When Su Jing finally woke up, her surroundings changed.

Long white threads were fluttering around the room. Though faint and elusive, they were unmistakably visible.

  

”Did Yawen put a strange array here?”

Murmuring, she attempted to touch the threads, but her hand passed through them. Su Jing blinked slowly and made another attempt, yet the threads remained untouchable. 

Not even the gentle breeze from the open window seemed capable of stirring them.

Because of the cold air, she trembled, the silence in the room being quickly perturbed by her moving in the water. Talking about it, now it had a purplish colour, a sign that her body was cleansed. Su Jing felt her bones stronger.

Was this the effect of the famous medicinal bath in cultivation novels?

Su Jing sat up and kept her legs in the water while she wrung her wet hair. Since the threads were harmless she ignored them and prepared to go to bed. Yawen probably came while she was here and did something. 

Su Jing recalled that the female lead was also supposably in a medicinal bath. Feng Zhihao had crippled meridians, and the only way for her to start practising again was to heal them through prolonged exposure to treatments. Initially, it showed progress, yet not enough to restore her health completely. 

That was because she needed a special spiritual plant— one not easily found.

Of course, that did not take long because she entered the ark of laying low but not low - slapping tons of arrogant masters without even trying.

 The first step for that was the contest made by Elder He Ning. 

The master of the peak Su Jing currently resides in.

He included the exact plant Feng Zhihao needed among the prizes, serving as the helping tool for her to reshape herself and gain a reputation.

Thinking about that, Su Jing felt nervous about meeting the female lead again. 

Although they were strangers, Su Jing was determined not to create a negative impression. Being labelled as an uninteresting antagonist wasn't an easy thing to live by.

What if her transmigration would affect everything? Su Jing wasn't supposed to be right here, right now, and certainly not around Feng Zhihao.

What a headache.

Changing her clothes, Su Jing continued to ponder her situation in the coming months. Big characters will clash with each other, shaping the initial stage of the story.

Will she succeed in not getting in between?

She gathered her belongings and went towards the door. It was already too late. Tomorrow was training to do with Yawen. 

As she attempted to open it, a sudden electrical charge ran through her fingers, stopping her. 

”What...?”

Su Jing fluttered her eyes and tried again, only to face the same result. It felt like a barrier stopping her from further walking away.

Frustrated, she tapped on the door, and to her surprise, a complex network of jumbled white threads manifested at her touch.

Su Jing felt that this wasn't a normal thing to happen in someone's bath.

"Senior brother!"

She tried to call after Yawen, but no one seemed to hear her. 

Even the window had the same seal on it. Su Jing trolled around the room. There was nothing apart from these damn threads!

Demons or beasts couldn't be at fault since she was in one of the strongest sect territories. Yawen would have noticed such a thing. She examined the knots, but they were untouchable and impossible to undo.

Su Jing attempted to use the dagger and the fan, but these too were proved ineffective, appearing to deteriorate.

The silence in the room persisted, seemingly unperturbed by Su Jing's pitiful attempts to break free.

"Think, Su Jing, think."

Su Jing ran her palms through her hair. If she continued to stay locked up, she'd surely become claustrophobic. Yawen should have left her a communication talisman or something!

As she struggled to find a way out, Su Jing failed to notice how the threads started to move behind her. 

Before she could get aware, a cold touch encircled her ankles, throwing her off the floor. 

Su Jing could only muffle a painful cry, her body hurting from the sudden fall.

That didn't end because, in a matter of seconds, she found herself suspended upside down, prompting her to let out a high-pitched scream. 

Now suspended by her legs, Su Jing struggled to keep the dress covering her and not throw up at this sudden change in perspective.

Due to this, her things slipped from her grasp, falling to the floor. 

”Shit!”

She tried to stretch her hands and maybe catch the dagger, but the distance was still too big. She was only hurting her arm by doing it.

The threads on the ground continued to move, taking the things she dropped. Su Jing looked at them getting dragged away, unable to do anything.

”...”

She tried to turn her body. With difficulty, the threads tightened around her, making it almost impossible for her to breathe. Struggling a bit more, she began swinging, just enough for her to catch, with the corner of her eyes, an unexpected figure.

" You...!"

Su Jing went petrified, her finger pointing at the ghost.

When did he get out?!

Of all the possible perpetrators, she could have never anticipated that the ghost could awake on his own will! 

