My heart was burning with anxiety as I flew northwest toward Haven City. I remembered that Chenshire was in that direction, and it should have become a desolate village by now. What surprised me most was Tina Yu—she was alive. A chill ran down my spine. Everything I thought I knew had changed, and I had no idea why. Ray Lin was right beside me.
Soon I found the county town beneath Chenshire. I saw the school where I had solved cases with the Ghost Burial Squad before, and I breathed a sigh of relief—nothing had changed yet.
"Brother Qingyuan, what on earth happened?"
I couldn't explain it. This feeling—things I clearly remembered were now turned upside down. Ray Lin talked to me a lot along the way, and many things were still the same as in my memory.
Only the earliest events, especially Tina Yu, were different. I had to confirm whether Helen Chen was around. Suddenly, I stopped. Before me stood rows of elegant, standalone houses—completely unlike the abandoned Chenshire I remembered.
I landed directly on the street—a street that looked fairly lively, with quite a few people around. I quickly walked into a shop.
"Auntie, do you know where Helen Chen's house is?"
After I learned the location, I hurried there. At the end of a small alley on the back street, there was a three-story house. I walked quickly toward it, and in an instant, I was stunned—it really was Helen Chen. She smiled happily, surrounded by a boy and a girl, her face glowing with happiness.
"May I help you, sir?"
At this moment, Helen Chen noticed my strange expression. I quickly shook my head.
"I'm Ethan Zhang. Do you remember me?"
Helen Chen looked at me in confusion, then shook her head.
"Miaoqiang, do you know this person?"
At that moment, the window on the second floor opened and Michael Chen poked his head out.
"Sir, who are you?"
I was stunned as I looked at Michael Chen. He had clearly died right in front of me, killed by a black-faced man from the Eternal Life Society. But now he was alive, looking gentle and refined—no longer the fierce figure I remembered.
"Sorry, I must have gotten the wrong person."
Feeling low, I turned away. Suddenly, something occurred to me.
"Easton Grant. Exile Town."
I immediately ran quickly into an alley.
"Exile Town should still exist, right?"
Ray Lin looked at me in confusion and shook his head.
"Brother Qingyuan, sorry, I don't know where Exile Town is. Maybe our memories were affected after entering the Animal Realm?"
Panting, I clutched my chest. There was no way I could forget those things. I still remembered everything—every detail was familiar to me.
"What about Evan Zhao? The Green Wraith in that asylum."
I was almost incoherent, but Ray Lin still shook his head in confusion.
Tina Yu and Helen Chen were both alive, but Samantha Simons and Evan Zhao had disappeared.
"Let's go to that asylum."
I said quickly, then took off. Ray Lin followed as always. I flew swiftly toward the place where I had met my cousin-in-law Susan Li for the second time. Back then, she had been locked up in the asylum.
Soon, I arrived at the entrance of the asylum, which had originally been abandoned. To my surprise, the short, chubby director who had been caught by the Ghost Burial Squad was still there, and nothing seemed out of the ordinary. Previously, he should have joined the Eternal Life Society.
"What about the Immortality Society?"
I looked at Ray Lin and asked.
"Brother Qingyuan, you're acting strange today. The Immortality Society hasn't been active for a while. Weren't you there for the incident at Mount Boundless? You saw Xu Fu sealed in the Nine Yin Array yourself. Now the Wraithlord has moved to the space where Buddhism and Taoism merge."
I hung my head, squatting by the street, clutching my head, not knowing what was happening to me.
"Ruoxi, take me to Rachel Lan. Ray Lin, please."
Ray Lin looked at me, sighed, and patted my shoulder.
"Don't worry. Rachel Lan should be fine. After all, she's now the head of the Lan Family. Even though she disagrees with the others about using vengeful spirits to collect souls, she's probably in the Hades Circle now. She'll be alright."
I breathed a sigh of relief. I wanted to go home and check, but right now I needed to confirm one thing—Easton Grant, the singer. I had to find him first.
