of the stream flowing into the lake, and his own footsteps, the surroundings were eerily quiet. The grass in the meadows was lush and untouched; the branches at the edge of the peach grove were intact, showing no signs of being broken; even on the mud by the lake, there were only his own footprints, nothing else. The entire area seemed frozen in time, eerily quiet, suggesting that no humans or large animals had been present for many years.

"How long has this place been abandoned?" Zhang Bufan wondered to himself. The wooden house looked old but its structure was intact, and the surrounding environment was so primitive that it was really hard to tell how long ago the former owner had left. Had he left long ago, or... remained here forever? This thought flashed through his mind, sending a chill down Zhang Bufan's spine, and his steps involuntarily slowed down.

He suppressed his unease and continued walking. The small lake was about three hundred meters in diameter. Walking along the lakeshore was a longer distance than swimming across, but it was also safer. Zhang Bufan dared not be careless in the slightest, taking each step with extreme caution, his eyes fixed on the wooden house ahead, while also keeping an eye on his surroundings, fearing that something unexpected might suddenly happen.

About five minutes later, Zhang Bufan finally arrived at the door of the wooden house. The wooden house looked even older than he had seen from afar. The surface of the wood had turned black, and cracks had even appeared in some places. The thatch on the roof was also withered and yellowed, clearly indicating that it had been through a long period of time.

The cabin had two wooden doors that opened outwards, tightly closed. However, upon closer inspection, one could see that there were no locks or bolts on the doors; they were simply closed as they were. Standing in front of the cabin, Zhang Bufan's heart involuntarily quickened.

He took a deep breath, steadied himself, and shouted towards the cabin, "Is anyone there? I don't know how I wandered into this place, I mean no harm!" His voice echoed across the empty lakeside, passed through the walls of the cabin, and disappeared into the depths of the distant cave. However, only deathly silence answered him.

Zhang Bufan frowned, then raised his voice and called out several times, "Is anyone there? If anyone is inside, please respond!" "I accidentally wandered in and wanted to ask where this place is?" He called out once, twice, three times... a full five or six times, but there was still no response from inside the wooden house, not even the slightest sound.

"It seems there really is no one inside."

Zhang Bufan thought to himself. Although he was basically certain, he didn't push the door open immediately. Instead, he stood at the door for a moment, listening carefully to the sounds inside. After confirming that there was no sound, he slowly reached out and placed his hand on the cold wooden door, preparing to push it open and take a look.

The moment his palm fully touched the wooden door, something strange happened again! A faint electric current suddenly surged from the point of contact, spreading rapidly up his arm and instantly throughout his entire body. This current wasn't strong; it didn't cause any stinging pain. Instead, it felt like a gentle energy flowing through his limbs, giving him a tingling sensation and invigorating his spirit. At the same time, a faint ripple of white light suddenly appeared on the wooden door where his palm had touched it. This ripple, like waves in water, spread rapidly outwards from his palm, and wherever it passed, the black stains on the wooden door seemed to be purified, becoming cleaner.

A few seconds later, ripples of white light spread to the edge of the wooden door, then slowly faded and finally disappeared completely. "This is..." Zhang Bufan was startled and subconsciously tried to withdraw his hand, but before he could move, a deep, ancient sound rang out, and the two double wooden doors opened automatically. The moment the doors opened, a rich, rustic scent, carrying the aroma of time, wafted out of the room. The scent wasn't unpleasant; it was like old wood mixed with a faint sandalwood fragrance, and inhaling it brought a sense of tranquility. Zhang Bufan took a deep breath, suppressing his shock, and slowly raised his head to look inside.

However, just one glance was enough to make his pupils contract sharply, his blood seemed to freeze instantly, and a strong fear surged from the bottom of his heart, causing him to fall backward uncontrollably and collapse to the ground with a "thud".

The interior of the wooden hut was unusually small, only about ten square meters in size, and almost entirely empty, with virtually no furniture. In the very center of the hut sat a futon, and on it, a skeleton dressed in a white robe, sat cross-legged! The skeleton was upright, maintaining the cross-legged meditation posture, as if merely asleep. The white robe, though somewhat old and yellowed, was still intact, tightly wrapping the skeleton's bones. The skeleton's head was slightly lowered, its eye sockets deep-set, the dark eye sockets facing the doorway, as if silently watching the intruder.

