I manage female characters in all the heavens.

With this kind of work ethic, she wouldn't even need martial arts skills to sneak out.

Is this all the servants in my Nie family are capable of? Nie Yan, how exactly do you manage the Nie family?

Was all that studying for nothing? Was all that official work for nothing?!

She glanced at them, then floated lightly through them without even stirring the hem of her clothes.

After leaving the government office, she walked briskly along the main street, keeping close to the ground.

She didn't choose to fly. Having just arrived in this world, she was still unsure of its depths. Flying in the sky would make her too conspicuous. If some old monster passing by saw her and became interested, it would be dangerous for it to capture her.

Although the ground-hugging lightness skill was a bit slow, it was superior in its stealth. Using the moonlight and the shadows of the houses, her figure swept through the streets and alleys like a ghost, almost impossible to detect with the naked eye.

The night in Jinhua Prefecture was not peaceful. The night watchman walked past the street corner, banging his clapper and humming an off-key tune. The noise of drunkards and the barking of dogs came from an alley. In the distance, the faint sound of a woman crying could be heard. It was unclear which family was holding a funeral.

The nights in this world always carry an inexplicable eeriness; it has always been so in my memory, and everyone has long been used to it.

If she weren't an extraterrestrial demon from another world, no one would have thought there was anything wrong with this.

However, she didn't care about such trivial matters. A slightly eerie night wasn't illegal, and it wasn't worth making a fuss about.

She walked north along the main street, preparing to leave the city for Hongtang Village.

During the day, she had Qingluo scout out the route to Hongtang Village, which was only 50 li from the prefectural city. With her lightness skill, a round trip wouldn't take long, so it was a good opportunity to investigate the situation.

She sensed a sinister aura emanating from those villagers during the day; perhaps Hongtang Village had truly been attacked by demons.

Judging from the fact that people from Hongtang Village were able to escape to the government office for help several times in a row, the demon's strength was probably not that great. Otherwise, it would have swallowed the entire village whole, leaving no room for anyone to escape.

This is good; it makes it easier for her to go and verify just how real the demons and monsters of this world really are.

Having just arrived in a strange world, she was eager to ascertain her position of power in this world. Perhaps after defeating this demon, she could also interrogate her about the mysterious aspects of this world.

At the entrance of a small alley, Butcher Wang walked out, reeking of alcohol.

He was scolded by the constables at the yamen today because of the pigsty incident, but at least the suspicion of ghosts was ruled out, which put his mind at ease.

I had a few drinks that night and was slightly tipsy. I decided to go to a brothel to find a gentle older sister to comfort my wounded heart.

As soon as he stepped out the door and reached the alley entrance, he saw a "ghostly figure".

It was a pale blue shadow that flashed by in the moonlight, moving so fast that it was impossible to see what it was.

But what else could it be in this situation? It's a ghost, of course!

Wang the butcher felt a gust of cold wind rush towards him, and the shadow had already swept past him, disappearing into the shadows at the street corner in the blink of an eye.

But the lingering "eerie wind" lingered for a long time, giving people goosebumps.

Butcher Wang sobered up on the spot.

He stood there, stunned, his eyes wide, his mouth agape, then suddenly turned around and scrambled back to his house, slamming the door shut with a bang, bolting it, and leaning against the door, panting heavily.

"Damn it... damn it! They still say there are no ghosts!!" He gasped for breath, gritting his teeth, veins bulging on his forehead.

"I'm going to the government office to file a complaint tomorrow! Those constables are blind, and they won't let ordinary people tell the truth!"

"If this isn't a ghost, I'll eat a whole pig alive!"

Nie Yaoguang had no idea that she had frightened a butcher.

She didn't even pay attention to that ant, and swept past it like the wind.

She arrived at the city gate quickly.

The city gates were already closed, but that was no problem for her.

With a leap, she lightly vaulted over the city wall, landing on the official road outside, and headed towards Hongtang Village.

However, she stopped abruptly after taking only a few steps.

The moment she stepped out of the town, an indescribable feeling washed over her.

It was as if she had stepped from a warm, bright room into a cold, damp cellar; the whole world instantly changed in her perception.