While she was still processing that the ghost was alive, he took the fan, dagger, and bead in his palm. 

His appearance remained the same—white hair, clothes, translucent body. Only his eyes and facial expressions were different, displaying a cold demeanour.

The threads played around his body, wrapping around the arms that held the objects. Su Jing didn't know what to think of this view, since the ghost was supposed to have his sea of knowledge shattered - thus no powers either. She envisioned him no to even be able to think properly, yet it seemed the damage was not as big as she thought it to be.

"Senior! "

Su Jing called him, trying to move her hands and get his attention. Unfortunately for her, he looked deeply engrossed in the bead, completely ignoring Su Jing.

"Can you hear me?"

Su Jing tried again to make him talk. 

He put the bead in his sleeve, taking the fan this time. His fingers were long and pretty on the handle, creating a rather gorgeous picture with him starting to fawn himself.

That would have been even more beautiful if she wasn't upside down a few meters in front.

"Senior!"

In the end, he looked like being able to hear. The man gave her an indifferent look and continued to float passively, not caring too much about Su Jing.

"These were mine to begin with. What gave you the right to claim them?"

Su Jins was left speechless by what he said, not understanding his point. Why has he gotten so possessive of them now?

"Could you first let me down? I'm starting to get dizzy."

The ghost only fawned himself, ignoring Su Jing. He looked like he was deep in thought.

”Fine, then. We can talk like this if you want it so much,” Su Jing grimaced as she continued to bother him,” But you have to explain yourself to me first. You went unresponsive in that bead for days. I began to think that you were genuinely dispersed in the afterlife."

The ghost scowled at her words, halting his movements. 

"And that is something about which you care? Don't make me laugh," he responded, lifting an eyebrow ironically.

Su Jing grew increasingly confused by his actions. His attitude changed to the one she met between the two realms.

What happened?

"That...” she hesitated, not knowing if she needed to return to her initial extra polite character, ”you helped me, so I want to help you too. At least, that was my intention until you hung me upside down."

Her head throbbed with pain. The man fell silent after listening to her, closing his eyes and resuming the use of the fan. Su Jing couldn't help but grow enraged.

Does he even hear me?

She intended to continue questioning him, but suddenly, she sensed the threads loosening around her legs. Su Jing didn't get the chance to scream as she fell with a loud thud on the ground, her head taking the biggest impact.

"Agh!"

Quivering, she held her forehead, muddled from the fall. 

Su Jing reprimanded him in her mind, only to be shaken when she saw him beside her.

Did this guy teleport? Su Jing sat on the ground, feeling daunted.

"So, you know me, right?"

His words made Su Jing frown. He leaned slightly towards her, and his long hair cascaded around Su Jing beautifully, like a cage meant to snare her.

She peeked into his hollow eyes, a question rising in her mind.

"You couldn't have forgotten about me, right?"

The ghost, however, nodded, leaving her dumbfounded.

What!

Su Jing looked at him again, trying to make sure she understood correctly. He maintained his seriousness, appearing more annoyed at her extra reaction.

”Rather than that, it is better to say I do not recognise you at all. Who are you? You better lay down your motives for trapping me here.”

Su Jing's heart pounded loudly at this unexpected problem. The broken sea of knowledge seemed to shatter his memories along with it.

Initially, she thought of helping him wake up and later asking him what he wanted to do, and that would be the end of it.

It went totally towards another direction!

"What do you mean by that?” she asked, ”Are you joking with me?"

The ghost crossed his arms, seemingly unfazed by her raised voice.

"Do you think I would lose my time like that?"

Su Jing chose to set aside how to respond to this and got back on her feet, standing face to face with him. He floated, making him two heads taller, with Su Jing only reaching his chest.

"You haven't responded to my question. Who are you?"

His expression remained stern as he repeated his question. Su Jing tried to hold her ground and not lose herself seeing his coldness, remembering that right now he was probably using his last bits of energy to appear stronger.

As evidence of her thoughts, his figure glitched slightly, displaying the same feeble translucency he had before being trapped in the bead. 

Su Jing couldn't help but wonder why he didn't kill her directly when she was sleeping. Was he waiting for her to give him the answers he sought?

Observing how the threads moved around her, indicated that the ghost was prepared to defend himself in case she showed any suspicious signs.

He was playing high to remember his identity. 

She sighed, finding that his carefulness was expected from someone amnesiac. However, it was all for nought.

 She didn't know him.

