Ghost Notes - Chapter 67: The Spark Before the Flame

Ethan's head throbbed violently as he opened his eyes, his vision hazy and unfocused. A dull ringing filled his ears, drowning out his thoughts.“What’s happening…?” he thought, his mind sluggish, struggling to catch up with reality. One moment, he was asleep—or at least, he thought he was—and the next, searing pain forced him awake.His vision swam, shapes blurring together in a disorienting mess. But then, muffled noises filtered through the haze—frantic, panicked sounds. Someone was trying to scream, their voice smothered, choked by something.A cold shiver ran down his spine.As his sight gradually sharpened, Ethan's breath hitched.He was on all fours, looming over someone. A girl.Her body twisted and writhed beneath him, ropes biting into her wrists and ankles. Her mouth was gagged, muffling her cries. Her wide brown eyes, brimming with fear and fury, glared up at him.Ethan's body locked in place, his blood running cold.“What the…?” His mind reeled, thoughts slamming into each other in chaotic disarray. “What kind of bizarre dream is this?”Panic clawed at his chest. His breath came in ragged, uneven gasps as he scrambled backward, only to realize his limbs felt sluggish, uncooperative, like they didn’t belong to him.“Is this… is this some kind of twisted fantasy I never knew I had?” A sickening thought slithered through his mind, making his stomach churn.The girl's frantic squirming slowed for a moment, her gaze flickering with confusion as she took in his expression—his trembling hands, his wide, horrified eyes. But the fear returned just as quickly. She struggled harder, her body arching, her muffled screams rising in pitch.Ethan wanted to speak, to say something, anything, but before he could force out a word, a glowing blue window materialized before his eyes.His breath caught.A translucent, hovering screen?“What…?”Lines of glowing text scrolled across its surface.---[System Activated…][Host Confirmed.][Simulating Previous Data…]Ethan awakens in a mysterious world, shackled by a curse that clouds his judgment and drives him toward choices he never wished to make. Burdened by guilt and responsibility, he must navigate the fallout of his actions while unraveling the truth behind the curse—and his place in this enigmatic new reality.

[Universal Invincible super first favorite text, face slap, scumbag, double strong! 】

Abandoned by her parents since childhood, Song Hua, who grew up in the countryside, was suddenly taken home by wealthy parents one day.

Her father told her: “You and your sister are not from the same world. Her future is limitless. She is a phoenix soaring nine days. Of course you can’t marry a disabled person! It’s cheaper for you!”

The mother warned: “The Yu family has a great career, and being able to marry your sister in place of your sister is a blessing that you have cultivated in eight lifetimes! Don’t know what’s wrong!”

Yu Tingzhi, a genius who is famous in Jiangcheng.

After a car accident, the genius Yu Tingzhi not only lost his legs, but also lost his talent.

One is a little village girl from the countryside;

One is a well-known waste;

These two people are a perfect match.

For a time, everyone was waiting to see the joke of Miss Song family.

..

One day, the little village girl and the trash in the eyes of everyone appeared at the same time at a reception where big bosses gathered.

Song Hua said:

“I’m here to carry the dishes as a part-time job.”

The latter is unhurried:

“It’s a coincidence, I’m also here to do a part-time job.”

As a result, everyone witnessed the two big bosses serving a night’s plate at the reception in order to conceal their identities.

..

On the wedding day, the big bosses in the capital gathered.

Big Brother No. 1: “The third master is getting married, I’ll wait to make way for the third master!”

Big Brother No. 2: “Welcome Miss Song back to Beijing!”

Big Brother No. 3: “…”

Big Brother No. 4: “…”

Looking at these big guys who can only be seen in the news column on weekdays, the Song family was stupid, and Song Baoyi cried and said that he regretted it.

- Description from novelbuddy

Miss Su had lived a sheltered life focused on learning the three obediences and four virtues since she was young. Before she could marry, she was killed by the autumn rain. Reborn as a peasant girl in the 1980s, Su Danhong became a wife and also unexpectedly got a spiritual spring! She didn’t expect that her previous life’s embroidery skills were master level embroidery skills in this life? The master was not a master. Miss Su didn’t care. What she cared about was that she could use these skills to make money and not worry about clothes and food. Growing precious flowers and plants, embroidering beautiful mountains and rivers, and enjoying the simple life.This is the story of an ancient girl from a noble family who went through rebirth to the 1980s where she farmed and gave birth.

In a world where everyone is a slave, someone is born who cannot be controlled. At the same time, an unstoppable villain rises on a quest for revenge. But the truth is darker than he ever imagined, and now he must face an unbeatable enemy — including himself.***Bruno was a young man born on Earth, the son of an influential modern Emperor. Despite having everything money could buy and receiving the best and most rigorous training to succeed his father, he chose the opposite path, defying his family’s ruthless rule.The price of his innocence? A merciless death and the complete erasure of his existence by the deity controlling his fate. On Earth, the law of the powerful was absolute; a slave could never rebel.But then, he wakes up again.He’s reborn in a world of cultivation, where freedom was promised to those strong enough to claim it. Now, he could soar like a free bird and carve his own destiny... or so he thought.The harsh reality of this new world soon showed him how insignificant he still was. He realized he had only changed masters.The freedom he sought was an illusion. The heavenly laws treated everyone as servants, and their rules were unbreakable. Bruno learned this bitter truth after losing everything that made him happy due to an unjust rule.But who was he to question?Hopeless, Bruno died... and was reborn as Alm, an unstoppable villain. With a soul poisoned by pain and vengeance, he sowed chaos across the universe. Planets were destroyed, countless lives taken, and his name became synonymous with terror.A hero rose to oppose him, wielding a sacred sword of hope. People from all corners of the universe united against Alm, raising their voices and weapons to stop the villain who defied the heavens.But Alm was no longer just fighting for revenge. He was challenging the heavenly laws that sought to control him, fighting fate and all living beings.And against all odds... the sacred sword shattered. The alliance of the entire universe was defeated.The villain won!Now, Alm found himself alone in the empty void of a dead universe, facing his own inner demons. Who could be more ruthless to him than himself?“What have I done?”At that moment, the doors of truth opened to him.Everyone was a puppet of a supreme figure, an entity that manipulated minds and even the heavenly laws.“I will find you, no matter where you are!”Thus, the last emissary of the true Heaven’s Will awakened. Alm, who once only relied on his sheer will and rage, now had a system to guide him. But his opponent was an immortal existence, above even the heavens.The villain who destroyed an entire universe now faced a new beginning. He discovered that the universe he devastated was just a tiny grain of sand in an infinite cosmos, where countless other universes existed.And so begins the legendary tale of the villain’s rise... and the Sacred Round God? A strange Duality of Shadows existed within one person.But this time, he wouldn’t be alone.***To clear up any potential confusion or frustration, here are some key points about the story. I’ll avoid major spoilers, but a few things will be revealed.You might find this concerning at first, but just check the book cover—it shows the main character and his only partner. She first appears at 10 years old, but rest assured, there’s no inappropriate content or early romance.At around 13, SHE starts developing feelings for the protagonist, but he doesn’t respond until she’s an adult. With her determined personality, she tries to seduce him at 17/18, but it doesn’t work. Their relationship only happens much later.The book has nods to other works, with my own spin on them, and focuses on avoiding elements I find problematic in other stories.Lastly, the beautiful book cover was commissioned and created by HDIArt.