Courtyard House: Time Traveler Not Yet a Ghost

Night, like a piece of velvet soaked in ink, weighed heavily on the sky above Qingyun City. After the night watchman struck the third watch gong, the last few windows with lights on on the street went dark one after another, with only the two dilapidated lanterns at the city gate still swaying faintly in the night wind.

In a room on the second floor of the inn, the wick of the oil lamp crackled and sparked, casting an flickering light on the old newspapers pasted on the ceiling. He Damin lay sprawled on the bed, his hands behind his head, his eyes as bright as the oil lamp, staring intently at the crumpled newspapers in the lamplight. Beside him, Chen Xueru was half-curled up in his arms, her breathing already even and steady, her eyelashes still clinging to her eyelashes like two small fans, occasionally trembling slightly.

The moon outside the window is very round today. Its silvery light shines through the wooden lattice window covered with paper, casting patches of lattice shadows on the ground. When the wind blows, those shadows sway, like a swarm of drunken ants.

"Xue Ru." He Damin suddenly spoke, his voice not loud, just loud enough for the person in his arms to hear.

"Hmm?" Chen Xueru squinted her eyes a crack, her voice still sticky from just waking up, like unstirred paste.

"Tell me, what is this world lacking?"

Chen Xueru nuzzled her head against his chest, finding a comfortable position, and drowsily thought for a while. "Lacking...lacking the Underworld?" She yawned, "But you've built it all, haven't you? Black and White Impermanence, Judges, Meng Po's Soup, everything's there."

“It’s not just the underworld.” He Damin sat up, leaning back against the old wooden headboard, which creaked in protest. “We’re short of people. We’re short of decent people. We’re short of culture, we’re short of rules. Look,” he pointed out the window, “the cultivators here, all they do is meditate and practice their qi all day long, they don’t care about anything but improving their cultivation level; and the mortals, they just stay in their little corner of the world, working from sunrise to sunset, they’re just grateful to be alive. What do you call that? You call that soulless! No civilization, no things passed down from our ancestors, no…” He paused, as if searching for the right word, “no sense of home.”

Chen Xueru was fully awakened by his words. She sat up, rubbed her eyes, and there were still some physiological tears in the corners of her eyes. "Brother Damin, what exactly do you want to say? It's the middle of the night, stop keeping me in suspense."

He Damin turned to look at her, his eyes sparkling in the dim light, like two small flames burning within them. "Do you remember what TV dramas those young people liked to watch when we were on Earth?"

"TV series?" Chen Xueru was taken aback for a moment, then her eyes lit up. "You mean... time-travel dramas? The ones where the main characters go to ancient times, invent things, build harems, and become emperors?"

"Yes!" He Damin slapped his thigh, making the bed creak. "That's it! We can open a path so that the souls of those who accidentally die on Earth can come and be reborn on this Xuan Tian Continent!"

Chen Xueru's eyes widened, and her mouth formed an "O" shape, unable to close for a long time. "This...this can work? A human soul can just be sent here like that?"

"Why not?" He Damin said, getting up and walking to the window, pushing it open a crack. A night breeze blew in, carrying a chill, causing the oil lamp flame to flicker. "What is my status now? The Lord of the Underworld! I control the six realms of reincarnation! I built the Underworld, and I set its rules! I can decide who gets reincarnated and where they are to be reincarnated! His voice carried an undeniable force, as if it were a firm decision."

Chen Xueru remained silent for a long while, her fingers unconsciously twisting the hem of her clothes. Then she looked up, her eyes filled with a complex mix of emotions, and asked, "Then... what about the souls of those Japanese devils? Are they allowed to reincarnate here too?"

He Damin whirled around, his smile vanishing instantly, his eyes as cold as ice in the dead of winter. "The Japanese devils? They have better places to go."

"Where to?"

"Demon beasts." He Damin walked back to the bedside and sat down, his voice deep. "Isn't there a Demon Beast Forest on the Xuan Tian Continent? And that boundless sea? Those demon beasts are just lacking souls. The souls of those Japanese devils will serve as nourishment for them, allowing them to be reborn as demon beasts! Wolves, poisonous snakes, hyenas, vultures—let them be beasts for generations, tearing each other apart in the forest and the sea, struggling to survive, and then reincarnating again, still as beasts!"

Chen Xueru opened her mouth, wanting to say something, but ultimately swallowed her words. She knew all too well He Damin's hatred for the Japanese. Back in Hong Kong, he had sent his instigators to Japan to collect tens of thousands of souls without batting an eye. This arrangement was already considered "cheap" for them.

"Then... what about the people on the island?" Chen Xueru hesitated for a moment before asking.

"Small islands?" He Damin frowned, thought for a moment, and said, "You mean the people on those islands that were occupied by the Japanese devils before?"

"Yes." Chen Xueru nodded. "Many of them are of Chinese blood, but they were led astray by the Japanese for decades."

He Damin's expression softened, and he nodded. "They can come over. After they're born, their souls will be replaced with ours, that of a Chinese person. From the moment they're born, they'll be pure and true Chinese citizens."

Chen Xueru remained silent for a long time, looking into He Damin's eyes. In those eyes, she saw a familiar determination, a ruthlessness towards enemies, and a tenderness towards her own people.

"Brother Damin," she said softly, "do you want to turn this world into another China?"

He Damin grinned, revealing a set of white teeth. "Not just another China. It's a better China! Think about it, there's spiritual energy here, you can cultivate, you can achieve immortality! Our Chinese culture, the wisdom of our ancestors, and the hardworking spirit of the Chinese people—all of these can take root and flourish here, growing even stronger than before!"

