"He just said that you all followed him of your own free will, and it had nothing to do with him. That's all."
As soon as I finished speaking, Allen Zhang's expression changed. On his face was a deep inner conflict, written all over his features.
"Damn, still acting all arrogant, huh? Serves him right. I heard he's being suppressed by the Sanzu Force now. How's Mr. Brown doing? Does he still beat up John Chou from time to time?"
I let out a surprised sound. Allen Zhang leaned in, a bit agitated, and I couldn't help but smile knowingly.
"Did Mr. Brown used to beat up John Chou a lot?"
Allen Zhang nodded.
"Yeah, you know what John Chou's like. Every time, he'd run circles around us, make us clean up his messes, and we'd all be pissed off but couldn't do anything about it. Luckily, Mr. Brown was there. Whenever something like that happened, he'd give John Chou a good beating in front of everyone. It was so satisfying, don't you think?"
I made a sound of agreement and looked at Allen Zhang. He looked so pleased, as if he'd beaten up John Chou himself. It felt cathartic.
"Alright, I won't say much more. Looks like it's time to go back and check on the world of the living."
With that, Allen Zhang stood up, walked to the tightly shut main room, and kicked the door open. I saw a small bundle inside—he slung it over his back and smiled.
"You still haven't answered my question, Mr. Zhang..."
"Let's go. We'll check out Galen Hall first. The person you're looking for might be there—that's Brother Owen's domain."
I thanked him with a nod of gratitude, then followed Allen Zhang out the door. He led me upward, and soon I saw countless Buddhist altars and shrines scattered along the way, with ghost monks drifting back and forth. The sight unsettled me.
Rows of monks walked the streets, chanting Buddhist verses as they went. Beside them, many ghosts stood on either side, their faces devout, their robes somber. Allen Zhang pulled me into the crowd of ghosts, and we stood quietly, heads lowered.
The scene was disturbingly strange, and the chanting of the monks was low and somber, echoing with a heavy, oppressive gloom.
After the procession of ghost monks passed, I continued walking with Allen Zhang.
The farther we went, the more unsettling everything became. The Buddha statues in the temples looked just like the ones I'd seen in my dreams—distorted and bizarre.
"Did you arrive before Brother Owen got here?"
I asked. Allen Zhang shook his head.
"After John Chou disappeared, we searched for a long time. Eventually, we all gave up and went our separate ways. I was bored out of my mind, so I wandered the Ghostrealm, stopping and starting wherever I pleased. The living world was in chaos then—everyone seemed to have lost their will to fight. I just kept walking until I ended up here. It felt right, so I stayed."