"Grandpa... Grandpa must still be out there!"
Hu Tao arrived at Wuwang Hill alone, holding fast to her belief.
She remembered what Grandpa had once told her—that starting from Wuwang Hill, one could reach the "Border," a secret passed down through generations of the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor.
She was going to find him!
But the farther she walked, the stranger the surroundings became.
The clear stream was devoid of moss, fish, or shrimp. The white mist grew thicker and thicker, and the silence around her was unsettling—no wind, no birds, no sound at all.
All she could see were endless trees.
She had walked for an entire day and night without seeing a soul.
But Hu Tao believed—Grandpa would never lie to her.
"If I just keep going... I'll see him for sure!"
She took a short rest, ate some food, drank a little water, and pressed on.
Until, finally—by the next afternoon—she saw something hovering in the air that looked like a cloud.
"Grandpa... Grandpa!" she cried, running over excitedly.
"Who's your grandpa? Don't go calling random people that. Wait a second—are you alive?!"
The cloud stared at her in shock.
"Sorry, sorry! I thought you were someone else..." Hu Tao apologized quickly, then bolted deeper inside.
She had finally seen a soul.
Grandpa hadn't lied to her!
"Wait! Don't go any farther! Living people shouldn't approach the Border!" the cloud called after her.
"I got it, thank you!" she replied—but her pace only quickened.
"She must be from Wangsheng Funeral Parlor... Which generation?" the cloud muttered, puzzled. After all, only their people knew about the Border.
"Hello, have you seen my grandpa? His name is Hu Elliot Yuan. He was the 75th master of Wangsheng Funeral Parlor. He spoke very gently... and his smile was always so warm."
"Nope, never seen him. We're all just wandering spirits here. Can't really say who talks gently or who smiles warmly."
"Oh... thank you. Sorry to bother you."
"Wait—hey, you're alive, aren't you? Don't go near the Border!"
But Hu Tao ignored the warnings and kept walking, faster and more determined than ever.
"Hello, have you seen my grandpa?"
"Hi, my grandpa's name is Elliot Yuan. He's the 75th master of Wangsheng Funeral Parlor. Have you seen him?"
"Excuse me, I'm looking for a newly arrived soul—have you seen one?"
Over and over, she asked. But in the end, the exhausted Hu Tao finally collapsed.
She had reached her limit. After two full days and nights of searching, she had found no familiar face—only an aching heart and trembling legs.
She didn't know how much time had passed when she slowly opened her eyes again.
The endless dark sky loomed above, the mist still hung thick around her, and the dew clung damp and cold to her skin.
"Foolish girl... Old Master Hu would never end up here. Don't waste your effort."
"Yeah, go back. This isn't a place for the living."
But Hu Tao was as stubborn as stone. No matter how they tried to persuade her, she wouldn't budge.
She waited and waited, even after her food and water ran out completely—but her grandfather never appeared.
Finally, an old woman emerged before her.
There was something about her—something that reminded Hu Tao of Grandpa.
She scrambled to her feet.
Looking at the exhausted and sorrowful girl, the old woman spoke with gentle pity.
"Look at you. Just as stubborn as Old Hu. But it's no use—no master of Wangsheng Funeral Parlor has ever lingered at the boundary between life and death. Your family has always been direct, no need for riddles. Go back, little one."
With that, the old woman turned and crossed the Border, disappearing into the distance.
As the figure faded away, a memory stirred in Hu Tao's mind—something Grandpa had once said:
"That's why we live fully while we're alive. So that when death comes, we face it without fear. Follow your heart. Do what you truly want. That way, you'll never be haunted by regret."
In that moment, Hu Tao finally understood.
"Grandpa lived with dignity—bright, open-hearted, fearless. When he passed, he had no lingering attachments."
Her heart eased.
A real smile slowly spread across her face.
Then, she turned and began the journey home.
...
By noon the next day, Hu Tao crossed through the backyard and returned to the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor. Once in her room, she opened her backpack.
"What's this... Grandpa...?"
She had thought her pack was empty—but inside, she found a Vision.
At the moment her fingers touched it, the Vision resonated with her—emitting a soft, warm red glow.
Far off in the distance, Zhongli stood watching, a faint smile curling at his lips.
"Old Hu... She did it. You can rest in peace now."
...
One week earlier
Elliot, sick and frail, made his way to Zhongli.
"Sigh... You should've come to me sooner."
Seeing his condition, Zhongli looked genuinely pained.
"This was fate. I couldn't go against it. If not this time, it would've been the next."
"How did it come to this?"
"I made a contract... with something."
"There's no way to break it?"
"No. But that's not why I came today. I have a favor to ask."
Of course, he couldn't tell Zhongli the real reason—it was all part of the system's plan.
His mission was to ensure that Hu Tao became worthy of leading the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor. Once she fulfilled that role, his first life would end—and he would begin his second reincarnation.
"Tell me. If I can do it, I won't refuse."
Zhongli didn't press further and let him speak.
Elliot took out a Vision and placed it in Zhongli's hand.
"This is the only thing I can leave her. Please... give it to her for me."
"This is... a Vision?"
"Yes. Once I die, it'll become a dormant shell, an ownerless vessel."
"But do you know how rare it is to resonate with a Vision of the dead?"
"I believe in Little Tao. She'll resonate with it—just like she'll become a great master of the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor."
"I see..."
"Please." Elliot bowed low, his frail body trembling.
"Don't do that. I'll do it," Zhongli quickly said, stepping forward to stop him.
...
The first life—complete.