"Then..." Chen Xueru's eyes lit up, as if she had discovered a new continent, "Could we find some people who know management? And those... those who like to be emperors! Let them reincarnate with their memories from their past lives and help us govern this world!"

He Damin was taken aback by her words for a moment, then burst into laughter. "Your mind works faster than mine!"

"You started it all," Chen Xueru said softly, leaning on his shoulder. "I was just following your line of thinking."

He Damin held her close, and together they looked out the window. The moon was large and bright, much clearer than on Earth, its silvery light seeming to shine directly into their hearts. He suddenly remembered many years ago, on Earth, when he built banks, developed the internet, launched satellites, and later even established the Underworld. Those things he did back then felt like adding cream and fruit to a perfectly formed cake, making minor repairs. But now, this Xuan Tian Continent was a blank sheet of paper, a clay model yet to be properly molded. He had the chance to start from scratch, to create a completely new world according to his own ideas.

"Xue Ru".

"Um?"

"You're right." He Damin's voice was serious. "We need to find some people who know how to manage. And those who want to be emperors, let them come too. Let them bring their memories from their previous lives and be reincarnated into the wealthy and noble families of this world. They can receive the best education from a young age, and when they grow up, they can become the leaders of this world."

"Then...can they still remember their past lives?"

"Yes," He Damin said confidently. "I will preserve their memories. But we have to seal some of them first. We'll unlock them little by little when they grow up and become adults."

Chen Xueru nodded, thinking it was a good idea. "That's good. Having grown up here, they have feelings for this world. They also have memories and abilities from their past life, so they'll definitely be able to manage this world well."

The two chatted away, becoming more and more energetic, and all sleepiness vanished. They discussed everything from how to select souls, how to arrange their reincarnation, to how to build a nation and cultivate talent—they practically planned out their next life in detail. He Damin memorized all of Chen Xueru's ideas, intending to start implementing them at dawn.

The next morning, just as dawn was breaking, He Damin led Chen Xueru away from Qingyun City. They didn't return to the valley they had visited before, but instead found a more secluded place—a solitary mountain peak nestled deep in the sea of ​​clouds. The summit was perpetually shrouded in white clouds, like a fairyland, and the spiritual energy was far richer than elsewhere; even a single breath felt invigorating. He Damin casually set up an array, enclosing a flat area on the summit, and then built a simple little Taoist temple out of wood and thatch, which served as their temporary shelter in this world.

"Brother Damin, are we staying here from now on?" Chen Xueru walked around the Taoist temple, looking here and touching there, and seemed quite satisfied. Although the temple was simple, it was clean, and you could see the surging sea of ​​clouds when you opened the window, which was much more comfortable than the inns in the city.

"Yes, I'll stay here." He Damin stood at the edge of the mountaintop, gazing at the white sea of ​​clouds in the distance. "It's close to the underworld, which makes things convenient for me. Besides, it's quiet here, and no one will bother me."

Chen Xueru walked to his side and looked at the sea of ​​clouds as well. "So, when do we start?"

"Let's begin now," He Damin said, walking to the open space in the middle of the Taoist temple, sitting cross-legged, and closing his eyes.

His consciousness sank into the Yin-Yang space with a "whoosh," directly entering the Six Paths of Reincarnation. Six enormous light holes slowly rotated in mid-air, each emitting a different light, looking incredibly mysterious. The Heavenly Path, the Human Path, the Asura Path, the Animal Path, the Hungry Ghost Path, and the Hell Path—each entrance was crowded with countless souls, like a train station during the Spring Festival travel rush, a sea of ​​people.

He Damin's divine sense first probed into the human realm. There were even more souls here, all sorts of kinds. Some came from Earth, some were native to this Xuan Tian Continent, and some appeared from who-knows-where. He Damin began to examine them one by one, carefully selecting them like picking cabbages.

He first selected the souls from Earth. Some had been hit by cars while walking, some had succumbed to serious illnesses, and some had died of old age. He Damin reviewed their life stories one by one, like watching a movie, recounting all the good and bad deeds they had done. Finally, he selected those who were kind-hearted, virtuous, and possessed genuine skills. There were doctors who could heal, teachers, engineers who could build houses and machines, scientists who conducted research, artists who could paint and sing, and those who were good at management and accounting. He placed these souls in a separate area, lining them up to await reincarnation.

Then, he went to find the souls of those Japanese devils. These things were easy to identify; each soul was ashen and reeked of an indescribable stench, like rotting flesh. He Damin frowned deeply, and without hesitation, with a wave of his hand, he threw all these souls into the animal realm. There, a large group of demonic beasts were waiting for souls. These Japanese devils' souls would be reborn as wolves, snakes, hyenas, and vultures, fighting and killing in the demonic beast forest generation after generation, searching for food when hungry and water when thirsty, living in constant fear, only to be reborn again after death, never to be human again.

Finally, he searched for the souls of the island's inhabitants. The situation was somewhat complicated. Some were indeed of Chinese descent, but had forgotten their roots after being under Japanese rule for so long; others had been completely brainwashed by the Japanese and had almost forgotten even their own surnames. He Damin carefully examined each soul, like an archaeologist, selecting those that still retained Chinese blood, preparing to reincarnate them into human families on the Xuan Tian Continent. As for those who had been almost completely assimilated and didn't even recognize their ancestors, He Damin didn't bother with them; let them go wherever they wanted.

After filtering through all the souls, He Damin opened his eyes and let out a long sigh of relief.

"Are you done?" Chen Xueru quickly came over and asked.