I stared in shock as Ray Lin transformed into the form of a Hell's Registrar, then put on the uniform of a Registrar. He looked exactly like one. After that, he handed the clothes to me. I took them, but now I was the one left dumbfounded.
I smiled awkwardly and said,
"What am I supposed to do?"
Ray Lin, on the other hand, looked at me in surprise and blinked, saying,
"No way, Brother Ethan, this is basic stuff for ghosts. You don't know how to do it?"
"Yeah, I don't. No one's ever taught me."
Ray Lin said, annoyed.
"You need to be taught? It's something you're born with."
I muttered resentfully,
"I wasn't born a ghost."
As I spoke, I added another sentence.
"Besides, I'm still human right now. Even if I'm half-ghost, half-human, I'm still human."
Ray Lin let out a sigh and sat down on the ground, looking as if he was prepared to wait for me to become a Hell's Registrar.
I tried to let my baleful aura seep out, but I was a bit afraid. If the local Registrars sensed my ghostly power, I'd be in trouble.
"Don't worry, Brother Ethan. That lord has already implanted the Malice Flame in your body, so your ghostly power won't be detected by the underworld's people."
I responded with an 'oh', letting my baleful aura seep out and condense on my skin, imagining the pitted and uneven look. After a long while, I looked at Ray Lin and asked,
"Is it done?"
Ray Lin finally opened his eyes and laughed.
"You look like you've got a black cloth draped over you. Take your time, Brother Ethan. Come on, there's a stream over there. Use the water as a mirror and just go slowly."
I let out a sound of surprise.
"Will we make it in time?"
"Normally, it takes at least two days for a Hell's Registrar to return to Halfway Crossing from outside. The two Registrars you saw are the lowest rank, so they won't come back quickly. That's why, during the seventh day rites, you have to prepare lots of offerings. Traveling takes days, and they arrive hungry. After eating, they walk halfway, get hungry again. Luckily, Halfway Crossing is a kind of relay station, so those two Registrars won't be back for two or three days."
"What about you?"
I looked at Ray Lin in confusion. He smiled, lying on the ground with his feet up.
"I'll take you by the shortcut. After all, I'm a veteran driver. When I was alive, I was a coachman for rich folks, traveled every kind of road. Heh."
I responded, and after Ray Lin got up, I followed him toward the woods away from town. Just as he said, I soon heard running water. After a few steps through the strange trees, I saw a clear stream under the moonlight. I walked over and saw that my baleful aura, though condensed, made me look like someone covered in black cloth. I sighed and dispersed the aura.
"Right, I almost forgot to tell you: don't show your real face later. My name is Li Nian, died three hundred ninety-seven years and two months ago, at the hour of the pig. You're Six Four, died three hundred seventy-one years and seven months ago, at the hour of the rooster. I was mean in life, bullied the vendors here. You're lustful, often harassing the female ghosts. Remember, these are the death dates and natures of those two Registrars. Don't slip up."
I made a sound of surprise, turned to look at Ray Lin lying by the stream, and sighed.
"So we're supposed to act, huh."
"And about names, you need to call me Brother Li, and I'll call you Ah Si. Don't mess it up, or people will get suspicious. If Leopard Tail finds out, he'll just do a quick calculation and figure out our origins. Then we'll be in trouble. I can't beat him."
This was turning into a real problem. I could only sigh helplessly. Forget everything Ray Lin told me to remember—just figuring out how to look like a Hell's Registrar was giving me a headache.
I kept forcing my baleful aura out, trying to transform, but no matter how hard I tried, I looked nothing like a Registrar. I glared at Ray Lin, frustrated.
"Teach me, what should I do? Please?"
"Brother Ethan, this can't be taught. Once you become a ghost, you naturally take on someone else's form. As for how it happens, I don't really know. You'll have to figure it out yourself."
I had no idea how much time had passed, but my stomach was starting to growl. Ray Lin got up, looked around, and stretched.
"Keep at it. I'm going into town to get something to eat."
I responded, feeling tired. I still couldn't transform into a Registrar. Puzzled, I sat on the ground, but suddenly remembered that my shadow could change shape. It had even turned into Yin Choujian before, covering Uncle Mo.
I looked at my blurry reflection on the water and called out softly.
"Hey, can you teach me how to change into someone else's form at will?"
Whoosh—the blurry shadow on the river suddenly stood up and looked at me, scratching its head in confusion.
