By the next morning, the Seven Dao Gate Elders who had left were still nowhere to be found. Only Samuel Young and Elder Peach remained; the rest had vanished without a trace.
Looking back, before their disappearance, the Seven seemed anxious and hurried. It wasn’t the Immortality Society’s arrival that drove them away—it felt as if something else had happened.
By morning, the Daoist disciples had dwindled by two-thirds, all of them rushing off in haste. Seizing the moment, I approached Qiu Lin to ask what was going on.
“Did something happen with your grandmaster?”
“Sigh, I’m not sure. Something big seems to have happened on the mountain.”
Qiu Lin answered, and I nodded. Meanwhile, Samuel Young was busy reaching out, gathering the remaining people together.
“Everyone, well... what can I say? We’re the hosts of this summit, but now, the meeting must come to an abrupt end. Elder Peach and I need to hurry home—the backyard is on fire.”
Samuel Young spoke, glancing at the Ghost Sovereign.
“As for our dealings, we’ll have to postpone. John Chou, on a side note, do you know why our backyard is burning?”
Samuel Young asked, and John Chou just smiled.
“How would I know? What are you implying?”
“Please don’t take offense, everyone. On behalf of the Dao Sect, I sincerely apologize.”
With that, Samuel Young bowed deeply with his fists clasped. The Daoists were already starting to leave, and Elder Peach had hurried off, visibly anxious.
None of this was normal. Something serious must have happened, forcing the Nine Dao Gate Elders to leave in haste.
“What a joke. An absolute farce, ha.”
Master Cloud sneered, and Yuna Ji quickly chimed in.
“Oh please, you can’t even hold a meeting together. Typical Daoists—always putting on airs.”
“Enough, Yuna Ji. We didn’t lose anything. Let’s just head back.”
John Chou spoke, standing up. The other Ghost Sovereigns glanced at him, some with faint, ambiguous smiles. He was obviously excited, even delighted.
I saw it clearly. Usually, John Chou was composed, but now his face—caught between a smile and a smirk—radiated excitement. He was definitely involved; I was sure of it. And Samuel Young’s words weren’t baseless.
“Alright, everyone, please do as you wish. The Nine Dao Gate Elders will personally come to apologize when the time comes.”
With that, Samuel Young turned and left without hesitation.
Just like that, the meeting dissolved—abrupt and inexplicable.
“Cousin, I’ll go arrange accommodations for our masters and elders. I’ll call you later—let’s go for a drink.”
My cousin said, then left with Master Mingde and the others. As he departed, Master Mingde glanced at me. I nodded, pressing my fist to my chest.
“You lot.”
Lan Yin was visibly angry as he stared at the other nine Soul Collectors.
“Enough talk, Lan Yin. We’re heading back to the Hades Circle. As for you, do as you wish.”
Jason Su spoke, rising decisively. The other nine Soul Collectors left one after another.
“Miss Xie, even you...”
“Sorry, Lan Yin. The Xie family and the Second Tribunal Yama have an agreement. So, for your proposal to improve the Hades Circle, at least seven of the Ten Judges must agree. Otherwise, we can’t change anything.”
In the end, only Lan Yin remained, standing alone by the empty table. I didn’t leave with John Chou and the others.
Some things just can’t be accomplished by passion alone.
After a long silence, Lan Yin finally spoke, then gave a bitter smile. I walked over to him slowly.
“Brother, you’re not planning to leave yet?”
I looked at John Chou, smiled, and shook my head.
“Lan Yin, some beliefs, once deeply rooted, can never be removed. That’s just how people are.”
Suddenly, John Chou shouted toward us, then burst out laughing. His laughter was wild and defiant, as if everything was already in his hands.
“You’re right, John Chou.”
Lan Yin dropped into a chair, and I sat down beside him.
"Failed again, Qingyuan. Why is it always failure? No matter what I do, time after time, it's always failure."
"Hades doesn't belong to just you ten!"
I spoke slowly. Lan Yin grabbed me, and together we found some leftover wine and food, setting them on a table. The plaza was empty now—just Lan Yin and me remained.
