Mythology Returns! Starting with Folklore and Strange Tales

"Once the incense sticks have completely burned out, you can remove them. Remember to collect the talismans and remaining incense sticks from in front of each room and burn them together. After that, the filial son can go back to his maternal uncle's house, kowtow, and recite some prayers before he can take off his mourning clothes!"

"After that, every seven days they would come back to visit the grave and burn paper money. One person from every four, five, or six would be chosen to be a guide or signpost. On the forty-ninth day, they would burn hemp and remove their Taoist robes. On the hundredth day, they would burn their mourning clothes on the grave, and that would be the end of it..."

"After a hundred days, there will be no filial sons. Remember to come back to burn paper money and make offerings during festivals. Do not get married, attend weddings or funerals, or go to places of revelry for three years. That's all!"

In the courtyard, a Taoist priest dressed in a Taoist robe, who looked to be in his late fifties, was giving instructions to a mother and son.

"Thank you, Sixth Brother!"

Patting his mother's shoulder reassuringly, Zhang Wei said to the middle-aged man, "Thank you, Sixth Uncle!"

"It's nothing, no need for thanks among family. It's just that the passing of the family has been tough on you and your nephew. The child isn't even married yet... Please accept my condolences. I have work to do in the next town, so I'll be going now." With that, the middle-aged man seemed to realize his slip of the tongue and quickly straightened his expression.

"Little nephew, don't look back on your way home, and take good care of your mother!"

As he spoke, he left in a hurry, and after him, his uncles and aunts also bid farewell and left outside the courtyard.

After the guests had all left, a slightly balding man with a haggard face walked in through the silent door with a young man in his thirties. He stood in front of Zhang Wei and looked him up and down. "I've kept Sixth Brother's words in mind. Let bygones be bygones. Keep an eye on your mother and don't let her be too sad. If anything happens, call your uncle or your brother."

"There's no rush to get married. There are still three years left. If it works out, great. If not, your uncle will provide the dowry!"

"Brother, this won't do. You've covered most of the funeral expenses. I can earn money too, and Tiger is capable. You..."

"Can't I even make decisions for my own brother and nephew? Even when he was alive, whatever I said was law!"

After unhesitatingly rejecting his mother's words, he reached out and patted Zhang Wei on the shoulder: "From today onwards, you're a man. Don't let your mother worry too much. According to the rules, your uncle can't give you a ride. Be careful on the way!"

Zhang Wei opened his mouth, as if to say something, but in the end only managed a dry, curt "I understand, Uncle!"

"Call me if anything comes up, gotta go!"

Zhang Wei watched his uncle and cousin's backs as they left. After they departed, the small courtyard deep in the mountains fell into a deep silence filled with soft sobs and speechless stillness.

He was not lucky.

Just over a year after graduating from university, my father was diagnosed with cancer. The advanced and malignant disease rendered all treatments ineffective.

Of course, with modern technology, even if there is no possibility of a cure, there is still a chance to delay. Perhaps by delaying, a cure can be found.

Unfortunately, the cost of that kind of medical treatment was undoubtedly beyond what Zhang Wei's ordinary family could afford.

In less than two years, the robust father became emaciated and passed away one morning after eating a liquid breakfast.

The loss of his father at a young age is undoubtedly the greatest misfortune in life, but fortunately, he sensed something was wrong beforehand and sent his elderly father back to the ancestral home in the deep mountains, which had been repaired before his grandparents passed away. Although he still suffered for more than a month, he passed away peacefully. The only regret was that he had planned to return on Saturday, but his father passed away on Friday. By the time Zhang Wei received the news and rushed back, his father had already been placed in a coffin.

The funeral arrangements were overseen by a group of relatives and his own uncles, which prevented Zhang Wei from making any mistakes due to confusion.

Throughout the entire funeral, all he had to do was kneel before the coffin to ensure the incense and candles burned continuously, and to smash the pot at the very end of the funeral procession.

Now that everything is settled, it's time to go back to normal life.