"How should I know? Ghosts are just born with it. Figure it out yourself."
I stared at my shadow in surprise, mouth agape.
"If I knew, would I even be asking you?"
But my shadow looked like it couldn't be bothered with me and returned to the flowing river. No matter how much I called, it wouldn't come out again.
I kept trying for a while longer, then plopped down on the ground, completely out of ideas. I'd seen plenty of horror movies and novels where ghosts could change their appearance and become someone else, perfectly. But how did they do it?
I couldn't figure it out. Then I thought of someone—Sima Ying. If she were here, maybe she'd know. After all, she was a Grand Scholar in life, incredibly learned. She taught me everything I know about suppressing green ghosts.
Just as I was sighing, I smelled roast chicken and wine. I turned my head—Ray Lin, looking satisfied and full, walked over slowly. He set a bottle of wine, a roast chicken, and some other things wrapped in a small bundle in front of me and unwrapped them.
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Starving and dizzy, I was about to wolf down the food, but Ray Lin stopped me. He took another small bundle and set it in front of me.
"Eat this first, Brother Ethan."
I opened the small bundle. Inside was a lump of something blackish, looking like some kind of meat, with a color similar to Ray Lin's own.
"What is it?"
"Don't ask, Brother Ethan. Just eat it, come on."
I vaguely sensed what it was. It looked like slices, covered in deep grooves, sticky and slimy, with green, yellow, and red patches.
"Is it ghost meat?"
Ray Lin nodded with a smile.
"It's cut from those two Registrars. Hurry up and eat—once you do, you'll have their aura, and you won't have to worry about being discovered by the real ghosts for now."
I swallowed, looking at the slices of ghost meat cut from their bodies. I just felt sick.
Helpless, I closed my eyes, grabbed a sticky piece of ghost meat, sniffed it—it smelled fishy. I couldn't stand it, but still opened my mouth. Suddenly, Ray Lin pushed my hand, and that piece of meat went straight into my mouth.
It was salty, fishy, and reeked. I gagged and retched, but nothing came out; the meat just stayed in my mouth. I kept dry heaving, tears squeezing out of my eyes.
Strangely, the piece of ghost meat seemed to melt away, disappearing in my mouth. Then, with a gulp, I swallowed something, and all at once, I felt a surge of power inside me, though it was faint.
"Can I just eat one piece?"
Ray Lin smiled, holding out his hand.
"Nope. I calculated exactly how much you need to eat to keep up the disguise these next few days."
As Ray Lin spoke, I squatted on the ground, extremely reluctant. But finally, I mustered my courage, stood up, closed my eyes, grabbed the ghost meat, and started eating, swallowing it all in one go. More and more power kept surging up inside me.
I didn't know how many times I gagged, but I finally finished the ghost meat. Just then, fragments of broken memories appeared in my mind. I immediately realized—they belonged to the Registrar named Liu Si. I pictured what he looked like, amazed.
"Oh, now you're getting the hang of it."
Suddenly, I realized I was changing. Looking at the river, my face had completely turned into Liu Si's, though my body hadn't changed yet. I grinned with delight. The moment I ate Liu Si's meat, it was as if something flashed through my mind.
Following that feeling, I gradually succeeded. When I looked, I was the spitting image of Liu Si. I quickly put on the Registrar's uniform, slung the black club with the red tip over my shoulder, and hung the badge at my waist.
"There you go, Ah Si. Let's go."
I burst out laughing, then replied.
"Let's go, Brother Li."
We approached Halfway Crossing. At the intersection, I saw a vendor selling clothes. Ray Lin walked right over and barked roughly,
"Ah Si, which one do you want?" I made a sound of surprise, then saw Ray Lin pick up a few. The ghost vendor looked like he wanted to say something but held back.
"What? You got a problem with me taking a few of your clothes?"
"No, no, sir, I wouldn't dare."
Just then, Ray Lin came over and shoved me. There were quite a few Registrars nearby, all lower ranked than us, coming over to greet us obsequiously.
"Your turn, go on."
I made a sound, then saw a young woman not far away, wearing a floral skirt. Helpless, I laughed and walked over, grabbing her butt with one hand.
"Hey, little lady, where are you off to?" I said in a shrill, lecherous voice.
"What are you doing, sir? I'm just going to buy groceries."
In an instant, my eyes widened in shock. The so-called young woman in front of me was actually a burly man with dirty feet.