"Lan Qinmo saw it coming long ago. Trying to change Hades is nothing but a fool’s dream. None of them will defy the orders of their respective Yama Kings. Only the Fifth Tribunal Yama has never restricted us—in fact, he's always tolerated everything our Lan family has done."
"It's alright, Lan Yin. I'll help you. No matter how many times you fail, just stand up again."
I said, raising my glass and clinking it with Lan Yin's. I hadn’t heard much before, but I’d sensed that Lan Yin had failed many times—not just with Miss Mo Yu. He’d witnessed tragedies like Lan Ruoxi’s more than once or twice, yet unlike the other Soul Collectors, he never chose numbness.
Lan Yin is one of the few in Hades who stays awake to the pain. Maybe the other Soul Collectors know deep down that Hades has no future, but they remain numb, exhausted, carrying out their tasks like machines, faithfully serving the Underworld.
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"Let’s go, Qingyuan. It’s fine now. I want to hear from John Chou why this meeting ended so abruptly."
I nodded, and then Lan Yin and I quickly left Jiulong Plaza. Outside, the convoy was still parked quietly along the street.
Just then, I saw someone—Su Yuan. He was standing before the seven Ghost Sovereigns, holding something in his hand.
As I got closer, I saw that Su Yuan was holding a large bag, apparently made of snakeskin.
"The Jade Purity Brush, Divine Fire Seal, Duality Gourd, and Soul Suppressing Bell—four artifacts, all inside this bag. John Chou, take it."
John Chou took the snakeskin bag, then started laughing.
"No wonder those Daoists acted like their pants were on fire. John Chou, you really went all out this time."
Yuna Ji pouted, watching John Chou, while the other Ghost Sovereigns stared at him in disbelief. Even the usually cold and stern Shen Yanjun looked shocked.
"What does it have to do with me? That guy insisted on giving it to me, so I accepted—nothing more."
I shot John Chou a resentful look. From what Su Yuan said, these four artifacts, together with the five mentioned by Yun Mei earlier, made it clear why Samuel Young said the backyard was on fire.
"You took their artifacts."
"Sigh, brother, it was Fan Xiaoran who insisted on thanking me for saving him, so he gave me a generous gift. How was I supposed to know these were the artifacts from the other four Daoist branches?"
"You're lying."
In unison, we all spoke up, and then John Chou's expression turned cold.
"Brother, don't forget—we're ghosts."
With that, John Chou raised his hand and tossed the snakeskin bag to Red Hair, who caught it.
"Heh, those fools—now nothing they say matters. Want their artifacts back? Dream on."
"Alright, whatever needs saying can wait until we're back. For now, just relax and wait for them to come to us."
John Chou laughed loudly and got into the car. The other Ghost Sovereigns climbed in as well.
But deep down, I felt this was utterly immoral—taking advantage of someone during a meeting, raiding their home, and stealing their sacred artifacts.
Su Yuan flew up to the car roof, smiling at me. I finally understood why, as John Chou's first Hundred Ghost, Su Yuan hadn’t participated in the meeting.
But then I thought about it—Fan Xiaoran really was impressive, managing to collect all four artifacts and deliver them.
"By the way, did that guy say anything?"
"Oh, he said he’ll pay you back everything he owes. John Chou, just sit tight and wait for the interest."
John Chou laughed again.
"As expected, Brother Chou, you really thought it through."
"You really are too cunning, John Chou."
Yun Mei couldn’t hold back her dissatisfaction and spoke up.
Now, even if the Daoist sect figured it out, they’d be powerless. First, they had no proof that John Chou ordered Fan Xiaoran to take the artifacts. Second, John Chou wasn’t the one who stole them outright. When the time came, he could just make up an excuse—say he found them by the roadside or something. The Daoists would have no way to deal with him.
And Fan Xiaoran would take the blame—he wouldn’t be afraid of the Daoist sect anyway.
"Brother, you’re not leaving yet?"
John Chou glanced at me. I shook my head.
"I’m waiting for my cousin."
Just then, Hu Tianshuo walked over. For a moment, I saw something pass between his eyes and John Chou’s.