Lin Ge had imagined many ways he might die, but he never thought it would be something as unexpected as a car accident.

The driver who hit him looked even paler than Lin Ge, who had just died. Trembling, the driver opened the car door and, after realizing that Lin Ge had stopped breathing, shakily took out his phone to call the police. The driver was both crying and shaking, his body trembling like a sieve.

Honestly, watching his own corpse wasn’t a pleasant experience. After all, his body looked gruesome, with limbs twisted and a horrifyingly contorted expression.

Lin Ge couldn’t help but touch his own arms and legs. People always said that after death, ghosts would retain their appearance from the moment they died. He was terrified that he’d look as twisted and messed up as his corpse, with arms and legs all tangled up. Thankfully, when he looked down, his arms and legs appeared normal, which made him sigh in relief.

At this moment, he didn’t feel too emotional or regretful. His parents had divorced when he was young, and each had started new families. They rarely kept in touch, and neither side called to check on him much.

As for the driver who had killed him, Lin Ge couldn’t say he felt nothing, but it wasn’t enough to want revenge. The driver’s life would be miserable enough after this incident.

He didn’t get much time to reflect, though. As the sound of police sirens drew near, his vision began to blur. The last thought Lin Ge had before losing consciousness was a simple wish for the next life: could he be born into a good family?

… It didn’t even need to be great. Just something simple: a small hut, a little plot of land, and maybe a billion in savings.

In a forest filled with towering ancient trees, their branches interwoven and wild, the blinding midday sun was completely blocked, casting a cool shadow below.

Dazed, Lin Ge felt something warm sitting on his shoulder. A fluffy white tail occasionally brushed against his neck and back, tickling him.

Unable to resist, he sneezed. He wasn’t exactly a fan of fluffy things, and this furry tail was making him unbearably itchy.

Wait… itchy?

His pupils shrank for a second as he suddenly realized—he could feel again! His eyes widened, and he turned his head to look at the culprit on his shoulder. It was a fox—a white fox with red markings on its forehead.

Sensing his surprised gaze, the fox blinked its eyes. Then, in an exaggerated tone, it opened its small mouth and said, “Oh! My dear sage, is there something you need?”

The fox’s style was very Disney-esque, as if background music might start at any moment.

The fox… was talking?

Lin Ge was too shocked to speak. Not only was it talking, but it was speaking a foreign language—and the strangest part was that he could understand it!

Lin Ge was certain he had never studied this language. As he stood there, speechless, the fox stuck out its tongue and spoke again, “My dear sage, are you thirsty?”

Before Lin Ge could respond, the fox continued, “The sun is indeed terribly hot today. I feel so parched, I could jump into a pool right now!”

The expressions on the fox’s face were remarkably human-like. As it spoke, it even lifted its two front paws, fanning itself dramatically.

Lin Ge was left speechless.

This was insane.

He hadn’t even figured out what was going on, and suddenly his head was wracked with sharp, stabbing pain—like a needle was piercing his brain. The pain was so intense that Lin Ge squatted down, his facial features twisted in agony.

Seeing this, the fox agilely leaped off his shoulder and landed on the ground, watching him with concern.

The fox’s mouth opened slightly, and it paced back and forth anxiously in place.

“Oh no, my freshly arrived sage! Could it be that you have some hidden ailment that will cause you to die again? But weren’t you already dead? Are you going to die twice?”

The little fox’s face wrinkled in confusion.

To Lin Ge, the pain felt like it lasted forever, but in reality, it was only a few seconds before his expression eased, and his face regained its color. Once the unbearable pain subsided, all the confusion in Lin Ge’s mind cleared up, as if clouds had parted, revealing the answers.

He rubbed his temples, feeling disoriented by the new memories that had suddenly appeared in his mind.

The memories detailed the short and grim life of a young boy during a famine. Coincidentally, the boy shared the exact same name as Lin Ge.

Before the boy turned fifteen, his family lived in a small village nestled by mountains and rivers. Life wasn’t wealthy, but it was peaceful and happy. But then, a severe drought hit, drying up the rivers, and hunger swept across the land like wildfire. The boy and his family struggled to survive for three years, but in the end, they couldn’t endure.

