I don't know what's wrong with me. Facing this guy before me, I feel as if I'm confronting some unknown, colossal creature. My nerves are taut, brimming with hostility. He wears an innocent, childlike smile, his eyes squinting at me as he pours a cup of tea and hands it to me.
"Thank you."
I said, taking the teacup from him.
"John Chou must have told you—I really hate ghosts."
The guy in front of me spoke up. I nodded, keeping my guard up around him.
"Don't be so tense, Ethan Zhang. I won't eat you. I just want to talk about why people fear ghosts, and why ghosts must harm people."
"What exactly do you want?"
"Heh, fine. First, let me introduce myself. I'm Felix Fan. There, that's done. Now, let's have a real conversation, Ethan Zhang."
I let out a sound of surprise, staring at the man who called himself Felix Fan. He gave me a feeling of being completely out of my depth.
"Ethan Zhang, do you think ghosts are scary?"
I nodded, then shook my head.
"Ghosts are indeed frightening, but just like people, there are good and bad ones. I've met people scarier than any ghost, and I've also seen man-eating evil spirits. Whether human or ghost, there's a difference between good and evil. You..."
"No... that's not it..."
Suddenly, Felix Fan shouted loudly, startling me. Then he smiled.
"Ghosts are evil. No matter what, they must be cut down. Ghosts belong to darkness, Ethan Zhang. No matter the reason, a ghost is a ghost, a human is a human. When you meet a ghost, kill it."
I completely disagreed with Felix Fan. The only thing I knew about him was that he came from the Nether Syndicate—the place that despises ghosts.
"In the Nether Syndicate, that's always been our teaching: ghosts are bad, ghosts are terrifying. Whenever you see a ghost, you must kill it. You should understand, Ethan Zhang."
I abruptly stood up. I didn't want to have this pointless discussion anymore. I needed to get home—I had no idea what was happening there.
"You can't understand me either, can you, Ethan Zhang? Heh. After all, from the moment I could think, that's what I was taught. No one ever told me about anything but ghosts. Heh."
Just as I was about to leave, I stopped and turned to look at Felix Fan.
"Hmph, what are you really after, anyway? Eating Ethan Zhang is your goal, isn't it?"
Spirit Snake muttered. Instantly, I saw Felix Fan's eyes turn vicious. He lunged at me, and just as I was about to throw a punch, Felix Fan sped past my side.
"Can't I get a few minutes of peace? Heh."
Turning my head, I saw Felix Fan's right hand reach out of the barrier. With a yank, he dragged someone inside—a black-faced member of the Immortality Society. I was shocked to see a giant python coiled around that Immortality Society member.
There was a crunching sound. I saw pain in the black-faced man's eyes as Felix Fan began to slowly swallow him into his python-like right hand. Gradually, his arm returned to normal.
"I'm full now. Heh."
Felix Fan said, burping as he looked at me. I felt numb after witnessing this—he crushed the man's bones before swallowing him.
"Spirit Snake, don't say that. What good would eating Ethan Zhang do me? He's not the inheritor of the Snake sign."
Felix Fan spoke, and my heart skipped a beat. Was his real target Mason Yu? Just as I thought this, Felix Fan shook his head.
"Not at all, Ethan Zhang. I'm not interested in weaklings like that. I'm just genuinely curious about you."
Suddenly, the Spirit Snake on my back opened its mouth wide and lunged at Felix Fan.
"You just can't wait to eat me, can you, even while I'm talking? Heh."
Felix Fan gripped the Spirit Snake's jaws with both hands. Suddenly, he opened his own mouth and darted his tongue into the Spirit Snake's body. Instantly, my heart tightened and throbbed with pain. With a thud, I collapsed to the ground.
With a slap, the entire Spirit Snake formed from Deathbane Aura vanished.
"That thing won't cause any trouble for now. Heh. Ethan Zhang, don't think it's just helping you—it's vicious and cruel. I've made it behave for now inside your body, so it can't do anything for the time being."
Watching Felix Fan extend a hand, I still felt hostile toward him. I used my left hand to steady myself and sat down on the chair.
"What exactly do you want?"
I asked again. Felix Fan just kept smiling.
"Let's just say, for now, I'll be staying here. Here, Ethan Zhang—take this. When you get back, give it to the inheritor of the Snake sign."
