"That rascal John Chou, he's nothing but ungrateful! He's made this old woman suffer so much!"
Although Lady Meng kept criticizing John Chou, I simply smiled, sipping my tea. Whenever she spoke of him, her demeanor was more like a grandmother talking about her own grandson.
"By the way, Lady Meng, what I just saw—the ghost soul waiting for reincarnation, it can reset its fate. What's going on with that?"
"It's all because of that rascal John Chou. You should know why he's being suppressed by the Sanzu Force, right?"
When the conversation turned serious, Lady Meng's smile faded, replaced by a solemn expression. I nodded—Mr. Brown had already taken me to see the Sanzu Force: the Hungry Ghost Realm, Animal Realm, and Hell Realm. The relationship between these three paths has been thrown into complete chaos by John Chou's bloodbane power.
Those suffering souls trapped within can now escape on their own from the Hell Realm or the Hungry Ghost Realm. Take Old Ray, for example—he came up from Hell Realm, and because of me, he barely managed to enter the Animal Realm, skipping reincarnation entirely.
"Now the entire reincarnation system is in a delicate state because John Chou has disrupted the balance between the three paths. All this chaos is his doing, which is why ghost souls are experiencing resets."
At last, I understood, and could only sigh helplessly.
"Why did he target the three paths in the first place?"
"Who knows what that rascal is thinking? Even this old woman can't figure it out—maybe only he knows. Ethan Zhang, do you know what you just drank?"
Just as I was about to take a sip of tea, Lady Meng’s words sent a chill down my spine.
"Wait, is this... Lady Meng's Elixir?"
I stammered, and Lady Meng nodded. I cried out, trying to vomit, but no matter how hard I tried, the urge wouldn’t come. In desperation, I stuck my fingers into my mouth.
"Don’t bother. Once Lady Meng’s Elixir is swallowed, it goes straight to the mind—there’s no getting it out that easily."
"Lady Meng, you..."
With a bang, I set down my teacup, pointing at Lady Meng. She smiled gently, rising to her feet, looking every bit the kindly old grandmother.
"Little Qingyuan, though this is Lady Meng’s Elixir, I’ve refined it myself. Only what I wish you to forget will be erased."
Relieved, I exhaled, but then I realized—doesn’t this mean she controls what I remember?
"Relax, you won’t forget your friends, your family, or your beautiful wife. Rest easy."
"Lady Meng, what exactly do you want me to help you with?"
I asked, and Lady Meng sat down beside me, gently patting my back.
"I won't make you do anything too difficult. Just listen to me for now. This task isn't something you can handle yet—it might be a long time before you can. But I hope you'll help when the time comes. After I finish telling you, you'll forget about it instantly, but when you're ready to handle it, you'll remember. Is that alright?"
I nodded, looking seriously at Lady Meng. Suddenly, I was startled—she smiled strangely, and in an instant, I seemed to lose consciousness, as if something was missing from my mind.
At that moment, I caught the fragrant aroma of tea and looked at the cup in my hand. The green tea gave off a strong scent. I let out a surprised sound and asked:
"Lady Meng, this tea?"
I remembered thinking it was Lady Meng's Elixir, but now that I tasted it, it was clearly just tea. Relieved, I drank several more cups.
"Little Qingyuan, this tea will get stronger the longer it steeps. Drink up and don't worry."
Just then, I noticed the teapot had somehow moved far away, and there were water stains all over the table, as if the tea leaves had been changed. But I didn't think much of it.
"Lady Meng, could I have some of your elixir now?"
I asked again. Lady Meng stood up and told me to wait here. Leaning on her wooden cane, she left the room. I sat quietly, feeling a bit drowsy, and lay down to rest.