A faint, decaying odor permeated the air, mixed with wisps of chilling cold, as if countless unseen things were writhing in the darkness.

In that brief moment, the sky seemed to grow even darker, and although the moonlight remained cold, it could not penetrate the thick darkness in the distance.

She closed her eyes, and the state of oneness with nature allowed her to vaguely sense the things that filled the world—the omnipresent resentment, malevolence, and death, permeating every inch of space like invisible smoke.

Faintly, she seemed to hear mournful wails and low sobs, seemingly both near and far, their direction indistinguishable, giving her a sense of sudden disorientation as if she had descended from the human world into the realm of ghosts.

The city is the human realm, while the wilderness is a ghost realm. Nie Yaoguang didn't know if this feeling was just her imagination, but that was how she felt at this moment.

She slowly opened her eyes, gazing at the road ahead that was fairly clear under the moonlight, but completely shrouded in darkness in her spiritual perception, and remained silent for a moment.

Nie Yaoguang did not continue towards the wilderness, but instead returned to the city.

She didn't sense any danger, but out of caution, she chose to return and investigate the situation first.

To be honest, ever since she achieved the martial arts realm of oneness with heaven and earth and experienced many aspects of nature, she never imagined that one day she would encounter such a dark and gloomy world, which gave her quite a fright.

Without hesitation, without bravado.

Out of caution, she decided not to venture into the wilderness rashly.

Anyway, Hongtang Village is there, the ghost won't run away. Let her explore the situation of this world first.

Back in the city, she explored it thoroughly and discovered some things that Nie Yaoguang had never noticed before.

Given the size of this city, it should be able to house over 100,000 residents, but many houses are vacant, and the city appears dilapidated everywhere.

This is probably not an isolated case; barring unforeseen circumstances, most cities in this world are likely in the same situation.

The whole world seemed to be filled with a sense of impending doom.

Instead of returning to her room, she quietly slipped into the government office's archives room.

The archives room in Jinhua Prefecture was a large three-bay room filled with bookshelves, which were categorized and stored official documents, case files, household registers, tax books, and security records reported from various places over the years.

As the daughter of the prefect, she had never actually been here before, but she had plenty of experience.

She lit a small oil lamp with practiced ease and began quickly flipping through the records of "demons and monsters" in Jinhua Prefecture.

The case files were numerous, but her reading speed was no longer what it used to be.

Pages of text flashed by in her eyes, and information was quickly extracted, categorized, and analyzed.

Records show that the number of paranormal events reported by counties under the jurisdiction of Jinhua Prefecture has been increasing year by year over the past two decades.

Initially, there were only a few cases a year, most of which were just rumors; but in the last two years, there have been hundreds of cases every year, and the details described have become more and more specific and real.

More importantly, she noticed a pattern—the number of paranormal events occurring inside the city was far less than those outside.

"As expected..." She put down the file and rubbed her temples.

Her perception was correct; the area outside the city was indeed much more dangerous than the area inside.

This doesn't mean that the city is safe, but it's definitely much better than the area outside the city.

She guessed that this was because there were a lot of living people in the city, and the gathering of a large number of living people formed a powerful field of yang energy, which had a restraining effect on demons and monsters, causing them to be unwilling to come to the city.

Of course, these were all her own guesses. If there was some kind of powerful formation protecting the city, it would fit the situation in the world of cultivation.

She didn't stop, but continued flipping through the pages, trying to find any words or phrases that explained what she felt.

Unfortunately, the file did not provide any explanation. Perhaps this kind of insight is not known to ordinary people; it was just a personal feeling brought about by her strong spiritual sense. Since no one else noticed this problem, there was naturally no record of an explanation.

Those who truly understood the situation, such as Taoist priests, Buddhist monks, or certain special departments within the imperial court, would not possibly write these things in official government documents.

However, as she casually flipped through one record after another, her gaze suddenly froze.

The words "Guobei County" were clearly written on it.

“Guobei... County?” She was stunned.

The moment the name was mentioned, combined with the frequent records of demons and monsters appearing, the eerie and terrifying atmosphere outside the city, and her entire understanding of this world, a clear answer emerged in her mind.

