Borrowing Yang Energy

[The simplified Chinese edition is now available.]

Workplace drone Xue Ming is hit by a drunk driver on her way home from work and dies on the spot. When she opens her eyes again, a young scholar dressed in traditional robes says to her, “Brother Chixia, if you've rested enough, let's get going.”

Xue Ming is still wondering when she started being surnamed Yan when she asks, “Who are you?”

The scholar replies, “I am Ning Caichen.”

Xue Ming senses something is wrong. After confirming it several times, she realizes that after dying, she has transmigrated into Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio. From Ning Caichen, she learns that her name seems to be Yan Chixia.

She travels with Ning Caichen, and before long they come across a magnificent temple. Ning Caichen is delighted and wants to go inside, but Xue Ming's alarm bells are ringing. She wipes away a cold sweat and says, “This temple doesn't look very auspicious.”

Xue Ming originally thought that since she had become Yan Chixia, she would at least have some treasures, even if she didn't know how to exorcise demons. At the very least, the original story had a very powerful sword. Later, she realizes she'd overestimated herself. On her first night in the temple, she is chased by yaksha ghosts until she's running for her life. She stumbles into the depths of the temple and discovers a remarkably handsome male ghost named Yu He living there. The other yaksha in the temple are so wary of him that they dare not disturb him.

Xue Ming is barely surviving outside. She steels herself and proposes a deal to Yu He: she'll provide him with a little of her yang energy every day if he lets her stay in his room and take shelter.

Yu He gazes at her for a long time, then finally agrees.

From then on, the male ghost hugs and kisses Xue Ming to absorb her yang energy. Her vitality rapidly dwindles, until she can barely walk without a cane. Figuring that if he keeps draining her like this she'll soon be dead, she tries to unilaterally end their deal. Yu He then reveals his true nature, grabs her, and pins her onto the bed. “It's fine. I'll give you some of my yang energy instead.”

Xue Ming is shocked. “Wait a minute, where does a male ghost like you get yang energy?”

-

Yan Yuhe, courtesy name Chixia. Under orders from his master, he descends the mountain to capture his junior sister, who fled the sect. He calculates that she will enter the temple, so he waits for her there in advance. He intends to retrieve the sect's treasure after she dies at the hands of the demons and ghosts. But when his junior sister comes bursting in, yelling and screaming, not only does she fail to recognize him, she mistakes him for a male ghost and offers him her yang energy. Looking into her clear, jade-like eyes, Yan Yuhe has a change of heart and agrees.

[The coward who clings to life x the bad boy who fell for her at first sight]

[A love-at-first-sight story, devoted to each other, happy ending]

[This story is inspired by Pu Songling's Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio: Nie Xiaoqian, but includes many original elements. It's just something I wrote for fun. The character details are clearly stated, so please don't read it if you don't like them.]

Theme: Life is precious.