"We accidentally met a few times. I overstepped into your sea of knowledge, but it got destroyed, and you went unconscious before I could do something."

The matter relating to Feng Zhihao was unclear for her to tell him now. She knew what happened in the story with the bead, but seeing how things slightly changed, it would be troublesome if she were to say something untrue.

”My sea of knowledge is destroyed?”

Su Jing nodded, indicating with her fingers towards the fan and dagger.

”These things are from there. The bead is where your soul was secluded.”

Before he could accuse her, Su Jing raised her hands surrenderly, wanting to make it clear that she wasn't the perpetrator.

”Your energy was absorbed by someone, and as you can see, I am a simple mortal without power. The one that got your power is someone else.”

It might be unpleasant to throw water on Feng Zhihao, but she was powerful enough to protect herself. 

”Hah.”

He clicked his tongue, closing his eyes.

Su Jing stood there, waiting for him to respond, her nerves on edge. The threads around the room remained still, a testament to his contemplation.

"So, what do you want from me?" he finally spoke, his eyes opening to fixate on Su Jing with a cold intensity.

"Nothing, actually," Su Jing replied, "I just thought that since you helped me before, I should return the favour. And now, well, we're in this situation together."

Su Jing felt that this man was trying to show that he wasn't vulnerable for her to exploit. That would have been good if someone else was here, like Feng Zhihao or Zhu Taichang. Nonetheless, she feels like using such a pitiful ghost would only complicate her existence with unnecessary trouble.

"Moreover, I don't know anything about your power or how it disappeared. If you're suspecting me, it's not going to change the situation," Su Jing continued, her tone earnest. 

The ghost scrutinized her for a moment, his eyes narrowing.

"Break the seal, and I'll leave you alone," he stated coldly.

Su Jing furrowed her eyebrows, confused.

”What seal are you talking about?” Su Jing replied. 

The ghost's cold gaze intensified, and he pointed towards the jumbled white threads that still hung around him. She looked towards them and in the centre of his hand laid the bead.

"This seal," he said sharply.

Su Jing looked at the threads, realization dawning on her. She hadn't thought of the threads as a seal. Rather, she assumed it was some kind of strange array created by Yawen or power from the ghost.

However, it looked like the bead was the one at fault. It sensed the ghost going away so it trapped him together with her. 

She thought whatever seal was there was already broken by Feng Zhihao! To think one remained.

It seems that the ghost really tried to run away but couldn't.

"You think I did this?" Su Jing asked, her tone incredulous.

"Who else would?" he retorted, a hint of frustration in his voice.

Su Jing shook her head, attempting to explain. 

"It wasn't me. I didn't set up any seal. I don't even know how to cultivate."

The story did not mention why and how the bead treasure was there, between the mortal and immortal realms. It was just there for Feng Zhihao to exploit and use for her cultivation.

The ghost, the unfortunate spirit of some random cultivator, might have got caught in the bead when he tried and failed to ascend to the immortal realm. That sounded like the best explanation, however, Su Jing could not be sure and lie to him.

The ghost regarded her with an inscrutable expression as if pondering something when he analysed her. The threads, once motionless, began to swirl around Su Jing again, sending a shiver down her spine.

"Senior—"

"Then, let's strike a deal," he abruptly proposed, "Assist me in gaining the strength to break free from this seal, and in return, I shall aid you on your cultivation journey."

Su Jing was surprised when she heard him, not expecting him to say that. The threads got closer to her, especially to her neck.

”However if I later discover that you indeed betrayed me, do not expect me to be forgiving. Even if you are only a mortal.”

Su Jing felt a chill down her spine as the threads encircled her. She tried not to panic, understanding that as much as he was threatening now, that much weak was he in his powers. Looking at how he was handling the treads, it seems those were his only last defence and he tried to gain the upper hand. 

She nodded to appease this little Buddha, not caring about what he could do for her in this deal. She was more worried about what he wanted to do - since it implicated getting revenge on the female lead.

That would only lead to his demise.

"Alright, senior doesn't need to have such worries."

It may seem stupid to do that, but Su Jing couldn't have discovered that this was a novel without him. On top of that, he didn't kill her when she entered his sea of knowledge and also helped her exit the seal beside the lake. 

The current version was slightly weird, but she understood that he did that because of the loss of his memories.

"Then you better remember your words."

The ghost made all the threads disappear, with this establishing the pact between them.