The Emperor is Above

Chapter 1: The Ghost-Eating Dragon Claw Sophora japonica
This world is weird.

Qing Yi stood in the yard for a long time, thinking.

I am not thinking about why I traveled through time, but the series of incomprehensible phenomena before my eyes.

"Forget it, since I can't explain it, I'll just accept it slowly..."

"Jie Jie"

A ferocious ghost suddenly appeared, interrupting Qing Yi's thoughts, and pounced on him who was off guard like lightning.

The ghost was two meters tall, its entire body was dark and unclear, its outline was hideous and terrifying, its pair of scarlet eyes stared greedily at B, and its sharp fangs were about to bite off the boy's thin body.

But Qing Yi not only did not dodge, there was not even a trace of fear on his young face.

"This boy is very strange—"

As soon as this thought flashed through the ghost's mind, the next moment his entire body was rolled up by something and torn into pieces in an instant in mid-air, and then disappeared without a trace.

The yard was still quiet and there was no wind, as if nothing had happened.

"It's already the thirty-sixth one!"

Qing Yi had a blank expression on his face. This scene had been repeated thirty-six times before his eyes, and as many as thirty-six times within seven days. Anyone would become mentally numb.

He turned his head and looked up into the air, and said seriously, "Who among you four can give me an explanation?"

There was no one in the air, no birds or animals, and of course no response.

There were only dense branches of Sophora japonica, each of which was twisted like a dragon's claw, as if trying to grasp the sky tightly and tear apart the darkness before dawn.

Yi knew clearly that the hideous and terrifying ghost just now had become food for the four huge locust trees in front of him. He had seen it many times.

After waiting for a long time, the four giant trees were still silent. Qing Yi shook his head helplessly: "It's like this again!"

Since waking up from a coma seven days ago, he came to this strange world and became a boy of only fourteen years old.

Qing Yi has only a first name but no last name. The Qing in Qing Yi is the name of his adoptive father in this life, which means Yi, the son of Mu Qing.

This name sounds like a minor character like Passerby A or Passerby B, but his father in this life finally left him a precious aristocratic identity - a lower commoner.

The Lower Commoner is the lowest level of aristocratic title. Like the Upper Commoner, it is a lifelong title between a noble title and a commoner. It is not a hereditary title but a descending title.

For some unknown reason, since the night he woke up, one terrifying ghost after another broke in one after another, and was torn to pieces and eaten by the four huge locust trees at the four corners of the yard.

What surprised him even more was that, whether it was the ghosts that kept breaking in, or the scene of the locust tree tearing the ghosts apart and eating them, no one could see it except him.

“Oh oh oh…”

As roosters crowed, the sky gradually brightened. The ghost would not appear again today.

Qing Yi had long discovered the pattern of ghost appearances, which was from the hour of Hai to the hour of Yin the next night, that is, from 10 pm to 6 am the next morning.

"Since the master woke up that day, he has become even dumber than me. What should I do, Grandma?"

A deep young man's voice came from the far west wing, "The tribute to the king is due in the twelfth lunar month. In previous years, the uncles and brothers in the village would help with hunting, but the master insisted on doing it himself this time!"

"Snapped"

Following the crisp sound of a wooden stick hitting the target, the scolding of the old lady Bo came from the room.
"How dare you, you bastard, talk about the young master behind his back? He has just woken up from a serious illness and has not recovered yet. How can he go hunting when he is so weak?

There will be no snow and wind these days, so you can look for suitable prey in the surrounding wilderness, and then ask the neighbors in Huaiqiu for help in hunting."

Bo was the old housekeeper of the family. The boy who was beaten was her grandson, Daniu. There was also an eight-year-old boy, Erhei, who had not yet gotten up. Thinking of the winter hunting tribute, Qing Yi shook his head.

Being a commoner was no less burdensome than being a farmer. Not only did he have to pay 30% tax, obey the king's orders to fight in battles, but he also had to pay annual tribute to the king.