I looked around and found an internet café. After going in, I started up a computer and searched online.
Nothing. My eyes widened—there were zero results for Easton Grant. I searched for several of his well-known songs, but most weren't his. I listened to a few, and they definitely weren't sung by him.
"Qingyuan, brother... Qingyuan..."
Lin Rui called me several times before I finally snapped back to myself. At that moment, I sensed two very familiar presences flying toward me.
My eyes widened. In an instant, the Earthly Soul and Heavenly Soul were standing before me.
"Sorry, Lin Rui, you can head back for now. The three of us have some things to discuss. Could you please give us some privacy?"
Lin Rui smiled and nodded, looked at me once more, and said:
"Qingyuan, brother, if you need anything, just contact me directly."
As Lin Rui spoke, he handed me one of his ghost threads. I stared wide-eyed at the Heavenly Soul and Earthly Soul.
"Ash, are you alright?"
The Heavenly Soul asked, and suddenly a hand reached out toward me. The Earthly Soul punched me in the cheek, sending me flying, but I managed to stop myself in midair.
"What are you doing..."
Before I could finish, the Earthly Soul was in front of me again, grabbed my collar, and slapped me several times. I stared at him in shock.
"Are you awake now, Zhang Qingyuan?"
I swallowed hard.
"Do you still remember? Samantha Simons, Evan Zhao, and..."
The Earthly Soul chuckled, while the Heavenly Soul stepped up to me.
"Of course we remember. After all, these memories are everything you and your friends went through together, already etched into the existence called Zhang Qingyuan, planted deep within your soul."
Those memories have never vanished. Even if the world changes, even if everyone forgets, they still remain in the depths of your soul.
The Heavenly Soul’s voice was gentle, but it pierced straight through my heart.
I wanted to say something, but my throat was tight. I could only stare at the two soul fragments before me, unable to utter a word.
The Earthly Soul patted my shoulder, his eyes somber.
"Ash, listen. No matter what happens, you must remember who you are. You are Ethan Zhang. You are Ash. You are the one who survived all this darkness."
I nodded, tears welling up in my eyes.
The Heavenly Soul and Earthly Soul exchanged a glance, then both turned away, their figures fading into the night.
I stood alone on the rooftop, the wind biting into my skin, my heart weighed down by sorrow and confusion.
The world was unfamiliar, the people I knew were gone, and all that remained was the pain and the memories buried deep within my soul.
After some casual conversation with Hu Tianshuo, I left his house in a hurry. I went to the rooftop of a tall building, clutching my head in pain, overwhelmed by sadness. I didn’t know what had happened, but the only thing I knew was that the living world now was not the world I was familiar with.
The wind howled. I didn’t know where to go. Even if I searched for everyone I once knew, perhaps many would no longer remember me, or maybe the things between us had never happened.
With a whoosh, Lin Rui appeared in front of me.
"I just checked. Li Susu is already dead."
I stared at Lin Rui in shock.
"She really is dead. It’s recorded in the Book of Life and Death—she died three years ago. She should have entered the Hungry Ghost Path by now."
"Why?"
I stood up, grabbing Lin Rui’s hand in agitation. He sighed and said:
"She lost her mind before and was sent to a psychiatric hospital. She didn’t last long—she died of starvation."
I raised my head and roared in anger.
"What happened? Why did it turn out like this? What the hell is going on?"
But my rage changed nothing. My mind was still searching for the people I used to know.
"Right, what about Cao Wanzhi, Heiyue, and the others? I claimed I was with the Black Fang Organization before—there should be plenty..."
But my eyes widened. The truth from Lin Rui’s mouth nearly broke me—there was no Black Fang, and none of those people I mentioned were there. The Ghost Painter, Book Immortal, none of them had ever crossed paths with me.
I squatted silently on the ground. Lin Rui was still talking, but I couldn’t hear a word. My consciousness began to blur.