"A Chinese Ghost Story..." she murmured, a complex light flashing in her eyes, "It's actually this world."

The world of A Chinese Ghost Story, or more accurately, the world of the film trilogy A Chinese Ghost Story.

A world where the laws of heaven have collapsed, humanity has fallen into depravity, yin and yang are reversed, and demons and monsters roam freely.

Here, the boundary between the human world and the ghost realm has become blurred. Old demons can occupy a part of the underworld, command ghosts, and act arrogantly. Ordinary people barely survive under the ravages of chaos and the claws of demons, living in constant fear.

However, at the same time, there are also righteous sects in this world that take it upon themselves to subdue demons and monsters and try to save the common people, such as the Kunlun Sect where Zhi Qiu Yi Ye is in the movie, and the Baiyun Temple where Zen Master Baiyun is located.

At least in the Taoist and Buddhist spheres, there are still powerful individuals capable of subduing ancient demons and fighting against the demons of the world.

These sects all possess genuine magical arts, and they will undoubtedly be the best sources for "Nie Yaoguang" to learn advanced knowledge about cultivation.

If these sects don't accept disciples like her, then she can learn from Yan Chixia, pick up some remnants of destroyed sects' equipment and materials, and become a self-taught cultivator.

With the world in such a state, it's obvious that many sects will be wiped out by the increasingly powerful demons and monsters. What they leave behind will be a scourge to the demons and monsters, but for someone like her who already possesses strong martial arts skills, it will definitely be an opportunity.

Yan Chixia didn't know any magic at first; he only had swordsmanship skills that were enough to defeat Xiahou Jianke. He only started practicing magic after resigning from his official post and going into seclusion. It's estimated that he was "picking up trash" while exploring the ruins of his predecessors and created his own hybrid inheritance.

Yan Chixia was fine, but Nie Yaoguang felt there was no reason why she couldn't do it.

However, it's best to formally join a sect first. While a mixed approach can work, it's time-consuming and laborious. It's much more convenient to directly use someone else's complete set.

After figuring out which world this was, "Nie Yaoguang" felt much less pressure, at least she knew what she had to face.

Moreover, her martial arts skills are very high, and she may not be weaker than Zuo Qianhu, the martial arts saint of the mortal world.

Zuo Qianhu's swordsmanship is enough to slay demons and monsters. Even though he doesn't know any magic, he was able to kill all four demon monks under Cihang Pudu's command. This proves that the demons and monsters in this world can be dealt with not only by magic, but also by martial arts as long as they are strong enough!

Regardless of any supernatural or ghostly characteristics, in terms of combat power and destructive force as depicted in movies and TV shows, the Tree Demon Granny is no match for Zhu Wushi, who can uproot a palace and smash it down with a wave of her hand.

Nie Yaoguang felt that with her 5,600 years of cultivation, she still had some strength. She wouldn't dare to say that she could kill a thousand-year-old demon, but she was quite confident in killing a minor ghost like Nie Xiaoqian.

Thinking of Nie Xiaoqian, Nie Yaoguang suddenly felt a jolt in her heart. Nie Xiaoqian also had the surname Nie and was also a young lady from an official family. Could it be that she had some kind of relationship with her?

Nie Yaoguang began to think about how to ask Nie Yan if she had a relative named Nie Xiaoqian.

She continued to peruse the files and found records from Guobei County in recent years, which mentioned Lanruo Temple many times.

The case file states that Lanruo Temple was once the most popular temple in Guobei County, but in recent years the number of worshippers has gradually decreased, and it is no longer as prosperous as it once was.

According to the time recorded in the file, Lanruo Temple is still staffed by monks and has not been abandoned.

"It's not abandoned yet?" She raised an eyebrow. "So, the timeline is still before the first movie?"

She thought for a moment, then flipped through the files to an even earlier year, discovering that the earliest records of Lanruo Temple could be traced back several decades.

Back then, the temple was very popular, and there were even eminent monks residing there. But later, for some unknown reason, the temple gradually declined, and the number of monks decreased. Now, there are only a dozen or so monks maintaining the temple's operation.