Method

All the way, I remained silent. Ethan Zhang had his own difficulties, and I kept asking him for help—was that really fair?

Earlier, I promised to help him, but until now, it's always been Ethan Zhang saving me, helping me, again and again.

"What are you thinking about, Ethan Zhang? That night, I was outside the gas company the whole time—I didn't dare go in. Later, a ghost came; that was John Chou, wasn't it?"

I nodded.

"Rachel Lan can be saved, right?"

I looked at Vivian Ouyang. Her eyes were red, but I still didn't know how to talk to her. I chose to stay silent.

Arriving outside the apartment building, I told Vivian Ouyang to wait for me here, then headed straight up the slope.

"Didn't I tell you already? Bro, stay out of this."

John Chou was sitting in the pavilion, and Yuna Ji was there too. I walked over.

"Can you go to hell for me?"

John Chou looked at me, expressionless.

"Impossible, bro."

"Ethan Zhang, get a strand of the girl's hair."

Suddenly, John Chou burst out laughing.

"Bro, with your abilities right now, forget saving Rachel Lan—if you go to hell, you'll be torn apart by the wandering souls and wild ghosts in no time."

"You have a way." I stared blankly at John Chou.

"No way, bro. Like I said, this goes against the laws of heaven."

With a thud, I knelt on the ground.

John Chou stood up, looking at me coldly.

"You have a way."

"No."

"You have a way. Please, tell me, okay?" I choked out.

"Last time, I went to hell and brought you back. Back then, I was just a wandering soul, a little stronger than a regular ghost soldier. But now, things are different."

I lifted my head, staring at him in a daze.

"Get up, Qingyuan."

Yuna Ji came over and helped me up.

"Don't make things harder for John Chou. Right now, if he takes even one step into the underworld, the Ten Judges will know instantly. Even if his power is fully restored, he'll have no chance of coming back alive."

"I didn't expect this method. I almost forgot, haha! Ethan Zhang, you still have one last chance!"

I cried out helplessly.

"The Seventh Day" (头七, tóu qī): In Chinese folk belief, the seventh day after a person's death is when the soul returns home to visit relatives, escorted by spiritual registrars. This is considered the only chance for the living to interact with the departed. Good people may have more opportunities (the second, third, or fourth seventh day), but in this case, the girl has only one.

"The key is, during those seven days, you have to hold onto her body and prevent her yang energy from leaking. When the time comes, just find Basil Bertram—he knows how to reconnect the broken soul lock.\n\nNote: 'Yang energy' (阳气, yáng qì) refers to the life force or vitality in Chinese metaphysics. The 'soul lock' is a mystical device linking the soul to the body, which can be repaired by spiritual experts.

"What way?"

Yuna Ji remained silent, shaking her head. John Chou stared at me, stunned.

"For a woman who has nothing to do with you, you..."

"She's not unrelated. She saved me before. That time, when a fragment of my soul was thrown into the Soul-Binding Altar—you remember, right? Damian Chen came and nearly killed me, but she stopped him."

John Chou sighed.

"If you really insist on getting involved this time, you might die."

"I've already fallen into the ghost path. Sooner or later, I'll die anyway, right?"

I declared firmly.

"Get up, bro."

John Chou pulled me up, and I stood.

"Here, this is Rachel Lan's fate. Later, I'll use the Five Elements Fire Method (五行火法, wǔ xíng huǒ fǎ) to seal her yang energy. As soon as her soul returns, kid, go find the one you know who can fix the soul lock."\n\nNote: The 'Five Elements Fire Method' is a Taoist ritual technique for manipulating spiritual energies, especially to protect or restore souls.

"Because it's not time yet, right, John Chou? The underworld..."

Yuna Ji was about to say something, but John Chou shot her a fierce glare.

"Have that old couple do a proper calculation. See if that girl has any living relatives left in this world."

I let out a confused sound, looking around in bewilderment.

Suddenly, Yuna Ji seemed to understand and broke into a happy smile.

"I didn't expect this method. I almost forgot, haha! Qingyuan, you still have one last chance!"

"What exactly is the method? Tell me quickly!"

"The Seventh Day. It's a fixed process. Once someone dies, on the seventh day, they're escorted by Hell's Registrar to return home and visit their closest relatives. That's the only chance. Good people might get a second, third, or even fourth return, but that girl probably only gets one."

"The key is, during those seven days, you have to hold onto her body and prevent her yang energy from leaking. When the time comes, just find Basil Bertram—he knows how to reconnect the broken soul lock."

Immediately, excitement lit up my face.

"Bro, remember this: when Hell's Registrar comes, don't let any of them leave. You can't let them go back and report. The hardest part is, when the prisoner returns, they'll be shackled by Wuchang, with a yin lock. Only Wuchang has the key. You have to hold off Hell's Registrar until Wuchang arrives and get the key—otherwise..."

I nodded immediately and turned to leave.

"A ghost marriage?" (冥婚, míng hūn): A traditional Chinese ritual in which a living person marries a deceased person, often to fulfill spiritual or familial obligations. This can create a bond recognized in the spiritual realm.