To be honest, Qing Yi felt that the annual tribute requirement for the lower common people was not harsh. Any qualified lower common person could easily complete the task of capturing a prey with strength equivalent to the initial stage of body building.

Unfortunately, the father of this body died early, in an ambush during a campaign against wild people eight years ago, and did not leave behind any martial arts inheritance.

Now he is fourteen years old and not only does he not have any cultivation skills, but he has also been weak and sickly since childhood, so his fighting ability may not be as good as that of the big rooster at home.

Therefore, for the predecessor in the past, capturing a prey comparable to the initial stage of body building has become an extremely difficult task, but now Qing Yi has found a solution.

"Daniu, are the things I asked you to prepare yesterday ready?" Qing Yi turned and asked loudly towards the west wing.

"The young master has not yet recovered from a serious illness. How can he endure the bitter cold in this winter morning!" When Aunt Bo heard Qing Yi's voice, she hurriedly walked out of the west wing.

Aunt Bo is already in her seventies, but her back is not hunched. She has white hair and a youthful face, and looks like a strong old lady. She was the wet nurse of Qing Yi's father in this life. Thanks to Aunt Bo's hard care these days, he was able to recover quickly.

Therefore, he also respected the old lady, and hurried forward to grab the hand of Aunt Bo, smiling but firmly saying: "Aunt Bo, now that I have recovered, let me and Da Niu go together for the annual tribute and winter hunting!"

The boy, who had always been hesitant, became so strong and opinionated for the first time. Even if Aunt Bo had doubts in her heart, she could not force him to refute her.

"I don't have much time left. I just hope that the young master can grow up safely. If he wins meritorious service in battles one day, he can be granted a hereditary title. This will mean that I have lived up to the trust of the master in the past."

After sighing with a little sadness, Auntie Bo turned her head to look at Daniu and said sternly, "Is there any delay in what the young master ordered?"

"No no!"

Daniu answered in a panic, carrying out a pile of utensils from the west wing, "The things are all here, please check them, master."

"Bow and arrow, noose, animal trap, cloak, flint, salt block... these things are quite complete - what is this, young master?"

Aunt Bo pointed puzzledly at four wooden boards that were nearly five feet long and half a foot wide, with one end sticking up high. They were obviously newly made by Daniu last night.

Qing Yi held her hand and said with a smile: "Auntie Bo, this thing is called a snowboard. It will help you to travel quickly on the snowfield when hunting in winter. I must return home before dark."

After discovering the pattern of the ghosts' daily appearances, Qing Yi decided to use the safe time during the day to hunt and return to the safe area guarded by the four locust trees before dark.

Seeing that Qing Yi had arranged all the hunting preparations in an orderly manner, Aunt Bo no longer dissuaded them, but prepared breakfast for them to go and come back early.

"Squeak-"

After finishing breakfast, Da Niu pushed open the gate, and the entire village of Huaiqiuli appeared in front of Qing Yi for the first time.

The adobe and thatched houses were dilapidated, but the streets were swept clean and some neighbors were still busy around.

Many children were chasing each other and having snowball fights. The snowballs they threw would occasionally hit others by mistake, causing laughter and scolding. Wisps of smoke were floating in the air above the village.

When they saw Qing Yi appear, the busy neighbors and children playing around all greeted him loudly in surprise and gathered around.

"It's great that Qingyi has recovered!" Several white-haired old men smiled.

"Huaiqiu Yi is really lucky!" Many male and female neighbors around said with a smile, with kindness in their eyes.

"Brother Xiaoyi, please get better soon!" The children playing around were even closer to him.

A child about thirteen years old came forward and said earnestly, "Brother Xiaoyi, this is the bird that Mu Tou and I just caught. It will be delicious if we cook it on the stove. You can use it to nourish your body."

At this time, there was a discordant voice: "Is Patient B not dead yet?"

(End of this chapter)