His mother had died a few days before, leaving only him and his father to fend for themselves. Soon after, his father passed away too. The father’s thin, frail body couldn’t even stand up before he succumbed to a disease caused by hunger and filth.

After burying his father, the boy sat quietly for half the night. The next day, people found his body under a tree.

The villagers weren’t related to him, and it was already a kindness that they didn’t eat his corpse to fill their own stomachs. There was no way they would go to the trouble of digging a grave for him.

Perhaps the tree he leaned on had some spirit, or maybe it was because he died at night, but for some unknown reason, the boy didn’t reincarnate like others. Instead, he transformed into a grotesque Hungry Ghost.

The boy had died from hunger, and no matter how much he ate, he could never fill his shriveled stomach. As a Hungry Ghost, he scoured the land for anything to eat. He hadn’t even figured out his powers yet when he accidentally created a body for himself.

It was an ugly body—sunken face, withered hair, and a stick-thin frame. He looked more ghostly than an actual ghost.

One day, the Hungry Ghost came across an altar dedicated to the Fox God. On it were offerings of fruit, delicate sweets, and even a whole roasted duck that smelled divine.

Ever since becoming a ghost, the Hungry Ghost had developed a deep fear of gods. But he was too hungry, and there was no one guarding the altar. After hesitating for a while, he couldn’t resist temptation and reached out for the offerings.

After the first bite, there was a second.

Just as the Hungry Ghost was devouring the food, the altar suddenly emitted a blinding golden light, forcing him to shut his eyes and fall back onto the ground.

When he opened his eyes again, a snow-white fox with golden paws stood before the altar, its body glowing like a holy being.

The roasted duck leg in the Hungry Ghost’s hand fell to the ground.

The white fox looked regal and majestic, exactly like the Fox Gods of legend, though its body was much smaller, like a two-month-old cub.

As the Hungry Ghost stared in shock, the Fox God opened its mouth and spoke, “Are you the sage who is here to sign the contract with me?”

The Hungry Ghost felt a sense of impending doom. His instincts told him that if he denied it, he’d be in serious trouble. After all, he had just stolen food from the Fox God’s altar.

He was just a weak Hungry Ghost, and if he angered the Fox God, he might die again.

And dying once was bad enough—he didn’t even know how a ghost could die again.

So, even though the Hungry Ghost had no idea what a sage was, he nodded resolutely.

The white fox looked him up and down, inspecting every inch of his body—or rather, inspecting this ghost.

He was too thin and looked weak.

The Headquarters had clearly said that the sage they were sending to sign the contract was a strong soldier who could take on ten men at once. But this guy? He was barely human.

Fox Helper secretly shook its head. This couldn’t be Headquarters’ mistake, right?

It didn’t occur to the fox that maybe it had picked the wrong person. After all, such a mistake had never happened in history.

But still… could someone this frail really manage the Honmaru?

The thought flickered through Fox Helper’s mind, but it quickly dismissed it. It wasn’t its job to worry about that. Its job was just to bring the sage to sign the contract.

The fox’s demeanor changed instantly. It grinned broadly, “Well then, dear sage, let’s sign the contract!”

It was like the noble, regal fox from moments ago had vanished completely.

The memory ended there.

Lin Ge: “… Hahaha! It’s fine. Everything’s fine!”

The original Hungry Ghost seemed to have reincarnated as soon as he stepped into this forest, leaving behind this empty shell for Lin Ge to inhabit. Lin Ge couldn’t figure out what kind of god he had offended to end up in this mess.

No, becoming a ghost wasn’t the problem—where was his cheat ability? His system? Couldn’t he at least get some kind of magical ring or a mentor?

“My dear sage, are you okay?”

Seeing him frown and remain silent, Fox Helper lay down with its front paws crossed, eyes filled with worry.

No sage had ever died right after signing the contract before. What would Fox Helper do if that happened? Could it still create an alibi?

Forcing a smile, Lin Ge said, “I’m not okay.”

Looking at his face, Fox Helper clenched its little paws.

