Chapter 1: Oh My God, There's a Ghost

Mo Qianxun never imagined that accepting a simple delivery order would lead to such a series of strange events.

An orphan, Mo Qianxun had struggled to find a job matching her degree after graduating from university. Eventually, she decided to become a food delivery rider. The odd occurrences began with an order she received in her second month on the job.

“Qingqiu? Is there such a place in Jing City? Is it a neighborhood or a district?” Mo Qianxun scratched her head in confusion as she looked at the address displayed on her phone.

She opened the navigation app and, to her surprise, the place did exist—not far away, just on the outskirts of the city.

Following the directions, Mo Qianxun mounted the small electric scooter she had purchased with most of her savings, donned her helmet, and set off toward the destination.

After about half an hour, she parked in front of a dense forest. Staring at the trees, she muttered, “Damn, could there be a bug in the system? This is supposed to be Qingqiu? When did it get that name?”

To be sure, she decided to call the customer.

The phone rang twice before a poised, mature female voice answered, “Who’s this?”

“Hello, miss. I’m the Ele.me delivery rider. I’ve arrived at the forest edge. How do I find you?” Mo Qianxun scanned the woods eagerly, hoping someone would appear to accept the food.

“Ah, I see. Just come into the forest and keep going straight ahead. I’m waiting inside wearing red,” the woman said, her tone suddenly shifting as if she’d just remembered something.

“All right, please wait a moment—I’m coming now!” Mo Qianxun locked her scooter against a large tree and, clutching the food, stepped into the forest.

After walking for over twenty minutes, she spotted what seemed to be an exit. There, with her back turned, stood a woman dressed in traditional red attire.

In this wild and remote place, the sight of a woman in red made Mo Qianxun’s heart leap into her throat.

“May all the gods protect me. I’ve never done anything truly wrong in my life. The worst I did was tie up a bully at the orphanage. I’m usually a law-abiding citizen. Please, no supernatural trouble…” she whispered anxiously as she nervously approached the figure.

“What are you mumbling about?” a low voice suddenly sounded beside her ear.

Startled, Mo Qianxun nearly fell, clutching the nearby tree to steady herself.

Once composed, she looked at the woman in red and swallowed her fear. “Are you the customer with the order ending in 8817?”

“Yes, that’s me!”

“Here’s your food,” Mo Qianxun stammered, handing over the delivery.

The woman took the food and, noticing Mo Qianxun’s frightened expression, felt a bit guilty. “Are you okay? I wasn’t trying to scare you. I just got curious because you kept muttering to yourself.”

“I’m fine,” Mo Qianxun replied quickly. “As long as you’re real, I’m relieved.”

“From what you said, it sounds like you thought I was a ghost?” The woman toyed with a strand of her hair.

“No, no! You’re beautiful—there’s no way you could be a ghost. I was just rambling nonsense.”

“Oh, I see. You look pretty scared. Here, take this.” She handed Mo Qianxun a herbal leaf. “It’s a special Qingqiu herb that strengthens your spirit, so you won’t get scared so easily.”

Mo Qianxun eyed the leaf skeptically. It looked like an ordinary weed with slender leaves.

“No, thank you,” she declined.

“Please accept it. By the way, the herb only becomes effective when it blooms. That should take about three to five days. Water it regularly and let it bask in the sun,” the woman advised, rifling through her pouch to produce a small purple stone the size of a thumb. “Plant this in the soil where you put the herb to boost its growth.”

Mo Qianxun tried to refuse a few times, but seeing the woman’s insistence, she finally accepted. “Thank you. If you have time, please leave me a five-star review!”

“No problem! I’m heading back now.” The woman turned and walked toward the exit.

Mo Qianxun also turned to leave. After a few steps, something felt off. She glanced back—and nearly lost her soul.

There was no exit behind her. Only dense woods, thick with leaves that blotted out the sky, casting an eerie chill down her spine.

“Oh my god! There really is a ghost!” Mo Qianxun scrambled back to where she had parked her scooter.

When the sunlight finally warmed her again, she thought, Ah, it’s like a corpse coming back to life.

Looking at the herb and purple stone in her hands, she hesitated. Both items had been given to her by the ghostly woman. Maybe she should just toss them away.

Without a second thought, Mo Qianxun discarded them.

Almost immediately, an invisible barrier blocked her path, causing her to fall.

“Ouch! I shouldn’t have gone out today,” she muttered, checking the scrape on her thigh. “Do I have some disaster coming my way?”

At that moment, her phone vibrated wildly in her pocket.

She pulled it out to find a notification from the delivery platform. Opening it, she saw only two words: “Keep them!”

“Keep them? Keep what? Could it be…” She looked back at the herb and stone she had just thrown down.

Two minutes later, trapped by an unseen wall, she reluctantly picked up the herb and stone again.

This time, instead of riding, she carefully pushed her scooter back to where the barrier had appeared. Step by cautious step, she moved beyond the invisible boundary, finally breathing a sigh of relief.

Without lingering, she sped away on her scooter until she finally saw people and felt safe again.

Life must go on, and the deliveries never stop. She decided to treat this strange encounter as just another unusual adventure.

Meanwhile, Fox Mei’er carried the delivery bag on her way home. The scent of roasted chicken faintly wafted from the bag, quickening her steps with anticipation.