The world was no longer what it had been a hundred years ago.

So, as Binh An thought, it's been a hundred years since he plunged into that yin and yang chasm, a hundred years since his last appearance in this place. That wasn’t a small number to the living beings. Lots of things had happened and lots of things had changed, which partly explained why the architecture and everyday items were all very strange and fancy; even the seasoning of the food and the way it was prepared was different, without the nostalgic taste of the old days. And most of all, the cultivator ’s world was no longer as majestic as it used to be.

Binh An sneered, he was laughing at himself. Apparently, he had achieved his wish, living up to the title that had been set upon him since the day he was born. But why couldn't he stand in front of those aftermaths and let out a cheery, satisfying laugh. Something wasn’t wrong and something wasn't right as well. Binh An just didn't know where to start.

He was silent for a moment, then finally opened his mouth to ask.

“Does Uncle Hung know where the Nightmare Tiger is?”

"I know! But why do you ask?"

Binh An smiled and said casually. "Why else would I ask? Of course I want to kill the evil! People say that it is difficult to find a mage nowadays, I happened to be a cultivator , a disciple of your supreme master and I happened to have a lot of free time in my hands. If I were to just sit here and eat, then it would be a waste of my title and a waste of my time. Don’t you think?”

Binh An only just finished his sentence when the little fatty shouted. "I want to go too!"

“This… um… it's not my turn to decide.” The uncle stammered, scratching his neck with an awkward expression.

"That’s why I'm just informing everyone, I did not ask for your permission. If there's any good news, I'll let you two know afterward."

The uncle immediately stood up and pulled Binh An aside in private.

“Wait, you're still in…”

The uncle wanted to remind Binh An that he was still in the body of their third young master and that he shouldn’t act recklessly.

Binh An looked at his face and understood, saying the words of reassurance.

“With or without my presence, this body would still belong to the dust, any more damage would not affect the outcome of its owner’s fate. No need to worry about such trivial matters.

If nothing bad happens, before the other two homeowners return, I will definitely complete the task within the required time frame. If something bad does happen, I will definitely notify you beforehand, then I will use a spell to preserve this body completely, so that you can bring your young master back for the burial ceremony."

“But the ninth young master knows you are alive!”

“Don’t worry! I will draw you a talisman, it will help erase a short period of memory! You just have to stick it to his forehead when the time comes!”

“Are you sure it will work?”

“If it isn’t working, then you can just tell the truth that his young master’s body was stolen by a resentful ghost! They would be even more pleased that I’m gone and leave the young master to rest in peace!”

"But… Why do you need to do this?"

"Let's just say I want to pay for the meal earlier." Binh An grinned.

"But our third young master wasn’t a skilled cultivator . He had never intended to follow this profession in the first place, so he didn’t spend too much time practicing. His body may put you at a disadvantage. Besides, you probably only need to pretend ignorance, you can then live under this roof, achieve a peacefully longer second life without worrying about food and shelter like in your past life.”

The uncle still thought that Binh An was a hungry ghost who died of starvation, he couldn't help chuckle a bit and then raise his eyebrow.

A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

“I’m taking over your young master’s body! Not only did you not try to eliminate me but also encouraged me to keep living in this body, like an imposter who blended in to live among your family?"

“I have to make it clear! You're not the third young master nor will you ever be! You're not gonna replace him!”

"But what you suggested sounds like a replacement!"

"This..."

Binh An noticed something unusual in this house, so he asked.

"Is there something I need to know?"

The uncle sighed, this is a really sensitive topic to discuss to strangers, but it was no longer a private matter now that it has come to this. The uncle then struggled to open his mouth to speak.

"Actually, the young master’s death was unlikely to be an accident."

Binh An reflexively frowned.

"Was he murdered?"

The uncle shook his head, a layer of water was forming in the corner of his eyes, his tone suddenly sunk and his voice turned hoarse.

“Before, even when the young master was still alive, there was no life in him at all. When he first came here, he still managed to exchange a few words with others. Later on, let alone smiling, he probably had to force his tongue and squeeze his mouth before he could speak a word…

At first, we thought that the young master had a disease, so we invited many famous doctors to live under the house to diagnose and look after him, but this symptom not only did not improve, it got even worse and worse as time went by.

Day after day, he was just wandering around the place alone, sometimes even skipping meals. It reached to the point that if not reading a book, he would lie on the bed from morning to night, struggling to do his own personal care, leaving everything big and small affairs for the elder brother and younger brother to take care of. He regularly couldn’t function like a normal human being.

At one point, my aunt and I even saw the young master lounging on the front bench in the yard, his limbs had no strength, like a man who was seriously ill, his complexion was so pale, his lips turned purple, his eyes unfocused, kept at the far distance, It's like he's always been wanting to go up there for so long, but his body was still stuck down here."

“Your young master committed… suicide?”

“We didn't say a word to each other, but we all understood this would happen sooner or later. The third young master, who was always silent, suddenly one day became more active, he kept on asking a lot of weird things, and then resolutely went into the forest to hunt monsters alone, no one could stop him.

In the end, after the accident, his body was in one place and soul was in another. If the residents in the nearby neighborhood didn't find out early, I probably couldn't have been able to redeem the third young master's body still intact.

You may not be there to witness this, but I was there the whole time. It's so painful to helplessly see your loved ones struggle everyday and even more painful to see him tried to survive and then failed miserly, to the point of feeling life in this world is no different than in hell. Now that he was finally liberated from all the shackles of this body, he must have found his peacefulness, so that I believe. It seemed that the young master had voluntarily given up this body, it’s not like you forcing him to. His soul may be in pieces but his body didn't bear any sin, it deserves to get a second chance.

Now that you have entered the body, it could be said that a body has two lives. Whether it’s unintentionally or not, I couldn’t possibly know, the only thing I know is that you are a good person, if I forced you out of the body, it equally means that I have killed you, and that I have killed a good person. Therefore, I’m a bad guy. Even more so, I believe in chances, there must be a meaning in your appearance in this place, at this time...”

Binh An laughed dryly, "I didn't think a handyman would bear that way of thinking."

The uncle just scratched his head, "I guess I must have read more or less the master's books and possibly have gained a slightly different mindset..." The uncle signed. "I don't know whether it's a good or bad thing..."

Binh An only showed a sad smile. "I'm as clueless as you are..."

"Aren't you a mage?" The uncle mocked.

"...And also an idiot" Binh An smirked. "What?! That's why I died in the first place, you know!"

The uncle felt speechless with him.

If only in his previous life, he was treated like this, things would have changed drastically.

These two people were the first people he interacted with the moment he opened his eyes. They didn’t know each other and only got to exchange a few words, yet they have given him their trust without hesitation. It was such a strange yet miraculous thing that has ever happened to him.

Binh An quickly regained his composure, put his hand on uncle Hung's shoulder, and confirmed.

"I will definitely return with the beast's head."

The uncle, also influenced by his mood, was excited again. He put his hand on Binh An’s shoulder and squeezed.

"Okay. I look forward to your return, maybe the owner will be generous and let you stay in the house.."

"Well then, let me exchange a few words with the aunt ..."

"Just let me explain to her, you just go and do your thing."

"And here I thought that you meant the best, but it turned out that you still want to quickly chase me away!"

Both of them laugh out loud. Little did Uncle Hung know, not only did he have to coax aunt Ha but also dissuade the little fatty.