Zhang Bufan had lived for thirty-eight years and had never seen a skeleton so close, let alone a skeleton dressed in a meditation posture. As an ordinary person, the sudden sight of such a bizarre scene left his mind blank, filled only with a deep-seated fear. "Skeleton...skeleton!" His teeth chattered uncontrollably, his voice became hoarse and dry. He tried to struggle to his feet, but his body felt like it was nailed to the ground; his limbs were weak and he couldn't muster any strength. His heart pounded wildly, as if it would leap out of his chest, and all he could hear was his own heavy, rapid breathing.

Zhang Bufan lay sprawled on the ground, staring intently at the skeleton inside the room, his eyes unblinking. He was terrified, fearing the skeleton would suddenly move and pounce on him. Time seemed to stand still at that moment, each second feeling incredibly long.

However, several minutes passed, and the skeleton inside remained in the same position, without any movement or strange occurrence. The skeleton sat quietly cross-legged on the futon, as if it were merely an object displayed in the room. Zhang Bufan's emotions gradually calmed down, and his fear lessened slightly.

He took a few deep breaths, forcing himself to calm down, and thought to himself, "Don't be afraid, don't be afraid, it's just a skeleton that's been dead for a long time, there's nothing to be afraid of. If there was any real danger, it should have appeared when I pushed the door open." He tried to move his fingers and toes and found that he could control them. So, he used his hands to support himself on the ground, slowly raised his body, and sat up from the ground, still remaining vigilant, his eyes fixed on the skeleton in the room.

Upon closer inspection of the skeleton, Zhang Bufan noticed something different. This skeleton wasn't the pale white of ordinary skeletons; instead, it possessed a faint green hue and emitted a very weak glow, as if carved from some kind of green jade, radiating a strange luster.

What caught his attention even more was a gold ring on the middle finger of the skull's right hand. The ring was entirely golden, appearing to be made of pure gold; it was a simple circular band without any patterns or decorations, giving it an exceptionally antique look. In the dim light of the room, the ring gleamed faintly, creating a striking contrast with the green skull.

Zhang Bufan's gaze swept around the room, finding that apart from the skeleton and the futon, there were no other items inside. The walls were constructed of thick timber, rough in texture and undecorated; the thatched roof was clearly visible, with occasional rays of light filtering through the gaps and illuminating the dust inside.

"It seems this place has truly been abandoned for a long time," Zhang Bufan thought to himself. This skeleton must have been someone who once lived here, and who knows how many years it has been since they passed away, as their bones have undergone such strange changes.

After confirming there was no danger, Zhang Bufan finally regained full control of his body. He stood up, dusted himself off, hesitated for a moment, and finally stepped into the wooden house.

However, the moment his foot completely stepped into the threshold of the wooden house, a sudden change occurred! As if triggering some ancient restriction, two green flames suddenly appeared in the eye sockets of the green skeleton inside the house! These two flames were not large, only the size of candle flames, and they flickered with a ghostly green light, illuminating the entire face of the skeleton, making the already eerie skeleton look even more sinister and terrifying.

"Buzz—"

An invisible pressure instantly emanated from the skeleton, enveloping the entire wooden house. Zhang Bufan felt as if a huge boulder was pressing down on his chest, making it difficult to breathe. His blood seemed to stop flowing, and his body once again uncontrollably fell backward, collapsing to the ground with a thud. This time, he was terrified out of his wits, his vision went black, and he almost fainted.

He stared intently at the green flame within the skull's eye socket, his heart aching as if gripped by an invisible hand. He wanted to scream, but no sound came out; he wanted to run, but he lacked even the strength to lift a finger. The green flame danced within the skull's eye socket, making no offensive move, yet emanating a chilling aura. Zhang Bufan could clearly sense an ancient and powerful force contained within this aura, filling him with a profound fear and a sense of insignificance.

"Could it be... a ghost?" A bizarre yet terrifying thought flashed through Zhang Bufan's mind. He had read similar plots in online novels, where the dead became ghosts for some reason, guarding their dwellings. Could this skeleton have become a ghost too? Time passed second by second, the green flames in the skeleton's eye sockets still flickered, and the invisible pressure showed no signs of abating. Zhang Bufan collapsed to the ground, drenched in cold sweat, his clothes soaked and clinging to his body, bringing a chilling sensation. He didn't know what would happen next, or if he would survive; his heart was filled with despair.

Just as he thought he was about to meet his end, the green flame in the skull's eye socket flickered briefly, then slowly subsided, and the invisible pressure lessened slightly. Immediately afterward, an aged and hoarse voice abruptly echoed in the wooden hut, as if from a distant time: "Young man, we've finally waited for you..."