To be honest, this sage really… looked like an injury waiting to happen.

Its ears seemed to automatically translate Lin Ge’s words as “I’m fine,” so Fox Helper excitedly said, “Then let’s keep going! The destination is just ahead. Please hang in there!”

The original Hungry Ghost had kicked the bucket and left Lin Ge with this mess.

As Fox Helper pranced forward on its four little golden feet, Lin Ge quietly followed.

After walking through the ancient forest, a huge vermilion torii gate came into view. With the trees no longer blocking the way, the sunlight bathed the gate, giving it a holy aura.

The stone steps leading to the torii were long and steep. By the time the ghost and the fox reached the top, both were panting heavily.

“I… huff… my dear sage, here’s your work manual. Please take it.”

Fox Helper, struggling to catch its breath after climbing the stairs, collapsed onto the ground.

It had wanted to ride on the sage’s shoulder for the entire journey, but Lin Ge’s sudden “seizure” halfway up had scared it too much. Who shakes like that from exhaustion?

Fox Helper was worried Lin Ge would have another attack, so it decided to rely on its own paws.

After speaking, a thick booklet materialized in Lin Ge’s hands. The cover had four large characters written in golden ink: Work Manual. The edges of the book were lined with silver, and it was heavy enough to make Lin Ge’s already weak body slump a bit more.

This Hungry Ghost body was too frail—apart from the inability to ever be full, it seemed to have no other talents. After climbing these steps, Lin Ge was covered in cold sweat and almost couldn’t catch his breath.

“… Alright.”

Taking a deep breath, Lin Ge didn’t immediately open the book. He wanted to calm his breathing first.

“All the details of your job and things to be mindful of are written inside. My job as a guide ends here. I hope everything goes smoothly for you from now on!”

After that, Fox Helper bowed, wagged its tail, and, in a flash of golden light, disappeared.

It left so abruptly that Lin Ge was stunned for a moment, still struggling to catch his breath.

He couldn’t quite come to terms with the fact that he had become a Hungry Ghost—and one that had signed a contract, no less.

With a soft sigh, Lin Ge stood there for a moment in a daze, then opened the first page of the Work Manual.

At this point, he had no choice but to go with the flow.

When life gives you lemons, embrace death!

“1. You must not develop overly intimate relationships with your contracted subordinates.”

This rule was marked with a red dot, standing out conspicuously in the sea of black text.

Raising an eyebrow, Lin Ge continued reading.

“2. In case of life-threatening situations, you may seek help from the permanent shikigami within Honmaru, known as Fox Helper.”

Fox Helper? That sounded like the title of that fox from earlier.

Lin Ge lowered his gaze.

Great, and now that thing had run off somewhere. Not very diligent, was it?

He felt a sense of weariness, like someone who had raised three sons, bought them houses, and was now expected to take care of six grandkids.

The section on forbidden actions was more than fifty rules long, and all of them were strange. After reading the first twenty or so, Lin Ge closed the book, deciding to study the rest later.

Clenching his teeth, Lin Ge looked back at the long staircase he had just climbed. Between returning to the forest for the night or continuing forward to face whatever came next, he chose the latter.

Worst case scenario, he’d just die again.

Who knows? Maybe like the previous Hungry Ghost, he’d accidentally get reincarnated.

Lin Ge silently reassured himself, though it wasn’t very convincing.

After walking for about two minutes, Lin Ge encountered a towering wooden door that blocked his path. A metal knocker was embedded in the door. Hesitant, he reached for the knocker and gave it a few taps.

The crisp sound echoed loudly in the quiet surroundings.

He knocked for what felt like ten times before the door creaked open a sliver from the inside.

The person behind the door only revealed one eye, glaring at Lin Ge with suspicion.

Their eyes met, and Lin Ge froze for a second before weakly saying, “Hello, I’m the new… sage.”

“The new sage?”

The person behind the door seemed confused, repeating the words in a strange tone.

Their voice was eerie, and the peculiar accent made it uncomfortable to listen to.

Lin Ge swallowed nervously. “Uh… yes.”

“The new sage.”