Felix Fan handed me the Serpent Seeker Altar. I cradled it in my hands; it felt so light, almost weightless. I stared at it in surprise.
I glanced at Felix Fan one last time, then left. When I reached Fortune-telling Street, I was stunned—there was a pile of black masks on the road. I walked over in surprise. They were the masks worn by the Immortality Society's black-faced men, dozens of them stacked on the street.
"That was his doing."
Spirit Snake poked its head out from my shoulder again.
"What is he really after?"
"No idea. That guy's got issues—better not provoke him for now. Let's go, Ethan Zhang."
I nodded. He said he'd be staying with the old man and the blind woman for now, so at least I knew where he was. I spread my wings and suddenly saw thousands of snakes crawling toward me from all directions—inside houses, on the street, on rooftops. Tens of thousands of snakes.
[This chapter is not over ^.^, please click next page to continue reading!]
I hurriedly took flight. When I looked again, all the snakes were gone. It was just a hallucination. Without thinking much of it, I flew toward my home.
My mind was filled with the expression Felix Fan had shown when I entered—deep, bitter hatred for ghosts, as if he wanted to tear them to pieces.
About half an hour later, I neared my home. That's when I sensed a powerful ghostly presence—more than one. I sped up, feeling not just ghosts, but also the presence of people.
Just then, the Eastern Emperor suddenly appeared before me. I stopped.
"They've already arrived—two red-faced men, one blue-faced man, and an old Taoist. Their target is the Blue Wraith, and the fight has already begun."
"I'll go help."
Eastern Emperor shook his head.
"Don't go, Ethan Zhang. First, find a way to locate Rufina Howard. Use your instincts."
I let out a sound of acknowledgment. Those three, I didn't need to worry about for now—dealing with them wouldn't be simple anyway.
"Go nearby and find a place to hide. Someone inside your body should know where Rufina Howard is. He can guide you to her."
I made a noise of confusion and looked at Eastern Emperor, not understanding. He grabbed me without another word and flew down to a rooftop. We stopped there.
"I need to enter your body, Ethan Zhang."
I made a sound of surprise and could only nod. I didn't ask more about the 'someone inside my body' he mentioned. Indeed, only by entering my Instinctive Space could we find her.
I was already familiar with the method. I began using my Specter Web, slowly connecting it to the surface of Eastern Emperor's body, feeling the power inside him that made me uneasy—like a raging beast. That power grew restless whenever it encountered ghostly energy. Eastern Emperor kept his face covered, struggling to restrain it.
"This won't work, Ethan Zhang."
The surface of Eastern Emperor's body was wrapped in my black Specter Web, but it couldn't penetrate inside.
With a snap, the Specter Web around Eastern Emperor broke—I'd failed.
Panting, I looked at Eastern Emperor, feeling a surge of fear—fear of his power.
"Let go of your fear, Ethan Zhang. You're a ghost, and I'm what ghosts fear. But you have the instinct to coexist—try speaking to my power, reach coexistence."
I nodded, closed my eyes, and kept trying to connect with Eastern Emperor's power. Still, it resisted. I pictured a calm river, flowing water, and found inner peace. I controlled my Specter Web, inching closer to his power.
It still resisted fiercely. Then I remembered the Vermilion Bird, and quickly summoned its power. Gradually, my Specter Web turned fiery red, and the resistance lessened. Soon, I began to lose consciousness.
"Do you all have to stare at me like that? I'm just here to find someone."
As soon as I regained consciousness, I saw the Wraith, the Mourner, and my shadow surrounding Eastern Emperor, ready to pounce. Vermilion Bird and Spirit Snake watched from the side.
"Enough."
I shouted, and everyone turned to look at me.
"Speak, Eastern Emperor. Who are you here to find? They're all here."
Eastern Emperor glanced around at everyone, then smiled.
"Ethan Zhang, I'm not looking for anyone here. I'm searching for the sixth presence inside you."
I made a sound of surprise, looked around, and counted—on the ghost side, there were my shadow, the Wraith, and the Mourner; on the human side, only Vermilion Bird and Spirit Snake. Where was the sixth presence?
"Come out."
Eastern Emperor called out to the white space around us, stepping forward.