"Bro, before you go, think carefully. If you do this, you may never be reborn."

I stood there, smiled, and turned my head.

"Doesn't matter. I'm already in. I'm not half-hearted anymore. No matter what path, it must have an end, right?"

"So, is there a way after all?"

Seeing my bright smile, Vivian Ouyang's sadness eased a little.

I nodded vigorously.

Back at Mrs. Blake's shop, I explained the method to everyone.

Miles Mao slapped his forehead as if he'd suddenly understood.

"Damn, there's actually a way! Why didn't I think of that, haha..."

"But can we really beat Hell's Registrar?"

Dalton Fang slapped his forehead, looking puzzled.

"Doesn't seem possible, right?" Mason Yu said, glancing at Mrs. Blake and the old man.

"You kids want to kill us old folks? Fighting Hell's Registrar is just asking us to get in the coffin early! Don't look at us!"

Then Vivian Ouyang told Mrs. Blake Rachel Lan's birth date and time.

Mrs. Blake asked Mason Yu to bring a basin of water.

"Impressive, it's the gold-water calculation."

I'd seen this before—a copper basin with a coin at the bottom, a red needle, and a little paper figure tied to it.

"Qingyuan, get a strand of the girl's hair."

I plucked a strand of Rachel Lan's hair and handed it to Mrs. Blake. The old man went into the room with the white cloth and got busy.

Then Mrs. Blake rolled Rachel Lan's hair between her fingers, muttering under her breath.

Finally, she tossed Rachel Lan's hair into the copper basin. Suddenly, a bubble rose up, and the coin at the bottom floated to the surface.

"Rachel Lan, female, 28 years old. Her fate seems... a bit chaotic."

Mrs. Blake continued muttering to herself.

"Something's off—her fate is fluctuating."

Mason Yu watched from the side, muttering to himself.

Sure enough, as soon as he finished speaking, the coin in the water bobbed up and down, and Rachel Lan's strand of hair drifted in and out of the coin's hole.

"Separation leads to reunion; the sign is Yusheng..."

Mrs. Blake chanted, and suddenly the coin leapt out of the water, flew into the air, and the soul-fixing needle pierced the coin's hole. With a whoosh, the paper figure ignited.

"Alas, what a tragic fate."

"What happened, Mrs. Blake?"

Mrs. Blake shook her head.

"This girl has no close relatives left in the living world."

All of us stared at Mrs. Blake in shock.

"Doesn't she still have a father?"

Mrs. Blake sighed.

"She did, but when her father left her, he severed all ties, performing the ritual of absolute separation. They're no longer father and daughter—alas."

"No way." Vivian Ouyang's expression turned frantic; she crouched beside Rachel Lan and began to cry again.

My heart raced—just when we'd found a way, it felt like we'd hit another dead end.

"What do we do? What do we do?" Dalton Fang crouched on the ground, slapping his forehead over and over.

Miles Mao looked ashen and collapsed onto the floor.

"It's all my fault, all my fault. I didn't study properly with my master. If I hadn't gotten greedy and left him back then, I..."

Suddenly, we all looked at Miles Mao. He gave an awkward smile.

"If I hadn't been a troublemaker, maybe I'd have gone back to the mountain and trained for a few years. Who knows..." Dalton Fang said, blaming himself.

The atmosphere in the room turned silent.

The truth was clear: Rachel Lan had no close relatives left in the world, so the Seventh Day wouldn't happen. Her soul wouldn't return from the underworld.

"What's wrong with you all?" The old man came out from behind the white curtain, carrying a Seven-Star Lamp burning brightly.

"Here, this is Rachel Lan's fate. Later, I'll use the Five Elements Fire Method to seal her yang energy. As soon as her soul returns, kid, go find the one you know who can fix the soul lock."

Mrs. Blake explained the situation. The old man froze, sighed, and set down the Seven-Star Lamp.

"Hehe..." A laugh rang out—it was Yuna Ji. I saw her walk in.

"Who?" The three men from Team 17 asked in unison, staring blankly at Yuna Ji.

"You filthy thing, what are you doing here?" the old man said gruffly.

"I'm here to guide you out of your confusion!"

"Pah, is there even a way now?"

Yuna Ji pointed at us with her finger.

"Isn't this room full of four strong men? How could there be no way?"

I let out a sound of surprise and glanced at the other three.

Then we all looked at Yuna Ji in confusion.

"Sigh, you really don't get it. If there's no close relative, can't you create one?"

Suddenly, Mrs. Blake opened her eyes, revealing her pale eyeballs.

"A ghost marriage?"

"Of course. Just have someone in this room marry the girl, and that's it!"

"Will that work?" Mrs. Blake asked.

"Of course! If it wouldn't work, I wouldn't have come here myself to tell you."

Suddenly, the three men from Team 17 started scuffling.

"Monk, Taoist, this is something only I, Mason Yu, can do. You two, step aside."

"Pah, Mason Yu, let me do it."

"Let me, the monk, do it. The Buddha said, 'If I don't go to hell, who will?'"