On the way back, the carriage was unusually quiet. Zhang Ma was immersed in the pain of losing her husband, her face was numb and her eyes were empty. Zhang Wei was the same, but after glancing at Zhang Ma a few times, a resolute look slowly appeared in his originally painful eyes!

After changing into a Taoist robe at my uncle's house, I used the excuse of returning to the company to temporarily place my mother in the same apartment complex in the city that my aunt's family had previously rented.

Instead of returning to the company, Zhang Wei rented a guesthouse in the suburbs and moved in.

When Zhang Wei received the news and rushed back to work, he had already submitted his resignation. Although Zhang Wei was a lowly employee, his superiors were not capitalists, and he still received N+1 compensation for his resignation.

To be honest, he never expected his boss to be so understanding. Just like he never expected that relatives he rarely saw would help collect his father's body while Zhang Wei was still on his way back.

He was temporarily unable to repay the favors he owed, but the seven days and nights he knelt before the coffin and the observations he made on the return trip made Zhang Wei make his final decision.

He lied to his family, but the lie was only meant to be a gamble.

00:01:33

00:00:59

About two weeks ago, a countdown suddenly appeared in front of Zhang Wei, along with a simple page that looked like a game agreement.

The mortal world is gone, the divine age has returned. Beneath the tide, the underworld is empty, the celestial palaces have vanished without a trace, demons and monsters crawl ashore, and monsters devour human hearts... A great era is about to begin, and everything that exists will be shattered. Will you drift with the tide and live a life of mere survival in this chaotic world, or will you go against the tide and reshape the universe?

Welcome to the land blessed by the gods—the Three Realms!

Based on your bloodline, your base region has been fixed as Yanhuang. Upon initial selection, you will have one opportunity to choose your region: Neon South Pacific, Far North Permafrost, Europa Sacred Land, Eternal White Tower, Chaos Territory...

While it seems like many choices have been offered, under this rule that is clearly divided according to civilization as a whole, Zhang Wei is left with only the Yanhuang Region.

Although it involves mysterious and mysterious things, choosing Yanhuang is obviously more dangerous than most other options. But if you have a familiar field, why try something unfamiliar?

Moreover, his own family's myths and legends contain so many examples of people who have died and come back to life. Who knows, he might also get a chance to bring Old Zhang back and chat with him for decades to come.

Of course, if things really come to that point, a few decades probably won't be enough for Zhang Wei at that time.

But all of this is predicated on the premise that people come back to life!

While Zhang Wei was pondering this, the numbers flashing before his eyes also returned to zero.

[You have selected the Yanhuang region. Based on the traveler's choice, a historical snapshot has been selected for the traveler...]

click!

The next instant, the room lights suddenly went out. Before Zhang Wei could adjust to the darkness, he felt himself being grabbed by a giant hand, and then the world spun around him...

When he woke up again, the surroundings were no longer the cramped room of the guesthouse, but a cave dwelling nestled in the mountains, even older than his renovated old house.

Before Zhang Wei could observe his surroundings, the subtitles in front of him continued to scroll.

As a chosen traveler, you can choose one of the following blessings as your talent:

[The ability to see ghosts: one can see all sorts of things that are invisible to the mortal world, but because of the spiritual light in their eyes, they are also more susceptible to being disturbed by eerie forces.]

[Nine-Life Virgin Boy: Having reincarnated nine times, unmarried and unmarried, with a fiery aura and blazing blood, he is enigmatic and unapproachable. This is an essential talent for cultivating certain magical arts, but also an invaluable tonic for flesh-and-blood demons!]

[Nine... *sizzle*... Due to unforeseen circumstances, the original talent has been removed from the waiting list and is now replaced by the Ancestor's Gaze.]

The Patriarch's attention: bestowed through filial piety, rewarded through sincerity. Each time a practitioner eliminates evil (meeting the Patriarch's definition), they will receive a reward from the Patriarch!

Zhang Wei carefully read every word in front of him. The novice guide, which he usually skipped, was now directly related to his life.